ACADEMIA
Meetings and Greetings The morning I received my note from Holmes, I also met Dr. Watson and his wife, Mary. After I had fetched the paper and brought Holmes his breakfast and mail (all the seals broken, just for good measure) I was taking the tray downstairs when I heard a knock at the door. Mrs. Hudson said from downstairs, "Would you get that Catherine?" I went towards the door, tray in hand. Upon opening it I saw a handsome man in a tall hat, wearing a fashionable mustache and dressed stylishly. On his arm was a lovely redheaded woman with kind grey eyes. "Good morning, how can I help you?" She turned around and held her hand out, "Hello Miss Keaton, I'm Mary Watson. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mary had removed her hat, and her lovely red hair sat in neat curls. It was at about that time that our attention turned to the stairwell, as we heard a swift succession of steps descending. Holmes and Watson took seats in the chairs across from the sofa Mary and I occupied. Mrs. Hudson re-entered, set down the tea cups, and exited without a word. "Fascinating. So, when planning a murder, never leave any witnesses is what you are saying?" I meant it as a joke, but I saw something hard flit behind Holmes's eyes. It was there and gone in a flash, but I had definitely noticed it. It wasn't imagined. "First rule of crime. You cannot trust anyone." He continued to sip his tea, but I could tell the mood had changed. Watson seemed uncomfortable and Mary had her eyes downcast. After lunch we took a walk through the park. Holmes and Watson went on ahead while Mary and I walked behind. I looked at the backs of the two men. Watson was talking animatedly abut something. Holmes' head was cocked to the side, the profile of his hat and sunglasses stark against the green of the trees along the path. "They seem very close," I said. The four of us continued our walk through the park until we reached the end of the path. Mary and Watson parted ways with us in the afternoon, waving goodbye from the windows of a carriage. I stood with Holmes, strangely at ease with him at the moment. We continued down another alleyway, this one darker and much more nefarious. I walked more closely to Holmes. As we came to a corner, all of a sudden about ten children seemed to appear out of nowhere. Holmes stopped abruptly. "Run fer it!" Shouted a tiny voice, and all the children scattered in seconds, all but the one boy. I came to my senses finally and hurried after Holmes. I had no more money if the children should come back. My feelings continued to be hurt until we rounded the corner. Holmes ducked into a camouflaged door in the side of a building. We had entered a large, empty warehouse. On one side there was a fence in the middle of the floor shaped like an octagon. What looked like a bar stood behind it, against a wall. "What is this place? You're secret hideaway? Your laboratory?" I looked at the science equipment. "What was that thing? That wall in the floor?" We walked all the way back to Baker street. Upon entering the foyer he simply dashed up the stairs, two at a time. I didn't bother bringing him dinner that night. I didn't think he wanted it. For some reason I had the feeling he wanted to be alone. So I let him.
"Yes mam."
"Good morning, I am Dr. Watson, and this is Mrs. Watson. May we come in? I'm a friend of Mr. Holmes. Is he in presently?"
"Ah, the famous Dr. Watson, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Yes, Mr. Holmes is in. Mrs. Hudson has mentioned you before. My name is Catherine Keaton, I'm staying in your old room."
He smiled, "How are you holding up?" I moved aside to let them in. I sighed, searching for the right words. He eyed me, "That well, eh?"
"It's been…an experience."
"You are too kind." Dr. Watson removed his hat and helped his wife with her coat, deftly holding his cane beneath his arm.
I grasped her hand. "The pleasure is all mine. Have the both of you had breakfast? Shall I fetch some tea?"
I liked Mary Watson instantly. She seemed sincere yet polite. A difficult combination to obtain.
"I think some tea would be nice." She looked to her husband, "Will you be joining us John, or can you and Mr. Holmes tend to yourselves?"
"Oh, don't worry about us. The old man probably won't come down for some time. Go on without us."
"Very well, I think Miss Keaton and I shall get to know one another." She smiled down at me, she was tall, taller than me at five foot five inches.
