The bad news brought by Detective Leithward was very sudden and important, completely beyond all our expectations. After hearing it, we were all shocked and silent for a while. Gregson suddenly stood up from his chair

, actually knocked over the remaining whiskey in his glass.

I looked at Holmes and saw that his lips were tightly closed and his eyebrows were knitted above his eyes.

My partner said to himself: "Stangerson was also killed, so the case becomes even more confusing."

"The case is already complicated enough." Leisweid complained, sitting down on the chair, and then said: "It's like I'm attending a military meeting, I have no clue at all."

"You...are your information...reliable?" Gregson asked anxiously.

Leisweid said: "I just came from the hotel where Stangerson stayed, and I was the first to discover this situation!"

Holmes said: "Just now, we were listening to Gregson's opinion on this crime. Can you also tell us what you saw and what you did?"

"Of course." Leisweide agreed without hesitation: "I admit, I originally thought that Drebber's murder was closely related to Stangerson. This new situation made me realize that I was simply wrong. At first, I held this idea.

, so we began to investigate the whereabouts of this secretary. At around 8:30 pm on the 3rd, someone saw Driber and Stangerson together at Euston Station. At 2 am on the 4th, policeman Lance was at Brix.

Drebber's body was found on the road in Dayton Road. The main problem I faced at the time was to find out what Stangerson had done between 8:30 and the murder. Later he

Where did he go? On the one hand, I sent a telegram to Liverpool to learn about Stangerson's appearance and asked him to monitor American ships. On the other hand, I checked every hotel, apartment and other places near Euston Station. At that time, I sent a telegram to Liverpool.

I thought that if Driber and his friend had broken up, common sense would infer that Stangerson would have found a place to stay near the station that night, and he would not arrive at the station until the next morning."

"It's very possible that they made an appointment for the meeting place in advance," Holmes reminded.

Facts have proved that this is indeed the case. Yesterday, I ran around all night, constantly inquiring about his whereabouts, but there was no news. This morning, I started to investigate again very early. Around 8 o'clock, I found Haoli on Little George Street.

On behalf of the hostel. When I asked if there was a Mr. Stangerson living here, they immediately replied that there was.

They said: 'You must be the gentleman he is waiting for! He has been waiting for you for two days.'

I asked: 'Where is he now?'

'He is still sleeping upstairs. He told him not to wake him up until 9 o'clock.'

I said: 'I want to see him right away!'

I had planned so. My unexpected appearance in front of him would probably surprise him. When he was at a loss, some important information might be exposed. A shoe shine waiter led me upstairs. His room was on the third floor.

, there is a not too long corridor that leads directly to it. After the shoe shiner pointed out his door to me, he was about to go downstairs. Suddenly, I found a sight that made me feel particularly nauseous and made me feel like vomiting.

Even though I had 20 years of experience in handling cases, I couldn't help myself at that time. A trail of blood flowed out from under the door, curved through the corridor, and accumulated at the heel of the opposite wall. I couldn't help but scream and wipe my shoes.

After the man heard this, he turned around and came back. When he saw this scene, he was so frightened that he almost fainted. The door was locked, so I opened it with my shoulder and entered the house. The window inside was wide open, and there was a body lying prone beside the window.

The male corpse was wearing pajamas and curled up into a ball. He had died long ago, and his hands and feet were cold and stiff. We turned the corpse over, and the shoe shiner immediately recognized him as Stangerson, the resident of this room.

The reason why he died was that the left side of his body was stabbed with a knife. The wound was very deep and hurt his heart. There is another weird situation. Guess what is on the face of the dead body?

Hearing this, I unconsciously lost my mind and felt terrible. But my companion immediately replied: "It's the word 'Lachi' written in blood."

"That's the word," Leisweid said, with fear in his voice. For a moment, we were all silent.

The murder of this secret murderer seems to be step-by-step, but at the same time it is elusive and incredible, which makes his crime even more terrifying. Although my nerves have been very strong on the battlefield where blood and flesh are everywhere, and there are casualties everywhere.

, but when I think about this situation, I can't help but feel extremely horrified.

