Sherlock Holmes Read Online Free

this time had
regained his breath and was standing there, still shaken by Holmes’
outburst. He looked at Holmes and then at me and asked, in a rather
fearful voice, "Is there...is there any reply, sir?"
    Holmes turned and, for a moment,
he looked as though he might explode again. The messenger boy leapt
back but Holmes took a deep breath and, gathering himself together,
thrust a sixpence into the lad's hand, saying, "No, there is
nothing to be said." With that he turned and opened our front
door.
    On reaching our rooms we sat for
several minutes. Mrs Hudson had heard the commotion outside and, in
true English tradition, had brought us a cup of tea which has, so
often, proved to be the catalyst for solving any problem. Holmes
was no longer angry but now hugely concerned for the safety of the
ambassador and the return of the bell.
    "I fear there is nothing that we
can do this evening, Watson. I am sure that Mycroft will have
visited the museum and kept the evidence intact. Indeed, he will no
doubt have ensured that no word of the theft will escape. Let us
retire and make an early start in the morning."
    Although I rose at 8 a.m. it was
clear that Holmes had been up for some considerable time. He had
already breakfasted and was busily placing various items into the
commodious pockets of his coat."Do I have time for a cup of tea
Holmes?" I asked.
    Holmes gave me a thin smile and
pointed towards the teapot on the table. "I took the liberty of
ringing for tea and toast when I heard you shuffling about."
    Knowing that Holmes was keen to
be off, I somewhat rushed my meagre breakfast and we were soon in a
cab on our way to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The cab deposited
us directly outside the museum and we walked up the grand steps to
the entrance. As we reached the front door, Holmes touched my
sleeve, pointing towards to the poster advertising the opening of
the Chinese exhibition. Pasted across the poster was a diagonal
banner, declaring, "Postponed due to repairs."
    Holmes looked grim. "That was
indeed quick thinking by Mycroft."
    Once inside the museum we were
met by a constable who immediately recognised Holmes and saluted.
"Good morning, Mr Holmes. This way, sir."
    The constable led us to the same
office that had been used by the Chinese ambassador. As we
approached the office, we could distinctly hear the voice of
Mycroft, shouting in anger. On entering, we found Mycroft 'in
conversation' with a clearly rattled police inspector. Mycroft
looked up and motioned us to sit. He moderated his tone somewhat
but continued to give the Inspector a thorough dressing down. After
a minute or so, the Inspector saluted smartly and left with his
tail firmly placed between his legs. When Mycroft finally turned
and looked at his brother, he did, to his credit, look a little
crest fallen.
    Holmes’ face was stony. "Tell me
all, Mycroft."
    Mycroft, rather
self-consciously, squirmed in his seat. He was clearly most
uncomfortable. "It appears that the thieves had assistance from
within the museum. I had discreetly contacted Special Branch who
had supplied two armed detectives. These, I thought, together with
the four regular night watchmen would be sufficient for the task.
Clearly, I was wrong."
    Holmes nodded and Mycroft
continued. "Apparently, all four of the museum staff regularly
drank tea together at 8 p.m. each evening. This was totally against
Museum rules which allowed only two of the staff to take
refreshments at a time, the other two night watchmen remaining on
duty."
    I could see the anger welling up
in Holmes as he began to tap his forefinger against his lip. "And
what of the Special Branch officers?"
    Mycroft avoided Holmes’ gaze and
cleared his throat. "From my enquiries, it appears that they too
joined the museum staff for tea."
    Holmes could barely contain
himself, saying icily, "Normally, this would be but a small
misdemeanour...there must be more."
    Mycroft appeared now to be
exceedingly uncomfortable. "As this was a