Chapter 502 Do You Have a Clue?

"Have you checked the housemaid?" Holmes took out his pipe, and filled it with tobacco.

"I checked. Although the maid has been working in the house for two years, the old housekeeper detained her immediately and searched her body, but no oil painting was found. Moreover, from the time she entered the room to the time she came out The old housekeeper at the right door has not been to other places in the middle, so she can be ruled out as a suspect in this case." Vuillard said.

After a pause, he continued, "Through the Viscount's relationship, I also found two other victims who were visited by Mr. M. Their descriptions are similar to the situation this time. They were both stolen and stolen. I have received letters from Mr. M, one of them was stolen while on vacation, and the other one was more prominent than Mr. Viscount, and his things were better hidden, but they were still lost. That guy is like Like a magician, he can get into any secret room and play with everyone."

Hearing this, Holmes was noncommittal, lit the cigarette and took a puff, "The most powerful thief I have ever met is a dwarf performing in a circus. His body is only half the height of a child, and he is very thin. He can sneak into you through the chimney." Even he can squeeze through very narrow gaps by shrinking his bones, but even he can't do it without leaving any traces."

"So I don't understand how that guy did it, so I can only ask you for advice." Vial said respectfully.

"All right," Holmes smiled. "Since I have promised to help you and I am very interested in this case, I certainly won't let it go. But for now, let's find you a place to live in London." .”

The three arrived in front of a hotel in a carriage. While Vuillard was checking in, Holmes stood in the lobby smoking a pipe and looking at the passing passengers.

"Do you think Mr. M will be among them then?" Zhang Heng asked.

"Who knows," Holmes exhaled a smoke ring, and it could be seen that he was in a very good mood. "We are really lucky today, Zhang. We have encountered such an interesting case. I felt very early in the morning. Vuillard will surprise us, hey, this kid did not disappoint me."

"..." Zhang Heng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The more difficult the case he encountered with Vuillard, the happier Sherlock Holmes was. The thinking of this great detective was indeed different from that of ordinary people.

"Do you have any idea about the whereabouts of the oil painting?" Zhang Heng asked afterward.

Holmes did not answer, but instead asked, "What about you, do you have any ideas?"

Along the way, Zhang Heng was also thinking about this case, trying to integrate all the clues together. Thanks to Toviar, the red-haired detective did a very detailed investigation on the scene. It was like turning over the viscount's mansion It's upside down, and it's like being there when you read it.

Zhang Heng thought for a while and said, "You said earlier that you ruled out all the bizarre and unscientific options, and the rest is the truth. No thief can be so good at stepping on the dirt without leaving any traces. The hound did not cause any movement, and I looked at the layout of the house. Except for the old butler opposite the door, the cook stayed up late that night and was busy in the kitchen. He was not far away, and the door of the house It's usually locked, so I think the problem is still with the cleaning maid."

Holmes looked at Zhang Heng with eyes like he was looking at a rare animal in the zoo, and then he let out an exclamation, "My mysterious oriental traveler friend, no matter how long I have known you, you are always surprising, aren't you? It’s great to know you. Although you are still learning by my side, in fact, you can already stand on your own with your ability. You are much better than my mediocre colleagues outside, Via A potential newcomer like Er is not as good as you, maybe you can become my strong competitor in a short time, so this world may not be so boring to me."

This evaluation was already very high for Sherlock Holmes. Although he was still suspected of boasting in the end, it made the always proud detective say such things, which proved that Zhang Heng really impressed him.

Holmes continued, "Haha, when I saw that note just now, I immediately thought of the murder case in Castle Combe. At that time, there were rumors that the victim was killed by a ghost, because all the doors and windows They are all tightly closed and cannot be opened from the outside, and the murder scene inside is very bloody and has a strong sense of revenge, so the locals believe that only ghosts can do it, and even many people in the police believe it. Revenge of the ghosts.

"But like I said, remove those impossible distractors, and the rest, no matter how incredible it seems on the surface, must be the correct answer. It turns out that the victim is the murderer himself. He killed himself by extreme means. , that is a very interesting case, because the victim has always buried a secret in his heart, and that secret has troubled him for a long time. He felt guilty for a wrong thing he did when he was young, and this guilt accompanied him all his life , coupled with his poor health at the time, already suffering from a terminal illness, and worried that the other party's descendants would come to seek revenge from his wife and daughter, so he used this method to repay the unjust debt he owed back then.

"The situation is very similar this time. I carefully read Vuillard's notes and ruled out the possibility of outsiders entering. This leaves only the possibility of a house thief. After all, he bought a woman whose salary is less than a pound a week. It's much easier to be a servant than to sneak into a heavily guarded mansion, if I were Mr. M, I would choose another way."

Zhang Heng frowned and said, "The letter on the ground is easy to explain. It was carried by the maid a long time ago, and she put it there when cleaning. She also stole the painting, but the only thing I haven't figured out yet is that she How did she escape the subsequent inspection, is that housekeeper also her accomplice?"

"You are almost close to the final answer, my friend from the East." Holmes blinked and said excitedly, "I believe that as long as you give you a little more time, you can also think of the way to recover the oil painting in this matter." The link is not difficult, but the difficult part is how to catch that Mr. M. It must be admitted that as a thief, his imagination and talent are very good. From my perspective of his behavior, he must be a cautious and patient person. If he wants to catch such a It's not easy for the guy, but London is our home ground and it wouldn't make sense to let him go."

Thanks to Jiang Nannan and Lin Suwu's children's boots for their rewards. It's a bit weird that I didn't have this chapter recently~ Haha, it seems too quiet.