Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Lambeth Poisoner

Sitting in the awning enjoying my afternoon cup of tea was a pleasant way to spend those few hours I had free. Listening to the wonderful sounds of my companions music and watching the scuttle of people about the town. It’s been a long while since I first met the great consulting detective and the days after have been incessant. I see no end in sight as of yet, of our adventures, but I see no need for an end quite yet. So as I sat in the awning I thought of what might come next but, alas, I did not need to think, for my answer came soon after.

“Good afternoon Dr. Watson! Getting some rest I presume?” young Wesley shouted. He was becoming quite a respectable young lad if I do say so myself, and a good paperboy.

“A man of my background needs it once in awhile I’d say” I exclaimed. “What have you got for today?” I got up feeling a bit limp and scuttled over to the boy.

“A bit of this, and a bit of that” Wesley answered. “I reckon that that man's found you by now doctor, or am I mistaken?” I was taken back by this, he had brought this up as if we had discussed this before. Although I was sure we had not.

“I’m sure you are mistaken, you have not spoken of him before. Who are you speaking of?”

“If I can recall his name was Doctor Thomas Nigel. He was looking for you very early this morning” He retorted. I had never heard such a name in my life. I was puzzled about whether or not it was, in fact, me this man was looking for.

A carriage came up the street in a hurry. The cabbie sprang down from his post and opened the door for a very well dressed man. There was a way about him that was proper yet disorganized. Through my deduction, I would have known this man to be nonother than Thomas Nigel. When it comes to deduction I am better off than Mr. Holmes would regard.

“Dr. Nigel. Good afternoon. I have prepared the chair. Why don't you come in.” Mr. Holmes appeared then disappeared into the house. I must point out that he did say he had gotten the chair ready not a chair. A subtle difference but a difference to display the number of times we have used it and now it’s become the norm. Dr. Nigel gave me a quick nod and followed my colleague to the house, I soon after.

“The kettle's just boiled.” Holmes pointed out. He gave a slight gesture to our guest to sit down in the chair. The usual chair, where all our clients sit. Dr. Nigel sat down noiselessly. I as well sat down while awaiting Holmes.

“Our paperboy said you have been searching for us,” I said.

“Yes, Dr. Watson that is correct, but I am afraid the only services I require are the ones of Mr. Holmes.” Dr. Nigel answered. The sound of his accent was foreign, I would have guessed American.

“Mmm, Indeed you do.” Holmes implied from across the flat. “You’ve come a long way, from Canada.”

“That is correct.” Dr. Nigel answered despite the fact that it had not been a question. Holmes then entered the room with a fresh pot of tea. He gently set it down on the table and began to pour.

“So what are you here for Dr. Nigel?” Holmes asked. He handed our guest a cup and sat down with his. He took a gentle sip then set it back down on its tray.

“Well, I have discovered something, something that you ought to know.” Dr. Nigel answered. There was a brief moment of time where nothing was said. Holmes broke the silence.

“Do please go on, don’t waste your time and don’t dare waste mine.”

“Oh, yes, of course, Mr. Holmes… Last night, on my way back to my hotel, I happened to notice something shiny in the window of that abandoned shop on York street. I went over to it for a look, curious as to what is was.”

“How long have you been in town Dr. Nigel?” Holmes interrupted.

“Oh, not long. About a week I’d say. If I may continue now” Dr. Nigel answered. Holmes noded. “When I went over to take a gander I saw a hored sight indeed! I women hanging! In the shop window.” Dr. Nigel seemed very disturbed while recalling what had happened. “The reflection I saw must have been her jewelry, I didn’t get a fair look.”

“MMHH yes that is most likely” I chimed in. We sat there in silence for a few, Holmes seemed to be lost in thought. I couldn’t bear it for long so I broke the silence once more “So Dr. Nigel, you would like us to solve this woman's case? Do you believe she was murdered or was it by her own hand? It’s clearly no one you know so why not just go to the police?” I caught myself right there because my manner was turning quite abrupt as if I were interrogating him. “Sorry, I’m just curious. Lots of things to be explained.” I concluded.

