Free The Devil's Grin - a Crime Novel Featuring Anna Kronberg and Sherlock Holmes by Annelie Wendeberg Page B

as a man. I was a scientist and a medical doctor who was occasionally consulted by Scotland Yard. And I was trying to solve a crime of which the Yard had no knowledge , and working on that same case with Sherlock Holmes, while fucking a highly accomplished thief, who believed I was a nurse. And I owned a penis on straps, which now lay wrapped in a towel inside my doctor’s bag.
    I tipped the brandy into my mouth, flicked the cigarette into the fireplace, and again accepted the fact that I was not normal.
    I wondered onto which shore life would puke me up some day.

    ~~~

    I was attending to patients as Wallace McFadin showed up, red faced again. But this time he was excited.
    ‘ Dr Kronberg!’ He called from the entrance of the ward. I gestured to him to be quiet; one can not just run into a room full of sick and half asleep patients.
    ‘ My apologies! Me and another student, Farley, we found something!’
    He rummaged in his pockets to extract a small piece of paper.
    ‘ You said we should observe everything, to find out about the history. The man you dissected a week ago - Farley and I had his right lower arm and hand for today's anatomy lesson. The others got all the other parts and I saw his head and torso, so I knew it was him.’
    McFadin was talking rather fast.
    ‘ So, we started dissecting his hand, he still had it balled up into a fist, and then we found this!’
    He waved the piece of paper in front of my nose; the sweet stench of decomposition, combined with creosote was wafting off it. I took the note from him; one word was written on it in thick smudgy letters:

    ‘ He used a small piece of charcoal . Interesting, Mr McFadin, thank you very much.’
    ‘ Do you think you can find out where he came from, or who he was?’
    I shook my head . ‘I don't think so. I don't think that he had all his bearings together as he wrote that note, I'm not even sure what it means. But I'll give it some thought and let you know if I can find anything of interest.’
    McFadin looked a little disappointed, but still proud to have found the note. I went to my office and prepared a wire to Holmes “ Found something. If interested meet at seven at Carole’s, The Strand, AK”

    ~~~

    I sat at a small table in the back with a candle providing some light, waiting. As it reached twenty past seven my stomach was grumbling something unintelligible at me and I decided to order my dinner. At that very moment Holmes walked in and sat down, looking curious.
    ‘ I know you are fairly busy with much more interesting things than this odd case of mine,’ I said and he answered with a frown.
    ‘ Honestly , Mr Holmes, I'm sure the criminal world holds countless more intriguing mysteries that this one. However, this may add some information; given you have a clue what it could mean?’
    I unfolded the note ; he took it out of my hand and stared at it with eyebrows pulled together.
    ‘ A student of mine found it during his anatomy lessons.’
    He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut across. ‘He and another student dissected Big Boots’s right hand.’
    Holmes’s face flushed in excitement and he slapped his hand on the table. Darkness fell. A loud clatter told us the silverware had jumped off the ledge.
    ‘ My apologies .’ He struck a match and moved the flame towards the wick. I noticed the contrast of warm light against silver grey eyes and turned my gaze away.
    The waiter appeared and I got the impression he moved on small wheels attached to his shoes. He glided away with our orders scribbled on his small notepad.
    ‘ Mr Holmes?’
    ‘ Hm?’
    ‘ Any clue?’
    Silently, he extracted his magnifying glass and examined the paper.
    ‘ Hum… no marks. He used charcoal, very soft material. Unintelligible and smudged…’
    Then he straightened up and sat there for a moment. His eyeballs were moving occasionally, lips twitching, brow furrowing. I was certain he would talk to himself if he were alone. The waiter placed our dinner