Free The Adventure of the Tired Captain A Sherlock Holmes Case by K. Michael Gaschnitz

the pillows.
    Suddenly I heard Mrs. Anstruther’s faint voice whisper, “Mortimer.” I looked up but she had passed out again.

CHAPTER 5
    I ran downstairs and grabbed a decanter of brandy from the sideboard in the dining room and my neighbour’s medical bag from his surgery, although I knew there was little I could do except let the drug take it’s course. I hurried back up the stairs and administered some of the spirits to each of the women.
    Slowly my neighbour’s wife came out of her stupor and I pressed her for more details of the evening’s events. In a halting and disjointed manner she told me of what had happened.
    “It was as your wife was putting on your maid’s cloak and bonnet,” she began “and saying her good byes that the bell rang. Thinking that it may indicate the late arrival of a patient Mortimer asked Mrs. Dobson, our own maid, to send away the visitor unless it was an emergency. We could hear voices in the hallway and a moment later Mrs. Dobson called to us. The four of us went into the passage only to see two strange men at the top of the staircase. My husband went up the stairs to confront them only to find the business end of a revolver pointed at his head. The rest of us were then marched up the stairs and into the bedroom.
    “‘What is it you want, you scoundrels?’ My husband asked bravely, pushing us behind him.
    “‘Calm yourself, old timer. We have no intention of hurting no one as long as you do what you’re told,’ the one said in a most ungentlemanly manner.
    “‘Which of you is Mary Watson?’ the other asked with more civility than his friend. Without a moment’s hesitation your wife stepped forward and said that she was the one that they were looking for. They roughly pulled her aside and pushed her down onto a chair......”
    “The villains!” I spat.
    She took another sip of brandy, “Your maid screamed and fainted and it was while their attention was diverted that Mortimer decided to go for help; one of the men ran after him and there was a shot,” her body shook ever so slightly and she sobbed quietly.
    After a few moments she continued and her voice was steady. “The second man took your wife by the arm and ushered her from the room. Soon the first man returned and placed a cloth over my face and the next thing I knew you were leaning over me. ”
    “How is my husband, Doctor?”
    “I do not know Margaret, I saw no one else in the house.”
    “We must find him John, h e may be badly hurt,” she replied calmly. Mrs. Anstruther was quite elderly and she took most such setbacks in stride. It was a characteristic I found most appealing although a trifle unnerving.
    “Possibly he has managed to make good his escape,” she said, as I helped her to her feet.
    “Maybe so,” I replied gently “but I’m sure that if Dr. Anstruther had eluded his pursuers the police would have been here by now.”
    “I must find him John,” the old lady said with determination and walked slowly towards the door.
    “A moment , Margaret. With the assistance of these two ladies the search would go much faster. If they feel up to it,” I added. Even though I wanted nothing more than to go after Mary I could not abandon my neighbour in her time of need.
    The brandy had done its intended work and both of the servants readily assented to join in our quest. We began a search of the premises and it was Mary Jane who first called out.
    “Doctor Watson, sir, come and look at this.”
    I rushed from out of another of the upstairs bedrooms to see my maid peering down at something near the top of the stairs.
    “Look here, sir. This is blood is it not?” she whispered pointing to a small pool of red on the gleaming wooden floor.
    I knelt down and examined the dark stain, which did indeed appear to be blood. In my initial haste I must have passed right by the spot.
    The other two women joined us. Mrs. Anstruther let out an exclamation of dismay at the sight of the dark, wet stain and the