"Have you checked the housemaid?" Holmes took out his pipe and filled it with tobacco.
"We checked. Although the maid has been working in the house for two years, the old housekeeper detained her immediately and searched her body. No oil painting was found. Moreover, from the time she entered the house to the time she came out, The old housekeeper who is looking for the right door has not been to other places, so her suspicion in this case can be ruled out," Viall said.
After a pause, he continued, "Through the Viscount's relationship, I also found two other victims who were visited by Mr. I have received letters from Mr. M. One of them had his things stolen while on vacation. There was another person who was more prominent than Mr. Viscount and his things were better hidden, but he still threw them away. That guy was just like Like a magician, he can get into any secret room and play tricks on everyone."
Hearing this, Holmes lit the tobacco and took a puff. "The most powerful thief I have ever encountered was a dwarf who performed in the circus. His body was only half the height of a child, and he was so thin that he could sneak into you through the chimney." He can also squeeze through a very narrow gap by shrinking his bones, but even he cannot completely leave no traces."
"So I don't understand how that guy did it, so I can only ask you for advice." Viard said respectfully.
"Okay," Holmes smiled, "Since I have agreed to help you and am very interested in this case, I will definitely not leave it alone, but for now we should find you a place to live in London first. .”
The three of them took a carriage and arrived in front of a hotel. While Viard was checking in, Holmes stood in the lobby with a pipe in his mouth and looked at the tourists coming and going.
"Do you think Mr. M will be among them?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Who knows," Holmes blew out a smoke ring, and it was obvious that he was in a very good mood. "We are really lucky today, Zhang. We encountered such an interesting case. I felt it early in the morning. Vuill will surprise us, hey, this kid really didn’t disappoint me.”
"..." Zhang Heng was a bit dumbfounded. The more difficult the case Viard encountered, the happier Holmes became. The thinking of this great detective was indeed different from that of ordinary people.
"Do you have any idea about the whereabouts of the oil painting?" Zhang Heng then asked.
Holmes did not answer, but asked, "What about you, do you have any ideas?"
Zhang Heng was also thinking about the case along the way, trying to put all the clues together. Thanks to Vuillard, the red-haired detective conducted a very detailed investigation of the scene, and it was like turning the viscount's mansion upside down. It's like reading it from the bottom up, as if you were actually there.
Zhang Heng thought for a while and said, "You said before that after eliminating all the bizarre and unscientific options, what's left is the truth. No thief can be so skilled as to step on the soil without leaving any traces, bypassing The hunting dog didn't cause any noise, and I looked at the layout of the house. In addition to the old housekeeper across the door, the cook also stayed up very late that night and was busy in the kitchen. He was not far away, and the door of that room It’s usually locked, so I think the problem lies with the cleaning maid.”
Holmes looked at Zhang Heng with the same eyes as looking at rare animals in the zoo, and then he exclaimed, "My mysterious friend from the East, no matter how long I have known you, you always surprise people, don't you? ?It’s great to get to know you. Although you are still studying with me now, in fact, with your ability, you are completely able to stand on your own. You are much better than my mediocre colleagues outside, Via Even a potential newcomer like you can't compare to you. Maybe it won't be long before you become a strong competitor to me, and then the world might not be so boring to me."
This evaluation was already very high for Holmes. Although he was still suspected of bragging in the end, for the always proud detective to say such words proved that Zhang Heng really impressed him.
Holmes continued, "Haha, when I saw that note just now, I immediately thought of the secret room murder case at Castle Combe. At that time, there were rumors circulating there that the victim was killed by a ghost, because all the doors and windows They are all tightly closed and cannot be opened from the outside, and the murder scene inside is very bloody and has a strong sense of revenge. Therefore, the locals believe that only ghosts can do it. Even many people in the police believe it. A theory of ghostly revenge.
"But like I said, if you eliminate those impossible interference items, the remaining answers will definitely be the correct answer no matter how incredible it seems on the surface. Facts have proved that the victim was the murderer himself, and he killed himself with extreme means , that was a very interesting case, because the victim had always had a secret buried in his heart, and that secret had troubled him for a long time. He felt guilty for a wrong thing he had done when he was young, and this feeling of guilt followed him throughout his life. , coupled with the fact that he was in very poor health at the time, already suffering from a terminal illness, and worried that the other party's descendants would come to seek revenge on his wife and daughter, he used this method to repay the unjust debt he owed back then.
"The situation this time is also very close. I carefully read Viard's notes and ruled out the possibility of outsiders entering. This leaves only the possibility of a domestic thief. After all, he bribed a woman who earns less than one pound a week. It's much easier to be a servant than to sneak into a well-guarded mansion. If I were Mr. M, I would choose the same path."
Zhang Heng frowned and said, "The letter on the ground is easy to explain. The maid had brought it with her a long time ago and put it there when she was cleaning. She also stole the painting. But the only question I haven't figured out yet is, is she How did you escape the subsequent inspection? Is the housekeeper also her accomplice?"
"You are almost close to the final answer, my Eastern friend." Holmes blinked and said excitedly, "I believe that as long as I give you half a day, you can think of how to recover the oil painting in this matter. The link is not difficult. The difficult part is how to catch Mr. M. I must admit that as a thief, he has a very good imagination and talent. Judging from his behavior, I must be a cautious and patient person. I want to catch such a thief. It's not going to be easy for the guy, but London is our home ground and it would be unjust to let him get away again."
