Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 98 The Criminal Appears
"I never try to be mysterious."

Sherlock looked at the four girls from Ravenclaw and said with regret:
“Although a lot of clues were indeed erased, it’s a pity that the thief overestimated his own ability.

Several people have provided enough information, so I carefully examined the crime scene again.

It would be strange if we still couldn't figure out what happened in this dormitory."

At this moment, the three girls present all felt Sherlock's unwavering confidence.

"First of all, the Ravenclaw common room is unique. Anyone who can correctly answer the questions asked by the door knocker can enter and exit freely.

On the surface, this method seems less secure than the fixed passwords of other colleges, but it is not.

As far as I know, many wizards have no ability for logical reasoning.

Therefore, only students from colleges other than Ravenclaw can enter through question-and-answer sessions, which has isolated them to the greatest extent possible.

Even if there are students from other colleges who can answer the questions correctly and enter Ravenclaw College, they may be recognized.

Of course, this is not absolute.

But in this regard, it does indirectly reinforce the logic of the internal suspect.

Secondly, before this incident, Ravenclaw students' lockers were not locked."

When Sherlock said this, the faces of several girls looked a little unhappy.

It was precisely because of this incident that the statement "Ravenclaw is absolutely safe" became less absolute.

"The fixed storage location, unlocked cabinets, and Ms. Zhang's regular sleep schedule all provided ample convenience for the thieves.

Through the inspection just now, I also found that there were no signs of prying on the cabinet - of course there was no need for that.

If I were Miss Zhang's roommate, there are at least seven ways for me to take the sandalwood box away without her noticing.

By the time Ms. Zhang discovered her belongings were stolen, enough time had passed for all the clues to be exhausted.

By then, even if another me comes to investigate, it will be of no use at all.

—In fact, the thief did just that.”

Penelope couldn't help but interrupt when she heard this:

"Mr. Holmes, are you saying that... the eyeshadow wasn't lost when Qiu went to Potions class?"

"of course not."

Sherlock glanced at Alicia Keys with a half-smile, "If that's the case, then this lady's suspicion can be ruled out immediately!"

"What do you mean by that?!"

Alicia Keys jumped to her feet.

"You mean to say I took Qiu's eyeshadow?"

Although Marietta Aikman did not stand up, the look she gave Sherlock was rude.

Of course, the words were even more impolite:
"This is slander, blatant slander!

What great detective? Holmes, you're just a nobody!
I think you are just a swindler!"

"Miss Case, please be patient."

Sherlock's tone was as calm as ever.

“Although the eyeshadow had already left the owner’s closet before you found it.

But it was your desire to check it that caused trouble for the thief - after all, she originally thought that Qiu Zhang would not discover the matter until she returned to school after Easter. "

As soon as Sherlock said this, Alicia Keys and Marietta Aikman looked at each other in surprise.

Please don't breathe too hard when you talk, okay?
This will make their previous behavior seem very embarrassing!

At this moment, Marietta Edgemore seemed to have thought of something, and she murmured:
"Could it be... Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Marietta, what do you mean impossible?"

Alicia Keys asked quickly.

"It's okay, I'm probably just overthinking it."

Marietta Edgemore forced a smile. "I heard Lucy muttering to herself before she went home for the holidays, 'Why does she have such good things?'"

But I think she was talking about Gemma Farley's Felicity.

Lucy had always been envious when she heard that she had performed well in Professor Snape's Potions class and received a small bottle as a reward.

Then again, Professor Snape has always favored Slytherin students, and even if we did the same thing as her, we wouldn't be rewarded."

Penelope, Qiu Zhang, and Keith all nodded.

What Aikman said was absolutely right. Except for Slytherin students, no one else could expect to get any reward no matter how well they performed in Potions class.

If it happens to be Gryffindor, it would be a great mercy from Professor Snape if he didn't get any points deducted.

Seeing that everyone agreed with his opinion, Aikemo smiled slightly.

The seeds of doubt have been quietly planted, waiting for the right opportunity to take root and sprout, and then grow into towering trees.

But she never expected that the seed would be dug up along with the soil just after it was planted.

"Sherlock!"

Hermione's voice came from the common room door.

She held onto the doorframe with one hand, panting heavily, her chest heaving with each breath. Clearly exhausted, her eyes gleamed with excitement. "My dear friend, it seems you really need to step up your exercise."

