The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Page #4

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He's questioning a witness

and you know the inspector.

I'll take responsibility.

Oh, it's you, Mr. Holmes.

How do you come to be here?

I just happened to be passing.

I know the family.

How are you, Mr. Hunter?

And you, inspector?

I don't know how much

you know about this business,

Mr. Holmes,

but this time,

I'm a little bit ahead of you.

Excellent, Bristol. Then you've

already solved the crime?

I found the murderer.

Yes, but that's not quite

the same thing you know.

I didn't kill Lloyd Brandon.

Has anyone said you did?

Oh, it's plain enough

what's in the inspector's mind.

And he's wrong.

Well he's wasted time badgering

me the murderer's got away.

Well, if you're so anxious

to save my time

supposing you explain

how you came to be found

bending over the corpse

with this in your hand

and him with his

head bashed in?

Well, if you won't talk,

I'm gonna hold you on

suspicion of murder.

I didn't kill him, I tell you.

You clubbed him to death

with the butt end of this

revolver from behind.

I wouldn't go too far

along that line, Inspector.

And what would you propose

that I should do, Mr. Holmes?

- Find the murderer?

- Find--

If that man didn't club Lloyd

Brandon to death, who did?

Nobody.

- What?

- Brandon was strangled

to death.

- Strangled?

- Yes.

The wounds to the back of his head

were administered post-mortem.

- Are you sure of it, Mr. Holmes?

- Absolutely.

Talk to the medical examiner

if you have any doubts.

You wait here.

How do you know

he was strangled?

The marks around the neck.

Cigarette, Mr. Hunter?

No thanks.

So, that blow on the back

of the neck becomes an

interesting element.

It was unnecessary,

therefore vicious.

Intelligent criminals are

seldom vicious except on

special occasions.

Though the apparent method

of the crime was brutal,

I'm convinced that the crime

itself was intelligently planned.

And Bristol thinks I did that.

The nose of a police dog,

although long and efficient,

- points in only one

direction at a time.

- What do you mean?

Simply that you're

the obvious suspect.

It's so ridiculous.

Why should I want to kill him?

You should know that better

than anyone else, Mr. Hunter.

You're his lawyer.

You manage the estate.

You'll have to explain that,

Mr. Holmes.

The Brandon estate

is quite considerable.

Miss Ann inherits and

you're about to marry Miss Ann.

- Why you --

- I was merely demonstrating

how the police mind works.

Yes, I'm afraid our

friend the inspector

has quite set his heart

on arresting you.

Arresting me?

You mustn't allow them

to do that, Mr. Holmes.

I must be let free

to protect Ann.

From what, Jerrold?

Answer me.

Ann, I'm sorry.

First they murdered

my father and

now they've murdered Lloyd.

Do they want to kill me too?

I don't know.

I don't know anything anymore.

I did my best to guard him

day and night

yet they found him all the same

there in an empty street.

Oh, I may have lost him for

a moment but I couldn't have

been far behind.

Who are they?

Jerrold you're lying.

You've been lying

all the time.

You knew from the first

that note was a real threat.

That's why you tried to send me

away, why you followed Lloyd.

Oh Jerry,

if you know who killed him

why won't you tell us?

Why won't you

tell us everything?

I'll tell you why.

I've been watching you,

Mr. Hunter

- and I found out --

- What have you found out,

Dr. Watson?

Whatever Watson has found out

you'll know inevitably.

I have unbounded confidence

in his lack of discretion.

Meanwhile, time presses

and we've work to do outside

before it gets too late.

- Mr. Holmes.

- Excuse us.

You pushed me out of the room

as if I were a child.

What am I to make of this,

Holmes?

Anything but such a petulant

face, old fellow. Come along.

In another moment

I would have made him

confess about Moriarty.

That's exactly

what I didn't want.

If Moriarty's behind this case,

Hunter will lead us to him.

Well, Mr. Holmes,

I just coming to find you, sir.

Have you seen the body?

He was strangled to death,

just as you and I thought.

So, now I'm gonna arrest

this fellow Hunter,

take him down to the yard.

I can really question him there

and I thought perhaps

you'd like to come along, sir.

No, I think not, inspector.

Dr. Watson and I

are going across the way

to take a look at the

scene of the crime.

You'll be wasting

your time, sir.

My men have already

covered the ground.

Well, we'll just take a look

all the same.

Incidentally, inspector, if I were

you I shouldn't arrest Mr. Hunter,

in any case not now.

Nor, I shouldn't question him

any further.

- Why not?

- Well, it won't get us

anywhere.

He won't talk until he's ready.

Anyhow you haven't a case

against him yet.

Why not leave him at large.

Have him watched

and see what happens,

- for a day or two at least.

- Hmm.

You've always found my advice pretty

sound, haven't you, inspector?

It's got you a lot of attention

in the newspapers.

Then you'll work on the case,

sir? In the usual way?

In the usual way, inspector.

I'll do as you suggest, sir.

Good.

Come along, Watson.

Come in.

Oh, Mr. Hunter,

we shan't be wanting you

any longer.

You're free to go

whenever you like.

Thank you, inspector.

You see, darling, they don't

think anything of the kind.

Ann, you must believe me.

I don't know what to believe

anymore that Lloyd's gone.

If I can't believe in you,

Jerrold,

there's nothing in the whole world

I can believe in or count on.

My dearest.

But if you knew

Lloyd was in danger

why did you try to keep me

from seeing Sherlock Holmes?

Why did you follow Lloyd

with a revolver in your pocket?

Makes me afraid sometimes

even of you.

Darling, how can you

say such a thing?

Oh, I don't know

what I'm saying.

I'm so tired and confused.

All right, Holmes.

I found it.

Ready when you are.

I say there,

has something happened?

Definitely.

Would you mind moving

back a few paces?

- Not at all.

- Thank you.

Perhaps I can find a doctor.

I'm a doctor.

What's the matter with you?

I'm all right.

I was thinking of you.

Why?

But aren't you ill?

Certainly not.

I'm dead.

Well, I'm afraid

I must be getting on.

Don't let me detain you.

Stupid fellow.

Watson, come here.

Coming, Holmes.

Look at that, Watson.

What have you found, Holmes?

- Footprints?

- Yes.

A club-footed man about

five foot eleven I should say

from the length of his stride.

Do you observe anything

singular about these

footprints, Watson?

I can't say that I do.

Club-footed people invariably

bring their full weight down

on the toe.

If you look closely you'll

observe that the weight

of the man

who made these footprints

is normally balanced from

toe to heel.

Well what can you

make of that, Holmes?

Oh, just one more unnatural element

to this rather peculiar case.

The clubfoot must have some

other compensating deformity

- to explain these footprints.

- What?

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