Аннотация: Sherlock Holmes and the Far Eastern conifer cone. The story.
Sherlock Holmes and the Far Eastern conifer cone. The story.
I went to the bookshelf to get a medical guide when I heard Sherlock Holmes voice:
- "Watson, what can you say about the owner of the cone? The cone, which is lying on a shelf? This cone was sent to me a few hours ago from the Bank of England, where it was forgotten in one of the private rooms. Bank employees would like to know more about the owner of this cone".
Indeed, on the bookshelf next to the magnifying glass was a conifer cone (bump, lump). On the silver surface of the coffee pot, I saw Holmes. He was sitting on a favorite spot on the couch and blew little wavering rings of smoke up to the ceiling.
I carefully examined the cone and took a guide to the cones from the shelf.
- 'It's a Far Eastern cedar cone, Holmes.'
- "Congratulations, Watson. You are on the right way. What else can you say about her?"
- "If to use your's deductive method, Holmes, then I would suggest that the owner of this cone could not enter the Russial Far East because of closed borders and because of the coronavirus pandemic. As the flow of tourists to Russia from Europe and from Russia to Europe was still growing, he headed through England. But he needed additional funds for the trip. So he ended up in a bank. In a private room, he forgot this cone".
- 'Why did he carry this cone with him, Watson?'
I looked at the cone, trying to find the answer to Holmes's question.
Holmes looked at me through the silver surface of the coffee pot.
- 'Notice the gold foil left over on the cone, Watson.' This cone is dear to its owner as a memory and as a symbol".
- 'As a symbol of what, Holmes?'
- "As a symbol of cedars, on which such cones grow, Watson! This is elementary! Only the owner of the Far Eastern hectares, only the owner of the Far Eastern forests will carry with him abroad a cone wrapped in gold foil".
I looked at the cone, not knowing what to object to Holmes.
- 'Take a closer look at the cone, Watson!'
I looked at the cone, rotating it in different planes.
Holmes was looking at me through the silver surface of the coffee pot.
- "Look, Watson! One side of the cone clearly bears traces of a long stay in the water. And the other - traces of forest fires. We can easily think that the owner of the cone is related to the Far Eastern floods and the Far Eastern forest fires".
I had to agree.
- 'What else is this cedar cone talking about, Watson?'
I touched the cone with my finger, hoping to find the answer to Holmes's question.
- 'If you turn the cone upside down, Watson, you can see traces of oil. You looked at the guide to cones, and the guide to oil stands nearby'.
I took a guide to oil and opened it.
- 'It's Venezuelan oil, Holmes!'
- 'You discover amazing deductive abilities, Watson! And why did the owner of the cone with traces of Venezuelan oil end up at the Bank of England?'
I tried to find the answer.
- "Elementary Watson! He opened a bank deposit of 25 tons of gold!"
- 'Why 25 tons of gold, Holmes?'
- 'If the deposit was smaller, the Bank of England would not send me this cone, Watson!'
I had nothing to object to. I silently looked at the cone.
- "Thus, Watson, your conclusions, that the owner of the cone experienced a shortage of money during the trip, turned out to be untenable! However, I am not going to rush and to give a hasty answer to the Bank of England. It seems to me, Watson, that today's and tomorrow's newspapers will add information about the owner of this cone".
I looked at the cone, trying to find some more details on it.
- 'Put the cone back on the shelf, Watson. It's time to have some coffee'.
I put the cone on the bookshelf next to the magnifying glass and turned to Holmes. He was sitting on a favorite spot on the couch and, blowing smoke rings to the ceiling, looked through the Times.
The air was filled with a pleasant smell of coffee. In the silver surface of the coffee pot, I saw a reflection of the Far Eastern cone.
July 9, 2020, 21:47
Translation from Russian into English: July 9, 2020 22:34.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Шерлок Холмс и дальневосточная шишка. Рассказ'.