The Scarlet Claw Page #5

A crude device

Judge Brisson

but it's confirmed

my suspicions

that you're not the

cripple you pretend to be.

I'm sorry but I'm

frightened of everything

and everybody.

Won't you sit down?

You want to get

shot Holmes?

Come in Watson and

close the door.

Sit down old fellow,

Judge Brisson has

decided not to shoot us.

Oh that's very

kind of him.

Gentlemen this fear

is driving me mad.

It's quite understandable.

The whole village seems

to be consumed with fear

but in your case,

judging from

your vicious dog,

those bared windows

and that hunting rifle,

it's not fear of

the supernatural.

Just what are

you afraid of?

Well truth is Mr. Holmes

I don't know

and yet I feel

its very presence.

At times I feel

I can almost reach

out and touch it.

When I first came

to La Morte Rouge

I had a slight attack.

It affected my legs but

well I've recovered.

And you've

continued the deception

using the

wheelchair as an excuse

for not going

about the village?

Oh you see people

would be more inclined

to accept my

hermit like existence.

Yes naturally.

Tell me Judge Brisson

had you ever heard

of Monsieur Journet

before you arrived

at La Morte Rouge?

No.

No I hadn't.

How many of these shirts

has your housekeeper

purchased for you?

Oh four or five

I'm not positive.

You still have them?

Oh one or two

became badly worn

and I told me housekeeper

to give them to a man

who was doing some

work for me at that time.

Can you describe him?

No I'm afraid I can't.

That was about

a year ago you see

and well I didn't pay

much attention to him.

He worked in the garden.

Could your housekeeper

remember him?

No that was a different

housekeeper then.

She went to the

United States.

Try to remember

Judge Brisson.

Your life may

depend on it.

I do remember one thing,

he had a very slight limp.

I used to watch

him from that window

as he walked

across the lawn.

Splendid.

Continue your

vigilance Judge

and under no circumstances

allow anyone to

enter the house

even someone you

may know well.

Well what's that

mean Holmes?

It may mean nothing and

it may mean everything.

I'm quite sure that

Sergeant Thompson

will have observed

a man with a limp

in the village the

size of La Morte Rouge.

Good day Judge

and thank you.

Good day sir.

I'm sure Sergeant Thompson

will have observed

a man with a limp

in a village the

size of La Morte Rouge.

This is what's left of the

De Port Hotel Mr. Holmes.

Tanner sleeps here when

he's in La Morte Rouge.

Spooky old place.

Villagers call it

the Wolf House.

It's been

deserted for years.

He walks with a limp,

the left foot I think.

To the trained

ear Sergeant

footsteps of

catlaectic rhythm

are as identifiable

as fingerprints.

What do you want?

We've come to have a

talk with you Tanner.

I've done nothing.

Then you won't mind

answering a few questions.

What do you want to know?

Tell me Tanner,

where were you

two nights ago?

Down the river.

And last night.

I just got back tonight.

You're lying.

You don't frighten me.

And now I've

got a job to do.

It's quite evident

that you haven't

been on the river

within the last

forty-eight hours.

Are you trying

to make me out

the murderer of

Lady Penrose?

How'd do you know

she was murdered?

I'll tell you how you

know she was murdered

because you murdered her.

Holmes look in

there the monster!

That's right Watson.

One of Brisson's shirts,

which Tanner here

treated with phosphorus.

Take him Sergeant.

I'll give you all

the evidence later.

You got him Sergeant.

I'm sure of it.

Come on.

I see no reason why

we shouldn't leave

for home tomorrow.

So much for tomorrow

but for tonight

what do you make

of this Watson?

I found it in

Tanner's room.

It's a photograph.

That's right oh boy

just a photograph.

You know something

else about it?

Part of it's missing.

Bravo Watson!

Now if we can find

the missing half...

notice the discoloration

of the torn edge,

faded signature,

the upper half

was torn off

some time within the

last year I should say.

Why all this fuss about

an old photograph?

Watson have you ever

stopped to think

that the science of

detection is very much

like stringing a

hand full of beads?

I can't say that I have.

Well it is.

And in this

particular case

you might say that

I have five beads.

Journet, Brisson, Tanner,

Lord and Lady Penrose.

So far I haven't any thread

to string them together.

This gentleman

is our thread

and I think I shall

start with Lady Penrose.

But Lady Penrose is dead.

The dead can tell us

many things Sergeant.

You and Doctor Watson

remain here at the hotel.

I'll meet you later.

I'm sure you got

Tanner, Sergeant

but Mr. Holmes is never

satisfied with a dead criminal.

He has to sit in

on the post-mortem.

Come along, let's

go downstairs

and celebrate the

death of the monster.

That's a good idea Doctor.

So the great

Sherlock Holmes

becomes a common thief.

You realize of course

that I might

have shot you.

I'd knew that you'd

refuse to see me

so naturally I had

to take that chance.

Tell me who is

Alistair Ramson?

What does he to do

with your being here?

Perhaps this will explain.

Found the lower

half in a room

occupied by a

boatman named Tanner.

The upper half was in

Lady Penrose's safety box.

Alistair Ramson

murdered a fellow actor

in my wife's company.

He was sentenced to

life in imprisonment.

The whole thing was

a great shock to her.

So she retired

from the stage

and you married

her shortly after?

Yes.

Where and when was

this murder committed?

In Quebec five years ago.

Ramson was shot

three years later

trying to escape

from Talon Prison.

His body disappeared

in the Saint Lawrence.

Was it ever recovered?

I don't believe so.

Penrose, Alistair

Ramson and Tanner

are one in

the same person.

What?

It was he who sent the

upper half of that photograph

to your wife as a warning.

What could my wife have

in common with a murderer?

Yet he killed her.

He killed her?

Yes.

The monster was none

other than Tanner himself.

We found a shirt impregnated

with phosphorus in his room.

Tonight when we faced him

with the evidence of his crime

he bolted and jumped

out of the window

into the river.

Sergeant Thompson fired

a couple of shots at him.

He's dead?

In a way, yes.

I don't understand.

Tanner is dead only

because he was discovered

and therefore have

outlived his usefulness

to his creator.

But I'm afraid that

Alistair Ramson, the actor,

who created and played

the part of Tanner,

is very much alive.

But surely now

that you know

who the murderer

is the police...

It's not quite as

simple as that.

During the time

he's lived here

Ramson has undoubtedly

established another

character for himself.

Perhaps several others.

For by now familiar

to the people of the

town La Morte Rouge

and quite above suspicion.

He could be almost

anyone in the village.

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