The Coughing Man
by Jim French
This script has never been published in text form, and was initially performed as a radio drama on February 27, 2011. The broadcast was Episode No. 95 of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, one of the recurring series featured on the nationally syndicated Imagination Theatre. Founded by Jim French, the company produced over 1,000 multi-series episodes, including one-hundred-twenty-eight Sherlock Holmes pastiches - along with later “bonus” episodes. In addition, Imagination Theatre also recorded the entire Holmes Canon, featured as The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the only version with all episodes to have been written by the same writer, Matthew J. Elliott, and with the same two actors, John Patrick Lowrie and Lawrence Albert, portraying Holmes and Watson, respectively.
Mr. French passed away at the age of eighty-nine on December 20th, 2017, the same date that this script was being edited for this volume.
This script is protected by copyright.
CHARACTERS
SHERLOCK HOLMES
DR. JOHN WATSON
INSPECTOR GREGSON
WIXOM
PENNELL
FOX
MRS. WIGGS
CABBIE
SOUND EFFECT: OPENING SEQUENCE, BIG BEN
ANNOUNCER: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, featuring John Patrick Lowrie as Sherlock Holmes, and Lawrence Albert as Dr. Watson.
MUSIC: DANSE MACABRE (UP AND UNDER)
WATSON: (NARRATING) My name is Doctor John H Watson. In looking back at my long association with Sherlock Holmes, I can recall several cases that he declined to investigate for various reasons. Tonight, I’ve chosen to tell you about one that he considered to be “on a level more appropriate to the intellect of Scotland Yard, not Sherlock Holmes”. However, since the case was brought to us by a man clearly in need of medical attention, I offered my own services, which the fellow gratefully accepted, and from that innocent beginning came the story I call “The Coughing Man”. It began on a chilly Monday morning in early fall, and our visitor, wrapped in an ulster and scarf, sat tense and upright in the chair by the fire.
WIXOM: I don’t like to take up your time, gentlemen, but I’m desperate! (COUGH) My name is Albert Wixom, and I was a clerk at Alderbright and Pennell, the pawnbrokers.
HOLMES: You use the past tense. Are you no longer working there?
WIXOM: No. (COUGHS BADLY)
WATSON: That’s a bad-sounding cough, Mr. Wixom.
WIXOM: I’m sorry. No. You see, on Saturday I was sacked, most unfairly.
WATSON: Because of your cough?
WIXOM: No, no. I was accused of taking thirty pounds from the cash drawer. We have to keep quite a lot of cash on hand at all times, because customers want their money on the spot. (COUGHS) And speaking of money, gentlemen, I have almost no funds to pay you. (COUGH)
WATSON: Look here, Mr. Wixom. I’m a medical doctor and I don’t like the sound of that cough. Be good enough to answer a few questions about your health before you continue. Do you have a fever?
WIXOM: I don’t think--so.
WATSON: Let me feel your forehead. (PAUSE) You’re warm. Possibly a low-grade temperature. Have you been spitting up blood at all?
WIXOM: No.
WATSON: Any pain in your lungs?
WIXOM: I’m a bit sore from coughing, that’s all.
WATSON: Take a deep breath for me, please, and hold it in.
WIXOM: (HE DOES, WITH A WHEEZE)
WATSON: Now let it all out.
WIXOM: (HE EXHALES, WHEEZING)
WATSON: Again.
WIXOM: (INHALES AND HOLDS IT)
WATSON: All right, you may exhale.
WIXOM: (HE DOES, WHEEZING)
WATSON: When did this coughing begin?
WIXOM: Oh, a week or so ago. Perhaps ten days.
WATSON: Have you seen a doctor?
WIXOM: Uh... no. (COUGHS)
WATSON: You’re quite thin. Have you been losing weight?
WIXOM: I don’t think so. I’m naturally thin.
WATSON: You should let a physician examine you. Do you live alone?
WIXOM: I rent a room from a landlady. (COUGHS)
WATSON: Is she also coughing?
WIXOM: No, but she says my coughing keeps her awake at night.
WATSON: Well, I don’t mean to alarm you, Mr. Wixom, but tuberculosis is rampant in London. It would be wise for you to see a doctor as soon as possible. In the meantime, although I am no longer in practice, I do have a preparation that should reduce the need to cough, although it won’t address the cause. I’ll be glad to give you some if you like.
WIXOM: I’d appreciate that very much, Doctor.
