XI
At one in the afternoon there was a knock on the door of our hotel room. It was a messenger with a letter. Holmes opened it and read, ‘I received an invitation from Yefimoff to present myself at the Peterhof restaurant at three this afternoon. I am informing you as requested. Kliukin.’
We threw our coats on, ran out and jumped into the first available cab, which took us to Mohovaya Street.
‘I have no idea what this is about,’ said Kliukin, meeting us with a smile.
‘You’ll know soon enough,’ answered Sherlock Holmes, ‘but let me warn you, be careful entering the private room … don’t step into it right away.’
‘Is this some sort of hoax or are you trying to mystify me?’ exclaimed Kliukin in surprise.
‘Whatever it is, you’ll soon be thanking me,’ Holmes answered solemnly. ‘And I hope your wife will also be very grateful.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘You don’t have to yet.’
Holmes looked at his watch and said it was time to make for the restaurant, adding that Kliukin had to go in a separate cab and not to show by so much as the slightest sign that we were following him. So that’s what we did.
Some twenty minutes later, Kliukin’s cab deposited him at the restaurant and we followed closely behind as if we were total strangers.
‘The name is Kliukin. Which private dining-room is my invitation for?’
‘Let me show you,’ said the porter.
Kliukin followed him and we followed Kliukin as if we were chance strangers.
‘Here you are,’ said the porter, indicating one of the doors along the corridor, and left.
Kliukin opened the door, stepped over the threshold and stopped in utter perplexity. Gavriushka and Fomka seized him by his hands and tried to slam the door shut.
But this was not to be. Like an enraged beast, Sherlock Holmes threw himself forward. Gavriushka and Fomka froze from the unforeseen interruption and let go of Kliukin’s hand.
Holmes threw himself at Gavriushka, gave him a mighty thump to the head, then seized his shoulders and pushed him in the direction of the divan. And now imagine my own surprise. Gavriushka vanished through an aperture that opened in the floor.
Holmes didn’t give Fomka a chance to recover from his surprise at this turn of events. We bound his hands and legs and only then Holmes yelled, ‘Police! Call the police!’
A quarter of an hour later the restaurant was full of policemen of every rank and sort as well as agents of the criminal investigation department, all of them warned in advance by Holmes.
Holmes led everyone to the open trapdoor and said, ‘The villain has fallen into the snare which he prepared last night for Maxim Vasilyevitch Kliukin. This is what I learnt from the porter. He and Fomka locked themselves up all day in this private dining-room. Sawing through the floor boards wasn’t much of a problem. Having completed their work, they fastened the trapdoor in place, waxed the slits and, of course, ordered that the room should not be let to anyone else. Gavriushka handed out a good ten roubles in bribes. In the space under the floor boards was where they would have strangled you. I can only wonder at the depth of hatred that could bring a young fellow like that to plan such a horrible revenge. Fortunately, I followed him and was able to discover his work, otherwise, Maxim Vasilyevitch, things would have been the worse for you. I congratulate you on your deliverance from the hands of these villains. I look forward to meeting you later this evening, but in the meantime, I trust you will permit me to take my leave. My task is not yet completed. I have yet to make certain other arrangements concerning finding more of your stolen goods in the provinces.’ He then turned to the police. ‘As for those two fellows, gentlemen, you’ll have to hold on to them and to hold on to them tightly. One of them already has half a dozen crimes he has escaped answering for and, of course, it is unlikely he will escape this time.’
He shook hands with Kliukin standing there completely taken aback and we both left.
5. THE PEARL OF THE EMIR
P. Nikitin
I
That was the year the Emir of Bukhara visited Russia. Accompanied by a considerable retinue, he travelled displaying all the splendour and opulence of the East.
Having paid a visit to Petersburg, he was returning home, but decided not to travel by rail but along the Volga. The weather was fine, with clear sunny days which lured him out of his stuffy carriage to breathe the open air. Orders were dispatched from Petersburg to Nijni-Novgorod to prepare a ship exclusively for the Emir and the town prepared to welcome this important guest.
At the time, Holmes and I were travelling along the Volga and stopped over at Nijni-Novgorod for a few days. We delayed our departure because of the Emir. We had been about to leave, when we heard of his impending arrival and stayed on to enjoy the brilliant spectacle. He arrived on the appointed day. With his retinue, all in gold and jewels, he literally flashed through the town and vanished aboard their ship. Holmes and I, and a crowd of curious sightseers, accompanied them as far as the wharf and then went home.
Less than an hour passed. Holmes and I were chatting, I think it was about Eastern peoples, when the door of our hotel room opened slightly and the lackey who looked after our corridor poked his head through the door and told Holmes that he was wanted by the Bukharans.
‘What’s happened?’ asked Holmes.
‘The Chief of Police and some Bukharans wish to see you,’ he said.
‘How strange!’ Sherlock Holmes wondered. ‘As far as I know, I have never met a single Bukharan. Oh, well, show them in.’
The head was withdrawn and a couple of minutes later the Chief of Police, accompanied by a couple of Bukharans, one of whom was an interpreter, came in. Sherlock Holmes introduced himself, then me, and asked the reason for such an unusual visit.
‘Not as unusual as it may appear to you,’ said the Chief of Police. ‘Something very unpleasant has happened to His Highness, the Emir of Bukhara. I was sent for to assist in the matter, but I, knowing that you are temporarily staying here, advised that you should be brought in, in connection with the matter. With your assistance, the lost item will be recovered ten times faster.’
‘I am flattered,’ Holmes bowed. ‘Of course, I shall try to be worthy of your opinion, but surely you have enough qualified policemen of your own?’
‘Hmm… how shall I put it?’ The Chief of Police was clearly uncomfortable. ‘Yes, we have more than enough, and if I were to include the entire membership of the Union of the Russian People, there’d be more than are necessary, but … how can I put it better? You understand … in the last few years much has been annulled by the revolution and they are all specialized to good effect where political investigation was involved, much to the detriment of criminal investigation. But you are an expert in criminal investigation, never having touched political matters and, of course, are bound to be infinitely better, and this is why I pin more hope on you than all my underlings.’
‘Every state has its own way of doing things,’ said Holmes with an imperceptible little smile. ‘By the way, what you say is true and I am willing to help to the best of my abilities.’
‘That’s wonderful!’ exclaimed the Chief of Police. ‘And now that this matter is settled, I can go. I have matters to which I must attend. My task was only to convince you to take this on. I have the honour of taking my leave.’
He bade farewell to us and the Bukharans and was gone.