How Holmes Helped Preserve “The Phantom Project”
Dear Investigators,
Congratulations on keeping The Phantom Project free from the clutches of two clever moles… the mystery of Wesley Norton’s disappearance is now but a case well cracked. And while the reasons for Norton’s disappearance might not have been what Mrs. Norton expected, she can at least rest at ease knowing her husband is safe.
Take a gander at Holmes’ breakdown of the case below. Did you figure it out first?
Until the next mystery,
The Dear Holmes Team
——
4 September, 1912
Dear Mr. Tennant,
The War Office can resume its vital work. With the news contained in your last letter, I have resolved this entanglement – and with some time to spare before Lord Haldane’s negotiations with Chancellor von Bethmann Hollweg. You should know from the start that Mr. Norton’s “disappearance” was, much like the ghastly figures you witnessed on Ben Macdhui, a matter of misperception. Allow me to explain.
The first letter you sent me suggested myriad possible explanations for Wesley Norton’s disappearance. No doubt, the secretive nature of his work could have precipitated his abduction, but evidence that he was a victim of foul play was scarce. He could have fallen prey to Mother Nature’s whims; or considering his profession, he could have defected to work for the enemy. Anything was possible, especially in light of the fact a body had not been recovered. Nevertheless, our primary goal was clear straight away: locate Wesley Norton and rule out any outcomes that might compromise the national defence.
Preliminary interviews with Gabriella Norton and Mr. Norton’s colleagues left me with an uncomfortable suspicion that Mr. Norton had struck some Faustian bargain. Mrs. Norton seemed distraught by her husband’s disappearance, but the roses that were delivered to her suggested that her marriage may not have been as blissful as she claimed. Knowing too of Mr. Norton’s recent ill humour, and that his passport was unaccounted for, I wondered if he was responsible for his own disappearance. Still, I was unable to test this hypothesis until receiving your second letter.
With your report from Aviemore in hand, I realised that the circumstances of Mr. Norton’s disappearance were far more complicated than I had perceived. Whilst an unfortunate accident was no longer plausible, several pieces of evidence now supported the notions of espionage or abduction. First was the broken hickory walking stick the MacPhersons found on the Macdhui path. Such an object would have taken considerable strength to shatter, implying that it was broken intentionally. Whether this was a diversion, or the result of some sort of struggle, however, remained unknown. At the time, you may have thought the figures you and Jack MacPherson encountered on Ben Macdhui were involved, but I could already dismiss that theory. What you both saw was indubitably the fabled “Grey Man”, which is to say, you saw your own shadows. The Liath Mhor myth is kept alive by a refractory illusion created by sunlight. The sun behind you cast your silhouettes on distant mist and fog that day, creating a faraway spectral figure. I witnessed the same phenomenon in the Harz Mountains of Germany. This sunset spectacle, and the mild panic people feel when they believe they are lost, explain why the Grey Man tale persists. Unfortunately for Norton, the spectacle failed to keep us off his trail.
Your August 30 letter also noted three elements connecting him to a mysterious woman. The SS Imperator envelope – which your colleague Gregory Lyle had retrieved from Norton’s desk – The Days of Yore Inn’s guest register, and the Royal Opera Program for Tristan and Isolde. The inn’s register indicated that Norton and his assistant, Brian Cox, had happened to visit Aviemore when one “F. Leider” was staying there. This name, coupled with the Imperator envelope in Norton’s desk, pointed to someone with German roots. Alone, this would not have been concerning, but reflecting upon the Royal Opera House’s featured actress, Miss Frida Lighter, and her name’s resemblance to that of F. Leider, I became wary of the nature of this romantic affair. If Miss Leider and F. Leider were the same person, then was Miss Lighter using an alias to stay out of the public eye, or was Miss Leider using a stage name to obscure her German origins and a career in espionage? And in any case, was Mr. Norton himself a turncoat? Your following letter arrived just days later on the 2nd, shedding light on the matter.
Through your interviews with Norton’s lab associates, and with Mrs. Norton and the Opera House staff, I was able to see our missing man’s intentions. Knowing that he had been regularly visiting Miss Lighter, and that she had inspired in him a new fondness for cologne, it was clear that their relationship was developed. Yet, if she was indeed some sort of accomplice in espionage, then meeting at the Royal Opera House in plain sight of others, under the guise of infidelity, would be illogical. On the other hand, your interviews at the War Office laboratories cast suspicion over some of Norton’s colleagues. Brian Cox was displeased with his work at the laboratory and the building’s cleaner, Jacob Nowak, had started his work at the War Office fourteen months prior, when work on the Phantom Project had just begun. These details, and the code book later found in Norton’s desk, are what first made me consider that his disappearance had little to do with his work on Project Phantom. Although Mr. Norton did attempt to abscond, neither he nor his lover are guilty of espionage. Instead, Mr. Tennant, there have been two separate mysteries unfolding before us.