WATSON: But you must have a thorough examination as soon as you can.
WIXOM: I’ll do it tomorrow. (COUGHS)
HOLMES: Fine. Now, if the medical consultation is finished, will you kindly tell us what other assistance you need from us, Mr. Wixom?
WIXOM: Well, as I was saying, (COUGH) large amounts of cash are kept in our office, and at close of business yesterday, when they tallied up the day’s receipts, they said thirty pounds were missing.
HOLMES: And they think you took it?
WIXOM: (COUGH) Yes. Or so they say.
HOLMES: “Or so they say”?
WIXOM: Mr. Holmes, there are only the three of us working there, the two owners and myself. If I didn’t steal the money, one of them must have done it.
HOLMES: You think the owners would steal from each other?
WIXOM: They, uh... they seem at odds with each other at times.
HOLMES: Hmm. Was there a great deal of trade yesterday?
WIXOM: Oh, yes. Sunday’s trade is the best of the week.
HOLMES: Is your cash kept where anyone can come in off the street and see it?
WIXOM: Oh, no sir. (COUGH) We take a hundred pounds out of the vault every morning and put it in a drawer beneath the counter, but no one goes there except Mr. Alderbright or Mr. Pennell, or myself, to buy something being pawned or to make change. And now they think I’m a thief! (COUGH) So when I apply for a new position, I can’t use them as a reference.
HOLMES: Did they notify the police?
WIXOM: No. They searched me and found nothing but the few shillings I’d brought to buy my lunch. Then they argued about (COUGH) whether the police should be called, and finally they decided to discharge me.
HOLMES: I see. As much as I sympathize with your plight, Mr. Wixom, I advise you to seek help elsewhere. I can give you the name of a detective at Scotland Yard who has studied my methods.
WIXOM: Oh. Well, of course. It was wrong of me to impose upon you.
HOLMES: You haven’t imposed upon me in the slightest. But as it happens, I am about to leave for Manchester, and it would be unfair of me to take your case at a time when I couldn’t devote my full energies to it.
WATSON: Holmes! When did--
HOLMES: I may have neglected to tell you, Doctor, about the telegram that came in the early hours this morning, summoning me to consult on a most critical matter. I’m grateful the bell didn’t wake you.
WATSON: No, it certainly didn’t.
HOLMES: But I have the utmost confidence in Inspector Hopkins at the Yard, Mr. Wixom, and if you should call on him, please say recommended him to you most highly. Now, if you will excuse me, I must get about my packing. (MOVING OFF) And don’t fail to see a doctor!
SOUND EFFECT: (OFF) HOLMES CLOSES HIS BEDROOM DOOR
WATSON: Uh... Holmes is often in demand on very short notice.
WIXOM: I’m sure he is. (COUGH)
WATSON: If you’ll wait another moment, I’ll fetch that medicine for you.
WIXOM: I’m very grateful, doctor.
SOUND EFFECT: WATSON WALKS OFF, RUMMAGES AMONG BOTTLES, AND RETURNS
WATSON: (MOVING ON-MICROPHONE) Here we are. This is a tincture of benzoin. Put a spoonful in a pot of boiling water and inhale the steam. Do this repeatedly every hour and it should reduce your coughing, and as it does, you should reduce the dosage. It won’t cure anything, but perhaps it will let you get a few more hours of sleep. Here, take the bottle.
WIXOM: And what do I owe you?
WATSON: Not a thing. It’s yours.
WIXOM: Well, that’s so kind of you. Thank you. (COUGH)
SOUND EFFECT: STEPS TO DOOR
WATSON: Don’t forget to see a doctor!
SOUND EFFECT: DOOR OPENS
WIXOM: Oh, I won’t. Good day, Dr. Watson, and a thousand thanks. And again, I apologize to Mr. Holmes. (COUGH)
SOUND EFFECT: DOOR CLOSES. A PAUSE, THEN HOLMES’S BEDROOM DOOR OPENS
HOLMES: (PAUSE) (OFF MICROPHONE) Is he gone?
WATSON: Yes, he’s gone. I must say, I’m disappointed in you, Holmes. Making up that story about going to Manchester!
HOLMES: Your disappointment is duly noted.
WATSON: I’m sure it was a small matter to you, but to poor Wixom it must have been devastating, and I was embarrassed! Anyone could tell that you invented that telegram out of whole cloth! I’m sure it didn’t fool him.
