The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro

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The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro V · T · F
Incident overview
Dates	Feb. 21-23, 1900* (During flashback on Aug. 30, 1900)
Time of incident	Feb. 21, 1900; 1:30 AM
Victim	William Petenshy* (non-lethal) Duncan Ross
Weapon / cause of injury	Asphyxiation via natural gas* (Ross)
Weapon / cause of injury	Strychnine poisoning* (Petenshy)
Related persons	Sherlock Holmes Iris Watson Wagahai John Garrideb Oscar Fairplay* (Juror No. 1, also cameo during Joint Reasoning) Selden* (allusion) Joan Garrideb* (mentioned) Cosney Megundal* (allusion) Queen Victoria* (mentioned) Kazuma Asōgi* (allusion)
Related locations	Naruhodō Law Consultation Office Holmes' Flat St. Bartholomew Hospital William Petenshy's lodging Briar Road Landlord Garrideb's Room Gaol Holding Cell No. 9 Old Bailey Sōseki Natsume's Room
Evidence	Torn Off Piece Of Envelope Soap Two Teacups Medical Report Crime Photograph Victim's Coroner's Report Gas Meter Handprints on the wall Death row inmate article Photo from under the floor Small bottle of poison Death row inmate documents Viridian's card
Trial data
Courtroom No.	Old Bailey
Presiding judge	Judge (British Empire)
Defense team	Ryūnosuke Naruhodō
Defense team assistants	Susato Mikotoba
Prosecutor	Barok van Zieks
Defendant	Sōseki Natsume
Trial witnesses	Tobias Gregson Sōseki Natsume William Petenshy! (arrested) Decargo Mieterman Mrs. Altamont* (also Juror No. 4) Viridian Green! (arrested)

Iris Watson

"Case of the Haunted Lodging" ...Do you want to read it, Narudy?

Episode 2: The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro is the second episode of Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Kakugo. The day after the events of The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō, on a visit to a now awakened Viridian Green, ends up defending Sōseki Natsume once again for the attempted murder of William Petenshy.

Crime

It was a ghastly tale of a winter's night... one of an invisible killer and their crime on a footpath along Briar Road. As the victim lay at death's door, the mystery of just who had stabbed the young lady from behind had been resolved. But no sooner had my friend saved that Eastern Exchange student from his harrowing plight, that in the dim, flickering shadows of gaslight did a second bizarre crime rend the stillness of that very night. I daresay most can still recall that sensational headlines of the day. "Haunted Apartment of Death" "The Condemned Criminal's Curse" "The Dread Demon of Coal Gas" Yet, though the Great Detective had at once discerned the truth upon his arrival at the scene, it only proved to be the overture that announced the rising of the curtains of a most tragic play.

And now for a most tragic play

Sōseki Natsume has just been cleared of all charges regarding the stabbing of Viridian Green. But he becomes the prime suspect once again when his fellow lodger, Mysterious Man A, is poisoned.

Before Flashback

7:28 AM

Ryūnosuke Naruhodō wakes up in Sherlock Holmes' attic, his new law office, to smell of Iris Watson's bacon for his hungry stomach. Holmes suggests that they mind exercise first and deduces that Naruhodō is in shock due to his hair messed up and his third button was missing. But Naruhodō says his hair is always like this and Holmes got rid of his button when he was playing the violin last night after supper.

Nonetheless, Iris is right that Naruhodō is shocked. He got a letter from Susato Mikotoba from Japan. It says she stood as an attorney and won, everyone present is so proud of her. She said Sōseki Natsume was a witness, Holmes slightly remembers him as being a defendant of two cases. The letter also says that the second incident he was involved in, "The Case of The Haunted Lodging", is what Naruhodō must look over. Apparently Susato hearing was the real reason her father called her back, he was never sick. He talked with Natsume about it when he was coming back to Japan but Holmes had forbidden it from being published. Anyway, she wants them to check on the second incident, Holmes is going out so he allows Iris to get out the documents of that second incident for her and Naruhodō to read, after all he's been banned from entering the courtroom.

Investigation, Day 1

"Meeting Viridian Green"

Main Article: The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro

The first incident happened half a year ago on a winter night. A young woman named Viridian Green was found collapsed on Briar Road with a knife in her back. Fortunately, she survived after a few days, but the culprit appeared to be invisible in the fog. Japanese exchange student, Sōseki Natsume, was passing by and was arrested by Sherlock Holmes for the assault. Fellow Japanese attorney, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō, defended him and revealed that the body was moved by a policeman and Natsume's landlady threw the knife accidentally hitting Green. Holmes then telegraphed Naruhodō and Susato Mikotoba to come to St. Bartholomew Hospital to visit the recovered Green.

5:30 AM

Is he Green's...?

In the hospital ward, Holmes chews them out for making him wait. Viridian Green is there on the bed for them to greet. She is a budding painter and rather gloomy, she immediately wonders if the group was the one who stabbed her. Green is a student at Thorndike Arts School and lives in a flat on Brixton Street, which is ten stops away via the tube from the hospital yet the school is only a minute away. Briar Road is filled with poor people, Holmes wonders what she was doing there in the first place. During the stabbing incident four days ago it was freezing and Green couldn't see through the fog, someone from Scotland Yard was going to explain what happened to her. Green blames herself for all the trouble she caused. Naruhodō finds a photo of a young man in the ward and Susato wonders if he's Green's "fated other". Suddenly, a policeman comes in to deliver a note to Naruhodō, it's from Sōseki Natsume. Holmes snatches it and it says someone was killed in his house! Susato calls for a carriage.

"Sōseki Natsume accused again"

7:18 AM

He does matter!

In the first floor of the Garrideb complex, the wigged, fancily dressed man from the other day is dead at the table. Natsume can't believe this after he just got acquitted and he still hates Holmes. Inspector Tobias Gregson arrives, he reveals the victim's name to be William Petenshy and doesn't want anyone touching the crime scene. Natsume and John Garrideb first discovered the "actor's" body, Petenshy lived a life of extreme poverty and had been in jail for fraud. Natsume was acting stranger than usual, the victim lives on floor down from him so they're basically neighbors, yet Natsume nervously said he didn't know him. Holmes gets an idea of what exactly happened, the victim tried to protect himself and was ingested with the scent of surrounding poison, Natsume gets really nervous so it must be true. Sherlock Holmes will now commence his Joint Reasoning!

