First Part, The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes

It took me a lot of effort to write this story and I didn´t know if I could publish it. At last, after many years, Sherlock Holmes, who enjoys a quiet life on Sussex Down, dedicated to beekeeping, a productive and relaxing activity that he fortunately enjoys, and his brother Mycroft, who sought permission from the relevant authorities, have given me the endorsement to share this story with you.

As I have previously mentioned, my relationship with the detective has had several ups and downs, and there are times when Sherlock Holmes reaches the limit of my patience, and I think that was our worst situation. I was so moved that I was almost hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. Although as Sherlock Holmes is a special patient, under my care, I knew in advance that the Queen wasn´t going to let me resign, and kindly, Mycroft Holmes was by my side all the time, worried about my health, willing to find his disappeared brother and solve other cases.

Events unfolded in the summer of 1898. That was an extremely difficult year. In addition to many investigations and the consequent excess of work, which prevented us from taking vacations, at the beginning of the year, Holmes and I were put on trial, which I compiled in The Trial of Sherlock Holmes. Although we were victorious, the emotional aftermath was imprinted on our minds. On the one hand, even though Holmes is cold and insensitive, I came across this with some disappointment, since it´s hard to believe that Irene Adler was at the Reichenbach Falls and saw his fight with James Moriarty. Furthermore, his decisions to let go the murderer of Mortimer Tregennis and another confessed murderer, Captain Jack Croker, are questionable and these constitute criminal offenses under British law. And on the other hand, that emotional state of latent frustration, as if Sherlock Holmes had passed an exam by copying others, was transferred to me, since for several months, every time I walked through the streets, I was disturbed by the strong stares that reflected disgust of some people, who consider me as the accomplice of Sherlock Holmes. In the same way, the magistrates were very lenient with my friend, partly because they were scared by the large number of protesters, who at that time, took over the courthouse and vastly outnumbered the security forces.

In addition to this, days ago, Sherlock Holmes was deeply discouraged, before the murder of our client, Mr. Hilton Cubitt, which I wrote about in The Adventure of the Dancing Men. Certainly, his insensitivity was defeated by an immense feeling of guilt for trusting himself too much and not acting with caution, making the same mistake of another story from 1887: The Five Orange Pips. On that occasion, Sherlock Holmes also let our client, the young John Openshaw, go home alone, instead of accompanying him in the face of the immense latent danger, and he was assassinated by the Ku Klux Klan, that same night, before arriving to his residence. Unfortunately, unlike animals, human beings make the same mistake several times, and Sherlock Holmes, the most prodigious and rational thinking machine of all time, didn´t escape this reality. I also recognize that part of the fault is mine, since in both cases, I didn´t like the terrible facts that each client explained, and instead of suggesting that the affected person should stay to sleep with us, and accompany him to his house, the next day, I kept quiet. Even we don´t act like that. I remember that in 1883, in the early years of our professional relationship, we were that night at the home of the client, Miss Helen Stoner, and saved her from an eminent assassination attempt by her stepfather. I wrote this masterful story with the title The Adventure of the Speckled Band.

I also remember the recent case of Josiah Amberley, who murdered his wife and the lover, collected in The Adventure of the Retired Colourman. However, after several years of reflection, I now realize that Sherlock Holmes had a very difficult life. Although we were used to seeing corpses and hearing about murders of known people, from time to time, in days or a few weeks, I wasn´t understanding how these events were destroying the mental health of my dear friend, who became insensitive, cold and distant, in order to deny that reality and be able to continue with his life. His other escape routes to counteract a world full of hate, evil and injustice were: eating, drinking, smoking, taking drugs, playing the violin, performing chemical experiments, writing essays, and reading British law and crime literature; as if the latter were a fiction that somehow had to be incorporated into his conflictive life.

