A Study in Terror (17 page)
Authors: Ellery Queen
“Of course, dad. That's what it had to be. And with the knowledge of the Ripper's identity Klein got rich blackmailingâ”
“Lord Carfax.”
“No. You'll recall that Lord Carfax was trying desperately to locate Klein and Angela. Blackmailers confront their victims.”
“Maybe Carfax knew all the time.”
“Then why didn't he strike earlier? Because he only learned that night at the morgue that Klein and Angela were at The Angel and Crown!”
“But Carfax struck at Angela, not Klein.”
“Further proof that he was not the blackmail victim. He mistakenly saw his brother's wife as the evil force in the Osbourne disaster. That's why he killed her.”
“But none of that is enough to baseâ”
“Then let's find some more. Let's follow Holmes and Watson that last night. You already know what
appeared
to happen. Let's see what really did. In the first place, there were two men on the trail of the Ripper that nightâSherlock Holmes
and
Lord Carfax. I'm sure Carfax already had his suspicions.”
“What indication is there that Carfax was on the Ripper's trail?”
“I'm glad you asked that question,” Ellery said sententiously. “Acting on the tip he'd picked up in Madame Leona's whorehouse, Holmes set out on the last leg of his search. He and Watson arrived at the room in the Pacquinâ”
“And Holmes said, âIf this was the lair of the Ripper, he has fled.'”
“Holmes didn't say that, Watson did. Holmes cried, âSomeone has been here before us!' There's a world of difference in the two statements. One was the observation of a romantic. The other, Holmes's, of a man trained to read a scene with photographic accuracy.”
“You have a point,” the older Queen admitted.
“A vital one. But there are others.”
“That both Holmes and Lord Carfax found the lair of Jack the Ripper at practically the same time?”
“Also that Carfax saw Holmes and Watson arrive at the Pacquin. He waited outside and followed them to the morgue. It had to be that way.”
“Why?”
“In order for Carfax to act as he did, he needed two items of informationâthe identity of the Ripper, which he got at the Pacquin, and the place where he could find Angela and Klein, which he overheard at the morgue.”
Inspector Queen got up and retrieved the journal. He searched and read: “âAnd that infamous beast, Jack the Ripper?' Watson asked Holmes that question. Holmes answered, âLord Carfax died alsoâ'”
“Hold it,” Ellery said. “None of this out-of-context business. Give me all of it.”
“Quote: âHolmes's grey eyes were clouded with sadness; his thoughts appeared to be elsewhere. “Lord Carfax died also. And also from choice, I am certain, like his brother.”'”
“That's better. Now tell me, would Sherlock Holmes be sad over the death of Jack the Ripper?”
Inspector Queen shook his head and read on. “âNaturally. He no doubt preferred death by fiery immolation to the hangman's noose.'”
“Watson's words, not Holmes's. What Holmes then said was, âLet us respect the decision of an honourable man.'”
“To which Watson replied, âHonourable man! Surely you are jesting? Oh, I see. You refer to his lucid moments. And the Duke of Shires?'”
“Watson drew an unwarranted inference from what Holmes had said. Let's quote Holmes again: âI proceeded directly from the fire to his'âmeaning the Duke'sââBerkeley Square residence ⦠He had already had the news of Lord Carfax. Whereupon he had fallen upon the sword he kept concealed in his stick.'”
“And Watson exclaimed, âA true nobleman's death!'”
“Again Watson was fooled by his own preconceptions and his misunderstanding of Holmes's deliberate indirection. Look, dad. When Holmes reached the Duke of Shires's townhouse, he found the Duke dead. But âhe (the Duke) had already had the news of Lord Carfax.' I ask you how could the Duke have âalready had the news of Lord Carfax'? The implication is clear that the Duke had been at his Pacquin lair, where Lord Carfax confronted him, after which he went home and killed himself.”
“Because the Duke was the Ripper! And his son, knowing it, took the blame on himself to save his father's reputation!”
“Now you've got it,” said Ellery gently. “Remember again what Carfax said to Watsonâto spread the word that
he
was Jack the Ripper. He wanted to make dead sure that the guilt fell on his shoulders, not his father's.”
“Then Holmes was right,” murmured Inspector Queen. “He didn't want to give Lord Carfax's sacrifice away.”
“And Deborah's faith in her father has been vindicated after three-quarters of a century.”
“I'll be damned!”
Ellery took Dr. Watson's journal from his father's hand and opened it to the “Final Note.”
“
âThe Case of the Peruvian Sinbad,'
” he muttered. “Something about a roc's egg ⦔ His eyes glinted. “Dad, do you suppose Holmes could have been pulling Watson's leg about that one, too?”
-EQ-
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1966 by Ellery Queen
Copyright renewed by Ellery Queen
Cover design by Kat Lee
ISBN 978-1-5040-1713-8
This 2015 edition published by
MysteriousPress.com
/Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
EBOOKS BY ELLERY QUEEN
FROM
MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM
AND OPEN ROAD MEDIA
