A the Murder at the Mycroft Manor

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“Ah, A Study in Scarlet! That‟s a historic novel in which Holmes makes his first appearance.” replied a Sherlock Holmes admirer, Mr. Bennett. “Yeah. That‟s my personal favourite.” said a young and enthusiastic Holmes fan, Michael Maguire. “The Sign of Four” another charismatic voice said. He was none other than the famous high school detective, Lance shooter who himself was a big admirer of Sherlock Holmes. “What‟s your favourite?” asked Mr. Bennett to a lone guy who seemed to be completely uninterested in their talks. “Uh m-me, hmm let‟s see, how about „And Then They Wanted None‟?” “Huh!” the entire bunch exclaimed in unison. “Don‟t you mean „And Then There Were None‟?” asked Mr. Bennett. “In any case, the author of that novel is Agatha Christie” told Mrs. Charlotte. “Oh boy, I can‟t believe amateur got into this tour” said an agitated Candace Elizabeth. “Bah, what am I doing here” thought the lone guy. And their journey continued. Lance and seven other Holmes enthusiasts were on a Holmes Special Tour being organized by Jack Tracy, a renowned publisher of Holmes stories. The bunch of eight reached their destination. “Hello everyone! Welcome to my vacation inn, Mycroft Manor. I‟m the organizer of this tour, Jack Tracy. All of you have been carefully selected by me as devout „Sherlockians‟.” said a queerly dressed Mr. Tracy who bore the attire of a conventional detective. The Mycroft manor was a huge, lavish bungalow, situated right atop the cliff with a picturesque view of the sea. “Humph. What do you mean by „carefully selected‟? I noticed that there‟s an amateur amidst us who doesn‟t know the first thing about Sherlock Holmes. “I see I am not wanted. I‟m going home” said the annoyed loner. “W-Wait a minute, Mr. Archibald. (Turning towards the Sherlockians) This man is not just anyone. He‟s a famous detective whose work is on par with Holmes.” said Mr. Tracy. “Richard Archibald, right?” said Natalia Racaza. “I‟ve seen him many times on TV and in the papers.” added Simon Racaza. Soon a wide grin came to Mr. Archibald‟s face. But it didn‟t stay for long. “I‟m sure you have a keen mind. But you‟re nothing in comparison to Mr. Holmes.” said Mr. Racaza. As if that wasn‟t enough, Mrs. Racaza added, “I agree. If you were to actually match his wits, he‟d hang you out to dry.” What the hell do these guys think they are?” replied an uptight Mr. Archibald. “It can‟t be helped sir. After all it‟s Holmes you‟re up against” said Lance in order to calm the situation down. “Shut up!” was Mr. Archibald‟s reply “As if I would lose to a fictitious character.” At this word, everyone in the house glowered at Mr. Archibald. This seemed to be a sign for him keep mum. Mr. Tracy clapped to attract the

attention of everyone. He said, “Well everyone, it‟s late, so I‟m you all would like to turn in. Something important before you all go off to sleep. Tomorrow, Breakfast will be served at 09:00 hours, lunch at 13:00 hours and dinner at 20:00 hours. After the dinner, as it has become customary every year, everyone will take a challenging deductive reasoning quiz. And if you get a perfect score in the quiz, believe it or not, I‟ll award this first edition of the book, „A Study in Scarlet‟, which introduced Sherlock Holmes into this world.” This left all the „Sherlockians‟ awestruck (Except Mr. Archibald, of course). But their happiness was short-lived. “However, I‟ll need to see proof that you really are a devout reader of Sherlock Holmes.” he added. “Proof?” asked Mrs. Racaza. Then, a maid came and handed some papers to everyone. “What the maid is passing to you is a one thousand question Sherlock Holmes quiz.” said Mr. Tracy. “One Thousand?!” exclaimed Mr. Bennett as a frown garnished other‟s faces. As if this wasn‟t enough, he also added, “Also, the deadline to hand in the quiz is dinnertime tomorrow. And only those who answer at least 990 right will be allowed to participate in the quiz. And to prevent cheating, I would like you to hand over your mobile phones and any Sherlock Holmes related books. Hiding them won‟t do you any good. I have security cameras and bugs placed in various place within the Mycroft Manor. If I catch any of you cheating, I‟ll have you leave the premises