Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra (13 page)

‘Oh, Inspector, do not underestimate your powers to the extent that you would limit yourself to solving but one crime in a single day!’ Then Holmes observed Lestrade’s face drop as his true indebtedness to Holmes fully dawned upon him. ‘You must not take my poor, mischievous, attempts at humour too cruelly, Inspector, as Watson here will most willingly attest. Now, to business.’

Our rate of progress, so far, had seemed to indicate that our return journey was to be no less dawdling than the outer one had been. Undaunted by this delay, Holmes sank back comfortably into his seat and lit a cigarette. He appeared to be positively luxuriating in the dark air of mystery that still surrounded this bizarre case.

Holmes then leant forward and balanced his elbows upon his bony knees. When he next spoke it was through a cloud of exhaled cigarette smoke.

‘It really has been too bad of me to have withheld the nature of the third discovery that I made on board the
Matilda Briggs,
for this length of time,’ he apologized.

The inscrutable side to Holmes’s nature was never more evident than when he was on the cusp of success in a case. It had come as no surprise to me that he had taken this long to divulge the nature of a crucial piece of evidence to Lestrade, and I could only assume that he had done so now in order that he should create the maximum amount of dramatic effect with the revelation.

This attitude of his excluded any positive contribution that I might have been able to make had I been in full possession of the facts. On too many occasions I was made to feel redundant, save for my note-making and at times I had struggled to restrain the irritation and frustrations that Holmes created with his lack of regard.

More often than not, however, he would suddenly express to me the value that he attached to my help and support, and my anger would soon dissipate. This occasion would prove to be no exception and, of course, I bit my tongue.

‘Oh, Watson, you must not feel aggrieved at my apparent oversight, for it does not reflect in any way upon my opinion of your abilities or worth. Rather it is, perhaps, a reflection of my own insecurities and the possibility that I might be proved wrong in my hypothesis until such time as I have explored each and every element of a problem.’

Lestrade cleared his throat to remind us of his presence.

‘If you would not mind, I would like to hear of this crucial third element before we arrive at Baker Street.’ Lestrade invested these last words with a most barbed and sarcastic edge.

‘Oh, Inspector, we have far more to reflect upon than that, I can assure you. For example, there is that extraordinary-sounding caged animal that Collier observed within the compound of the Ghadar movement. Watson, you remember Collier’s description of the creature, do you not?’ This time there was no sound of exasperation to be heard coming from the direction of Lestrade, despite the bizarre nature of Holmes’s question to me. Evidently and at long last, Lestrade was beginning to learn from Holmes’s suggestion that he should try to expand his mind and his imagination.

I thought long and hard before I tendered a reply. I must confess that, at the time, I had attached very little importance to the beast in the cage, although I did recall that Collier’s description had painted it as grotesque and demonic in appearance and repulsive and violent by nature. Apparently Tilat had based much of his silat fighting form upon the animal’s movements and Collier had actually been attacked, albeit through the bars of its cage, by one of the rat monkey’s peculiar movements.

Holmes appeared to have been delighted with the detail and accuracy of my recollection; he then made another suggestion:

‘Perhaps you might now be able to forge a link between Mandel’s dying words and Collier’s description of the rat monkey?’

I repeated these fateful words with a hesitant hushed reverence, while at the same time attempting to comprehend Holmes’s implications.

‘The most singular aspect of Mandel’s dying words was undoubtedly his use of the word “himself” instead of itself as one would have expected. This certainly seems to imply that Mandel’s assailant resembled, in some way, the very embodiment of death itself …’ I paused for a moment and shook my head, as if I had expected that motion to shake up and sharpen my faculties for reasoning.

‘Perhaps it would help you if I now tell you of the third and final link that I discovered on board the ship. In front of the body of Carlo Mandel and below deck, amongst the remains of the black pepper, I was able to make out the traces of two extraordinarily large footprints that had clearly been impressed by straw sandals, of the type that are commonly worn in Indonesia.’ Holmes paused momentarily to see if comprehension had yet dawned upon me, or Lestrade. He soon continued once he had realized that that was not to be so, just yet.