Holmes says Petenshy choked on bubbles of poison from the bubbles in his mouth. There is half of a large bar of soap on a plate. The fork is his hand tells us he ate it for supper, which is not surprising considering he's poor. But since London soap is poor in quality, it resulted in the victim's death. However, was this really suicide? A single tea cup sits on the table. The lock on the door to the room is broken, so it was locked at the time of Petenshy's death, the only key was in the victim's pocket. So the victim was completely alone at the time of his death. Everyone is confused, but Holmes admits he also ate soap once to clean his stomach. He threw up, but since then he knew soap was dangerous if swallowed. It's time for the examination!

The other half of the soap is on the floor meaning it wasn't eaten. The teacup is empty so it's more likely that Petenshy drank the poison in red tea. But there is another teacup in his hand, there is also a candle nearby meaning someone else was here. On another table, there are the three same books Sōseki Natsume had in the previous incident. This means only one thing: Natsume visited here right after his trial! Natsume can't believe Naruhodō and Holmes just accused him of being the culprit after he just got free. Nonetheless, Tobias Gregson takes him to Scotland Yard, Naruhodō promises to defend him again and feed his cat. He and Susato decide to investigate the scene while Gregson was gone and talk to John Garrideb later.

When regarding where Petenshy's soul will go, Naruhodō and Susato talk about the prayings between Japan and England. They find a torn piece of an envelope and a gas meter which gives people gas for coins so they can use gas lamps and stoves for two hours. The window is blocked by bricks to escape tax but it has a small opening with two aligned soap bars, one of them has something dark red in it. There were two tea cups with red tea, but Sōseki Natsume didn't drink the poison. Tobias Gregson returns to cordon off the crime scene in five minutes. When Naruhodō suggests they see Natsume is his cell, William Petenshy suddenly gets up, he's not dead! He quotes Macbeth, with the help of Gregson, before passing out again.

Some time later on Briar Road, Naruhodō and Susato wonder what to do. They see the other mysterious man with the yellow clothes and huge chin peeking into Petenshy's flat. When Naruhodō tries to ask him something he just runs away.

"Interviewing John Garrideb"

"Some time later"

The two meet up with John Garrideb in his flat who thanks them for yesterday's trial. He says Petenshy wakes up every morning at five but he didn't light his candles today until a half hour after. That's when Garrideb knocked on the door with no response, Natsume begged him to break it down, that's when they found Petenshy unconscious. The victim was staying there for three months, he was poor just like everyone in Garrideb's complex. He was researching William Shakespeare, Britain's greatest classical playwright whose Japanese adaptions are called "Shao", this explains all the stage costumes in the flat. Anyway, Garrideb returned home around 6 PM but Petenshy wasn't there. He says that "joke of an actor" was surely alive until 1 AM as he returned around 8 PM, he knows because of the gas. This complex's gas is supplied through the pipes, meaning the flats of Garrideb, Natsume, and Petenshy all share the same pipe. If Garrideb turns on his gas lamp, the lamps in the other flats will dim for a moment. If his lamp is turned off, the others will turn on. Naruhodō wonders why John Garrideb is so fixated on watching his tenants lives.

"Interviewing Sōseki Natsume"

"Some time later"

In the Gaol, Sōseki Natsume is extremely upset with Sherlock Holmes for putting him in jail again. Naruhodō and Susato tell him about the victim briefly coming back to life but it doesn't cheer him up much. He reveals that he met with Petenshy the night before. After the trial regarding Viridian Green's stabbing, he visited Petenshy's flat for the first time around 9. After a discussion about Shakespeare, he had to go out, but before that Natsume served tea for them. But he didn't leave any poison and Petenshy was alive when he left.

The ex-resident strangling Natsume?

Natsume says his life is cursed, he could never adjust to Great Britain. Garrideb's flat was cheap so he moved in, yet he says it's cursed because the previous owner died recently under mysterious circumstances. But Natsume wanted to save all his money for his books so he signed the contract anyway. Then when he moved in he felt like he was being watched, he had nightmares about the ex-resident ghost strangling him. Regarding what happened when Petenshy was poisoned, Susato suggests Natsume moves out of the flat as soon as possible.

Natsume then says that Garrideb might be interested in the cursed flat as well, he was probably using the gas lamp to make sure his tenants are safe. Suddenly, Tobias Gregson appears with good news and bad news, which must be said in that order. The good news is that William Petenshy is expected to make a full recovery. The bad news is now he is suing Sōseki Natsume for trying to poison him. Naruhodō is determined to defend him is court and remove his curse.

Trial, Day 2

Before the Trial

9:23 AM

The next day, in the defendant's lobby of Old Bailey, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō nor Sōseki Natsume expected to come back to court in just two days. Susato arrives, after a conversation and hesitation, she announces that Barok van Zieks is the prosecutor for the trial. He's the prosecutor known as a Death Bringer, that's because all of his defendants who get not guilty verdicts somehow die, Cosney Megundal being one of them. In the last trial where Viridian Green was stabbed, Naruhodō got Natsume acquitted and he hasn't died yet. But today, it seems like the curse of van Zieks and Natsume is going to come into effect, yet Natsume assures that he is innocent which Naruhodō believes. Susato wonders where Sherlock Holmes is, but Naruhodō says it's best if he doesn't come since then they'll need to rely on his help.

Opening

9:40 AM

As the trial starts, Barok van Zieks, who took a leave of absence from prosecuting, immediately insults the Japanese. The jury is the exact same group from Natsume's previous trial as he just got acquitted, except that Garrideb is replaced with a woman in fancy yellow clothes. Juror 1, Oscar Fairplay, knew Natsume was never innocent, 2 says this is worse than her decisions of straightening her hat, 3 wishes he was to be killed by people like the defendant, new 4 wants this trial to end quickly because she has an executive meeting at ten, 5 says he'll be dead meat if he doesn't prepare fifteen shillings by today, and 6 prays that the "lost lamb" gets his proper verdict.

