Colonel Barclay, commander of a famous military unit, has been murdered. He was found in a closed room, his wife next to him, very shocked, but otherwise unharmed. As a violent row between them had been heard by the servants, the wife seems the best suspect, the only one, as a matter of fact...
Colonel Barclay, former fighter in India, where he met his wife, Nancy Devoy, daughter of an officer, was in charge of the Royal Mallows, the most famous Irish regiment. The couple had been married for thirty years, and seemed to have got along quite well. They had no children. Colonel Barclay had an unpredictable behavior, often jovial but sometimes capable of sulky periods or even violent outburst. However, he loved his wife and she never suffered any of this crisis.
But on a Monday evening, after Mrs Barclay came back from a meeting, a violent row was heard by the servants. That was unusual. The words "coward" and "David" were heard, shouted by Mrs Barclay. In the end, a awful scream. The servants tried to open the door, but it was locked. The coachman went though the outside window, and found the Colonel, dead. His wife was shocked and didn't utter a word since the events.
None of this would have deserved Sherlock's attention, but for two details. No weapon could ever be found. More intriguing maybe, the key of the door could not be found either.
This is a classic story of a rivalry between two young men for a young beauty. One of them betray the other, and his cowardice and cruelty has dramatic consequences. A life will be destroyed, and decades later comes the time for revenge.
Sherlock's stories are indubitably better with Watson's presence. Doyle knows it, and seem to try to justify it in each adventure. Here, Watson is needed as a witness. Why could not Sherlock admit he needs a friend, simply?
No comments:
Post a Comment