The Future Door by Jason Lethcoe Page B

interest.” He turned the pages to the back of the book and began to skim the text. After a brief moment his sunken eyes flicked to his smug cousin. “I see now why you brought this to me. Well done, Nigel.”
    In that section of the book were future cases that Professor Moriarty hadn’t been a part of yet. They were plans and capers that he had been formulating as recently as that morning, but he could see now that all of them had been thwarted by Sherlock Holmes.
    The book, of course, made no mention of Professor Moriarty by name. After the accident at the Reichenbach Falls, the one that had robbed him of his ability to walk, everyone had believed him dead. This was, of course, perfect for the professor, who could now control his vast criminal empire without suspicion of being linked to any of the crimes.
    â€œThe arrogant fool,” the professor said, referring to Holmes as he turned the pages and read. “It seems that no matter what I do, he thwarts me. However, this book does tell us something. It tells us exactly where Sherlock Holmes will be. Each of these cases has yet to happen, and if we plan accordingly, we can determine what time and place to spring a trap.”
    He pointed at one of the cases listed among the future events, one called “The Lion’s Mane.”
    â€œSee here, Nigel. This account gives us the precise location of Sherlock Holmes’s new residence, along with where he will be when the events of this particular case unfold. Hmmm.” Moriarty rubbed a gnarled forefinger along his massive temple. After a long moment, he spoke.
    â€œTake this.” The professor removed from his waistcoat pocket a glittering silver ring. Nigel recognized the beautifully crafted spider as once having belonged to Miss Atrax.
    Professor Moriarty continued, “I was planning on trying the particular venom contained in that ring on Miss Pepper, but, considering the circumstances, we shall postpone. It’s time we gave Mr. Holmes’s illustrious career a surprising twist.”
    Nigel smiled, his curled, gray mustache tilting upward in an evil grin.
    For him, the worst part of traveling to the future was finding out that his name was completely without mention in any of the history books. He’d always thought himself a great man, and finding that he had been given no credit for his misdeeds had wounded his pride. Only his cousin was known, mentioned in popular culture as Sherlock Holmes’s greatest adversary. In the future, the name Nigel Moriarty was forgotten.
    But now that he possessed this knowledge, he was going to make sure that he changed that. After tomorrow, when he paid a visit to Mr. Sherlock Holmes, things would most certainly be different.
    He would be remembered .

16
THE BEEKEEPER
    A s Griffin disembarked from the carriage, he was greeted by a stiff ocean breeze. He looked about him, taking in the majesty of the Sussex coast. The towering white cliffs contrasted beautifully with the cobalt sea. Gulls squawked overhead, and the thatched roofs of whitewashed cottages dotted the landscape in the distance.
    Even the carriage horses seemed to appreciate the place, for they stamped their hooves and shook their manes as if anxious to break free of the wagon and run down the sandy beach.
    Griffin couldn’t deny the air of peace and relaxation, and for the first time since leaving the London apartment, he smiled. The stress and worry over the time machine’s whereabouts vanished as he leaned on his walking stick and gazed at the wonderful countryside. He could definitely see why Sherlock Holmes had chosen this location for his retirement. The Sussex Downs were gorgeous.
    And part of the peace he felt was the certainty that now that they’d arrived, they would have the help they needed. Somehow, in spite of how grim everything looked, he felt certain that with Sherlock Holmes’s help and advice, everything would turn out okay.
    A grumpy voice