Sherlock Holmes: The Top-Secret Plans

It was a dark autumn morning in 1895. My friend Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective, and I, Dr Watson, were in the sitting room of our house in Baker Street in London when a telegram arrived. Holmes opened it at once, and laughed. I looked quickly across the room at him.

"Why are you laughing, Holmes?", I asked.

Holmes looked back at me with his cold, blue eyes.

"Because this telegram is from my brother Mycroft", he said. "He wants to speak to me at once about Mr Arthur Cadogan. Do you know this man, Watson?"

"I saw something about him in today's newspaper. But now I can't remember the story", I answered.

"And my brother Mycroft - what do you remember about him?", asked Holmes with a smile.

"Not much", I answered. "I met him once - long ago. Tell me more about him".

"He's a very clever and important man. He works for the government. He knows everything about everything. So why does he want to speak to me? Why does he want to visit our home in Baker Street? And who is Mr Cadogan?"

I opened The Times and looked for the story.

"Here it is!", I cried suddenly. "A worker found Cadogan's dead body near Aldgate Station on the London Underground on Tuesday morning!"

"Tell me more, Watson", said Holmes.

I began to read the story in The Times to him. "The dead man was Mr Arthur Cadogan. He was twenty-seven years old. He lived with his wife, Violet, in Woolwich and he worked at Woolwich Arsenal".

"Now I understand!", cried Holmes. "Mycroft is interested because Cadogan worked for the government!"

"On Monday night", I said, "Cadogan was in Woolwich with his wife. They had tickets for the theatre. Suddenly he left her in the street. But why? She doesn't know. At six o'clock the next morning, a worker found his dead body".

"Near Aldgate Station", said Holmes. "I see. And was Cadogan badly injured?"

"Yes, he was".

"Then he fell from the train - or somebody pushed him. Perhaps he was dead before they pushed him out. Tell me more, Watson".

"Cadogan's train came from West London, but where did he get on? The police don't know", I said. "There was no train ticket in his pockets, only some money, two theatre tickets - and some papers".

"Very interesting", said Holmes. "How did he get on the train without a ticket? Perhaps somebody took it. But why?", Holmes stopped and thought. "Hmm. Cadogan worked for the government at Woolwich Arsenal, he had some important papers, and my brother Mycroft is interested in this. And so, Watson, I am interested, too. Now, where is Mycroft?"

Minutes later, Mycroft Holmes arrived at our door. He was a tall, fat man with a very clever face. With him was our old friend Lestrade, the Scotland Yard detective. Mycroft took off his coat and sat down.

"This is very bad, Sherlock", he said. "The government isn't happy. Do you know the story?"

"Watson read it to me from The Times", answered Sherlock. "What were the papers in Cadogan's pocket?"

"They were plans for a new British submarine - the Bruce-Partington submarine. They're top-secret, and must always stay in a safe at Woolwich Arsenal".

"Then why were they in the pocket of a dead man near Aldgate Station?", asked Sherlock.

"We can't understand it, Mr Holmes", said Lestrade.

"And it's worse than that", said Mycroft. "There were ten papers in the safe at Woolwich. But we only found seven papers in Cadogan's pocket. The three most important papers weren't there. Where are they? We don't know!"

"Hmm", said Sherlock, "Why did Cadogan have those papers on him? Where are the missing papers? How did Cadogan die? And why was his dead body near Aldgate Station? Lots of questions, but no answers!"

"And so we need you, Sherlock", said Mycroft.

Sherlock looked at his brother, and at the police detective. "Tell me more", he said.

Mycroft smiled, and answered. "Sir James Walter is responsible for all the papers at Woolwich Arsenal. He's a good man. Most importantly, he has one of the two keys to the safe. The plans were there when he left Woolwich at three o'clock on Monday afternoon for London. He took his key with him".

"Why did he go to London?", asked Sherlock.

"He needed to meet someone from the government. He left the man's London home late that night".

"Right. So Sir James didn't help Cadogan take the plans", said Sherlock. "Who has the second key to the safe?"

"Mr Sidney Johnson", answered Mycroft. "He's forty years old. He lives near Woolwich Arsenal with his wife and five children. He first worked for the government when he was a very young man. He doesn't talk much, and people don't like him, but he's a good worker".

"And where was Sidney Johnson on Monday evening?", asked Sherlock.

"At home with his wite all evening, he says. And he had his key with him", Lestrade answered.

"Tell me about Cadogan", Sherlock said.

"He began working at Woolwich Arsenal ten years ago", said Mycroft. "He worked with the plans. Johnson didn't".

"So Cadogan took the plans from the safe", said Sherlock. "Perhaps he wanted to sell them to someone. But how did he get the key to the safe?"

"And the key to the room, and the key to Woolwich Arsenal, too!", said Mycroft. "We don't know".

"So what do we know?", asked Sherlock. "First: Cadogan left his wife in the street in Woolwich. Second: he didn't go to the theatre that night. Third: he went to London with the plans. And fourth: he died, perhaps near Aldgate Station. Did he sell the plans in London? Then why did he finish in Aldgate, and not back in Woolwich?"

"He wanted to sell the plans but he wanted lots of money for them, we think", said Lestrade. "There was a fight over the money, and Cadogan died. Then his killer took the three most important papers from his pocket".

"But then why did Cadogan have tickets for the theatre that night, and no underground train ticket?", cried Mycroft. "Sherlock, can you help us?"

Sherlock looked at his brother for some time.

"Yes, I can", he said in the end, and stood up. "This is all most interesting. And now I must find some answers to all those questions. Come, Watson".