Chapter 9: A Body Thrown into the River?

The poison's symptoms appeared no different from any other toxin; Billy could not tell what kind of poison it was.

"The heartbeat is completely irregular, almost without any rhythm. This is a drug that affects the heart, and it requires a very small dose. Even the residue cleaned up and soaked into the floorboards was enough to kill a piglet." Holmes removed the stethoscope from the piglet's chest. The animal was now motionless, lying stiffly; it was clearly dead.

Holmes placed the stethoscope on the nearby table and looked at the carcass thoughtfully. "Plant toxins that cause heart arrhythmia are not particularly rare. Oleander, foxglove, and lily of the valley all fit the bill; these are relatively common plants. Perhaps I should try chromatography."

As he spoke, the expression on Holmes's face lacked its usual confidence and even carried a hint of annoyance. "The recent string of cases has left me no time to study plant toxin chromatography. The records I have don't include the chromatography for these three, so I will have to experiment bit by bit."

"Billy, take the other piglet down to Mrs. Hudson and ask her to make roast suckling pig for dinner. Take this poisoned one to Barts Hospital; tell them it was sent by Holmes, and they will dispose of it properly. Afterward, go to the vicinity of the room near Charing Cross that was used for the interview and ask if anyone saw the person who rented it. Given the suspect's cautious demeanor at the scene, he likely wasn't using his real identity, so you must inquire carefully." Having said this, Holmes turned to fiddle with his laboratory equipment.

Seeing this, Billy hurried forward to stop him. "Mr. Holmes, researching chromatography will take quite some time. You should eat your lunch first. Skipping meals is not only bad for your stomach, but it could also lead to conditions like gallstones. That would not only be painful for you, but it would also hinder your ability to solve cases."

Holmes turned to look at the earnest Billy and eventually turned toward the dining table to eat.

Just after sitting down and taking a sip of tea, Holmes seemed to remember something. He looked up, his grey eyes crinkling with amusement. "If you still find no leads, Billy, you could try taking a fishing rod to the Thames near Charing Cross. Remember, that locket Gask was carrying was something you hooked yourself."

Hearing this, Billy felt cold sweat prickling his forehead. "Mr. Holmes, catching small items is one thing, but how could I possibly catch a corpse? Surely it would be faster for you to find clues in the poison and track down the body or the murderer yourself?"

"Mm-hmm, whatever you say," Holmes replied, looking away. "But if we don't find Gask soon, how heartbroken will Miss Bailey be? She left in such a hurry, and who knows if she brought enough money, or if her parents will discover her whereabouts and drag her back soon."

Billy thought that if Miss Bailey found out her dear Richard was already a corpse, she would be even more heartbroken than if he were simply missing. He knew Holmes was deliberately provoking him, but Billy felt he had no choice but to take the bait.

*As expected of Holmes,* Billy thought through gritted teeth. If he really couldn't find anything, he would have to try his luck with fishing. Who knew? Perhaps his "cheat" would actually hook a corpse.

With this in mind, Billy followed Holmes’s instructions, took the lively piglet down to Mrs. Hudson, and then returned upstairs to place the dead one into a sturdy bag before delivering it to Barts Hospital.

The staff at Barts, hearing it was a pig from Holmes's experiment, took the bag from Billy without hesitation. Looking at the young man, one staff member smiled and said, "It seems Mr. Holmes has finally decided to take on a student. Keep at it, lad, and one day you might become a famous detective yourself."

Billy gave an embarrassed smile and set off for Charing Cross. This time, however, he took a public omnibus instead of a hansom cab. He had taken a cab before only because he was carrying a poisoned animal and felt it would be unfair to other passengers. For this purpose, Billy had bought a London map, which included the routes for the omnibuses and the underground.

***

After questioning everyone near the interview site and re-interviewing the landlord, Billy had found absolutely no clues.