straight away.” “Hey, do I have to take this dumb quiz too?” asked a bored Mr. Archibald.” Oh no, you‟re a special guest. If I may, I‟d like to ask you to join the discussion later. (Turning towards all others)Well friends, see you tomorrow. Good night.” Everyone left the hall and dispersed to their allotted rooms. Lance struggled with the quiz the whole night, “What day did Holmes fall off a cliff with Professor Moriarty? Hmm... May 4, 1981. Ah, this one is pretty easy, where did Holmes keep his tobacco?” It seemed as if that night not a single soul except Mr. Archibald was interested even to take forty winks. All were busy toiling with the quiz. The next day after dinner, at about 20:30 hours, “Ah, I‟m stuffed!” said full Mr. Archibald. “Same here” sounded many voices in unison. “Mr. Tracy didn‟t show himself all day.” said a tired Mr. Bennett. “Hurry up and call him, I want him to start grading our quizzes.” said Mrs. Racaza to the maid. “B-But, I was told to entertain the guests until he arrives, so…” said a tensed maid. “It‟s so boring here. I shouldn‟t have came here.” thought an excessively bored Mr. Archibald. When Mr. Tracy didn‟t come even after a whole three hours everyone began losing their patience. “Damn it, I‟m through waiting. I‟m going back to my room.” cried Mr. Maguire. “S-Sir, please wait.” told the maid as she tried to stop Mr. Bennett.” I guess the rumor was true after all” said Mrs. Elizabeth. Everyone turned towards her as she continued, “The deal about the first edition being the prize is a big lie. Nobody gets all

the questions right, he just keeps the book and shows it off. That„s what this tour is all about. Excuse me; I think I‟ll go to bed too.” And she left. Soon Mr. Maguire and Mrs. Charlotte followed her. That left Lance, Mr. Archibald and the Racaza couple. “What are you going to do young chap?” asked Mr. Archibald to Lance. He answered, “I‟ll stick around a little longer.” They waited long. Then the clock struck 03:00 hours. “I think I‟ve reached my limit” said Mr. Archibald as he yawned. “I think we too must go back to our rooms, Simon.” said Mr. Racaza. “Hang in there. In these situations, the first person to flinch loses.” replied Mr. Racaza. “Huh? What‟s that?” said Mr. Racaza as he notices a car come out of the gate. “Isn‟t that the car in which we arrived?” noticed Lance. “It‟s Mr. Tracy! He‟s back.” exclaimed Mrs. Racaza. “See, now he‟s going to start the deduction quiz. It‟s good that we waited for him.” told Mr. Racaza proudly. “H-Hey wait a minute! He‟s heading straight towards the cliff!” That was enough for Lance and Mr. Archibald to realize that something fishy was going out there. They jumped out the window and made a dash towards the car. “Stop! Stop old chap! You‟re heading to the cliff!” The car suddenly accelerated. Lance noticed a wide blanket cover the dashboard. He also heard a weird sound. “That‟s not the engine” he thought. BOOM! The car had fallen from the cliff! The duo as well as Racaza couple was dumbstruck! All the Sherlockians who had gone back to their rooms came running as they heard the blast. “IIs Mr. Tracy dead?” asked an awestruck Mr. Bennett. “Unfortunately” answered Mr. Racaza, “He fell into the sea right before my very eyes.” “How can that be? Why?” asked Mr. Maguire. “It was a suicide I tell you” said Mrs. Elizabeth as everyone turned towards her, “He didn‟t want to give up his book.” “Nope, it was a homicide. The culprit killed or knocked out Mr. Tracy put him on the driver‟s seat. If you shift the gear into drive, the car will move on its own.” said Mr. Racaza, “And this all probably took place in that garage.” “Could it be that one of us is the culprit?” asked a terrified Mrs. Charlotte. “It would seem so” said Mr. Racaza adjusting his glasses, as he began to see himself as Holmes and tried to solve the mystery of this suicide or murder as some would call so. “Perhaps, but the somehow car accelerated on its way to the cliff.” interrupted Mr. Archibald. “W-What!” asked a stunned Mr. Racaza. “Yes, even Lance saw it” said Mr. Archibald. “Yes, even I noticed it speed up on its way.” supported Lance. “I even noticed a strange hissing sound in the car. It wasn‟t the sound produced by the engine.” he added. “Oh! Maybe it was the air conditioning then. It might have been left on and started running when the engine was started.” said Mr. Bennett. “Anyway, retrieving the body would be impossible.” said Mr. Maguire, “All we can do is contact the police and wait for them to arrive.” “But Mr. Tracy took our phones.” said Mr. Archibald. “Then … the

