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Authors: June Thomson
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reason for joining the club?’
It was a new and unexpected aspect of Carruthers’ disposition to which I had not given any thought and I hesitated before replying.
‘Well, I suppose he wanted to meet up with former army men like myself …’
‘But is not he a colonel? Is it usual for officers of such a high rank to become members of the Kandahar?’
‘Not really, I suppose, now I come to think of it. Theyare usually captains or majors at the most …’
‘Then does not his decision to join your club strike you as a little strange? Not that I am casting any aspersions on the Kandahar, Watson. I am sure it is an excellent establishment. But even so …’
‘I just assumed that, as a pensioned officer, which he must be, he could not afford the fees anywhere else. It is a perfectly respectable place, Holmes.’
‘Of course it is, my dear fellow. I do not doubt that in the least. It just occurred to me that the reason you find him not quite pukkah is because …’ He broke off here to exclaim with a smile and a shrug, ‘Oh, this is ridiculous, Watson! Here we are, going round and round in circles discussing an individual whom you have met only once and I have not met at all. The answer to the dilemma is more information. Therefore I suggest that the next time you meet the colonel at the Kandahar you find out as much as you can about his background, in particular about his military career.’ Seeing my doubtful expression, he added, ‘It is one of the basic tenets of investigation when your suspicions are aroused. You must quietly and discreetly search out the trail he leaves behind him and follow it to its logical conclusion. You know my methods. Are you prepared to put them into practice on your own behalf? I shall be at hand, of course, to advise you on any aspect of the situation you find disturbing.’
Knowing that Holmes was at the time involved inseveral important cases including the Barnaby-Ross case and the mystery of the disappearance of Lord Penrose’s private secretary, I agreed immediately, feeling somewhat ashamed that I should burden him with my trivial concerns and very grateful for his offer of help. So it was agreed that on Wednesday week, the date of my fortnightly appointment with Thurston at the Kandahar, I would confer with Carruthers along the lines that my old friend had suggested and then report back to him on the outcome of the interview.
In the event, however, I did not see the colonel on that particular date. Thurston was there at the club but Carruthers was absent. On my inquiring into his whereabouts, Thurston replied that he did not know.
‘I have not seen him since the last time we met here.’
‘Oh, what a pity!’ I remarked with more honesty than Thurston could possibly have realised. ‘I was looking forward very much to seeing him again.’
‘Were you really? I had the impression you did not much care for the fellow.’
I hurried to cover up the faux pas I had made, at the same time warning myself that Thurston was much more perceptive than I had given him credit for and that I would have to tread a great deal more carefully in the future. The tactics that Holmes had referred to were more complex than I had imagined and I found myself admiring my old friend’s techniques more than ever.
However, my self-confidence was restored a little byThurston’s next remark, which helped to convince me that I had handled the situation a lot better than I had imagined.
‘I am not sure when he will call in again at the club but perhaps this fellow will know,’ Thurston continued, raising a hand to summon a passing waiter, who came over to our table. After listening to Thurston’s request for information regarding Carruthers’ plans about future visits to the Kandahar, the man replied without any hesitation.
‘Indeed, sir. I understand from the manager that the colonel has changed his regular luncheon booking from Wednesdays to Fridays at eleven o’clock. Is that all,
It was a new and unexpected aspect of Carruthers’ disposition to which I had not given any thought and I hesitated before replying.
‘Well, I suppose he wanted to meet up with former army men like myself …’
‘But is not he a colonel? Is it usual for officers of such a high rank to become members of the Kandahar?’
‘Not really, I suppose, now I come to think of it. Theyare usually captains or majors at the most …’
‘Then does not his decision to join your club strike you as a little strange? Not that I am casting any aspersions on the Kandahar, Watson. I am sure it is an excellent establishment. But even so …’
‘I just assumed that, as a pensioned officer, which he must be, he could not afford the fees anywhere else. It is a perfectly respectable place, Holmes.’
‘Of course it is, my dear fellow. I do not doubt that in the least. It just occurred to me that the reason you find him not quite pukkah is because …’ He broke off here to exclaim with a smile and a shrug, ‘Oh, this is ridiculous, Watson! Here we are, going round and round in circles discussing an individual whom you have met only once and I have not met at all. The answer to the dilemma is more information. Therefore I suggest that the next time you meet the colonel at the Kandahar you find out as much as you can about his background, in particular about his military career.’ Seeing my doubtful expression, he added, ‘It is one of the basic tenets of investigation when your suspicions are aroused. You must quietly and discreetly search out the trail he leaves behind him and follow it to its logical conclusion. You know my methods. Are you prepared to put them into practice on your own behalf? I shall be at hand, of course, to advise you on any aspect of the situation you find disturbing.’
Knowing that Holmes was at the time involved inseveral important cases including the Barnaby-Ross case and the mystery of the disappearance of Lord Penrose’s private secretary, I agreed immediately, feeling somewhat ashamed that I should burden him with my trivial concerns and very grateful for his offer of help. So it was agreed that on Wednesday week, the date of my fortnightly appointment with Thurston at the Kandahar, I would confer with Carruthers along the lines that my old friend had suggested and then report back to him on the outcome of the interview.
In the event, however, I did not see the colonel on that particular date. Thurston was there at the club but Carruthers was absent. On my inquiring into his whereabouts, Thurston replied that he did not know.
‘I have not seen him since the last time we met here.’
‘Oh, what a pity!’ I remarked with more honesty than Thurston could possibly have realised. ‘I was looking forward very much to seeing him again.’
‘Were you really? I had the impression you did not much care for the fellow.’
I hurried to cover up the faux pas I had made, at the same time warning myself that Thurston was much more perceptive than I had given him credit for and that I would have to tread a great deal more carefully in the future. The tactics that Holmes had referred to were more complex than I had imagined and I found myself admiring my old friend’s techniques more than ever.
However, my self-confidence was restored a little byThurston’s next remark, which helped to convince me that I had handled the situation a lot better than I had imagined.
‘I am not sure when he will call in again at the club but perhaps this fellow will know,’ Thurston continued, raising a hand to summon a passing waiter, who came over to our table. After listening to Thurston’s request for information regarding Carruthers’ plans about future visits to the Kandahar, the man replied without any hesitation.
‘Indeed, sir. I understand from the manager that the colonel has changed his regular luncheon booking from Wednesdays to Fridays at eleven o’clock. Is that all,
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