Free Sherlock Holmes and the Chinese Junk Affair and Other Stories by Roy Templeman

step of the four-wheeler and turned towards Holmes. ‘You and I, Mr Holmes, should exchange jobs.’ He paused. ‘But perhaps not; I would make a poor detective.’ With a smile still lighting his face, he entered the four-wheeler followed by his ministers.
    The policemen had that puzzled look still upon their faces, unable to understand what had been going on. They, of course, had been outside the building, guarding the entrance against any intruders, and were still not privy to anything. The few local people were puzzled too, no doubt, at the sight of the four-wheelers drawn up outside those old empty workshops being guarded by a posse of large hefty policemen. Had they known the Prime Minister was inside the building, a crowd would soon have gathered.
    That evening Holmes and I discussed the events of the day, but not how he had achieved what had seemed the impossible. I was content to await the following evening when Holmes, in his inimitable manner, would, like a surgeon before a group of students, dissect a body step by step, the mysteries and functions of each organ explained in a logical and lucid manner.
    *
    We arrived at No. 10 the following evening and enjoyed a superb dinner in the most congenial surroundings, the glassware and silver picking up the light from the magnificent chandeliers. The walls were hung with wonderful paintings by the great artists of the past. Altogether a most memorable occasion, a reminder of the grand dinners held in the regimental mess I had attended in the past.
    I knew, though, the best was yet to come. After the port was passed around, we retired to a comfortable room with sofas and easy chairs.
    Lord Bellinger spoke first. ‘I am sure we are all waiting with bated breath for you to reveal, Mr Holmes, how you brought this case, which let us not forget appeared such a threat, to a most successful conclusion.’ He sank back into his chair displaying every indication of looking forward to hearing what Holmes had to reveal.
    Holmes leaned forward, his eyes swiftly looking from face to face at his expectant audience, then began.
    ‘When Dr Watson and I started the investigation, we went to Halam Hall, spending the day examining the ballroom, the Hall itself and then the grounds. As my old friend Inspector Lestrade of the Yard would say, it was as clean as a whistle. There was hardly a sign of what had taken place there, not one single clue remained which might have led us on to another.
    ‘Rodger Hardy had made good use of the time to clean up the place between that weekend, when he put on his superb demonstration for Sir Simon, and the time we began our investigation. Two weeks in fact had passed.
    ‘The following days I decided to try and trace the Chinese junk. After all a Chinese junk on the River Thames is not exactly an everyday sight. Again I drew a blank. I was to learn later from my Chinese friends that they had hidden it during the daylight hours after Sir Simon’s inspection and, during that night, had sailed it laden with heavy stone ballast, out to sea and sank her. They returned to shore in a small rowing boat.
    ‘I should like to point out that I had been without the invaluable help given me on most of my cases by Dr Watson. He had been called away to Brighton to attend an old patient. I can assure you he was sorely missed.’
    They acknowledged this statement by looking towards me for a moment, before turning once again to listen to Holmes. I felt a great warmth towards my old friend and have to acknowledge a smarting in my eyes.
    ‘I made enquiries then from electrical engineering firms from whom Rodger Hardy might have obtained his electrical apparatus. Here I was more fortunate. It seemed to confirm Rodger Hardy’s account of his work on developing the “Transposer” with the scientists in China.
    ‘Over the past years the firms had despatched electrical goods to him in China, and over the last few months had delivered similar equipment to Halam Hall.
    ‘I