The Blanched Soldier - Part Two

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Previously on Sherlock and Co.

Right, done.

Enough.

What?

You are in charge.

I told you.

Yes, and I told you, your new host, ladies and gentlemen.

But I can't help be a little...

distracted.

By what?

That gentleman over there.

His name tag.

The end is

occluded by that good job sticker.

But from what I can see,

it reads.

James M.

Oh.

And he has found it increasingly difficult to not stare in our direction.

Why is it that you wish to speak to Sherlock, James?

He's actually that one I was gonna speak to.

John Boy Watson.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

This is yours, isn't it?

Uh, yeah.

Yeah, that's a that's a GoPro I held while I was at Crane.

You know,

uh it's

yeah, yeah, don't tell me, don't tell me.

Um

Emsworth, Freddie Emsworth.

Boom!

Yes, like yes.

Yeah, no, he's he was cool, actually.

A bit downbeat, but um...

Just pull it up here a sec.

You know, him and the three American guys we were with were just about the only ones that knew how to handle themselves.

Marine, Marine, right?

He's a Royal Marine.

He's.

Was.

Yeah, sure.

Is he dead?

Did he die out in Ukraine, though?

Dunno.

You're okay.

Have you spoken to him recently?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

James!

James!

Let him go, James!

I've fucking seen him!

I've fucking seen him, mate, right?

His face at the window, mate.

He was fucking at the window, and he...

Okay, James, James, just breathe.

It's face, James.

It's face!

James!

Hello there, and welcome back to the Case of the Blanched Soldier.

I am Sherlock Holmes, and this is part 2 of 2.

Do the um do the things.

Email John.

Join the Patreon and do the social media silly little stuff.

Follow him, DocJWatsonMD, or Sherlock and Co-Pod.

Okay.

This is the episode now.

Bye.

We sit

like statues, chipped into a hardened pose by the tension of it, the unease, the disconcert.

We had witnessed Sergeant James M.

Dodd lose all sense of himself at the school.

We had witnessed a a man's mind collapse in on itself, his screams ricocheting off thirty-foot high walls of lacquered plywood.

And now we find ourselves in his home, in Tooting, a neighbourhood of South London that estate agents have optimistically described as up and coming for the past half a century, sandwiched between its high-achieving cousins, Wandsworth Clapham and Wimbledon.

The home of Sergeant James M.

Dodd is grand and ornate on its its exterior.

But the interior is hollowed out with the trappings of 21st-century design.

Light greys with blackened accents, dark blues washed and blanched with featureless veneer-like whites.

The artworks are all too bold, too dazzling.

They leap off the walls and demand attention.

Sherlock?

Yes.

That's enough narration for now, I think.

I'm setting the scene.

I realise that.

But I can hear John coming.

He's probably got James with him, and you are criticising the guy's home.

I was observing his home.

I wasn't criticising.

Mm-mm.

Anything other than, oh, you have a beautiful home, is received as criticism.

Is it really?

It is.

Even honest feedback.

Hey.

Hey, how's you doing?

Yeah, good.

G well, no, sorry, not not good, but uh

not screaming anymore, so

result?

Sure.

Where is he?

Just making teas.

Oh, he doesn't have to do that.

We can do that.

Why did you make him do that?

I didn't make him do that.

He wanted to.

And what of his friend, the blanched soldier?

Um.

Yeah, he hasn't

opened up much further on that, but he he's he's going to.

What's blanched?

Oh, like broccoli.

Broccoli?

You know, like the quick boil.

No, blanched.

A wash in white.

You've already used that word.

Yes, in my narration, but you did interject and thus rendered it unusable.

Okay, what does it mean, blanched?

It means whitened, paled, shocked into losing all colour.

Right, that's what he said the guy's face was, uh, at the window.

Yes, our supposed missing soldier, Emsworth.

Shh, he's coming.

Usually, when I do a tea run, he has a bit more sugar going on, let me tell you.

What's that for the scaffolders, is it?

Yeah, nice of them to see the boss taking care of them all from time to time.

Here you are.

Thank you, James.

Thank you.

It's a lot.

I think maybe this is just how I'm sort of

processing it,

if you know what I mean.

This would be a good time for an ad read, for better health.