Dr. Watson ascended the stairs, "You ladies enjoy yourselves. Nice to meet you Miss Keaton." he nodded at me, a smile behind his blue eyes.
"Nice to meet you Dr. Watson." I turned to Mary. "Shall we go into the parlor Mrs. Watson?"
"Oh please, call me Mary. That would be lovely. Maybe Mrs. Hudson can join us."
"I'll let her know you're here." I guided Mary to the parlor, just for the sake of being a good hostess, and then went downstairs to speak to Mrs. Hudson.
"Dr. and Mrs. Watson are here. I need some tea for Mrs. Watson. She's asked if you could join us Mrs. Hudson."
Mrs. Hudson seemed in a better mood this morning. She had not had to deal with Holmes for some time due to my new role as his 'keeper'.
"Oh Miss Mary is here. How lovely. I'll be right out." I took the tray she prepared upstairs to the parlor.
"Mrs. Hudson will be right up." I saw down and poured the tea.
"Thank you. How long have you lived here Miss Keaton?" She added sugar and took a sip.
"Just about two weeks."
"You are from America, am I correct?"
"Yes mam. Texas, to be precise."
"And what does your family do in Texas?"
"My father runs the family ranch while my mother handles the finances."
"How did you come to be in London?"
"At first," I added sugar to my own tea, "I was supposed to come here and stay with my Uncle Ian, my grandmother's eldest brother. He works for the Navy, and was on assignment in Ireland. He invited me to visit him, but on my way here, Mrs. Hudson received a telegram saying he had been ordered to report to India, and would not return for some time. Her late husband and my Uncle were good friends. She invited me to stay here in London while my Uncle is away, and so far, I've enjoyed it very much. Mrs. Hudson is so kind to allow me to live here."
"Well, that's wonderful. We simply must get together sometime. Why don't you come over for dinner next week? I'll ask John if Mr. Holmes wants to attend."
"That would be wonderful, I'd be delighted." I genuinely smiled. She was the first person I had met other than the other women in the household. Maybe she could show me a bit about London.
"Holmes, -" I recognized Dr. Watson's voice, he sounded irritated.
"Ladies," Sherlock Holmes entered the room, "May we join you for some tea?" Holmes spread his arms wide, and then clapped his hands together, rubbing his palms, as though nothing in the world would please him more than tea with us.
"Why certainly Mr. Holmes. Please do. We simply thought you and John might like some time alone to catch up." Mary smiled at a perturbed Watson.
At that moment Mrs. Hudson entered the room, but she was too much of a lady to let the disappointment of seeing Holmes show too much in her face.
"Mr. Holmes, you're up and about quite early." She stood at the entrance to the room, unwilling to enter.
"Two more place settings Nanny. Unless, you are willing to join us as well?" His voice sounded villainous, as though he had some devious plan in mind for her.
She did not even bother to try and stifle her sigh, "No thank you. I shall fetch the extra cups."
"You've broken my heart Nanny. I'm beginning to think you have a distaste for me."
"I can't imagine why. I still haven't had you committed. Though, don't push your luck." She exited the room.
"I wanted to thank you Miss Keaton for opening my mail for me this morning. I'll be sure and return the favor." Holmes scooted his chair up to the coffee table, pouring he and Watson some tea.
I could tell by the look on Watson's face he found this comment odd. He decided to change the subject.
"Any good cases at the moment Holmes?"
Holmes responded before popping an entire cookie into his mouth, "Just one, but I've already solved it. With Miss Keaton's help I might add." He cheeks puffed out due to the amount of cookie and he resembled a chipmunk momentarily. I snorted into my tea cup.
Mary turned to me, intrigued. "Really, how so?"
"Mr. Holmes simply asked me about a subject I knew. There was a murder last night, and I happened to be familiar with the history of the victim."
Watson spoke up, "Do you mean that Ashcroft fellow? The one found murdered in his bed?"
Holmes answered, "The very same."
