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assistance in saving his youngest son, Valdemar, from some risky investment schemes which contributed to the collapse of a major commercial bank in Canada - an entanglement which would have resulted in considerable public scrutiny and financial ruin for the prince. The King has demanded that both the affair, and my role in resolving it, should be kept from the public gaze.”
    â€œUnderstood, Holmes, but you know that I could have been relied upon to be discreet. There was no need to act so furtively.”
    â€œI realise that now, but my primary concern was to ensure that Lestrade was not put off in coming to us with his case - he trusts and respects you as much as he does me. I need hardly tell you, that I would rather be presented with a single, intangible mental challenge to flatter and sustain my ego, than I would a dozen knighthoods. I seek stimulation not adulation.”
    Realising this to be the case and having no wish to continue to chastise my colleague, I turned my attention to the newspaper and asked Holmes to relay what had been printed in the Daily Telegraph . Having lit his favourite churchwarden and taken two or three puffs of the pipe, he read out the news item:
    Mysterious Death at Ravensmere Towers
    Detectives from Scotland Yard were called yesterday afternoon to the prestigious new office building of Ravensmere Towers near Hyde Park, following a report of a fatal shooting.
    While details remain sketchy, our chief reporter understands that the incident is being treated as a potential case of murder, since no firearm was found near the body. The victim of the shooting was a Mr Edward J Flanagan, an Irish national, who occupied the first floor office of Ravensmere Towers, where he ran a successful business exporting English porcelain to the United States.
    Detectives admit to being baffled by the circumstances of the death. The building is accessible only from the ground floor, the sealed entrance to which is controlled by a vigilant concierge. He has stated categorically that beyond those few personnel occupying the plush offices, no one entered or left the building during the time the shooting is believed to have taken place. However, when the Scotland Yard men, led by the very capable Inspector Lestrade, conducted a thorough search of the building, they were unable to find the illusive gunman.
    The only other paying tenants of Ravensmere Towers are three brothers in their forties, who operate a depository for rare books on the second floor. They claim to have heard a single, very audible shot at around eleven o’clock yesterday morning. Some moments after this, Mr Chester Godbold - the eldest of the trio - ventured out of their rooms in order to determine the source of the noise. Having done so, he claims to have caught a glimpse of a man holding a revolver, running up the stairs to the third floor. The man was said to be wearing a heavy grey overcoat and a large tweed hat which covered his head and the sides of his face and prevented Mr Godbold from seeing more of his features.
    Inspector Lestrade was reluctant to say any more about the supposed crime at this juncture.
    Readers may remember that Ravensmere Towers was opened at the start of this year to some fanfare. It is said to be one of the most impressive modern buildings in the capital. Its offices are fully-equipped with electric lighting and power and all upper floors are accessible via a hydraulic-powered lift, or elevator, in addition to a traditional stairwell. The owner and property developer, Mr Archibald Cartwright, occupies the third floor of the building, and was said to be ‘deeply saddened’ by the events and has pledged to do all he can to assist the police in bringing to justice the man responsible for the shooting.
    â€œWell, what do you make of it, Watson?” queried Holmes, placing the open newspaper on the table in front of him.
    â€œQuite remarkable. Lestrade and his men were unable to find any lone