Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Greenbriar Ghost

Chapter 3

He deposited us at a lovely if rustic country house with a rail fence, chickens in the yard and a view of green hills. In London there would be a foot of snow but here in Greenbriar Country it was like a spring paradise.

Mrs. Mary Jane Heaster met us at her gate, and at once we could see that she was much troubled by recent events. She was a strong-featured woman, and her face was lined with grief. “Mr. Holmes,” she cried, rushing to take his hand as he alit from the wagon. “God bless you for coming! Now I know that my Zona will find justice.”

I saw Holmes’ face take on the reserve he often showed with effusive displays of emotion, particularly from women, and he took his hand back as quickly as good manners would allow. He introduced me.

“Heavens above, Doctor,” she exclaimed, “I have read each of the wonderful accounts of your adventures with Mr. Holmes. My cousin is married to a London banker and she sends me every issue of The Strand. You are a marvelous writer, Dr. Watson, and you make each detail of Mr. Holmes’ brilliant cases come alive.”

Holmes barely hid a smile that was halfway to a sneer. His opinion of my literary qualities was well known and he often berated me for favoring the excitement of the storytelling format instead of a straight scientific presentation of case facts. I’d long ago given up any hopes of explaining to him that the public would never read straight case reportage. I also thought it tactless to mention that many of our most interesting cases came about because of the notoriety Holmes had achieved with the publication of my stories.

“But I am a dreadful hostess,” cried Mrs. Heaster, “making my guests stand chattering in the yard. Please come into the parlor.”

When we were settled in comfortable chairs with teacups and saucers perched on our knees Mrs. Heaster leaned forward, hands clasped together. “Can you help me, Mr. Holmes? Can you help me find justice so that my daughter can rest easy in her grave? For I tell you truly, my dear sirs, that she is not resting now. She walks abroad crying out for justice.”

There was a heavy silence in the room and her words seemed to drift around us like specters. Mrs. Heaster sat back, and in her eyes I could see that she was aware of how her own words must have sounded. “Of course you gentlemen have no reason to believe such a tale. But I assure you it is the truth.”

Holmes held up a finger. “I will be the judge of what is the truth,” he said curtly. “Now, Mrs. Heaster I want you to tell us everything that has happened. Leave nothing out, however minor a detail it may seem to you. Be complete or we cannot hope to help you.”

With that he set his teacup down, sank back in his chair, laced his long fingers together and closed his eyes. Mrs. Heaster glanced at me and I gave her an encouraging nod.

“My daughter was Elva Zona Heaster and she was born here in Greenbrier County in 1873. She was a good girl, Mr. Holmes. Bright and quick, good at letters and sewing. But…,” and she faltered, “she got into trouble a few years ago. She had a child.”

She let it hang there, expecting rebuke, but Holmes gave an irritable wave of his fingers. “I am a detective, madam, not a moral critic.”

Mrs. Heaster cleared her throat and plunged ahead. “As you can appreciate, an unmarried woman with a child cannot expect much in the way of a good marriage. She resigned herself to living alone, but then in October of 1896 she met a man named Erasmus Stribbling Trout Shue. Most folks around these parts called him Edward, though I’ve always thought of him as ‘Trout’: cold and slippery. He was a drifter who came here to Greenbrier to work as a blacksmith, saying that he wanted to start a new life. He alluded to a hard past but never gave any details. He went to work in the shop of James Crookshanks, which is located just off of the old Midland Trail. Trout had talent as a farrier and in farm country there is considerable work for a man skilled at shoeing horses and cows. Shortly after Trout came to town my daughter met him when she went to arrange for shoes for our bull, which we let out to stud at local farms.” Mrs. Heaster sighed. “It was love at first sight, Mr. Holmes. You’ve heard the expression that ‘sparks flew’, well it was true enough when Zona went into the blacksmiths and saw Trout hammering away at his anvil. He is a very big and muscular man, powerful as you’d expect of a blacksmith; but handsome in his way. Perhaps more charming than handsome, if you take my meaning. He had a smile that could turn his hard face into that of a storybook prince; and the attention he lavished on Zona made her feel like a princess. He asked me for her hand in marriage and though I had my misgivings — it seems I am too old to be taken in by a handsome smile and thick biceps — I agreed. My daughter, after all, had such limited prospects.”

“Of course,” I said.

“From the outset I felt that Trout was hiding something, but he never let on and I found no evidence to confirm my suspicions. I began to think I was just becoming that proverbial ‘old woman’, yielding to fears and interfering with my daughter’s happiness…but my fears were justified,” she said and as I watched I saw all the color drain from her face. “Worse than justified, for how could I know of the terrible events to come?”

