The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Page #5

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You think these are the

footprints of a murderer?

It's possible.

Yes, yes it's quite possible.

What, Holmes?

Well a man standing just

about here would command

a view of the path.

He might project

some kind of weapon.

Not a weapon's been found

except Hunter's revolver.

It could easily have been

retrieved in the excitement.

And what kind of weapon

thrown from here

could both strangle a man

and crush his skull in?

If we knew that,

my dear Watson,

we'd be a great deal nearer

to the solution of the crime.

Look at that.

Yes.

Yes, it was torn

from that tree.

Perhaps by something

hurdling past.

The sap's not dry yet.

That means it was torn off

within the last few hours.

Ah.

What have you found,

Holmes?

It's a watch fob.

Looks like a rabbit's foot.

No, no, no. It's chinchilla.

Unquestionably chinchilla.

Well, rabbit or chinchilla.

What's it matter?

What? No, no. Perhaps it

doesn't matter at all, Watson.

We'll see.

I've always thought those

things were in very poor taste.

Fancy going about

with a dead animal's foot

dangling from your pocket.

Yes, and then loosing it

at the scene of a murder.

Very careless.

??

(Scream)

She's in here, sir.

- Who is it?

- It's Mr. Holmes.

Oh, Mr. Holmes,

I'm so glad you're here.

This may sound foolish to you

but after Mr. Hunter left

I went up

to be with my brother.

While I was with him

I heard--

Yes?

The sound of music

from the street,

strange music.

It didn't begin,

and it didn't end.

It just went on and on.

What was it about the music

that frightened you?

I heard it once before,

Mr. Holmes,

only once when I was a

little girl in South America,

the night my father was killed.

It's quite possible that

under the circumstances

this impression

was a hallucination.

This was no hallucination,

Dr. Watson.

Take my word for it.

Did you see who was playing?

I went to the window.

There was a street beggar

standing in front of the house.

I could just see the outline

of his figure

- and then I became so

frightened I screamed and--

- Yes I don't wonder.

Do you think you would

remember that melody?

Remember it,

I should never forget it

as long as I live.

Miss Brandon,

I wish I could spare you this

but time is so important.

I understand.

What do you want me to do?

It's not going to be easy.

Anything if it will help you

clear up my brother's death.

Do you think you could bear

to repeat it for me?

I'll try.

??

That's definitely

every note of it.

Mr. Holmes, would you mind

going out, please?

Yes. Yes, of course.

You must try to get some

sleep. It's been a terrible

day for you.

??

Thank you, Billy.

??

What's that, Mr. Holmes?

Hmm? Yeah, that's a

chinchilla foot, Billy.

- Chinchilla?

- Yes.

You know what a chinchilla is?

Yes, Mr. Holmes.

It's a little animal that grows

in South America

and its fur is very expensive.

Ah, you should

remember that, Billy.

It'll save you a lot of money

when you grow up.

May I look at it, sir?

- Uh, yeah, yes, certainly, Billy.

- Thank you.

- Well, what do you

make of it, Billy?

- Blimey,

I'd like to have one of these.

They must bring you

lots of luck.

Well why do you say that?

Well, I bet in Chile or Bolivia

they carry around a

chinchilla's foot for good luck

- the same as we

carry a rabbit's foot.

- Ha, ha.

You hear that, Watson?

My hearing is in no way

impaired, thank you.

And you think that the man

who lost this comes from

Chile or Bolivia?

Yes, sir, cause that's the

only places chinchillas grow.

Well, Watson.

What do you say to that

for a simple deduction?

I've listened to seashells

that made better sense.

Why do you waste your time

like this, Holmes?

- Half the women in the world

own chinchilla wraps.

- You exaggerate, Watson,

and half the women in the

world wish you didn't.

No, Dr. Watson. You see they

make the coats out of skins.

- Oh, really?

- Yes, sir,

and the only place you can

get a chinchilla's foot

would be where

the chinchilla lives.

There Billy,

there's sixpence for you.

Blimey me a tenner.

Oh, thank you.

No, thank you, Billy.

Thank you.

I don't know why you let

that insufferable little brat

come in here.

I was pulling your leg, Watson.

Merely relaying to you through

Billy certain observations,

which may or may not

coincide significantly with

what I found.

- You found something?

- I think so.

I've identified

the death music, Watson,

the melody Miss Brandon

played for us last night.

It's an ancient Inca

funeral dirge

still used by the Indians

in the remote Chilean Andes

as a chant for the dead.

What on earth has that got to

do with Professor Moriarty

or the Star of Deli?

I wouldn't know, Watson.

I really wouldn't know.

(Knock at the door)

Would you mind?

Inca funeral dirge...

- Ah, how do you do, doctor.

- How are you, sir?

Holmes, how lucky

to find you at home.

Sir Ronald.

Well, won't you sit down.

- Here you are, sir.

- Thanks.

- Oh, I hope I'm not

interrupting you.

- Oh, no, no, no.

But I'm very anxious to know

have you had any idea, in the

connection with that note?

The note?

Oh, I'm afraid I haven't had

much time to think about it.

After all, the Star of Deli

is not the immediate problem.

Oh, but it is.

You will help me as you

promised, won't you Holmes?

Imagine the scandal,

if anything should happen

to a Crown Jewel.

Yes.

- When does it arrive?

- Tomorrow night.

I've had to arrange

for delivery at ten o'clock,

a most inconvenient hour

for everyone of course

but I can't leave

the jewel out of the vault

overnight, you know.

- Once it arrives

it's technically in my custody.

- Yes.

Yes, I understand.

What do you want me to do?

Could you possibly be at the

tower tomorrow night at ten?

- I'll take care of everything.

- Good.

You'll have your own men there,

of course,

and as an added precaution

I'll see to it

- that a few policemen

are on hand.

- Excellent.

I can't tell you, how

grateful I am to you, Holmes.

Not at all, Sir Ronald.

- Well, goodbye.

- Goodbye, sir.

You'll forgive me

bothering you like this.

But I'm sure you understand

the emergency of the matter.

- Certainly, Sir Ronald.

- Thank you again.

- Goodbye, doctor.

- Goodbye, Sir Ronald.

- How do you do, Miss Brandon?

- How do you do?

Will you excuse me, please?

Port Authority, pier nine.

Giddy up.

Miss Brandon,

is anything wrong?

Two are not enough.

They don't even give me time

to bury my dead.

- Please, sit down.

- No, I don't want to sit down.

Thank you.

This is exactly like the

drawing your brother received

and it bears another date,

May the 13th.

That's tomorrow.

Was this left at your door?

Yes, about half an hour ago.

I came here directly.

You didn't happen to notice

the messenger who left it?

No, one of the servants

answered the door.

He just took it.

He didn't notice anything.

Mr. Holmes, what shall I do?

Isn't May the 13th the night

you're supposed to go to

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