Van Zieks gives the opening statement. Two days after Sōseki Natsume was found innocent for stabbing Viridian Green, he tried to kill his fellow lodger, William Petenshy. The prosecutor removes his cape and demands the defendant and detective in charge to testify, Tobias Gregson takes the stand with Natsume. The judge is very disappointed that he didn't keep his oath from the last trial about becoming a defendant again.

"Cross-Examining the Defendant and Detective"

The "cursed" complex

Gregson then explains the case: On the first floor of John Garrideb's complex, the man living there, William Petenshy, was found poisoned by strychnine and unconscious. Natsume admitted that he visited his room, the next morning Garrideb broke down Petenshy's locked door and discovered the crime scene. Petenshy survived but he was almost killed. Gregson admits that he was present at the incident and submits a photo of Petenshy unconscious to the court as evidence. Natsume says the boarding house is cursed by an evil spirit because the previous owner of his flat died, Green was stabbed just outside, Petenshy was poisoned, and he is the defendant twice. He claims he lit his gas stove after he left Petenshy's room before going to bed to keep himself warm, but in the middle of the night the flame went out and he almost died. Van Zieks then announces Petenshy's immediate accusation towards Natsume putting the poison in the black tea. Naruhodō wonders why Petenshy is accusing Natsume if he is really innocent, Natsume says he served tea because the water pipes were frozen.

Gregson and Natsume begin their testimony about the incident. Natsume visited Petenshy's room with tea around 9 PM, had a discussion about literature, and left for his own room at 11. He says the tea was harmless and Petenshy locked his door. Gregson adds that strychnine is slow reacting poison that doesn't bring instant death, so it was possible for Petenshy to lock the door. Susato correctly guesses that the investigation was not complete, van Zieks and Gregson say there was no tea left at the crime scene, besides England doesn't have the technology to detect poison yet. Alas, the victim drank nothing else, the jury is already silently thinking about voting guilty, but Naruhodō is not giving up.

In the cross-examination, Gregson says that strychnine takes a half hour to kick in and paralysis, spasms, and the inability to breathe will occur. With Petenshy able to lock the door after Natsume left, it's possible for him to do it. The detective presents the diagnosis record from the doctor who worked on Petenshy as evidence. Naruhodō presents the medical report that says the victim ingested the poison at 1:30 AM, two and a half hours later after Natsume left. If the prosecution is claiming he is guilty, then that's a clear contradiction. But Barok van Zieks says the victim simply drank the tea alone after the defendant left. Naruhodō says there's another possibility but it looks like he's got nothing. He nervously says maybe another guest came after Natsume or Petenshy poisoned himself. Van Zieks dismisses the suicide theory because the victim said he didn't try to kill himself, Naruhodō responds that he could've been lying. Van Zieks goes silent as if listening to a carriage outside, then he announces that the man himself has just arrived...

Suddenly, Macbeth is heard again. The victim, William Petenshy, has entered the courtroom! Van Zieks has invited him as a witness much to Natsume's angry protest and the judge's interest. He allows the victim's testimony to the court.

"Cross-Examining the Mysterious Men"

Petenshy is now at the stand with the mysterious, stern man who Naruhodō and Susato encountered yesterday, they wonder who he is. After Petenshy poetically announces he's the reincarnation of William Shakespeare, Mysterious Man B's name is revealed to be Decargo Mieterman, and he works for the Altamont Gas Company over in the office at East End. Van Zieks got permission from the doctor for the victim to give testimony. Susato notes that the jury are already siding with this "angel". Van Zieks brought Mieterman to crush Naruhodō's other theories. The judge offers a testimony to these two formerly mysterious men about the winter night tragedy to which they agree to do.

Petenshy says on the snowy winter night, Natsume visited his room with black tea. When the latter left the former went face down on his table after drinking the terribly bitter tea, which was the only thing he drank that evening. Mieterman was watching through the semi-bricked window the whole freezing night and assured the court that Natsume was the only other person. Mieterman says Petenshy has some "this and that", he simply dismisses it by saying it's not relevant to the case. This leads to a small argument for van Zieks to break up. He and the judge agree that all that matters is what happened that evening, they think this will be the end.

During their tea, the two had a Jujutsu battle dressed as Shakespeare's characters, Petenshy was Romeo and Natsume was Juliet who actually won. As to explain the three hour time gap from the medical report, Petenshy says he didn't drink the tea until 1 AM due to all the talking they did. Petenshy reveals in pressing that he only eats a single meal each day, so only the tea could've been poisoned. The window was open only a little due to bricks to avoid tax, Mieterman says Petenshy didn't leave the room, he only peeked because he had a "mission". The police investigated the environs and found no poisonous containers, so Natsume must have taken it, the suicide theory is crushed. Mieterman couldn't see the dark room clearly but Juror No. 1 has heard quite enough, he and the rest of the jury are ready toss fireballs in one of the scales above for the verdict: Guilty! It seems like it's all over for Natsume but Susato encourages Naruhodō to do a closing argument. He needs to find contradictions in the jurors thoughts to make the jury change their verdicts so the trial can continue.

Closing Argument

The jury.

Juror 1 sees the victim as good and honest despite being poor, 2 thinks that the fine Petenshy wouldn't lie, 3 says Natsume did it because he's Japanese and has a suspicious mustache and hunched back, 4 points out she doesn't have evidence that points to Petenshy being a thief yet, 5 just wants this over with, and 6 says a three hour gap doesn't bother him a bit at his age. Basically, the jury is voting guilty just because they like William Petenshy. Nonetheless, Naruhodō proceeds with his closing argument.

