Team Heroes of Seven Chapter 6

6.

The new place of meeting was not below although the walk down the stairs was long and midway down the steps came to a two way junction. They took left following the elderly lady while she threw some switches before she moved on. The inquisitive wild man reached for the switch near him but he was stopped by the detective.

“I think it’s advisable.” The lanky sleuth figure tapped the side of the switch. “They may be a pressure switch.”

“You may be wrong.” The doctor caught up despite his limp, and threw the switch to turn off the lights behind him. “Now the pressure is on the flooring. Step on it and you will be crocodile feast.”

“How did you know?” The younger lady asked.

“It was…basic. I saw the flooring piece was sunken down and after I passed it, and when then switches were thrown off, the piece moved up. It was…” The doctor was interrupted then by the detective.

“Elementary. Shall we keep up or be trapped in this Torquemada chamber.” The group then forgot about the traps and moved on. They walked on and turned corners with more switches with lights on and off on every passed passage before they came to the metal doorway. The elderly lady opened the door and shooed them in what may be described as a wine cellar. There were rows of the barrels and the bottles. There was one unique item normally seen in the greater houses of the reminder of the Arthurian era. The item was unique as it was a man like figure but with extra height and frame. The figure was dark shaded metallic in design with the front visor for the human face to appear. The metallic figure held two upper limbs with the three pronged grappling finger extensions, and the lower limbs were a set of heavy boots. The frame was however split in the middle section where the cables were seen.

“Did Torquemada design this too?” Van Helsing asked but the elderly lady had ignored his remark. She motioned them to be seated at the long table there and then fetched herself a bottle of wine.

“Spanish circa 1893. I liked that year.  The year I returned from Spain after the war then against the Moroccans. I was with the British attaché and foreseen the war. I did my duty and was given commendation.  It was also the year I was finally seen as an officer then and not the bitch under the table without her knickers.” The lady named M had then shown anger in her tone. “I know my duty and I will do it to protect my country.

”

“Elementary, you were Spanish?” The sleuth asked then as a matter of curiosity. He was looking at painting of a country house with the backdrop of the Irish landscape with its limestone with the carpets of Alpine flowers including gentians, edelweiss and orchids.

“Is this Ireland? I see the delicate details on the flowers…..” Sherlock was left talking to himself when the lady had not replied immediately. She moved to the table where the wine glasses were displayed and soon they were filled to the brim.  

“Croi follain agus gob fliuch!” Sherlock toasted in Gaelic and with that he saw only Mycroft and M raised their glass.

 “Sorry, that was Gaelic. I was to say ‘healthy heart and a wet mouth’. It’s also my family toast during the special days.”

“Were you in love with an Irish?” Mycroft asked with a glee to meet another of his homeland.

“No, I was not. I was in love with …another one … Spanish he was but he died in the war. I was however deported soon when they found out my other purpose was to spy then. I came back here a hero. I retired to the Highlands for a while.” M looked at the gathered. “Now back to our reason to be seated here and served with good wine.”

It was then Mycroft stepped in with his suit covered in dirt and a poodle under his left arm.

“Carlotta is safe.” Mycroft handed over the poodle to M. “She was hiding under the bed in the servant’s chamber as always.”

“Naughty girl. You are always peeking at Drax.” M cuddled her poodle and then reached for the dog tag to remove it. She released the poodle and then displayed the tag to all of them.

“Mycroft, please do the honour.” M gave the instruction. The later pressed the switch for a rectangle box to be lowered form the ceiling. In the box was a piece of elongated glass piece with light bulb covered on three sides. There was also may be termed as a rectangle box with a slot on the top between the bulb and the glass piece. Mycroft took the dog tag and slotted into the box and soon an image appeared on the wall.

“It’s blurred, Mycroft. I doubt my eye sight have failed me just yet.” Mycroft then adjusted the position of the glass piece to sharpen the image.

“Team, we are now going to review several candidates that may be termed as the Evil Trio. They are possibly our suspects for the spate of killings and other more vile crimes that had happened in our country.”

The slide then showed a man in a grey tweed shirt and sporting a monocle on his left eye. He was also seen carrying a cane then with a green ruby top at the hilt.

“Doctor Moriarty or his full name Frank Moriarty, the unknown twin brother of the infamous Professor James Moriarty which is the nemesis of our dear detective here.” Sherlock had then raised his unlit pipe to defer on the statement.

“I must correct the facts here. The man you referred to have no known kin or ever said to be my nemesis.” Sherlock frown his expression with his right brow curled upwards as if he was looking at a clue. “However, he is my opposite in the works. I for ….”

“My dear friend was trying to imply that the Professor is the bad guy while he remains the good one.” Watson intruded in sharply. “On the conjecture that Professor may be with kin it would be improbable to conclude that fact until we have the full understanding of the matter.”

“Thank you, my dear Watson. It was …” By then Sherlock was cut off by M for his famous quip on the other.

“The suspect here was responsible for the burglary at the Central Vault in the City a month ago….” M was again interrupted.

“It can’t be for we have no news of it.” Sherlock raised his query. “If there was such an incident, would we have not chaos and riots on the streets for loss of value in our currency?”

“It was not disclosed for that obvious reason.” M then leaned over and waved the five pounds note at Sherlock. “Care to light your pipe, Sir?”

“No, thank you. I don’t smoke anymore. This is my comforting posture for the papers to illustrate my image.” Sherlock then took the fiver and smiled. “It might come in handy on the rebound.”

“The good doctor…. Pardon me, Doctor Watson. I was referring to another.” M smiled at the doctor. “Frank had been pulling the schemes while his twin appeared on the front. They have a huge network of criminals and enforcers. Having said that, we are of the …opinion.”

M looked at Sherlock for any expression then but she saw that he was more at ease on the fiver he was holding.

“As I was implying, in our opinion the Moriarty’s may be to par in intelligence but we doubt that they could had done it without others. Our opinion was drawn on the facts that they have not done it earlier despite the years of being the assumed uno numero.”

“Spanish, I know that word.” Sherlock beamed up then. “It’s elementary for they are the best means that they…”

“My esteemed friend was saying that Moriarty may not do it for it will collapse their own in the result of the chaos and rioting. Moriarty is not silly enough to do it.” Watson tapped his friend’s shoulder and then say “Bravo, old chap. You have done it again.”

“Exactly my sentiments.” M added in. “But they did do it and we were forced to keep it hidden from the public. That comes to my second suspect that may have been the true mastermind.”

“Spare me the pennies. I know who.” Sherlock beamed up once more as if a beam of light may appeared to declare him sainthood then. “It’s Bill Sikes. I knew only Dickens could had hidden such a villain so well in his pages that we never suspected it.”

“Actually I was to say Doctor Fu Manchu.”

“Fu…Fuck who is he?” Sherlock looked at the other faces for any answers and stopped at Lord Greystoke.

“How would I know but you can ask her. She knows the fuck from …...” It was then Lord Greystoke called out his jungle yowl when his balls were pressed Torquemada style. M had to call for a break then and held her discussion with Mycroft to speed up things.

“Mycroft, I am running out of time. Take them all to the Vault and moved from there.” M instructed the officer in her service. “You knew all the suspects so you can brief them when the need to know comes.”

Mycroft nodded and was to leave when M stopped him.

“Remember this. It’s a need to know only.”

Mycroft was stopped by Watson later and asked a pertinent question on his mind.

“Does M look familiar to you?’

“Yes, she does. She is the top ranking officer in my section. We all know her.” With that Mycroft went on his other matters.