Moreover, Sherlock Holmes, who has told me that he doesn´t love any woman and will never marry, involuted upon meeting Irene Adler, in the story A Scandal in Bohemia. First, he called her the woman, and after several years, he became obsessed, naming her the golden lady and mentioning that woman frequently. Of course, I noticed that strange sentimental relationship that prevails between them, which is more solid than marriages that have lasted decades. Unfortunately, the infamous Irene Adler, also known as the countess of crime, is the most feared thief in Europe, being an expert in blackmailing and extorting the nobles of the continent. I remember that in July 1894, she tried to take half of the Earl Rembrandt Jaisen's inheritance, by presenting his supposed half-brother, which I summarized in the short story The Illegitimate Brother of the Earl of Ducadia. On that occasion, as in the tale The Adventure of the Dying Detective, Sherlock Holmes was able to work as an office detective, solving each case without leaving the residence. Of course! This isn´t his style. Returning to the subject of interest, in December of that year 94, mocking all the security measures of the Tower of London, Irene Adler stole the most valuable jewels of British royalty: St Edward's Crown and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Masterfully, Sherlock Holmes objected the identity of Rembrandt Jaisen's supposed half-brother, who is precisely the brother of Irene Adler. Likewise, he obtained the Crown before December 24, allowing the Queen to show it during the Christmas parade, but the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is suspected to be still in the possession of Irene Adler, hasn´t been recovered, because there is no one in the world who can afford such jewel, or show it publicly. Only Irene Adler has dared to send photographs of the Koh-i-Noor, on her necklace, to British and continental newspapers. I explained the events of these incredible robberies of British jewels in The Adventure of the Theft of St Edward's Crown, being moved by the cunning and unusual skills of Irene Adler, who knows the intimate secrets of many kings, nobles and bourgeois, being able to threaten and destroy any monarchy.

For this reason, since the end of that year 1894, the European governments have worked in a coordinated manner, making great efforts to capture Irene Adler. At the secret service office, Mycroft Holmes, who is aware of the emotional problem that she has created to his brother, has done everything to bring her to justice, working with police forces and intelligence agencies from Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. Nonetheless, it is only known that she lives somewhere in Scandinavia, after the strange suicide of her husband Godfrey Norton, a fact considered a murder by Sherlock Holmes, and the security forces have failed several times because she always escapes, counting with accomplices in the same institutions. In certain way, she is similar to a strange witch or black widow, emulating the Greek myth of the powerful goddess of fortune, Tykhe, who can only be trapped under exceptional circumstances.

Now, I made a brief account about the fame of Irene Adler considering that she is the protagonist of this story, and has forced Sherlock Holmes to act against her, becoming an antagonist. Likewise, taking into account her dismal reputation, when Holmes was accused of murdering James Moriarty, I still don´t understand how the High Court of Justice dismissed the testimony of Colonel Sebastian Moran, who was in that place, while Holmes and Moriarty were fighting, and accepted the letter from Irene Adler, without having absolute certainty that it had been written by her, neither counting with evidence of her presence in Switzerland at that time. Although John McFarlane, one of Sherlock Holmes' three defense attorneys, cleverly insisted that: "it is the testimony of a murderer against that of a common thief who hasn´t yet been convicted. She isn´t a murderer or a kidnapper, she is simply a common thief, who doesn´t gain anything by lying…"

Dear readers, I made an exceptional effort to write these lines, since it is very difficult for me to talk about that damned woman, who has affected Sherlock Holmes, and sometimes runs him like a puppet. I can´t describe the frustration and anger I feel every time I hear that name, or the same crosses my mind. I would prefer her to be dead! I have requested Mycroft Holmes, Lestrade and Patterson, and before that I asked Mary Morstan, who was an agent of the secret service office, to murder that evil woman. But, they have never given me an answer, and I have realized, with sadness and bitterness, that this infamous woman knows the secrets of almost all mortals. I have even thought that I am a saint, because she has never been able to threaten me, although perhaps that doesn´t interest her, since I don´t have much wealth and that woman prefers me attending her secret lover. And to make matters worse, Sherlock Holmes holds the highest esteem and admiration of her. This is an unlikely relationship between the greatest detective of all time and the worst thief on the European continent, whose intellectual abilities compete with those of the late professor James Moriarty. My detective friend doesn´t allow me to speak badly of her, looks at me with a bad face if I slip a derogatory word against that woman, and I still remember his words, when the evidence of that bandit cleared him of being convicted of the murder of James Moriarty. I am copying information from my notes of The Trial of Sherlock Holmes. Extremely emotional, the detective told me: "Watson, I have always told you, Irene Adler is the golden lady, she is not the countess of crime, are you going to keep calling her the damned woman? You should respect her and recognize that she saved my life…"