Mary asked, "How did you know him?"
"I only knew 'of' him. He is, or was, well known back in Texas. He was a very rich, very greedy man. He was always in the papers. He did business with the father of a friend of mine."
I addressed Holmes, "Have you found out who did it?"
"Did what?"
"Committed the murder."
"Oh, you should have specified. I'll have to teach you proper English."
Watson reprimanded him softly, "Holmes."
"Well, she didn't specify. It was his mistress-turned wife."
"Really? How do you know?" I was interested in his methods.
"It was quite simple once you told us about his personal life. He was staying in the hotel under a false name. It was not even one of the nicer hotels, which led me to believe he was there in secret. Upon examining the evidence, a few stray blonde hairs, a smattering of lipstick, the scent of perfume lingering on the sheets, it was obvious he had been with a woman. Reports said his new wife was still in the United States, so of course the evidence of a woman in his room was interesting. As it turns out, after a minor investigation, she believed he was being unfaithful to her, and rightly so. She had him followed to London by a private detective. Here he met another woman, and within the week span he was here, his wife came over on a steam ship, stalked him, killed him, and attempted to leave the country under a false identity. If it hadn't been for one piece of evidence she might' gotten away with it too."
"What was the evidence?" Watson wasn't as fascinated as Mary and I. He was used to Holmes' methods.
"She left a loose end. The man she had follow Ashcroft sold her out. It seems the exorbitant amount of money she paid him wasn't enough to keep him quiet."
"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" I felt suddenly guilty and embarrassed.
Watson stepped in, "Of course not. We're simply having a conversation about a case. Are there any other promising mysteries on the horizon Holmes?"
"Not at present, but you never know when Lestrade may need help finding his wallet." Holmes reached into his pocket and pulled out a billfold.
Watson looked amused, instead of taken aback, "You didn't,"
I was incredulous, "You stole that poor man's wallet. Oh good lord."
"How does everyone feel about lunch courtesy of Scotland Yard?"
"It seems you and Mr. Holmes are getting along, as much as one can with him."
"I'm not sure yet. He has been reading my mail. I have a sneaking suspicion he's been through my things as well."
"John said when they lived together Mr. Holmes would always steal his clothes."
"If I see him in my dresses I just might have to cause him bodily injury." She laughed.
"He's welcome to my corsets though."
"John said he's disguised himself as a woman before. That may not be as farfetched as you would think." It was my turn to laugh.
"Are you saying he," I spoke in hushed tones, "he cross-dresses?"
She smiled mischievously, "Not quite, but anything it takes to solve a case, he's willing to do it."
"They are as close to brothers as two men can get. They would do anything for each other. They've risked their lives for one another. I'm grateful John has someone he's so close to."
"I find it so funny that Holmes would find anyone he could stand, or that could stand him."
"John was devastated when we all thought Mr. Holmes had died. You've never seen a man in more shock than when his best friend has come back from the dead."
"That's right, I remember reading about that. I cannot believe he let everyone think he was dead."
"John and I believe he did not totally plan on surviving the Moriarty case. It just so happens that he did. I'm so glad he's back, just for John's sake."
"How long have you two been together, if you don't mind me asking?"
"We will be married six months at the end of the month."
"Are you looking forward to starting a family?" I saw her frown slightly.
"Yes, if we are so lucky. John and I both want children, but I'm afraid I may have waited too long to have them."
I empathized with her, there was little chance I would ever have children myself, not at my age.
"There's still time. I'm sorry I brought it up. I seem to have a knack for saying the wrong things today." I stepped closer and laid my hand on her arm. She smiled at me.
"Not to worry. If it is meant to be, it will be." She put her hand over mine.
"You two seem like very good friends." I found myself smiling. I had not had such an enjoyable day in quite some time.
"You and Mary seemed to be getting along swimmingly." We began walking down the street, weaving in and out of the crowds of passersby. I had no idea where we were and relied on Holmes to know the way back.