phones must be in Mr. Tracy‟s room!” said the maid as she ran to Mr. Tracy‟s room. Soon all followed her. But Lance was searching for something in the dark. “Need some help, little detective.” said Mrs. Racaza as she handed Lance her lighter. Soon they both followed the others and went to Mr. Tracy‟s room. “Ah! The phones are all broken. Who could have done such a thing?” screamed Mr. Elizabeth. “The book is missing too!” exclaimed the maid. “Damn! Let‟s take the car and get out this crazy place.” said Mr. Bennett as he lost his temper. “That won‟t be possible. The fuel tank is punctured and the battery is dead. All the gas has leaked out” interrupted Mr. Archibald. “How can that be?” thought bewildered Mrs. Charlotte. “It looks like it was a murder after all, Mrs. Elizabeth.” said Mr. Racaza. “The trick the murderer used to accelerate the car is still a mystery.” said a thoughtful Lance. “But the fact the second car is out of commission means that the culprit isn‟t done with the murder mystery.” said Mr. Archibald as everyone shockingly gazed at him. “Anyway the culprit is one of us. If we follow our leads, we‟ll figure it out. ” said Mr. Racaza. “I‟ve got it. If we check the security cameras, we may find something.” said a happy Mr. Maguire. “I‟m sorry but the security cameras are fake. They‟re just props he uses for this tour.” interrupted the maid. “Props?” said a grief-stricken Mr. Maguire. “One thing we know for certain was that Mr. Tracy was killed and put him in car around 03:00 hours. That means it is impossible for me, Lance, the maid or the Racaza couple to kill Mr. Tracy as we were in the living room for the past few hours.” said Mr. Archibald. “Wait a minute! You‟re saying that the culprit is one of us four who weren‟t in the living room. Suddenly Mrs. Racaza broke into laughter. All the others were bewildered by this act of her. She said, “Because, I‟ve figured out who the culprit is and what trick he used.” lighted her cigar with her lighter, and drank it once. Then she continued, “I have the evidence to prove it too.” “What?” asked the flabbergasted Sherlockians. Unabashed Mrs. Racaza told, “I‟ll give you ten minutes. If you don‟t want me to expose you, then you should give yourself up.” Then she left the room. “W-Where are you going Natalia?” asked Mr. Racaza. “The bathroom.” she answered. “A-Are you crazy? If you go alone, the culprit will surely come after you!” warned Mr. Racaza. “Then you can protect me.” childishly said Mrs. Racaza. “H-Hey, wait!” said Mr. Racaza as he followed her. “And even the famous detective loses face.” mocked Mr. Bennett. “She‟s bluffing!” replied Mr. Archibald. “No, she must be having some clue which we don‟t have” said Lance. “Speaking of which Natalia was behaving strange this afternoon. After lunch I ran into her as we were going back to our rooms. When she saw me, she quickly hid some papers behind her back. I think it was the Holmes test we were given the last night.” said Mrs. Charlotte. “Test?! That means

cheating” said the lot in amazement. “What a woman!” thought Mr. Archibald. Soon, Mr. Racaza returned. “So who‟s the culprit? She told you, didn‟t she” asked the Sherlockians to a sweating Mr. Racaza. “She said I won‟t tell you either, Simon and locked herself up in the bathroom.” said Mr. Racaza. “Damn, she‟s just toying with us.” said an infuriated Mr. Bennett. “Hey, Mr. Racaza, did Natalia come to your room this afternoon.” asked Lance. “No, I was in my room working on the quiz the whole afternoon, and nobody came.” came the reply from Mr. Racaza. “That means she saw „it‟ in someone‟s room. That important clue to solve this case. A clue about the four people without alibis. In someone‟s room.” thought an engrossed Lance. “Hey, isn‟t Natalia taking a bit too long?” said an alarmed Mr. Elizabeth. “Now that you mention it, it has been over twenty minutes.” said Mr. Maguire looking at his watch. “Could it be…?” said Mr. Archibald and everyone made a dash to the bathroom. “Natalia! Natalia!” yelled the males knocking