On that morning of the second week of August 1898, I looked with concern at my expensive pocket watch, one of the few luxuries I can afford due to my modest income. It was five past seven in the morning. For three days, Sherlock Holmes had disappeared. Since he has done this on other occasions, at first, I didn´t worry or pay attention to it. In this regard, it should be noted that once, while I was living in Kensington, he went to France, without telling me, tracking the damned woman, and in the end, I had to face a serious diplomatic crisis that Holmes created. Of course, I was ridiculed before the lies from both, and was insulted by my detective friend, in front of the leading magistrate Sir William Whihands. I wrote this complicated story in The Strange Death of Irene Adler While Blackmailing Sherlock Holmes. But, since yesterday afternoon I began to worry considering that there was no reason for my friend to leave without telling me what was happening, and of course, I woke up extremely distressed, after spending a bad night. Even a few minutes before the kind Mrs. Hudson, who noticed the notable absence of the dear detective, and didn´t want to ask me for details, knocked on the door, saying that the breakfast is ready.

Suddenly, while my mind wandered into confusing and contradictory thoughts, I remembered some events of the fateful trial against us. I will never forget the betrayal of Stanley Hopkins, a former protégé of my detective friend, who had previously seen him as his successor, and the intrigues of the top bosses of Scotland Yard and the French police, who conspired to end the distinguished career of Sherlock Holmes as investigator and harm mine. Likewise, I was also thinking about some corrections that I had to make to two essays: the dancing men and the color manufacturer. However, I never imagined that this would be such a difficult day. I felt a loud rattle from various carriages! At least, there were three special vehicles used only by secret service officers or Scotland Yard inspectors. The carriages stopped in front of the residence and I quickly got out of bed, dressing as quickly as possible. I knew very well who was coming and this triggered my internal alarms: if Sherlock Holmes is missing and his cordial brother came to visit me, this didn´t bode well, rather it was an unmistakable sign of multiple problems.

Some time ago, Mycroft Holmes was like a common individual, who moved freely through London and other cities, without requiring bodyguards. But his startling revelation during his brother's trial, which became public news and grabbed headlines in British and continental newspapers, changed his life completely. Since then, the previously unknown and now recognized director of the British secret service office could not move alone, nor stay a minute without the support of the security forces.

I left quickly without seeing the time on my watch, and was able to open the door before Mycroft Holmes knocked, looking at Mrs. Hudson with a certain air of astonishment and counting at least two guards in the entrance hall. After greeting this unexpected visitor and receiving his affectionate salutation, I closed the door behind him and invited Mycroft to breakfast. He didn´t want to eat and seeing me with a face that didn´t portend good news, he asked me:

-Watson, why are you so pale?

Quickly, I replied:

-Sherlock Holmes has been missing for three days...

Mycroft Holmes stated:

-Dear Watson.

-I already know that!

-What a pity with you!

-My brother always makes disasters and it´s your turn to fix the broken dishes.

-Don´t worry!

-This time you won´t be alone!

Mycroft Holmes paused. He is a very different person from his brother, exhibiting unusual elegance modals, typical of a true English gentleman. Even during the Sherlock Holmes trial, with his charisma, good manners and ways of telling the truth, with tact and delicacy, Mycroft Holmes was able to win the trust of the magistrates and many attendees of that judicial process. I cannot deny that in this fearsome trial, with three charges against my dear friend, Irene Adler saved Sherlock Holmes' skin from the main charge, murdering professor James Moriarty, which would have been punishable by death or life imprisonment, while Mycroft Holmes, revealing state secrets, managed to annul the second charge, and the third could be defeated thanks to the cunning and unconventional tactics of the famous Sherlock Holmes. Of course, my friend's success in definitively defeating the last two charges exempted me from being his accomplice and withholding confidential information needed by the authorities. In addition, the detective had too much support and I confess that the main magistrate of the High Court of Justice, successor to Sir William Whihands, was practically selected by Sherlock Holmes, since previously the retired magistrate had two candidates to succeed him and couldn´t make a decision. I told that at the end of the story The Strange Death of Irene Adler While Blackmailing Sherlock Holmes, which is difficult to publish because it deals with a deception by the evil countess of crime, who threatened to reveal an intimate secret of my detective friend, and how Sherlock Holmes interfered in a decision of the Judiciary Power, which later benefited him during the course of his trial.