Better help and shush.

Just feel like...

I don't know, but

I haven't talked to anyone about it, you see.

You believe Freddy Emsworth to be dead, yet you saw him?

Yeah.

Do you want to

start from the beginning?

Sure.

Um

yeah, so I was a bit of a shit at school and that.

Stabbing peers, yep.

Of course.

Yeah.

Got worse for a bit in that sort of area.

Yeah.

Um

I eventually thought I'd give the army a go.

A couple of mates, the the only sort of blokes I'd really connected with, had joined up so I thought I'd

yeah,

give it a while.

And no word of a lie, literally day one, hour one, loved it.

Yeah.

Adored it completely, like

the energy of it, mixed with the pride of the whole thing, serving England and that.

Then you've got the lads, you've got the challenges, the structure.

It's

it was all I wanted, all I needed.

And I just Bosh

took off.

Best of the best, you know.

And the only fella close to matching me was Freddie Emsworth.

He'd had a leave of transfer because he'd trained as a Marine initially.

So I'd say to him,

he was cheating, sort of thing.

He knew all the tricks of the trade.

I was going in fresh and still kicking his ass, but

yeah.

Cracking bloke was Emmers.

Just top lad.

We were joined at the hip, honestly.

We couldn't get enough of each other.

Like, the like, in all seriousness, now, the way you make me laugh, man, oh, honest to God.

There were times I thought I was gonna pass out or throw up or shit myself or something.

I was laughing so much.

God.

Yeah, um

I'm just

thinking how to sum it up.

Yeah, wouldn't want to be accused of dragging things out.

Hey, Sherlock.

Yeah, this was ten years ago now, of course.

And

yeah, he'd never really mentioned his dad like, but one day he was like, the old man wants me out.

Didn't act like it was a definite thing, like it was a punch or something.

And then suddenly, whoosh,

yeah, he was gone.

We kept in touch and that, but we'd think he was struggling with something.

Couldn't tell you what, mind.

He,

like me,

would do a bit of the old self-medication.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, I know someone like that.

The years rattled on.

Tough ones and all, yeah.

And it started to lose its shine a bit.

And like Emma's...

Like anyone, really,

people start to age out of it.

Also, people are so bleeding materialistic these days.

They all swaned off like him to be estate agents and sales reps and all this.

All this commission stuff posted on Instagram that they get up at 4 a.m.

and drink a protein shake.

Who gives a fuck, mate?

Honestly, go back to bed and do us all the favour.

Yeah, no, so I had a look at my old man's business, scaffolding.

Always kind of went back to it when I've had these in-between bits in my life.

He just did a job at a time, my dad, with a couple of old mates.

They're half drunk and knackered most of the time.

I said I'd take it over for a bit and just

expanded and expanded and I was go

honestly we the whole business just blew up and I was

a made man you know

made man

And I found

that getting old army mates in various roles and jobs, that was actually a decent way of doing things.

Strong lads, polite, punctual, grafters, all this.

So I thought I'd reach out to Freddie, to Emma's, and I found him on LinkedIn.

He was doing something in sales.

Not posted much, really.

I thought, lovely stuff.

He's probably sick of it.

I messaged him, checked in,

no reply.

Tried him a couple of weeks later

and get a DM back.

Hmm.

What did it say?

Let me load it up here.

Uh

yeah,

here it is.

Hello, James.

Thank you for reaching out to our son Freddy.

He recently volunteered in Ukraine and unfortunately he did not come back.

We are immensely proud of his contribution in the fight for freedom.

When was that?

Last January, now

eighteen months ago, I'd say.

Right.

So,

um,

how did you how did you see him?

You said you saw his face.

God, uh

yeah, uh the company got bigger and I set up a subsidiary company that would go for big commercial jobs rather than just your houses in the local areas.

We'd go for these proper big contracts and eventually

three weeks ago actually I get a request from Tuxbury Park in Bedfordshire.

Okay, is is that uh

w what what is that?

It's a manor house with a hotel spa sort of thing.

There's tons of them these days.

But anyway, you get the job through one of these heritage property protection funds sort of thing.

So they don't know me from any other scaffolder.

I take the nice motor up there, not one of the vans, nothing like that.

