The Case of the Purple Ink
Aug. 4th, 2013 01:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
capt_facepalmTitle: The Case of the Purple Ink
Author:![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=1)
capt_facepalm
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Gaslight)
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson
Summary: A casefic over seven drabbles
Warnings: (liberal interpretation of prompts, rules, and what constitutes cheating)
Word Count: 100 x 7
Author's Notes: All seven 2013 amnesty prompts (but not in order)
‘Holmes, I thought you told Lestrade you had declined to take Colonel Wainwright’s case.’
‘I did. At first. But on further reflection, a threat against the Railway should not be dismissed because it was written by a pretty hand in purple ink.’
‘You don’t think a woman—?’
‘A woman may be as hard-hearted as any man, and twice as devious. On closer examination, the writing could belong to someone who works as a clerk.’
‘Didn’t the Colonel recently dismiss his secretary?’
‘Bisley? Yes. That’s a good place to start.'
‘If the threat is real we only have until tomorrow.’
A short cab ride took us to Bisley’s Soho flat.
‘Mr Bisley left without notice owing two weeks rent,’ said the landlord. ‘I pawned all his belongings yesterday.’
‘Did you retain the tickets?’ asked Holmes.
‘You may have them for five quid. His gear wasn’t worth that, but it’ll cover his arrears.’
Holmes bought the tickets leaving the landlord wishing he has asked a higher price.
‘Well, Watson, we will be dealing with some despicable characters.’
‘Pawnbrokers prefer customers without any redeeming qualities.’
Holmes groaned. I struggled to keep a straight face. The only good pun is a bad one.
Meakins & Lannier Consignments was one of the oldest pawnshops in Whitechapel. Although the neighbourhood was a rough one, no one seemed to think that two gentlemen were out of place in that establishment.
The shopkeeper, obviously used to discretion, took the tickets without comment and returned with a box of items. Holmes examined the contents, consisting of an old violin, a pewter tankard, some pipes, and a couple of books. Then he nodded, and paid.
‘Anything of value?’ I asked.
‘Monetarily, no; intellectually… we shall see,’ he replied enigmatically.
‘Anything I can help with?
Holmes just laughed in reply.
The rest of the night was spent examining the contents more closely. Holmes immediately dismissed the violin as inferior and had me collect the tobacco dregs from the three pipes into separate containers for later analysis. The tankard was of German manufacture and as common in London as anywhere.
One of the books was “A Tale of Two Cities”, a personal favourite, but the rumpled commonplace book with its scribblings was what occupied Holmes’ interest.
‘Curious! The last entry: “KCS? E? 07 836”’
‘Is it connected to the threat?’
‘I should think so. It’s written with the same purple ink.’
‘What can it mean?’ I asked.
‘Augh! I don’t have enough data. Does any of it strike you?’
‘Well, railways... KCS could be King’s Cross Station...
‘Yes, but why the interrogative? And similarly, the “E?”’
‘Euston?’
‘If it is a station, that would make it Platform 7, and the 836…’
‘The train, or carriage number?’
‘No, Watson. The time.’
‘Surely if Bisley was a conspirator, he would know which station.’
Holmes ceased pacing.
‘I’m a fool! The original note was a warning, not a threat! We have less than an hour to prevent disaster at one of the two stations!’
‘Both stations will be crowded at this time of morning, I’ll telegram Lestrade, but we need to separate. You to Euston, Doctor; me to King’s Cross. Warn them and begin an evacuation.’
‘But, Holmes, King’s Cross is the larger station, the more likely target. We should both go—’
‘ABSOLUTELY NOT! You’ll go to Euston!’
A good soldier follows orders and within thirty minutes I was crowding through the great arch, looking for a policeman.
Instead, Colonel Wainwright found me. He looked aghast when I told him of the plot.
‘This way,’ he said
Then all was pain and darkness.
I woke to gentle strains of violin.
‘Rest, Watson. You are safe.’
Suddenly memory returned.
‘Wainwright shot me!’ I tried to say.
‘Yes. He conspired to bomb The London and Birmingham Railway. He traded his shares for Great Northern Railway stock. His secretary, Bisley, found out and was silenced but not before he sent the warning to the police.
'King’s Cross had been all but evacuated by 8:36. When nothing happened, I knew I had failed. Euston was the target all along. Fortunately our telegram reached the police in time to avert disaster. Nobody died from the explosion and fire.’
