Read The Devil's Grin - a Crime Novel Featuring Anna Kronberg and Sherlock Holmes for Free Online

tell me what you think of the Hampton man’s death, Mr Holmes?’ I asked.
    ‘ There isn’t much to think,’ he barked. ‘All that’s needed is but a s imple calculation: the maximum distance the man could have floated was thirty miles. Before he entered the Thames, he was close to death. He was close to death, can only have contracted cholera at a densely populated place with a lack of hygiene, and he could not possibly have walked very far. It follows that he must have been close to a village or city. There is only one place that fits these facts like a glove fits the hand!’
    ‘ And which place would that be?’
    He ignored me, took up the photograph and placed it back onto the mantelpiece.
    ‘ I wonder why you are so observant,’ he muttered after a moment. I opened my mouth to reply, but he held up his hand. ‘Of course! You are behind the veil; the one no one sees but who can perceive everything. You must be observant to protect your life in disguise.’
    H is back still towards me, he asked: ‘Would you accompany me to Chertsey Meads?’
    ‘ Excuse me?’
    ‘ Do I have to repeat the question ?’ he turned around.
    ‘ Is that a pub?’ I joke d.
    ‘ It is a wetland.’
    I took my time to find the right words. ‘I must confess I feel honoured by your invitation, although I’m not so sure why I would be. However, I also have the feeling that the main reason for your invitation is that you can study me a little longer. That irks me because I am not a curiosity. And your constant probing of my brain is highly annoying.’ I saw him pulling his eyebrows together and asked: ‘Why should I come with you, Mr Holmes?’
    The corners of his mouth twitched a little in a hint of a smug smile. ‘Because you enjoyed yourself too much and there is nothing at the moment you would like to do more than to probe my brain for a little while longer.’

Chapter Four

    O n the train t o Chertsey the landscape whizzed past us unnoticed. To my surprise I enjoyed myself discussing the Whitechapel murders with Holmes. The topic itself was not a pleasant one. Jack the Ripper had killed at least six women. He had cut their throats, sliced their abdomens open, draped their intestines over both their shoulders, and had taken a souvenir with him - usually the victim’s uterus.
    Holmes’s opinion of the Yard’s efforts was very low. ‘Every time I received a telegram from the police, the bodies had already been taken away to the morgue, the staff had extracted organs, and sold them as surgical specimens. Of course they never remember what they took and what was already taken! I have serious doubts this murder series will ever be resolved and the culprit found. The incompetence of the responsible investigators, the corruptive medical staff, the sheer number of pseudo-witnesses, and the papers' floods of misinformation will render all investigations futile!’
    He looked rather ruffled and I answered: ‘Due to my occupation, I come across a rather large number of stab wounds and one of the peculiar things I noticed was that almost all women with knife wounds in their lower abdomen were victims of attempted rape. And all of those who survived the attack reported the rapist used a knife because he was unable to penetrate them. He was unable to produce an erection. Doesn’t that add a very different angle to the Ripper’s motives?’
    Holmes leaned back in his seat and stared out the window. After several long minutes he turned his face back to me and said: ‘The Ripper used several prostitutes, speaking of a high sexual drive. If he indeed was never able to finish a sexual act, he must have accumulated a great amount of frustration.’
    Passengers close by started coughing and waging their fingers at us. We ignored their protests. I had my hand over my mouth to hide my grin, but my eyes betrayed me. Upon noticing my amusement, Holmes shot me an indignant glance.
    ‘ My sincere apologies, Mr Holmes, I couldn’t help but think