Broadway Is My Beat: The Case of the Winthrop Legend

THE END THE END.

My name is Dr.

John Watson.

I share a flat at 221 B Baker Street with a young man named Sherlock Holmes. This would normally be a simple statement of simple fact, but I had learned in the first few weeks of our association that the normal process of returning home was in itself an adventure. I never knew what to expect. I seldom expected what I found. I had decided to spend a quiet evening at home, and I was determined not to become involved in any new scheme that Holmes would invent.

Sulfate gas.

Oh?

Do you remember the Dietrich case?

When the defense tried to prove that no one could produce a deadly poison without a trained chemist? No.

Well, I'm going to try it now.

With kitchen utensils.

And a secondary school chemistry book.

I knew it could be done.

There it is, Watson. Brilliant.

Now you've done.

That woman was guilty as a vulture.

Clever, too. Holmes, I wish you wouldn't forget that we've got to live in these rooms. Can't imagine why the prosecution didn't think of this. There's a gentleman arrived here, handsome. Appears to be coming up here. What else did you notice about our visitor? Oh, I don't know. I'd say about 30-ish, conservatively dressed. A man of modest means. What do you think, Holmes?

I don't know.

I didn't see him. You did.

Oh, yes.

Yes, of course.

Oh, excuse me.

Good morning.

You come in, will you?

Good morning.

Is this Sherlock Holmes's flat?

Yes, indeed.

Oh, a self-made gas.

Oh.

Mr. Holmes has been experimenting. That's Mr. Holmes.

How do you do, Mr.

Holmes?

How do you do? I must apologize for calling upon you without an appointment, Mr. Holmes, but it is urgent.

May I present my friend and colleague, Dr.

Watson?

How do you do?

How do you do? Now then, Mr.

Winthrop. Mr. Harvey Winthrop, isn't it? Have we met before, sir?

No, but you mustn't underestimate your reputation.

Won't you come in?

And sit down. Thank you.

Over there.

I had heard your powers of observation were remarkable, Mr. Holmes. Perhaps you're sort of the purpose of my visit.

I can only say it's a personal matter.

How do you know?

It is always a personal matter when one consults me rather than the police.

Of course.

Well, my reason to see you actually concerns my elder brother, John. It is he who controls the family wealth.

In the event of his death, I.

Would be sole heir.

Does his death seem imminent? His life has been threatened.

In what way? I noticed you didn't ask by whom.

You took pains to point out that only you would benefit by your brother's death. If you knew who made the threat, you wouldn't be so concerned with your own innocence.

You're right.

I do not know who's making these threats... Actually, I don't even know if it is a who.

I beg your pardon, sir?

It is possibly a what, Dr.

Watson?

In this case, the heritage of every old family. Family legend.

What is the Winthrop legend?

Every member of.

The family destined for a violent death finds about his person silver coins.

Silver coins? Oh, you mean like those silver coins the pirates use called pieces of eight?

Exactly, Dr.

Watson.

Pieces of eight as a warning, and at the time of death, a gold doubloon.

Have these coins any special significance?

Thirty years ago, my father was killed by a fall down the stairs in the main hall of Winthrop Manor.

A gold doubloon was found under his body.

Was he actually seen to fall downstairs? No.

The manor was closed and has remained so ever since.

I assume your brother has discovered several silver coins?

Each day for the past seven days. I see.

What has been his reaction?

He has decided for the first time in 30 years to reopen Winthrop Manor.

In defiance of the legend?

Exactly. We are going to be there this weekend.

Who is we?

My brother, my fiancée, and myself. And I would like you two, Mr. Holtz and Dr. Watson, to be there as well. Well, that's very good of you, sir.

Do you have any other evidence to substantiate your belief?

I was very young in those days. but I can still remember the sight of my father's body at the bottom of those stairs.

Dr.

Watson and I will arrive at Winthrop Manor this Friday night. Thank you very much.

