Part 57: Update #5

Let's All Play Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - The Thames Murders (Update #5)



Notebook (New clues will be spoilered.)

1. Inspector Gregson visited us upon the request of Inspector Lestrade who would like us to solve "The Thames Murders". In the last week, four bodies have been found floating in the river. A fifth body, that of Roland Jaquard, was found under the Charing Cross footbridge early this morning. Jaquard was the stepson of Lord Astley Denham, he had a reputation as a mountebank and a ne'er-do-well. He spent most of his time at the card tables in the Bagatelle Club, he was one of the finest whist players in London. Jaquard was also a known womaniser. Lestrade is currently still working on the other murders in this case.

The other four people that were found are: Charles Attard, Cyril Maude, Nathan Revell and Leo Shepherd.

2. We met with Robert Adair at the Bagatelle Club. Nathan Revell and Roland Jaquard were both members of the club. Adair and Revell frequently played as partners against Jaquard and Sebastian Moran, who were two of the best players at the club. At first, Adair and Revell had started to win but their luck soon changed and they couldn't win a round no matter how good their cards were. He doesn't believe that Jaquard & Moran were cheating because they are gentlemen. He has also has admitted to placing small wagers on their games but he doesn't know how much money Revell had been wagering.

Adair last saw Revell the night before he was murdered. They were playing cards against Moran & Jaquard until midnight and didn't win a game all night. Revell became upset and had a disagreement with Moran. On the night of Revell's murder, Adair was having a drink with at the club with Moran. Moran waited until eight o'clock for Revell to show up, he became upset by his absence and decided to leave the club. Moran asked Adair to pass a message on to Revell if he did show up asking him to meet Moran at the Tankerville Club.

Adair last saw Jaquard last night around 2030, he had been at the club since 1630. He received a postal telegram, after reading it he jumped from his chair and said that he had unexpected business. Adair hasn't seen Moran for several days and believes that he is currently on the continent.



3. Jaquard's maid assures us that his room is as he left it. She hadn't seen him since going home early after leaving dinner out for him and a guest. Holmes' found two pistols in a drawer, a Mauser T11 and a La Faucheaux pistol. The La Faucheaux has recently fired three shots, the Mauser hasn't been fired within the last couple of days. There were also letters of credit totalling thousands of pounds in the drawer. Watson found Jaquard's wallet which contained £140 and a recent playbill from the Elephant & Castle Theatre. Jaquard's maid didn't see who he was entertaining last night but she has informed us that when she arrived this morning, she had discovered that the Persian rug had gone missing. She has also advised us to speak to Bettina Ivory, Jaquard's next-door neighbour.

4. Sir Jasper Meek had gone home by the time that the detectives arrived he has left information with the Irregulars.

5. Lestrade had decided that he doesn't need our help. Unfortunately, his report on the case seems to have gone missing.

6. Lord Astley Denham had a very poor opinion of Roland Jaquard. He didn't like the fact that Jaquard spent his time gambling and sleeping around, so he kicked him out of the house six years ago. Denham seems to be surprised that Jaquard hadn't been killed sooner.

7. The Irregulars visited the Raven & Rat Inn. Porky told them that Leo Shephard is Curtis Twiggs.

8. Two years ago, Charles Attard gave instructions to his sister that in the event of his death she was to collect a box and hold onto it until it was called for. She wasn't told who was going to collect it, but this person would possess a letter from Charles with instructions to show it to her when they came to collect it. The box contains files filled with a variety of financial records from Lindsay & Co, they contained securities and bonds.

9. According to Faye Shepherd, Leo is alive and well and went out to sea four weeks ago. Lestrade seems to think otherwise as he informed her of his death and accompanied her to St. Bartholomew's to identify a body. Leo's wallet was stolen before he left and was found on the dead body.

10. We spoke to Revell's landlady who said that she has left Revell's room exactly as he left it. He worked through the day, spent most of the evening the club at night and occasionally visited her for a game of whist. His room contains a broken window which she only noticed when she was showing a policeman his room the day after his murder.

11. Ivory Bettina informed us that she noticed a woman running out of Jaquard's house last night at 0030 and got into a passing hansom. About an hour later a delivery wagon from Landmark, Ltd pulled up to Jaquard's house, a man went to the door and after a few minutes two men came out carrying a rug. They put it into the wagon and then drove away.

