"You asked a friend to help you keep an eye on the Sacred Heart Church in the afternoon? Why? Did you start to suspect Father Jacob at that time? "
In the carriage, Holmes looked a little surprised.
"No, I didn't suspect Father Jacob at that time, and this matter wasn't just about the Sacred Heart Church," Zhang Heng shook his head. "You said that the source of the letter was the church. Although we ruled out Father Jacob as a suspect in the morning, I didn't completely give up on this clue. Instead, I asked a friend to help me investigate several churches in the Whitechapel area. To make it easier to identify the churches' attitudes toward prostitutes, she deliberately disguised herself as one."
"Is it Miss Irene Adler?" Holmes' face showed a touch of understanding. "When it comes to makeup, she is indeed better than me."
"That's right," Zhang Heng said.
"You seem to be very interested in this bet, but I have to say," Holmes said, "It's not a wise move to put a beautiful lady in danger, especially when the Whitechapel area is under the shadow of the most terrible serial killer."
Zhang Heng was also very frank. "Things did not go as I expected. I originally planned to meet up with her after investigating Mark Cohen, but I didn't expect to meet the police at Mark Cohen's residence."
Zhang Heng had been hanging out with Holmes for the past few months. Officers from Scotland Yard like Gregson and Lestrade were more familiar with him, but the lower-ranking officers knew very little about him. In fact, the lower-ranking officers didn't know much about Holmes.
Zhang Heng met two police officers at Mark Cohen's residence, and he had no idea who he was. Seeing that there was still some time before the quest ended, Zhang Heng didn't want to fall out with Scotland Yard over a misunderstanding. So, he chose to hand over his weapon.
Originally, he thought that he would naturally meet acquaintances when he arrived at the police station, but when he told the police who were watching over him about his situation, he was met with Holmes joking with him. No one released him for a long time.
After investigating Mark Cohen, Zhang Heng finally had the time to meet up with the songstress. By then, the sky was completely dark. On the way, they ran into a carriage that knocked over a fruit cart. The coachman and the fruit farmer argued for a long time, and Zhang Heng and Holmes had no choice but to change carriages. By the time they reached East End, it was already around nine o 'clock in the evening.
"Did you agree to meet her here?" Holmes asked as he got out of the car.
The two of them were now standing in a small square. It was a relatively prosperous place in the East End, but there was no sign of Irene Adler nearby.
Although Zhang Heng had been worried about the songstress, Irene's situation wasn't as dangerous as he thought. Other than the fact that the police had increased the number of patrols after the three murders, Mark Cohen had also been arrested. Regardless of the relationship between Father Jacob and Jack the Ripper, he obviously wanted to use Mark Cohen to replace Jack the Ripper. If that was the case, Jack the Ripper would have to go into hiding after Mark Cohen was caught by the police.
But for some reason, the female singer was still nowhere to be found.
Did she go home because she had waited too long? It was hard to say. After all, Zhang Heng arrived a few hours later than the agreed time, and Irene Adler didn't seem like the kind of person who would just stand there and wait.
But with the songstress's cleverness, she would have a way to inform Zhang Heng even if she left on her own.
Zhang Heng was now worried that Irene Adler was a little too smart. She might have discovered something unusual about Father Jacob and tracked him down. That was why he didn't want to wait here any longer.
The Church of the Sacred Heart closed at eight o 'clock, and Father Jacob lived in a small house behind the church. Zhang Heng and Holmes rushed to the house, but it was dark when they looked through the window. Zhang Heng climbed through the window, and Holmes went through the front door. The two surrounded the house, but when they entered, they found no one inside.
There was only an old dog lying on the floor, but it was so old that it could barely move. It didn't even bark when it saw strangers breaking in.
Holmes lit a candle, and with the help of the candlelight, the two of them quickly scanned their surroundings.
Unlike Mark Cohen's Bloody Hut, Father Jacob's residence was a very normal priest's residence. The decorations were very simple, and there was a Bible that had been flipped through countless times by the bedside. Other than that, there was nothing else noteworthy in the house.
According to the prostitutes' description, Father Jacob's daily life was simple and regular, even rigid.
He was either at the church or his house, and he rarely went anywhere else. So now that the church was closed, and he wasn't at home, it was strange.
Holmes walked around the kitchen, opening his mouth to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
Zhang Heng, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the situation on the other side. Irene Adler's disappearance and Father Jacob's absence made the situation a little unfavorable.
Especially since Irene Adler was involved in this matter because of him. If something happened to her, Zhang Heng would never forgive himself. So, he had to find Father Jacob as soon as possible.
However, compared to Mark Cohen, Father Jacob was obviously much more rigorous. There was no mental journey on his desk, and the only notebook he had was related to theology.
The entire house was watertight. Zhang Heng stood in front of the desk and closed his eyes. Half a minute later, he opened them again. "Church."
"Hmm?"
"No matter what relationship Father Jacob had with Jack the Ripper, it doesn't change the fact that he was a devout clergyman. Jack the Ripper must have gotten information about the prostitutes from him, but as a priest, he had the obligation to keep the confessions confidential. I don't think he did it on purpose. In that case, Jack the Ripper must have overheard him," Zhang Heng paused, and finally concluded, "There's probably a secret room in the church, right next to the confession room."
"Below."
"Hmm?"
"The secret room is not next to the confession room, but below. The floor of the confession room is empty," Holmes said. "I found it when I was confessing. The sound of footsteps on the floor was so obvious that I thought there was a cellar or something."
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