"God Damit!"
"Watson watch your mouth." Holmes said.
"I apologise but I still can't understand how you can work under these messy conditions."
"Everything is in it's proper place. Don't touch anything! Watson!"
I was at the liberty now to move and clean up Holmes' side of the house. He worked in one of the most disastrous of rooms. Papers and files, books and trinkets, experiments and waste just lied everywhere. I had just moved one stack of papers when Holmes was on me and pulling me away. Mrs. Hudson gave a soft knock and a cry.
"Good Heavens. Boys control yourselves. Boys!"
We both stopped and looked to her. We straighted our selves up and stood there. I can't believe we were just called boys.
"Now then, Mr. Holmes, a Mr. Lestrade is here to see you." Lestrade walked in and thanked Mrs. Hudson. He looked to us and then to Holmes.
"I'm surprised at you really. But what do I know?" the little rat man said.
"Not as much as I clearly," my friend answered.
He gave Holmes a look, but then sighed. "I have a case for you. Robbery it is."
"Ah this is different. What do you know?"
"You'll like this one. All we know is it's a man in a poncho. I think they are called ponchos. That and a scarf over his face, and a queer hat. This is the third strike now and we haven't caught the man."
"So you don't know it's a man?"
"We do know it's a man."
"But the face was covered. How were you sure?"
"We just know Holmes. Now are you in on this?"
"Seeing as Watson and I have nothing to do, yes we shall take it. Now go I have some things to attend to."
Lestrade went out of the room and out the door. I looked to Holmes. "Did you really just say I have nothing better to do?"
"Yes because I know you don't."
"What about Mary? And my office? And your room?"
"Well the misses I can understand, but doesn't your neighboring doctor owe you? And don't even think about moving anything. Watson! Put it down."
We were back to fighting over his mess of a room when I finally gave up and sat down. Holmes was hunched over his notes and index looking for something. I closed my eyes just trying to think.
I was awoken by Holmes. It was just past supper time. "Watson you'll like this. The get up perfectly describes someone called a bandit. They come from the Americas and they steal only money. Fits our man right?"
"I don't see why not."
"We need to find our man now, or woman. I'm still not convinced it's a man."
"Why so?"
"I just have a small hunch on it." I shrugged at the idea and he went back to researching.
I must have fallen asleep again because my friend was all giddy with some sort of excitement.
"Oh Grand! Oh fantastic! Watson! Oh good Watson your up. Quick draw up your pistol we do have a man to catch."
"Holmes were are you going? Holmes?" My friend was already down the stairs and out the door so I quickly grabbed my pistol and cane and tried my best to follow him. I know I've said it before, but when Holmes is excited or impatient, he is quick to move. By the time I got to him he was outside a big bank building in the middle of the darkened street.
"Holmes what was is this all for? Good Heavens who is that?"
Coming straight at us was a masked rider, wearing a triangle for a shirt, and trousers, and boots. Holmes stayed perfectly still and watched the rider come up the street. He stopped only a few meters from our spot.
"Senior, why do you stand in the way of me?"
"Well you are committing crimes, that's why."
"Si, I would be doing bad. But that's what I do." He got down off his horse. He stood facing Holmes and myself and then he drew his pistol from his pocket as Holmes drew his. Nobody moved and nobody shot, just stood with their weapons pointed at each other.
"Watson do me a favor and draw your pistol as well." I quickly got mine out and pointed it at the man. Silence again was the persistent member.
With out warning the Bandit shot and started to run. Both Holmes and I had to quickly dodge out of the way of the bullet, then chase the man down. He was quick too, but Holmes was faster and was soon within shooting distance of the man. They both kept running as I tried my best to keep up with the both of them. Then I heard another gun fire and the sound of a body drop. I mustard my strength to the scene to see it was Holmes who had shot and the bandit on the ground holding his leg in pain.
"I'm sorry about your leg Watson, I could of used your shot. No matter, Lestrade should of heard all the firing, if not," Holmes fired his gun three more times. "He should of now."
"Holmes, how and why did you know the Bandit would strike there?"
"To make it simple, I'll explain to everyone as soon as we get back to Baker Street. Ah Lestrade I thought that was your foot steps."
"Well with you shooting up all of the London streets I should be arresting you as well."
"I think not for your man is here, and does need a doctor to remove the built. Now I'll everything when we get back."
"So to start a map is needed. Watson, if you please" I rolled out a big map of all of London. "Your man Lestrade struck here, here, and here. We caught the man here. Now you would think it random, but look again. There is a pattern, a spiral shape going out." Holmes drew an imaginary line going through all the points he pointed out. "Now if you add the latest, you will notice it is the furthest of all the places, but also the most common place to hit."
"Why is that Holmes?" I asked.
"I'm glad you asked Watson. If we look to my index, this bank has now been robbed four times with only one true time of success. It is, how you say, a robbers goal, to rob there and get away with it. On top of all that, it's the only bank in that area of London. No other bank exists. Lestrade if you have any more questions, then I must see you off to your business. Good day, sir."
Lestrade and the officer were led away by Holmes and we heard them leave by carriage, but I still had a question for Holmes. So I asked him and got an answer.
"Ah you mean why we stood there face to face? That's because there's something out west in the Americas called a stand-off. When two men are to battle it out, they confront each other like so. If Lestrade was right about his man, then I knew if I stood my ground he would have to face me so."
"But that still doesn't answer why you didn't fire."
"Why waste bullets my friend?"
Holmes always confused me like that. I left this story in my notebook with a peculiar note, which I will copy to here. 'Captured Robber in Poncho escapes jail. Still no sign of suspect. Inspector Lestrade with no comment. We tired to ask Mr. Sherlock Holmes, but he was not home at the time.' And it also says here that Holmes told me to add this tad bit: 'California in fear of an escaped Bandit. Last seen robbing bank near San Fransisco, California.'