Nonetheless, at that moment, Mycroft Holmes screwed up his face, and stared at the floor, showing that the difficult situation wasn´t under control and showing a nervousness that he didn´t even reflect when Sherlock Holmes was about to be convicted of murder. This aggravated my mental state and I almost passed out. I looked for strength where I didn´t have it, and I saw that in his right hand, he had a folder with some documents. We sat on the sofa, and he didn´t mind that I decided to have a cigarette to calm my nerves, which were practically irritated and wrecked.

Despite my serious memory problems, which force me to quickly write down the Sherlock Holmes stories, thus preventing them from falling into oblivion, I think I will never forget that conversation. At that moment, Mycroft Holmes was like a teacher imparting new knowledge to his student Watson, while I had no choice, but to listen carefully. I was overwhelmed by curiosity and panic due to these unusual and uncertain events. This happens when Sherlock Holmes makes risky decisions without consulting me. The cordial Mycroft Holmes expounded:

-Oh, Watson!

-Please, change that face!

-Sherlock is not dead!

-I think I know where he is...

-But, we have worse problems…

-This is a telegram that one of my agents sent me, from Scotland. Please, read it! I would like to know your opinion…

With the delicacy that characterizes him, he gave me that letter in my hand. Since the letters were very small, I put on my glasses and read the content aloud:

"Detective and countess seen en route to Orkney Islands. Marriage ready."

Without being able to prevent the telegram from falling to the floor or control my discomfort, I exclaimed loudly:

-What is this?

Mycroft Holmes picked it up and said to me:

-Well!

-Maybe it´s funny for some people, but I reiterate that this is the least of our problems...

-Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler are getting married in secret!

-In the Orkney Islands!

-Watson, do you doubt this?

Although I am aware of the mutual feelings of love and affection between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, I refused to believe what I was hearing. It was as if the friendly Mycroft Holmes had been transformed into a green ogre, who steals Christmas. I was upset and furious. I couldn´t help but vent! I yelled so loud that maybe Mrs. Hudson, on the other side of the door, and the bodyguards heard my words.

-What did that fool do?

-Mycroft?

-Why did you tell me this?

-This news is worse than his death!

-How is Sherlock going to continue fighting crime if he is related to a dangerous criminal?

-I always suspected this!

-And you talk about worse problems!

I don´t remember exactly what happened next. It was like I was dreaming and saw everything with quick movements, before passing out. The door opened and a doctor came in and injected me with a tranquilizer. Yes! Now, I remember his face! Expecting the worst, Mycroft Holmes came with a complete team….

I woke up like two or three hours later. At that time, without a warrant, Mycroft Holmes and his agents raided Sherlock Holmes' room. They opened his personal index, page by page, looking for some note, scribble, or hidden message on the spine, or on any page. They broke the mattress, emptied the drawers of his closet and other furniture, and disassembled his test tubes, carefully classifying the stored substances, trying to discover if their colors, compositions, and the strange order of these mixtures were secret keys of his exact location. They also searched all his belongings, and even broke window sills and punched holes in the walls of his messy and chaotic room.

The search was fruitless. When I woke up and came to my senses, within a few short minutes, I could see by the disappointed faces of Mycroft Holmes and his agents, who saw me as some kind of savior or wizard with answers they couldn´t find, that I was part of the solution they were looking for. The officers hastily withdrew, taking with them the personal file of Sherlock Holmes and various boxes, which contained some of my writings and essays of Sherlock Holmes.

Of course, Mycroft Holmes and myself were left alone. Without hiding his concerned air, he resumed the conversation:

-Oh, Watson!

-The doctor wanted to hospitalize you!

-But I didn´t allow it!

-Watson, stop worrying!

-I promise you that all the documents will be returned.

-We took pictures before raiding!

-Soon, other professionals will come to put Sherlock's room in order.

-When he comes back, he won´t realize what happened...

I refuted him:

-Oh! Mycroft.

-Don´t you know your brother?

-Of course, he will find out...

-No one can put Sherlock Holmes' room back the way it was. This reflects a disorder that only he understands! It is enough to put an object half an inch apart, or leave a fingerprint, or a trail of dust on a page of his personal file for him to notice the difference.

-Besides, he is going to claim that the formulas of his perfumes were altered.

-Why didn´t you let me help with this raid?

