Commonplace Crime (7 of 7)
Author: 
capt_facepalm
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Gaslight)
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Dr John H. Watson
Summary: Ambulance chasing, Victorian style!
Warnings: adult themes, off camera violence
Word Count: This chapter: 700 (6914 total)
Author's Notes: MiniWriMo
Chapters:
Beginnings
Whitechapel
Holmes Investigates
The Professionals
Eyewitness Account
An Arrest
.oOOo.
Aftermath
It was just before eight o’clock in the morning when Sherlock Holmes returned to his Baker Street flat. Although Watson was wearing a different suit, and had shaved, there was a distinctly unsettled air about him. He put down the morning paper.
‘Who was the victim, then? The early edition had yet to identify him.’
‘It is of little importance, but his name was Kerr, and he managed a textile mill. The odious circumstances of his death have brought shame to his wife and family. Worst of all, the crime turned out to have very little instructional merit. A simple mugging gone wrong, and a man paid for his commonplace infidelity.’
‘Surely being bludgeoned to death is too steep a price to pay for indiscretion.’
‘Of course, Doctor. But, even you have to admit, that if Mr Kerr had not been seeking his leisure in Whitechapel, none of this would have happened.’
Watson turned to address Holmes. He was still angry and his words needed to be said directly to the detective in a way that could not be misconstrued.
‘I did not appreciate being dumped here and sent off to bed like a small child. I would have liked to accompany you and Lestrade to the conclusion of the case.’
‘No doubt you would, but frankly Watson, you would have slowed us down. This was a game for abler men. Very few of my cases involve strenuous athleticism; therefore I urge you to develop deductive reasoning and learn to apply my methods. They will serve much better than whatever physical prowess you may hope to recover.’
Watson’s eyes flashed in anger as he bit back a furious response. Only then did Holmes realise the unintended sting in the cruelty of his remark.
‘Forgive me, my dear fellow. I am too blunt when I speak my mind. I never meant you any slight. Your assistance last night was invaluable. Without it, we may not have found Lilly Sheppard. Certainly neither Lestrade nor I would have been able to pry her account from her. She trusted you and she gave us the names of the perpetrators. That you were not included in the final chase is irrelevant.’
‘What will happen to her now?’
‘Who knows? We did not need her testimony after all and she was released home this morning.’
‘Released? Wait, you had her detained!? The girl was in shock, and you had her locked up in some dingy gaol!’
‘She was perfectly safe...’
‘...what happens when her friends and neighbours find out she helped the police? How safe will she be then?’
‘She is no longer of any consequence. That you care is commendable, but in reality, there are hundreds of her ilk; perhaps thousands. Lilly Sheppard will disappear back into the morass of her slum to eke out a living as best she can until some inevitable misfortune comes her way.’
A chill that had nothing to do with the encroaching winter pervaded the sitting room. Although Watson continued to look out the window on the busy tableau of Baker Street, his thoughts were of the slums not five miles away. Drawn like a moth to a flame, and with few other options, he too had sought to make a new life for himself in London. Yet this was not the city of his youth when he was absorbed in his studies and his world revolved around the university. Had the despair and destitution been here all along?
‘Watson, dwelling upon these affairs is futile, and in your case, detrimental to your health. Still, I suppose there is a chance she may escape and make a life for herself elsewhere. I have to say that the odds are very much against her. There are no happy endings to be found in Whitechapel, but if you chronicle this case, you are free to write one for her if you wish.’
.oOOo.
Epilogue
The newspaper coverage of Mr George Kerr’s murder was contained within the two days following the event. Daniel Finch’s trial and hanging was mentioned only as a line in the crime reports a month later. Inspector Lestrade was once again passed over for promotion. Although John Watson recorded these events in his journal, he never committed this story to print.
.oOOo.
Please sign the guestbook
capt_facepalm
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Gaslight)
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Dr John H. Watson
Summary: Ambulance chasing, Victorian style!
Warnings: adult themes, off camera violence
Word Count: This chapter: 700 (6914 total)
Author's Notes: MiniWriMo
Chapters:
Beginnings
Whitechapel
Holmes Investigates
The Professionals
Eyewitness Account
An Arrest
.oOOo.
Aftermath
It was just before eight o’clock in the morning when Sherlock Holmes returned to his Baker Street flat. Although Watson was wearing a different suit, and had shaved, there was a distinctly unsettled air about him. He put down the morning paper.
‘Who was the victim, then? The early edition had yet to identify him.’
‘It is of little importance, but his name was Kerr, and he managed a textile mill. The odious circumstances of his death have brought shame to his wife and family. Worst of all, the crime turned out to have very little instructional merit. A simple mugging gone wrong, and a man paid for his commonplace infidelity.’
‘Surely being bludgeoned to death is too steep a price to pay for indiscretion.’
‘Of course, Doctor. But, even you have to admit, that if Mr Kerr had not been seeking his leisure in Whitechapel, none of this would have happened.’
Watson turned to address Holmes. He was still angry and his words needed to be said directly to the detective in a way that could not be misconstrued.
‘I did not appreciate being dumped here and sent off to bed like a small child. I would have liked to accompany you and Lestrade to the conclusion of the case.’
‘No doubt you would, but frankly Watson, you would have slowed us down. This was a game for abler men. Very few of my cases involve strenuous athleticism; therefore I urge you to develop deductive reasoning and learn to apply my methods. They will serve much better than whatever physical prowess you may hope to recover.’
Watson’s eyes flashed in anger as he bit back a furious response. Only then did Holmes realise the unintended sting in the cruelty of his remark.
‘Forgive me, my dear fellow. I am too blunt when I speak my mind. I never meant you any slight. Your assistance last night was invaluable. Without it, we may not have found Lilly Sheppard. Certainly neither Lestrade nor I would have been able to pry her account from her. She trusted you and she gave us the names of the perpetrators. That you were not included in the final chase is irrelevant.’
‘What will happen to her now?’
‘Who knows? We did not need her testimony after all and she was released home this morning.’
‘Released? Wait, you had her detained!? The girl was in shock, and you had her locked up in some dingy gaol!’
‘She was perfectly safe...’
‘...what happens when her friends and neighbours find out she helped the police? How safe will she be then?’
‘She is no longer of any consequence. That you care is commendable, but in reality, there are hundreds of her ilk; perhaps thousands. Lilly Sheppard will disappear back into the morass of her slum to eke out a living as best she can until some inevitable misfortune comes her way.’
A chill that had nothing to do with the encroaching winter pervaded the sitting room. Although Watson continued to look out the window on the busy tableau of Baker Street, his thoughts were of the slums not five miles away. Drawn like a moth to a flame, and with few other options, he too had sought to make a new life for himself in London. Yet this was not the city of his youth when he was absorbed in his studies and his world revolved around the university. Had the despair and destitution been here all along?
‘Watson, dwelling upon these affairs is futile, and in your case, detrimental to your health. Still, I suppose there is a chance she may escape and make a life for herself elsewhere. I have to say that the odds are very much against her. There are no happy endings to be found in Whitechapel, but if you chronicle this case, you are free to write one for her if you wish.’
.oOOo.
Epilogue
The newspaper coverage of Mr George Kerr’s murder was contained within the two days following the event. Daniel Finch’s trial and hanging was mentioned only as a line in the crime reports a month later. Inspector Lestrade was once again passed over for promotion. Although John Watson recorded these events in his journal, he never committed this story to print.
.oOOo.
Please sign the guestbook