‘You might remember that I examined the handrails that ran around the deck with a meticulous scrutiny that seemed to surprise you at the time?’

I nodded my affirmation.

‘Well then, you might be even more surprised to learn that this examination was largely instrumental in helping me reconstruct the chain of events that led to the death of Carl Mandel. Furthermore, it confirmed for me the true identity of Mandel’s killer!’

‘In heaven’s name, Holmes, surely you go to far this time!’

‘On the contrary, Watson, for surely the sandal-print on the handrail confirms the method of the killer’s escape, and the bloodstain, which was smudged into the wood close by, means that Mandel was not the killer’s only victim! As to his identity, well surely it is obvious now—’

‘Tilat, the Giant Rat of Sumatra!’ I exclaimed. ‘Although the chain of events that led to his slaying members of the crew of the Matilda Briggs, are as yet unclear to me.’ I added tamely.

At this juncture, Lestrade held up his hand, as if in a gesture of surrender and despair.

‘Mr Holmes, are you asking me to believe that the leader of a revolutionary movement, whose place of refuge, on the island of Sumatra, suddenly comes under attack from the Dutch army, somehow miraculously appears in London and starts killing the crew of a merchant ship?

‘While I will readily admit to owing you a huge debt of thanks for handing Declan McCrory to me on a plate, I cannot contemplate, even for an instant, taking this theory of yours back to the Yard without risking both severe censure and possible dismissal,’ Lestrade added defiantly.

‘Ah, but clearly, you do not appreciate the true measure of the importance and reverence that Tilat and his people had attached to the talismanic beladau. After all, when he was in fear of his imminent destruction, did not Tilat entrust his most valued possession to the only person he thought had a chance of surviving the Dutch attack, Sir Michael Collier?

‘Having survived that attack do you not think it more than likely that the very first thing that Tilat would do would be to try to reclaim the very symbol of his people’s struggle for freedom? Do not forget that he had collaborators waiting to help him in Aceh and it is not unreasonable to suppose that a man of his extraordinary abilities would have had little difficulty in stowing
himself away on board the fastest ship available that would take him to England.

‘He was convinced that Collier would have survived his ordeal and upon reclaiming the beladau, Tilat had every intention of returning to India and using it to rally his people behind it once again. Unfortunately for him, when the gold was eventually offloaded at St Katherine Dock, he was discovered in the hold and during the course of the ensuing mayhem he was forced to kill in order to make good his escape over the side.

‘The last of his victims was, obviously, the odious Carl Mandel, a man whose unlamentable loss should not weigh too heavily on Tilat’s conscience. You can, no doubt, imagine Mandel’s state of mind as he lay there on the deck, gazing up at Tilat, disguised in his cape and mask, every inch the “Giant Rat of Sumatra” and a vision of “Death himself”. Indeed, it is possible that he was not even fully aware of where the blow that killed him came from, as Tilat’s iron palm strike would have been both swift and subtle.’

I shook my head slowly in disbelief and Lestrade emitted a long slow whistle in both amazement and incredulity.

‘My my, Holmes; as usual you have explained everything with your customary clarity and vision.’ I sighed.

‘I must say, Mr Holmes, that you certainly seem to have identified our killer with a flawless piece of detective work although, perhaps, you employed just a small touch of intuition,’ Lestrade offered.

‘I think that you will find that it was meditation rather than intuition, Inspector,’ I corrected. ‘Sherlock Holmes never guesses.’ I saw Holmes smile proudly at the manner in which I had set Lestrade right.

‘Well, I am sure that I do not know about such things. We adopt more mundane and practical methods at the Yard. However there is still the small matter of Tilat’s current whereabouts to consider. If the purpose behind his illicit journey to London was to reclaim
this beladau thing from Sir Michael Collier, then I am afraid he has been very much let down.

‘Clearly there remains nothing to detain him here any longer and therefore any hopes that we might have had of apprehending him have been thwarted,’ Lestrade complained.

‘Not so, Inspector. You are forgetting the presence in London of Collier’s son Daniel. If, as we suspect, Tilat is aware of his existence also, then surely he will not quit these shores until he has at least tried to obtain the beladau from him.’

