Chapter 6: A Freshly Minted Assistant

Billy: ...I feel like I’m just Sherlock Holmes’s backup. But I’m really glad to solve cases alongside Holmes!

Billy’s feelings were conflicted. On one hand, he felt like a substitute; on the other, he thought, how could he compare to Watson? They were completely different people. Perhaps Holmes simply enjoyed having someone by his side to play the foil.

Besides, being involved in the great detective Sherlock Holmes’s investigations was exciting and a source of pride.

Billy and Holmes finished the breakfast the maid had brought them first, then left the still-eating Watson behind and stepped outside.

As soon as they boarded the carriage, Holmes turned to Billy and said, “Billy, would you be interested in becoming my detective assistant? Thirty shillings a week.”

Billy was completely taken aback by the offer. From his eighteen years of living here, just hearing that weekly wage told him this was undoubtedly a good job!

Twenty shillings made one pound, and one shilling equaled twelve pence. Thirty shillings a week was already enough to be considered an entry-level middle-class wage!

Previously, Billy had been working class; his weekly wage was only twelve shillings, and his father earned merely sixteen. Holmes’s offer was more than double, and it wasn’t the exhausting labor of a dockworker.

This was an opportunity Billy could hardly imagine. He had been hoping to capitalize on Holmes’s fascination with his extraordinary fishing skill to earn some money for learning new knowledge and finding a better job. Now that Holmes had extended an olive branch, even if he later became independent, being Holmes’s pupil would grant him a different kind of reputation and more income.

Moreover, he could learn a great deal from such a learned detective!

How could Billy say no? Of course, he understood why Holmes wanted him as an assistant: firstly, because his fishing skill was truly remarkable and Holmes wanted to study it further; secondly, Watson was likely moving out of Baker Street due to his impending marriage to Miss Bailey, so Holmes needed someone new to assist him, and Billy was the best choice.

“Of course I’m willing, Mr. Holmes. I couldn’t ask for more,” Billy said, unable to contain his excitement.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Mr. Holmes!”

Holmes smiled slightly. “I only hope you dedicate yourself to learning. Oh, and of course, I will continue to study your remarkable ability after we finish this case.”

“That goes without saying. I want to understand it myself—I don’t even know what practical use this ability has,” Billy said with a troubled expression. It truly frustrated him; this golden touch he gained in adulthood was so peculiar, and it seemed to upgrade randomly, with no discernible pattern in what he caught.

But Billy felt Holmes already had some suspicions—perhaps that was why he was chosen as detective assistant?

Soon, the two arrived at the apartment rented by Mr. Gask, as provided by Miss Bailey. Just seeing this confirmed that Mr. Gask was definitely well-off.

Holmes didn’t have a key, but he approached the door calmly, feeling around the lock. Billy couldn’t see what he held in his hand, but moments later, the door was opened.

Billy thought this was surely a detective’s essential skill—lock picking!

Now they were about to undertake the detective’s compulsory lesson—breaking into a private residence.

He had felt a bit awkward and uneasy at first, but seeing Holmes so composed, as if entering his own home, Billy relaxed as well.

Once inside, Holmes carefully closed the door behind them. Billy noticed the apartment was surprisingly tidy.

“Such apartments provide cleaning services; tenants don’t need to hire servants individually,” Holmes said, as if reading Billy’s thoughts.

However, while speaking, Holmes was already closely examining the surroundings, occasionally stopping to take out a magnifying glass from his pocket to inspect something.

Billy looked around; nothing seemed out of the ordinary—just a clean, ordinary room.

Miss Bailey had been here before, likely rifling through Mr. Gask’s belongings, but left no obvious traces—perhaps because he habitually put things back in place.

Though the scene had been disturbed once, Holmes was still thorough, as if afraid of missing any detail.

This reminded Billy of the Holmes he’d read about—always solving cases by noticing subtle details others overlooked. In the books, Holmes seemed to find these clues effortlessly, but it actually took careful observation.

Especially now, when it was impossible to trace the missing Mr. Gask’s movements, and with the scene already disturbed by Miss Bailey, this painstaking work felt thankless.

Billy resolved to buy a magnifying glass and a ruler when he returned—tools that were not only Holmes’s essentials but also invaluable for noticing details others missed.

From Billy’s observations, Mr. Gask hadn’t left in a rush, nor had he moved away; he must have left for some business. His clothes remained in the wardrobe, and the study notes were still there. The drawers even held several fine fountain pens, clearly expensive.

Yet everything was orderly—clothes and shoes neatly arranged—indicating a deliberate departure.

Billy’s gaze fell on the desk in the modest one-bedroom apartment’s bedroom. A newspaper lay neatly folded on top, bearing scratch marks.

Holmes noticed it too. His bright gray eyes didn’t unfold the paper but looked toward Billy instead.

“Billy, why do you think these scratch marks are on the newspaper? This might be a bit difficult for you, but think about Mr. Gask’s situation and why he left.”

“If Mr. Gask planned to elope, the only place in Britain where they could legally marry would be Gretna Green in Scotland,” Billy replied after a moment of thought.

He had heard of the place because many wanted to escape there to wed—Scottish law differed from England’s. In England, the lower classes had to publish banns in a church for three consecutive Sundays before marriage, and if no objections arose, it was valid.

Other methods required a marriage license, which cost money, so the free banns were more popular. These procedures also required two witnesses.

Scotland’s laws allowed marriage at a younger age, and anyone could serve as a witness, which attracted many intending to elope there.

But as Billy understood, Gretna Green was quite far from London, and it was uncertain if there was a direct train. Eloping there with Miss Bailey would cost a fair amount.

“This Mr. Gask was probably wealthy before. As a youngest son, he seemed favored by his parents. But evidently, after they found out about Miss Bailey, his financial support was restricted. For instance, that modestly priced lover’s eye pendant box, the few well-used pens in the desk, and the clothes in the wardrobe—they were well kept but not new,” Billy continued.

“Since he planned to elope, the money he had might cover their trip to Gretna Green, but their quality of life afterward was uncertain. That may explain why he wanted to earn some extra income,” Billy said, unfolding the newspaper with scratch marks. Sure enough, a portion of one page was missing, the edges cleanly cut as if with a sharp blade.

“This is likely a job advertisement, and the weekly pay must be quite good. That’s why Mr. Gask took leave from the hospital to attend an interview,” Billy hesitated, then ventured, “Given he hasn’t graduated from medical school, he probably couldn’t find a doctor’s position. And Mr. Holmes, you said he and Miss Bailey invented their own code in the newspaper. Clearly, Mr. Gask had some skill in cryptography. He might be seeking work decoding or creating new codes.”

Holmes smiled with pleasure, his eyes full of admiration. “Dear Billy, you truly have a talent for deduction.”

“Perhaps you don’t know that among the middle class, especially young gentlemen, studying codes is quite popular. It started as a way for companies and individuals to send encrypted messages by telegraph, but because it became fashionable, many began researching it themselves. So your bold guess is quite plausible. Now, we need to find that issue of the newspaper.” Holmes picked up the damaged paper and turned to the front page. “The Daily Morning News, September 20th. Let’s go downstairs to the bookstore and buy a copy to see what the advertisement says.”

They left the apartment quickly and went to a nearby bookstore, where they found the expired newspaper and read the job notice.

“Urgently seeking to customize a new telegraph code. Professional applicants needed. Successful candidates offered a minimum of £50, negotiable. Address: 42 Charing Cross Road.”

It seemed ordinary enough, but Billy sensed a whiff of fraud.

With the old paper in hand, they hurried to 42 Charing Cross Road.