frantically at the door. After a few seconds, she opened the door shouting, “What‟s with the racket? Excuse me why are you all gathered in front of the bathroom?” They were taken aback. “Well, we were worried about you and ...” said a baffled Mr. Archibald. “Well we‟d like you to tell us who the culprit is…” said Mr. Bennett. “Oh, that! I think I was mistaken.” said a cheekily smiling Mrs. Racaza. “Huh?” said the displeased Sherlockians. “Sorry about that.” said Mrs. Racaza as she left them. “Jeez… Just as I thought it was a bluff.” said an upset Mr. Archibald. “But why? Why did her attitude change suddenly? And we still don‟t have any hint whatsoever.” thought Lance as he returned back to the hall. “Huh, where‟s Natalia?” asked a surprised Lance. “That woman went out to take a walk.” replied Mrs. Elizabeth. “We told her not to go, but she said there wouldn‟t be any more killings” told Mr. Bennett. “Anyway all the suspects are here. If we all stay put nothing will happen.” consoled Mrs. Racaza. No sooner had he completed his statement, an earsplitting explosion was heard that shook the whole Mycroft Manor. “What was that?” cried a perplexed Mr. Archibald. “It came from the garage!” replied a terrified Mr. Racaza. They all scurried to the garage. What they saw next just made their eyes pop out. They saw the entire garage on fire. “Could Natalia be in there?” worried Mr. Charlotte. “N-Natalia…Natalia!” screamed Mr. Racaza as he ran into the blazing garage. “Moron, there‟s no point going in there now! You‟ll burn to death!” yelled Mr. Bennett as he stopped Mr. Racaza from entering the garage. “Someone get the extinguisher, quick” cried Lance. “Please, someone put out the fire! Otherwise the book …!” said Mr. Maguire trembling with fire. Both Lance and Mr. Archibald gazed at Mr. Maguire with suspicion as he said this. The fire was doused after a struggle of about ten minutes. “Natalia! Natalia! Where are you? Are you alright” yelled Mr. Racaza

hoping that she would be safe and sound. When everyone was busy looking for Natalia, Mr. Maguire stealthily slipped into rear seat of the car. “Ah!” he screamed as he shot out of the car. “What‟s the matter?” asked Mr. Bennett as everyone gathered around him. Mr. Racaza saw inside the car. “N-Natalia. Natalia! Natalia!” he screamed as he saw her burnt carcass in the rear seat of the car and burst into tears. Everyone mourned the death of Natalia. “Judging by the clothes and the build it‟s definitely Natalia.” said Mr. Archibald. “Natalia was fine just a moment ago. She also told she knew who the culprit was.” said Mr. Elizabeth mournfully. “Does this mean that the culprit killed her to keep her quiet?” asked the maid. “But when the fire broke out, we were all in the hall.” said Mr. Bennett. “Then who started who the fire?” asked a baffled maid. “It couldn‟t have lit itself.” said Mrs. Charlotte. “No, but there is one person who could have done it. Mr. Tracy!” said Mrs. Elizabeth, trembling with fear. She continued, “If Mr. Tracy were actually alive, this would all make sense.” “Y-Yes, it might have been a dummy or something else in the car. I‟ve heard of a story like that.” said Mr. Bennett. “No, no. That was definitely Mr. Tracy in the car.” said Mr. Archibald. “I saw him too. There‟s no mistake.” supported Lance. “Then who the hell did this?! There‟s no denying that someone killed Natalia.” yelled a fear stricken Mr. Racaza. Mr. Bennett tried to calm him down. “For now, let‟s go inside and wait for the morning.” said Mrs. Elizabeth. “Let‟s all go to the living room.” suggested Mr. Bennett. “Humph! As if I would mistake a doll for a human!” said Mr. Archibald as all the others except himself, Lance and a traumatized Mr. Maguire went back to the living room. “But all the suspects were inside. Did they plant a timer in the garage?” asked Lance. “No, there was no such thing.” answered Mr. Archibald. “Then how did the suspect start the fire? Why did Natalia go to the garage, anyway?” thought Lance as he and the other two followed others back to the lounge. It was about 04:45 hours. “It‟s pouring outside.” said a depressed Mrs. Charlotte. “If this weather continues, it won‟t be easy for us to leave the Mycroft Manor today morning.” said Mr. Elizabeth. “We‟ve been up all-night and my stomach‟s empty.” said