My impression of Mycroft Holmes continued to change radically. He wasn´t just the green monster that hijacks Christmas. Now, he was something inconceivable and much worse! I was facing a savage who almost left Sherlock Holmes without a room and was close to throwing his belongings to the street. It´s amazing what people can do when they are on the brink of despair! Although I had an advantage in my favor: I could mistrust him and Mycroft had no choice, but to trust me.

The director of the secret service office continued speaking:

-Watson, I hope you can understand!

-I have sent my best agents to capture Irene Adler and prevent that marriage.

-If Irene Adler marries Sherlock Holmes, she acquires the right to be a British citizen, which we suspended after the death of Godfrey Norton, and the other governments, without knowing her whereabouts, would have to request extradition orders to Great Britain, before detaining her, which would buy her valuable time to escape.

-Sherlock Holmes would be an accomplice of Irene Adler!

-Is he helping her or paying for the favor she did him in the trial?

-I don´t know!

-So, can Sherlock Holmes be judged again, if he is considered as an accomplice of Irene Adler?

-I don´t know!

Somewhat calmer, as a result of these outbursts, I interrupted Mycroft Holmes and said:

-Dear Mycroft.

-What is more serious than the supposed marriage of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler?

-What are the other problems?

Lunch time was approaching. Neither Mycroft Holmes, nor myself, victims of the follies of Sherlock Holmes, who must have consulted with us or asked for help before going into hiding, had breakfast. Somewhat tired, he replied:

-Watson, among your papers, we took the essay The Adventure of the Second Stain...

I exposed:

-Oh!

-Yes!

-It will be very difficult to publish that writing...

-Why did you take it?

-You don´t trust me?

Mycroft Holmes was blunt:

-Watson, this is not personal!

-The niece of the secretary for European affairs was kidnapped!

-If we don´t deliver the ransom, they will kill her...

Concerned, I inquired:

-Sir Trelawney Hope?

-Who is favorite to occupy that position for fourth time!

-Who rightly directs European diplomacy!

Seeing the situation more clearly, understanding in part why Sherlock Holmes escaped, and using the analytical skills that my detective friend taught me, I persisted with some questions:

-How much do the kidnappers ask for?

-How much time do we have?

Alarmed, Mycroft Holmes expounded:

-Oh, Watson!

-Twelve million pounds sterling...

-Enough to buy four times the Crown of St. Edward.

-While Sherlock Holmes is quietly preparing for his marriage and honeymoon, we only have seventy-two hours to comply with the kidnappers' demands.

-The Parliament will never approve that amount of money!

Facing with Mycroft Holmes' evident lack of analytical skills, in criminal matters, and with some preconceived ideas, in the Holmes style, I wanted to get to the bottom of the matter:

-Why so much money?

Mycroft Holmes looked at me with a face of not wanting to answer, but he said:

-She is the prime minister's mistress...

-If the truth comes to light or she is murdered, I believe more in the first option, that would be the end of the Conservative Party and there will be a problem with our diplomatic relations...

-How will we direct our relations with the countries of the continent and the colonies if the rulers are immoral?

-That would be a great humiliation that would also affect the British royalty!

-Besides, I think that even if we pay, they are going to reveal the truth and justify that they murdered an infidel…

Mycroft Holmes paused, which I took advantage, in order to continue the conversation:

-And what is the other problem?

Somewhat nervous, Mycroft Holmes replied:

-From the Queen's stable...

-The three horses that represent us in the Windsor Derby were stolen.

-If this is known, how will we look internationally? The mighty Britain, in addition to being ruled by corrupt politicians, can´t keep its own purebreds! How do the Englishmen rule the world, if they can´t take care of their own territory? Its decline is worse than that of the Roman Empire!

-We will be the laughing stock of the colonies, which may rise up, and of the European nations...

I interrupted Mycroft:

-What a disgrace!

-So, we are not even going to be able to participate in that classic!

-And that race will be run next week!

-Could it be that Sherlock Holmes is inopportune? Or did they kidnap him? Or that he is on the trail of both cases?

-Or it can be that...

-The damned woman!

-She is behind all this, and that´s why she took Sherlock Holmes out of the country!

-I feel and smell, as your brother has taught me, that everything can be related: the disappearance of Sherlock Holmes, the kidnapping of Trelawney Hope's niece and also the abduction of those horses...

-This is a wicked plan, finely orchestrated!

-Mycroft, let´s join the threads...

-The damned woman, she kidnapped…

-What´s her name?

I heard Mycroft Holmes' quick reply:

-Viannelis Hope!

