Page 25 - The Noorwood Mistery

looked carefully for more than an hour but found nothing 'Really?' said Holmes. 'So you didn't answer the door to
interesting in the garden. Next he decided to search the Mr McFarlane last night?'
house. The front door was open and a policeman was 'I did!' she shouted angrily. 'The murderer!'
standing inside. 'Ah!' said Holmes. 'So there is something that you can
'Good morning,' said Holmes as he wall<:ed into the house. tell me?'
At the end of the hall he found Oldacre's bedroom. There Mrs Lexington looked very cross.
were no police in the room and Holmes spent a long time 'I opened the front door of this house to McFarlane at
looking at the walls. He saw the bloodstains, which were a 9.30. I know now that I opened the door to a murderer!'
deep red colour, and on the floor footprints made by Oldacre 'And then?' Holmes asked.
and McFarlane. But he found no one else's footprints. He 'Then nothing,' she said at last. 'I was very tired and I
looked at the papers from the safe and he also found the went to bed an hour later at half past ten. My bedroom is
builder's bank books. He spent a long time looking at these at the other end of the house. I fell asleep immediately. I
and was interested to see that Oldacre wasn't as rich as heard nothing and I saw nothing.'
everyone thought. To Holmes' surprise, he had very little 'Did you sleep all night without waking up?' asked Holmes.
money in the bank. 'The smell from the fire woke me up, ' Mrs Lexington
He then tried to find the deeds to the house, but they answered. 'I got out of bed and started to look for Mr
were not with the other papers. Holmes asked himself why. Oldacre. I looked in every room of the house but I couldn't
When he was sure that there was nothing more to see in find him anywhere. He was dead, of course, I know that
the bedroom, he crossed the hall to the kitchen, where he now. McFarlane killed hi� and burnt his body in the timber
found Oldacre's housekeeper, Mrs Lexington, at the table. yard. And Mr Oldacre was such a good, kind man .. .'
She was a small, dark, silent woman with grey eyes and 'Please,' said Holmes, 'don't upset yourself. Tell me, did
silver hair. She didn't)ook at the detective when he walked Mr Oldacre have any enemies?'
into the room and Stloke to her. 'Everyone has enemies, ' replied Mrs Lexington. 'But Mr
'Good mqrning. 'My name's Sherlock Holmes and I'm Oldacre lived a very quiet life here at Deep Dene House.
helping Scotland Yard with their investigation,' he said. No one in Norwood wanted to kill him. That's how I know
'Mrs . . . ?' that McFarlane is the murderer. That young man has evil
'Lexington,' she replied without looking up. 'Mrs eyes, Mr Holmes, he has the eyes of a murderer.'
Lexington, housekeeper to Mr Jonas Oldacre.' 'Thank you, Mrs Lexington, ' said Holmes. 'Is there
search to look Tm very pleased to meet you, Mrs Lexington,' Holmes anything more you can tell me? Anything that could help
carefully
went on, and sat down opposite her at the table. 'What can us with our investigation?'
footprint a mark
that your foot or you tell me about yesterday evening?' 'I can tell you this, ' answered the housekeeper. 'The police
shoe makes on the
ground or floor The housekeeper gave Holmes a long look. fo und some buttons in those remains in the timber yard
upset yourself to
deeds the papers 'Nothing,' she replied. 'There's nothing that I can tell make yourself feel
that show who a this morning. Those buttons are Mr Oldacre's. They're the unhappy
house belongs to you, Mr Sherlock Holmes.' buttons from his trousers. He was wearing them last night.' evil very bad

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