HOLMES: As ever, a shrewd observer, old friend. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll continue packing.
WATSON: Packing for what?
HOLMES: Why, for my trip to Manchester, where else?
MUSIC: UNDERCURRENT
WATSON: (NARRATING) I was not convinced he was really leaving for a trip north until he emerged from his bedroom, dressed for travel with a suitcase and traveling bag.
SOUND EFFECT: DOOR OPENS
HOLMES: I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, Watson, but you may expect a wire from me if my plans require a lengthy stay. Be sure to tell Mrs. Hudson, and take care of yourself, old fellow. Adieu.
SOUND EFFECT: HE WALKS OUT, DOOR CLOSES
WATSON: (NARRATING) A cloud of apprehension hung over me as I sat pondering my next move. Then, after several minutes of thought, I decided what I must do. I called a cab and asked the driver if he knew the pawnshop in question, and he said he’d taken many people there.
MUSIC: FADE INTO...
SOUND EFFECT: BUSY STREET. WATSON STRIDING ALONG, THEN STOPS
WATSON: Ah yes, here it is. “Alderbright and Pennell, Pawnbrokers”.
SOUND EFFECT: SHOP DOOR OPENS, BELL. WATSON STEPS IN, DOOR CLOSES (STREET DOWN)
PENNELL: (OFF, MOVING ON MICROPHONE) Good morning sir. Pawning, buying, or selling this morning?
WATSON: Actually, I’m looking for Mr. Alderbright or Mr. Pennell.
PENNELL: Mr. Alderbright’s not in today. I’m Henry Pennell.
WATSON: How do you do. I’m here to inquire about your clerk, Mr. Wixom.
PENNELL: (ON MICROPHONE) Oh? And what about him?
WATSON: His state of health is my interest. I am Doctor John H. Watson.
PENNELL: Well, Mr. Wixom doesn’t work here anymore, Doctor.
WATSON: Yes, I know. I’m concerned about his cough.
PENNELL: His... cough?
WATSON: You surely must have heard him coughing.
PENNELL: Maybe I did, but I didn’t pay any attention to it. Everybody in London’s got something this time of year. I suppose I’ll be next.
SOUND EFFECT: (OFF) SHOP DOOR OPENS WITH BELL, CLOSES UNDER
PENNELL: Ah, excuse me for a moment. (UP) Good morning, sir. Interested in pawning something this morning?
FOX: (OFF, MOVING ON MICROPHONE) Not me, guv’nor. I’m the locksmith. R.L. Fox is my moniker.
PENNELL: I didn’t order a locksmith.
FOX: No sir, a Mr. Alderbright did. Says he owns the store. He wanted the locks changed right away, but I had to do new locks at several places Saturday and Sunday. I do a lot of lock-changin’ at places where keys has fallen into the wrong hands. I understand one of your employees was let go, but he didn’t give his key back.
PENNELL: I know nothing about that. Mr. Alderbright should have taken it back when he discharged him.
FOX: Then he’s still got it, and could walk right in tonight and do the devil knows what! Lucky for you I’m here to keep that from happening!
PENNELL: Just a minute! What’s it going to cost?
FOX: Depends on how many doors have the same locks.
WATSON: (CLEARS HIS THROAT TO REMIND PENNELL HE’S HERE)
PENNELL: Oh, I’m sorry, Doctor. Will there be anything else I can do for you?
WATSON: Well, there is one other thing: Do you have Mr. Wixom’s address?
PENNELL: You’re his doctor, but you don’t know where he lives?
WATSON: I’ve only seen him at my surgery.
PENNELL: Well, it’s written in my book... (MOVES OFF) Give me a moment... Ah, here it is. (MOVES ON) Number Seven, Loudon Mews, Southwark.
WATSON: Number Seven, Loudon Mews. (UP) Thank you Mr. Pennell.
MUSIC: UNDERCURRENT
WATSON: As I rode a cab to the Southwark district, I experienced a feeling of satisfaction; I was correcting a mistake in Holmes’s judgment: I was assisting an unfortunate man who deserved better than what Holmes had given him, and I was putting my medical experience to use where lack of timely treatment could have serious health consequences.
SOUND EFFECT: CAB DRAWS TO A HALT. STREET NOISE IN BACKGROUND
CABBIE: (EXTERIOR, OFF MICROPHONE) London Mews, sir.