Footnotes:
Chapter One (purple prose) (P6)
Chapter Two (favourite quote regarding puns, unattributed) (P3)
Chapter Three (Book, Mug, Pipe, Violin) (P4)
Chapter Four (KCS,E,07,836) (P7)
Chapter Five (cliffy... cue the Duh Duh Dunnnnn! music) (P1)
Chapter Six (oops) (P2)
Chapter Seven (random playlist selection: Oliver Schroer; Field of Stars, from the album Camino; A brilliant musician whose untimely loss reminds us that people still die from leukemia. It's worth a YouTube search. Trust me.) (P5)
Bonus Questions:
Question #1: Many of the titles of the JWPs are in fact respectful tips of the hat to other fandoms, books, movies, etcetera. Name one of these other works, and include the prompts you think indicate the work in your answer. (In other words, show your work!)
Fandom of choice: Star Trek: The Original Series.
Prompt # 28 Botany Bay was the name of Khan’s ship in “Space Seed”
Prompt # 30 “Mirror, Mirror” was the title of one of the episodes (Beard!Spock). Of course its title has its roots in The Brothers Grimm.
For very tenuous meta...
Prompt # 29 MacBeth’s three witches (or an allusion to them) also appear in the episode “Catspaw”
Question #2: What was the first July Writing Prompt? Quote it.
DATE: July 1 (posted July 2, 2011)
PROMPT: Watson injury (any severity), from a different POV than Holmes (meaning Mrs. Hudson, Scotland Yard, Baker Street Irregular, The Villain (whoever he/she may be), etc.
I wrote Sparse Cover for that prompt. It featured Murray.
Author:
capt_facepalmRating: PG-13
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Gaslight)
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson
Summary: A casefic over seven drabbles
Warnings: (liberal interpretation of prompts, rules, and what constitutes cheating)
Word Count: 100 x 7
Author's Notes: All seven 2013 amnesty prompts (but not in order)
The Case of the Purple Ink
Chapter One
Chapter One
‘Holmes, I thought you told Lestrade you had declined to take Colonel Wainwright’s case.’
‘I did. At first. But on further reflection, a threat against the Railway should not be dismissed because it was written by a pretty hand in purple ink.’
‘You don’t think a woman—?’
‘A woman may be as hard-hearted as any man, and twice as devious. On closer examination, the writing could belong to someone who works as a clerk.’
‘Didn’t the Colonel recently dismiss his secretary?’
‘Bisley? Yes. That’s a good place to start.'
‘If the threat is real we only have until tomorrow.’
Chapter Two
A short cab ride took us to Bisley’s Soho flat.
‘Mr Bisley left without notice owing two weeks rent,’ said the landlord. ‘I pawned all his belongings yesterday.’
‘Did you retain the tickets?’ asked Holmes.
‘You may have them for five quid. His gear wasn’t worth that, but it’ll cover his arrears.’
Holmes bought the tickets leaving the landlord wishing he has asked a higher price.
‘Well, Watson, we will be dealing with some despicable characters.’
‘Pawnbrokers prefer customers without any redeeming qualities.’
Holmes groaned. I struggled to keep a straight face. The only good pun is a bad one.
Chapter Three
Meakins & Lannier Consignments was one of the oldest pawnshops in Whitechapel. Although the neighbourhood was a rough one, no one seemed to think that two gentlemen were out of place in that establishment.
The shopkeeper, obviously used to discretion, took the tickets without comment and returned with a box of items. Holmes examined the contents, consisting of an old violin, a pewter tankard, some pipes, and a couple of books. Then he nodded, and paid.
‘Anything of value?’ I asked.
‘Monetarily, no; intellectually… we shall see,’ he replied enigmatically.
‘Anything I can help with?
Holmes just laughed in reply.
Chapter Four
The rest of the night was spent examining the contents more closely. Holmes immediately dismissed the violin as inferior and had me collect the tobacco dregs from the three pipes into separate containers for later analysis. The tankard was of German manufacture and as common in London as anywhere.
One of the books was “A Tale of Two Cities”, a personal favourite, but the rumpled commonplace book with its scribblings was what occupied Holmes’ interest.
‘Curious! The last entry: “KCS? E? 07 836”’
‘Is it connected to the threat?’
‘I should think so. It’s written with the same purple ink.’
Chapter Five
‘What can it mean?’ I asked.
‘Augh! I don’t have enough data. Does any of it strike you?’
‘Well, railways... KCS could be King’s Cross Station...
‘Yes, but why the interrogative? And similarly, the “E?”’
‘Euston?’
‘If it is a station, that would make it Platform 7, and the 836…’
‘The train, or carriage number?’
‘No, Watson. The time.’
‘Surely if Bisley was a conspirator, he would know which station.’
Holmes ceased pacing.
‘I’m a fool! The original note was a warning, not a threat! We have less than an hour to prevent disaster at one of the two stations!’
