A Trail of Treasure - Sherlock Holmes

Chapter Seven - Madam Cosma

Following the exhausting events at the Langham, Holmes, John, and Caroline drove home in Holmes's machine. The police said they would be in touch.

Arriving back at 221B, Caroline headed up to her room to ready herself for bed. She wasn't feeling hungry anymore after the events of the evening.

Had someone really been targeting her with the rendezvous and dining room fire? The very thought of it made her shudder. What a turn her life had taken in only a few short days! 

She and Holmes said nothing as they made their way up the stairs together. They parted ways on the second floor.

She turned to bid him goodnight. "Goodnight - Mr. Adler."

Holmes said nothing, just shut himself away in his room as usual.

It was only later, thinking back on it, that she realized what a sting that was, and how insensitive that had been.

-------------------------------

"Mrs. Hudson, I'm just curious, but did you ever meet Irene Adler?"

Upon hearing this name, the landlady paused in clearing away the tray and tea set she had been tending to. "Mr. Holmes's obsession. No, I never did. Saw her a couple of times, but we never met or spoke."

"He seems utterly besotted by her."

"That he was - still is."

"Clearly."

"He'd follow her around like a lost puppy, begging for attention."

"He is very attention-seeking, isn't he."

"Oh yes. Perhaps it's not my place to say, as I said I never met her, but I got a funny feeling the few times I did see her, like something wasn't quite right. Guess it turned out to be right, as she was only using the poor man, getting his hopes up for nothing."

"That is unfortunate, especially when he is obviously so in love with her."

"Unrequited love," Mrs. Hudson sighed. "Who knew love could ever be so painful?" The way she spoke of it, Caroline wondered if she had ever experienced this.

Holmes didn't make an appearance until John arrived. Mrs. Hudson brought them tea in Caroline's room. Here they discussed the finding in the hotel room: the tarot card.

"What is the card?" John asked.

She showed him. "Debt."

He examined the colorful, intricate card. "Something owed or due. Perhaps your father owed a lot of money."

"Or another debt," spoke-up Holmes, who was peering out the window. "To your knowledge, did your father have any dealings with his collection?"

"I'm honestly not sure," she admitted. "That was always his business. Although I know he discussed it a lot with his fellow army men. Though Papa was attached to every item in his collection, they all meant a great deal to him, so I can't see him parting with any of them."

"Even if offered a large sum in exchange?"

"Yes."

"'Till death do us part'," he mumbled, then hummed in response, still looking out the window.

On the back of the debt card, in colourful scrawl, was the name Madam Cosma.

"Madam Cosma. Seems that this fortune teller has her own set of cards," John remarked.

"I believe your father was more interested in this sort of thing than he let on," Holmes told Caroline, finally turning away from the window. "I think we should pay a visit to this Madam Cosma."