SOUND EFFECT: WATSON EXITS CAB AS HE SAYS:
WATSON: (EXTERIOR) Thank you, driver; and I would like you to wait for me no longer than ten minutes, and if I’m not back by then you’re free to go. And here you are.
SOUND EFFECT: JINGLE OF COINS
CABBIE: Right, sir; thank you. I’ll be right here.
SOUND EFFECT: WATSON WALKING ON PAVING
WATSON: (TO HIMSELF) Number five... Number six... ah, Number seven.
SOUND EFFECT: HE CLIMBS A WOODEN STAIR AND KNOCKS ON DOOR
MRS. WIGGS: (FROM INSIDE DOOR) Who is it?
WATSON: Doctor John H. Watson. To see Mr. Wixom.
SOUND EFFECT: (PAUSE) SHE OPENS THE DOOR
MRS. WIGGS: He’s sick abed. You’re a doctor you say?
WATSON: Yes. I was just coming round to see about his cough.
MRS. WIGGS: Well, it kept me awake half the night. Mind you, my room’s in front and his is in the back, but I could hear him coughin’ all the same.
WATSON: Right. And are you coughing as well?
MRS. WIGGS: Me? No, I can’t afford to get sick. Too much to do, cleanin’ other people’s houses and shops besides keepin’ house here.
WATSON: Oh, of course. Well, tell him I called, will you? And thank you for your help.
SOUND EFFECT: DOOR CLOSES
MUSIC: UNDERCURRENT
WATSON: (NARRATING) Feeling there was nothing more I could do for Wixom to remedy his dual problems of losing his job and his health at the same time, I had the cabbie drive me back to Baker Street, where I took some time sorting and rearranging the meager supply of pharmaceuticals I kept in a closet beside my bed. After that, I was so fatigued and the bed looked so inviting that I lay down, intending only to take a few minutes to soothe the old war wound that was acting up, but I soon drifted off to sleep and slept right through lunchtime. I was awakened when it was dark outside and Mrs. Hudson was at the door, asking about dinner. For once, I had no appetite. The circumstances just before Holmes’s departure still weighed upon my mind. I seemed to have no energy, and I only asked for a pot of tea. The thought struck me that I might have picked up an infection from Albert Wixom. The only sensible thing was to take my own advice and go back to bed after I finished my tea, and before long I was fast asleep again, and quite unaware of the passage of time. And then...
SOUND EFFECT: (OFF) KNOCK ON DOOR
WATSON: (NARRATING) I stumbled into the sitting room. It was just beginning to grow light outside. I’d slept the night.
SOUND EFFECT: ADD CLOCK, DOOR OPENS
WATSON: Inspector Gregson!
GREGSON: (FILTER) Is Mr. Holmes in?
WATSON: No, he’s away. Oh, forgive me, step in.
SOUND EFFECT: DOOR CLOSES
GREGSON: Thank you, you’re the one I need to talk to anyway. What do you know about a fellow named Wixom? Albert Wixom. He says he knows Mr. Holmes and yourself.
WATSON: Why, not very much. Why? Is he all right?
GREGSON: Well, I have him here at the Yard, and he tells me you know something about his whereabouts in the last several hours.
WATSON: Yes, that’s correct. He came here to our rooms yesterday morning and told us he’d been falsely accused of stealing thirty pounds from the place he worked, and he wanted Holmes to help him.
GREGSON: I need to ask you some questions about him.
WATSON: All this over thirty pounds?
GREGSON: No, not any more, Doctor. This is now a case of murder.
MUSIC: STING
SOUND EFFECT: SCOTLAND YARD
GREGSON: Good morning, Doctor. I appreciate your coming here.
WATSON: Who was murdered, Inspector?
GREGSON: Man by the name of Alderbright. Owner of the pawnshop where Wixom had been working.
WATSON: Great heaven! I was in his shop yesterday!
GREGSON: Were you now? Well, his business partner, fellow named Pennell, thinks it was Wixom who did it, but Wixom swears he was at home in bed all night and his landlady confirms it. I have my doubts. Now what can you tell me about him?
WATSON: Very little more than you already know, I’m afraid. He said he’d been discharged for stealing thirty pounds, which he denies, and he came to ask Holmes to clear his name, but Holmes had other plans.
GREGSON: Small wonder he wasn’t interested. Pretty small potatoes for a man with a reputation like Mr. Holmes. But now there’s murder.