Naruhodō says that poor people can still lie in England, but Oscar Fairplay says Sōseki Natsume is one of them since the tea was Japanese, Decargo Mieterman doesn't seem to be lying. Unless Petenshy is proved to be lying, the English gentleman won't change his verdict and asks the male jurors for agreement, Juror 3 agrees but doubts that will happen, 6 can't hear and 5 just wants this trial to end, but this is a promise. Juror 4 says the company needs evidence so they can sue the potential thief, she reveals that her husband is Valve Altamont, president of the Altamont Gas Company, much to the judge's surprise. She and Mieterman say their gas is the best in the world, he was sent by her to see if Petenshy was stealing gas. Petenshy assures Mrs. Altamont he is innocent, to which she reluctantly admits that there isn't any evidence yet. However, Naruhodō presents being a possible gas thief as a reason to lie for Mr. Fairplay, Mieterman will testify about it in a bit. A promise is a promise, the English gentlemen jurors toss fireballs into the white scale to vote not guilty, except 5 because he's in a hurry so 4 does it for him so the trial will continue.

Petenshy denies being a gas thief and insults it, angering Mieterman again. The judge seems to think Natsume is the culprit, but he takes side with the jury with the theory that Petenshy might be a gas thief despite van Zieks trying to say this is a waste of time. Mieterman says that the Altamont gas doesn't lie so the judge allows Mieterman's testimony. Juror No. 4, Mrs. Altamont, would like to take the stand with Mieterman as a supervisor!

"Cross-Examining the Altamont Gas Company"

In their testimony, Decargo Mieterman says his job is to collect the money from the meters in the area where Petenshy lives. If you insert a three pence coin into it, you get gas to use for two hours. But Mrs. Altamont says there weren't any coins in Petenshy's meter despite gas constantly being used. Mieterman had the only key to the meters, so that means Petenshy is stealing. Barok van Zieks insists that they focus on Sōseki Natsume and the poisoning but Naruhodō is sure that the gas theft has a link. The meter is new at the gas company but the same thing was happening for weeks. Altamont had to order a new meter with an unbreakable lock just for Petenshy but gas still gets stolen. When it was brought back to the office the company couldn't find any evidence, that's why their salary is now reduced by five shillings each day. Mieterman has the gas meter right now and it's submitted as evidence.

Upon expecting it, Naruhodō and Susato find a tiny, jagged hole at the bottom. When presenting it to Altamont, Naruhodō learns that the gas meters only take the required coins as it measures the size, shape and thickness equally, other coins won't fit. When Altamont adds that statement to her testimony, Naruhodō and Susato notice a two centimeter diameter depression in the soap they found in Petenshy's flat, that's the length of a three pence coin. After Naruhodō presents this to the court, the judge asks someone from the gallery for a three pence coin to put in the soap slot, it fits perfectly! But everyone agrees that a soap mold would melt when inserted into the meter but there wasn't any liquids in it. Naruhodō notes the hole in the meter and says the fake coins were made of ice since the soap was placed at the open window. The hole in the heated meter is used to get rid of the melted ice in it. Mrs. Altamont is getting mad that the company's meters can be tricked so easily, she demands evidence. So Naruhodō presents the picture of William Petenshy unconscious and gives attention the floorboard stain directly under the gas meter. Then he remembers how the victim had utensils and soap with him on his table when he was found, he must have been making fake coins when the strychnine kicked in.

Barok van Zieks has had enough, Petenshy being a thief and liar has nothing to do with him being poisoned. The facts are that the police couldn't find any poison but Sōseki Natsume was the only person with the victim, so he must be the culprit. However, Naruhodō says the situation has just changed, he suggests that the poison wasn't in the black tea. He presents the soap and, remembering the dark reddish things in it when he found it, says that the ice used to make the coins wasn't just any ice, it was frozen tea! Natsume said the water pipes were frozen so Petenshy couldn't have used water for the coins. Naruhodō demands an examination of the floorboard stain. The judge agrees and haves the bailiff send a police officer to the crime scene. The trial is put on hold and will reconvene tomorrow much to Naruhodō's relief.

Investigation, Day 2

1:11 PM

Later that day in Holmes' attic, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō is exhausted from barely making it through the trial. Susato Mikotoba was admired by his very misguided defense. The two of them can't believe how the victim appeared in court like today and how he was a gas thief. William Petenshy went back to the hospital, it's the same hospital as Viridian Green. They wonder how Petenshy was poisoned if it wasn't Natsume's tea and if Tobias Gregson examined that puddle yet. Then Naruhodō remembers Kazuma Asōgi, his late best friend who was also a lawyer. He helped clear Naruhodō's name when he was a suspect of murder. Naruhodō has a flashback of a conversation with Asōgi on the S.S. Alaclaire until Susato snaps him out of it. She remembers Asōgi only wish was to change the Japanese judiciary. Naruhodō believes his true mission had something to do with "Karuma", his katana sword. He reveals to Susato that Asōgi told him Karuma was down through generations of the Asōgi house and that he must do something in London no matter what. Naruhodō is determined to find out what that mission was and do it, but right now the two need to focus on freeing Sōseki Natsume.

In Holme's room

In Holme's room, Iris Watson greets the two while making tea. Naruhodō smells something bad, Holmes says it's his "scientific history" and seems to have forgotten about the trial and wanted to speak with Barok van Zieks, Naruhodō wonders if there's a connection between the two of them. Susato thinks that van Zieks is killing all his not guilty defendants but Holmes says he always has a solid alibi. The prosecutor was a reaper for five years and didn't return until Naruhodō arrived. Naruhodō remembers his first trial with van Zieks and Iris comments on how bad luck it is to face him again. The smelly scientific history is a new testing fluid Holmes made to prove of tea is real, street vendors try to sell fake tea leaves in the alleys. They test it of Iris' tea and it turns black and smells horrible which make it the highest quality of Darjeeling.

We need more pieces to finish this puzzle.
	This article is under construction. While it is not short, it still needs expansion as outlined in the manual of style. The article most likely needs expansion near the end of the tagged section or sections.