“Take us to the body, Dr. Nigel, assuming you didn’t touch it.” Mr. Holmes demanded.

“Yes of course, right away!” He answered and we were off. Coats on our backs and hats on our heads. I hurried along with almost a childlike wonder for I had so many questions in this case that couldn't wait to be answered. I looked at Holmes hoping to see a similar expression but I had not found it.

“Holmes, you don’t seem to take very much interest in this as I do, is the game not afoot? Were back at it again!” I observed.

“Oh my dear Watson, you see but do not observe, this woman clearly must have killed herself. Everyone knows about that abandoned shop making it the perfect place to do the deed without being disturbed. Although there are some troubling facts about our here Dr. Nigel that I am still pondering.” He replied. I, satisfied with the answer, hopped onto our carriage and took a seat opposite of our guest and Holmes next to me. I sat in silence the whole way there. Holmes was deep in thought and does not like to be disturbed during that time. I could tell he was being cautious by the way he went from looking out the window to Dr. Nigel and back to his hands together under his chin. It only took us a matter of minutes to get to our destination. Dr. Nigel was the first to exit then Holmes then myself. Dr. Nigel walked over to the window but looked puzzled. He turned around and said

“Well, she… she’s gone!”

“Impossible!” I said.

“No, Watson, Improbable.” Holmes corrected. Dr. Nigel paced back and forth pointing his finger at thin air.

“Unless! The killer knew that I had discovered the body and moved it! Yes, yes that must be it.” He said.

“Either way, we shall find out,” Holmes said. He took out a handy gadget from his jacket pocket and moved towards the door. It opened in no time and we piled into the empty shop. By my first look around it looked like a regular old shop, but when I looked closer it really did seem to be abandoned. Everything on the shelves remained but with a heavy coat of dust over the top. It’s almost as if the owners up and left, leaving everything in its place to sit here forever. Frozen in time. I picked up a book and wiped off the cover, the dust cleared to uncover a dark black book with gold letters inscribed on it. It read Grimoires, the History of Magic. This reminded me of my time in Morocco, where I was approached by many magicians trying to tell me my future when they hadn't the faintest idea who I was. My memories were quickly cut short by the voice of my companion.

“Come, Watson now is not the time to browse.”

“Yes, sorry. Coming!” I exclaimed. Dr. Nigel and myself followed Holmes as he appeared to be following a trail.

“As you can both see here” Holmes pointed to the floor “There are drag marks on the floor from that window over there” He pointed to the window on the left of the door we had walked through moments ago and presumably the window where Dr. Nigel had seen the women “dust has been collecting up in here for so long but here is a clear path through all the dust. You were correct doctor, someone did indeed move this body.” We walked with the clear path on the floor into the next room and down the hallway and at the end, sure enough, there was the poor women Dr. Nigel spoke of. She was half sitting upright against the wall and still had the noose around her neck. She was wearing a very polished black coat and a pair of nice heels. Her hair seemed very nicely done and her jewelry looked very expensive, pearls in fact. Holmes kneeled beside the women and examined her body.

“Doctor, will you examine her? From a medical point of view.” Holmes asked. I started to walk over to examine her but Holmes corrected himself “I meant the other one.” He said. He was referring to Dr. Nigel, not myself. I was offended at first but realized my companion did not mean this as an insult, I soon found out this was on purpose. Dr. Nigel closely examined the body for a couple minutes before coming to his conclusion,

“She is somewhere in her late 30’s for certain and she is however also… Pregnant.” He said. As a fellow doctor, I was puzzled on how he came to that conclusion in such a short time. Of course, there are signs of pregnancy you could detect but extremely hard to find unless you were to be looking for them.

“Are you certain of this Dr. Nigel? If you would, let me examine the body.” I said. Holmes noded.

I did, in fact, come to the same conclusion that this woman was pregnant, along with some other things as well. Upon studying her face I noticed her eyes were dilated and there was corneal damage, I also noticed her mouth was completely dry. Upon closer look, I found fluid in her lungs as well.

