Not Strictly Sherlock

Mrs. Hudson: Part 7

Frauds and Fellowship

Laura had decided to join Martha and Ellie for dinner, then had remained downstairs afterward as her spirits had been lifted by the involvement of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. As the young woman seemed intrigued by Holmes, Martha kept her and Ellie entertained with tales of life with the famous detective. It was half nine when the bell rang, and a soaking wet Holmes and Watson were admitted to the parlor. After their outerwear was collected and introductions were made, Ellie ordered tea for the group, but Sherlock requested a glass of whiskey for himself and Watson first.

"Mrs. Hudson, your account his afternoon led me to deduce certain facts about the departed Mr. Solabrini, but I had to confirm these and then follow the evidence. Miss Linderguard, some of what I about to say you will no doubt find shocking, so I must be forward and apologize."

Martha glanced over at the young woman who was sitting calmly looking at Mr. Holmes.

"First, we went to see Inspector Whitmore at Hamstead and was able to confirm that the 50 pounds found in Mr. Solabrini's wallet were in fact counterfeit. The dull Inspector was shocked to learn that little piece of critical evidence."

"Counterfeit, you mean it was fake?" asked Miss Linderguard. "How could that be Mr. Holmes, how did Walter get fake money?"

Holmes held up a single finger as he glanced at Miss Linderguard and continued his narrative.

"With that evidence, Whitmore was able to obtain a warrant for the shop where Solabrini was employed, at which we discovered thousands of counterfeit pounds hidden in containers under the floor, along with the required inks, dyes, and plates needed to print the notes."

"What are you saying Mr. Holmes, that Walter printed the counterfeit money, that he was a crook?" replied Miss Linderguard who was now becoming visibly upset.

"Unfortunately, that is exactly right Miss Linderguard, Walter Solabrini was a talented printer, and he was a participant in a large-scale counterfeit operation. But, it appeared that Mr. Solabrini did not want to spend his life in that world, so he planned to flee to Nottingham with you, and that was the reason for the sudden nature of the trip."

"But Solabrini's boss answered to a higher authority, a man who is the ruthless king of the London underworld, a certain Professor Moriarty. I believe that Solabrini had mistakenly taken someone at the shop into his confidence and thus the word got back to Moriarty who had your finance killed."

The three women sat stone-still, as the backstory of what Martha and Ellie had stumbled upon, and the type of man Laura was engaged to marry shocked them all.

"The man who attempted to abduct you yesterday Miss Linderguard was Colonel Sebastian Moran, whom I believe was also the man who killed Solabrini."

"But the newspaper-man, I mean, the Special Branch Officer, who was following Laura and stopped the man's attempted abduction, was that chance?" asked Martha.

"Not at all Mrs. Hudson, it seems that the Special Branch were on to the counterfeiters and had been secretly following both Solabrini and Miss Linderguard for days. But, the officer assigned to watch Solabrini lost him in a crowd and thus failed to witness the murder."

"Why me?" asked Laura.

"Because there was a possibility that you acted as a go-between or a courier for the counterfeiters, but that theory has now been dismissed," replied Holmes.

Thus, it was all laid bare, and all their questions were answered. Holmes and Watson finished their tea and bade the ladies good night. The ladies sat up for a bit longer before Laura decided to retire, then Ellie asked Martha to sit up a bit longer since she was so excited by the unexpected visit of Mr. Holmes. Martha just smiled, as she had heard Mr. Holmes' explanations in the past and understood Ellie's excitement.

Eventually, Laura Linderguard left Ellie's home for the familiar confines of her old flat and even returned to the bakery and her former position. It seems that the trial experienced by the three women bound them in friendship, as Laura, Ellie, and Martha would continue to meet for tea or luncheon.

Back at Baker Street, things returned to a state of normalcy as the Doctor's visits once again became scarce as his practice slowly increased, and Mr. Holmes continued to be visited by a wide variety of persons all seeking his assistance.

Several weeks had passed, and Dr. Watson was at Baker Street visiting when Mrs. Hudson brought up a pot of coffee that the men had requested.

"Mrs. Hudson, your attention and skill are beyond reproach," said Sherlock as he raised his teacup in salute. A gesture immediately copied by the smiling Doctor. Martha Hudson was rather unused to such spontaneous compliments from Mr. Holmes, so she smiled and gave a slight curtsy.

"How would you feel about accompanying us this afternoon as we investigate a small problem that has been put before me?"

Mrs. Hudson stood looking at Mr. Holmes in disbelief. She blinked and looked at the Doctor.

"You have some insights that I feel may be of value in this particular case," stated Holmes in a tone that was unmistakably serious.

Once she realized that Mr. Holmes was serious and wasn't teasing her, she paused and thought how exciting it might be to participate in one of Mr. Holmes and the Doctor's adventures.

But if nothing else, Martha Hudson was a sensible woman.

"No Sir, I think I am better off here at Baker Street and restrict myself to investigating new recipes and leave murder and investigations to you and Dr. Watson."

At this, Holmes and Watson smiled at one another, and then at Martha Hudson.

"But if you are ever in a bind and can't seem to solve one of your cases, you know that I will lend a helping hand."

And at that, Holmes and Watson had a good laugh at Mrs. Hudson's quick wit. If they only knew that she wasn't joking.