"It was a wonderful game. You did everything I said, won the game, and fooled the audience at the same time. Here, this is the money you won." Holmes gave Zhang Heng the thirty pounds he won from the bet.
As a boxer, he could not place his own bets and participate in the spinach bet, so Holmes had to do it on his behalf. In addition to the two pounds he earned as a boxer, he had earned a total of 32 pounds on this trip.
"You're not famous, and no one knows how good you are. This isn't a well-known game, so the appearance fee is only this much. It will get better in the future, but it looks like you're not interested in becoming famous, hahaha."
"As I said before, making money is secondary to me." Zhang Heng wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.
"That's a pity. If you keep fighting like this, you might become a very famous boxer. You're strong, calm, and from the mysterious Eastern Kingdom. This is also a good gimmick," Holmes said. "But I'm glad you're willing to work with me on this case. I do need a partner."
…
Two weeks had passed since the Unknowns' Female Corpses on the Thames. Zhang Heng caught Pearson trying to escape, and Gregson interrogated him on the spot, confirming Holmes' deduction. He then released Paul, but the bad news was that when he arrived at John's house with his men, he learned that the latter had gone on vacation and left last night.
This was obviously a sign that he had committed a crime and absconded.
Gregson was so angry that he slapped his thigh. His biggest worry was that John would run off to some colony and never come back. If that happened, it would be difficult for the police to catch him. But Holmes then gave him a suggestion. John was different from Pearson. He was a respectable man in London, and he owned factories and real estate.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn't abandon these things and run off to the colony. Life there was far less colorful than in the metropolis. His absconding this time was more of a test.
So Holmes' suggestion to Gregson was simple.
"Catch" Paul, then visit John's house again, explaining that he was looking for the police to invite him to attend Paul's trial.
After some thought, Gregson did as he was told, and it didn't take long for his act to bear fruit.
It turned out that John had never been out of London; he had hidden himself in a secret manor house in the suburbs, watching the outside world, and his old housekeeper keeping him informed of his movements.
Seeing that the "murderer" had been caught, not only the Echo, but other newspapers, such as The Times and The Evening Banner, were also praising the efficiency and bravery of the London police headed by Commissioner Gregson. In addition, there were also some social enthusiasts and activists calling for the personal safety of female workers.
The matter seemed to have been settled, so John returned to his house a week later.
He was also worried that he would be suspected by the police if he left for too long. That would not be worth it.
As a result, not long after he stepped through the door, he was surrounded by the police.
Commissioner Gregson could finally breathe a sigh of relief and triumphantly handcuffed John. The next day, the Echo published a new article about how the witty Commissioner Gregson used the media to disrupt the judgment of the criminal, lowering the latter's vigilance, and finally catching the real criminals in one fell swoop.
The citizens of London, on the other hand, experienced what it was like to watch a detective. They didn't expect there to be so many twists and turns hidden behind a case. The police and the criminals fought wits and courage, and in the end, justice triumphed over evil, and justice was served.
Holmes was also paying attention to the progress of the case, but strictly speaking, he was only concerned about whether the physical characteristics he had deduced before were correct. He didn't care about anything else. After John was arrested, Holmes went to take a look and returned to 221B Baker Street with satisfaction.
Zhang Heng found it a little funny.
Holmes' obsession with deduction had indeed reached a point that ordinary people couldn't understand. He was addicted to it, like a child indulging in a sea of toys, unable to extricate himself.
"The case itself is not complicated. In fact, it can be said to be very simple. If I were the person handling the case, I would have realized that John was a criminal the moment I saw him. Even if I couldn't arrest him immediately because of the lack of evidence, I would have sent someone to keep an eye on him and prevent him from running around. Fortunately, this matter came to a satisfactory end," Holmes said.
It took Zhang Heng two weeks to finish reading all the cases that Sherlock Holmes had given him, and it did open up a lot of new ideas. Some of them were very interesting, and the murderer was very cunning.
However, Holmes told him, "Don't worry, this is just the beginning. Next, you need to summarize and analyze the similarities and differences in these cases, and remember them all in your mind. If you encounter similar cases in the future, you will be able to react immediately. As for the knowledge of distinguishing soil, tobacco, and so on, I will also teach you, but not now … At least until you complete the first stage of learning. Otherwise, you will be biting off more than you can chew."
Zhang Heng nodded in understanding.
A boxing match earned him a lot of money, and he did not have to worry about money for the next two months. Of course, as his winning rate increased in the future, it would not be so easy to make money from spinach. However, his appearance fee would increase, and basically, two or three fights a month would be enough to cover his expenses.
After finishing the Thames Female Corpses case, Holmes received two more case inquiries. One was from a detective in the same field, and the other was commissioned by the client. After listening to the detailed description of the case, Holmes basically completed his deduction and found a breakthrough. He did not even have to go to the crime scene to make a round.
These two cases also helped him make some money, and after that, he entered a period of idleness.
After a week of no work, Holmes finally had time to finish his thesis on the influence of professional opponents. After that, he began to play his violin until he was weeping like a ghost and howling like a wolf. In the end, he turned into a salted fish out of boredom.
When Zhang Heng had breakfast in the morning, Holmes was still asleep. In fact, no one came out of the room for the whole morning.
Zhang Heng knocked on the door and walked into the room.
He saw Holmes leaning back in his velvet reclining chair, his head tilted back, two or three needle holes in his arm, and a syringe on the table beside him.
"Do you know that this thing will kill you?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Don't be so nervous. It's only 7% solution. I know that this thing is harmful to the body, but I'm a restless person. Even if you give me the most troublesome problem or the most difficult case, I'll still enjoy it. What I hate the most is an ordinary life. Compared to that, the side effects are nothing."
Holmes did not open his eyes, and he snorted. "Everyone in this world is looking for stability and ease. They want to get married, have children, and work in peace. But I don't know what's there to look forward to. Don't get me wrong. I'm not looking forward to chaos all day long. But if there are no more criminals in London, then I can consider moving. Otherwise, I will die in this chair sooner or later."
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