And I get shown the works that need doing by this older fella, Ralph.

Ralph?

He's nice enough, shows me the bits and bobs, all facade, repair stuff, so scaffold, bottom to top, all this, yeah.

And I go, oh, I'll drop you an email with the quote and what have you.

He goes, I remember the sentence he said.

He went, the resident, the colonel, doesn't get to choose the provider due to their heritage trust.

I'm thinking, what's his name?

The Kentucky chicken fella?

Sanders.

Yeah.

He goes, no.

Emsworth.

I go, that's funny, Ralph.

I used to know a Captain Emsworth.

I says to him, I go, his name was Freddie Emsworth.

God rest him.

I look at him, yeah, and the minute I say it, I think, oh, bollocks, he knows him, he's related to him or something.

You can tell.

He won't meet my eye, he's shifting about, his voice is going, sure enough, it's his uncle.

The whole house is Colonel Emsworth's, Freddy's dad.

I never knew he was military, you see.

I chewed Ralph's ear off about Freddy.

My God, did I bang on?

I just, I wanted him to know what a proper laugh his nephew was.

You you don't see that side of a man do you unless you're mates anyway I ping the quote over a couple of days later and I whack off 20% in memory of Emma's we land the job of the trust of course we do the boys go set up I go check up on it last week lovely evening gets quite dark there with those big mature trees blocking out the sunset plus we draped it the scaffold in this big white top and I'm up on the second storey scaffold walking the planks right and I can see inside the windows because like I say it's dark out here I kind of glance because I don't want to be nosy but I thought I catch a glimmer of something at one of them

or

someone

and something inside me is going have another look Doddy have another peek pal That daft voice in my head has got me enough trouble.

I don't know why I still listen to him, but I do.

I double back on myself, head to that same window and just

bang!

His face.

I swear to you,

I'm not one of those ghosty people, all that haunting Ouija Beeji board crap.

Not me, right?

But he is fucking there.

Captain Freddie Emsworth.

The late Captain Freddie Emsworth.

The man's face is there at the window.

Maybe emotionally you were still processing and your mind conjured the image of his face.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

He's back on your mind, you're his family home, you haven't had time to process it, like Mariana says.

You were so busy with your business.

I took a picture.

Oh.

There.

Well, goodness.

Oh, my God.

Yeah.

And he just stood there and let you take it?

It was like he was staring right through me,

like a zombie.

His skin.

I know.

In the flesh, it was honest, as white as this piece of paper.

Whiter, if that's possible.

Drained of any colour you could think of.

I don't even know if that picture does it justice, you know.

It was like

greased, like everything was oozing.

Eyes are weeping, nose is running, he's drooling, he's stick thin.

He is basically a skeleton, and he's he's he's panting.

And then

I am

I took this video

Is that you, Emmers?

Can you say something, mate?

Can you say anything?

Is that you?

Do you recognise me, mate?

Hey, Doddy, in it?

Is that you, Emmers?

You,

me.

What?

What are you saying, pal?

It's okay, I'm here.

What are you saying?

You.

Mate.

Just

clawing and banging and screaming at the window over and over.

At the end, there, he throws up on the window, and that just it nearly sends me off the boards and over the edge.

I fall down on my knees.

I scramble down the ladder, and I'm in the car, and I.

yeah,

I've got

I've got nothing else to say

Sorry

Thank you for sharing that, James.

Yeah, yeah, thanks mate.

Good

good work, not easy though.

Cheers.

Yes.

Quite the story.

Rather strenuous.

So much so, I feel we may need a little mini break.

Sorry, what?

Really?

Yes.

And I've just booked us a night at the Tuxbury Park Hotel and Spa.

Oh, God.

We should probably go and pack our things.

What?

What does that mean?

It means, Doddy, that the game is a fault.

Alright.

And what does that mean?

It means we're.

we're gonna figure this out, okay?

Ah, Even though he'd left the mic behind, amateur, absolute amateur.

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See, oh, you should have got an automatic.

Yeah, I prefer manual.

Besides, they're cheaper.

Yeah, to buy, but we...

we rented it.

John, it was the same price.

I just, I like I like to be in control of the gears.

Yeah, that that would be nice, but uh, you nearly stalled it again.

