Heroes Return VI: Book One London Chapter 29

 

29.

 

It did not take long for Sherlock Holmes to get the invite from Ian Masterson. It was late morning when the detective was at his seat at the unit when he got the knock on his door. He looked up and saw Mrs. Hudson admitting to the man.

“Ian Masterson, I presume.” Sherlock, dressed in the dressing gown over his usual tweeds, smiled when he lowered the dark pipe from his errant attempt to clean it daily. The chamber was filled with the aromatic scent of the tobacco. His preference was the black shag, coarse-cut leaves, and dark in shade. He kept his tobacco in the Persian carpet slippers of his.

“I could tell you are not a pipe smoker. The mixture I like……" Sherlock looked at the man.

“Black Shag.” Ian Masterson was dressed in the fine blue Savoy-cut three-piece suit. He stepped up towards the detective while removing his top hat.

“I am not a pipe smoker myself but have been around lots who do that.” Ian Masterson smiled. “A regular occurrence of the trade I am in. May I seat myself?”

“Please do. Watson is not around.” Sherlock looked at the other. “Your ……”

“I do spend a lot of time with the captains of the sail, and they loved their pipes more than their wives.”

“Yes, sea captains smoked pipe tobacco, as it is calming, and for some, it is a social ritual. A key comfort during long, stressful, and monotonous voyages, and pipes are ideal in windy conditions. Tobacco allowed for a slow burn rather than rapid smoking, and the pipes could be capped to contain hot ash and embers on wooden ships.”

“Fair winds and following seas.” Ian Masterson cut in with the favorite of sayings of the seafarers, to denote good luck. “For me, despite all my liaisons with them, I have not picked up any smoking lures as yet.”

“Good man there.” Sherlock studied the man he heard but did not meet. “You are here, and not with Mycroft. I presume to conclude that you are here for the reports… partial ones that were redirected to me. I am taking that presumption.”

“Ahoy, matey! The captains will call out on sighting another vessel.” Ian Masterson smiled. “I like your direct presumption. We are all at sea here for this precarious treasure, and you cut the sails to meet me on open seas.”

“Open seas it is. I got the partial reports, and you, I believe, hold the other part. Are we to trade?” Sherlock asked. “I believe the term is parley.”

“Parley?” Ian Masterson looked at the other. “For what are we to trade?”

“Ms. Kewala, I will presume you have her as a… trade-off." Sherlock picked up the pipe. “Please allow me to clear the air here. I am a busy man. I need my breath of fresh air.”

Sherlock approached the window and opened it. He took a deep breath and then turned towards the man.

“Wrong, Mr. Holmes. I am not here to trade… pardon me, parley. Actually, I am here to tell you that I will collect it… perhaps later.” Ian smiled. “I am not any man nor captain of the seas. However, I am a sleuth in the business of spies. We are also called operatives, and we do not trade but retrieve the items we need by whatever means.”

“Conclusively by force if need be.” Sherlock Holmes took him back to his seat. “I abhor violence. It's needless, but I do accept that it is one means of intervention. And I expect that from you.

“I do not like violence unless needed.” Ian Masterson stood up. “However, our matter in London is not over as yet. I will collect the reports.”

“Which I am sadly to inform you are no longer with me.” Sherlock looked at the man. “I will cut your effort here. I have sent the reports along with Mycroft and Nayland to the Congo. The conclusion of the reports lies there.”

“Unwary of that action. You are truly a master genius at it.” Ian Masterson stood up. “If they are on their way, then I will take my journey there. Shall we say the rush to the treasure is afoot?"

“Not a parable of mine. Parables are of moral or religious matters. But I do use the term "afoot" much more to agitate Watson to move. He does dislike it. Well, he had not used the privy yet.”

“Well, I must be on my way," said Ian Masterson. “Privy called for me.”

“At an instance delayed. What about Ms. Kewala?” Sherlock asked.

“She is with me and will be till I find the treasure. I liked that term there. Treasure sounds fresh to scoundrels like myself.” Ian Masterson smiled. “I am amused by the ranks I am associated with.”

“I thought the word would be fascination.” Sherlock looked at the man.

Amusement is light-hearted, often humorous, whereas fascination, deeply intense, is beyond my reach for now. When I said "scoundrel," I was amused, for it delighted my fantasy to the ranks of Robin Hood, but I am not that fascinated by that rank, for Robin Hood is not the person I want to be. I prefer to rob and be rich.”

“So are scoundrels," Sherlock said. “Although they lacked the morals for their action.”

“True, scoundrels are supposedly miscreants of society, but they have the essence of one being a villain.” Ian Masterson turned to the door. “And please do not delay me. I know you have signaled your friends to come to your rescue, which was unnecessary. I had no intention to hurt you. I just wanted the reports, which are not in your possession now.”

Ian Masterson took his leave then. Sherlock sat there and lit his pipe. It was then Mycroft and Nayland appeared from an adjacent chamber.

“Why did you not let me nab the scoundrel?” Mycroft asked.

“Well, it was my intention to set him on his journey. I had deduced that he has the other half of the reports and also Ms. Kewala in his custody. He has shown his urgency to get the mining rights. And more to it, his presence here tells me of his role there.” Sherlock looked at Nayland. “He will be on the ship to Africa soon, or perhaps on the same one as you."

“The Trojan? It sails today.” Nayland remembered his trip. Sherlock ignored the man.

“To your question, Mycroft. If we had acted on Ian Masterson now, we would have jeopardized the life of Ms. Kewala. I had anticipated the early arrival of Ian Masterson today… far too early, to be honest, and also by chance I saw him alighting the carriage, and then I had sent the two of you to the next chamber. Now, we are in the meeting of our objective to close the case.”

