Zhang Heng and Holmes walked into the living room, and just as Mrs. Hudson had said, 221B Baker Street was particularly lively today.
Other than Gregson, Lestrade, and a bunch of other familiar faces, even the deputy commissioner of the police station was there. It was obvious that he wasn't in a good mood. He didn't even sit down, pacing back and forth by the window. Seeing that their superior was in such a state, the others naturally didn't sit down.
So the group of people just stood there in the living room. There was obviously space, but no one sat down. The scene looked a little funny, but no one could laugh. The officers from Scotland Yard all looked serious.
When they saw Holmes walk in, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Looks like you haven't been sleeping well for the past few days," Holmes said. "Lestrade, did you have oats and fried eggs for breakfast?"
"Don't make fun of us at a time like this," the short officer said with a bitter smile.
The deputy commissioner looked up, looking at Holmes like a drowning man looking at a straw. He strode forward, extended his hand, and said eagerly, "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Holmes. Lestrade, Hopkins, and the others often talk to me about you, saying that you are the most talented and best detective in all of London and Europe. Besides, we haven't had the chance to thank you for your help in the case of the unknown female corpse on the Thames."
"It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning." Holmes shook the deputy commissioner's hand, then motioned for him to sit on the sofa.
Seeing that their superior was seated, the officers from Scotland Yard could finally return to their positions.
Zhang Heng asked Mrs. Hudson to bring out a few more chairs from the dining room, and he sat down next to Holmes.
The deputy commissioner seemed to have done his homework before coming to Baker Street. He already knew that Holmes had been accompanied by an Oriental detective recently, so he didn't say anything and went straight to the point. He looked at Holmes and said, "I'm sure you know why we're here."
"It's because of the serial murders in Whitechapel." Holmes smiled and pulled out his pipe again. "I saw the news in the newspaper." He paused and said, "Left-handed, male, between thirty and forty years old, not strong enough, unstable, and conservative."
"How could you tell?" The deputy director was taken aback. "I don't think we have started to introduce the case to you. Or did you secretly go to the crime scene before? Actually … the information in the newspaper has been edited. It's not to cover up the truth, but it's mainly to prevent unnecessary panic among the people. "
Holmes pointed his pipe at the photo of the letter in the newspaper. "The report may have been edited, but the photo is real. The above inference is not based on the description in the newspaper, but on the handwriting in the letter to the newspaper."
"Oh?" The deputy director was a little surprised. "You can tell so much from the handwriting?"
"Of course, it's like an art form." Holmes said, "A good graphologist should be able to see far more than the literal meaning."
Seeing the deputy director's skeptical look, the detective made an exception and took the initiative to explain, "Let's not talk about the age. That part is too troublesome. If you really want to know more, you can read a paper I published two years ago. There are obvious differences in the handwriting of young people and old people. In theory, you can tell the age of the writer from most handwriting. Of course, this ability needs to be trained. Men and women's handwriting is also very easy to distinguish. Different genders have different aesthetic standards. If it's left-handed, it's even easier. Did you notice the ink stains in the letter? Because it's written with the left hand, it's easier for the palm to rub against the handwriting. That's why there's a lot of ink stains in the letter."
"Then how can you tell if he's not strong-willed, unstable, and traditional?" The deputy director was puzzled.
"Notice that the long letters in this letter are not taller than the average letter. Look, his d is written like a, and the i and e are the same height. A strong-willed person, no matter what environment they are in, will always be able to distinguish the height of their handwriting. On the other hand, naturally, this is the case here. Similarly, look at the letter 'k' written in different sizes. This shows that his character is very unstable. However, the capital letters in the letter are neat, which shows that he's conservative."
Holmes said, "That's what I found from the handwriting, but your suspicions are not unreasonable. There is no evidence to prove that the person who wrote this letter is the murderer. At a time like this, we cannot rule out the possibility that someone is trying to take advantage of the situation and cause trouble for the police."
"You have proven yourself to be a capable person more than once. To tell you the truth, the police are under a lot of pressure. It's not just the parliament, but even Her Majesty the Queen has given us the order to solve the case within a time limit. But so far, we haven't found many clues. You know what kind of place the East End is. The situation there is very complicated, and there are many crooks mixed in with the honest folks. Gregson and his team have targeted some suspects, but they have since been cleared of suspicion. Now, we have no other choice but to turn to you for help. If you can solve the case on time, the police will reward you handsomely."
"You're too kind," Holmes said. "I happen to be very interested in this case. Even if I don't get paid, I will still help."
The deputy director was overjoyed. "Great! That's the only good news I've heard today. It's almost noon now, and I've made a reservation at a restaurant. You and your friend … "
Holmes interrupted him. "Once I start working, I completely forget everything else, so there's no need for lunch. If it's okay, let's start now."
"That's even better. That's even better." The deputy director nodded repeatedly. "I heard that you know Leschuder and the others. If there's anything you need, just tell them. As long as it's within the police's capabilities, we will fulfill it unconditionally."
Leschuder and the others looked a little embarrassed. They were all excellent detectives from Scotland Yard, but now, they could only play second fiddle to Holmes. Although they had asked Holmes for help before, the scene in front of them was still a little embarrassing. It was like publicly admitting the incompetence of the London police force. Of course, there seemed to be some dissatisfaction in the deputy director's tone.
Holmes did not say anything. He got up and said, "In that case, gentlemen, let's get to work."
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