.
.
.
Bill Burrilla Bramble, Bill Gisbe,
Biming Mary Magna, Binston,
Binge, Great Binge and Lesser Binge.
Ha ha.
Amazing.
What's amazing?
The names of our English villages, Watson.
What foreigner reading these could ever think of us as stiff and sober-minded people?
Bippery Cross,
Birrow Crags,
Bird Cherry Brook and Birding Peace Place,
Burlston Junction.
When do we go?
Go where?
To Burlston Manor, Burlston,
Sussex.
Whatever led you to believe that I'm interested in Sussex, Burlston or Burlston Manor?
No doubt you saw the account of the rather gruesome murder of Squire John Douglas.
Quite so. The case has interesting features.
But at the moment I'm more interested in the fly-fishing possibilities in the neighbourhood of Burlston.
Ah, that would be the errand.
Runs within two or three miles of the manor house.
Hmm?
What manor house?
Burlston, the home of the late Squire Douglas.
Oh yes, yes, I remember. I believe he was quite a fisherman.
The moat is forty feet wide.
Forty feet wide.
Well, well, good Lord.
He could probably fish from his bedroom window.
And when the drawbridge is raised, the place becomes an island.
Four hours after the bridge is raised,
the body of Squire Douglas is found in his study with half his head blown off.
That should appeal to you.
Hmm. Fishing seems a safe business by comparison.
Do you row a boat?
A boat?
For fly-fishing?
Have you ever fished before?
Does this look like the equipment of an amateur?
Odd word.
Which?
Equipment.
All the fishermen I've ever known talk about their tackle.
What you deduce from that?
Obvious.
Your fishing friends either lack experience or vocabulary.
We deep-sea fishermen are in the equipment class.
None of your nasty little bundles.
Yes, that gaff is far more suitable for a shark than a trout.
Do you really think so? No good for trout.
Well, it depends what trout you're after.
Oh, oh yes.
Well, we must carry a tape measure.
A tape measure? What on earth for?
To measure our catch, of course.
To measure our catch and throw back the little ones.
A good rule in life, Watson,
always remember to throw back the little ones.
Do you think our prey will count as a big one or a little one?
Well, hardly as big as Squire Douglas lying dead in his castle,
surrounded by his moat.
Holmes, you've been analysing this case.
Well, you know, I haven't got enough data yet for analysis, really.
Do you think it could be an accident?
What, with a sawn-off shotgun?
And the triggers of both barrels wired together?
Murder, eh?
Yes, possibly.
What do you mean by possibly?
Don't sit there, man. That may be opportunity knocking.
Oh, yes, sir.
Come in.
Mr. Sharp, I'm...
The fisherman.
Oh, God!
Oh, terrible!
Blimey!
Come on, boy.
Hmm, it's only a little one.
Don't you like it, Watson?
What have you got there?
I'd appreciate your view in treating a fair Pearlstone Manor.
Signed, Inspector MacLeod.
Ha! Please English, for I'm utterly baffled.
Oh, where is it?
Where's what?
Well, the tape measure, of course.
Where is that tape measure?
Oh, in the fiddle case together, sir.
Fiddle?
Violin case, boy.
Oh, tell me, Watson, how are we off for trains?
Trains? Ah, yes.
Now, let me see.
Pearlstone.
Yes, now that would be the West Sussex-Littlehampton-Bognor line.
Now, there's a 10.15.
Now, that doesn't stop.
Of course, it's a 12.3.
That'll get us in at 4.2 or 4.7.
I say, I've forgotten, actually.
You can see you can't remember.
It's 4.2 or 4.7.
Come, Watson, you're slipping.
Blimey!
Does he keep all the time?
Times his head.
Where else, of course?
We are a nation of railway pioneers, my boy.
Like a great many Englishmen before him,
Dr. Watson restricts his reading to the Bible,
to times,
and Bradshaw's Railway Guide to the British Isles.
Here, boy.
Man of a mouth's hair, if that's what you two are.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
I say, Watson, have you seen my weekend bag anywhere?