“By golly, who was that, Holmes?” It was Watson who just stepped back to the chamber. “Was he in a rush to the privy? I must tell Mrs. Hudson to add one more unit. I was reading the sports section while there.”

“No concern, my dear Watson. It was elementary that the man was in a rush.” Sherlock took a puff on his pipe. “He is to catch a ship.”

“Did I ship in too early? It is your infernal pipe and God; so early I am to suffocate.” Watson on occasion insults Sherlock on this choice of tobacco. “I prefer my 'ship's tobacco’ to your black shag.”

Watson took to his seat. “Who sat here? It's warm. Not exactly the condition I prefer.”

“I had opened the window to clear the air, dear Watson. And the one who sat there was Ian Masterson.” Sherlock explained. “He was here to ... parley on the mining reports.”

“A pirate intention no less.” Watson reached for his pipe.

“He assumed I was signaling for help when I wanted to clear the chamber of my smoke.” Sherlock took another puff on his pipe.

“Do keep the window open. I cannot understand the both of you and your pipes.” Mycroft made his statement while stepping over to the window. “As it…. Smog had engulfed over London and was already suffocating us, and you’re smoking just made it unbearable.”

“Exactly my point, Mycroft. Thank goodness the need did not extend in your family.” Watson added on the insult.

“Calm down, Mycroft. It's not like we took your prized bear from you.” Sherlock teased the other. “Now, back to the matter on hand. I had set Ian Masterson on the trail to Africa, and he will act on it. I will suggest that Mycroft followed Nayland on that journey. I had telegraphed Lord Greystokes to follow suit.”

“Watson and I will be in London. There is still the issue with Moriarty, which we need to keep an eye on, and one other name, Mitsui Ogata. I doubt the latter will go to Africa as yet, but may want to clear the name of the Oni Society; namely, the Demon Society will need to be expunged.”

“What about Fu Manchu?” Mycroft asked.

“The crafty man is in London and I assumed he would not be a pawn in the game. He will act on the loose ends of the outcome.” Sherlock looked at Watson. “Are you with me?”

“Looks like I have few options here.” Watson looked at his papers left on the table. “If I am not, you may well bloody auction my seat to some others.”

“Good on the thought, though I did offer it to the Salvation Army (founded in 1878), but they declined.” Sherlock's rarest moment of humor was seen then. “They said it lacked comfort.”

“I have another meeting today. Catch you all later.” Watson was to take off when Sherlock stopped him.

“Watson, could you…" Sherlock looked at Watson. “I am……"

“I will see to that. I am aware of yours and find ……. Let me check.” Doctor Watson grabbed his hat.

“What was that about?” Mycroft asked and saw Sherlock’s right hand was shaking. He knew then.

Across the city, Ito Matsuke stood patiently at the disused warehouse, waiting for the arrival of his sensei. He got the invite by telegraph and arrived there earlier by an hour. It was getting to past noon, and patience was one of the virtues taught to him. He was dressed in the samurai armor, tosei-gusoku, or modern armor favored for movement mobility. It was a design shift from the heavier o-yoroi armor, with kabuto (helmet), dp (chest armor), sode (shoulder guards), kote (sleeve armor), haidate (thigh guard), and suneate (shin guards). He had on the double katana tucked into the waist belt. His men-yoroi, or face mask, was a stark impression of the Yomi Demon with the double horn and angry expression.

The shade of his armor was in red and black.

“You come prepared as I requested.” Mitsui Ogata stepped from the dark shadow, dressed in the simple yukata kimono suit, and held the long katana and the shorter wakizashi sword.

“I admire your katana.” The sensei indicated the two katana blades.

“Muramusa origin.” Ito laid his hands on the hilt of the katanas.   The design held the characteristics on its blade, renowned for distinctive, wavy, and flamboyant temper lines (hamon) known as midare-ba and often featured a tongue-shaped tang (nakago). It, however, was said to be cursed, associated with bad luck for the Tokugawa clan, including injuries to Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, thus leading to a ban on their ownership and the nickname "cursed swords."

“Muramusa ……. Great craftmanship despite the link to the dark history of its bearer.” Ogata smiled. " I have with me is my grandfather’s forge blades. Not Masamune, but my ancestors did learn from his disciple, Hikoshiro Sadamune. The katana is the sword, but the blade is the one who cuts the wounds. Beware the blade, for it held two sharp edges.”

“The worth of the blade is not on it but the bearer of it. Is this to be our duel of death, Sensei?” Ito asked. “You mock me for being dressed for it, and you settled for the commoner’s kimono.”

“Do not mock the costume of your people. This is the popular form of our nation.” The Sensei stopped his disciple. “And why the sudden arrogance in your manner?”

“Sensei, if I may address you one last time. You are here not to teach me, nor do I need your guidance. We know the outcome today. I am here to duel with you.”

“No, we are to duel. We are here to be taught a lesson on loyalty.” Ogata snapped back. “You have forgotten the teaching of mine, taught to me by my sensei.”

“Why do you not don the armor of the samurai? It will make the duel as worthy.”

“I am no longer a samurai. My lord, if you recall, is dead. I am now a ronin, a masterless samurai.” The sensei reminded the other. “I do not have to don the armor of the samurai. I am without a lord, but I still hold onto my principle of my teaching. Do you recall your learning, Ito Matsuke?”

“Yes.” Ito Matsuke glared at the man he called his Sensei. “Loyalty to death, I swear. I am loyal but to me as the new lord, Lord Yomi of the Yomi Demons.”

“Traitorous, Ito. That Lord you mentioned is not a samurai but a jackal in the midst among warriors.” The sensei roared out. “Today I will terminate your arrogance, as it’s the task of the master to do so on its errant disciple.”