It's because of this giant driveway, it's the gravel

look at this.

It's a driveway for God's sake, and it's got this speed limit.

Three miles an hour.

I mean, come on, three, I can't even go three

warning, slippery surface.

It's a gravel driveway at three miles an hour.

Can we go anywhere in this country without having some busybody council or government holding our hand?

How much do all these signs cost the taxpayer, by the way?

Uh, you're veering to the right.

Well,

I am thirty-six now, it happens, doesn't it?

As you get older.

I mean the car.

The car is veering.

Ah, whoops.

Yep.

Yep, yep.

There we go.

Well, this is Tuxbury.

Oh, I love the gardens.

Like, like the whole landscaping they've done.

Topieri?

Topieri, yes.

Oh, wow.

That view over that way?

Ah, I think I see our old grand house further along this driveway.

Shall I do a narrate for the listeners so they they know what we're witnessing?

I think it's best I conserve myself for observations, Watson.

And who's going to do it, mate?

Because I'm driving.

You can do both.

Isahaya car.

And there's deer and rabbits and the bloody

animals of farthing wood frolicking around.

I feel like I should concentrate.

I'll do it.

I.

Yeah, sure.

What?

No, like, yeah, sure, do it.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, I heard the tone.

I can detect tone, you know.

I'm not stupid.

Give me Mike the Mike.

Yeah, there's Mike.

The rooms he spoke of on the eastern face of the property, you see.

Oh, yeah.

Only side with scaffolding, on it.

Yes, the work in progress cloaked in that white curtain, a drape of tarpaulin, hiding the shame of disrepair, of damage and decay.

Excuse me?

Sorry, yeah, Sherlock Mary's gonna narrate, so go for it.

In English, please.

Yeah, I figured.

Thanks.

Hi, listeners, and welcome to Tuxbury in Bedford.

It was once known as Tuxbury Old Place.

Bedfordshire.

Bedford.

Bedfordshire.

Okay, why why does that need correction?

Well, Bedford is the town, the county town that the county Bedfordshire is named after.

So?

So we're we're not in Bedford.

But but I saw road signs.

We're not in Bedford, trust me.

You you would know.

Why is it not not nice?

No comments, because people always email when I say stuff like this.

Okay,

whatever.

Welcome to Tuxbury Park, everybody.

We're now right up to the house.

Partly a residence now, of course, and partly a hotel and spa since 2015.

The family estate of the Emsworths was co-managed by a trust that protects these beautiful old homes.

But...

They make them work to earn their keep.

Mm-hmm, exactly.

So Tuxbury here is doing so as a hotel and a spa.

And yeah, it looks

honestly super nice.

Like super nice.

Right.

Now, I realise that ghost hunting is

very exciting.

But if we could keep that info to ourselves and not share it with the hotel or spa staff, that would be great.

Thanks.

There we go.

You're not going to park like this, are you?

What's wrong with that?

The angle, the distance to the bollard, you're 40 centimeters from the car to our right, but 110 from the car on our left.

You're under a tree where pigeons are nesting.

You've not powered down the air conditioning, you've got a seat warmer on as well for some reason.

You are in sport mode as well.

Yes, well, observation mode on my Sherlock is clearly set to full, isn't it?

Come on.

Booking under homes.

Okay, that's the pine room, is it?

Yes.

Um, that's with the three beds, and you're booked for the breakfast as well.

Lovely.

Okay, let me get your keycards, and I'll bring you a menu for the spa.

Okay?

Okay?

But what are you thinking?

I selected the pine room due to its location within the house.

The map of the hotel says it's way over on the west side, Sherlock.

Indeed.

The Emsworths live in the eastern wing.

They do, yes.

Okay, you get Mariana's point, right?

Your key cards are here.

I've got three of them.

Thank you.

Sherlock, come.

You wish to have your questions answered?

I will show you.

I think we should maybe ask the reception about the Emsworths.

There'll be a spa menu in the room.

Oh, okay, cool.

Down this way.

Yeah, yeah, in a rush.

Oh, we always nice to go on a relaxing spa weekend.

Everybody's in robes.

Yeah, yeah, it's weird, isn't it?

Oh, now I want one.

They look so cozy.