12. Curtis Twiggs gave up his room four days ago. He left a bag with the landlord and told him that he would be back for it but didn't say when he would be back. The landlord let us search his bag, for a price, it contained the following items:

A gold watch with the initial CA engraved on the back.
Several pieces of jewellery and rings.
Two wallets with the identifications of Charles Attard and Nathan Revell.
A seven inch stiletto with a pearl handle.

13. The Irregulars gave us the report from Sir Jasper Meek: (I have unspoilered the images to make life easier)



14. Holmes spoke to Mr. Parrison at Lindsy & Co. who told us that Nathan Revell has embezzled over £6000 of negotiable securities and letters of credit. Parrison doesn't know how Revell accomplished this as only Parrison and his partner know their clients portfolios. Revell would have had to request each security by, by number, from the right bank and securities have been found missing from three banks. Mr. Lindsay was Parrisons partner until he died four years ago and now his wife, Kathleen Lindsay, owns his shares. Jeffrey Farber is now Parrisons business partner as Kathleen Lindsay doesn't actively participate in the business.

15. The owner of Landmark Ltd informed us that he only has one wagon and one employ, Juan Escobedo. The owner wasn't aware that Escobedo had taken the wagon to Jaquard's last night and wondered why there was a rug in the back of it this morning. Escobedo was told not to take the wagon without telling the owner. Escobedo has called in sick today.

16. H.R. Murray was not in his office when we went to visit him.

17. Watson searched through Cyril Maude's room and found an old sea chest. The chest contained the following items:

£200 in cash.
A box of Mauser 11mm shells.
A Webley revolver.

18. Nathan Revell's history with Drummond Bank:

"On May 6 Nathan Revell opened an account with a hundred pound Bank Draft drawn on the Bank of England. Approximately six thousand pounds in various Letters of Credit were deposited into that account during the month. On May 30, Mr Revell withdrew the Letters of Credit he had on deposit and closed his account."

19. The Irregulars were responsible for Lestrade's missing report: (Unspoilered for ease of life.)



20. We visited a very drunk Juan Escobedo who denies murdering Jaquard. He claims that the murderer is his brother, Marco Escobedo.

21. Jeffrey Farber told us that he has spent a busy day at the Bank Of England and the Drummond Bank. He was trying to discover the extent of the loss that Revell has caused to his firm. Once Revell knew the accounts and the account numbers he was able to transfer the money from them into letters of credit or any other account of his choosing. Farber doesn't know how Revell got this information as only he and Neil Patterson has access to this information. Kathleen Lindsay also has access to this information but all of her business dealings with the firm are handled by Charles Attard.

Neil Patterson (Not Parrison) is in the directory:



22. We spoke once more with Andrew Devine at Millbank Prison. He knew Cyril Maude and claims that he was a bad egg who didn't make any friends during his stay. The person who he was closest too was his cellmate, Curtis Twiggs. Curtis Twiggs was released in 1886 and won't be missed.



23. Loren Jarett, the maître d' of the Tankerville Club, remembered Roland Jaquard very well. On the evening of March 30th, Jaquard arrived at 7:30 pm and was joined by Kathleen Lindsay and ordered a bottle of Gruaud Larose '76 to accompany their duck. They left at midnight but not before being joined by Colonel Sebastian Moran, he arrived at 9:10 and had one drink with them before leaving at 9:45. The last time that Jarett saw Jaquard was June 1st, he spent most of the afternoon in the game room and came into the dining room to eat alone at 8:30 and had left at 9:30.



24. Kathleen Lindsay informed us that she knew three of the victims. Charles Attard was her solicitor, Roland Jaquard was her friend and Nathan Revell worked for Lindsay & Company. Jaquard and Attard knew each other and were friends and had introduced Lindsay to Attard. Lindsay assumes that Attard met Revell when he went to the firm to handle her business affairs, but it was never mentioned to her. She doesn't believe that Jaquard new Revell at all.