I suspect it's under the stairs.
Mrs. Hudson got very tired of seeing it lying about.
Oh, good.
Well, that means it hasn't been unpacked anyway.
I assume not.
Excellent.
Then everything is ready.
Oh, be a good fellow, would you?
And take out that bag.
And put it in the cab along with that, uh, tackle.
Why, aren't you going to be here?
I have a little reading to do.
Pick me up at the British Museum library,
say half an hour before the train leaves.
Now, look here, Holmes, this is no time to go reading.
You'll miss the train.
I cannot vouch for the punctuality of Dr. Watson
or the reliability of the company's steam engines,
but I, for one, propose to be at Bolston Halt at 4 2 p.m. precisely.
Oh, is it 4 7?
It was a nice piece of work, if I say so myself.
The entire story hung on a spider's thread.
A spider's thread?
Exactly.
Ah, that sounds interesting, Inspector.
Now, perhaps you'll start at the beginning.
Simply stated, the castle, as you'll see, has a moat.
And when it's up, as it was at the time of the murder,
it's a sealed fortress.
Who was in the castle at the time of the crime?
The murdered man's wife, Mrs. Douglas,
and a foreign friend, John Morell.
Just those two?
And the servants, but we've been able to rule them out completely.
And from your description of the house, it would have to be one of them.
Either Mrs. Douglas or this friend of hers, Morell.
Or both of them.
They tried to make it appear as though someone had broken into the house
and then dived through the windows to swim the moat.
But you disproved them.
Completely.
How?
I'll tell you when we get there.
This murder weapon, a sawn-off shotgun, I believe.
An odd weapon, that.
And a foreign gun, too.
Three letters on the barrel.
P-E-N.
Aha. A larger P with a fluttershy over it, followed by a smaller E and N.
That's right.
Ah, the Pennsylvania Small Arms Company, the famous American firm.
That's perfect. That's all I need.
You mean you need additional evidence?
Well, Mr. Holmes, every little helps, you know.
Then your case against Morell is not complete.
It's complete as far as...
How did you know Morell is the murderer?
How did you know?
He has to be.
Why?
He's the only one who could be.
Suppose I were to tell you that Morell is not your murderer.
How do you know?
Yes, Holmes, how do you know?
Why didn't you arrest him?
Well, I...
He doesn't act like a murderer.
Ah. He's too self-confident, eh?
That's right.
Seems to be daring him to arrest him.
Yes.
How do you know all this?
Holmes, do you know this man Morell?
Fascinating. Fascinating.
The case has suddenly assumed the most astounding proportions.
And the most astonishing challenge, Watson.
That's one of the periods.
Yes, it is lovely, isn't it?
What did you mean, Mr. Holmes?
Nothing. I just think it's a lovely building.
No, I mean when you said that Morell didn't murder Mr. Douglas.
Oh, that.
Yes, what did you mean?
How do you know he didn't do it?
Well, if he didn't do it, she did.
You're jumping again, McCloud. You're jumping.
But it has to be one or the other.
Does it really?
What's he talking about?
Well, don't you know?
No, I don't know.
If two people are in a sealed house with a murdered man,
one of them has to be a murderer.
That's common sense.
Ah, but is it logical?
What do you mean, is it logical?
I don't know, but Holmes says that all the time.
I was hoping you might be able to tell me.
He hasn't been moved.
That's just the way we found him last night.
Watson?
Of course, death was instantaneous.
I should say so.
The charge was not fired directly into the face
as the newspapers are kind of having it.
Uh-huh.
I'd say the blast came from below
and that the gun was almost vertical.
Excellent, Watson, excellent.
May I see the shotgun, McCloud?
Holmes, look at this.
Good Lord.
Wait, it's a brand like cattle.
Well, how old would you say it was?
Have you got your glass there?
Yes.
Thank you.
It's very difficult to estimate marking like this, Holmes,
but I'd say it's, well, it's over 15 years.
20.
Mr. Morrell?
