Read Sherlock Holmes in 2012: TIMELESS DUEL for Free Online Page A

“No. That’s too late. We must meet tonight..” She paused. “I cannot speak of this over the telephone, no..” After a few seconds, Irene nodded. “That will be perfect. Yes, I understand.” With these words, she replaced the ear-piece on its hook.
    “The fool,” she muttered.
    Irene then spent the next hour writing a couple of letters and telephoning two of her friends.
    “No, it’s not that I do not wish to see you, Jean, I just need to have a rest-away from the city,” she said, smiling to herself while thinking of her next destination.
    “How long will you be away then?” Jean de Reszke asked, his voice hardly concealing his disappointment.
    “I supposed I should be returning by the middle of next week, why?”
    “You ask why! My dearest love, I have been longing for you to return from Milan for weeks; do you realize how much distress your absence has caused me?”
    Irene tittered. “Really, Jean, you should calm yourself. I should be back in no time at all. Since you must be used to my absence by now, I should think a few more days won’t make any difference, will it?”
    “Do you know that you will drive me to drink? Your dismissal of my love for you is quite hurtful.”
    “Please, leave the drama for our duets,” Irene replied airily. “Besides, ce n’est qu’un au revoir, Jean. I should be back soon as I said.”
    “Alright then, I’ll abide by your wishes and wait for your return once again.”
    “Oh, I almost forgot.,” Irene said as she was about to end their conversation, “Did Mr. Wells tell you why he wanted my address when he telephoned you?”
    “Well, no; he just said that he would want to send you some flowers or some such thing.. Why, did he contact you?”
    “No, not really,” Irene lied, wanting to leave no trace or thought of her meeting with Wells in the mind of the people she intended to leave behind tomorrow. “Perhaps, he will show at my door or send a message later-it’s not of any importance at this point in any case.”
    Following a few parting words, Irene replaced the earpiece once again on the hook, took her address book and leafed through its pages quickly, and placed another call. This time it was to her secretary-the person who would need to fend off all of the people who would be either calling on her, querying the reasons for her renewed absence, or those who would be expecting to see her the next Saturday at her party.
    “Ah, Hilda, my dear, how are you?” Irene said as soon as she heard the voice of her secretary.
    “As well as can be expected, Madame, thank you; a little tired from the travel, that’s all. And I am very glad that you telephoned me; I was just reviewing the schedule.”
    “Don’t trouble yourself.. Actually, I was telephoning you to advise you that I will be away for the better part of the week if not longer.”
    “Oh but, Madame,” Hilda interrupted, “You have so many engagements.”
    “No-no, I don’t. I need to get away from here, Hilda, or I will be going quite insane!” Irene practically hollered. If her friend Jean was the dramaturge par excellence, Irene wasn’t far behind-she could be as flamboyant or as seemingly distressed as the next Diva.
    “Very well, Madame,” Hilda replied resignedly. “And may I ask when you will be returning?”
    “Of course, you may ask, but I do not think you will appreciate my answer-that is to say, I have no idea when I shall be back. So, I suggest you leave all of these engagements waiting for my return, if you don’t mind.”
    “Very well, Madame. I gather then that you will be incommunicado for some days?”
    “Yes, you gathered correctly indeed.”
    When Irene hung up, she exhaled a breath. “My dear Sherlock,” she said aloud, “What on earth made you do such a foolish, foolish thing?” If only you had waited for my return....
    However now was not the time for rueful thoughts orrecrimination; it was the time for preparation.
    Next, Irene called her parlor maid, Cynthia.