a famished Mr. Bennett. “Shall I bring out some refreshments?” asked the maid. “I‟ll help.” said Mrs. Charlotte. “Me too. We shouldn‟t let the women go by themselves.” said Mr. Racaza as the trio headed towards the kitchen. “If the culprit is really Mr. Tracy, why did he fake his death and kill Natalia?” asked Mrs. Elizabeth. “Mr. Tracy is enjoying killing us!” cried Mr. Maguire as he angrily smacked the table. “Look at this card! If I had gone, I would be the one dead” screamed Mr. Maguire as he showed a card. I read, “If you want the book, come to the garage tomorrow morning at 04:30 hours. I will leave the book under the rear seat of the car.” “If I remember correctly the fire broke out just after 04:30 hours.” said Mr.

Archibald. “Natalia‟s body too was found on the rear seat.” said Lance. He then asked Mr. Maguire, “Where did you find this card?” Mr. Maguire replied, “Last night, when I came back from the dinner, I found it under my door.” “Judging by the position her body was found, she must have been looking for the book. Now the only mystery is how the culprit managed to start the fire while still inside.” thought Lance. Just then the trio returned with the refreshments. They started to take their refreshments. “What‟s your profession Mrs. Charlotte?” asked Mr. Bennett. “Me, oh I‟m a fortune teller.” she replied. No sooner had she completed her talk, there was a power outage. “A-A blackout!” cried Lance. “Could it be the lightning?” asked Mrs. Elizabeth. “No it was just the fuse!” said the maid. “Let‟s go and fix the circuit breaker.” suggested Mr. Archibald. “Damn, at a time like this.” said Mr. Bennett as he took out his lighter and said, “Here maid, use this light.” Just then Lance noticed something sharp shine behind Mr. Maguire. “Ice pick!” he screamed. He made a dash towards Mr. Maguire and sprang out to save him the blow of the ice pick. “Ah!” screamed Mr. Maguire as he felt the sharp pain of an ice pick being thrust into his arm. “What is it? What happened?” asked Mr. Archibald. They heard a sharp sound of something break. “What was that?” asked Mrs. Elizabeth. “It sounded like glass break.” answered Mr. Archibald. “Hurry with the lights maid!” yelled Mr. Bennett. There was a pandemonium in the Mycroft manor. Soon, the maid repaired the fuse and the lights came back. They saw a wounded Mr. Maguire down on the floor, with an ice pick plunged in his arm. “Mr. Maguire! How?” asked Mr. Archibald. “Sir! The window glass...” said a terrified Mrs. Charlotte. “Damn! They fled through the window?!” exclaimed Mr. Bennett. “No, the culprit is still in the room. Now I know how the culprit started the fire while he was inside!”thought Lance. “Who could have done this?” asked a horrified maid. “It‟s Mr. Tracy, I tell you.” said Mrs. Elizabeth. She continued, “After faking his death in the first incident, he hid somewhere in the Mycroft Manor, burned Natalia to death, attacked Mr. Maguire with the ice pick and fled through the window. “Damn it, why did Mr. Tracy come after me? Come to think of it, I helped him publish his book. ”said Mr. Maguire. “Book?” asked everyone present there. “It was a Sherlock Holmes book he published at his own expense, „The Scorn of the Irene Adler‟.” replied Mr. Maguire. “Simon we‟re going after Mr. Tracy.” said Mr. Bennett. “You‟re just wasting your time. You can search all you want outside, but you won‟t find the culprit.” said Lance as everyone gazed surprisingly at him. “What?” asked a stunned Mr. Bennett. Lance continued, “Look at that chair.” pointing towards a chair near the window. He carried on, “It‟s awkwardly positioned as it has been squeezed into a small space. There are fragments of glass embedded in it too. This is the proof that the culprit hurriedly

