‘My dear sirs,’ he exclaimed, ‘please don’t seat yourselves. The Rector has asked me to bring you to him the moment you honoured our portals again. He wishes to hear the results from the horse’s mouth, I think you English say. But first- ’he held up a journal, ‘have you heard the wonderful, wonderful news?’
To his delight we both shook our heads.
‘While you were away Albert Einstein has startled and bewitched the whole world! He has published an extraordinary paper on the electrodynamics of moving bodies in the most learned scientific journal of all, the Annalen der Physik. He has come up with a theory that escaped the greatest scientific brains, George FitzGerald, Koffman, Lewis, Minkowski, Planck, even Poincaré.’
The words came to me as though filtered through cotton wool.
‘Which being?’ I heard my companion ask.
‘L=mV²,’ came the gleeful reply. ‘It’s a scientific earthquake.’
Generously, the Professor brought me into the conversation. ‘Dr. Watson, isn’t it wonderful! L=mV². Energy equals mass times the square of the speed of light. Gravity and acceleration are essentially one and the same thing. Isn’t it truly remarkable?’
I stared at him uncomprehendingly. It was clear something of immense importance in physics had taken place in our short absence. Its ramifications were beyond me, except for the fact Einstein was at the heart of it. I felt unable to look into the Professor’s overjoyed face. We were bringing news of a murder in which we held Einstein complicit. Failing to note my confusion the professor rushed on.
‘We must change our entire view of the universe! Young Einstein proposes that the speed of light is constant. He determines the relationship between mass and energy.’
He paused, seeking a way to bring the discussion down to my level.
‘If Einstein’s theory is correct, a clock located at the Equator should run slower than one at either pole. If you could go into orbit around the Earth for a month, you would be one thousandth of a second younger than those of us who stayed behind. Isn’t that amazing! Don’t you see, gravity is no longer a force in space and time but part of the fabric of space and time itself! Put simply, due to the equivalence of mass and energy, the gravitational field acts as its own source.’
His hands clapped together in excitement. ‘Gentlemen, it’s a scientific earthquake,’ he repeated. ‘Albert Einstein has altered the principle of Conservation. I assure you, this paper will change physics forever.’
The Professor put his hands to our shoulders. ‘Come, come, Mr. Holmes, Dr. Watson. Let us hurry down to the Rector’s office where you can make your report in person.’
The Rector greeted us warmly.
‘Professor Sobel tells me your travels took you as far afield as Serbia. Heavens above! We are happy to welcome you back to Berne safe and sound. I trust you had an interesting time?’
We were waved to a comfortable Shenzhen sofa. Our hosts seated themselves in arm-chairs facing us. The Rector beamed from ear to ear.
He continued, ‘I presume Professor Sobel has given you the news? Most remarkable, most remarkable. Who would ever have thought it - except our friend here and me, of course,’ he laughed, tapping his colleague’s shoulder. ‘The implications are immense. Isaac Newton will topple off his plinth. The focal point of physics will fly away from your Cambridge University and alight here at Berne. At our University.’
It was clear the Rector had put to one side the scarcely-veiled anti-Semitism and aversion to the flamboyant and rebellious young Swabian.
‘Now all that remains is for you to give us the results of your investigation. Have you uncovered any skeletons in his cupboard?’ at which query he and the professor broke into loud, almost raucous laughter.
Holmes placed his fingers together as he always did when poised to deliver his verdict on a matter of consequence.
I braced myself. I felt sick. ‘Get on with it, Holmes,’ I urged him silently. ‘Tell them the wretched news and let’s clear out of here.’
My comrade stared in prolonged silence at the two men before us. Their bright smiles began to fade into expressions of concern and bewilderment. Finally Holmes commenced.
‘As you say, Dr. Watson and I have returned from conducting a confidential enquiry in the Balkans.’
Our hosts nodded eagerly.
‘We were charged by Professor Eli Sobel here with the investigation of two notes delivered anonymously to you, Sir,’ he said, looking directly at the Rector.
‘Yes, yes,’ came a joint response.
‘The first note referred to a Swabian by the name of A. Einstein and to a Lieserl. The second note simply stated “Titel”.’
The two heads nodded vigorously.
‘Both notes,’ Holmes went on, ‘were written on cartridge paper in red ink by an anonymous and disturbing hand. My interpretation of the word “Titel” combined with the type of paper and Mileva Einstein’s place of birth led us to spend some weeks in the Kingdom of Serbia.’
By now I had been brought to a pitch of exasperation. For Heaven’s sake, Holmes, stop footling, I begged under my breath. Tell them.
‘As a result of our investigations we have discovered something of vital importance about Einstein. It is imperative you should know about it before you offer him employment at your famous University.’
‘Which is?’ Professor Sobel and the Rector demanded in unison.
‘That there is absolutely nothing to report about him. My good friend and I found nothing amiss. Nothing. I think you may fairly go ahead and offer him employment. We trust Albert Einstein will have a long and successful career in science.’
My comrade and I rose as one, stretching out our hands.
Holmes asked, ‘If there is no other point to which you would wish to draw our attention?’
I observed the most profound expression of relief on Professor Sobel’s face as he shook his head. In a babble of thanks and chortles and goodbyes we were shown from the office.
We were once more on the streets of Berne. A short distance from the university I grasped my comrade’s arm, unable to restrain myself any longer.
‘Holmes,’ I demanded, ‘you know perfectly well you did not tell the truth back there. Whatever the mitigating circumstances, however palsied the infant, you yourself concluded that this contemptible scoundrel Einstein was deeply involved in the dispatch - murder - of his daughter.’
Angrily I continued, ‘He may not be Lucifer himself but he is at least the equal of any of the Four Horsemen! Regardless of whatever astounding scientific theory he has just propounded, one word from you to the Rector at this or any other university and his career in physics would be at an end. For reasons far beyond my comprehension you failed to report the truth!’
‘My dear friend,’ came the reply, ‘whoever sent those notes had sufficient knowledge to ruin Einstein’s career without our investigation. Why then were we needed? When the Professor handed us the first scrap of paper I concluded - wrongly - that someone was intent on preventing Einstein’s career from taking off. Perhaps a wronged woman, a jilted lover.’
He frowned. ‘Now I realise Zorka’s objective lies elsewhere but where and how we are to proceed - that is the question. And as yet - ’
His voice tailed away. The tangle of small streets brought us unexpectedly to the square containing the Café Bollwerk. The tables were refilling with the gaggles of students we had unconsciously been following.
‘Then what do we do?’ I asked.
‘We wait, Watson. We wait.’
We seated ourselves at a table. ‘Holmes,’ I accosted crossly, ‘what have we accomplished? Nothing!’
I repeated, ‘We have accomplished nothing. We criss-cross the Danube. We face a host of diseases any of which would have been fatal to men of our middling age. We rattle around on the worst of cart-tracks, stay in hostelries more run down than any in England since Chaucer’s time, and brave a haunted house. Despite all this, the Rector and Professor Sobel know nothing about Lieserl, under what circumstances and to whom she was born, let alone her desperate fate.’