Read Online The Collected Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in Japan by Ben Stevens - Free Book Online
Authors: Ben Stevens
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the altar and turned the deadly burning sticks upside down, thereby immediately snuffing out the burning ends in the ash of the pot.
‘See for yourself – over half of each stick still remains. You did not notice this fact, when you entered the hall for the first time, walking past our apparently lifeless bodies to open the window for the purpose of ventilation? Just as you failed to notice that the air was already, somehow, curiously ‘fresh’.
‘So, Katamari,’ continued the English detective, in a voice strong and commanding. ‘If all I have said is a ‘tissue of lies’, simply light the remains of those incense sticks, and stand near them and breath in the smoke.
‘If what I am saying is delusional, you of course have nothing to fear. But you’ll excuse me, if I and Yoshida- sensei choose to observe you from the corridor outside. I would also strongly suggest that the Jushoku and other monks do the same thing.’
Katamari’s hand shook as he pointed one thin finger at Sherlock Holmes. His eyes seemed almost to glow with hatred, in the semi-darkness that was by the window.
‘A curse on you, Holmes,’ said the senior monk, his voice a horrible, high-pitched whine. ‘I put a – ’
‘Your reign of fear and death is over!’ cried Holmes, in a voice so firm that the evil monk almost cowered before it. ‘It only remains now for you to face justice.’
‘Yes – justice,’ breathed the Jushoku , his expression haggard and terrible as he stared at Katamari.
‘I trusted you, for so many years,’ continued the priest. ‘But now I strip you of all authority and rank in this temple. You will be given to the authorities to stand trial for murder.’
‘And then to be punished with death? That ’s the punishment for murder. Never – do you hear me? Never !’ screamed Katamari.
With that he spun round, and before anyone knew what was happening he’d pushed open one of the sliding windows. In rushed the wind, once more.
‘Stop him!’ cried Holmes, at the same moment starting forwards. But it was too late. Katamari placed his hands on the bottom of the window frame, hesitated for just a fraction of a second – and then launched himself outside.
A terrible scream as he fell down, down…
And then there was again just the sound of the wind, blowing in from the stormy night outside.
11
‘What I still don’t understand, Holmes- san , is how you knew Katamari had been to China,’ I said exactly a fortnight later, as Holmes and I relaxed in an inn some distance away from the temple we’d finally left two days before.
‘As soon as I suspected the use of the so-called ‘Sticks of Death’, I knew that the murderer must have spent some time in China,’ replied the English detective. ‘Indeed, I should have suspected that this method of assassination had been used when I happened to hear about the death of the monk Matsuo, some six months before – especially given how his face apparently looked. But that would have seemed too fantastic…
‘Anyway, as I quickly became certain that the murderer was Katamari, I had only to catch him off-guard – that is, with the sudden question concerning how long he’d been in China.
‘Of course, learning that he’d spent time in Chang’an only provided more proof that he’d learnt about the Sticks of Death – as I also did there.’
‘So he also learnt some of these ‘dark secrets’, of which you previously spoke?’ I asked quietly.
Holmes gave a brusque nod.
‘One can guess that Katamari crept around the darker parts of the city in such free time as he had, exhibiting his natural slyness and cunning mixed with, I have to say, a certain, fiendish intelligence…
‘In this way he learnt about these deadly sticks of ‘incense’ – which have been used to conduct any number of assassinations in China, although even the ninja have yet to become aware of them in Japan.
‘Moreover, Katamari was able to get a few of them in his
‘See for yourself – over half of each stick still remains. You did not notice this fact, when you entered the hall for the first time, walking past our apparently lifeless bodies to open the window for the purpose of ventilation? Just as you failed to notice that the air was already, somehow, curiously ‘fresh’.
‘So, Katamari,’ continued the English detective, in a voice strong and commanding. ‘If all I have said is a ‘tissue of lies’, simply light the remains of those incense sticks, and stand near them and breath in the smoke.
‘If what I am saying is delusional, you of course have nothing to fear. But you’ll excuse me, if I and Yoshida- sensei choose to observe you from the corridor outside. I would also strongly suggest that the Jushoku and other monks do the same thing.’
Katamari’s hand shook as he pointed one thin finger at Sherlock Holmes. His eyes seemed almost to glow with hatred, in the semi-darkness that was by the window.
‘A curse on you, Holmes,’ said the senior monk, his voice a horrible, high-pitched whine. ‘I put a – ’
‘Your reign of fear and death is over!’ cried Holmes, in a voice so firm that the evil monk almost cowered before it. ‘It only remains now for you to face justice.’
‘Yes – justice,’ breathed the Jushoku , his expression haggard and terrible as he stared at Katamari.
‘I trusted you, for so many years,’ continued the priest. ‘But now I strip you of all authority and rank in this temple. You will be given to the authorities to stand trial for murder.’
‘And then to be punished with death? That ’s the punishment for murder. Never – do you hear me? Never !’ screamed Katamari.
With that he spun round, and before anyone knew what was happening he’d pushed open one of the sliding windows. In rushed the wind, once more.
‘Stop him!’ cried Holmes, at the same moment starting forwards. But it was too late. Katamari placed his hands on the bottom of the window frame, hesitated for just a fraction of a second – and then launched himself outside.
A terrible scream as he fell down, down…
And then there was again just the sound of the wind, blowing in from the stormy night outside.
11
‘What I still don’t understand, Holmes- san , is how you knew Katamari had been to China,’ I said exactly a fortnight later, as Holmes and I relaxed in an inn some distance away from the temple we’d finally left two days before.
‘As soon as I suspected the use of the so-called ‘Sticks of Death’, I knew that the murderer must have spent some time in China,’ replied the English detective. ‘Indeed, I should have suspected that this method of assassination had been used when I happened to hear about the death of the monk Matsuo, some six months before – especially given how his face apparently looked. But that would have seemed too fantastic…
‘Anyway, as I quickly became certain that the murderer was Katamari, I had only to catch him off-guard – that is, with the sudden question concerning how long he’d been in China.
‘Of course, learning that he’d spent time in Chang’an only provided more proof that he’d learnt about the Sticks of Death – as I also did there.’
‘So he also learnt some of these ‘dark secrets’, of which you previously spoke?’ I asked quietly.
Holmes gave a brusque nod.
‘One can guess that Katamari crept around the darker parts of the city in such free time as he had, exhibiting his natural slyness and cunning mixed with, I have to say, a certain, fiendish intelligence…
‘In this way he learnt about these deadly sticks of ‘incense’ – which have been used to conduct any number of assassinations in China, although even the ninja have yet to become aware of them in Japan.
‘Moreover, Katamari was able to get a few of them in his
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