"But she cannot act! Reginald Musgrave, she knows, can identify her by sight. She cannot risk claiming her fortune, even indirectly through her agents, while the possibility remains that he might, during the negotiations for its return, meet her in broad daylight.
"She learns of Sir Reginald's death in the shooting accident. The promptness with which she acts – within ten days; that's quick work, you know – argues against her having learned of it from the Hurlstone Village Chronicle, which she may possibly receive regularly. Musgrave's death may have been timely reported in the Canadian newspapers but more likely a Sussex crony has sent her a wire. She immediately makes her move by laying claim to the riches in the name of her confederates.
"Our envelope, Watson, must identify her surrogates! Its senders have, by directing us to the hideaway in the Norman catacombs of Hurlstone, effectively laid claim to the crown jewels of the ancient Stuarts. The finders of treasure have important rights, which are recognized in courts everywhere." He turned to Nathaniel Musgrave. "I believe, Mr Musgrave, that your family's rights vis-à-vis those of other claimants were in any case abandoned when your cousin signed a waiver of any further title when he established your claim to the Hurlstone crown. Yes? Then it is so: the right to our discovery today resides in the sender of this message – and that can only be the confederate, or confederates, of Rachel Howells. It is they, not we, who are the true finders. Knowing what we do, you and I, Watson, have no choice but to attest to that.You, Musgrave, will be wise to consider your position with care. These surrogates will undoubtedly approach you as negotiators but they may not be unreasonable."
Holmes withdrew the mystery epistle from his breast pocket and examined it again carefully. "So it is report system – together with our extra L – that we have available to us. What in the name of the devil can we infer from them?"
It was then that Sherlock Holmes looked up at me with a startled expression. He had evidently seen something on the envelope which we had missed.
"Watson, do you perchance have friends in the west of Canada?"
"None that I know of," said I, "save Sir Henry Baskerville, but we have already eliminated him from the equation. Why do you ask?"
"Because just as one inference often suggests another, one logogram can suggest another. But wait! I am not sure…" He scribbled furiously in his notebook. "REPORT SYSTEM L rearranges to…"
I looked over Holmes's shoulder.
"… to STORMY PETRELS!" he cried in triumph. Musgrave and I stared at Holmes in astonishment. I checked his scribbled notes. It was just as he said. Holmes went on, speaking rapidly, as one whose brain races ahead of his power to communicate: "What or who can these 'stormy petrels' be? It is a phrase that I have applied to you, Watson! And to myself! Could it be that this
is a reference to us? That it is yet another of those devices which this extraordinary woman has used to manipulate us? No. It cannot be so. The envelope is addressed not to 'Watson' but to `Musgrave'. And the words appear on the top left hand corner, the space for the sender's name. 'Stormy Petrels' is therefore not a reference to us, Watson – it is the name of the surrogates themselves – the instruments of Rachel Howells!
"Their very name tells us who and what they are: students of my methods and readers of your tales. Rachel Howells is clearly telling us so. We are dealing here not with enemies but with friends!" He paused and shook his head in comic disbelief. "What a coup-de-maitre it is! I once had occasion to chide you, Watson, in connection with the Vermissa Valley murders in America I think, for suggesting that the recreant Porlock might possibly have enclosed both cipher and key in the same envelope. In that instance we were able to decipher the message by recourse to Whitaker's Almanack. Here we have no such advantage. The sender of this envelope has outdone even Porlock: she has combined not only the cipher and its key but the addresser of the message – her surrogates – and its true addressees, myself and the estate of Hurlstone, not in, but actually on, the envelope – leaving the contents blank! There is brilliance here, Watson – scheming, calculated brilliance!"
Musgrave and I were at a loss for words. He appeared as stupefied as I.
"Clearly, we must make contact with these 'stormy petrels'," said Holmes to me, briskly breaking the silence. "We must seek them in their haunts. Our enquiries must be made in Canada.
"We know," I interjected, "that at least one of them is a lady of Welsh origin, fiery, passionate and excitable.!"
"Yes, indeed," Holmes replied, his eyes atwinkle. "Well, Watson, what say you to a visit to the Pacific coast? Could your practice spare you for some weeks?"
"I have no doubt I can arrange it," said I, "but what will be our aim? To identify and arrest Howells?"
"As I read it, Rachel Howells is at present waiting anxiously in British Columbia for news of our discovery of the royal orb and sceptre, to which she has, using this flock of petrels as her unwitting agents, effectively laid claim. When she hears of it she will act. She will persuade the group to demand delivery of the
treasure, probably by authorizing her to make the arrangements on their behalf. The claim of these petrels cannot be denied but it is within our power to thwart Howells herself."
"How?"
"By delaying announcement of our finding of the treasure until we can cause her arrest. You, I and Musgrave here are the only persons who know of it Musgrave, you will, I think, find it in your interests to fall in with our plans; this will give us time to visit and confront these people. Our information will startle them: that they have claim to the crown jewels of England and a murderess in their midst! Courtesy, no less than common sense and common justice, demands delivery of such a message in person."
"It will be most dramatic," said I. "But what of the murderess herself? Shall we arrest her in front of her comrades?"
Holmes thought for a moment. "She must be given every opportunity to state her position. She may possibly give us facts of which we are unaware. But then we must act decisively."
"She will not be the first murderess we have apprehended," I observed, "nor will it be the first time we have acted as both judge and jury."
"No, indeed! And here I foresee no difficulty. I will take with me to Canada a copy of the Hurlstone's village news sheet giving details of her disappearance. It carries an excellent likeness of Howells. Identifying the lady, despite the passage of some twenty years, should be a simple matter."
"With Howells removed to a barred cell," said I, "these stormy petrels will be free to pursue their claim to the Hurlstone jewels directly with Nathanial Musgrave. That seems appropriate."
agree," interjected the master of Hurlstone.
"Quite so, and I feel inclined to render them every assistance," said Holmes. "A group of your readers in the New World deserves our support, Watson!"
"And so say all of us!" I replied heartily. "Perhaps we should take with us your book on international law – De Jure inter Gentes, as I recall. It might prove useful in effecting delivery of the jewels to these Canadians."
"From what little I know of British Columbia The Origins of Tree Worship might be a volume of more interest to them," suggested Holmes, his expression one of high good humour.
"At the risk of re-creating that space on my bookshelf," I replied, laughing, "we can safely donate our copy!"
"You know, Watson," said Holmes the following morning on our return to Baker Street, "in reading your accounts of some of the adventures we have shared over the years I have felt that, on occasion, I have behaved towards you in a cavalier fashion. It is easy to commit the crime of taking good friends for granted and I fear I am guilty of it."