If there's anything I can do until then, or if there's any question you want to ask me before, please don't hesitate to call upon me at any time.

We'll do that.

Thank you.

Again, thank you, gentlemen.

Not at all.

Good day to you, sir. Good day.

Well, Holmes, what do you think?

I think it's amazing the extent to which people will go to obscure the simple facts of murder or threaten murder. You don't believe in the legend?

Nonsense.

Well, but after all, Holmes, you said yourself that these things very often have a basis of fact.

The odor lingers.

There was no mention of that in the Dietrich's case.

I'm a man of science myself, Holmes, you know that. And yet there are things that happen every day for which they have no logical explanation.

How would Mrs. Dietrichs have removed the odor?

Of course, he had to work equally well both ways. Winthrop himself admitted that in the event of his brother's death, he was the heir to the estate. His visit here might have been a blind. The solution of a murder, Watson, is infinitely easier than the prevention.

We have committed.

Ourselves to a weekend in a drafty manor house that has been closed.

For 30 years.

We will watch and we will wait.

And in time, we will apprehend the person, persons or goes, who will commit the murder.

Of the Winthrop legend.

Mr.

Hall, Mr.

Watson, please come in.

Thank you.

The thunder was making so much noise. I wasn't certain I heard you not.

Yes, I think we got here just in time.

Yes, we were worried that you would have caught in the storm.

I'm Mrs. John Winthrop. How do you do?

I'm Dr.

Watson.

This is Sherlock Holmes. How do you do?

I'm very pleased to meet you.

You can leave your things here and go into the sitting room.

We managed to get it comfortably warm.

I'll have your luggage brought up to your room.

You'll have to excuse the inconveniences of the house. My husband's decision to.

Spend the weekend here was rather sudden.

And I'm afraid we're understaffed. Please don't concern yourself with us, Mrs. Winthrop.

I'm sure we'll be very comfortable. Oh, there you are. I'm glad to be here before the storm. I see you've already met my sister-in-law.

Yes, we have.

How do you do?

Oh, Harvey, perhaps you can show Dr.

Watson and Mr.

Holmes to their room.

Yes, sir.

You probably want to freshen up.

Good evening, gentlemen. This is my brother, John Winthrop.

Dr. Watson.

How do you do? How do you do?

How do you do?

How do you do, sir? I hope you'll be comfortable.

As comfortable as possible in a house that's been closed for 30 years.

I feel I should apologize. Not at all, sir.

I'm sure everything will be fine.

I hope so.

Come down to the sitting room when you're ready.

It's a bit more cheerful there. Let me show you a few rooms, gentlemen. A long idea.

You didn't mention your brother was married.

Didn't I? I thought I had.

Then surely she would be the heir to the estate if anything should happen to your brother.

No, the estate upon his death goes to the next male member of the family.

Oh, I see. How did Mrs.

Winthrop lose her sight? It was a riding accident shortly after they were married. A sister I know is a remarkable woman, Mr.

Holmes.

She took to her new way of living with cheerfulness and thoroughness.

Yes, it's always encouraging to hear of such cases. And it reflects great credit on those surrounding the patient.

Oh, Peg. I want you to meet.

Don't.

Watson. And you must be Sherlock Holmes.

Harvey has told me so much about you. Gentlemen, my fiancée, Miss Margaret Hall.

How do you do?

How do you do, Miss Hall? John and Alice are in the drawing room, darling. We'll be down shortly.

All right, darling.

I think we're going to have a wonderful weekend in spite of this old house.

Don't keep yourselves from us too long, gentlemen. You're a very lucky man, Mr. Wendell. She's a lovely girl. As a matter of fact, you know, there's some very good hunting country around here. Do you go in for that sort of thing, Mr. Holmes? On occasion, sir.

Not very often, thank you.

My wife thinks I'm a bit reckless. She worries about my neck. A glass, my dear?

That appears to be a preoccupation with more than one member of your family, sir.