WATSON: I’ve talked to Wixom’s landlady. She confirmed Wixom was sick all day with a very bad cough. I told him to consult a doctor for a thorough examination, and I gave him a small amount of medicine. I don’t think he was in any condition to go out and do murder! Incidentally, where was Alderbright killed?
GREGSON: In the pawnshop. You see, Doctor, it all fits together. His motive was revenge and money, plain as porridge. There was no sign of forced entry, so whoever did it must have had a key. And there was a good deal of money missing, according to Pennell.
WATSON: Ah! You’ve just reminded me! While I was in the pawn brokerage, a locksmith came in to change the locks! He said Mr. Alderbright had ordered it! Apparently he’d forgotten to take Wixom’s key when he sacked him.
GREGSON: This gets easier and easier. Wixom had the means to get into the shop, Alderbright lives above the shop, all Wixom had to do was wait until they were closed, let himself in, and take his revenge.
WATSON: So you’ve already decided he did it?
GREGSON: He had the motive and the opportunity.
WATSON: What about the weapon?
GREGSON: It was a very old dagger from a collection they had for sale.
WATSON: What irony! If the locksmith had come round to change the locks just one day earlier, this might not have happened.
GREGSON: Huh! If locks could prevent crime, I’d be out of a job!
MUSIC: UNDERCURRENT
WATSON: (NARRATING) Gregson left me with the feeling that, now that this had become a murder case, Holmes would have been intrigued enough to investigate it himself. I would have been glad to turn it over to him, for the fatigue and weakness I felt the night before returned, and I was more convinced than ever that I had picked up some kind of infection from Wixom. It reminded me of the sickness that claimed so many of us in the Battle of Maiwand sixteen years before. Thanks to the recent work of Pasteur in France and Koch in Germany, I was convinced that germs can live outside the body and be transmitted to another person by coughing and sneezing. I dreaded facing disease and the treatments, knowing all too well what they put a patient through. And that was what was on my mind when the door opened.
MUSIC: OUT
SOUND EFFECT: DOOR OPENS, CLOCK IN BACKGROUND. HOLMES WALKS IN. DOOR CLOSES
WATSON: Good grief! Holmes!
HOLMES: Ah, Watson. (Pause) Hmm. You’ve lost your ruddy complexion. Where’s your customary military stance?
WATSON: I--I didn’t expect you back so soon!
HOLMES: The affair in Manchester was disappointing, a waste of time, and the purse was far out of proportion to the minor efforts required. I should have given part of it back. For heaven’s sake, Watson, sit down before you fall down! What’s the matter with you, old fellow?
WATSON: I may have caught whatever Wixom has.
HOLMES: And what about Wixom? Anything new?
WATSON: He’s in jail, and Gregson seems convinced that he murdered one of the pawnshop owners.
HOLMES: Really! Dear me, I leave town for hours and robbery turns into homicide.
WATSON: But I have every reason to believe he was at home in bed when the killing took place.
HOLMES: Can he prove it?
WATSON: His landlady says he was.
HOLMES: That may not be enough. Mrs. Hudson is bringing up a hot meal. Why don’t you share it with me and tell me all the salient facts.
WATSON: I dare not, Holmes. The way I’ve been feeling these past few hours, I may be contagious.
HOLMES: See how you feel when you’re outside a good slab of beef.
WATSON: That’s generous of you, but if I am broadcasting germs, I should be isolated from contact with anyone until I feel better.
HOLMES: Then you would have no objection to my having a peek into this case of yours while you regain your energy?
WATSON: I’d be grateful if you would!
HOLMES: When it’s done. Go to bed, old friend, and get well!
MUSIC: UNDERCURRENT
WATSON: (NARRATING) I gave him the few notes I had written, and went to bed with an easier mind, for I knew that the wisest course for me would be to give my body a chance to heal itself, and so I closed my eyes and allowed slumber to overtake me once more. In the meantime, as I would later learn, Holmes finished his meal and made straightaway for Scotland Yard, where he accomplished in mere minutes what I had failed to do: He was granted access to Albert Wixom.
SOUND EFFECT: BACKGROUND: ECHOING SOUNDS IN A JAIL
WIXOM: I’m flabbergasted, Mr. Holmes. I thought you wouldn’t be available to me!
HOLMES: But I am, and so we need to make good use of this opportunity. According to Dr. Watson’s notes, Monday after you came to Baker Street, Watson went to your home to check on your cough and you were sleeping, according to your landlady...
