How Holmes Saved the Struckland Collection in "The Mystery of the Three Sisters"

Honourable Detectives,

Your assistance throughout The Mystery of the Three Sisters was thoroughly appreciated, as always. While we continue to receive and review Featured Detective entries, take a moment to step into Holmes’ shoes as he unraveled Mr. Ward’s postal subterfuge – as it turns out, there was quite a bit more to Miss Beryl Struckland’s letters than met the eye…

We’ll see you in Paris 😉

The Dear Holmes Team

——

10 July, 1887

Dear Misses Beryl, Amber, and Amethyst,

My name is Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective. I write to you on behalf of your solicitor (and my dear friend,) Leopold Kimber. I realise that all three of you may not be fully apprised of the situation at hand, but I assure you that Mr. Kimber is well equipped to assist you in moving forward, with or without new house staff. 

As you may know, there has been some concern of late regarding your family’s collection and Miss Amethyst’s new acquaintance, Mr. Roger Rathmore. After first receiving two letters from Mr. Kimber, both written by a 'Miss Beryl Struckland’, I was unconvinced that this required my attention. Thanks to Mr. Kimber’s persistence, I have since been disabused of this notion.

We can now confirm that your groundskeeper, Mr. Ward, has been removing pieces from your collection in hopes of amassing a profit. Mr. Ward believed the thefts from the enormous collection would go unnoticed. That is, until the arrival of Mr. Rathmore, who knew your parents’ collection better than even Mr. Ward, and had the ear of Miss Amethyst to call attention to the missing pieces. As Mr. Rathmore gradually pieced together Mr. Ward’s crimes, Mr. Ward was forced to devise a new scheme to keep himself out of prison. He first wrote two letters to Mr. Kimber, as Miss Beryl, blaming Miss Amethyst and Mr. Rathmore for the missing specimens. Then, he set about fomenting discontent in the Struckland household. He poisoned your sisterly relationship as much as possible, so that Mr. Kimber would ultimately be forced to pay the household a visit. On Kimber’s arrival, Mr. Ward planned to discreetly regale the solicitor with tales of strife in the household and suggest that he, as the neutral party best familiar with the collection, finish the cataloguing process on behalf of the sisters. However, Mr. Ward made several miscalculations. 

First, he did not expect for Miss Amber to write to Kimber just days after he had written to the solicitor himself, as ’Miss Beryl’. Miss Amber’s letter contradicted Mr. Ward’s forgeries. From the off, her letter made reference to a missing illustration in addition to the fossilised tooth. ’Miss Beryl’ had neglected to mention this illustration when she wrote. And though the letters from’Miss Beryl’ expressed concern for the missing tooth, Miss Amber’s letter suggested that Miss Beryl had not been aware of its disappearance. Her letter also allowed me to identify inconsistencies in Miss Beryl’s letters. They were not written on Struckland House letterhead, and the second was dated 5 July, the date on which Miss Beryl had left for Oxford, as per Miss Amber’s letter.

Next, Mr. Ward made the mistake of leading Dr. Watson directly to his chambers. He had cleverly modified Mrs. Struckland’s diary to convince Miss Amber that Mr. Rathmore had some contentious relationship with her parents, but he failed to hide the evidence of this tampering. Accordingly, his accusation that Mr. Rathmore was a ’Casanova’ only further convinced Watson of his culpability in advancing this narrative.

When Mr. Ward was called away from his chamber for several moments, Watson quickly spotted proof of his meddling. Namely, a box containing journals marked with your father’s initials, and a torn sheet of paper on the man’s desk. The sheet had been taken from a notebook, and detailed a secret ’anniversary gift’ from Mr. Struckland to his wife, prepared by Mr. Rathmore. This explained the predicament with Mr. Rathmore that Mrs. Struckland had described in her diary. Miss Amber had also been unable to locate any other journals referencing the event in question. She might have found such records, had she discovered the box in Mr. Ward’s room. I speculate that those notebooks, gathered by Mr. Ward, were any and all that happened to reference the anniversary gift, or any subsequent expeditions with Mr. Rathmore.

Following the interview, Mr. Rathmore’s fortuitous arrival helped further illuminate the circumstances. Watson was unable to speak with the man at length, but what you overheard through your estate’s speaking tubes indicated an active conflict with Mr. Ward. Their debate seemingly concerned the collection, and was carried out in private, in Mr. Ward’s chamber. It was concerning that either of them would feel the need to discuss the collection away from the three of you.

The tensions aroused by this debate then provided an opportune moment for Watson to depart for the market, where more answers were to be had. At the market, Watson confirmed with the assayer, Mr. Turner, that Mr. Ward came in frequently to request the appraisal of items from the Struckland collection. Turner’s revelation that Mr. Rathmore had visited him that day as well, provided further evidence that he was catching on to Mr. Ward’s scheme, and working to foil him.

Rest assured, Dr. Watson and I have informed Mr. Kimber of our discoveries. He awaits further consultation with yourselves before contacting authorities with a full account of the missing specimens. I was able to arrange for your local constable, William Koster, to intercept Mr. Ward this morning while en route to the market. A small piece of raw emerald was found on his person. We are unsure if he remains in possession of any other pieces from your collection, but every effort will be made to retrieve them with the information that you provide PC Koster et al. 

It may be disheartening to learn of Mr. Ward’s motives, but I urge you to take solace in knowing your collection is no longer in peril. I look forward to seeing the collection for myself once it is fully catalogued and on display for public viewing. My dear Watson did adore your family's table– with the coprolites– you may have to help me procure a similar piece for him. 

Sincerely,