“Bollinger... that name means something to me,” I said, searching my memory.
“Albert Bollinger is de facto the King’s foster nephew,” said Holmes. “He is the son of Queen Mary’s brother. We met him once briefly.”
Now I remembered meeting this man. He had then been still very young, with handsome and noble features, remotely resembling his aunt with her piercing brown eyes, oval face and pointy chin. Today he must have been over thirty. Years before I had spoken with him at a court reception, one of the few to which Holmes had accepted an invitation.
“But I still do not understand why his disappearance, though lamentable, should be investigated by the secret service and not the police,” I said. “And what makes you think it is connected with the attempt on Sherlock’s life?”
Mycroft became even gloomier and the corners of his mouth drooped.
“Lord Bollinger and his family own industrial enterprises in northern England. I need not emphasise that these include important munitions factories. After the destructive fire in Curry, the factory in Manchester has been our most vital one for half a year. Bollinger is someone whom His Majesty regularly consults regarding research and development. The King has even entrusted him with drafting secret strategic documents for protecting the country if the tension between us and Emperor Wilhelm[13] escalates into war.”
“What types of documents are they?” asked Holmes.
“Designs for new types of weapons, war machines and everything connected with them,” said Mycroft. “Then there is tactical information and deployment plans for our armed forces.”
“Now I understand why the King is so concerned with his disappearance and why you see a clear connection between our two cases,” said the detective, returning the letter.
The connection was now becoming evident to me too.
Holmes’s brother had connected Bollinger’s disappearance with the death of Italian factory owner Minutti, whose letter, sent just before his death, had apparently provoked the attempt on the detective’s life. Both men had been, and we hoped the King’s nephew still was, renowned industrialists and among the main developers and manufacturers of arms.
“Something bad is happening exceeding all borders,” said Mycroft, summing up our thoughts. “We all know how the international situation is becoming more complicated. These connected disappearances or deaths of people directly or indirectly responsible for the defensive capabilities of nations do not bode well. In our case, I would be willing to concede that Bollinger was captured by the German secret service, but Italy is neutral, at least for the time being. Germany hopes that she will become her ally and Minutti’s death does not fit. There is no logic or order, which is what terrifies me most!”
“What do you need me to do?” asked Holmes.
The official extinguished his cigar and folded his arms.
“Your task is to confirm the connection between Bollinger’s disappearance, Minutti’s death and the attack on you,” said Mycroft gravely. “You must determine who has an interest in threatening the European arms industry and if possible thwart the plot.”
“To investigate Minutti’s murder I will have to visit Italy,” said the detective. “Can I count on the government’s support?”
“I am afraid not,” said Mycroft shaking his head. “Germany could consider any official activity on the territory of its neighbour and potential ally as a provocation. If you have any problems, the Ministry will not get involved.”
“How ideal,” said Holmes, rising from the sofa.
I rose too. We were ready to depart.
“Do not be sarcastic,” his brother rebuked. “Your country does not deserve it.”
“I was not being sarcastic,” said the detective, smiling. “On the contrary, the fact that no officials or policeman will interfere greatly increases my chances of solving the case.”
“Then you accept the assignment?”
Holmes slapped his brother on his pudgy shoulder.
“Let no one say that I turned my back on my country.”
For the first time since I had known him, Mycroft smiled.
“Nobody would dare,” he said. “One does not speak ill of the dead.”
IV: Behind the Walls of San Michele
We did not return to Fulworth the evening after visiting Mycroft. All of the local clues were known to us and we did not want Barlow to suspect anything. Holmes only asked his brother to have the police watch the parish and the pastor’s movements during our absence and provide us with regular reports.
The next task that the detective entrusted to Mycroft’s security unit was to contact Rolls-Royce in Manchester to obtain a list of Silver Ghost owners. We hoped by means of the key letters to obtain the name of the man to whom Barlow had written the cheque. Under normal circumstances he would of course have taken this step himself, but time was of the essence. With perhaps a hint of optimism he hoped that the police could handle this relatively simple task.
We spent another day and a half in London making preparations for our journey, quickly so as not to lose the trail.
Holmes and I had been to Venice before, but this watery city, cleft by hundreds of narrow canals, never ceased to enchant and astonish me. Clamorous modern Italy here met the poignant and romantic beauty of ancient palaces, intensified by the reflected September light in the twilight. When we arrived the omnipresent water was dotted with boats, vaporettos and gondolas. Minutti lived here with his family, because most of his companies were scattered across northern Italy.
On the journey the detective studied Mycroft’s files. They contained information about Minutti and Lord Bollinger, their habits, families and friends, and if such were known by the secret service, rumours about their affairs and perversions. It was up to Holmes to determine what information was important and could contain a clue about what to do next.
The evening after our arrival we took rooms in the Regina Hotel near the Santa Lucia station, tired after our long journey. We went straight to bed without even taking supper, as though we knew that this night would be the last for a long time when we could sleep in peace.
We were awoken by the sound of Italy; the unmistakable jumble of street noises, shouting, heckling and spirited conversations in the street under the window; a din that only the citizens of this sunny and excitable country could make. We ate a light breakfast and headed off for the city, to a meeting without which the investigation could not get underway.
Since we had risen early we did not have to hurry. I was tempted to pass through the Grand Canal, the main Venetian boat thoroughfare, but Holmes insisted that we go by foot. He was in good spirits after his years spent in the country. He liked this way of life and was impressed by the light-heartedness and speed of everything here. Vessels darted through the water as people travelled to work or from the markets, past petty verbal exchanges between gondoliers and people swarming the narrow sidewalks that weave through Venice and smack of quaint odours.
We crossed what seemed like a hundred bridges before we arrived at our destination: St. Mark’s Square. Holmes selected a table in front of one of the cafés that had a fine view of the basilica and its tall bell tower.
He settled into a chair and ordered a cup of coffee.
“How beautiful, but to reside here longer than a few weeks would drive one to madness,” he said, stretching his body. “I am glad to see that the bell tower is almost rebuilt.”
The detective was alluding to the last time we had been in Venice, in the case of the Doge’s diamond in 1901, only a short time before the five hundred year old tower had collapsed, the result of a fire long ago. No doubt fire was the plague of civilisation in the nineteenth century. It was a miracle that nobody had been harmed. The only victim of the falling building was the caretaker’s cat.
13
Wilhelm II of the Hohenzollern dynasty (1859 - 1941), who from 1888 - 1918 was German Emperor and King of Prussia. He ascended the throne at the age of 29 after the 99-day reign of his father Frederick III. He stirred international controversy by his uncompromising attitude to the building of the German fleet, which the UK perceived as an attack on its naval hegemony. English efforts to improve relations with Germany foundered. Wilhelm generously supported the army, which under his rule became the largest and best equipped in the world. From the moment he came to the throne he did not hide his warlike ambitions and was undoubtedly one of the architects of the First World War. After his overthrow during the November Revolution of 1918 he fled to the Netherlands.