Leisweid continued: "This murderer has been seen before. When a milkman boy was going to the milk house, he happened to pass by the alley behind the hotel, which led to the carriage house behind the hotel. He found that

The ladder on the ground was erected, and the top faced a window on the third floor. The window was wide open. After the boy walked over, he looked back and saw a man climbing down the ladder. He looked very

Climbing down calmly and without any panic, the boy thought it was the carpenter working in the hotel, so he didn't pay special attention to it, but he always felt in his heart that it was too early to start work at this time. The boy vaguely remembered that this person

He was quite tall, with a red face, and wore a long brown coat. I guess he must have stayed in the house for a short time after the murder. Because I found blood in the water in the washbasin, which proved that the murderer had washed his hands; the blood stains were also

On the sheets, it can be seen that he calmly wiped the knife used to commit the crime after committing the crime."

When I heard that the murderer's figure and appearance basically matched Holmes's inference, I glanced at him, but there was no trace of pride on my partner's face.

"Did you find nothing in the room that would lead to the arrest of the murderer?" asked Holmes.

Leisweid said: "There are no clues. Driber's purse is on Stangerson's body. It seems that he usually carries it and manages the expenses. There is more than 80 pounds in the purse, not a penny less. Crime

The behavior seemed unusual. No matter what the murderer's motive was, it was definitely not for money. There were no diaries, documents, etc. in Stangerson's pocket. There was only a telegram, which was sent from Cleveland a month ago.

The content of the telegram is 'JH... now in Europe', but there is no signature."

"Is there nothing else of importance?" asked Holmes.

"There is nothing important left. However, there is a novel on the bed, which the deceased seemed to read before going to bed; on a chair beside the bed, there is the deceased's pipe; and a glass of water on the table.

There is a wooden box containing medicine on the windowsill, and there are two pills in it."

My partner suddenly stood up from his chair, beaming with joy. He said loudly: "This is the last key link. Now, my conclusion is finally complete."

The two detectives looked at Holmes in great amazement.

My partner said confidently: "I have every important clue that constitutes this case in my hands. Of course, some details still need to be completed. However, from the moment Drebber met Stangerson at the train station,

From the beginning of the breakup to the discovery of Stangerson's body, I have understood all the main plots clearly, as if I had witnessed them with my own eyes. I am going to prove my opinions and opinions to you right away.

Leithward, have you brought those two pills?"

"Here!" Leisweide said as he took out a small white box. He said: "I brought the money bag, telegram, and pills. Originally, I wanted to place these items at the police station.

It's in a safe place. I brought the pill here just by chance, and I declare that I didn't think it was a particularly important item."

"Leave it to me, please!" said my companion, "doctor." He turned to me and asked, "Is this an ordinary pill?"

These pills are indeed extraordinary. They are pearl-like gray, small and round, and are transparent when viewed against the light. I said: "Judging from the two characteristics of light weight and transparency, I think the pills will dissolve in water."

"That's right!" said Holmes. "Doctor, would you please go downstairs and pick up the poor dog? It has been suffering from illness for a long time, and the landlady asked us to euthanize it yesterday to save it from suffering!"

So, I went downstairs and picked up the sick dog. I saw that it had difficulty breathing and its eyes were dull, which showed that it would not live long. Indeed, its pale lips showed that its life span was far away.

It's bigger than an ordinary dog. I first put a mat on the carpet, and then put the sick dog on top.

"Now, I'm going to split one of the pills into two." My partner said as he cut one of the pills in half with a knife. He said, "This half is put back in the box for later use, and this half is for later use."

I immediately put it in a cup. There was a spoonful of water in the cup. Please see, our doctor friend is right. The pills quickly dissolved in the water."

"Although this is interesting," Leisweid said with a dissatisfied tone. He probably thought Holmes was playing a trick on them, "but I don't see how this has anything to do with Stangerson's murder."

"Be patient! Friends, be patient! In time, you will know that it has a lot to do with this case. Now, I am going to add some milk to it, and it will become delicious. Next, I will

Put it in front of a dog's eyes and the dog will lick it up right away."

