Unknown by Braven

was brief, as Holmes's cables were wont to be:
"Inform those concerned of my arrival tomorrow. S.H."
    I allowed Fandango her
head returning to the stud farm, and she made a rapid job of it. A
good thing, too, since I had noted a number of aches and pains when
we had set out, and our brisk return trip seemed to relieve them
rather than compound the problem.
    I informed Deets of the
contents of the cable and he finally expressed curiosity, reasonable
under the circumstances.
    "I wonder what he
has learned?" It was a general question, but I sensed he
expected an answer and might be a little suspicious if he didn't get
one.
    Well, ol' boy, I
thought, you'd better make this good. Holmes has remarked often that
subtlety is not one of your talents. Let's prove him wrong. Holmes
was not a fabricator; he did not have to be. But I had noted
that when he found it expedient to lay a false scent, he employed as
much of the truth as possible. I determined to follow this principle
in my first attempt at flim-flammery.
    "I seldom know all
of Holmes's moves until after the checkmate." Well, that was
certainly true. "As he mentioned," I continued, "the
fact that the intruder used a bolo-type device alerted him to a South
American as a possibility. I can give you a guess."
    Deets indicated this
would be appreciated. "Holmes's knowledge of the criminal
classes is extensive, and in addition he has access to the files of
Scotland Yard and the Suret é as well, if
need be." I didn't dwell on the Kriminal Archiv of the Berlin
police. No sense in overdoing it.
    "I think he has
selected possibilities from known second-story men who are agile,
strong, but small."
    "Why small?"
The wary look in Deets's eyes was fading away.
    "He pulled himself
up to the balcony in short order and descended in a trice; otherwise
you would have seen him. That's not easy for a weighty man. Holmes
pictures a type like a tumbler or acrobat, who is also adept with a
weighted line. He has been narrowing down the list, and his cable
indicates that he now has a prime suspect."
    "But how does this
tie in with your presence here? Not that your company hasn't been
welcome," Deets hastened to add, with the true instincts of a
proper host. "Your stories of Mr. Holmes's cases have been
of great interest."
    I hope I exhibited a
magnanimous air. For safety's sake, I resorted to the oft-used device
of a Socratical response.
    "Would you think it
possible that a man of that description might have been seen in
this area?"
    He nodded, of course.
What else could he do?
    "In fact, the
culprit might still be in the vicinity planning a second attempt. If
so," I stated with a touch of bravado, "my presence on the
scene might deter such an idea."
    Deets's boyish smile had
returned.
    "You detectives
really have to touch all the wickets, don't you?"
    "Detail.
Painstaking detail. The sifting of all the facts and, finally, the
forming of the relevant elements into a mosaic, a design that throws
the harsh light of truth on what happened or, possibly of more
importance, what might happen."
    As well to be hung for a
sheep as a goat, I thought. Deets didn't really know what I was
talking about, for I didn't know myself. But it had a good sound to
it and obviously played a pleasant tune in his ears. I resolved to
attend future discussions between Holmes and our client lest some of
my words come back at me.
    I was present, but not
at all in the manner that I had anticipated.

    Chapter
Eight
    A
Harrowing Night
    I had no sooner retired
to my bedroom, the footsteps of the attentive Dooley fading down the
hall, when I was so startled that I must have jumped a foot. Out of
nowhere came a voice, and it took a moment to realize that it was a
familiar one.
    "Is the coast
clear, Guv?"
    As I stood petrified,
Slim Gilligan assumed that my silence indicated an affirmative
and rolled out from under my bed.
    "Good Heavens,
Gilligan, what brings you here?"
    "Mr. 'Olmes wants
you ready to move, Guv. 'E's got a nose fer