Lesson 2A: The Speckled Band

When I woke up, Sherlock was standing beside my bed. “Hurry up, Watson! We’ve got a case!” shouted Sherlock. There was a woman waiting in the hall. Her name was Helen Stoner. She looked tired and unhappy, and her hands were shaking. “Mr Holmes, you’ve got to help me! I’m terrified I’m going to die soon!” said the woman. Sherlock took out his notebook and started making notes.

Helen lived alone with her stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott, who was a very unpleasant man. He met and married Mrs Stoner, Helen’s mother, when he was a soldier in India. She died when they returned to England, leaving a large fortune to her two daughters if they got married. “My sister, Julia, died two years ago, just before her wedding. I’m getting married soon, too,” said Helen with a trembling voice. “I’m all ears: tell me everything about your sister’s death,” replied Sherlock.

“Julia complained about a terrible whistling sound followed by a metallic bang in the middle of the night,” said Helen. “She slept alone in her room, which was right next door to our stepfather’s room. She always locked her door, so nobody could get in. Then, one night, I heard a terrifying scream. When I got out of my room, Julia was lying on the floor in the hallway. Her face was pale with terror. The last thing she said to me was ‘A speckled band!’. I’m afraid I have no idea what it was supposed to mean,” she added. Julia died soon afterwards, and the police found no culprits and no sign of violence. “Now my room is being renovated, and I’ve had to move into my sister’s room. I heard the same whistling sound last night… Please, please, help me!” cried Helen.

That afternoon, Sherlock and I took the train and visited the Roylott House. When we arrived, we saw a group of vagabonds, who were living on the property. We also found out that a monkey and a wild cat were living there. Dr Roylott had brought them from India years ago. After that, we made sure that nobody could get into Helen’s room. While Sherlock was searching it, he saw a strange hole in the wall. It led to the stepfather’s room. Right next to it, we saw a rope hanging beside Helen’s bed. I saw that Sherlock was very curious about it. In the Doctor’s room, we found a metal box and a bowl with some milk in it. That was very odd, as there were no pets inside the house. “Quick, now! Miss Stoner, you are going to sleep in your old room tonight. Watson and I will spend the night in this room and solve the case,” said Sherlock. “So do you have a theory?” asked Helen. “Perhaps I do!” replied Sherlock.