A large halo of grey smoke was caught momentarily in the sunlight that had begun to stream in through the large window of the study. Holmes stood and placed the churchwarden on the mantelpiece and lifted the top hat from the death mask, before adding: “Not an insubstantial task, I grant you, but one that I am confident you can achieve during my absence today.”

Within a few minutes he was fully dressed and ready to depart. A prompt ring on the doorbell some moments later indicated that his carriage had arrived and with a cheery smile and a snappy wave of the hand, Holmes was off down the stairs for his appointment at the embassy. I watched from the window as the Hansom cab departed and then returned to my chair to prepare a long list of questions for Inspector Lestrade.

***

The doughty inspector arrived some fifty minutes later and was visibly dejected and decidedly unimpressed when told that Holmes had departed for a hastily arranged appointment with a European royal. His pinched and drawn features and deep, hollow-set eyes took on a most unusual expression as he pondered how he might proceed in the light of the news. He then sat in the armchair that Holmes had vacated earlier.

“Well, I suppose I can convey to you the key facts as we know them, Dr Watson. You are familiar with Mr Holmes’ methods I dare say, so you can prompt me if I fail to explain all of the finer details.” He then glanced across at the Daily Telegraph which still sat on the table. “I see that you have already read a little of the case.”

“Yes indeed, Inspector, but I would prefer to hear your first-hand account of what you discovered at Ravensmere Towers. Holmes was most insistent that I obtain all of the relevant particulars, so that he may assist you when he returns to Baker Street later this afternoon.”

Lestrade’s demeanour was transformed instantly on hearing this. His face brightened and he at once sat upright in the chair and started to recount what had occurred the previous day. For my part, I began to take copious notes of everything the inspector presented.

“Well, we arrived at Ravensmere Towers close to midday - my good self and two uniformed constables. The telegram requesting our assistance had been sent by the secretary of Archibald Cartwright, the owner of the building. He greeted us at the door and introduced us to the concierge, James Mount, who then escorted us around the building for the duration of our stay. I insisted that he lock the entrance at that point, to allow no one to leave the building.”

“And could you describe the layout of the ground floor, Inspector?”

“Fairly straightforward. The main entrance consists of two large doors. Anyone wishing to enter Ravensmere Towers must pull a cord outside the building to ring a large internal bell. They are then afforded an entrance by Mr Mount. He has a reception desk and small office just inside the doors with a window looking out onto the street. In that way, he is able to view any entrants before admitting them. During the day, one of the doors is kept on a latch. It is possible to open the latch from the inside and get out of the building, but it cannot be opened from the outside. During the night, both doors are securely locked with keys held by the concierge, who is always the last to leave the building.

“The main part of the space is taken up with two washrooms which have been installed for all of the office workers - one for the ladies and the other for the gentlemen of the building. They contain toilet facilities and cloakrooms. The windows to these are covered in wrought-iron bars preventing any exit from the building. Outside of the washrooms, towards the centre of the lobby, is the main stairwell, which ascends to the five upper floors. At the heart of this, is the building’s lift, or elevator, system. And very impressive it is too, Dr Watson.”

“In what way?” I enquired, having little idea what the contraption consisted of.

“I was told by Mr Cartwright that this is the first office building in London to have such a machine. It is a square box, some eight or nine feet across. An iron gate at its entrance is slid across to allow the office workers to step into it. When the gate has been returned to its original position, those inside can operate a series of levers which then transport the box up to their desired floor.” He paused at that point and withdrew his black police notebook from an inside pocket, before continuing to provide further minutiae.

“The contrivance is powered by water under pressure, which comes from a nearby hydraulic power station, which is itself driven by coal-fired steam engines. The whole system is delivered by the London Hydraulic Power Company, which operates north of the Thames. I confess that the details of how it works escape me, but it certainly takes the legwork out of climbing stairs in such a tall building.”

“I can imagine, Inspector. It sounds like an incredible device. And can this lifting box be accessed from each floor of the building?”

“Yes, although it appears that Mr Cartwright makes the greatest use of it. The concierge accompanies any visitors to the building and also assists the secretary, Miss Trelawney, who travels in the lift each morning to get to her room on the third floor. The concierge told me that the noise of the mechanism terrifies the Godbold brothers on the second floor and the dead man, Mr Flanagan, preferred to use the stairs to get to his first floor office, as the lift is very slow to operate.”

“I see. So that accounts for the ground floor. What about the rest of the building and its inhabitants?” I then asked.

“The body was found on the first floor. You will know something of Mr Flanagan from the newspaper account. The floor consists of two linked rooms which serve as one rented office. Access to both is through a single door which faces the stairwell and lift. The first room is windowless and contains a desk and some other office furniture. A further door at the rear leads to the second room, which the Irishman used as a storeroom for his valuable porcelain pieces.”

“Two questions, Inspector. Firstly, was Flanagan in the habit of locking the door to his office when at work? And secondly, does the storeroom contain windows that can be opened?”

“The answers to both questions is ‘No’, Doctor. Flanagan locked the door each evening when he left the office. The concierge suggested that this was usually around five-thirty. But during the day, he kept the door unlocked and rarely left his rooms. The windows are a modern design and permanently fixed. They cannot be opened.”

“Thank you, Lestrade. That is most clear. And what can you tell me about the body?”

“Flanagan appears to have been shot at close range, which suggests a handgun of some kind. But there was no weapon in the vicinity. The local doctor who arrived later to remove the body, said the death was most likely instantaneous and the result of the substantial blood loss from a single, fatal shot to the heart. He has agreed to let me know if his post mortem examination throws up any further information. Acting on the statement given by Chester Godbold, we searched all floors of the building but were unable to find the gunman.”

“How odd,” I suggested, “And you are inclined to trust the judgement of Mr Mount, that no one could have entered or left the building without his knowledge?”

Lestrade did not hesitate in his response: “I am, Doctor. James Mount could be said to have hidden his light under a bushel. While serving now as a very conscientious concierge, he was formerly in the Royal Horse Guards and has an exemplary military service record.”

“And did he share with you any useful observations on the shooting or the character of Edward Flanagan?”

At this point, the Inspector paused, sat back in the armchair and took a deep breath before answering. “Now, it’s strange that you should ask me that, because he did say something that struck me as irregular. He claimed that no one in the building actually liked Flanagan, whom he described as abrupt, obtuse and argumentative. Flanagan was the first tenant to take an office in Ravensmere Towers and acted like he owned the place. He had apparently fallen out with Chester, Arthur and Frederick Godbold when they first moved in, some two months ago - claiming that they were making too much noise moving around on the floor above him. Mount also said that Flanagan was a few months behind on his rent and had heard Cartwright threatening to evict him on more than one occasion. Only two days ago, Flanagan had also upset Miss Trelawney, the secretary, shouting at her when she refused to allow him in to see Cartwright to discuss the rent situation. All in all, Mount believed him to be a bit of a trouble maker.”