WIXOM: Mrs. Wiggs. Right, she told me he’d been there.
HOLMES: And that night, Alderbright was found dead.
WIXOM: So they say, but I knew nothing of it!
HOLMES: Tell me, when did you get over your cough?
WIXOM: Why, it got much better after I took the medicine Dr. Watson gave me. (COUGH)
HOLMES: That would have been Monday? Afternoon or evening?
WIXOM: Why, uh... (COUGH) I really don’t remember the time.
HOLMES: But by Monday night you were no longer coughing?
WIXOM: Well, not quite as much... (COUGH) He didn’t give me very much.
HOLMES: I presume you turned in your key to the pawnshop when you were let go.
WIXOM: They never gave me a key.
HOLMES: I see. (GETS UP) I will have some more questions after I talk with Inspector Gregson. But meantime, my advice to you is to cooperate fully with the police and tell them everything they want to know, but nothing more than they ask. (UP) Guard!
WIXOM: Mr. Holmes! I didn’t take the money, and I didn’t kill Mr. Alderbright! (COUGH)
MUSIC: BRIDGE
SOUND EFFECT: STREET OUTSIDE THE MEWS. HOLMES RAPS ON A DOOR. DOOR OPENS
MRS. WIGGS: (EXTERIOR) Yes?
HOLMES: (EXTERIOR) Pardon the intrusion, madam, but are you Mrs. Wiggs?
MRS. WIGGS: Who’s askin’?
HOLMES: My name is Sherlock Holmes.
MRS. WIGGS: If you’re looking for a room. I’ve got none to rent.
HOLMES: I’m not looking for a room. I’m looking for a bit of information about your roomer, Albert Wixom. He’s in trouble and I’m trying to help him.
MRS. WIGGS: He’s not here, and you’re the fourth bloke who’s been snoopin’ round.
HOLMES: The fourth? Is that so!
MRS. WIGGS: The doctor, the copper, the mechanic, and now you.
HOLMES: And do you know why they were interested in Mr. Wixom?
MRS. WIGGS: How should I know?
HOLMES: The papers have printed stories about him. Perhaps you’ve read them?
MRS. WIGGS: I don’t read, but I’m not stupid. The doctor, he was worried about Albert’s coughin’, the copper asked me a ton o’ questions about his comin’ and goin’, and the mechanic, he wanted to sell him somethin’ I guess--he never said. I sent him packing. What do you want with Albert?
HOLMES: I should like to see his room for a few minutes, that’s all.
MRS. WIGGS: Well, I can’t let you do that. It’s private.
HOLMES: I appreciate that, but he’s in jail, and he needs my help. He’s about to be charged with murder. Were you aware of that?
MRS. WIGGS: Murder? G’wan! He wouldn’t harm a fly!
HOLMES: Then let me see his room and I may be able to help him. Here’s a sovereign for your trouble.
MRS. WIGGS: (A LONG PAUSE, THEN GLUMLY) Awright. Come on. (FADE OUT)
WATSON: The woman led the way to a small room. Once inside, Holmes searched through the few belongings Wixom had left behind, then he returned to Baker Street and related his experience.
HOLMES: It is quite obvious that Wixom is something more to Mrs. Wiggs than merely her roomer, but there are at least two other characters in this little drama who’ve made an entrance. You’ve seen one of them and Mrs. Wiggs may have seen the other.
WATSON: Who are you talking about?
HOLMES: The locksmith. Alderbright wasted no time in contacting the locksmith after he fired Wixom, apparently because he forgot to retrieve the key from him.
WATSON: He was old, probably forgetful.
HOLMES: And then there’s the “mechanic” who came to “sell something”, according to Mrs. Wiggs. Who could that have been?
WATSON: I don’t know. It could have been anyone.
HOLMES: I think it would be profitable to find out how he fits into this puzzle.
SOUND EFFECT: FADE IN: SAME STREET IN THE MEWS. FRONT DOOR OPENS
MRS. WIGGS: (EXTERIOR) You lot back again?
HOLMES: We’re trying to save Albert Wixom from the gallows.
MRS. WIGGS: Mercy! Don’t even mention such a thing!
WATSON: May we come in for a minute?
MRS. WIGGS: I suppose.
SOUND EFFECT: THEY WALK IN, DOOR CLOSES. (STREET EFFECT OUT)
HOLMES: When I was here earlier today, you mentioned that Mr. Wixom had had three other visitors: A policeman, Dr. Watson here, and a mechanic. I’m interested in the mechanic. What can you tell me about him? Can you describe him?
