Sherlock Holmes and the Discarded Cigarette by Fred Thursfield Page A

stretcher bearers from the ambulances and being taken into the hospital for care I recited from memory “shops, tanneries maybe an iron foundry and a few ware houses.
    With that last bit of information Holmes eyes just lit up then with the joy any criminal might have when picking and opening a particularly challenging lock. In a broad gesture of his hands he asked me “Watson where would be the best place to store and operate a time machine from?” Hoping I was on the same trail that he was I guessed “A ware house?”
    â€œIndeed...not only is it a convenient place to hide the machine and keep it away from prying eyes but also a very convenient and practical place to store original and forged works of art.
    Over the next several days Holmes and I visited each the ware houses located in the area surrounding Garrett Lane and Summers town Road. Each in turn was removed from the list of possible hiding places because they were either occupied in some way, were too small and not suitable or were in a bad state of repair.
    Except for the few which were employed and exhibited clues of their function, such as horse shoe prints and wagon wheel tracks most looked like they had not seen any use in sometime..

Chapter 21
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    It was our last place to visit that both Holmes and myself hoped our fortune would change. Burke & Wills Removals and Storage (proclaimed the faded ornate red letters painted across a pair of wide wooden vertically hung folding doors) had been located at the junction of Garrett Lane and Summers town Road in Camden town for some time.
    When we first walked around we thought because of its state it too had been abandoned, it was Homes that first noticed that it was still in use. “Look Watson faint horse shoe and wagon wheel tracks leading into the ware house.”
    I admit when I looked at the clues Holmes was pointing to I couldn’t see any evidence, but when I shifted slightly to the right I could see what Holmes had spied.
    â€œNow Watson it’s time to find out who is making use of this ware house and why.” “I see there is an workman’s entrance set in one of the vertical doors” knowing that I did not like to step out side the law he assured me “if you wish to remain outside while I enter you can keep watch and let me know if any one approaches.”
    But knowing I was as curious as he was as to what might be inside I followed after him. Our progress to enter was only momentarily halted by the fact that the entry door was pad locked. Not even bothered by this inconvenience Holmes reached into one of his inner pockets of his coat and produced a set of fine set of lock picking tools.

Chapter 22
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    I should pause here for a moment to let the reader know that I found some of Holmes actions to be wrong such as his willingness to bend the truth and break the law (such as lie to the police, conceal evidence, burgle and house break) when it suited his purposes.
    In these (Victorian) times, such actions were not necessarily considered vices as long as they were done by a gentleman for noble purposes, such as preserving a woman’s honor or a family’s reputation, or bringing a man like Montague John Druitt to justice.
    I watched in fascination as Holmes manipulated the two fine picks inside the lock then watched and heard as the hasp dropped away from the body of the lock. We removed the lock, opened the door and quickly made our way into the ware house.
    There was just enough light coming in from the over head weather stained sky lights which meant Holmes and I would not have unnecessarily attract any attention to our business by lighting a coal oil lamp.
    As we walked around about the only things we observed would be the same sorts of things that would be seen in other ware houses. There were small and large wooden packing crates every where some by them selves and others stacked on top and beside each other. We had walked all around the perimeter