Chapter 510 - A Little Game (2/2)

That said, he wasn’t excatly ambigious either.

In the book, Moriarty was mathematics professor at a small university in England, and was a well-known figure in academia. Surprisingly, after consulting several lecturers from the mathematics department, Zhang Heng discovered that none had ever heard of the name Moriarty. Even the professor’s acclaimed academic piece, “The Dynamics of an Asteroid ” was nowhere to be found in bookstores.

Of course, these signs alone weren’t necessarily an indication that Moriarty wouldn’t make an appearance in this game. Henceforth, Zhang Heng would remain vigilant of this criminal mastermind.

He and Holmes both didn’t know that another case was creeping upon them.

It was a lazy afternoon, and Zhang Heng and Holmes were lazing on a bench in the park, snacking on sandwiches and playing the game they had been playing a little too much recently.

Zhang Heng rested his chin on his hands as he looked at a lady with a puppy walking past. “Definitely married, at least two husbands, and has a child. Her living conditions aren’t as good as they used to be, loves jewelry but is stingy with her maids, and, in fact, has a disdian for animals. She has one only because everyone else does, and she feels pets are simply extra trouble for the maids. She smokes, enjoys the occasional drink, and has recently attended a ball.”

“Appendage—the child she gave birth to is gone!” said Holmes.

“Huh?”

“I’m glad you noticed that she had given the candy in her pockets to the children on the street. Generally, a person who has children in the family would carry sweets on them, but if you paid attention to the way she looked at those children, you can see that within the affection, lies a hint of jealousy. To boot, she comes here every week to distribute candies to the neighboring kids. If you have a child of your own and that child is well and alive, trust me, you won’t be so caring towards other children.”

“You’re cheating. You’ve seen the target before!”

“No, it’s experience,” replied Holmes in an instant as he shook his head. “I often came to this park, so I have the relevant experience. You must know that all reasoning is based on experience. You can’t possibly expect me to abandom them when I make deductions, my oriental friend.”

“Alright, next.” Holmes pointed to a man not far from where they were seated. “Typist, has a wife, a Freemason, and has been to China. The pipe in his hand is of great importance to him, plays soccer, and was probably in the Navy in his younger days.” “I can tell that he’s been in the Navy, but the part about soccer—was it because he was observing the children play on the street?”

“Not just that. Earlier on, when the ball rolled over to his side, he gave it a respectable kick. But you didn’t see it probably because you were busy gnawing on that sandwich.”

“What about the pipe? Why would you say that it’s essential to him?”

“Oh, that’s very obvious, my friend.” Holmes smiled. “That pipe only costs six to seven s.h.i.+llings, but the silver hoops it had been repaired with costs more than the pipe itself. Most people would have just bought a new one.”