"She's lovely. I've never had very many female friends. Just my sister really."
We came upon a large group of people that threatened to separate us. As there were many alleyways ahead, I grabbed the back of his coat to keep pace with him. He turned to look at me over his sunglasses.
"Sorry, I'm not used to such crowds. Back in town it is not even this crowded on main street at noon." I let go of his coat as soon as we had made our turn around a building. I trembled slightly with nervousness. I shouldn't have made contact with him. It had just been instinctive.
"You don't like crowds?"
"Not very much, no. So many people make me nervous." I felt embarrassed, how did I know he would not use this information to his advantage in the future? With Holmes you never knew what he might be stowing away for future reference.
"Mind your pockets," he whispered. I stuck my hands in the pockets of my dress.
"Wat's the password?" One little boy, he couldn't be more than maybe 8 or 10 glared at us. He wasn't the oldest, but he seemed to be the leader.
"Squatternutbash." Said Holmes.
"Nope."
"Queen Victoria's drawers."
"Nuhuh."
"Hmm, we seem to be at an impasse then."
"Reckon so." The children formed a line in front of us, blocking our path.
"Oh, now I remember." Holmes reached into his pocket, took out two coins, and tossed them to the boy. He glanced at them and nodded gravely. They parted, and Holmes walked through. I went to follow, but they jumped in front of me. I squealed.
"Holmes!"
"What?" he looked at me expectantly.
"What do I do?"
"You must pay the toll." I couldn't believe this. I took another look at the children. They were obviously hungry and homeless. They may not have eaten in days.
From the few coins I had fisted in my hands, I took out two, I presumed they would be enough, and went to hand them to the boy.
As my hand left my pocket, I felt the slightest touch on my hip. I looked down, and one little girl ran away.
"Wha? But, hey! Come back here you little monsters!" I yelled in vain.
"Holmes!" I shouted indignantly.
"Don't look at me, I told you to mind your pockets." His face looked immobile.
I huffed, "Urgh. Fine, but only because they're starving children." I thrust the coins at the remaining boy, and he looked at my hand.
"Nah, don't trouble yaself madam. I'll let it slide cause you're so pretty. But on'y dis once."
"You are too kind," I growled. If I was not mistaken, I saw the corner of Holmes' mouth lift up ever so slightly.
"Night then Bobby." Holmes tipped his hat at the boy and turned away.
"Night Mr. 'olmes."
Bobby winked at me, "Night missus." I was stunned.
"I can't believe you let them do that." My feelings were hurt. He didn't even try to protect from those street urchins.
"Such are the laws of the land my lady." I pouted.
"Don't pout. It's unbecoming." This only served to intensify my pout.
"My brother would've whipped you if he knew you had left me to those wolves."
"Those 'wolves' you speak of are my associates. Bobby is quite the up and coming detective."
"They work for you? What do they do? Just rob people?"
"Don't be so crass. There is no better spy in the world than a seemingly innocent child."
"Hmph." was my answer.
"Come along. I have something I need to retrieve."
"What are you about to subject me to now?"
"Don't be so dramatic. You sound like Watson."
Holmes began climbing a narrow staircase up to a second floor. I followed him up the creaking stairs, and we entered into a small room filled with various vials and beakers and a few pieces of furniture. I saw an actual bed, that particular article was absent from Holmes' room on Baker Street.
"In a manner of speaking." Holmes walked over to a shelf on the wall, pocketed his sunglasses, and reached for a vial. I had no idea what was in it, I wasn't close enough. He simply slipped it inside his coat and made for the door. I followed him out and we exited the building..
"It is a boxing ring."
"Do you box?"
"On occasion."
"Do you win?"
"Every time." I couldn't help but smile. I had never pictured him as the 'athletic' kind. He was rather slender and wiry. He was probably the type that would surprise you with his agility.
"Good night Miss Keaton." and he was gone, I heard the door to his room shut, and I was alone.
"Good night Mr. Holmes," I said to myself softly.
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