The Last Gambit

We almost haven’t seen each other for the whole month, and meanwhile so many curious things had happened in the world, – carefully I tried again to start conversation, – and, by the way, today’s Saturday and I have nothing to do at the editorial office.

Oh, Watson, why do you like so much to beat around the bush? You’d better to ask straight, you know, – answered Holmes, a little bit irritated, like having guessed about my thoughts.

The begi

You’ve caught it right, as usual, Sherlock, I’m greatly interested in your opinion about the latest terrorist acts in the USA. This is a crime of the century, isn’t it?! Thousands of victims, unheard-of destructions, tremendous insolence and coordination of criminal actions in plain view of the whole world, and at the same time – complete confusion of the government, lack of any clear trails that could facilitate the catch and indictment of the culprits. I’m sure it’s a hard nut to crack for the FBI gentlemen! It looks like this riddle was created for you, dear Holmes. Who else but you might be able to unravel this mysterious conspiracy! – I was trying to flatter my friend, and thus make him eager to talk. His answer, however, stu

You’re wrong, Watson, – every schoolboy or apprentice is equal to the revealing of this crime; I have nothing to investigate in it. The FBI gentlemen, I have no doubts, are very well informed about the authors of this outrage.

Well, I beg your pardon, Holmes, why don’t they arrest the criminals then?

Let’s only wait, and they certainly will do it ... and almost for sure the arrested ones will have no co

My bewilderment hung heavily in absolute silence of the living room furnished humbly with antique items. One could not hear but the hollow ticking of Miller’s clock; the clock showed nine past ten already. Holmes has found it necessary to explain himself.

I hope, Watson, you don’t take seriously the version about the involvement of Muslims in that act of aggression?

To tell you the truth, I don’t know what to think. All newspapers and TV cha

So let me congratulate you, old fellow. The Independence of mind, caution and ability not to draw hasty conclusions based on guesswork and information from unverified sources – these are wonderful qualities of a remarkable analyst. And it’s a pity that they’ve gone out of style so much time yet, at least in political and journalistic circles.

But what’s your version, Holmes? Wouldn’t you state it seriously, that American intelligent services themselves organized those abductions and explosions?

Who knows, who knows... – said my friend and became silent again, absorbed in his own profound speculations.

I knew Holmes for many years, and have learnt to respect his keen analytical mind, decisive, strong-willed character, and irreproachable decency. Moreover, my admiration of this man was so great that I didn’t even try to hide it away under a cold mask of conventional neighbourliness or slightly coarse camaraderie. Gradually, he had also become imbued with real sympathy for me, managing to estimate properly my tact and warm friendliness, and so paid me back with his complete frankness. I can’t remember him trying to conceal anything from me, whatever it was, save being compelled by requirements of professional ethics or punctiliousness with respect to private secrets of his clients, who trusted him. However, that was certainly not the case of this kind, and Holmes’s hesitations surprised me a great deal. I was patiently waiting for some explanation from him, but he remained silent.

My dear Watson, – he said at last, – don’t you think, that certain things in life are not worth learning? Was not it you, who once quoted for me some astonishing saying of the Great Russian poet Pushkin: «A fiction that elevates my soul is dearer to me than a host of base and despicable truths”.

Of course, this remark of my friend only warmed up my curiosity even more, and I hurried up to assure him that though certain circumstances, under which an element of intellectual chastity, verbal restraint and mystery could contribute to smoother relations within society and help avoid u

It seemed like my arguments have persuaded Holmes, because he appealed to me again, as if having shaken off the remains of his doubts, with his confident and nice smile inherent only in people, whose sense of their own rightness is based not on their conceit or impudence, but on the profound knowledge of the subject and absolute sincerity:

That’s good, Watson. Then let’s make an attempt to get closer to the circumstances of this case together, trying not to hurry, or get excited, or become flustered facing possible obstacles to it. Only logic can help us here, and impartial analysis, based upon the methodology I’ve learnt recently from my friends from Russia.

Of course! – I answered, paying little attention to the last words of Holmes, what wasn’t right, as it appeared soon. – Let this analysis be one more proof of the effectiveness of your great-grandfather’s almighty deductive method, the legend of Scotland-Yard!

That’s good that you remember about it. My great-grandfather was really an outstanding thinker for his time, and it is due to him that I am what I am now. Our family archives contain not only his personal notes, but also the memoirs of his closest friend Dr. Watson. And I can assure you that reading them is still a very instructive study today. But, nevertheless, it should be noticed, that a century ago Sherlock Holmes has made one great mistake, which cost us all too dearly: while he was chasing small criminal fishes of East-End in London suburbs, the real criminals of City managed to weave the huge web entangling almost the whole world by now.

Unfortunately, those years even that people who were aware of this problem, couldn’t see how serious it was, and treated it with carefree humour. Examples aren’t hard to find. My great-grandfather’s friend and biographer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in a mood of playing a joke, has chosen twelve addresses of the most prominent London bankers with a reputation of honest and law-abiding people and sent to each of them such a telegram: “Everything is revealed. Hide away”. The other day all of them left London. Having done this, all of them admitted criminal and anti-social character of their activity, but really the matter was much more serious...