The Norwood Mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Part 8.
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Chapter 8 | A Free Man
Two days later, on a fine summer morning, Holmes and Watson were sitting once again in their Baker Street rooms. Watson was reading the newspaper excitedly.
‘It’s here, Holmes!’ he cried. ‘The story of our Norwood builder. Listen to this:
Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard realized that Jonas Oldacre was still alive and found him on the top floor of his house, Deep Dene Lodge at Norwood, where he was hiding in a secret room.
But Lestrade realized nothing at all, Holmes! This is terrible. If you—’
‘It’s not important, Watson,’ said Holmes quietly. ‘What is important is that Oldacre will go to prison and John McFarlane will not die for a crime that he didn’t commit. Lestrade knows what really happened, after all.’
‘I don’t understand how you can be so calm about this,’ said Watson crossly. ‘It was you who realized that the builder wasn’t dead, not Lestrade. Lestrade was convinced that John McFarlane was a murderer.’
Just then the door opened and Mrs Hudson came in.
A young man to see you, Mr Holmes,’ she said with a smile.
John McFarlane walked into the room. He looked calm and very happy. Holmes and Watson stood up.
‘Mr McFarlane,’ said Holmes, ‘I’m very pleased to see you.’
‘Mr Holmes, Dr Watson, what can I say?’ McFarlane replied. ‘Thank you so much for everything. You have saved my life. The police were convinced that I killed Jonas Oldacre.’
Watson asked the young man to sit down, and Mrs Hudson left them. Holmes lit a cigarette from the box on the table.
‘I was sure that I would die,’ McFarlane went on. ‘I was at Deep Dene House. I had a very good motive. And when the police found my thumbprint on the wall . . . Please tell me, Mr Holmes, how you proved to Inspector Lestrade that I was innocent of this crime.’
Holmes did not speak for a long moment. He looked very thoughtful.
‘It was a long time before I realized that there was no murder, but when I realized this, I understood everything. Oldacre once loved your mother and was very angry when she married another man. He had a lot of trouble with his business last year and lost a lot of money. His plan was to disappear, with Mrs Lexington perhaps, and start a new life with a different name: Mr Cornelius. He wanted everyone to think that he was dead because he didn’t want anyone to look for him. And he wanted to hurt your mother and father. He wanted you to die for a crime that never happened.’
‘But the burnt remains in the timber yard – what were they?’ McFarlane wanted to know.
‘A dead dog, I think,’ Holmes replied. ‘Not a dead builder.’
‘What an evil man!’ cried McFarlane. ‘My mother was right to say no when he asked her to marry him.’
‘Oh yes,’ Holmes agreed. ‘Jonas Oldacre is a very bad man and I hope that he will go to prison for a very long time.’
‘I don’t know how to thank you, Mr Holmes,’ said McFarlane. ‘I am so pleased that I came to you in my trouble.’
Holmes put out his cigarette and turned to Watson. Are we free this morning, Watson?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ his friend replied in surprise. ‘Why do you ask?’ ‘It’s a beautiful morning,’ said Holmes. ‘Let’s go out.’ Watson and McFarlane followed Holmes down the stairs and out into Baker Street. The sun was shining and the streets of London were warm.
‘A beautiful morning,’ Holmes said once again. ‘Watson, please find us a cab.’
Ten minutes later the three men were in a cab and travelling south towards Scotland Yard.
‘Why are we going to Scotland Yard, Holmes?’ asked Watson.
‘I’m sure that our good friend, inspector Lestrade, has something to say to Mr McFarlane,’ Holmes replied.
At Scotland Yard they found Lestrade in his office. He looked surprised to see them. ‘I was just finishing my report,’ he explained.
‘I thought that you might have something to say to Mr McFarlane, Inspector,’ said Holmes as the young man followed the detective and Dr Watson into Lestrade’s office.
‘Oh, of course,’ Lestrade agreed. He didn’t look very happy. ‘Mr McFarlane, I am very sorry that I thought that you were a murderer. I was wrong, of course, and Mr Holmes was right. I hope that the time you spent here at Scotland Yard wasn’t too unpleasant.’
‘It wasn’t the happiest time of my life,’ McFarlane replied, ‘but the important thing is that I am now a free man – thanks to Mr Sherlock Holmes.’
‘Yes, Mr Holmes has been very helpful, once again,’ said Lestrade. ‘We work very well together, Mr Holmes and I.’ Holmes smiled. Watson looked angry, but said nothing. ‘Mr Holmes, as you’re here,’ the Inspector went on, ‘and I’m writing my report, I have one more question for you. Why was Mr McFarlane’s thumbprint on the wall?’
‘Oldacre put it there,’ Holmes explained. ‘When he and Mr McFarlane were working on his papers he asked Mr McFarlane to seal a letter with wax. He then had John’s thumbprint in the wax and he put this on the wall with some of his own blood.’
‘Very clever,’ said Lestrade.
‘Yes,’ Holmes agreed. ‘His only problem was that I knew that the thumbprint wasn’t there the day before. As Mr McFarlane was in a cell here at Scotland Yard, he didn’t put it there, so I asked myself who did. The answer to the mystery was obvious. Oldacre, of course. And how is the Norwood builder?’
‘He’s not a happy man,’ said Lestrade, smiling at last. ‘It was all a joke, he says. And of course he didn’t want to hurt Mr McFarlane here.’
‘A strange joke!’ said Dr Watson.
‘Yes,’ Holmes agreed, ‘it’s a very strange joke that sends a man to his death!’
‘I have to thank you, Mr Holmes,’ said Lestrade, ‘for saving the life of an innocent man.’ Holmes smiled.
‘That is my business, Inspector: to save innocent people and make sure that those who are guilty go to prison. As long as I can do that, I will be a happy man.’
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