Through this way.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Not as easy with the suitcase, mate.

And here we have the pine suite.

Oh, nice.

Wow, look at this bathtub.

Oh my god, it's got like the the um the spouts for bubbles on the side.

Oh, like a jacuzzi.

Oh, that is so cool.

Excuse me.

I'm answering your concerns.

Uh you?

Yes.

Listen.

You're trying up tap dancing?

No.

What's what's the deal with the floor, mate?

I don't get what you're on about.

You want to know why I picked this room.

Ground floor is the answer.

It's the only place to stay on the ground floor.

Okay.

And beneath my feet is?

Uh the ground?

The undercroft.

What the hell is an undercroft?

Many centuries ago, the servants of this house were expected to move like shadows, present but never seen.

Their passage through the home was to be swift, silent, and forgettable.

That's where the undercroft came in rather handy.

A network of narrow stone tunnels beneath the house, linking one wing to another.

Tuxbury was built by the Tuxburys in 1651, royalists fleeing the parliamentarian fury of London.

Routes for escape and concealment were priorities.

A home threaded with underground tunnels was less a curiosity as it is to us now, and more a necessity.

But, as Britain performed one of its characteristic reversals, panic followed by national remorse, the danger passed, and the tunnels found a new purpose.

Servants.

Servants.

Laundry, food, parcels all moved through the undercroft.

From kitchen to parlour, nursery to library, the family was fed and clothed, their needs met, while the machinery that sustained them remained discreet.

We will serve the masters of the house once more.

We will?

We will.

When?

Tonight.

What are we doing tonight?

Hunting for the ghost of Freddy Emsworth.

Great.

Good luck getting an ad read on this one, mate.

Come on then.

Oh, wow.

How is it?

It's.

Yeah, it's.

it's pretty cozy.

Wait, what do you mean, cozy?

Like, uh, it's tight.

Any rats?

Um.

No.

Could we hurry?

Okay.

Wow.

Oh, why can't we just have spa treatments?

Why do we have to do stupid stuff like this?

We come all the way, all the way out to Bedford to this beautiful place, and now we're crawling around with rats.

Again, it is Bedfordshire, it's not Bedford.

I hope a rat eats you.

Can we keep the petty squabbling to a minimum?

The undercroft will open into many different chambers.

We do not know who else may be listening.

I don't say stuff like that.

Why not?

Because.

Because why?

We do not know who else might be listening.

Well, we don't.

Enough.

We continue through this passage, and in 30 yards or so, it will fork.

Southwards towards the old servants' quarters, eastwards to the current living quarters.

And what do we do then?

We infiltrate.

We observe.

You know,

if it really is a ghost,

you have to use the microphone.

Why?

What do ghosts like to podcast, do they?

No, no, you plant the microphone and you capture exactly what is going on.

Plant the microphone where?

Exactly.

Left here.

We go to the room that James said.

Corner bedroom, east wing, upper floor.

Correct.

We get near there and we plant the microphone.

Pick up everything that's going on in there, and then we have our evidence.

We can say here is the actual ghost of Freddy Emsworth.

Well, Spooky Tunnel has clearly sent you mad.

I think it's a good idea.

So what?

We don't wish to disturb this family, do we?

Well, no, but...

Then we shall leave the mic.

Come back for it tomorrow and listen to our evidence.

Right, but...

Stop.

This here.

This is a chute.

Like a laundry chute.

Indeed.

At the top will be our room.

Okay.

I know I'm pretty athletic, but I might struggle to climb that, mate.

You don't need to, Watson.

Oh yeah, send Mariana up.

Up you go, Merce.

Get on.

Ow!

None of us need to venture up there, except for this little guy.

Mike the Mike.

Mike the Mike.

On this pulley system, once we open the doors to the chute.

One little rusty.

There we go.

We place him on this platform here.

Pull on this until it stops, and that will mean Mike is at the upper level and sat right behind the thin panel that separates our recording device from

our ghost.

Right, well,

I guess we'll see you in a bit, Mike.

Yeah, bye-bye, Mike.

Farewell, Mike.

Oh, and bye, listeners.

Good luck with the ghosts.

Don't freak out.

If it's terrifying, please don't email me this.

You were talking to someone.

I heard it.

