The Death Game

Chapter 33

-St Aldate's Boarding School-

Lestrade's car drove into the grounds of the boarding school and pulled up outside the front entrance. Two police cars were already there and a elderly woman was leaning against the car wearing a shock blanket around her shoulder and crying while an officer reassured to her. The officers walked away as Lestrade, Sally, Juliet and Sherlock approached the crying woman who was blowing her nose on her handkerchief.

''That's Miss Mackenzie, House Mistress.'' Lestrade said quietly to Sherlock, ''Go easy on her.''

''Miss Mackenzie, you're in charge of pupil welfare, yet you left this place wide open last night.'' Sherlock said angrily at the woman, ''What are you? An idiot, a drunk or a criminal?'' he grabbed the blanket and abruptly pulled it from her as she gasped in fear, ''Now quickly, tell me!''

''All the doors and windows were properly bolted. No one, not even me, went into their room last night.'' the old woman replied tearful and cringing in terror, ''You have to believe me!''

''I do. I just wanted you to speak quickly.'' the tall man smiled reassuringly as he turned away, ''Miss Mackenzie will need to breathe into a bag now.''

The woman sobbed in distress as several officers hurried over to her to comfort her. Juliet and Sherlock trotted their way inside the boarding school, followed closely behind by Detective Inspector Lestrade and his men. Inside, Sherlock led the others into one of the dormitories.

''So you said the other kids were all gone, had all left on their holidays?'' Juliet asked as Sherlock looked everywhere around the room.

''Yeah, they were the only two sleeping on this floor. Absolutely no sign of a break-in.'' Lestrade answered, ''The intruder must have been hidden inside some place.''

Sherlock then went over to a wooden trunk and slowly opened the lid. Amongst the other items inside the trunk, he found a large brown envelope with a wax seal on the back, which had already been broken. The same kind of envelope Juliet had found earlier on 221B. Sherlock opened the envelope, inside was a large hardback book. Taking out the book, he looked at the cover, it was 'Grimm's Fairy Tales'. Finding nothing of interest, he looked back up.

''Show me where the brother slept.'' he demanded.

He was then taken to another smaller dormitory and looked around the room. He went to stand beside the boy's bed, which was facing the door. The door had a frosted glass plane in it; he looked towards it while gesturing down to the bed.

''The boy sleeps there every night, gazing at the only light source outside in the corridor. Meaning he'd recognize every shape, every outline, the silhouette of everyone who came to the door.'' Sherlock explained, ''So someone approaches the door who he doesn't recognize, an intruder. Maybe he can even see the outline of a weapon.''

Leaving the others inside the room, he went outside the door and pulled it almost closed, then raised his hand and pointed his fingers in the shape of a gun, showing the others how it would be seen through the frosted glass. He pushed the door back open and went inside again.

''What would he do in the precious few seconds before the intruder came into the room?'' Sherlock muttered as he looked at the bedside table, ''What would he do?''

''He'd leave a sign.'' Juliet stated as she folded her arms across her chest.

Sherlock started sniffing noisily. He picked up a bat leaning against the nearby cupboard and sniffed along both sides of it. Putting the bat down again, he squatted and sniffed around the bedside table, then reached under the bed and found an almost empty glass bottle of linseed oil. He looked up and asked for Anderson, a member of the forensics team at Scotland Yard.