“Well, I can most certainly tell you that this woman is in fact pregnant. But she was also poisoned, chloroform by the looks of it.” I concluded.

“Bravo, Watson. This cause of death was not this noose but poison. This is also evident in the fact that there is no scarring on her neck nor in her throat.” Holmes said.

“So what you’re saying is that someone murdered this poor woman and framed her for her own death?” I asked.

“Precisely, Watson.” He replied. “Now we must get the police, write to Lestrade at once. Dr. Nigel, stay put.”

“Yes of course,” I said. I thought this course of action was odd, nonroutine. Holmes never contacted Lestrade before he was certain he had caught the guilty party. Nonetheless, I sent an urgent note to Scotland Yard.

~~~  

“And you already examined the body, Dr. Watson?” Lestrade asked. He and a couple more police officers came to inspect the scene as soon as they had gotten my message.

“Yes, sir, as well as Dr. Nigel here,” I answered. “We both concluded the same thing.”

“We shall get the photographer down here immediately. Send word to Hooper as well.” Lestrade said to one of his officers, the shortest of the lot.

“No, not Hooper,” Holmes said aggressively. The little dispute between them still going on, it’s been ages. To this day I cannot recall a time when they were on good terms.

“Holmes! Disputes are for another time. There are more pressing and serious matters at hand!” I exclaimed.

“Thank you, Watson, but I can account an accurate description of what really happened here. There is no need for another opinion, and certainly not the one of Hooper.” Holmes explained.

“Well go on then, you’re not one for suspense,” I said.

“Well, there are 2 points of interest. First, and most obvious, is the neck. There is no bruising nor collapsing of the lungs, these signs would all be there if she had killed herself. This means hanging was not the cause of death. This is also evident in the symptoms of poisoning she possesses. This means someone staged it. Which brings me to the second point of interest. We followed a path from the front of the store by the window to the back here revealing the body. The way the path is drawn suggests that the murder was left handed. If you look at the door here, the drag marks are on the left side rather than the right. The murder poisoned this woman in the front of the store then dragged her back here and put a noose around her neck to make it seem as if she had done it herself.”

“This is all very logical Holmes, but there appears to be some gaps. For example, what would the purpose of putting the noose around her neck if she was not to hang? Then there's Dr. Nigel here, what did he see hanging in the window if she never hung there in the first place?” I asked.

“That is correct Watson but I am not done yet. If you will…” Holmes replied. I nodded for him to continue, I was intrigued as to what he was about to tell me. “The first thing I noticed when looking at this woman was her jewelry.”

“Her jewelry?” Lestrade asked.

“Yes, it’s very expensive. Pearls. They’re not very reflective are they Dr. Nigel?” Holmes said and turned to the other doctor.

“No sir, pearls have a smooth, silky like surface.” The doctor answered.

“Good observation, but let me make another. You are left handed. Earlier this evening I handed you a cup of tea and you reached out to take the cup with your right hand but the saucer with your left.” Holmes deduced.

“Yes, that is correct.” He answered again.

“Then I can now conclude that you indeed were the killer, Dr. Nigel.” Holmes accused.

“That is preposterous!” Dr. Nigel exclaimed.

“Let me enlighten you lot. Your first mistake Dr. Nigel is at the beginning of your story. You said you were on your way back to your hotel but there are no hotels for miles from this shop, if you were to go back to your hotel you would have taken a cab. Your second mistake was jewelry. You recalled seeing something shiny in the window, this is what attracted you to look into the window. You presumed it was her jewelry but this woman is wearing pearls and like you said, Dr. Nigel, they are not shiny. So it could not indeed have been her jewelry. Perhaps something in the shop? No. Look around, everything is old and dusty. Just books in an old shop.

‘Which brings me to my next point. Dr. Nigel. You have been here longer than a week. You would not have known about this abandoned shop on the other side of town from where you're staying after just about a week, you couldn't have known it was abandoned at all. You’ve been here for months. Judging by this woman, she's very rich and someone in the public eye. She’s dressed very nice and again wearing pearls. Something ordinary people don’t have the luxury to afford. I presume she came to you, Dr. Nigel when she found out she was pregnant. Being someone in the public eye, avoiding a scandal, she went to a foreign doctor in town for a few months to get an abortion. With her being poisoned with chloroform and being pregnant. I would know this to be the work of Dr. Thomas Neil Cream. Charged twice with the murder of two women in America, poisoned by chloroform and pregnant as well. Dr. Cream. If I Were to come up with a cover I wouldn't use the same first name or anything remotely close to my last name. And finally your last mistake Dr. Cream…  you came to me.

‘Lestrade, you may have the honor.” Holmes said. Lestrade cuffed Dr. Nigel or now Dr. cream.

“Holmes, you cannot possibly make the assumption that he is, in fact, the murder from America,” I said. It’s an awfully wild conclusion.

“Watson, you never cease to amaze me. For once you rule out the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” He concluded. As we were wrapping things up, Hooper finally arrived. “As always, Mr. Hooper, you’re a second too late.” Holmes took his deerstalker hat and placed it firmly upon his head as he nodded to Hooper on our way out.