Why, boy.

Why?

Did you understand?

We lost you.

My boy.

My beautiful boy.

We lost you.

Did you get the full body one?

It was just a head massage.

Oh, nice.

I don't really like people touching me, so.

Head massage.

Any good?

Oh, it was perfect.

Ah, perfection.

Nice.

What did you get?

Full bod.

Unbelievable.

I fell asleep.

Oh my god.

So did I.

Amazing.

Well, not amazing, because I would have liked to stay awake, it was that good.

Oh, like first class on a plane.

Exactly.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to sleep on the flight.

I just want to stay awake, enjoying myself.

But it's it's so good that...

You fall asleep.

Mm-hmm.

Exactly.

It's a paradox.

The comfort paradox.

Hmm.

Hmm.

Oh, that's what this is.

It's comfort.

It's...

Peace.

It's knowing that.

What on earth are you doing?

Why are you in dressing gowns?

We are decompressing in a fine mist with hints of jasmine and lavender.

What are you doing?

Well, I said you could have an hour.

It's been two hours.

I thought you were still uploading the audio.

Well, have you listened?

Do we have ourselves a ghost?

Perhaps.

Wait, what?

My beautiful boy.

We locked you up.

Who is that?

The the man?

I had a hunch, and I confirmed it this morning.

Who is it?

I walk the hallways of Tuxbury at breakfast and I introduce myself to the Colonel.

Wait, is that him?

Indeed.

Colonel Emsworth.

Seemingly conversing with the ghost of his deceased son.

Or so I thought.

Until.

Until I entered the room.

What?

The actual room?

Where he is?

How?

Through the undercroft and up the laundry chute, while you two were pampering one another.

We were being pampered by trained professionals.

What did you see?

Sherlock, what did you see?

C.

Never mind C.

I solved the case.

Sorry, what?

I solved it, my dear companions.

Case very much closed.

To wait.

Can we listen?

Listen to what?

To you.

Solving the case.

How did you do that?

It would be on the SD card, in the mic.

You.

You took the mic with you, right?

It was uploading.

Yeah, the SD card was, but you still have the mic.

Yes, I just picked it up now.

After the upload was complete.

Please tell me you took the mic.

Please tell me when you solved the case and confronted what on earth is going on in this giant haunted house.

Please, tell me you took the mic.

Ah.

Yes, I see the problem.

Oh, you are the worst podcast host in the world.

The

worst.

The worst.

And that is a dreadful list to come top of, mate.

Dreadful.

What happened, Sherlock?

I can mend this.

I'm sure of it.

I just need time.

He'll need a couple of weeks, I'd say.

Sorry, sorry.

Listen, I've fixed a fair amount of shit in the edit, right?

I've

polished a turd or two, mate, but you have missed out on the entire case and its conclusion.

Because you two were at a spa.

You said you were the host, you were in charge.

I just need time.

Time?

How much time?

Two weeks.

Two weeks.

Can you please adjust your robe, John?

I really don't need this day to get any worse.

I'm sorry.

I'm just struggling with the fact that this guy recorded a podcast without a microphone.

With the success of your Patreon membership as well, it's fantastic.

Yeah, and I think winning the Webby

and reaching over 10 million downloads was

amazing.

Yeah, completely, completely.

And I'm just hoping that the newfound interest kind of gets some advertisers thinking that we could do some sponsored reads for them to promote their product.

Okay.

Are we ready?

Sorry, I'm doing an interview, Sherlock.

You're in your pajamas.

Shush.

Do you need to be arranged, John?

No, no, no, no, no.

It's okay.

Yes, we do.

Bye-bye.

Sherlock!

Why are you doing an interview and why are you in your pajamas?

Because it's the morning.

People like our podcast and want to know more about it.

Is that okay?

But I told you to wait two weeks.

For

for what?

The Blanched Soldier?

Freddie Emsworth.

Doddy.

What now?

It's been two weeks.

Oh, for goodness sake.

Can I get some warning, please?

I warned you 14 14 days ago.

That's not the kind of warning I meant.

Ah, that'll be doddy.

Ugh, for God's sake.

Ow!

Stupid trousers.

Oh, why, Archie, mate, why do you have to move the socks around the flat?