MRS. WIGGS: Well... he was tall. Not much meat on ’im. Needed a shave.
HOLMES: And why do you think he was a mechanic?
MRS. WIGGS: He smelled of oil. He was spattered with it.
HOLMES: I see. And did you notice anything else?
MRS. WIGGS: Well... he had some little metal bars stickin’ out of his pocket.
HOLMES: Metal bars... could they have been files?
MRS. WIGGS: Files?
HOLMES: A file is a tool with teeth cut into it for use in shaping material.
MRS. WIGGS: Well. You learn somfin every day.
HOLMES: Thank you, Mrs. Wiggs. We’ll trouble you no more.
MRS. WIGGS: When are they going to let Albert go?
HOLMES: If he is innocent, we’ll work to get him free immediately. But if he killed Mr. Alderbright--
MRS. WIGGS: He didn’t do it! He couldn’t have!
HOLMES: And why is that?
MRS. WIGGS: He was sick in bed, that’s why! He never budged from this house all day and all night on Monday!
HOLMES: Now you know that isn’t true, Mrs. Wiggs. On Monday, he came to my rooms in Baker Street to ask for my assistance.
MRS. WIGGS: Oh, well, I wouldn’t know; I was at work scrubbin’ floors. I work my fingers raw cleanin’ other people’s houses and shops, trying to put something by for my old age. But then along comes Albert. He’s come to be like one of the family to me. He’s very special to me.
HOLMES: The son you never had, perhaps?
SOUND EFFECT: FADE IN LIGHT OFFICE (BACKGROUND)
HOLMES: You seem to be ready to prefer charges, Inspector.
GREGSON: Any reason why I shouldn’t?
HOLMES: I believe there are three others who could throw more light on the case and provide enough information to make an arrest. Perhaps if they could all be brought here to confront each other--
GREGSON: There’ll be no need for that, Mr. Holmes. I have the right man under lock and key. Albert Wixom had the motive, he had the opportunity, and he had his choice of weapons right there in the pawnshop, so I won’t need to convene any meetings! All that remains is to get his confession, and I won’t need any help to do that.
HOLMES: It seems to me there are at least three more people we need to question more thoroughly before you extract any confessions, Inspector: The locksmith Fox, Mr. Pennell, and Mrs. Wiggs. How soon can you assemble these individuals?
GREGSON: A waste of time, Mr. Holmes.
HOLMES: Then why not prove me wrong, Inspector? Get them all together and have them hear each other’s alibis. I’m confident that, with your training and experience, you will once again fit the evidence to the crime!
MUSIC: STING
SOUND EFFECT: STEPS TO DOOR. DOOR OPENS. STEPS IN. CLOSES
(AD LIB CONVERSATION CEASES AS DOOR OPENS)
GREGSON: (TO THE GROUP) All right. This inquiry is under my official direction, but I’ll expect each of you to cooperate with Mr. Holmes in this interrogation. Who do you want first, Mr. Holmes?
HOLMES: Mr. Pennell, after your partner discovered the thirty pounds was missing, did you participate in the search for it?
PENNELL: Alderbright didn’t need my help; he was very thorough. Now, gentlemen, I had to close the shop to come here, and I’m losing money every minute I’m gone, so may I be excused now?
HOLMES: Not quite yet. I may have some further questions for you.
PENNELL: (SIGH) Very well.
HOLMES: Now, Mr. Fox.
FOX: I don’t see how I can help you gents. I just make keys and fix locks.
HOLMES: Were you at the pawnshop on Monday?
FOX: Yes I was. Mr. Alderbright ordered the locks changed. He said the man he sacked had a key to the place.
WIXOM: That’s not true! They never gave me a key!
HOLMES: Mr. Pennell, this has become a recurring issue. Did Wixom have a key?
PENNELL: I thought he did. I thought Alderbright would have given him a key.
HOLMES: I see. Now Mr. Fox, did you pay a visit to Mr. Wixom on Tuesday?
MRS. WIGGS: Yes he did! I told him he wasn’t home, but he wanted to come in anyway and I wouldn’t let him!
GREGSON: Speak when you’re spoken to, Mrs. Wiggs!
HOLMES: Mr. Fox, why did you want to see Mr. Wixom?
FOX: Just business, that’s all.