‘Yet you would think that someone of such a distinctive appearance would not have gone these many days without having been noticed at least once?’ Lestrade persisted.

‘Ah, well, there we need to plead for a little tolerance on your part. You see, your previous statement was not, strictly speaking, a totally accurate one.’ Holmes turned away warily, in anticipation of Lestrade’s inevitable reaction.

‘You mean to tell me that you have seen this man, someone who is strongly linked to at least one killing, without having reported this to the authorities?’

‘Watson, perhaps you would care to explain to the good inspector the exact circumstances of your encounters with the man in the crimson robe?’ Holmes suggested as he nonchalantly lit another cigarette.

‘You must understand, Lestrade, that at the time I did not fully understand the true significance of the man’s presence here. Furthermore, I was not even certain that I could trust my own eyes, amidst the murky swirling mists of a grey early morning.’ Lestrade did not appear to be totally convinced and so I went on to describe every detail of the two occasions that I had observed the man we now knew to be Tilat, or the ‘Giant Rat of Sumatra’.

‘Well then, if that is the case, we must do everything within our power to find and apprehend this individual, before anybody else is killed,’ Lestrade stated boldly.

‘You should be glad to hear, therefore, that I have already taken steps that will help to bring this about,’ Holmes replied. ‘There is little doubt in my mind that Tilat is already aware of Daniel Collier’s visit to our rooms, so I suspect that any attempts by Watson or by me at tracking him down will meet with little or no success. Equally and with all due respect, you and your men will meet with similar failure, given the ham-fisted manner in which you go about your business.’

‘Thank you very much, Mr Holmes,’ Lestrade responded sarcastically. ‘I am sure that my colleagues at the Yard will appreciate your high opinion of their efforts. Nevertheless, your assessment seems to have left us with very few options—’

‘Holmes! You have sent for the Irregulars!’ I suddenly concluded enthusiastically.

As if I needed any confirmation of my statement, as we turned the corner into Baker Street I could see a small group of around four or five street ‘Arabs’ who had gathered in front of the entrance to 221B.

Lestrade laughed as soon as he realized my reaction to the sight of the boys.

‘Well, I must say, that little lot will be a fine match for a trained killer like Tilat!’

Holmes rebuked Lestrade’s ridicule with his sternest of glares.

‘You must realize that these innocuous-looking little urchins know their way about the docklands better than any man and should have little or no difficulty in ferreting out our quarry – if he is still to be found, that is. Furthermore, they will be able to accomplish this task without Tilat’s being aware that he has been detected, therefore we need have no fears that he will take premature flight.

‘You were not present at the conclusion of
The Sign of Four
affair, but you should be aware of their effectiveness in not only finding Jonathan Small, but also his proposed means of escape!
They can infiltrate any backstreet or backwater and remain invisible by virtue of their being so very commonplace. But wait! They seem to be without their leader.’

I should mention here that their self-styled commander, who went by the name of Wiggins, no doubt achieved this position of power by virtue of his most singular appearance. He stood at well over a head above his peers and his extraordinary height was accentuated by a frame that can best described as skeletal.

The boys became quite excited when they recognized us through the cab window, no doubt anticipating a task being set for them by Holmes, for which they would be suitably recompensed. Sadly their bare survival upon the streets was only made possible by their abilities as pickpockets and other forms of minor larceny. But where was Wiggins? This was the first question that we asked of them as we pulled up at the kerb.

The oldest boy of the group stood forward.

‘Oh Mr ’Olmes, ’e remembered ’ow upset your landlady was the last time we all thumped upstairs, so ’e’s waiting for you in your room on ’is own.’

Holmes patted him gently upon the head and smiled down upon them all with surprising fondness as he climbed out of the cab.

‘Good boys,’ Holmes said quietly, before turning back to speak to Lestrade.

‘I expect to allay your scepticism within forty-eight hours and I will call for you once the chase is about to begin,’ he informed the inspector. ‘In the meantime I suggest that you dispatch your best man to Daniel Collier’s hotel without a moment’s delay. Although I have furnished him with the services of a most stalwart ally of mine, should the need arise, I would say that at this stage of the game we would do well to employ every due precaution.’