As Holmes spoke, he poured the mixed liquid in the cup into the plate and placed it in front of the dog's eyes. Sure enough, the dog quickly licked it clean. My partner's serious attitude almost made us completely believe it.

Everyone sat in silence, looking at the dog, expecting some amazing result to happen. However, the special phenomenon did not happen. The dog was still lying on the mat, breathing with difficulty. It was obvious that the pills had both effects on the dog.

There is no benefit and no harm.

My friend took out his watch and looked at the time. One minute passed, and another minute passed, but there was no result. His expression looked extremely disappointed. He bit his lower lip and tapped the table with his fingers, showing his inner feelings.

He was very anxious. He was quite excited, and I couldn't help but feel sad with him. However, the two official detectives showed sarcastic smiles. They felt very happy that Holmes had encountered a setback.

"It can't be possible!" my companion finally spoke loudly. He stood up and murmured irritably to and fro in the living room. "It can't be just a coincidence. In the case of Dribbe's murder, I was

I suspected that there was a pill, and now the pill was actually discovered after Stangerson was killed. But it didn't work. What happened? My series of inferences can never be wrong! It's impossible! But this

The poor dog didn't have any problems after eating it. Oh, I understand! I understand..." He shouted happily, ran to the medicine box, took out another pill, cut it in half first, and then

Dissolve half of the pill in water, add milk, and put it in front of the dog. The unfortunate dog started licking it, but before the dog's tongue was completely wet, the four legs began to spasm and tremble, and finally it felt like being beaten.

Like a lightning strike, he died straight up.

My partner breathed a long sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said: "My confidence is not firm enough. Just now, I should have discovered that if a certain plot seems to contradict a series of precise inferences, it must

There are other solutions. Of the two pills in the small box, one is non-toxic and the other is highly toxic. In fact, I should have deduced it long before I saw the small box."

I thought that what my partner said at the end was so shocking that it made people doubt whether he was awake. However, the fact that the dead dog was lying in front of everyone showed that his inference was accurate.

Unmistakable. I seemed to feel that the doubts in my mind had slowly disappeared, and I began to have an overall vague understanding of the truth of this case.

My partner continued: "The reason all this sounds strange to you is because you did not fully appreciate the importance of the only correct clue in front of you during the initial investigation. Fortunately, this clue was firmly grasped by me.

I caught it. Everything that happened after that can be used to prove my initial inference. The series of events are logical and inevitable results. Therefore, those things that puzzle you and make the case more complicated, but

It deeply inspired me and continued to strengthen my inferences. It is wrong to confuse the bizarre with the mysterious. The most common and common criminal behaviors are often the most mysterious. This is because the fundamental

There is nothing new or strange that can be used as a basis for inference. If the body of the victim in this case was found on the street, and there are no circumstances that make this case appear to be out of the ordinary, then it is necessary to solve the problem.

This case is even more difficult. Therefore, it can be said that the strange and complicated plot does not increase the difficulty of handling the case, but actually reduces the difficulty of solving the case."

Gregson was always impatient when listening to Holmes's remarks. At this time, he could no longer bear it and said eagerly: "You see, Mr. Holmes, we all agree that you are a man of extraordinary ability.

You are a detective, and you also have your own complete set of investigation methods. However, what we ask of you now is not just to talk on paper or preach, but to catch this murderer. I have told everything about the case that I know.

Come on, I was wrong. Lieutenant Charpenti, this young man, cannot have any involvement in the second murder. It seems that Stangerson who Leisweid was tracking was also wrong. However, you

Sometimes you talk about things, and sometimes you talk about things. It seems that you know a lot more than we do. But now is the time. I think we have the right to ask you to tell us directly. How much do you know about the case? Can you tell the murderer?

Name?"

Leisweid followed up: "I think Gregson's request is legitimate. Sir, we have both tried, and neither of us has succeeded. You have said it several times since I came to you:

You have obtained or mastered all the incriminating evidence. Of course, you should not keep it secret now!"

I also said: "If we delay in catching the murderer, he will have the opportunity to commit new atrocities!"

Forced by us in this way, Holmes showed a hesitant look. He kept walking back and forth in the living room, lowering his head and frowning, as he always did when thinking about problems.
To be continued...