The events that followed the arrival of the Hound were well documented by our dear friend, Dr. Watson. I do not wish to bore the reader with a repetition of the facts. Yet for the sake of those who have not yet had the good fortune to read his work, THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, I will give a quick briefing.
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Once Lucifer (that’s what we named the Tibetan Mastiff) arrived in London, our first problem was to find a suitable hiding place for him in the shire. Here for the first time, Stapleton came to our rescue. He seemed to know a way to navigate through the deadly Grimpen Mire and with his help we were able to keep Lucifer out of sight from the village folks. Lucifer’s eerie howls were enough to spark the dormant Black Dog legends. When we started letting out Lucifer, we knew that our plan was working, for the doctor’s visit to Baskerville Hall became more frequent. Then one day, we heard the news that Sir Charles was leaving for London and we knew that it was time to set Lucifer upon our victim. Here again, Stapleton’s vice proved to be a blessing in disguise. With the help of an unsuspecting Mrs Lyons, we were able to draw our victim into the moor. One sight of our majestic pet was enough to shove our hapless victim into the abyss of death. It would all have come to a happy (or tragic, depending on your viewpoint) ending, had it not been for one big blunder on the part of Stapleton.
We came to know of it about three months after the ‘death’ of Sir Charles. Jim was called to Radnor House by the Professor. He thought it was a new client and so was only glad to go. When he returned he was in a bad temper.
“That fool! Who does he think he is?”
“What’s the matter, Jim?”
“Radnor wants us to commit another murder.”
“Isn’t that what we do?”
“Another murder for Stapleton.”
“What? Why does he need to kill anyone? I thought he inherited enough to live for a lifetime.”
“It seems the idiot overlooked someone. There was a second brother in Canada and he had a son named Henry. Henry now inherits the whole fortune.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Stapleton must have had a heart attack when he heard the news. After all, he just committed a crime for someone else.
“So, what did you say, Jim?”
“I said I wouldn’t go through with it. This crime was my masterpiece. The perfect crime. The one that went unnoticed. I don’t want to spoil it by trying something outrageous as a second murder.”
“And what did they say to that?”
“That pompous fool suggested that I hand Lucifer over to him and he would do it himself. Can you believe him?”
A vein popped out on Jim’s forehead as he said this. Jim had asked for Lucifer instead of his share of the payment and Stapleton was only glad to comply. Radnor thought Jim was a fool for not taking the money. But Lucifer was Jim’s trophy. Over the three months, he had got quite attached to Lucifer. He even decided to stay in his brother’s country house for the sake of Lucifer.
“So, you turned him down?”
“I said that I had only one rule: One job per client. I said I was never going to change that.”
“When did you come up with that rule?”
“Just then. Anyway, Radnor seemed to understand and he assured me that Stapleton
would no longer bother me.”
“Do you really think Stapleton didn’t know about Henry?”
“Why do you ask, Seb?”
“Do you remember once asking me ‘Why take so much trouble to kill a dying man?’? I think we have our answer, Jim. Maybe it was to get a shot at this Henry before he married and had a family of his own.”
“Hmmh! Do you know what’s dangerous than a fool? A proud fool! If Stapleton knew about Henry and still kept quiet I will kill him personally. It would have been far easier to kill Henry when he was a poor man in Canada rather than when he just inherited a fortune.”
“Let it go, Jim. After all, we have seen the last of the Baskervilles.”
Or so we thought. But we had forgotten to take into account the visitor who would appear at our doorsteps the following day.
(If you are a die-hard fan of the invincible Sherlock Holmes, I suggest you read no further. But if you are ready to face the harsh realities of the world we live in, then do continue your journey. But remember, you were warned and truth is a bitter pill to swallow.)
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