25. H. R. Murray's report given to the Irregulars:



26. Marco Escobedo was still in bed, looking hungover and beaten, when Watson had arrived. He claims to have not known Roland Jaquard but knew of him, he is also very dismissive of his death. Escobedo claims that Jaquard was a ladies man and was after Letitia Garcia, who he told us that he loved. Escobedo claims that he was at The Ring last night then went to Spaniards Inn afterwards and finally returned home to bed. Escobedo claims that he doesn't knows nor care who killed Jaquard, but was very quick in trying to leave after being questioned about it.

27. Charles Attard and Roland Jaquard also maintained large bank balances within the Bank Of England. Nathan Revell also had an account with them, it was bolstered by the sale of his mother's house after her death. Revell added to the account from time to time until around a month ago, his balance started dropping to almost nothing.

28. Roland Jaquard was at the Elephant & Castle last night to pick up Letitia Garcia. It's claimed that Garcia has lots of admirers and she knows how to have fun with it. Not only was she going out with Jaquard, Garcia was also having fun with Marco Escobedo and Sir Lester Ogilvie, who is described as strange bird.

29. Our old friend Porky Shinwell was able to be very helpful on this occasion. Cyril Maude and Curtis Twiggs were regulars at the Raven & Rat Inn. Twiggs & Maude were partners and part of the Moriarty gang. They were reportedly Sebastian Moran's strong-arm boys, Twiggs was the knifeman and Maude had a deadly aim with a pistol. There has been no word on why were murdered. Word has it that Moran wanted to find Twiggs after Revell's murder, but there's no known reason why.

Shinwell last saw the pair on the night of Maude's murder as they were drinking at the Inn. Around 8 o'clock, Moran entered the Inn, spoke to the pair and then left. Maude checked over his pistol, both of them finished their pints and then dashed off.

30. We spoke with Ken Tarolla, the owner of Rigby & Co. He informed us that he doesn't stock the Mauser T11 and told us to try M. Richards Gunsmith

31. We sent the Irregulars to visit Henry Ellis, unfortunately, he's in France at this moment in time.

Locations

Attard, Charles (Interview with his sister) - A prominent solicitor who is a defender of London's most notorious criminals. I suspect he has ties to Moriarty.

Bagatelle Club - An exclusive London card club where everyone seems passionate about the game of whist. It is said that Colonel Sebastian Moran is a member.

Banks - Bank Of England - Established in 1694, the Bank of England is the only financial institute in the city with the legal authority to issue paper money. In 1834, they moved to their current building located on Threadneedle-street.

Banks - Drummond Bank - Drummond's Bank is located on Charing Cross-road, across from the Alhambra Music Hall. Mr Ivan Emhoe is always a helpful and reliable resource there. He has been a clerk at Drummond's Bank for 37 years.

Chambers, Ralph - Nothing on file.

Denham, Lord Astley - Lord Astley owns several racehorses and was once in business with Lord Backwater.

Elephant & Castle - Wonderful, vaudevillian entertainment.

Ellis, Henry (London Times) - Baker Street Regular.

Escobedo, Juan - Nothing on file.

Escobedo, Marco - Nothing on file.

Farber, Jeffrey - Nothing on file.

Garcia, Letitia - Miss Garcia is a Spanish actress who once came to me in her search for her missing brother, Geronimo.

Gunsmith - Grant Arms Co. - Grant Arms has been selling and manufacturing firearms since the early 1800s. They began operations with the fashioning of an improved breechblock rifle which they made available to the public with a generous supply of the newly invented smokeless gunpowder. It is currently England's largest small arms and artillery manufacturer. Courtney Allen was president until he was brutally murdered in March of 1888. He left behind his widow, Beatrice.

Gunsmith - M. Richards Gunsmith - M. Richards is one of the best suppliers of pistols in London.

Gunsmith - Rigby & Co. - A small gun shoppe located on the southwest end of London. It is run by a pleasant fellow by the name of Ken Tarolla, whose affability rather than a large and varied stock of firearms, keeps him in business.

Hall, Edward (Old Bailey) - Baker Street Regular.

Hogg, Quentin (Police Gazette) - Baker Street Regular.

Ivory, Bettina - Nothing on file.