The initial, more obvious puzzle, has been that of Mr. Norton’s secretive actions and subsequent disappearance. As mundane as it seems, I believe he was running off with his lover. Delusional love is the opium of infidelity, and it is still cheating, even if nobody comes. If Norton did not realise that Miss Lighter had spurned him at the opera house, it would have occurred to him when he found himself alone in Aviemore, as the original plan was for her to meet him there and leave to Southampton together. I speculate it was Miss Lighter’s idea that he “vanish” from Ben Macdhui, as an ominous disappearance and the Grey Man myth bear a definite theatrical flair. Even so, the elaborate ruse proved to be too grandiose and Miss Lighter had a change of heart. Betrayed by distrust, regret, and his lover, Mr. Norton then attempted to return home to his wife. I doubt he was selling off confidential information, nor was he compromised, or he would have all but returned home. Of course, this is not to say that your concerns for the Phantom Project were unwarranted.
The second mystery, lurking in the background, has been that of a mole infiltrating the War Office laboratories and taking advantage of Wesley Norton’s disappearance. Throughout this investigation, you questioned Norton’s wife, as well as those who worked with or around him, Brian Cox, James Black, and Jacob Nowak. Gabriella Norton’s statements indicated contempt for his dishonesty and erratic behaviour, but more so than that, sincere concern for her husband’s safety. There is no reason to suspect she might be involved in foul play of any sort. Rather, the evidence you collected alongside your associate Lyle indicates that Brian Cox has been gathering and disseminating sensitive information concerning the Phantom Project. But I need not remind you that espionage is often undertaken within teams – one member makes contact, develops a target, and acts as an intermediary between them and an “agent”. In this manner the target never knows the identity of the foreign agent. As it is unlikely a coloratura soprano would wander into a War Office laboratory, you will find your instincts about Jacob Nowak to prove spot on.
Nowak, who originally sought employment as an assistant on the Phantom Project, would have been the ideal person to make contact, develop targets, and pass on information to a superior. And though it may seem inconsequential, one of the prime motives for disloyalty is the need to feel important: Mr. Cox’s dissatisfaction with the project’s direction made him an especially vulnerable prey for Nowak. Further, I would posit that the man’s chat with Black about “Kokos” (German for coconuts) and “the sea” was part of an ongoing effort to develop another target. Contacts are usually born of a casual friendship, and I should note too that coconut shells can produce charcoal with extraordinary filtration capabilities, which would be of great interest to any individual studying poisonous gases.
It is difficult to say precisely when Cox started working with Nowak, but his code book disguised as “Conference Notes” suggests they have been collaborating since at least June, when Cox and Black attended the Edinburgh conference. Later in July, whilst in Aviemore, Cox learned of Norton’s plan to leave his wife for another woman – a German woman. In that, he saw an invaluable opportunity. Amidst the chaos of Norton’s attempted flight, Cox was able to discreetly access his files at will. As evidenced by your chat with Mrs. Norton, he even went as far as planning to visit the man’s home office, where additional documents pertaining to the Phantom Project would have been stored. He planted incriminating evidence to pin the crime on Norton, too.
Cox presumed he would have more time to execute the latter, but Norton’s unexpected return caught him by surprise. He placed his “Conference Notes” code book in Norton’s desk and hid the desk key in his own inkwell. In his haste, he did not recall that Norton never attended the conference in Edinburgh. Cox also failed to predict that his desk would be searched during your interview, uncovering Norton’s desk key. Given the added fact that Cox was first to accuse Norton of stealing information, I would say “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”.
I imagine you will have further interrogated Cox and company by the time you receive this letter, but in any case, I recommend immediately detaining Mr. Cox and Nowak and performing thorough searches of their homes. If you require any assistance in this regard, I would be glad to send my colleague Watson to lend a hand. Any additional evidence of Cox and Nowak’s collusion would be indispensable in your interrogations.
Please pass on my congratulations to Gregory Lyle. You have a good man in him. His instincts and attention to detail will serve you and our country well. My hopes and prayers go with Lord Haldane too as he meets with the German Chancellor. I know little of international politics, but I believe that war is humanity’s most horrifying crime, no matter how necessary or well justified.
Yours in fidelity and friendship,