At your service, Mr. Holmes.
Dr. Watson?
News travels quickly.
This is a small village.
You said 20 years?
Yes.
The same age as this.
It stands for Vermeer Valley, Arizona.
Gold claim, level 341.
That is where John and I met 20 years ago.
There were three of us.
We registered the claim, worked it, and then sold it.
We divided the money in thirds and went our different ways.
Two years ago, I looked on up here and stayed on.
I liked it.
And the third partner?
He lost his money, I believe his mind.
He came to believe that we had cheated him.
And he swore to kill us 10 years ago.
Why didn't he?
He couldn't find us.
No, we didn't have the same names at that time.
Do you think your old partner could have done that?
I don't know, Mr. Holmes.
I am not the detective.
True.
True.
Well, we must bear that in mind.
You tried to make it appear as though another man had been here and went out through the window.
Did I?
He tried to build an elaborate story.
A man of his size was seen passing through the village wearing a loud tweed top coat and a wide-brimmed hat.
He was heading this way.
On the window ledge, there is a footprint in blood.
Indicating, of course, that the murderer dived through the window and swam the moat.
But he didn't.
How do you know?
Because, Mr. Morell, outside that window and just a few feet down is a very large and at least a month old spider's web.
Anyone jumping or diving through the window would have to pass through the web.
And no one did.
Well done, McCloud.
Well done.
A spider's web.
The English police have the most amazing allies, I must say.
Now that you have made your deductions, Mr. McCloud, exactly what do they mean to me?
For the moment, nothing.
But I suggest you do not leave the castle grounds.
Only if I try to leave.
Well done, McCloud.
You've certainly got your man.
But I'm not rushing in to make any arrest.
I'm going to make sure the case is iron-cast.
Oh, very wise.
And what's the motive?
Revenge for the Miss Valley affair?
I've got to go a bit careful there, Doctor.
If you ask me, it's a case of Cherchez la woman.
Oh, was he?
He's a Douglas?
Well, you know how these things are, Doctor, between us men of the world.
We know how a situation like this can...
Of course.
Of course.
Of course.
Of course.
Delicate situation, then.
Delicate.
Yes, delicate.
Might almost be called the case of the other man.
The other dumbbell.
Who?
Not who, what.
What?
That's right, what.
What are you talking about?
That.
There's only one dumbbell.
One dumbbell.
That's right.
Well?
There's only one dumbbell, what.
I know, that's it over there.
Yes, where's the other one?
Well, I don't know, I've only just come here.
Do you know where the other one is?
What difference does it make?
That's right, yes, what difference does it make?
Maybe there is only one dumb... bell... dumbbell.
One dumbbell.
But they come in twos.
Perhaps he only had one.
What, do you mean to tell me that you can stand there,
surrounded by all these athletic trophies,
and suggest to me that such a man would only use one dumbbell?
Well, what difference does it make?
Yes, what difference does it make?
Well, if you two are convinced that you can solve the case
with the aid of a convenient spider, I'm going fishing.
You're what?
Oh, he's going fishing.
He's brought his tackle.
Why?
To catch fish.
Then I take it you're satisfied with my analysis of the crime.
Find the dumbbell.
Hang the dumbbell.
You can't hang him until you find him.
Who?
The man who took the dumbbell.
You've gone too far now, Holmes.
I think you've made him very angry.
But he should fish.
It soothes the nerve.
Are you really going to fish?
I am.
Where?
Out of that window.
It looks very comfortable.
Well, what do you expect to catch?
A herring.
A red herring.
May I have the tape measure, Watson?
To measure a red herring?
To measure the big red herrings.
The little ones I plan to throw back.
Holmes, you're up to something.
I am.
What?
Would you like to help?
Of course.
Well, look.
Take the good inspector down to the local pub and keep him there for at least an hour.
Why do you fish for red herring?
At the moment, I'm fishing for bait.
I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll do it.
Good.
Remember, one hour.
I may enjoy myself in the local and stay, too.