Chapter Six
‘Both stations will be crowded at this time of morning, I’ll telegram Lestrade, but we need to separate. You to Euston, Doctor; me to King’s Cross. Warn them and begin an evacuation.’
‘But, Holmes, King’s Cross is the larger station, the more likely target. We should both go—’
‘ABSOLUTELY NOT! You’ll go to Euston!’
A good soldier follows orders and within thirty minutes I was crowding through the great arch, looking for a policeman.
Instead, Colonel Wainwright found me. He looked aghast when I told him of the plot.
‘This way,’ he said
Then all was pain and darkness.
Chapter Seven
I woke to gentle strains of violin.
‘Rest, Watson. You are safe.’
Suddenly memory returned.
‘Wainwright shot me!’ I tried to say.
‘Yes. He conspired to bomb The London and Birmingham Railway. He traded his shares for Great Northern Railway stock. His secretary, Bisley, found out and was silenced but not before he sent the warning to the police.
'King’s Cross had been all but evacuated by 8:36. When nothing happened, I knew I had failed. Euston was the target all along. Fortunately our telegram reached the police in time to avert disaster. Nobody died from the explosion and fire.’
.oOOo.
~fin~
~fin~
Footnotes:
Chapter One (purple prose) (P6)
Chapter Two (favourite quote regarding puns, unattributed) (P3)
Chapter Three (Book, Mug, Pipe, Violin) (P4)
Chapter Four (KCS,E,07,836) (P7)
Chapter Five (cliffy... cue the Duh Duh Dunnnnn! music) (P1)
Chapter Six (oops) (P2)
Chapter Seven (random playlist selection: Oliver Schroer; Field of Stars, from the album Camino; A brilliant musician whose untimely loss reminds us that people still die from leukemia. It's worth a YouTube search. Trust me.) (P5)
Bonus Questions:
Question #1: Many of the titles of the JWPs are in fact respectful tips of the hat to other fandoms, books, movies, etcetera. Name one of these other works, and include the prompts you think indicate the work in your answer. (In other words, show your work!)
Fandom of choice: Star Trek: The Original Series.
Prompt # 28 Botany Bay was the name of Khan’s ship in “Space Seed”
Prompt # 30 “Mirror, Mirror” was the title of one of the episodes (Beard!Spock). Of course its title has its roots in The Brothers Grimm.
For very tenuous meta...
Prompt # 29 MacBeth’s three witches (or an allusion to them) also appear in the episode “Catspaw”
Question #2: What was the first July Writing Prompt? Quote it.
DATE: July 1 (posted July 2, 2011)
PROMPT: Watson injury (any severity), from a different POV than Holmes (meaning Mrs. Hudson, Scotland Yard, Baker Street Irregular, The Villain (whoever he/she may be), etc.
I wrote Sparse Cover for that prompt. It featured Murray.
.oOOo.
Please sign the guestbook
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-08-04 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:41 am (UTC)Enjoy your trip to London!
no subject
Date: 2013-08-04 05:46 pm (UTC)And we're done! (fist-pump)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:45 am (UTC)Glad to be done. Glad to see the end of drabbles until next July!
(fist pump)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-04 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:46 am (UTC)I am thinking of fleshing this out as a proper case fic.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-04 11:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:47 am (UTC)I like realistic plotlines and this one took three days to discover.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-04 11:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:48 am (UTC)Three days of planning; three hours of writing.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 07:23 am (UTC)Purple prose...loved the literal use:-)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:52 am (UTC)This year's challenges were very diverse and I enjoyed writing them and reading the works of others. "Purple Prose" was used literally because:
1) Drabble word length constraints
2) Lack of imagination on author's part
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:55 am (UTC)No excuses accepted:-p
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 07:42 am (UTC)Although I'd have preferred Wainwright to blow up the P for Paddington.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 10:54 am (UTC)It's pretty plotty for a drabble series.
I think I want to flesh it out into a case fic.
But I need Paddington to get to Reading!
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 12:22 pm (UTC)If Wainwright blew up the 8.36 to Gloucester most of the passengers would just assume it was running late as normal.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-05 11:29 pm (UTC)I also admire your drabble ability, I find them very difficult to write.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-06 02:11 am (UTC)Drabbles are a bit gimmicky but I do like the discipline it takes to write them. With practice, they do become easier. After a month or so of nothing but drabbles, I want to express myself in free-flowing prose. Three years ago, I took up drabbling for the July Writing Prompts. It was harder than free-form, where you can use all the words you like to make your story. While I am pleased with the result most of the time, I admit they’re not always the best way to tell the story I want to tell.
(100 words)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-07 05:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-07 09:37 am (UTC)It's good to be finished for another year!