pushed it in after breaking the window.” “But all that means is that the culprit used the chair.” asked Mr. Bennett. “This is the limit of idiocy! If you‟re fleeing outside, why bother putting the chair back under the table?” said Mr. Archibald to Mr. Bennett who felt belittled. “But then the culprit must be one of us.” said Mrs. Elizabeth. “That‟s right. Is it clear to you now that Mr. Tracy is not the culprit?” said Mr. Archibald. “That means the culprit is right here among us.” said Lance as everyone silently and astonishingly gazed at him. “Hey maid, when the lights went off, didn‟t you tell us that the fuse had blown out? How did you know it was the fuse and not a blackout?” asked Mr. Archibald. “Yes, I did. When I tried to plug in the coffee maker, there was a sudden spark.” replied the maid. Then the „Sherlockians‟ went to the kitchen to see whether she was telling the truth. “See! This outlet right here.” said the maid pointing towards a burnt socket. “It looks like someone wrapped a thin wire around the plug.” said Lance while inspecting the plug of the coffee maker. He continued, “So that it would cause a short circuit when plugged in.” “Who brewed the coffee?” asked Lance. “Mr. Racaza and Mrs. Charlotte.” answered the maid. “So it‟s all clear now. That means you are the culprit, Mrs. Charlotte.” said Mr. Archibald. “J-Just a moment! There were two other people in the kitchen at that time!” said a scared Mrs. Charlotte. “But the other two have alibis for the first incident. You wrapped the wire while the two weren‟t looking, came back to the hall and waited for the blackout. And then, you attacked Mr. Maguire, using his lighter as a guide. But couldn‟t kill him as Lance moved him out of your path. Isn‟t that right, Lance?” said Mr. Archibald. “Hmm… but something doesn‟t seem to fit.” he said thinking about something. He continued, “Unlike the first and second incidents, the culprit was careless and left clues when he attacked Mr. Maguire. This means that he had originally not planned for the third murder.” Yet, Mr. Archibald and others took Mrs. Charlotte to handcuff her so she couldn‟t cause any more havoc. “But isn‟t it strange Mr. Archibald? If Mrs. Charlotte is the culprit, how would you explain how she started the fire in the second incident? And you yourself said the car sped on its way. How will you explain this? ” asked Mrs. Elizabeth. “That‟s right. I‟ve the second case almost solved, but am still in dark about the first.” said Lance still in a deep thought. “What? You‟ve solved the second case!” asked everyone. “Well, yes. But there are four things that are confusing about the first case: one. Why Mr. Tracy was missing for an entire day; two, how the car sped up on its way; three, the odd sound inside the car and four, the blanket on the dashboard. And there‟s another point I forgot to realize before, Mr. Tracy was gripping the steering tightly. Though the road was bumpy, he managed to maintain his posture. That means by the time Mr. Tracy was placed in the car, he was already dead

and rigor mortis had set in.” replied Lance. “Rigor mortis?” asked Mrs. Elizabeth. “The human body begins to stiffen thirty minutes to two hours from death and by nine to twelve hours becomes completely stiff. The stiffness continues about until thirty hours after death, and then gradually becomes to limp. So, if Mr. Tracy‟s body was completely stiff at 03:00 hours, he should have been killed between 15:00 hours and 18:00 hours the previous day i.e., some time before dinner.” explained Lance. He continued, “What I don‟t understand is why the culprit felt so necessary to put him in the car so early?” asked Lance. “Maybe he wanted it to look like a suicide. The culprit killed him before dinner and put him in the car. He secured his hands on the steering wheel and waited for rigor mortis to set in. After dinner, the culprit went to the garage and started the car. So, the culprit must be one of the four of you who left after dinner.” said Mr. Racaza. “Then why did the car speed up?” asked Mrs. Elizabeth. “It‟s not like a dead body would move on its own.” said Mr. Bennett. “Could it be? If that‟s the trick the culprit used, I know who the culprit it!” thought Lance as he got a clue from this statement of Mr. Bennett. “But, I don‟t have any clue. Wait a minute! Mrs. Racaza was wandering around at lunch time. If she saw something in that person‟s room…” thought Lance. All of a sudden, Lance had a light bulb moment. “That‟s it! I‟ve got it!” thought Lance. “Whatever, Mrs. Charlotte is the culprit. Confess your crime Mrs. Charlotte!” said Mr. Archibald. “Is the tomfoolery over, old man?” asked a goaded Lance. “What?” asked Mr. Archibald, taken aback. “Stop accusing this poor girl. I‟ve just figured out who the culprit is!” said Lance as all the others listened in horror. He continued, “The