You mean my brother, too. And the reason for your being here. Nonsense. I said the same thing. And you agree with me. You, too, think it's a lot of rubbish. I don't think we're referring to the same thing, sir. I'm talking about the legend, of course.

Ah, I see.

May I ask, sir, what precautions you've taken against it?

What would one do? How does one fight a myth? What's your opinion, Mr.

Holmes? Should I take this matter seriously? You are obviously taking it seriously. By defying it. By coming down here to prove that it doesn't exist.

Joe, I hadn't thought of it like that. You're dead right, of course.

But let me put it like this.

Do you really believe the legend is dangerous?

You are obviously overlooking the second conclusion, sir.

If the legend is real and beyond our understanding, then your life may be being threatened by the supernatural. If we rule that out, then the threat has a very realistic source. In either case, the threat remains.

I hadn't thought of it that way.

Thank you.

But there are just the six of us here, Mr.

Holmes.

Surely if there is danger for John, it couldn't come from any of us.

There are just the six of us now, Miss Hall.

But now there are seven. John, what is it?

Nothing, my dear, nothing at all.

I think we'd better go into dinner. Excellent idea.

I don't like it, Holmes. Neither do I, Watson. Neither do I.

Oh, come in, Watson.

Oh, don't be alarmed, old chap.

I don't think this contraption has been fired for centuries. You could hardly expect me to know that from.

Here, Holmes.

Seems it's working after all.

I wanted to talk to you about that dinner we just had. Oh, yes, yes. Excellent, Doctor.

Don't you agree?

Well, it was better than the conversation or lack of conversation, I grant you. Well, quite natural under the circumstances. Everyone's suspecting things they'd rather not say. What do you make of it, Holmes? Did you realize that young Harvey Winthrop was in love with Alice before she married his brother? Holmes, you're fantastic. How did you determine that?

He told me.

Oh. Oh, have you got a match, Watson?

Yes, I think I should have. I... Holmes! Look!

Yes, I know.

I slipped it in your pocket during dinner.

You what? I just wanted to see how easy it was to plant those things on someone else.

Well, really, Holmes, for all you know, I.

Well, I.

I might... I saw it.

I saw him fall. He's dead.

Neck broken. A gold doubloon.

What happened?

Will someone tell me what's happened?

And now, we return to The Case of the Winthrop Legend.

The Case of the Winthrop.

Legend Had quite a time getting back here. The roads are turning bad.

Harvey Winthrop.

Good evening, sir. Could you get everybody together and see if we can try and get this thing sorted out? Where's the body?

Over there.

Broken neck. Died instantly.

What do you say?

You up there. Oh, good evening, Constable. That is Mr. Holmes. I've spoken to you about him.

Oh, yes.

Good evening to.

You, Mr.

Holmes. Glad to have you on this case.

Ha, ha, ha.

His wife. It'd be a terrible shock for her. Oh, Mr.

Holmes, I'd like to discuss this case with you.

I've got several theories.

Dr.

Watson was telling me, coming down in the carriage.

I think it would be better if she retired for a while.

These will help. Thank you, Doctor.

Dr.

Watson's summarized the legend for me on the way down. But quite frankly, Mr.

Holmes, I would say we're opposed to a devilish mind here.

Holmes, really. I don't know. What on earth do you think you're doing? A button.

At the very least. At the very least.

Observe, Watson.

I've almost torn a button loose.

So I should think after all those acrobatics. Are you going to sit like that all evening?

And yet the late Mr.

John Winthrop fell down a long flight of exceptionally sharp stone stairs without.

Damaging his clothing.

What's that? I'd better check.

Yes, I think you have.

He may not have torn a button, but he suffered some very severe damage to his neck, I'd like to remind you.

An indisputable fact.

My dear Watson.

Well, what are you getting at, Holmes?

That's right.

Now we're getting somewhere.

Come on, Watson. Let's examine the situation more thoroughly. The killing blow was struck at the.

Back of the neck.

Is that right?

It was. He must have struck the edge of the stairs as he fell.

