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Publié : 6 décembre 2015
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First prize for the non-native speaker...

First prize for the non-native speaker category was won by Louise CHAUMETTE and Louise CHARTIER for their blood-curdling tale of fear, murder and matricide

THE MANOR OF FEAR


 


Wednesday, January 7th, 1891, is a winter night,
in Birlstone Manor, near Cardiff.


Today on 9,am, Victoria Scott called me. She informed me of a murder, her employer, Lady Mary Adams was dead. She wanted me to come promptly to Birlstone Manor with Holmes.

After many hours in the snow, we found the Adams’manor.
The car stopped in front of a very tall and large gate, we rang the bell, the old gardener opened to us and we went through the beautiful park with lot of white trees. The governess, Victoria waited for us at the front door. She took us to the kitchen and offered us tea, while in the living room, John Adams was talking to his daughter Eva.
The governess tried to explain the situation :
-This morning, I went to Lady Mary’s bedroom because she hadn’t taken her breakfast, but I found her dead. It’s dreadful !
Holmes asked :
-Where is the crime scene ?
- Follow me, answered Victoria. 
We climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom. We discovered the corpse on her bed. Her face was purple and her eyes were still opened. I lifted the sheet, there were very big blood stains around the body. She had received several blows in the chest from a sharp blade, probably a hunting knife. For me, given the horror of the scene, the murderer must have been a man, maybe her husband…


 
Holmes decided to deliver his first comments :
-Look at this, the gashes are not deep, the killer is slight, I don’t think that it’s a man.
I opened the windows and the shutters. Holmes noticed footprints along the bed. According to me the murderer was John Adams.


Holmes contradicted me :
-There are small spaces between the footprints. So the murderer has got small legs.
I continued my investigation, I found a necklace below the pillow, engraved with two letters : V and S.
I exclaimed :
-I ’ve found the culprit ! Here is the governess’ jewel ! 
Holmes called Victoria Scott to collect her explanations.
She said :
Oh my God ! You’ve recovered my necklace, I must have lost it when I was doing Lady Mary’s bed.
Holmes replied :
-I believe you, the clasp is broken. It fell without you noticing it.
I reflected :
-The murderer isn’t the gardener because he ate with his friends. The husband and the governess are not guilty because they have got tall legs. But who is ?
Holmes sighed :
-It’s strange that Eva does not cry, whereas her mother is dead !
Please, Eva come here…
One hour later, I’m surprised because Holmes has already found the culprit . In fact, all the clues showed that the little girl had killed her mother.