This Featured Detective Has No Time for Poker
The Dear Holmes “Featured Detective” Program honors one detective per mystery for their clever and well-thought-out solution to the case. To learn how to send in your own solution, visit Dearholmes.com/solve.
Dear Detectives,
We’re grateful for your help in solving the recent case of The Neckar Reawakening. Unfortunately, our villains slipped past the West Sussex Constabulary long enough to claim two victims, but once Captain Drummond solicited your assistance, Tarnhow-Miller’s plot was brought to a crashing stop.
From the moment the captain first alerted Holmes to the strange deaths at Knucker Hole, investigators had plenty of reasons to be wary. As many quickly pointed out, these were not only murders, but also appeared to be part of something ritualistic. Once more details surfaced, it became clear that Binsted’s newest superstitious local, Tristan Tarnhow-Miller, was involved, but several questions remained: Why and how was he murdering these young women? And was anybody helping him?
Some sharp sleuths scrutinized Vicar Dutton as an accomplice, noting that the man might’ve been after riches buried in the church cemetery; a number of detectives considered the possibility of Silas Carstairs, the workhouse master, and Sarah Fowler, the pendant-maker, having been in cahoots with Tarnhow-Miller. Fortunately, Watson eventually arrived on the scene and sent in some key information, compelling many of our detectives to focus their investigations on Tarnhow-Miller’s supposed poker club.
From there, Tarnhow-Miller’s lies began to fall apart and the truth came pouring out. Numerous investigators were able to ID our villain, as well as his accomplices, Bilney, Brimham, and Chilvers, but only a select few were able to see through every element of their plot. And even fewer went as far as warning Captain Drummond that six mermaid pendants had been ordered, meaning that four other victims were likely being planned for. We’re thrilled to celebrate Detective Gail M., of Berlin, NJ, as our Featured Detective for this mystery!
Detective Gail was the first on the scene to correctly identify Tarnhow-Miller as the ringleader of these crimes, while also pinning down his three “buddies,” Gerald Bilney, Arthur Brimham, and Tom Chilvers, and seeing through every layer of their deceit. On top of naming our villains, Detective Gail traced the connections between our culprits, the ceremonial robes, the laudanum, the mermaid pendants, and even Mr. Brimham’s dogcart.
Congratulations from the Dear Holmes Team to Detective Gail M. — a special reward will soon be on its way!
Want to be next month’s Featured Detective? Mail your solution to 1101 14th St NW, Suite 910, Washington DC 20005, or submit online at Dearholmes.com/solve.