Other than the name "Peter Pove," he only knew the man was of medium height, had neatly groomed black hair, ordinary brown eyes, and a thick black beard. He looked to be about 30 years old and had no distinguishing features at all.

This was no different from what Billy already knew. Most people in the area had no impression of him; only a few with good memories had a vague, hazy recollection.

Recalling the scent of lavender he had caught at the interview site, Billy was almost certain it was the primary crime scene. That faint smell of lavender was likely perfume the suspect had sprayed to mask the odor of vomit. Billy couldn't be certain the suspect carried the perfume with him—after all, the interview was clearly a trap set to lure Gask to his murder. But there was a small chance the suspect hadn't anticipated the situation and had bought the perfume on the spot. Even the most meticulous person might have lapses during their first murder.

But then again, who cares about the smell after killing someone?

Billy decided to try his luck and questioned the nearest perfume shop. When he described the man, the shopkeeper had an epiphany. "I saw him, and I remember him vividly. He was dressed in a clearly custom-made suit, the perfect picture of the middle class, yet he came in to buy a bottle of the cheapest lavender perfume. He explained that there was a foul odor in the lavatory and he wanted to spray it there. Good heavens, a man with that kind of money buying such a thing himself? He must have had servants at home; he could have sent one of them! I initially thought he was buying it for his wife or mistress, but no, he only wanted that one bottle of lavender perfume."

Billy’s heart skipped a beat. He never expected to find a breakthrough here.

"Did you see this gentleman again afterward?" Billy asked urgently.

The shopkeeper answered without hesitation: "Not long after he bought the perfume—maybe half an hour? I don't remember exactly, but it wasn't long—I saw him pass by in a hansom cab. He was carrying a large trunk and heading south. Perhaps he was finished with his business and heading to catch a train."

Billy was overjoyed. This was clearly the suspect leaving with the body.

Charing Cross runs north-south, and heading south would lead directly to Waterloo Station after crossing Waterloo Bridge.

As soon as he thought of this, his joy evaporated. If the suspect had truly left London with the body, finding him now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Train tickets weren't registered, and the information left for the rental was likely false—Holmes had already deduced from the hesitation in the handwriting that the name on the contract wasn't his own.

What was to be done? Did he really have to go fishing and hope for the best?

Billy thought of the locket that had inexplicably ended up in the Thames, and another possibility occurred to him. Perhaps the suspect hadn't intended to take the body out of town, but had dumped it into the Thames instead! How else could that locket have ended up in the river?

Perhaps he really might use his bizarre fishing skill to hook the body. However, the suspect surely wouldn't dump a body in broad daylight. It was more likely he had transferred it by carriage to a house near the Thames and disposed of the body in the river in the middle of the night.

After thanking the shopkeeper, Billy took a hansom back to Baker Street. He planned to grab his fishing gear and head to the Thames.

But as soon as he went upstairs, he saw Holmes sitting in his chair, looking perfectly composed. Holmes had already put on his coat; seeing Billy, he jumped up from his chair, his face full of smiles. "My dear Billy, you’ve clearly obtained some new clues. I must praise your detective talent once again."

Billy was startled by Holmes, feeling his skin crawl. *Wait, does he mean he deliberately sent me to investigate to test me?*

Billy did not hide his shock. "Mr. Holmes, how did you know? Were you following me?"

Holmes walked lightly to Billy's side, his cane tapping softly against the floor. "Of course not. I merely observed your expression. I heard your carriage arrive before you even came up, and through the window, I saw you looking both joyful and perplexed. What were you joyful about? That you had found a new clue. And what were you perplexed about? That the clue had hit a dead end, but there remained a desperate, unconventional solution."

Billy felt as if Holmes could see right through him. To analyze such subtle expressions from that distance! At the very least, it proved Holmes's eyesight was excellent.

Billy smiled bitterly to himself.

"This is hard to believe, but it is exactly as you say, Mr. Holmes." Billy poured out the clues he had gathered.