Holmes & Watson

The Adventures of Bidgelock Holmes and Dick Watson:  A Scandal in Mexico.

The sun poured down on us that hot November morning as we arrived at the scene of the crime.  Room 217, The Grand Oasis Hotel, Cancun, Mexico.  It was Thanksgiving morning, 2010.  The room was dark and eerie, and the smell of salt filled the air as I pushed open the curtain, forcing sand particles in every direction. 

            “What seems to be the issue?” questioned my colleague, Bidgelock Holmes. 

            We were a team, Bidge and I; I provided the medical knowledge, she did the rest.  I was a doctor you see, well at least I used to be until I teamed up with Detective Holmes.  An average family physician: Dr. Richard H. Watson, but I abandoned that mundane life long ago.  It was crime that fed me now.

            “In here,” said the man. “Right next to the toilet.”  He pointed towards the wall of the bathroom. 

            His name was Krapff, I believe, Colin Krapff.  He and his friend, Matthew Peterson had been vacationing on the beaches of Cancun when disaster struck.  Someone had pooped on the wall of their bathroom suite, leaving no traces besides the obvious. 

            “Astounding!” I heard Holmes proclaim. “Watson, get over here and take a look at this,” she said, motioning me towards the scene of the crime.

            I bent down and observed.  It smelt rank. 

            “But how did it get there?” I asked.

            “That seems to be the mystery num nuts,” Bidgelock said sarcastically.  “It’s why we’re here.”

            “Obviously,” I spurted.  “But what I meant was how did the culprit manage to get it on there so skillfully?  It seems an impossible feat, judging by the angle and space afforded between the toilet and the wall.  I just don’t understand.”

            Holmes was silent.  After a minute or two she turned to the patrons of the suite.

            “Was it just the two of you in here last night?”

            “No, there were actually four other people, females.”

            At that Holmes raised her eyebrows.  Mr. Krapff reddened, aware of the implied misunderstanding, so he offered an explanation. 

            “Not like that,” he defended.

“Tell me everything that happened last night.  Or as much as you can remember,” Bidge said.

“You see, Matt and I were sound asleep after a night of karaoke when there was a knock on the door.  It was my friend Bridget and my girlfriend, Lindsey Glenn.” He stopped and pointed towards the couch outside where the two women sat waiting.  “They had just arrived back at the hotel and brought some pizza up to the room for us to eat.  They had both clearly been drinking.”

“What about the other two?” Holmes questioned.

“They came a few minutes later,” chimed in Mr. Peterson.  “Right as we had finished eating the pizza.  Their names are Emily woods and Ellee Stewart.  They’re staying in the room across the lobby.  They had also been drinking.”

“Interesting,” mused Holmes.  “And what about the two of you? Had you been drinking as well?”

“Of course,” said Mr. Krapff.  “But not as much.  Matt on the other hand doesn’t drink. But we had just awoken from a deep sleep, so our memories aren’t exactly prime pickings either.” 

Mr. Peterson remained silent and took a seat in the armchair next to the bed.  Clearly agitated, he wasn't dawning his typical model pose.  The mystery was clearly getting to his head, as he looked paler than usual. 

“I don’t remember anyone going to the bathroom for a substantial amount of time,” said Mr. Krapff.  “I heard Bridget go pee early this morning, but that’s it, nothing more.”

“There was someone else,” offered Mr. Peterson, getting to his feet.  “No.  I remember now.  It was this morning, right as I was in between sleep and consciousness.” He began to pace the room. “I don’t know who it was, I just remember the door rolling shut and the flick of the light inside the bathroom.  I didn’t think much of it then because I was tired, but now I realize that’s when it must have happened.  But who was it?”

“What do you think Watson?” Bidge asked.

“I think we should bring the girls in for questioning.”

“Precisely! Bring in the dames.”

I motioned for Ms. Glenn and Ms. Nicholson to enter the room.  I would need to find Ms. Woods and Ms. Stewart before the day was done, but the recollections of these two would suffice for now.  They sat on the double bed closest to the wall. 

“Now tell me what you remember,” said Holmes.  “Don’t leave anything out.”

TO BE CONTINUED…