234. The Protagonist? But Not Him
The truth is simple: Helen's stepfather was an Indian man who kept a venomous snake.
To prevent Helen and her sister from inheriting their property, he used the snake to commit a locked-room murder.
The bell rope was actually just a pathway for the snake, allowing it to pinpoint the bed's location.
The bed in this room was completely fixed in place, and the snake could only stay in that spot.
The stepfather's bed was indeed movable, so he roughly deduced his method.
He used the snake to kill, then used a whistle to control it to return. Because it was a locked room, there were naturally no traces of the stepfather.
After summoning the snake, the stepfather fed it milk and then hid it in a cage.
This was the method he used to murder Helen's sister two years ago.
The spotted stripes that the sister saw were actually the venomous snake, but she couldn't see it clearly due to the dim light.
This snake was extremely venomous, and the wounds it caused were tiny and difficult to detect, which is why it went unnoticed.
After he chased the snake away, the enraged snake bit his stepfather's neck, killing him instantly.
"Good riddance," he remarked.
Clearly, he felt no remorse for accidentally killing the stepfather.
It was as if he had used the neighbor's dying dog for experiments.
His sense of guilt was truly weak.
Watson thought so.
Soon, the case was published in the newspaper.
This time, Gregson didn't claim credit, as it involved a case from two years prior.
Publishing a case from two years ago, which hadn't been solved, might challenge the police department's credibility in the public eye.
Therefore, the newspaper article made no mention of the police department's work, focusing solely on the details of Holmes's investigation.
This, in a way, slightly boosted his reputation.
However, since Miss Helen was rather strapped for cash, the commission fee... was simply considered part of the 'job' itself.
He was someone who enjoyed the process of solving cases; money was merely something to sustain his life and interests, not a necessity.
As his name appeared in the newspapers, people gradually learned about this detective, and his time was no longer as leisurely as before.
One mystery after another was solved thanks to his almost godlike deductive reasoning, and soon he became a famous detective in London. His value soared, and he was no longer troubled by financial worries.
"Watson, how's it going? Have you found any information about that fugitive?" he asked with concern.
Well, actually, he just wanted to get involved. After all... he could sense that Watson's case-solving speed was much faster than his.
Even at their first meeting, she could tell he was a criminal.
One particularly memorable case was a murder case where he had to find the killer among five suspects.
But as he searched for clues, he keenly noticed that Watson seemed to be paying close attention to one particular person.
After he had thoroughly deduced the entire case, the result was exactly that person.
Coincidentally, this wasn't an isolated incident; each time, Watson kept a close eye on the culprit, preventing them from escaping from the scene.
He constantly sped up his investigations, but he was always one step behind.
This dealt a significant blow to his self-proclaimed genius.
As for why Watson didn't just say it directly, it was probably to save face for the great detective...
"No, he's cunning. He only left a few clues, and most of them were just misleading puzzles," Watson shook her head.
"He's been involved in the recent cases, the Uncanny Valley case, and the Bohemian Scandal..."
"Even in the Uncanny Valley case, he appeared before us almost provocatively, but I couldn't catch him." Watson looked frustrated.
"An extra partner means an extra chance of solving the case, especially with such a cunning fugitive. His counter-surveillance awareness and disguise skills are absolutely top-notch. After so many cases, does Watson still not trust my investigative abilities?"
"While I may not be as good as you, I am, after all, Sherlock Holmes."
Every time he mentioned his name, a strange confidence would rise within him.
When a case reached a deadlock, he always had unwavering faith in himself because he was Sherlock Holmes, and therefore, he could do it.
"Uh…you noticed?" A blush crept across Watson's face as she looked at him, slightly embarrassed.
"Do you think your partner is an idiot? Even the slow-witted Officer Gregson would probably have noticed your exceptional abilities, wouldn't he?"
He felt a little hurt because Watson, who often praised him, was surprised that he had guessed his extraordinary abilities.
"Sorry…I just didn't want to bother you…" Watson blinked.
She could sense the passion he had for solving cases, a childlike innocence and purity, a simple, genuine enjoyment.
Therefore, she didn't want to disturb him.
"I feel a little frustrated. Even after solving so many cases together, I still can't gain Watson's trust."
It was hard to imagine a man in his thirties showing the frustration of a child who hadn't received a toy.
"...Sigh, alright, you can join in, but you must follow my instructions. If I tell you to stop, you stop immediately!" Watson looked at him sternly.
"Yes!"
At this moment, their roles reversed. Previously, Watson had been his assistant; now, he was Watson's assistant.
Afterward, Watson shared his case and intelligence with him.
The person she needed to capture was named Moriarty, a highly intelligent fugitive, and Fu Hua's goal was to bring him to justice.
Moriarty seemed to have amassed a considerable criminal force behind the scenes; with a single command, a wave of crime would sweep across Europe.
"Such a dangerous mission, and you're all alone, Watson?" He raised an eyebrow, somewhat incredulous.
"But you're here now, aren't you?" Watson countered.
He paused, then burst into laughter.
"I like that."
It sounded like Watson's approval, at least not the kind of flattery disguised as genuine praise.
Because Moriarty often dealt with criminal cases, Watson's focus was always on various criminal offenses, which was why she accompanied him on his investigations.
Although he didn't know what Moriarty was really up to, he was already looking forward to their showdown.
Like a fairy tale always needs a villain.
Perhaps he was the inherently evil villain.
And Watson was the protagonist with a great sense of justice.
As for him... perhaps he was just a plot device.
But so what? No one is the protagonist forever, and neither is he.
...