"Investigating Petenshy's flat"

Handprints all over Petenshy's wall

Back at Petenshy's flat, Tobias Gregson meets up with them. He allows them to search the crime scene as long as they don't ruin it. Barok van Zieks ordered him to find some new evidence. The fact that people pay for gas makes it really hard for poor people in the winter, but Susato says it's the same for rich people. They admit that William Petenshy making ice coins was pretty impressive. John Garrideb has a fireplace instead of a gas lamp. Holmes is there investigating too. He says he invented a kind of fingerprint detection device. He tested on the cup William Petenshy drank from and it worked. All you need to do is spray something look through special goggles. There are a lot of handprints around one part of the floor, which has a secret compartment but detective Gregson demands to investigate it first, and on the wall which a photograph is taken of. But there's nothing behind that painting , just a plain wall. After one unsuccessful attempt by Holmes to appeal to Gregson, Gregson does let them hear about three items he found in the hiding place. The first is a three month old newspaper article on a death row inmate from Manchester named Selden who died of an illness, he was a serial burglar and murderer. He's said to have a stash of one thousand pounds of stolen money somewhere, but it hasn't been found yet since he died, Gregson will find more information about Selden. The second is a fairly recent photo of John Garrideb and the same man from the picture in Viridian Green's ward, they receive the photo. The third is a small empty tin box, they wonder what these items mean and why Petenshy had them hidden. Suddenly, a cat appears on a prop castle, they call her Wagahai for now. The cat receive's its dinner which it happily enjoys then goes to sleep.

"Meeting with Natsume again"

Back in the Gaol, Sōseki Natsume says he's a cat in solitary and doesn't know anything about this case. He also says he doesn't have a name, but this was all just an act. He still believes there are curses everywhere around him. Natsume thanks Naruhodō for the trial today and says he drank the tea he and Petenshy had first during their conversation that night. He can't believe Petenshy used it for gas and is now accusing him. Natsume says his flat was cheap sicne it was considered cursed by an evil spirit of a death row prisoner.

Selden, the spirit that apparently haunts Natsume's flat

That's when Natsume has a look at the newspaper article and says that Selden is the spirit that haunts the boarding house and killed a young man, his next target is Natsume! He reveals Selden was arrested just one year ago, his hideout was the flat that Natsume is living in. His curse took affect when he died of an illness three months ago before he could be executed, the next lodger mysteriously died of suffocation in the locked room. When the body was discovered, the room was full of gas fumes. Natsume felt like he was being watched then had nightmares where the room's victims were choking him, then he wakes up having trouble breathing with the room freezing. The winter night are really cold, it's almost impossible to sleep without a gas stove lit. When Natsume falls asleep, his stove goes out and the room fills with gas fumes, just like the previous lodger. With Petenshy poisoned in his locked room Naruhodō agrees it is indeed like a curse.

"Meeting in St. Bartholomew Hospital"

At St. Bartholomew Hospital, William Petenshy seems to be insulting Viridian Green's painting. He asks for forgiveness since he was poisoned, she says he should've died for all she cared, then Petenshy starts dancing until he notices Naruhodō and Susato. He says he walked into this ward instead of his own by mistake and saw Green's painting. Petenshy is actually impressed by Naruhodō's defense today, but says that may not be the same tomorrow and leaves. Naruhodō is starting to think that Petenshy isn't just a victim. Viridian Green apologizes, she's preparing for her hospital discharge. Susato congratulates her, she's woken up right after he stabbing case was solved.

"Meeting with Garrideb again"

Back in John Garrideb's flat, the landlord reveals that he watched the trial to know the fate of the boarding house who got the reputation of being cursed. On his way back he visited his wife, Joan, the detention center. Garrideb reveals that after Selden was arrested, the lodger who rented out his room suffocated to death, with what happened with Green and Petenshy, Garrideb worries that he's next. Holmes thinks a haunted apartment could make gorgeous tourism but Naruhodō disagrees. They say Sōseki Natsume isn't suspicious despite being out for renting out Selden's old room, he showed up the same day Garrideb approached the real estate office with his ad.

Duncan Ross, the tenant who died

Petenshy came here three months ago, three days after Selden died of an illness in his cell. He wanted the second floor room but it was already occupied, Garrideb offered him the first floor so Petenshy agreed to sign the contract. When the group presents the photo of Garrideb and the other man to him, he reveals that the man is the previous tenant, a street photographer and art school student named Duncan Ross. He moved into that room after Selden's arrest, he wanted a room with a history. But one morning, Garrideb noticed the gas lamps and fumed as a scent of death, this was when he first started using them to watch over his tenants. He called the police, broke down the locked door and went inside. Ross has suffocated and the room was full of gas, apparently while he was sleeping the flame on his gas stove went out, Garrideb blames Selden's curse. John Garrideb then remembers one more thing: before Duncan Ross died, he wrote a love letter he has. Holmes reads it much to Susato's dismay. At first, there doesn't seem to be any recipient and it doesn't seem to be related to the case, but Holmes finds the name Viridian Green!

"Meeting with Green again"

The group goes back to the hospital again, Susato learns from the doctor that Green will soon be released. The group see a hard thinking Green about to drink from a blue bottle, she stops when she notices them. She says she was getting ready to go home and just about to take her medicine. Green doesn't really want to have a conversation, she faints when she sees the picture of Ross, knocking over the bottle that spills out a pink liquid. They tell Green what happened when they visited John Garrideb. She reveals that she was studying painting and met Ross at the school, they were both studying to become artists. They weren't only dating, they were engaged. Ross moved into the cheapest boarding house in East End to save money so they can get married, but then that incident happened.

Holmes in the corner denies the two of them to leave Green, a great detective must solve incidents to prevent them from happening. With that in mind, Naruhodō finds a dead rat that appeared to have drank the pink liquid from the blue bottle. The rat was fine earlier, they realize what was just going to happen upon their arrival: Viridian Green was about to kill herself! Susato will give the rat a proper burial later, Holmes and Naruhodō ask if this is true, Green collapses. She actually feels better, she says she secretly stole the label-less bottle from the doctor's cabinet, Holmes takes it. On the table, there is a cared that Green was holding before she attempted suicide. There's also an evelope that she got in the mail the day before the incident. It says, "I have something to tell you about Duncan Ross' death. Bump to the pub, Pepper Pavilion, on Briar Road on the 17th at 5:00 pm. I have some very important information for you, please be as discreet as possible about this." February 17th 5:00 pm is the exact day and time Green was stabbed by Joan Garrideb, she was on her way to the Pepper Pavilion. With everything she's knows told, Viridian Green has to leave now. Susato begs her not to try and kill herself again and she won't since this probably means she still has a destiny.

