HolmesCondition: Reposed
The day at 221b Baker street had started quite idyllically. The sun was shining and the air was crisp with the smell of Autum and the salt smell of the ocean which Ive always found quite soothing. Steadfast Robert was busilly attending his duties as chief of staff for the manor and the crunch of gravel on the driveway announced the arrival of my dear Johanna returned from an errand she needed to attend.
The entry of Ms Wiggens my housekeeper with a letter interrupted my reading of the current Thesis on Native American Mythological and Historical connections with ancient alchemical rituals, A proposal by the lovely Doctor Jenny Pickman PHD of Archaeology and History at Miskatonic University.
And with this seemingly innocuous event thus began the rather remarkable case of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."Thank you dear..."I began as my Jon entered the drawing room shaking her midback length Blond hair free of a ponytail--A mundane action I found endlessly fascinating-- before plopping down and taking a long drink from a cold bottle of water which Robert ever precise in his timing provided. "...That will be all." I finished smoothly.
"Who's that from?" Watson posed with a rather bored tone with which she tried--badly-- to hide her interest.
"Cassandra Blake..." I began while noting Watson's eyes suddenly light up with interest, whenever anything of a ""Supernatural"" bent came to our attention Jon was always interested and filled with superfluous notions I wish i could disabuse her of. "...A local Professor of Paranormal Studies and owner of a rather quaint little book store that deals in rather arcane knowledge." I replied keeping my distaste for matters arcane and supernatural well hidden. while I might be a skeptic of such things I respect any academian willing to do the honest work and research required to earn a true doctorate from a respected University as Ms. Blake had done.
As I spoke, I studied both letter and envelope in detail. The envelope was a well made and high quality vellum,upon which lingered the smell of a perfume similar to Lillies of the Valley tastefully applied, the salty tang of the ocean--a scent with which I was well familair with--also clung to it indicating that the person who wrote the correspondence lived on or near the sea. Finally the wax seal affixed to it was an antique and indicative of an older British ancestory with possible conenctions to the royal family.
The envelopes thus inspected I opened it with great care and began to read the letter it contained therein. The letter was written on a high quality brushed vellum, by a left handed woman, in the long graceful and flowing script of the proper english style indicating a quality education and high class upbringing of an older British family, and written with of all things a high quality Ostrich feather quill, instead of a modern ball point pen.
Simply fascinating.Watson moved over and looked over his shoulder studying the letter before responding. "So we going?"
I was a bit tongue tied at the moment for some reason--mainly Watsons proximity which never failed to cause the apples of my cheeks to redden--when something of note caught my attention. Something which would require us to forgo our usual back and forth. I couldnt help the smile that graced my own face as faithful Robert appeared before I could even call for him, as if sensing he was needed."Robert were about to have unwanted company would you please be so kind as to escort the staff to the safe room and bring Miss Watson her Remington 700 sniper rifle." I stated calmly "Very good sir." Robert replied evenly, before I turned to Jon who was allready at the window looking at the approaching car while her right hand rested on the hip holster that housed the Powerful .45 caliber Socom semi-Automatic pistol.
"Wait Holmes, how do you know these guys are trouble?" she asked skeptically "They may just be coming to visit." she awaited my answer somewhat impatiently as the three men pulled the car around front.
"Its simple my dear Jon." I responded calmly as I checked the magazine and safety on my Walther P99 which Robert handed me before handing Watson the case containing her Military grade Remmington 700 Sniper Rifle. nodding my appreciation at him I continued my explanation. "The three men approaching are Assassins sent to kill me by Antony Camparelli Jr. They are here because In two weeks I testify against his father, and Young Antony is attempting to curry favor with his father before he kills him." I watched the three men get out of the car and reveal two uzi submachine guns and a drum fed 12 guage shotgun.
"But how did you know they were coming, and why now?" she said her eyes widening at the sight of the weapons before she armed herself and Slung the rifle over her shoulder in the crisp precision of her military training. "And why the sniper rifle when they're this close?" She snarked at me.
"The car was visible approaching on the main road, and as to why today...?" I paused a moment for effect before gesturing for her to open the door. "It seems young Mr. Camparelli is not without a sense of historical irony. Today is the day his father massacred five witnesses for his grandfathers trial some 25 years ago to the day."
