Holmes returned at dusk. Without saying a word, he rushed into his room. After a while, the sound of the violin could be heard from his bedroom. Completely disregarding the audience's feelings, Holmes tormented the ears of those outside for a full quarter of an hour before he finally stopped. Satisfied, he put down the violin and said to Zhang Heng, "The meeting with Villard tonight has been canceled. I've informed him that I didn't get much useful information in the afternoon. We won't be able to talk much if we meet."
"Just in time. I also wanted to tell you that I might not be able to make it tonight." Zhang Heng took out the two opera tickets. "A friend gave me two tickets and asked me to watch her performance tonight."
"Ha, is there a new opera showing at the Queen's Theatre?" Holmes's eyes were as sharp as ever. "Do you have a companion?"
"You know, I've just arrived in London. I'm not familiar with this place, and I don't know many people, so …"
"That's a coincidence. I was planning to go to the Queen's Theatre tonight," Holmes laughed.
"Aside from being interested in the violin, do you also like opera?"
"I quite like opera, but I'm not here just to listen to it tonight," Holmes said. "If we want to catch Mr. M, we need to know who his target is. He has been active in France before this, and now he suddenly came all the way to London. Obviously, it's not a small business."
"So, do you have an idea?"
"Well, I visited a few friends this afternoon and sorted out a list from top to bottom. They are all people that he might be targeting. Although he hasn't made a move yet, if I were him, I would have already started researching my targets. It just so happens that the number one, three, and five on my list will be appearing at the Queen's Theatre tonight. I have some connections with the theater's chief makeup artist, and I wanted to ask him to get me a ticket. But now that you have the tickets, it's great."
… …
After dinner, Holmes and Zhang Heng changed into their suits.
After shaving his stubble, Holmes looked a lot more spirited. With his aquiline nose and firm facial lines, he might not be considered a handsome man, but he wasn't ugly either.
After that, Holmes picked out a cane with a tortoiseshell handle and rosewood body. "My oriental friend, now that you are rich, it's time for you to buy a cane that suits you," he said to Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng probably didn't understand European men's crazy love for canes. In London, almost every so-called gentleman owned a cane, and most of them had more than one. For example, when they walked their dogs in the morning, they would bring a wooden cane with them, and in the evening, they would switch to a silver one. At a dinner party, the rich would hold a golden cane with a golden one.
In addition, there were also special canes for office work and opera performances. When Balzac was at his lowest point and in debt, he did not hesitate to throw down 700 francs to buy a luxurious cane inlaid with agate stones. This kind of consumption desire had completely surpassed most of the people in 618. In today's eyes, it was like selling one's kidney to buy an apple.
But when in Rome, do as the Romans do had always been Zhang Heng's virtue.
The 19th century was probably the golden age of canes. Even many famous jewelry brands couldn't help but want a piece of the pie. Tiffany and Cartier had their own canes, but Zhang Heng wasn't too interested in these brands. Other than their high prices, Zhang Heng's criteria for choosing a cane was different from most people. Other than being a symbol of status, a cane could also be used as a weapon for self-defense when necessary.
Therefore, Zhang Heng paid more attention to the weight and sturdiness of the cane, and whether it qualified as a weapon, rather than its appearance. He planned to visit the old goods market tomorrow when he had time.
When the two arrived at the Queen's Theatre, there was still half an hour before the show started. Irene Adler's ticket was located in the middle of the second row. As for the few people that Holmes was concerned about, they were in the private rooms on the second floor.
Zhang Heng also learned that one of them was the British Prime Minister, Marquis Salisbury. Before the show started, he walked into the private room with a cigar in his mouth, accompanied by several people.
Holmes was also on the watch list. To be more precise, he was observing the people around the prime minister, but so far, he hadn't found anything.
As the audience gradually entered the theatre, the lights dimmed, the music started, and the curtains slowly opened.
In the last two minutes before the start of the opera, Zhang Heng said to Holmes, "I think I understand."
"Well, what do you mean?"
"I think I know where the oil painting is."
"Oh?" Holmes smiled. "Tell me about it."
"The point is that the canvas of the oil painting has disappeared, but the frame is still in the room," Zhang Heng analyzed. "This is what I was a little surprised about before. It's much easier to take the painting away than to remove it from the frame. So, my previous inference is problematic. If the butler and the maid conspired, the former could have left the painting with the maid first. But the maid still removed the painting, which means the butler is not suspicious in this matter. She did this to make it easier for the butler to hide the painting. Since she was searched and did not find the painting, then the painting was not hidden on her. So, there is only one possibility left — the painting is still in the room.
"Many people think that Mr. M must get the painting before he can blackmail the owner. In fact, he doesn't need to do this. There is a simpler way. He just needs to make the other party think that he stole the object. This is also the purpose of the arrogant letter. When the viscount woke up in the morning, he found that the oil painting was missing. At the same time, there was a letter signed by Mr. M on the ground. Combining the two, of course, everyone would think that Mr. M stole the painting."
"That's right." Holmes clapped his hands. "We can't rule out the possibility that some criminals deliberately disturbed the scene, but most of the time, everything left behind by criminals has a purpose, especially this kind of old thief. Like an artist, he would hardly add a few extra strokes to a perfect painting. So, if I take it a step further and ask you where the painting is hidden in the room, can you still deduce it?"
"In that porcelain bottle," Zhang Heng said decisively. "Villard is indeed a very responsible detective. He searched every corner of the room for more information, except for that porcelain bottle. I saw the portrait in the notebook. The mouth of the porcelain bottle is very small, but the belly is very big. If the painting is placed in the bottle, it will be impossible to find it from the top."
Little Adorkable said.
Thank you, Master Hua, Zi Rong, for the tip. Then, ask for some monthly votes at the beginning of the month.
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