Jaquard, Roland (Inspection of residence and interview with landlady) - Roland Jaquard is the stepson of Lord Astley Denham and son of Lady Denham. Lady Denham had been married to Jacques Jaquard, a violent man, who died of food poisoning in 1871. It had been rumoured that Roland's real father was Lord Backwater, with whom the now Lady Denham had been involved during her marriage to Jaquard. No public acknowledgement of paternity has ever been made, but there is no mistaking that Roland Jaquard is the spitting image of Lord Backwater.

Landmark, Ltd - Landmark Ltd is in the business of transporting corpses to funerals.

Lestrade, Inspector (Scotland Yard - Criminal Investigations) - Baker Street Regular.

Lindsay & Co. - Lindsay & Company is a respected investment firm which handles the monies of much of England's royalty and London's upper class. It is located at 49 King's-road, SW.

Lindsay, Kathleen - Nothing on file.

London Library - Baker Street Regular.

Maude, Cyril (Inspection of residence) - Nothing on file.

Meek, Sir Jasper (St. Bartholomew's Hospital) - Baker Street Regular.

Mettier, Yves - Nothing on file.

Millbank Prison - Of late, there is much controversy surrounding Millbank Prison. Maintaining a prison near to the Houses of Parliament has a vociferous vowing to tear it down by 1893. Once, Watson and I nearly arrived on the doorstep of the prison. We had missed boarding the Aurora and had to cross the river by wherry, which landed a stone's throw from the prison walls.

Murray, H.R. (Scotland Yard - Criminology Lab) - Baker Street Regular.

O'Brian, Disraeli (Office Of Records) - Baker Street Regular.

Ogilvie, Sir Lester - Sir Lester Ogilvie inherited great wealth from his parents when they both perished in a carriage accident. He is a great collector of egg specimens and performs exacting experiments on them, although no one in the scientific community quite comprehends what these experiments are meant to prove. He is, by all accounts, an odd bird.

Pike, Langdale (Society Club) - Baker Street Regular.

Randolph, Vincent - Vincent Randolph has made a considerable fortune running a shipping line between England and the Orient. He is married to the former Linda Thurston-Eliot.

Raven & Rat Inn (Shinwell, Porky) - Baker Street Regular.

Revell, Nathan (Interview with landlady) - nothing on file.

Ring, The - The Ring is a famous landmark in London - famous for boxing, wrestling, and Sunday Shakespeare. Ironically, it was originally London's first Sunday School. It was built in 1782 as a chapel for Rowland Hill, who preached here for fifty years. Located on Surrey Row.

Rooker, Jeanette - Mrs Rooker is the former Jeanette Jaquard. She married her husband, Charles Rooker in 1879, much to the disapproval of her youngest brother, Roland.

Shephard, Faye & Leo (Interview with Leo's mother, Faye) - Nothing on file.

Somerset House - Baker Street Regular.

Spaniards Inn - Spaniard's is a small elegant restaurant across from St James Square. Several years ago, Watson and I slipped away in the middle of many a dreary day to dine on their paella.

Tankerville Club - The Tankerville Social Club serves the best prime rib in London. Watson, however, swears that they water down their drinks. Card playing is taken most seriously here.

Twiggs, Curtis - Curtis Twiggs was arrested in 1888 for the Drummond Bank robbery. The case was dismissed, because a key witness mysteriously disappeared.

Unvisitable locations of note.

Emhoe, Ivan - Mr Emhoe has been a clerk at Drummond's Bank for 37 years.

Moran, Sebastian - Chief of Staff for Moriarty. Moran attempted to murder me on two occasions following Moriarty's death - once at Reichenbach Falls and once in London. Obviously I got the better of the man. In spite of his arrest for the murder of Ronald Adair, he managed to escape the gallows. Moran was at one time an officer in the Indian Army and a heavy game hunter.

Time to vote!

We have visited seven out of seven key locations. You can end the case now if you wish or you can choose up to, and including, five more locations for the detectives to visit. You're also free to send the Irregulars to one location.

If you want to close the case, we need to answer several questions:

Who killed Nathan Revell?
Who killed Cyril Maude?
Who killed Charles Attard?
Who killed Curtis Twiggs?
Who killed Roland Jaquard?

Voting will end Saturday 19th of September at 2215 GMT.