It was already dusk when the four-wheeled carriage arrived at the site where the female body was salvaged.
Gregson left two men to look after the body, and they covered the poor child with a blanket that they got from the boatman so that she wouldn't be exposed to the eyes of the idlers around her. That was all they could do for now.
The three of them got out of the carriage, and Gregson noticed that a guy who looked like a reporter had arrived in the crowd, fiddling with a large camera.
"These guys are like fleas. I can't get rid of them." Gregson muttered, looking unhappy. However, there were no clues in the case so far. Perhaps he could try to get the newspaper to look for the victim's family. So he walked up to the reporter.
On the other hand, Holmes was not in a hurry to remove the blanket. Instead, he first chatted with the policeman who found the body, then wandered around for a while before he walked up to the body unhurriedly.
Zhang Heng was already covering his nose and examining the body silently.
The smell of the Thames River wasn't too pleasant. Before the 19th century, the river here was clear, and fish and shrimps thrived. But after the Industrial Revolution, with the expansion of the city, a large number of factories were built along the river. Industrial wastewater and domestic sewage continued to pour in, causing the environment of the Thames River to deteriorate rapidly. Coupled with the garbage floating on the surface, it had become a veritable stinking ditch.
However, the government was obviously aware of the problem. They built an interception underground sewage system and a sewer parallel to the Thames River in an attempt to transfer the urban pollution downstream as much as possible. One had to admit that this method did work.
Zhang Heng looked at the body for a while. Like Gregson, he could only glean limited information from it.
Sherlock Holmes was right, and his observation skills were excellent. However, he needed a wealth of knowledge to support his reasoning. Other than the fact that he didn't have a database of cases in his head like Sherlock Holmes, his biggest problem was that his understanding of the Victorian era was limited to books, movies, and one or two BBC documentaries.
As a layman, this knowledge might be enough. However, if he wanted to use this knowledge to solve the case, it was obviously not enough.
For example, Sherlock Holmes could determine the brand and place of origin of a person's cigarette through the ashes on their clothes or on the ground. Zhang Heng might be able to notice these details that ordinary people couldn't, but he had no idea what brand of cigarettes existed in this era. Naturally, he couldn't make the next step of his deduction.
Zhang Heng realized that completing the main quest would not be an easy task. The most disadvantageous thing about the competition between him and Sherlock Holmes was that he was born in Sherlock Holmes's era. On the surface, this quest did not seem as dangerous as the previous ones, but in reality, it was the most difficult one he had ever encountered.
Fortunately, he had enough time to accept the challenge.
Holmes squatted on the ground and carefully examined the body. He even took out a magnifying glass to examine the lady's palms and hair. He didn't even let go of the gap between her nails. At this moment, he was no longer as lazy as before. He looked like a well-trained hound. In the end, his whole body was almost stuck to the body, face to face. His eyes moved all the way down and finally stopped on her neck for a moment.
After that, he stood up again, patted the dust on his clothes, and asked Zhang Heng, "What did you find out?"
"Well, it should be murder. The victim is a female, 15 to 16 years old. Her body seems to be a little weak, and she may have been sick. The cause of death is not drowning. She suffered a heavy blow to the head, and …" Zhang Heng paused. "The victim may have been sexually assaulted before she died."
"Not bad." Holmes smiled. "You are not a forensic doctor. It's not easy for you to figure out so many things. Take your time."
As he spoke, Gregson finally finished dealing with the reporters. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead and walked over. "I've talked to a reporter from the Echo. I'll ask him to take a picture and post it on the front page. If the child's family sees it, they should come to the police station to look for us. By the way, how's it going?"
"I don't know the child's name yet," Holmes said leisurely.
Gregson's emotions were a little complicated. When he heard this, he was both disappointed and somewhat relieved. He then said, "Ah, there's nothing I can do about it. In fact, I've done everything I can, but after all, the victim has no clothes left. It's too difficult to find clues. It seems that we still have to wait for the news from the newspaper."
"That's not necessary." Holmes looked amused, lit his pipe, and took a deep puff to dispel the smell of the river.
The sheriff was stunned when he heard this. "What do you mean?"
"If I were you, I would send someone to investigate the John Textile Factory upstream, a mile from here. The child works there. In addition, the murderer is a man, and he is an acquaintance of the child. He has been lusting after the child. He is six feet tall, strong, and there are scratches on his body, especially on his arms."
After Holmes finished, he regained his disinterest and said to Zhang Heng, "Let's go. Our work is done, and it's getting late. How about we have dinner together? Let's go to Houben's Restaurant. The ham there has always been my favorite. "
"As you wish," Zhang Heng said.
"We'll call a carriage ourselves. There's no need for you to send us there, sheriff." Holmes then turned to the dumbfounded Gregson. "Why are you still standing there? Now that you've got the clue you want, hurry up and solve the case."
…
Half an hour later, Zhang Heng and Holmes were sitting at the table in Houben's Restaurant.
The waiter poured them an aperitif of red wine. The tragedy that happened on the Thames River was washed away by the music in their ears.
Holmes held a glass of wine and looked at Zhang Heng with interest, as if he had discovered something interesting. After a while, he said, "You are really good at keeping your composure. I'm getting more and more interested in you, but it doesn't matter. There's still some time before the dishes are served. If you have any questions, just ask. I will tell you everything I know."
"Then I won't hold back. How did you deduce where the girl worked, and how did you know the general characteristics of the murderer?" Zhang Heng finally asked.
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