Ha, ha.
He's a strange one, that Holmes.
What do you think he's been doing?
There's no guessing with him.
For all we know, he may really have been fishing.
Perhaps we should have given him more time.
He's been an hour.
That's all he asked for.
Yes, that's right, now.
Inspector MacLeod.
Hello, Doctor.
Have you seen Mr. Holmes?
I certainly have, sir.
What's wrong?
You know the staircase in that room?
Huh?
Mr. Holmes was sliding down them banisters.
He was what?
That's right, sir.
Sliding down the banisters, he was.
Well, he was probably investigating something.
Probably.
Well, let's ask him.
There must be some reason behind it.
Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Go on.
Ask him.
Ask me what?
Well?
What have you been doing while we were away?
Well, first I fished.
Oh?
And then I slid down the banisters.
I told you.
Why?
Why not?
And you, Inspector MacLeod, are going to drain the moat.
I'm going to what?
Drain the moat.
Empty it right down to the bottom.
I can't do that.
That's a major engineering job.
Don't you realize that's a real river that runs around the house?
Well, in that case, don't drain the moat.
But tell everyone you're going to.
And then what?
Then we'll all meet back here in an hour's time.
And see if we can find somebody pulling something out of the moat.
Exactly.
What?
Red herrings.
As mad as a marked hare.
How much longer?
Not much.
You're certain everyone believes you're going to drain the moat?
I don't know who believes it, but everyone knows I said it.
Do you think someone will come to the murder room?
Someone has been in it for some time.
How do you know?
The lights are out.
Because I left them on.
Look.
What?
That's it.
Let's go.
Oh, excuse me. What are you using for bait?
I wouldn't mind, uh, holding this.
Thank you.
What clothes did you say the stranger was wearing, McLeod?
A loud tweed top coat and a white brimmed hat.
Like these?
The dumbbell.
Holmes, how did you know?
When you're working near water, Watson, and a heavy object has disappeared,
you may conclude, until you can prove otherwise,
that it has been used to prevent some object from rising to the surface.
All right, Morel.
You're under arrest for the murder of John Douglas.
It is my duty to warn you that anything you say may be taken down
and used in evidence against...
No, no, no, McLeod.
You haven't got it at all.
What?
This gentleman didn't kill John Douglas because John Douglas isn't dead.
He isn't what?
Dead.
The man whose body you discovered in here is the very man who came back to...
Oh, you're not with me, are you, McLeod?
Now, would you tell him, please?
These clothes belong to our third partner.
The man who's been searching for you for ten years.
Yes.
He found us and arrived here with a shotgun.
He and John struggled, and the shot went off.
That explains the vertical angle of the blast.
In the ensuing struggle, the gun went off.
I heard the report and ran down immediately.
I timed it from your room.
Fifteen seconds if you run, and ten seconds if you slide down the banisters.
I ran.
I thought you would.
I was panic-stricken when he saw what he had done.
I got the idea to change their identities.
But then where is Douglas?
With the aid of my tape measure, I was able to ascertain that there is a hollow space behind that wall.
I imagine it conceals a passage under the moat.
Yes, Mr. Holmes, it does.
And John has had a 36-hour head start.
We'll stop him.
I told him you would.
I'll issue orders for the apprehension of Mr. Douglas.
And we'll talk about your part in this, sir, in the morning.
You have conspired to conceal evidence.
I'll still be here in the morning, Inspector.
A very brilliant piece of deductions, Mr. Holmes.
An excellent application of applied psychology.
I haven't been tricked many times in my life.
You must remember that the next time you become involved with murder.
And you can now continue your fishing in a more normal manner.
Fishing? No, I don't care for it really.
Unless it's deep sea, of course.
Yes, yes, yes.
But in the absence of an ocean in the immediate vicinity, I think we'd better start back.
Make it straight, immediately.
Well, now, there's a 913 or a 1023.
The 1023 will hold us up at Turnbridge for quite a while.
Thank you, Mr. Holmes.
Not at all, not at all.