~~~

It wasn’t till weeks later that we heard of the doctor again. We got a letter from Scotland yard. Lestrade informed us that our criminal would receive a full and fair trial. It lasted for weeks. Holmes was expected to testify, just like he has many many other times. The court's opinion of Holmes was getting better and better with every trial. They are starting to look upon his testimony with favour. This very much helped Dr. Creams conviction. He was finally sentenced for all his murders, even the ones he didn’t confess to because they had plenty of evidence. Although he escaped convictions many times before, he can never escape his fate this time. He was sentenced to death. A hanging would take place.

“Will you be in attendance Mr. Holmes?” Lestrade asked of him.

“Nonsense, Lestrade. That man was a fool.” Holmes answered, and that's all he had to say on the matter. It was to take place on the 15th of November. An unusual time for a hanging, everything just starting to turn cold. I, myself had never been to a hanging before. This particular time something drew me to go watch. Maybe it was curiosity, possibly boredom but I highly doubt that theory since I’m not as sinister as my companion. Yet there was something about the man who visited us in our flat just weeks ago, reporting a crime, that just got to me. I decided that I must attend his hanging, as strange as it was.

When I arrived, there weren’t many people but as time progressed more people piled up to see the international criminal. The buzz in the air was intense with a bit of anticipation. This case surely received plenty coverage in the newspaper, and I assume this issue will be the talk of the town when it’s published. I kept a low profile, hoping that the new mustache I grew would disguise me enough. I stayed back, tried not the get swept to the front by the crowd. My face shouldn’t be one of the last ones the doctor sees and I had no desire to see his life taken so close up. Suddenly a silence fell upon the crowd. Everyone made way for an officer cuffed to the killer. His head was down, he looked defeated. This was his final walk, and it’s in silence. They walked up to the podium slowly, almost trying to delay what inevitably must happen next. There were quiet murmurs in the crowd as they lowered the noose then the murmurs became louder every second after. Just a second before the rope was loosened he spoke his final words but over the chaos of the crowd, little people heard. Some people towards the front gasped loudly. There was confusion among everyone behind. Everyone was asking the question “What did he say?” Word traveled fast and one man turned around and said,

“I am Jack.”

I remember those words so vividly. People truly believed the infamous Jack the Ripper had been found. Everyone started to celebrate. I hurried back to the flat to tell Holmes at once, I know he’s had his share of theories but yet, not even the famous Sherlock Holmes could solve that crime. I walked into the flat and noticed Holmes had already heard the news.

“So what do you think?” I asked.

“Impossible, Watson. I looked into it a while ago, he was on trial in America during the murders.” He replied. I accepted that we had not found the famous murderer and that we would still be on the case. Although, I don’t see a need for an end quite yet.

Author's Note

The language may not be exact for the time period and may not be entirely accurate. It just went with what sounded right.

Reviews

[Marcus]

I didn't take time to read it all, just the last part. You are a very good writer. You certainly have the talent to make it interesting. I will read the rest at another time. Good work. I found it fascinating. Everything you do fascinates me.