'Stay inside, Watson,' he said. 'You are tired, dear
fellow, and you cannot help me.'
'I am coming with you,' I said. 'Nothing will stop me.'
'Come, then. But we must hurry. Moriarty is near. I
can feel it.'
It began to rain. He walked fast and I almost had to
run to keep up with him. His eyes moved restlessly
from side to side. Suddenly he stopped, and stared
into the darkness.
'Twice, Watson,' he said softly. 'He will kill twice
tonight.
We stopped him killing a woman last time, so he must
kill two tonight.'
Before I could answer, he was moving again. Then he
stopped, and pulled me into a dark corner.
Someone was coming towards us. Holmes spoke in a
low voice, bur I shook with fear at his words. 'It is
Moriarty.'
A man passed our corner and disappeared into
another street. I could not see his face.
'Run to the police station and fetch Lestrade. He
knows what to do,' Holmes said. 'I shall follow
Moriarty. Hurry, man, hurry!'
Then he was gone. I cannot explain why I did not do
what I was told. The fact is, instead of going to the
police station, I followed Holmes. Perhaps I was afraid
that my friend could not fight Moriarty on his own.
I ran to the corner of the street. I could just see
Moriarty, walking straight on. Then, to my great
surprise, Holmes turned left, and disappeared into a
house, while Moriarty reached the end of the street
and turned the corner. I could not understand what
was happening, or what I should do next. What if
Holmes, realizing that someone was following him,
thought I was one of Moriarty's men? Some minutes
later, I was still wondering what to do when I heard a
door close. A man came out into the street. It was
Holmes. He was now richly dressed, in a hat and a
long, dark coat. He had changed his appearance in
several small and clever ways, but I knew him.
I wanted to call to him, but was afraid he would not
be pleased. Instead, I decided to follow secretly,
ready to help him if he needed me.
We walked and walked. The rain became heavier
and the streets emptied of people. Then a short fat
man passed me, and soon afterwards a girl. She
looked like a woman of the streets, but younger and
prettier than most I had seen that night. She seemed
a little drunk, and could not walk straight.
As she came near to Holmes, he stopped and spoke
to her.
They both laughed. Further along the street I saw the
short fat man, now standing outside a pub, watching
them. Then Holmes and the girl walked off together
and a few seconds later the man followed them.
How I feared for Holmes's safety! I was sure that the
man and the girl were working for Moriarty. They had
some plan, I knew, to hurt my friend. Perhaps only I
could save him.
Holmes and the girl walked on, the man followed
them, and I followed all three. At last Holmes and the
girl stopped at the entrance to a yard. I heard the
woman's voice. I could not hear Holmes's words, bur
to my surprise I clearly saw him kiss her face. Then
they entered the yard, and the fat man crossed the
street and went into a house further along. Had he
gone to fetch Moriarty, who would now appear and
kill my friend?
Slowly and carefully, I made my way into the yard. It
was dark, but I could see a light at a window. Then I
heard Holmes's voice. He was in that room.
As quietly as I could, I went to the window. The
curtains were a little too short, and I could just see
into the room. The woman was lying on the bed,
drinking from a bottle. Holmes sat with his back to the
window, taking snuff from a little silver box. He
seemed to be in no danger, but who could say when
Moriarty would arrive?
It was cold and wet in the yard, but I felt calm again.
If Moriarty came, I was ready to save my friend. I sat
down with my back to the wall to wait.
I am ashamed to say what happened next, but I
must say it.
I fell asleep. I was asleep for two hours. As I woke up,
cold and uncomfortable, Holmes's words came back
to me, 'He will kill twice tonight.'
I ran to the window, afraid of
what I should see. At first I
could not understand what
terrible thing had happened
there. Was it possible, I
wondered, for a person to
explode? There was blood
everywhere. Then I recognized
the body as the woman who I
had seen drinking and talking
with Sherlock Holmes. He was