“I can see leaving a house behind,” the Inspector said, pouring himself a stiff drink. “Even a safe deposit box. But money in the bank?”

“Sirs, Mr. Holmes has deduced that Mr. Hopkins was murdered,” Crabtree said with a definitive air. He had bought the Sherlock Holmes act hook, line, and sinker.

Detective Murdoch had not. “Deduced, has he?”

“Yes, Sir,” Crabtree continued undaunted. “When one eliminates the impossible then what remains…”

Murdoch exchanged a look with the Inspector. “The problem with deductive reasoning, George, is that one must first conceive of every possibility. Now Mr. Hopkins may be dead, but he may also be unable to retrieve his money. So before we deduce that he’s dead, perhaps we should check to see if he’s in prison.”

“Fair enough,” Crabtree replied, though his tone said he still believed Sherlock’s theory.