Watson didnt waste any effort, as she flung the door open at precisely the moment I judged the one with he shotgun to be kicking open the door. Her impeccable timing caused the killer to stumble off balance into the interior where Jon promptly grabbed the shotgun with her left hand and drove it back into his surpised face and nose which crumpled with a satisfying crunch of cartilege. His Suprise and pain was compounded by Jons follow up with a Khao thon--Knee Strike--to the burly mans undefended groin. The mans genitals crumped as quickly as his nose had and now Jon had both a shotgun and a pistol in hand.Not wasting the surpise gained us by her quick actions I opened the door further and with a well placed shot to the both knees disabled the second attacker who dropped to the ground where I toed his weapon out of his reach and delivered a clubbing blow to the head rendering him unconcious with the butt of the pistol.The third man was unfortunate enough to stand there gaping at his fallen comerades instead of shooting and thus I was able to render him unconcious with a forward elbow thrust to the zyphoid process rendering him breathless, I followed up with a simpley applied wrist lock which painfully disarmed him of his weapon and with a twist deposited him upon the hard stairway. The rolling of his eyes up into his skull indicated unconciousness and that he was no longer a threat. Calmly I stooped and reached into the pocket of the man I'd just shot and retrieved a Nokia radio/phone. The small phones could be used as both cellphones and short range walky talkies. "Listen very carefully to me my friend." My voice was calm as I addressed the person I knew to be wating and watching on the other end. "If you surrender now no harm will come to you and I will turn you over to the authorities, I will give you till the count of five to do so or I willo be forced to kill you." I stated calmly holding up five fingers. "Four" I counted calmly dropping a finger, "Three" another finger and a slight gleam in my peripheral vision let me know I was correct. "Think carefully you have no way to escape and the local authorities will be here shortly, Two" I punctuated the statement with the dropping of the second finger, a slight rustling came from the radio but no reply as I stood and looked north to the forested area outside the main gates. "Very well..." I sighed "have it your way; One." I dropped the last finger and was rewarded with the soudn of a Rifle shot going off behind me and above me where Watson had just shot true eliminating the final assassin.
As she approached I smiled genuinely at her. "Wonderful shot my Dear Jon. Spot on"
"How'd you know Holmes?" she looked wonderingly.
"Simple my Dear, I saw the car approaching and saw them stop at the hill overlooking the main grounds. The only reason to stop at such a location would be to allow a person to exit the car and climb the hill where they could gain a better vantage point, at the same time I noticed the mend exiting the car the gentlemen with the uzi who was driving spoke into the phone. It was clear he was delivering final instructions to the fourth man as a back up in case they failed." I would have continued and patted my self on the back for my deductions had Jon not taken umbridge and swatted me on the head painfully.
"You IDIOT!!" she yelled rather crossly while shaking her considerably dangerous fist. "What were you thinking standing out in the open like that when you knew a sniper was there?!!" She was angry and I knew I had to defuse her fast lest she do the Camparellis a favor and end me for them.
"Because I knew I was in no danger what so ever." I stated calmy while rubbing my soar noggin. Quickly I continued before she could Object "I knew the man Might shoot but I also knew that you would be getting into position quickly, and I also knew that you would know where the most likely and best sniper area would be. I then knew that I needed to give the man a distraction, so I gave him something psychologically that a person using a sniper rifle would not be able to resist.
"A challenge." She answered, and I nodded in acknowledgment.
"Yes, by threatening to kill him when I had no obvious means available i made him curious enough to hesitate, he had to be wary of your presence, and thus his hesitation, when I added the count, I gave him a way to distract and refocus on me. But also gave you time to determine his location, when I saw in my peripheral vision that you had stopped scanning I knew you'd located and had him targeted and that the game was over."
She looked somewhat mollified but still seemed upset. So I added one last thing. "Besides I knew one other thing." which caused her to look at me curiosuly. I nodded at Robert as he appeared no doubt to inform me of the imminet arrival of the Police.
"What was it that you knew? " she asked hopefully and a smidge skeptically.
A smile spread across my Face at that moment. "I knew you would never allow me to come to harm, I knew you wouldnt miss." The blush on her face was prominent at the praise as she collected the assassins weapons and restrained them with flexi-cuffs.
"Robert would you be so kind as to call this number and Inform the owner Miss Cassadra Blake that Watson and I will gladly accept her kind invitation to Windspear Island as soon as possible." I was very intrigued, If the mysterious Miss Blake was contacting a person of my qualifications, then the case promised to be both fascinating and very dangerous.
With Watson by my side I could think of no other way I would want it to be.
DC20 check on the letters envelope for details
DC15 check on the letter itself for details.
Investigation roll 32 with skill mastery and masterwork detective kit available for +2 and +3 degrees of success respectively.