Sherlock looked at Hermione and then smiled. "Looks like you found it?"

Hermione nodded heavily and took a deep breath, "As you expected."

"Wow! That's wonderful!"

Sherlock praised, then turned around and said to the four girls from Ravenclaw:

"That's enough."

All four of them looked surprised, and Ikemo's heart skipped a beat.

Penelope asked in confusion, "Mr. Holmes? What did you say...enough?"

"Poor acting, pathetic motives, crude actions...

I really didn't expect that you are still trying to be clever until now."

Sherlock sighed. "Ravenclaw's wisdom is ultimately no match for the thorns growing wildly in her heart—am I right, Miss Marietta Edgemore?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Penelope, Qiu Zhang, and Alicia Keys all gasped.

The three of them looked at Marietta Aikman in disbelief.

Facing the gazes of his class leader, roommates, and friends, Aikemo looked bewildered.
"Mr. Holmes, I don't understand what you are talking about..."

"Miss Aikman, you don't have to act so innocent."

Sherlock seemed a little impatient.

As he had just said, he really couldn't stand Marietta Aikman's poor acting.

Hermione's arrival just filled in the last piece of the puzzle, so he just went straight to the point.

"When I first saw you, I knew that Miss Zhang's eyeshadow was in your hands."

"You are so slanderous!"

Marietta Edgecombe jumped to her feet.

She looked very excited, with tears in her eyes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

The three Ravenclaw girls looked more or less puzzled, but Hermione, who walked to Sherlock's side, had a look of contempt on her face. From what Sherlock had just said, she knew exactly what kind of person this girl was.

Sherlock shook his head slightly:
"You may not believe this, but before I knew about the magical world, I was able to infer a person's inner thoughts from his instantaneous expression, including the movement of his muscles and the movement of his eyeballs.

I can tell a person is a software designer by his tie, and I can tell he is a civil aviation pilot by his left thumb.

Fortunately, when I came to the magical world, I found that my ability was still useful."

Having said this, he met the skeptical looks of several people, chuckled, and did not explain. Instead, he continued to look at Ekmo and said:
"Even luckier, you're not a very good pretender at all.

So when I first saw you, I knew you were lying and that you had what my client was looking for."

At this point, Shylock turned to Penelope and said with sparkling eyes:
"Ms. Penelope, I can now officially reply to you - mission accomplished. The Marietta Edgemore standing next to you is the thief who took Miss Zhang's eyeshadow."

silence.

A long silence.

"Mr. Holmes... I really don't understand..."

In the end, it was Penelope who spoke first.

But even though she was known for her wisdom and intelligence even among Ravenclaw, she was a little confused at this moment.

This cannot be blamed on her. It is mainly because the amount of information Sherlock just output was indeed a bit too much.

"It's okay. This little case has come to an end. From now on, I welcome any questions from you and everyone else. I will never refuse to answer them."

Penelope first glanced at Ekmo, who still looked bewildered, then took a deep breath.

"You just said that as soon as you saw Marietta, you knew she was the one who took the eyeshadow?"

"good."

"How did you get it?"

"Humph, that fake sympathy on her face is an insult to me."

Sherlock showed disdain on his face, "When I asked her, she pretended to be calm, but her eyes flickered, like a cat stealing fish, afraid of being discovered.

When I questioned Miss Case, she repeatedly emphasized that Ravenclaw students would never steal - she didn't seem like someone who would uphold the honor of the house.

Just now, when I mentioned the seven ways to remove eye shadow, her breathing suddenly quickened.

This stupid physiological reaction was like announcing to the world that she was a criminal.

She hadn't even noticed, until now, that her fingers were unconsciously rubbing against her cuffs – a classic sign of anxiety."

The others followed Sherlock's gaze and saw Marietta quickly lower her right hand.

"Do you think I'm blind, or do you think you're smart enough to fool everyone?"

Sherlock leaned closer to Marietta, his voice low and cold, "Your biggest mistake wasn't stealing—it was thinking you could fool me.

From the moment you met me, you used your body language to tell me the truth: you are a clumsy thief and an even more failed liar.

When Sherlock finished speaking, Marietta Aikman's face had turned pale.

(End of this chapter)