With the night fallen, Holmes decides that is enough investigating for today. Naruhodō doesn't think they got close to the bottom of the case, Susato hopes the tea stain didn't have poison. Holmes says they can only do their best and he plans to support them during the trial. All Naruhodō has to do is fight to the bitter end for the truth!

Trial, Day 3

"Before the Trial"

9:23 AM

We see a close-up of Sōseki Natsume's cat face, he was trying to get English information through "death". Today, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō plans to get rid of his curse once and for all. Natsume plans to talk with him about something after the trial. Sherlock Holmes is still not here.

"Beginning of Day 2"

9:40 AM

The trial gets back in session, the defense and prosecution are ready. Juror 1 intends to finally bring a just verdict, 2 says she's her cruelest when her hat angle looks good, 3 wishes she'd adjust the angle of his own hat, 4 says Petenshy's death is sympathetically inevitable, 5 doesn't have time for this, and 6 once again prays that the "lost lamb" gets his proper verdict. Barok van Zieks summons Tobias Gregson to give the report of the tea. They found traces of Natsume's tea left in the soap. However, there were no traces of strychnine found, so the poison wasn't in the tea. Naruhodō thinks he's already won but van Zieks says one drop like that isn't a big deal. He is calling William Petenshy to the stand, he's probably going to testify about something that'll make Natsume look guilty.

"Cross-Examining William Petenshy (Again)"

Upon being reminded of yesterday, half the jury wants Petenshy in jail. But Petenshy says he may be a gas thief, but the court should really punish Japanese Natsume for trying to poison him. In his testimony, he's says Natsume only put poison in his teacup, not his own. He left without drinking any tea due to the debate and Petenshy used that to make the fake coins. That's why no traces of poison was found in them. Natsume brought his kettle back to his room and this isn't suicide. Petenshy never met Natsume until that night. Naruhodō and Susato Mikotoba find a tea stain in Petenshy's cup but not in Natsume's, Japanese people usually drink their tea in one gulp while it's still hot, this proves that Natsume indeed drink it. Van Zieks suggests that he used the tea in Natsume's kettle by mistake. He says there are two points: the victim's tea cup had poison and the ice coins were made from another cup, therefore Naruhodō's contradictions doesn't exist. Petenshy tells the jury to give their judgement and they actually agreed to vote guilty, they think they were being fooled by Naruhodō. His only chance is to do a closing argument.

"Second Closing Argument"

The incredibly rational Juror 1 determined Natsume's guilty by considering all the evidence, agreeing 2 understand someone wanted to steal expensive gas, 3 agrees that it's dangerous, 4 says gas cost money to go around town and keep it safe, 5 decided to be more careful with he tea his mom makes, and 6 says this settles it since Petenshy didn't consume anything else that night. Mrs. Altamont won't stop talking about gas due to all the criticism it's getting. She also says that the company has its rival companies don't even sell their own gas, they secretly steal it from Valve Altamont using pipes. So the Altamont gas company has people ask the customers if they encountered any dishonest companies during the fee collecting, this makes Juror 3 react strange. He said was visited by an Altamont gas investigator the other night and said just like what 4 was saying. After he let him in, the investigator removed the gas lamp and literally blew into the pipe with his mouth, but he says that just ruined everything. 4 says that was a secret but 3 says everyone already knows. Mrs. Altamont explains that if you blow hard into the end of a gas pipe, the low pressure will temporarily rise causing every connecting lamp to waver, therefore you can tell if the gas was used dishonestly if the flames don't waver. Juror 3 says that bloody show-off investigator blew too hard causing all the flames on the lamps and stoves to go out, they had a major gas leak and he thought the investigator was going to kill everyone! Naruhodō presents this to Juror 6 claiming someone put strychnine on the tip of the gas pipe.

The jury and van Zieks thinks it's utter nonsense, so Naruhodō presents the handprints photo as proof that Petenshy may have touched the lamp's gas line in between. But van Zeiks says that Holmes experimental chemicals aren't admissible evidence. However, Susato convinces three jurors that they may never know where these handprints came from causing jurors 3, 2, and 6 to withdraw their votes. Juror 1 agrees with van Zieks to ignore Holme's inventions and Petenshy doesn't think there any reason for him to put his mouth on the pipe. Naruhodō decides to have Natsume testify for confirmation due to his gas problems. Juror 1 is convinced when you point out that, while there's no evidence that Petenshy touched the gas line, Natsume should be able to confirm it.

Petenshy denies having anything to do with gas, Naruhodō demands to have the gas pipe tested for poison but van Zieks says it would be dry by now. Naruhodō suggests that William Petenshy was trying to kill Sōseki Natsume! Van Zieks reminds the court that they still don't know who put that poison there, they'd have to plan that Petenshy was going to do it, it must have been Natsume to prevent him from getting killed, that's a motive. Susato encourages Naruhodō to reveal who he thinks the true culprit is. Before the jury can vote again, Naruhodō suggests to the court that the true culprit is Viridian Green due to her possessing a deadly bottle of poison. Van Zieks states that's impossible since she was in a coma for five days due to her stabbing, but Naruhodō requests her testimony. Petenshy never heard of Green before, van Zieks requests an hour recess to go fetch Green.

Recess

Sōseki Natsume is glad to finally be almost free of charges. Sherlock Holmes has arrived to deliver the bottle Viridian Green had in the hospital, it tested positive for strychnine. Naruhodō was right but it's not enough to prove Green's guilt. Tobias Gregson arrives but almost leaves due to apparently interrupting Holmes. He delivers files on the death row inmate, Selden. Susato will tidy up the court record a little, Gregson only gave Naruhodō the documents because he found the clue in the first place. The court is about to reconvene so Holmes leaves for the gallery.