Holmes opened his eyes and watched her like a cat.

“Zona and Trout lived together as man and wife for the next several months. Then, on January 23 of this year — on that terrible, terrible day, Andy Jones — a young colored boy who had been sent to their house by Trout on some contrived errand — came tearing into town, screaming that he had found my Zona lying dead at the foot of the stairs. He said that he saw her lying stretched out, with her feet together and one hand on her abdomen and the other lying next to her. Her head was turned slightly to one side. Her eyes were wide open and staring. Even though Andy is a small child he knew that she must be dead. Andy ran to town and told his mother and she summoned Dr. George Knapp, who is both our local doctor and coroner. Dr. Knapp was out at one of the more distant farms and it took him nearly an hour to arrive.”

Mrs. Heaster took a breath to brace herself for the nest part. “By the time Dr. Knapp arrived Trout had come home from Mr. Crookshanks’ shop and he had taken Zona’s body upstairs and laid her out on the bed. Normally town women tend to the dead, washing them and dressing them for the funeral; but by the time Dr. Knapp had arrived Trout has washed Zona and dressed her in her best dress, a long gown with a high collar, with a veil covering her face.”

Holmes leaned forward. “Describe the veil and collar.”

“It was a white veil recut from her wedding gown so she could wear it to church.”

“And the collar?”

“Very high and stiff-necked.”

Holmes pursed his lips and considered. “Pray continue,” he said after a moment. “Tell me about the findings of Dr. Knapp’s examination of your daughter.”

“That’s just it, Mr. Holmes, there wasn’t much of an examination. Dr. Knapp tried, of course, but Trout clung to Zona throughout, wailing in grief and agony, abusing the doctor for disturbing his poor dear wife’s remains.”

“Were you there, Mrs. Heaster?” I asked.

“Yes, I stood in the doorway, shocked into silence by what had happened, feeling my heart break in my chest.”

“Where was Trout Shue while the doctor was examining your daughter?”

“Excellent, Watson,” Holmes said quietly.

“He sat at the top of the bed, cradling her head and sobbing,” said Mrs. Heaster.

“Did he order Dr. Knapp to stop the examination?” Holmes asked.

“No, but he was so demonstrably overcome with grief the doctor relented out of pity and gave Zona’s body only the most cursory of examinations. Barely enough to assure himself that she was in fact dead. However,” she said slowly, “he did notice that there were bruises around Zona’s throat.”

“Bruises? What did he make of them?”

“Nothing, Mr. Holmes.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

After a moment’s pause Holmes asked, “What did Dr. Knapp determine was the cause of your daughter’s death?”

Mrs. Heaster sneered. “At first he called it an everlasting faint. I ask you!”

“That’s preposterous,” I cried. “All that says is that he had no idea of the cause of death.”

“There was a lot of such criticism,” agreed Mrs. Heaster, “and so when he filed his official report Dr. Knapp changed it to ‘female trouble’, which shut every mouth in the county. No one will talk of such things.” She made a face. “People are so old fashioned.”

“Was there any history of gynecological distress,” I asked, but she shook her head.

“Nor were there any complications during the birth of her son. She was a healthy girl. Strong and fit.”

I shot a covert glance at Holmes, who was as likely as anyone to steer well clear of such delicate matters, and indeed his face had a pinched quality, but his eyes sparkled with interest. “In your letter you allude to murder,” he said.

“Murder it is, Mr. Holmes. Brutal murder of the boldest kind.”

“And the murderer? You believe it to be Trout Shue?

“Iknow it to be him!”

“How is it that you are so certain?”

“My daughter told me.” She said it without the slightest pause.

“Your…dead daughter?”

“Yes, Mr. Holmes. For several nights she has come to me in dreams and told me that she was murdered by Trout Shue. She is caught between worlds, trapped and bound here to this world because of the evil that was done to her. Until justice is served upon her killer my daughter will wander the earth as a ghost. That, gentlemen, is why I implore you to help me with this matter.”

Holmes sat still and studied Mrs. Heaster’s face, looking — as indeed I looked — for the spark of madness, or the dodgy eye-shift of guile — and he, like I, saw none. She was composed, clear and compelling, which neither of us had expected considering the wild nature of her telegram. Holmes sat back and steepled his fingers. The long seconds of his silent deliberation were counted out by an ornately carved grandfather clock and it was not until an entire legion of seconds lay spent upon the floor that he spoke.

“I will help you,” he said.

Mrs. Heaster closed her eyes and bowed her head. After a moment her shoulders began to tremble with silent tears.