“Well, Holmes,” said Lestrad who was enjoying himself and in an expansive mood, “my duties, at least for now, keep me in the city, but I suppose you and the good Doctor will be flying off down Lidford way. I must say that the appearance of the train adds nothing to the investigation of three years ago and I don't care to go over well-plowed ground. To be brutally frank, I think somebody’s not telling the truth. I will recommend that the authorities at Lidford and Oak Hampton look into the possibility of wrongdoing by railroad personnel at one or both of those towns. You may have one of your theories, but this is the only possibility as I see it.”
“To begin with, Lestrad,” said Holmes, who had listened to all of this with a slight smile on his lips, “you know that I am loath to travel unnecessarily, so at best, my partner and I will be flying off to the theatre this evening.”
“You talk like a man who has the problem solved,” Lestrad said.
“Quite right, old man,” said Holmes, rather casually. “I may have the solution to your little mystery, but allow me to come to it in proper order.” Holmes paused to relight his pipe, then continued. “The appearance of the train after three years, contrary to your belief, adds quite a bit. It is important in the extreme. I would also suggest that you wait a day or two before you set the hounds on the poor citizens of Lidford and Oak Hampton.
“At this time it would be premature for me to enlighten you further as there are still a few pieces of the puzzle to be set in place. I need more information so if you gentlemen will excuse me for a few minutes, I will retire to my desk and draft a telegram.”
As Holmes busied himself at the desk, the rest of us remained where we were and engaged in desultory conversation. Lestrad and Browne were nervous — wanting answers to many questions, but Mr. Waterhouse seemed content to sit comfortably and work on his whiskey. It was apparent that the trip to London was quite a treat for him.
When Holmes finished his writing he got up from the desk and rejoined our group.
“Mr. Browne,” he said, “I firmly believe that the story you have told us is related to a crime that is yet to be committed. I may be able to determine the time and place when I receive the answer to this telegram, which should go immediately to the person of highest authority at the Great Western Terminal at Plymouth. I would like you to sign your name to what I have written and add your own words — those that will impress on the recipient the urgency of a speedy reply. If good fortune is with us, we may have a solution before the day is done.”
By this time Inspector Lestrad was out of his chair and fairly dancing on the rug.
“Now see here, Holmes, I know you love to keep your secrets, but I demand to know what you have up your sleeve. I'll not sit around and play pat-a-cake until your hour of revelation.”
“Do calm yourself, Lestrad,” said Holmes, while filling his pipe with tobacco from the Persian slipper. “I'll tell you what you need to know as soon as I determine that you can make use of the information. If I am right, precipitous action would be disastrous. If you wish to speed things up, go with Mr. Browne and see that his message has priority.”
Lestrad knew better than to continue to argue with the detective, so with much grumbling he and our two other guests went out the door. When they were gone we made ourselves comfortable by the fireplace. For a short while we were silent then Holmes said, “A rather interesting problem, is it not?”
“Interesting to be sure,” I replied, “but it is also completely baffling.”
“Surely you have an idea of the whereabouts of the train for three years,” Holmes said.
“Pure and simple,” I said. “Based on all I have heard — that train just disappeared in a puff of smoke. Of course I know it did no such thing, but I am at a loss for any explanation.”
“First of all,” said Holmes, “we can assume that the railroad personnel, as a group, were truthful in what they said. Therefore the train did somehow leave the main line somewhere between the two towns. Since time was limited to less than three hours, we know that the train was not somehow disassembled and carted off. Also the surrounding countryside makes it even less likely.
“So we are left with the probability it left the main line under its own power. To do that, the first requirement is a switch. Once more, a switch could hardly be removed without a trace in such a short time so an existing switch must have been utilized.
“This brings us to the siding Mr. Waterhouse spoke of. If we were to go there today and shovel away a few inches of earth beyond the so-called end of the siding, we would discover that the tracks continued on and into the ravine, which was the hiding place for the train.
“A gang of twenty men, I'm sure, could uncover then re-cover that stretch of tracks in a matter of minutes. You will recall that Mr. Waterhouse said that it was all loose gravel.”
“But what about the large tree?” I said.
“Troublesome to the criminals,” said Holmes, “but in the end an excellent cover. I'll wager that they neatly sawed it off at ground level and left it standing in place after laying the additional rails. A few good men with block and tackle could knock it over then set it up in a matter of minutes. I admit that the operation is complex, but it fits the facts.”
“Amazing,” I said. “See here, old man, this whole thing smacks of considerable planning and considerable capital. They had to begin years ago with the tree, then the laying of the tracks into the ravine, which must have taken a month of nights to accomplish. They must have been after a great prize, but why a few boxes of wood and why take it out of hiding now for all the world to see?”
“I can only assume,” said Holmes, “that they originally made off with the wrong train and now they need the space where it was hidden.”
“You mean,” I cried, “they plan on stealing yet another train?”
“Exactly. They remain confident of the security of their hiding place as evidenced by the boldness of their latest move. Our future moves must be made with great care, Watson. An organization with such financing, planning ability and expertise is not to be taken lightly. In fact, dear Boy, an operation of this magnitude may well have its roots in the lair of an old acquaintance of ours.”
“Moriarty.” I said the hated name. “Do you really think so?”
“I have developed a sixth sense about that fellow,” said Holmes, a slight frown on his brow. “I'll wager a year's income that the trail could lead ultimately to his doorstep. Of course, he will never go near the scene of this crime. There is really no hope of apprehending him for what has happened, but if we are careful we should be able to throw a net around his agents in this matter.”
About two hours later our three friends returned. Mr. Browne handed over an unusually long telegram that Holmes began to study in detail.
The rest of us stood around, alternately pacing the floor or looking out of the window. Mr. Waterhouse had become infected by the mood and stood by the fireplace with an unhappy look on his face.
“Gentlemen, “said Holmes abruptly, “we have a job to do tomorrow afternoon. I can see now that my presence and that of Dr. Watson will indeed be necessary in the neighborhood of Oak Hampton. Mr. Browne, we must have a special train at our disposal — one passenger car should be sufficient. If we leave London at seven tomorrow morning, we should be at our destination with about two hours to spare. Now, Lestrad, that the police will be necessary is a certainty. To be safe, I suggest that you bring at least fifteen armed men. I must stress that secrecy is vital. Do what you must do with as little notice as possible and deal only with trusted people.”