Read Sherlock Holmes: The Coils of Time & Other Stories (Sherlock Holmes Adventures Book 1) for Free Online Page B

underlined in heavy pencil?  The continuing drought in East Africa has brought ruin to many an Englishman.”
    “Correct, Mr Holmes, on every count,” Kent said in astonishment.  “The watch and five hundred pounds were a bequest from my mother’s brother, Franklin Johns, a farmer in Hertfordshire.  She was his favourite sister and I benefited from that association.  I followed some bad advice on investments rather than putting it in the bank, and now all I have is the watch, the chain and about fifty pounds,  to which I intend holding tight.”  The Scotland Yard inspector paused, then said:  “All right, Mr Holmes, I’ll give that you’ve lived up to Lestrade and Gregson’s claims, but your intervention in an official police investigation is unneeded.”
    “Official investigation?”  Holmes mused.  “Shall we contact your superiors about the status of your investigation?”
    Kent chewed his lip thoughtfully.  “There’s no reason why we should at odds, Mr Holmes.”
    “Indeed, Inspector Kent,” Holmes agreed.  “My only concern is to discover the source of the terror gripping East London, though I fear we are faced with a phenomenon possessing the potential to engulf all London, and perhaps much more.”
    “And William Dunning, Mr Holmes?”
    “A concern, naturally,” Holmes admitted, “but the danger to all far outweighs the peril to any one man.  However, if we solve the larger issue, Dunning’s rescue, or fate, will also be solved.”
    “Aye, I can see that,” Kent said.  “Then we will work together?”
    “I would be honoured, Inspector,” Holmes said.  “I have always held your abilities and accomplishments in high regard.”
    “Tell me about the man in the Neptune,” Kent urged.
    “First, let us quit this establishment,” Holmes said.  “It is convenient enough for the purpose of regaining my identity, but it is a low place, frequented by catamites and other undesirable elements, many who might wish for either of us what Clabber wished for you. You are armed?”
    “A revolver in my coat pocket.”
    “It may prove a wise precaution.”
    The morning was crisp with just a hint of mist creeping up from the Thames.  The streets were mostly vacant, with only vague glimpses now and then of predawn workmen or an early morning judy in search of quick flash.
    “From the man’s speech, it is clear that he lived in Wales most of his life, though he was educated in London at the Royal Academy of Science,” Holmes said as they walked along. “He lives outside of London, perhaps Richmond but no farther north than Kew.  He is a scientist, and yet also something of a mechanic. He has recently been under a great deal of strain, both physically and mentally, and, despite his recent energetics of escaping through the window of the Neptune, he is not far from a total collapse through mental and physical exhaustion.”
    “What is his connection to the Vanishments or the Ghosts?”
    Holmes frowned.  “Unclear, at best, but he does have some tie to them, and they are clearly connected to each other.”
    “That’s what I have been trying to tell people!” Kent snapped.  “They don’t want to believe a force can move through London at will, vanishing citizens without a trace.”
    “From what I learned before leaving France, the Vanishments are most heavily concentrated in the East End, but not exclusively,” Holmes said.
    “That is correct,” Kent replied.  “The full range of disappearances has been kept out of the papers.  The same with the so-called Ghosts.”
    “An ill-considered name,” Holmes remarked.
    “It probably came from the sodden mind of some Fleet Street scribbler, but I would not dismiss the idea it was put forth by some under-clerk in the Home Office to encourage disbelief.”
    “Pale figures appearing from nowhere and vanishing just as abruptly,” Holmes mused.  “Ghosts to the common and undiscerning mind.”
    “You’ve not a supernatural twist,