Chapter 24: The Turquoise Ring

Seeing the regret written all over Hughes’s face, Billy felt as though he were watching a comedy, and his spirits lifted accordingly.

Who would have thought there had been such a misunderstanding?

“Are women not allowed to travel alone?” Miss Mette looked even more annoyed.

“No, no,” Hughes hurriedly denied. “It’s just that a woman traveling alone with an unfamiliar man is rather dangerous for you. What would you do if I were someone with bad intentions? Good heavens, Mette, you must never agree so readily to such a request from a stranger again!”

“I agreed because I knew you weren’t that kind of person.”

“But one can never know what lies beneath the surface. Besides, there is still the barrier of the telegraph between us. I’ve heard of quite a few scams carried out through telegrams, and I’m sure you’ve heard of them too—especially those despicable fellows who deceive female telegraph operators by claiming they are unmarried!”

At that, Hughes could not help coughing. Mette quickly poured him some hot water and handed it to him.

Listening from the side, Billy found the whole thing strangely familiar. It was hardly any different from the online scams of later generations, except that telegrams did not allow for such immediate communication. The only people who could communicate promptly were the telegraph operators who controlled the messages.

Once Hughes had drunk the hot water and finally stopped coughing, Holmes began to question him.

“Forgive me for taking up some of your time, Mr. Hughes. I am Sherlock Holmes, the detective Miss Mette hired to find you. I am also helping to locate the men who attacked you, and this may well be connected to another case. What can you remember about those two men?”

Only then did Hughes notice that other people had entered the room. It took him several seconds to comprehend the familiar name before he finally realized who was standing before him.

“So you’re Detective Holmes. I never imagined Mette could hire such a famous detective. I’ll pay the investigation fee myself. After all, you were hired to find the men who harmed me.”

Mette immediately opened her mouth to refuse, but Holmes interrupted her.

“You two can discuss the fee between yourselves. For now, what I most want to understand is the case itself.”

Hughes wore a thoughtful expression, with even a trace of pain crossing his face. After a long pause, he replied, “I can’t remember all that clearly. Their appearances were very ordinary. One was extremely tall, the other very short. Their hair seemed brown—or perhaps some other color. I was nervous at the time and didn’t pay much attention. Both had full beards, though they were rather untidy. They wore ordinary black twill clothes and plain bowler hats. The taller man was fairly broad and sturdy.

“My brother asked me to deliver a letter here. Since the distance did not seem far, I decided to walk. I planned to take a public carriage from here to Guildford. After entering the woods, I grew tired and stopped to rest for a moment. I never expected the tall man to attack me without warning. He threatened me with a dagger and forced me farther inside. Soon, the shorter man appeared as well, and together they held me at knifepoint and marched me into the woods.

“I kept begging for mercy, but they never relaxed their guard. By the time we were nearing the river, I realized what they intended to do. They meant to kill me to silence me. With no other choice, I began struggling desperately to escape, but I was struck on the head and thrown into the river. I thought I was finished. I never imagined I would open my eyes again and see Mette.

“I believe they were discussing something dangerous, because while they were holding me captive, they kept asking what I had heard. I told them the truth—I hadn’t heard anything at all—but clearly they didn’t believe me.”

Hughes gave a bitter smile.

Mette, who had been listening beside him, could not help taking the hand he had placed at the edge of the bed.

“Fortunately, nothing happened to you in the end.”

Billy clearly saw Hughes’s cheeks flush crimson in an instant. He felt as though he had accidentally wandered into a romantic drama.

Yet even with his entire face turning as red as a tomato, Hughes continued trying to remember.

“But I do recall dragging something else into the river with me.”

Pain once again appeared on his face. Clearly, the injury to his head was still affecting his thoughts.

Mette opened her mouth to tell him not to strain himself, but the memory might be crucial to finding the men who had attacked him.

“I remember now. It must have been a turquoise ring. It looked exquisitely crafted and was certainly worth a great deal. I believe it was shaped like a snake. At the time, I thought I would never escape, so I decided that if I was going to die, I should at least take some evidence of their identity with me. I pulled the ring off with all my strength. But it seems it isn’t in my possession now. It probably fell into the river after I lost consciousness. I wonder whether those two wretched men went into the river and recovered it.”

Holmes’s eyes lit up at once, and a brilliant smile spread across his face.

“Mr. Hughes, this is an extremely important clue. Rest for now. If you remember anything else of significance, tell Mette. We are staying in the room next to hers.”

In high spirits, Holmes strode out of the clinic with Billy.

On the way to the small grove, Holmes spoke at a rapid pace.

“A turquoise ring in the shape of a snake, Billy. It reminds me of a recent burglary. A gang broke into the home of a jewelry designer in the middle of the night and stole the jewels from his safe. That craftsman was particularly skilled at designing turquoise ornaments in the shape of snakes. I don’t think the men in Hughes’s case belong to the same group involved in Lady Catherine’s case. Those two—the tall one and the short one—must be members of a gang of thieves. But to wear the ring so openly is astonishingly brazen. They must be plotting something else as well. Perhaps they are planning to rob another wealthy man’s safe?”

“My dear Billy.” Holmes turned to look at him, his eyes shining with eager anticipation. “All we need now is for you to use your miraculous ability to fish that ring out of the river. Then we can prove the connection!”