one who caused all the three incidents … It‟s none other than … Is you!” pointing towards the person. “What? Me!” asked a horrified Mr. Archibald. “No old man, the one who is breaking out in a cold sweat behind you. Mr. Racaza! It‟s you!” said Lance as all turned towards Mr. Racaza. “H-Hang on a second. I was in the living room for hours when the car fell off the cliff. And I was with everyone when Natalia was killed.” said a dazed Mr. Racaza. “That‟s exactly what happened, you idiot! Besides you were with him when Mr. Tracy‟s car started moving. How can he be the culprit?” asked Mr. Archibald. “Have patience, old man. It does look impossible at first. But if you use a certain device to alter the course of the rigor mortis, it is possible. The trick he used is as follows: Mr. Tracy, who was killed exactly one day ago, was seated in the car. His foot was secured in a position pressing the brake using a heavy weight. After half a day, rigor mortis had set in, and his foot was stuck in a place. This way even though the engine was on and the car was in gear, the car didn‟t move. Then right before dinner, the culprit opened the garage door. When the body started becoming limp again, the break was released. The culprit returned to the living room and

waited for the car to move.” said Lance. “You fool! Rigor mortis doesn‟t go away until forty hours have passed.” interrupted Mr. Archibald. “What if the car‟s temperature was raised?” asked Lance as Mr. Archibald hushed. Lance continued, “If the body is exposed to temperature of about 35˚Celsius, the speed of rigor mortis and its subsequent softening will accelerate, allowing the body to become limp in about twenty four to thirty hours. Mr. Tracy disappeared after 22:00 hours the night before last. If he was killed immediately after that, which would mean twenty nine hours passed before the car started moving. The timing is just perfect. The hissing sound in the car wasn‟t caused by the air conditioner, but the heater. To cover the fact that the heater was running, the dashboard was covered with a blanket.” “That kind of trick would easy figure out if you examined the body.” said Mr. Archibald. “That‟s why Mr. Tracy‟s car was sent over the cliff. It becomes impossible to retrieve the body and examine the rigor mortis.” replied Lance. “And what was the reason for the acceleration of the car?” asked Mrs. Elizabeth. “While driving over the bumpy road, Mr. Tracy‟s foot must have slid off the brake pedal.” answered Lance. “I see, so if you witness it happening while inside with everyone, you have a perfect alibi. That‟s why Mr. Racaza insisted Natalia to stay in the living room.” said Mr. Archibald. When this discussion was going on, Mr. Racaza suddenly began laughing, and said, “Interesting. Your reasoning sounds like something out of a mystery novel. But unfortunately, you have no proof. Besides I was with everyone when the garage went up in flames. No matter how you think, for me to have started that fire is…” “Is possible and very simple too.” interrupted Lance as Mr. Racaza gazed him with astonishment. Lance continued, “All you had to say to her was that the first edition of the book is hidden under the back seat of the car.” “The first edition? Hey, what the hell are you talking about.” asked Mr. Archibald. “Have you forgotten? The car in the garage had a hole in the fuel tank and the battery was dead. So if you want to search something in such a situation, what would you do?” asked Lance. “As it‟s difficult to see anything, I would use a lighter or … I see! The lighter!” exclaimed Mr. Archibald. “Exactly. When Mrs. Racaza went to search the book, she lit het lighter, the flame ignited the gasoline.” said Lance. “But why would Simon kill her own wife?” asked Mr. Bennett. “She figured it out. She knew the rigor mortis trick and had the proof to implicate Mr. Racaza. Don‟t you remember when Mrs. Racaza declared she knew the culprit was, Mr. Racaza became worried and pretended to anxious about her safety. He then followed her to the bathroom and told about the book in the garage.” said Lance. “That‟s why her attitude changed after returning from the bathroom.” said Mrs. Charlotte. “Actually that trick was set for another person. Fortunately, for the culprit, this person too owned a lighter like Mrs.