HOLMES: What sort of business?
WATSON: Perhaps you wanted to sell him a copy of the new key you made.
FOX: You can’t prove that!
HOLMES: One other thing: How did you know where Wixom lives? (SILENCE) Had you done business with him before?
FOX: No. I never saw him before in my life!
MRS. WIGGS: That’s a lie!
FOX: That’s the truth!
WATSON: Just a minute, Mr. Fox. How did you know where he lived?
FOX: I know how to track down customers. How else am I supposed to stay in business?
HOLMES: Then you thought of Wixom as a customer?
PENNELL: Now, wait a minute! We paid you to change our locks and make us new keys, and then you tried to sell copies to the thief who stole from us in the first place?
GREGSON: What about that, Mr. Fox?
FOX: Lies, total lies! I didn’t go to see Wixom.
HOLMES: Then you went to see Mrs. Wiggs.
FOX: What’s wrong with that? I knew she cleans the pawnshop every week and would need a new key to get in.
WATSON: You clean the pawnshop, Mrs. Wiggs?
MRS. WIGGS: ’Course I do. How do you think Alderbright and Pennell come to hire Albert in the first place? I knew they was lookin’ for a clerk, so I told Albert, and he applied for the job, and he got it! If it hadn’t been for me, they might still be lookin’, and who knows what would’ve happened to poor Albert!
HOLMES: And at what hour did you clean the pawnshop this last time?
MRS. WIGGS: The usual time. Sometime after they closed on Monday night.
GREGSON: So you were in the shop the night Alderbright was murdered.
MRS. WIGGS: Well, he wasn’t there when I was there!
GREGSON: Was Wixom with you?
MRS. WIGGS: At the pawn shop? No!
GREGSON: I’m sorry, Mr. Holmes, but I can’t let this go on any longer! It’s clear to me what happened: Wixom and Mrs. Wiggs were both in the shop when Mr. Alderbright appeared. There was a struggle, Wixom took the dagger and stabbed him, and as he lay dying, they both helped themselves to all the available cash. Then they locked the place and left.
MRS. WIGGS: (BREAKS INTO TEARS) No, that’s a lie! You’re makin’ it up! (CONTINUES CRYING, LOUDLY)
WIXOM: Why are you doing this to the poor woman? She didn’t have anything to do with it!
GREGSON: Oh? Then are you ready to confess, Wixom?
WIXOM: No, I didn’t do anything either! Mr. Holmes. Help me! Please!
HOLMES: That has become difficult, for now I know you were not sick and your coughing was a sham... a very convincing one, for it deceived both Dr. Watson and myself.
WATSON: Wait a minute, Holmes! Why on earth would he pretend to be sick?
HOLMES: Unless I am very much mistaken, he intended to use his constant coughing as proof he wasn’t well enough to leave his room the night of the murder. It was a novel plan, but he forgot one important detail. And--here it is!
WATSON: Wh--Let me see that!
HOLMES: Do you recognize it, Doctor?
WATSON: This is the bottle of tincture of benzoin that I gave him to take for his cough... and it’s still full! It hasn’t even been opened!
HOLMES: I found it in his wastebasket yesterday.
MUSIC: BRIDGE
SOUND EFFECT: IN HOLMES AND WATSON’S ROOMS
WATSON: Well! This is one investigation I won’t bother to write up!
HOLMES: Is that so?
WATSON: It’s the only one I know about where Gregson turned out to be right all along.
HOLMES: Meaning that if his conclusion was right, mine was wrong? I’m afraid not, Watson. Publish or not as you wish, but let us not forget that at no time did I declare Wixom to be innocent. My concern was to learn if he had an accomplice, which he did.
WATSON: Of course. Mrs. Wiggs.
HOLMES: I had barely met her when she lied about where he was on the Monday when he came asking for my help. She furnished a false alibi, which is a crime in itself.
WATSON: But if his pretended coughing fooled me, it certainly fooled Mrs. Wiggs. I prefer to think she was convinced he had a genuine illness.
HOLMES: No doubt. And now, I should like to close any association with this case, with only one regret.
WATSON: And that is?
HOLMES: I should have stayed in Manchester a few more days.
MUSIC: DANSE MACABRE (THEME UP AND UNDER)
WATSON: This is Dr. John H. Watson. I’ve had many more adventures with Sherlock Holmes, and I’ll tell you another one... when next we meet!
MUSIC: (FADE OUT)