With some inspiration, I continued speaking:

-Irene Adler kidnapped Viannelis Hope, the three horses and also our friend...

-This is a perfect plan!

-If he is not aware of these kidnappings, she should only entertain him for a few days…

-And without his help, we can´t solve this, unless he´s already acting, and he didn´t have time to let us know...

-I insist, only Sherlock has the answers...

I remained silent while reflecting and severely, Mycroft Holmes said to me:

-I don´t rule out that they have deceived him with that marriage.

-I would like to think that Sherlock realized everything and went to confront Irene Adler…

-But everything seems to indicate that he is being held by Irene Adler, although it seems that she is not involved in the other cases.

-I explain, Watson, your theory has a flaw...

-Irene Adler is a thief, blackmailer and extortionist. But, she isn´t a kidnapper and she has never threatened to kill someone. She wouldn´t be with Sherlock either to favor kidnappers and murderers... She doesn´t act like that! Something is very wrong! This is bigger than we think! This looks like the work of a James Moriarty… Or someone who hired Irene Adler, who doesn´t know about the other kidnappings… But, who?

-I am afraid only Sherlock Holmes can give us the definitive answer!

-Yes! Watson...

-On the last point, I agree with you, only Sherlock Holmes can clarify what is happening. Why did he leave? Is his secret marriage more important? By one way or the other, by any means possible, we must rescue Sherlock Holmes, before it´s too late!

Next, one of Mycroft Holmes' agents knocked on the door and handed us a telegram. Sherlock's brother read it quickly, saw the officer and said:

-Who gave you this?

The agent stated:

-The smelly boy who brings messages from Irene Adler.

Mycroft Holmes was upset:

-Where is that bastard?

The officer sent for him, but Wiggins and the other bodyguard had left. There we discovered that this agent was an infiltrator of Irene Adler.

In a few minutes, inspectors Lestrade and Patterson entered, who had a copy of that telegram, which I read at that moment:

"First telegram from Sherlock Holmes, the three horses are in the stable of trainer Rios. He entered them in the classic under false names. Read the equestrian gazettes. Don´t bother me with non-sense, I am on vacation, I am going to the flying islands of the land of rabbits, when I reach the fifth telegram, you will be happy. S.H."

I knew beforehand that Mycroft Holmes' deductions were not on the right track. It is almost impossible for the cunning Sherlock Holmes to be kidnapped or held, while serious crimes are being committed, rather, surely he was already aware of the situation, and with little effort he found the kidnapped horses.

Inspector Lestrade looked at us with a certain face of astonishment because we could not hide our anguish, and stated:

-Dear Sirs, an hour ago we rescued the thoroughbreds, we didn´t even know about that kidnapping...

-This telegram arrived at dawn… Scotland…

-Has Sherlock Holmes returned?

So, I exclaimed:

-Eureka!

-Sherlock Holmes left the Orkney Islands!

-Yes!

-Spain is the land of rabbits.

-And…

I couldn´t finish speaking because Patterson interrupted me:

-Flying islands are the islands with the name of a bird, the Canary Islands...

-But, there are seven, no! Eight…

-He can be in any of them…

Mycroft Holmes, who was relieved that one of his problems was solved, was surprised by my sudden change of mood and expressions of joy, which contrast with the triumphant smile that his brother exhibits when he finds the final solution to a problem. Anyway, before they asked me any questions, I took command of the discussion:

-Once Sherlock Holmes told me that part of the lost treasure of Agra, the one from the story The Sign of Four, was hidden on a third island…. He also confirmed that this is the best place to hide the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Inspector Patterson, an expert in geography, remarked:

-The third Canary Island is La Gomera…

Mycroft Holmes was satisfied and took the floor:

-Thank you Patterson!

-Thank you Watson!

-I knew it…

-Watson, you are the one who knows my brother best!

Thereafter, Mycroft Holmes explained the situation of Sherlock Holmes and the kidnapping of Viannelis Hope to the officers, asking them to maintain confidentiality, and not telling these details to the chief inspector of Scotland Yard. They were stunned and could not believe that the great detective had the intention of marrying that fearsome criminal. However, as required, I had to outline my conclusions about the detective's personality and my impressions of his strange sentimental relationship with the countess of crime, confirming that possibly Sherlock Holmes was defeated by the irrational forces of love…