Can't you get a real hobby?

Here we are.

This is 221B.

Love it.

What a location, by the way.

Ah, here he is.

John Watson, you recall, no doubt.

Hi, John, mate.

You struggling with that t-shirt?

Yeah, no, getting there.

Take a seat, mate.

Be right with you.

Sure, yeah.

So, what's this all about, then, gents?

We paid a visit to Tuxbury House.

Ah,

you really went through with it, did you?

We did indeed.

I was just a

little bubble bath and all that saunering yourself, yeah?

Those activities were indulged by some members of the team, yes.

Why not, eh?

Put your feet up.

I didn't get the opportunity, unfortunately.

I was busy

with the Colonel.

Okay, t-shirt is on.

You spoke to him.

For some time, yes.

You didn't tell him what I saw, did you?

You didn't say that.

Seem ashamed.

Well,

yeah.

Why?

Cause shame has hidden Freddy away for too long, Doddy.

Hidden, Freddy?

What do you mean?

I thought it better I I show you and hopefully salvage my friend's little audio show.

I'll be right back.

Can I get your tea or anything, Doddy?

No, no.

No.

Sorry, no.

I didn't mean to snap.

Just nervous.

Yeah.

I don't really know what he's up to here.

Yeah, he likes to operate that way.

What, uh.

what are you afraid you'll see?

A ghost?

Someone honor

Sergeant James M.

Dodd.

This is Colonel Emsworth.

Hello, sir.

James.

This is Dr.

John Watson, a lieutenant and M.O.

himself of the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers.

Goodness.

Hello there, Watson.

Sir?

Well then.

Well then, indeed.

I think an apology is needed.

James, if you'd like to go first.

Sorry, what?

An apology.

To Colonel Emsworth here.

Sorry what?

For looking through the window of your manor?

No, not that.

Well, what?

I don't know what you're trying to make me.

I use,

James.

I use?

Yes.

Persistent dilation of the pupils, even in low lighting.

Dry lips and nose, bursts of enthusiasm followed by rushes of irritation and instability, jaw twitching and tremors, even when idle and not conversing.

All that aside, I myself will frequent the usage of self-medication more than enough to recognize it in somebody else,

even if all the clues were taken away from me.

Yeah,

he's a very

vulnerable and impressionable young man,

and uh,

well,

drugs may have been a uh

an easy thing for you to handle or even enjoy.

He is not

he's vulnerable, okay?

You should

never

never have introduced him to that to those things.

Good to speak.

I'm sorry,

And now your turn, Colonel Emsworth.

We

lied to you.

He returned.

He returned from Ukraine.

I'm sorry.

Frederick, uh, Freddy, for

whatever reason, was very unwell.

Probably my doing, let's be honest.

Always the farmer.

Um, he was such a delicate little boy, you know, and I had to I just built this no, I

forced this

hardened shell around him and

this scaffold, to use a term that you're familiar with, Mr.

Dodds,

that perhaps obstructed and blocked out the real boy inside.

And

of course, because of all that

he had a very

challenging, I suppose they would say these days, mental health prognosis

and I will swear to any doctor and I swear it now

nothing fixes a man's mental health more than the presence of other men and structure and the marines later the army was just the tick for my boy

but

Like I say,

he was who he was, and he was misled.

And he took to

well, he would get involved with many things.

Eventually, even

Even heroin.

Heroin, excuse me.

Regularly.

When I found out, just

of course, just a few weeks ago, I I just

I knew I am not gonna live the rest of my life with regrets over how I raised him.

I did what all proper decent parents should do.

I picked him up out of that den, that cesspit, and I dragged him home and locked him in a room and let him stick it out until that poison flushed out of him.

I promised him, promised

that he could be who he wanted to be.

That the Freddian side would be free.

No more army, no more career referrals from me, always mother.

It was a fight for freedom

that only he could face.

And I tell you, goodness me,

I've been shot at.

Goodness have I been shot at.

I've been captured.

I have sent men to

early graves.

I've held their

mothers, wives, girlfriends, while they weep at me and beat me

to say that

putting Freddie through that was the hardest thing I've ever done.

Lock my son in a room and watch him like that, weight, colour, light, all

vanishing from him.