Racaza. That‟s right, the trap was set for Mr. Maguire.” said Lance. “W-What?” asked a surprised Mr. Maguire. “Don‟t you remember you found a card under your door?” asked Lance. He continued, “However, he had to kill Mrs. Racaza with that trap, so he devised the blackout plan in the last minute.” “That‟s why there were so many clues for the third case. It would have been easy for him to tamper with the plug as he was in the kitchen.” said Mr. Archibald. “If that‟s true show me the proof, Mr. Detective.” said a smiling Mr. Racaza. “Don‟t you remember that Mrs. Racaza saw something in your room.” said Lance. “Even if she saw it yesterday, she‟s not here to tell us about it now.” said Mr. Racaza. “Question 1: Is Holmes left or right-handed? Question 2: What is Dr. Watson‟s wife‟s name?” asked Lance. “What‟s with the questions all of a sudden?” asked a perplexed Mr. Racaza. “Oh? Have you forgotten? They were the questions on the one thousand questions Holmes quiz.” said Lance as a wide grin developed on his face. He continued, “Next, Question 241, in which year did Holmes fall off the cliff with Professor Moriarty?” “Oh that question, I remember it very well. The answer was, 1981.” replied Mr. Racaza. “But there was no question in the quiz. The question was on which date did he fall.” said Mrs. Elizabeth as Mr. Racaza stood dazed perspiring profusely. “That‟s right; it was a tough one, still harder to forget. Isn‟t it odd you don‟t remember it? Mrs. Racaza went to your room to cheat off your paper, but you weren‟t in your room. You must have gone to check the rigor mortis thingy.” said Lance. “So the thing Natalia saw was a blank paper.” said Mrs. Charlotte. “That‟s right. Why didn‟t you answer any question? Because you know it was pointless. The person who was to grade the quiz isn‟t among the living. If you still demand any proof, can you show us your paper.” said Lance. Mr. Racaza started trembling and fell on his knees. “Damn!” he exclaimed. “You! Tell me why?” said an angry Mr. Maguire grabbing Mr. Racaza by his collar. “The Scorn of the Irene Adler! It was my book. Tracy just stole it from me and got all the fame and money. I can never forgive him for stealing my story. I couldn‟t forgive him … I couldn‟t” said an infuriated Mr. Racaza as he burst into tears. Soon the Dawn broke in. Mr. Archibald went to the nearest police station and informed the cops. Mr. Racaza was taken into the custody. “Thank you Lance! You really saved me today.” said a cheerful Mrs. Charlotte. “It‟s my pleasure ma‟am.” replied a glad Lance. “Well today you really belittled me. Your deduction and reasoning is really impressive lad. Will you join my detective agency?” said Mr. Archibald. “Thank you sir! I would be more than honoured to join the great Archibald Detective Agency!” replied Lance, in high spirits. Lance approvingly joined Mr. Archibald. Many years passed by. There was something like a chaos going on in the Archibald Detective Agency. “Sir, a weird sounding called us from

the Richmond Park, complaining about a murder.” said a neatly dressed man. “Well, so what are you waiting for? We have another mystery waiting to be solved in our hands. Come on guys, let‟s go!” said an enthusiastic Lance. And that was the start of another case, another mystery!

CHARACTERS
Michael Maguire Mrs. Charlotte Mr. Bennett Lance Shooter Mr. Archibald Candace Elizabeth Simon Racaza Natalia Racaza Maid

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