Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror Page #6

Mr. Holmes, I was afraid

you'd be too late.

I'm glad you're

safe, Kitty.

Come along, sit down.

Gentlemen, when Mr.

Meade and I last met

he wished he could

put us on trial

Mr. Lloyd, Dr.

Watson, and myself.

Now Meade, you

are on trial.

First let me tell you

why you were met here.

The vague but canny

threat against our

northeastern

coast was a blind.

Your group has

congregated here

to receive an

invasion army

proceeding across

the channel.

What, invasion?

All those men rushed to

the defense of the north.

Sit down for a moment.

At the head of

this mighty force

the picked and chosen.

The faithful would have proceed

to various centers of our country

and take up a

position of authority.

And we shall, do you

understand that?

Unfortunately for you

that is not to be.

We're held yes,

but the invasion will

proceed without us.

Please be patient.

You called me

on this case

to identify and silence

the Voice of Terror

and to circumvent

the unknown

plan behind it.

That undertaking is

still in progress

but we are rapidly

drawing to a conclusion.

Gentlemen, the Voice of

Terror is here with you

in this church.

What?

Are you referring

to Meade?

Why who is it?

Meade was my one

sure connection

to the Voice of Terror.

At the warehouse I

allowed him to escape

and assigned Kitty

here to trail him.

When I learned through

Kitty's abduction

that Meade had

come down here

to meet with

a group of men

I asked myself why.

Why a deserted fishing

village on the channel

when Scotland was to be

the next scene

of disaster,

and why is it

necessary to withdraw

great stores of ordnance

and material for the

protection of Scotland?

It was a ruse gentlemen

to leave this

coast unprotected.

A ruse devised by

the Voice of Terror.

I knew quite

early, of course,

that the voice was a

member of your agist body.

You dare to insinuate

that one of us?

If this is meant to be

humor it's very ill time.

German agents knew

I was on the case

the very night

I was called in.

How did they

know this secret?

One of your council

informed them.

There were attempts made

on the lives of all of us.

But the attempt

made on the life

of one of your members

was entirely

unsubstantiated,

resting on his word alone.

One member whom I went to

the country ostensible

to protect, actually

to surprise.

This member fired on

the Nazi pick-up plane,

not in rage as

he pretended

but to warn and

frighten it away.

That was very clever

of you Sir Evan.

Sir Evan?

Why I can't believe it.

Sir Evan couldn't

be implicated

in a thing like this.

What Sir Evan got to say?

Let me congratulate

you, Mr. Holmes.

You admit this

outrageous accusation?

Well, there's been

treason before

but this is beyond belief.

Treason is not involved.

Sir Evan Barham is

not Sir Evan Barham.

What are you

talking about?

In March 1918

Lieutenant Evan Barham

was a prisoner in a

German prison camp.

There his amazing

resemblance

to a certain

Heinrich VonBock,

a brilliant

young member

of the German

Secret Service,

sealed young

Barham's fate.

One morning he was

taken out and shot,

murdered in cold blood.

Then this man is...

Is Heinrich VonBock who

has been masquerading

in Barham's place for

the past 24 years.

You see gentlemen,

the Germans plan

well in advance.

It's incredible.

How could a thing

like this happen?

Barham had no

immediate family.

The details of

his private life

were effortless

studied by VonBock

who was three

years at Oxford

and had a perfect knowledge

of the English language

and English habits.

So, with possibly the help

of a little

plastic surgery,

not forgetting

the considerable

resemblance to Barham

in the first place,

the deception was

carried through.

Very clever, Mr. Holmes.

I must say, Holmes, it

is positively amazing.

What made you first

suspect Barham?

The real Sir Evan Barham

carried a scar

from childhood.

This one is about

20 years old,

a detail but significant.

I can't believe it.

It was Barham who insisted

on your being brought

into the case.

A colossal piece of

egocentric conceit.

One to match your own,

Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

Of course I brought

you into the case

to see your weak

and silly handling,

to watch you

fumble and lose it.

Are you too stupid to

realize that this group

is but a small part

of our organization?

We have men stationed

all over England

ready to take command.

They never will.

They were all taken

exactly at dawn

just as you were.

So now we are now

trapped, huh?

No gentlemen, it is

you who are trapped?

Listen.

Even now our messerschmitts

are roaring overhead,

the vanguard of

the invasion.

Why are they not grounded?

Where are your boosted

anti-aircraft guns?

They are silent.

Our little ruse was

entirely successful.

The coast has been

stripped of its defenses.

Preserve your vaunted

British vanity

as best you may

in this your hour

of most

humiliating defeat.

You have not captured

us my friend.

We have annihilated you.

Do you really think

we're so blind

that we would strip

this coast of defenses

because of a voice on

a phonograph record?

The council was

deliberately misinformed

about moving the

defense forces.

You are trying to

save your face.

Look, if you

think I'm lying.

Those are not

messerschmitts.

They're Spitfires

and Hurricanes

returning from blasting

your invasion forces.

Destroying men in barges

by the thousands.

Look further,

VonBock, look below.

Commandos, tanks,

slipping away

now that your invasion

force has been destroyed.

To bring ruin and

terror to your people.

I wonder if there's

anything on the

wires about this?

The BBC.

We are frightfully

sorry to announce

that a special broadcast

of the Voice of Terror

will have to be

delayed indefinitely.

The threat against

our northern coast

made only as a blind

to cover the enemies

invasion plans

has not been fulfilled.

Instead our

victorious planes

have blasted invasion

bases on the continent,

destroying enormous stores

of material and troops.

More news of this

triumphant

victory tomorrow.

At the same time,

the scattered Nazi agents

all over the

Commonwealth

have been unceremoniously

clapped into prison.

That is all.

Look out!

This girl merits our

deepest gratitude.

Our country is

honored in her

having such loyalty

and devotion.

We'll remember.

Holmes, I don't know how

we'll ever thank you.

Don't try, it

isn't necessary.

I'll be with you in

a minute, Holmes.

I'll just see that

she's taken care of.

I always did think that

chap was an imposter.

Barham was a good fellow.

Played wind

three-quarters in school.

What a lovely

morning, Holmes.

There's an east wind

coming, Watson.

No, I don't think so.

Looks like

another warm day.

Good 'ol Watson.

The one fixed point

in the changing age.

There's an east wind

coming all the same.

Such a wind has never

blew on England yet.

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