Part 23 (1/2)
There were tools and other general building paraphernalia that I could not pretend to understand I knehat they were: several lengths of rope, so crate of rags and strips of cloth and some spare chains I had no idea what they were all for, however
Hol equip a nervous look back down the half-lit tunnel ”Tell ainst the Central London Railway”
Hol and took a pickaxe fro his implement at the rock face
”Soes of the day,” he said ”Bazalgette, for one”
Sir Joseph Bazalgette had been responsible for delivering London from the infamous ”Great Stink” in the middle of the century as a result of his vision and determination to build the best network of sewers the world had ever seen He had died in 1891
”Yes,” replied Holmes when I remarked upon this ”That rather does rule him out as a suspect, does it not?”
Holmes went on to tell me that numerous people and public bodies had co of the railway, perhaps most notably both the Dean and the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral As with most property owners, their concerns lay in subsidence
”I daresay they are not the first of the priesthood to be of the very foundation of the church,” Holood pun but did wonder at the questionable taste and possible blasphemy of this one
”The City Corporation also objected,” my friend concluded, ”as did the newly forh theirs was aobjection than the others: theirs was a political objection They wanted the working man to be catered for and believe all railners to be only interested in the wellbeing of the well-heeled”
”Hardly cause for murder,” I said
”To you or I, yes,” replied Hol the rock face repeatedly ”But to men who believe passionately in a cause? Perhaps not Or perhaps our poisoner was not intent on murder”
I frowned at this and was about to form another question e both heard the unhost or other ghoul would make so heavy a footfall!” he whispered over the sound of his digging Then he stopped and nised was one of his scientific gauntlets He then proceeded to put on the gloves as calent's Park
I bent down, pretending to tie ure illuminated by one of the tunnel lamps It was as Sean Finlay had described it to his cousin: not ghostly at all but covered ally around the head and especially the nose and mouth
I sed hard and reached instinctively for the revolver secreted in my jacket Before I could draw the weapon, Holmes stooped and picked up one of the containers of what I took to be grease for the machinery
”I knohat this is!” he called out loudly ”And why you have returned for it”
I turned to see that our erstwhile mumainst the wall and frozen by indecision Hol towards the intruder, who finally elected on fleeing, spinning on his heel and sprinting away down the tunnel at an impressive rate
”Watson, your revolver,” called Holed man I withdrew my firearm, broke it to check each chamber had a round within and then cracked it back into place
I ran the length of the oversized stretch of train tunnel, but ahead I could see no sign of the mummy Instead, in the darker, narrower section beyond, Holle I arrived to see an alcove dug into the side of thea shaft not wider than a card table with a line of s that disappeared into the darkness
”Ventilation,” said Holers!”
”Why did no one mention this?”
”You see how far the rot of superstition can spread, Watson? No one thought of this because ghosts and h? I do not understand the need for such a costuineers on this line is president of the Egypt Exploration Fund?”
I looked at Holmes ”You're not serious, Holmes”
”That is a fact,” he replied ”Another is that a second engineer is theCleopatra's Needle here in 1877”
”You think there is a curse?”
”A mumain, I a that coincidence is indeed rife and the dedicated detective cannot be swayed into thinking it any inal tapestry”
”Incidentally, should we not be chasing the fellohoever he is-up that ladder?”
”No,” said Hol our friends at Scotland Yard to post two constables at ground level in case of just such an instance We need only remain here to ensure he does attempt to retrace his steps”
My revolver saw no active service that night We clearly heard theat the top of the shaft only to be met by a pair of bobbies We then summoned the lift and returned to the surface so that Sherlock Holht complete his enquiry
Hol at the site office, and we took a cab to Scotland Yard There weinspector called Pike, who told us what his constables had done upon apprehending the figureto the a fencing outfit Only his head and hands had been bandaged Holmes nodded as if all this made perfect sense He then asked if he could see the man
Inspector Pike took us into a cell where a youth lay on the bed, his eyes red with tears He didn't look like the type of man to kill ten men, but then I was constantly surprised by ive his naman and spoke quietly ”I take it you are a student at University College London?”
The boy looked up at Holmes He nodded mutely
”And a follower of Viktor Meyer as well as, perhaps, Robert Owen?
The boy sat upright ”How did you know -”
”About the German chemist? I can only assume you have read his paper on the combination of chloroethanol with potassiulycol with phosphorus trichloride”
”What does all that mean, Holmes?” I asked
”It is a powerful combination of che and - if inhaled - could produce water on the lungs”
”To the link
”Precisely,” said Holmes