Stone.

Edge is quite sharp. The wound be deeper, more pronounced, Watson. Would you re-examine the injuries.

Like a good fellow?

Mm-hmm. The skin's broken, but not unusually so.

Still, it's difficult to know the position of the body when he fell.

I agree with Mr.

Holmes.

Winthrop and the blind woman were at the top of the stairs when he fell. Oh.

Mm-hmm. And in a position to have pushed him down.

Right. You then imply that Miss Hall, being downstairs all the time, may be ruled out as a suspect. Well, I should take that as a prima facie proof of her innocence.

You really think so, Watson? Mm-hmm.

What's that?

Who are you accusing, Mr.

Holmes?

Your fiancée.

Holmes!

You're insane.

Not at all, I assure you. Your brother didn't fall down these stairs. He was killed, struck by a blow from behind, very probably in this room. His body was then placed at the foot of the stairs. And the legend, having been carefully reawakened, and the manner in which your father met his death, and the gold doubloon, all led you to the obvious conclusion.

She couldn't have done it. I assure you, she could.

But Holmes, she had no motive. The estate now passes to Harvey Winthrop. Well, yes, and the only one who had a motive... I would say you and the lady you are going to marry. Are you going to report her to the police?

Less than useless, I'm afraid.

No court in this world would ever convict her on the evidence we have.

Well, assuming you're right, and mind you, to me it's only an assumption, there's nothing we can do.

Yes, there is.

Emily Beynon.

Oh, Constable. I didn't know you were there.

Just looking around.

Routine, you know, Miss. Of course.

Do you want to see me?

Not especially, Miss.

A few more things to check up on. The rest lies completely in your hands. Alice is resting now.

Not sleeping, but.

Oh, this whole thing is horrible.

If you'll forgive us, Dr. Watson has a medical certificate to fill out. Yes, I shall return to that.

Oh, Mr.

Holmes. At your service, my good constable. That Holmes.

What a peculiar man. What? Oh, Holmes, yes, he is, isn't he?

Big I am.

Yes? Well, this is difficult to say. What is, darling? In light of what's happened, I think it's best we break off our engagement. Break off?

But why?

Well, there's certainly to be a mess in the papers.

About all this. Oh, you needn't worry about me, darling.

Actually, it's Alice I'm thinking of.

Alice?

Yes, she'll be so terribly alone now. In a way, I feel responsible for her.

You love her.

You've always loved her, and now that your brother's dead, you.

You.

Mustn't think that. There's something else.

What else?

Why this sudden protective fatherly interest? Ten years ago, Alice and I went riding across the moors.

They started a race.

A horse broke away from her, and she couldn't stop him.

He took a high fence and fell. And Alice became blind.

But you can't live with that for the rest of your life.

It was an accident.

It was unfortunate... But it shouldn't influence.

Our relationship now. I'm afraid it does.

To me.

John dies and you take Alice.

That's funny. That's really ironic.

Ironic?

What make you see ironic in such a situation?

I don't know. I just meant... Nothing.

Just an expression.

Very interesting choice of words, I might add. Alas, I must confess we were eavesdropping. Is there anything you'd like to confess, Miss Hall?

What does this mean? You spoke of irony. Such a choice word.

You didn't kill John Winthrop so that Harvey could share the family fortune with Alice.

You'd have seen to that in time.

You're insane.

I couldn't have pushed John down the stairs.

I was at the bottom myself.

We were in a perfect position to strike him with this. And then, very thoughtfully, placed the end in the fire to remove any evidence.

Of the blow.

No court in the world would convict me on evidence like that.

You're quite right, Miss Hall. But you know the facts.

And we know the facts.

But surely, Holmes, something can be done. I don't think so, Watson. The young lady used her wits. But an ancient legend. And a murderess walks free.

Thank you.

But it's a gold doubloon. And she said no court in the world would ever convict her.

Thank you.

Broadway Is My Beat: The Case of the Winthrop Legend

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