I was just getting my things packed up when Holmes returned from his excursions. I noticed that he was carrying a sheet of blue paper in his hand, but before I could ask him how his investigation had progressed, Holmes made an announcement.
"Watson," he said, "I have uncovered a very interesting set of facts. First, I spoke with a physician at the hospital library about the mysterious death of Miss Julia Stoner. Then, I paid a visit to city hall, where I reviewed the will of the deceased wife."
"Our client’s mother?" I inquired.
"Yes, it seems that she left Dr. Roylott an income of almost 1,100 pounds; however, the sum has shrunk slightly over the years due to inflation. Each daughter can claim an income of 250 pounds upon her marriage, which would leave the widower with very little. Since he no longer practices medicine and is responsible for the care of the family estate, it is clear that he would end up in poverty in the event that his stepdaughters wed."
"This is definitely a motive for the crime, Holmes," I stated.
My friend and associate nodded in agreement and quickly gathered his things to prepare for our trip to Stoke Moran. Then we left the house on Baker Street by cab and caught the afternoon train from Waterloo to Leatherhead, a small town several miles from the mansion. At Leatherhead we hired a carriage to take us to the property. Holmes spent the entire trip sitting with his arms folded in front of his chest and his hat pulled down over his eyes.
After several miles the driver shouted out, "It's over there, sirs, just beyond the village."
Holmes immediately sat upright and adjusted his hat. About a mile to the east was a rolling hill covered in a thick grove of trees through which the peak of a gray rooftop was visible.
"Stoke Moran?" Holmes asked.
"Yes, the home of Dr. Grimesby Roylott, sir. I could take you around to the front door if you’d like. But it’s faster if I drop you here and you walk in along the footpath. I believe that’s Miss Stoner walking there right now."
Holmes paid the fare, and the two of us climbed out of the carriage.
Miss Stoner hurried over to greet us. "I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival," she said. "Dr. Roylott should be gone for the rest of the day."
"Yes," replied Holmes. "We have had the pleasure of making the doctor’s acquaintance."
"Oh, good heavens!" Miss Stoner exclaimed with great surprise. "Has he followed me then? I never know when I am safe from him. What will I say when he returns?"
"Your safety is our greatest concern," Holmes said consolingly. "You must keep your door locked tonight. If he becomes violent, is there somewhere you can go?"
"I have an aunt in the village," said Miss Stoner.
"If need be," said Holmes, "we’ll take you there."
Miss Stoner seemed quite relieved by this, but she continued to talk about her fears as we walked across the field toward the house. As we neared the property, I noticed that it was quite old and run-down. Some of the windows and doors were covered with wooden boards. The mansion’s gray bricks were covered in thick moss, and part of the roof had caved in. The central portion, however, was more modern, and a curl of blue smoke escaped from the chimney.
"There are shutters on the windows," Holmes observed.
"Yes, I bar them shut every night before bed to keep the animals out," explained Miss Stoner.
Holmes strolled over to the windows and examined them carefully. "There doesn’t seem to be any way to break in from the outside," he said. "That would likely rule out any involvement by the Gypsies. Now, did you say that your stepfather was doing some renovations?"
"Yes, but no work has been done so far. I fear it’s just an excuse to get me to change rooms."
Holmes continued to examine the physical structure of the house as we walked through the front door and down the hallway. I noticed three doors along the left-hand side.
"Where is your room?" Holmes asked our client.
"My room is at the end of the hall," she responded. "Follow me."
Miss Stoner’s room was cold and rather shabby, but otherwise ordinary. There was nothing to note, so we quickly moved into the middle room.
"This one belonged to Julia," she explained. "But I have moved my things in here now."
"This is odd," said Holmes. He took his magnifying glass out of his coat pocket and began to examine the floor. "The bed is bolted to the floor, preventing it from being moved to another location. Hmm . . . here is also a bell rope hanging down from the ceiling to the bed. Didn’t you say you had no servants?"
"Yes, that is correct. We haven’t had a servant in several months."
Holmes pulled the cord and announced, "Why, it’s a fake! It doesn’t ring at all. Interesting . . . Look up here, Watson, near the ceiling. There is a small square window through the wall connecting this room to the one next to it. I would guess that it could be part of the ventilation system—you see, there is a metal door that can be closed to keep out the cold air—but it doesn’t seem to be connected to the outside. I wonder what it could be for?"
"I don’t know," Miss Stoner said, sounding increasingly worried. "It was put in about three years ago. The room next door is Dr. Roylott’s."
At this announcement Holmes raised his eyebrows and nodded his head. I was sure that he had deduced something important from the evidence—something that I could not figure out on my own. Holmes could often see answers where others could not.
When Holmes was finished examining Julia’s room, we moved into Dr. Roylott’s room to complete our investigation. There we discovered a filing cabinet, a single bed, and other regular items that one would expect to find in a bedroom. Holmes, however, spent a long time examining an old wooden chair that sat beside the bed. He also made several unusual observations.
"There is a saucer of milk on the floor," he noted. "Miss Stoner, do you have a cat?"
"No, we do not," she replied.
"Could it be for the cheetah?" I asked.
"I don’t think so," said Holmes. "It would be too small to satisfy a beast that big. Look here," he said, pointing to the head of the bed. Hanging from the bedpost was what looked like a dog’s leash that had been curled up at the end into a loop. "I’m getting quite concerned. I fear any man who uses his intelligence for evil deeds."
Holmes’ comment sent a shiver up my spine. For the first time, I began to realize how much danger we were actually in. Thank goodness I had remembered to put my pistol in my bag.
"Miss Stoner," Holmes said in a soft, reassuring voice, "tonight you must prepare for bed as usual. But do not sleep. Instead I want you to wait until you hear Dr. Roylott prepare for bed. When you think he is asleep, I want you to place your lantern in Julia’s open window and escape to your own room down the hall. Don’t forget to lock your doors and bar your shutters. We will be watching from the village. When we see your lantern, we will sneak through Julia's window and spend the night in the room. Now let’s go, Watson. We will take a room at the inn and wait for the signal. I hope that tonight we will be able to solve this mystery!"