Fic: Buttonholes: G

[smallhobbit]

Title: Buttonholes
Form/Word Count: 500
Characters/Pairing:  Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, Irregulars
Rating: G
Warning/Content: A new client brings Holmes an interesting problem.

 

“I admit I am mystified,” I said, after our latest client departed.  “I realise something is amiss since he is being paid too much for a private secretary, but what his employer’s plans are I really cannot tell.”

“Tell me what we do know,” Holmes said.

“Twice a day he is sent to buy a newspaper from a seller at some distance from the house.  Why not buy from the nearest?  And every day he goes to the post office with the letters, but again not the nearest post office.  I am at a loss to understand why.”

“And yet you leave out the most significant fact.”

“What, the buttonhole?  Chosen by the employer for each journey.  Surely that is merely a whim?”

“No, I’m convinced it is not.  I do not think the destination is important, but the route is.  Fortunately our client has provided a list of the buttonholes, complete apart from his first two days.  I must see if I can decipher it.” 

Holmes strode across to the window, opened it, and gave an ear-piercing whistle.  It was not long before Mrs Hudson let Wiggins into the house, and we heard him running up the stairs.

I opened our door, and before the lad was scarcely inside, Holmes was telling him he needed to know every business along a certain road.  He gave the lad some pennies, instructing him to share the job out so it would be completed as quickly as possible. 

While we waited for their return, Holmes made various attempts at solving the code, but the growing pile of screwed up slips of paper on the floor was evidence of his failure.  I read the newspaper.

The Irregulars were soon back and lined up to give their report.  Although unable to read and write, they had good memories and Holmes wrote down every business as they recited them.  As the fourth and final lad went through his list, I gave a sudden exclamation.

“There was mention of Hazlitt’s in the paper,” I said.  I found the article and passed it over to Holmes.

“Of course,” he said.  He turned his attention back to the list of buttonholes, so I passed the lads some more coppers and told them they could go.

“Right,” Holmes said.  “We ignore all the white flowers and what do you see?”

“The first buttonholes are all red or pink, but now they are orange or yellow.”

“Precisely.  And they changed colour when the duke arrived at the hotel.  We know there are men who seek to assassinate the duke, and they’ll be waiting for a signal.”

“You think the signal will be given by the buttonhole?”

“Precisely.  Our client must be watched until he wears a distinctive buttonhole.  It will have to be distinctive, so no mistake is made.”

We were only just in time.  The following morning our client began his walk with a striped buttonhole and Gregson’s men were able to prevent the attempt on the duke’s life.

 

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Very clever (and fashionable) code!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - I liked the thought, although failed to work in the language of flowers which was my original idea.

[dustbunny105]

Oh, clever! I could believe this was from canon, it fits so well among the types of cases that find their way to Holmes :D

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

[mightymads]

I second the comment that it would make a good canon story. And the fact that it's the colour but not the meaning in the language of flowers adds to the intrigue. And Holmes is very lucky to have such helpers as Watson and the Irregulars :)

[smallhobbit]

Thank you :) Holmes at first thought it was the specific flowers which were important - hence all the screwed up paper.

[luthienberen]

Very clever and echoing everyone that it is like a canon story! 🕵️‍♂️

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much!

[scfrankles]

As always, an elegantly drawn little case ^___^

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

[gardnerhill]

There's one use of the Language of Flowers in a new way.

[smallhobbit]

Yes. I'd looked at the traditional language of flowers, but couldn't get it to work and then realised something simpler would be ideal and much less open to misinterpretation.