"Cross-Examining Viridian Green with Petenshy"

12:30 PM

With the court back in session, Naruhodō's accusation is naturally surprising. Viridian Green takes the stand with an easel next to William Petenshy. Since Petenshy is saying he's a victim and Green says she's a unquittable coward who has no future as a painter, Barok van Zieks concludes that they're both unemployed. Petenshy is almost having charges for the attempted murder of Natsume but he doesn't know Green nor does she know anything about this incident. Green and Petenshy will now testify about what she was doing the night she was stabbed six days ago.

Viridian Green was stabbed in the back at 5:00 PM right in front of the boarding house. William Petenshy was enjoying dinner at a pub at the time. Green was on Briar Road because she had something to take care of there, it was her first time there. She doesn't anything about the current incident due to being in the hospital. Petenshy returned until the next morning when he saw the police officers investigating Natsume's room. Green lives on Brixton street, apparently she was at East End to find ideas for a new painting. The pub Petenshy went to was named the Pepper Pavilion, van Zieks finds this odd because that restaurant is rather expensive, Petenshy couldn't afford any of the food. Naruhodō remembers the card Green tried to hide before she attempted to kill herself. Petenshy goes deep into thought during this pressing, he doesn't know anything about Duncan Ross, Green gives the court the card so they can tear it up later. Naruhodō notices that the envelope matches the scrap they found in Petenshy's room. He presents it as to why Petenshy went to the pub that night. It contained a letter telling him to meet at the Pepper Pavilion that night regarding Duncan Ross' death, it was really for William Petenshy. Green assures the court that letter was addressed to her and has no relation Petenshy, but Naruhodō reveals that there was a scrap of it found in his room, it's a perfect match. Green broke into Petenshy's room, the judge requests another testimony. Van Zieks warns Green that false testimony is a crime despite her coming out of the hospital.

"The Contradictory Letter"

William Petenshy received the letter about a week ago. When no one showed up for an hour at the pub he went back home, then Natsume came and the letter disappeared. Viridian Green insists Petenshy is the real bad guy and is lying about getting the letter because it came to her house. She claims she has nothing to do with what happened, but that contradicts her bottle of strychnine, not medicine. Green entered Petenshy's room to poison the lamp pipe! Viridian Green falls down with all her art supplies. The murder should've taken place six days ago but then there were the police officers during the time of Green's stabbing. Petenshy's target was locked up in the gaol and didn't come home until after the trial, that's when the gas stove flame went out. The letter was to have Petenshy drawn out of his room, the motive was Duncan Ross, the previous owner of the "cursed flat" who was suffocated to death last month. Except Naruhodō doesn't think his death was an accident, Petenshy murdered him by blowing into the gas pipe! Green is disappointed that the people made rumors about this so-called curse, especially since everyone forgot about it in a month. Green, being Ross' fiance, wanted revenge. Despite Petenshy not knowing her, she is his bitter enemy.

Barok van Zieks doesn't see any motive for why William Petenshy would kill Duncan Ross in the first place. Viridian Green claims she went to Petenshy's room just to look around for evidence regarding Ross' death. The doors of the boarding house are old, Ross showed Green how to pick a lock using a wire and some turpentine. She found out about the hiding place under the floor of his apartment too. She said the tin box Naruhodō and Susato found wasn't empty. It contained the key that's currently around her neck, Petenshy fearfully screams saying it's his, that key means something big. Naruhodō says he has to think back on all the evidence and everything he found for something that connects the two cases, that's the Selden files. Selden lived in the flat before Duncan Ross and Sōseki Natsume. He hid a stolen treasure valued at one thousands pounds and it has still yet to be found. But according to the files, there was one other prisoner who was there at Selden's deathbed. This key must be the key to wherever he hid the loot, he gave it to that other prisoner. Selden must have hid the treasure in his old room, that prisoner was William Petenshy! That's why he wanted to live in the room on the second floor, why he killed Ross, and was trying to kill Natsume by using gas fumes, to get the treasure in the room.

We hear a flashback of Selden talking to William Petenshy, he gives him the key and says goodbye. Petenshy starts wandering around the stand like a madman arguing that the treasure belongs to him. He refuses to admit to killing Duncan Ross, there is no proof of the treasure's hiding place. He's saying he's the victim and there's nothing anyone can do to arrest them. Petenshy wants more time to look in the room for that treasure. Naruhodō obviously sees him as a murderer, Susato says he'll just keep denying everything. Naruhodō has an idea for a finishing blow: they will find the treasure themselves. But van Zieks notes that the police already searched his room when Ross died. Naruhodō brings up Holmes' handprinting invention again as a way to search for the jewelry. Petenshy is about to make them deny it again when Sherlock Holmes suddenly appears next to him, Barok van Zieks seems to know Holmes after all. The detective is able to make a testing fluid using something a person touched as a sample, citing Petenshy and his teacup as a perfect example. Holmes just needs a sample of something from the death row inmate, either evidence or a person. The one who has that sample is Viridian Green, it's the key she has around her neck. With a sample of his prints from the key, it should be clear what Selden touched in that room! Defeated at last, William Petenshy dances around while confetti and jewels burst from his chest.

William Petenshy's confession

Petenshy says he never meant to kill anyone, he just wanted to get Duncan Ross out of that room. After Ross passed away, he requested to move into the room but John Garrideb refused because he hasn't paid his rent in about three months. He couldn't visit the room either due to them fixing the gas pipes. And after they were done, Sōseki Natsume had moved in. Petenshy couldn't even check the room when he got arrested for stabbing Green due to the police investigating and Holmes reading books in there. That's why he tried that blowing trick again and got the strychnine in his mouth. Green says one final insult to Petenshy:

Viridian Green

... William Petenshy. "To be, or not to be. That is the question." Wasn't that what you said earlier?

Barok van Zieks

That's a line from Act 3, Scene 1, William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Viridian Green

I can answer that question for you. You ... should not be.