To say it was the hardest thing I've ever done is not something I say lightly.

But it was.

I was ashamed.

All of us, we were full of panic and shame.

And Mr.

Holmes here has allowed us to see the light.

To let Nicaro return

to our family.

Where is he?

Come on, Freddy, lad.

Doddy.

Fuck it out.

Fuck it out, Maim.

I'm sorry, mate.

Oh, God.

I didn't know.

Oh, I didn't know.

I didn't tell you.

I didn't tell anyone.

It was all.

It was all getting too much, mate.

I know, mate.

I'm just so sorry.

I know.

I'm so sorry.

Oh, Jesus.

Shut up.

You're sorry, mate.

God.

It's good to see you, Freddy.

You too.

Oh,

here he is.

Come here, Andrew.

Right, Watson.

Legs are working then.

Yeah.

Ears are working too, then, are they?

Here we go.

Because I did say, don't, I did say for you to come back off the road, but you didn't listen.

And look what happened.

I was always saying you should listen to me more, weren't I?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sense of humour's come back then, has it?

Colour's come back to your face too.

The hairline?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It was a bit touch and go for a bit, wasn't it?

You have taken a big step, Freddy.

And I wish you all the best with the rest of your journey.

Thank you.

Uh, I'm sorry we thought you were a creepy ghost.

Ah, don't worry, Smite.

I'll be cold words.

You'll be pleased to know I have kept my opioids locked away.

Should they derail any recovery?

So you've done what?

Locked them away.

Opioids.

Yes.

Like heroin, you mean?

Very, very similar, but a much less turbulent high, I find.

Right, feel like maybe you sh we should head off.

Anyone should just head off.

Let's uh, yeah, let's take you downstairs.

Um

and now you hit upload, right?

Hit upload?

No,

no, he doesn't hit upload.

He emails producer Neil, and Neil does the upload.

Why don't you do it?

Do they not trust you?

No, it's not that.

They think you're gonna delete all the rest is history episodes or something.

No, it's this is just the way I do things.

Alright, people like me and Rory and Gaz, we don't do the uploads.

No, no, you are not calling Gary Lineker Gaz.

People call him Gaz.

Yeah, I'm sure.

His close friends and family.

That's not you.

No, don't send it yet.

You haven't linked to the file.

Ah, okay.

There we go.

And Dudge, I can't tempt you to change the adventure name.

The Blanched Soldier.

Yeah.

No, you can't.

Fine.

Fine.

Um,

yeah, episode description is good.

Members' club episodes done.

Uh, okay.

So now hit send.

And

there we go.

Adventure is officially sent and will be in

that's weird.

What is it's just that's actually still uploading.

It's

wait.

Sherlock, this is four hours long.

Yes.

Why is it four hours long?

I wanted to contextualise the case.

Well, by waffling on about it for four hours.

Yes.

No?

Why not?

People say you drag these things out anyway, so why not appeal to those that want more material?

Deleting this statement.

Oh, for God's sake, what's this?

That's my concerto.

You put some violin in for 40 44 minutes.

It was a means to show a loss of innocence and a plunge into darkness.

Oh, for f- I'm gonna plunge into darkness in a minute.

What's this?

And NordVPN allows its users to be able to do it.

What the hell is this?

Oh, it's an ad read.

Oh, God.

What?

They gave you an ad read.

Yes.

Okay, I'm gonna go.

Bye.

I'm not believing.

NordVPN.

Are you kidding me?

Thank you for listening to the case of the Blanched Soldier.

I can tell you that all remains well with Freddie Emsworth, and...

well, you can't see this, but I have an image of him working in an office with Doddy, so it would seem he took the job after all.

I hope you enjoy the case.

We will see you soon.

Please, do get in touch.

Okay.

Done.

All good?

Every single one.

Mike and Alyssa are always trying to outdo each other.

When Alyssa got a small water bottle, Mike showed up with a four-liter jug.

When Mike Mike started gardening, Alyssa started beekeeping.

They called a truce for their holiday and used Expedia Trip Planner to collaborate on all the details of their trip.

Once there, Mike still did more laps around the pool.

Whatever.

You were made to outdo your holidays.

We were made to help organize the competition.

Expedia, made to travel.