Viridian Green confesses as well, she initially thought Duncan Ross' death was an accident. The night before he was killed, Ross was a little worried that the gas pipes were out of shape, his gas stove flame went out the night before. He suggests it may be the "death row inmate's curse" he keeps hearing about. Green begs him to get out of that room, Ross knows and he's going to search for a new boarding house just for Green. She offers the guest room in her house for the night, but he made a promise that they'd graduate before Ross met her parents. He said he'll be alright, but he never came home to Green after that night thanks to the gas fumes. She blamed herself for not trying to convince him hard enough, she dropped out of school and stopped by the lodging house several times. One day, she saw Sōseki Natsume exit the building. She followed him to the Tumble Down restaurant and sat at a table next to him. She heard him argue with the restaurant owner saying the apartment was indeed cursed and the gas lamps went out, she wonders why the curse is still happening despite Ross already dead. Then she remembered a conversation she once heard between two gas company inspectors regarding blowing into the gas pipes on their investigations of stolen gas, that's when she started to doubt that Ross' death was really an accident. So she bought the strychnine on the black market in the East End, she says you can really buy anything there. Once she painted the gas pipe in Petenshy's apartment, all she had to do was wait. If Petenshy was really innocent then nothing would happen, he'd only poison himself if he blew into the gas pipe as a due punishment. She wrote him a letter to go to the Pepper Pavilion saying she has some important, classified information about Duncan Ross' death. She knew he'd only leave the boarding house if he knew what she was talking about. She prayed that this poison power would kill the person responsible for Ross' death after lying about the exact opposite.

The judge thought this case was simple, but now he knows there was a deep darkness behind it. This conclusion was reached thanks to Naruhodō. Green will be taken into custody for attempting to kill Petenshy, William Petenshy as well for murdering Duncan Ross and attempting to kill Sōseki Natsume. Green thanks Naruhodō for stopping her from killing herself, she didn't really know what she was doing. Naruhodō says it's good that she is alive and didn't kill Petenshy, Viridian Green smiles knowing it's because she is living and Naruhodō brought the truth to light, she thanks him. Juror 1 has no objections to a not guilty verdict and Natsume is acquitted.

Aftermath

3:24 PM

Natsume is so happy that he's finally free and thanks Ryūnosuke Naruhodō for saving him. He first encountered English literature in the Japanese empire and love it. He crossed the sea in a twist of fate to go the place where they were made. But Natsume couldn't get used to the outside so he locked himself in his room, but Holmes notes he was dragged out all this week. It showed him the true face of the English, but Holmes assures him that people are people which Natsume understands now. They're all the same trying to live. Natsume decides to cut his study abroad short and return home, he regrets it but he plans to bring back his English knowledge so he can write a novel. Susato Mikotoba would love to read what he writes. Holmes notes that the Grim Reaper prosecuted the trial, so he understands why Natsume wanted to go home. When Natsume reported on those two incidents, Yūjin Mikotoba paid him a visit. Then he sent a telegram to Susato saying he had an illness. Naruhodō thinks the only explanation about this is Selden's inheritance that was discovered the next day.

10:13 AM

This is the thousand pound treasure?

Sherlock Holmes managed to find the treasure in a day, despite saying he'd do it in a half hour. It turns out there was actually a secret compartment in the ceiling. The thousand pound treasure turned out to be some sort of dog collar, but it's really large. It is encrusted with jewels, but there's also some sort of stain on it, almost like blood. They also notice the crest on it, a fancy B with a crown. Suddenly, a pale Holmes says that's enough. He has Tobias Gregson take this evidence away and take good care of it. Iris Watson is happy that this weird case is solved. This case will make a great Holmes story for the Strand Magazine. She was thinking about splitting it into two parts: "The Adventure of the Schoolgirl who was Stabbed in the Back" and "The Adventure of the Mustached Man Cursed by a Death Row Inmate". Susato can't wait, but Holmes says Iris can only write about the first half of the case. And so the second incident with Sōseki Natsume was hushed up, but Naruhodō thinks he understands why now. He needs more time to connect all the lines into one. The "story" continued two months after the group received Susato Mikotoba's letter because of an incident during the London World's fair...

References to Other Cases

• This case is a direct sequel to The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro.
• This is the second time the real criminal almost killed the defendant.
• Poison stays in one place for long time before afflicting its intended target, just like in Turnabout Succession.

References to Popular Culture

• Here are all the William Shakespeare quotes in the case.
  • Macbeth: Act 5, Scene 5: "Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more."
  • Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 3: "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below."
  • The Comedy of Errors: Act 2, Scene 2: "Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?"
  • Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 2: "Frailty, thy name is woman."
  • Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 5: "One may smile, and smile, and be a villain."
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream: Act 4, Scene 1: "The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen."
  • Antony and Cleopatra: Act 5, Scene 1: "You, gods, will give us some faults to make us men."
  • Othello: Act 4, Scene 3: "The world's huge thing: it is a great price."
  • Richard II: Act 3, Scene 4: "For what I have I need not to repeat. ...And what I want it boots not to complain."
  • Antony and Cleopatra: Act 5, Scene 2: "Give me my robe. Put on my crown."
  • Richard III: Act 5, Scene 3: If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell. What shall I say more than I have inferred? Remember whom you are to cope withal.
  • The Tempest: Act 5, Scene 1: "How beauteous mankind is!"
  • Julius Caesar: Act 2, Scene 2: "A coward dies a thousand times before his death."
  • Henry IV Part 2 Act 5, Scene 5: "I know thee not, old man. Fall to thy prayers."
  • Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2: "What a piece of work is a man."
  • Much Ado About Nothing: Act 4, Scene 1: "Come, lady, die to live."
  • Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 1: "To be, or not to be. That is the question."
• During the cross-examination of Petenshy and Mieterman, Petenshy mentions Valhalla.

Trivia

• It's possible to skip the conversation between Petenshy and Green at St. Bartholomew Hospital.
• The fates of Viridian Green and William Petenshy are opposite of Barok van Zieks' Reaper curse. Instead of dying after they get acquitted, both of them got arrest after surviving attempted murder.