The Sign of Four - Part Five

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I lit the fuse and my life turns into everything it wasn't supposed to be.

He's going the distance.

He was the highest paid TV star of all time.

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He's gonna tell you the truth.

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I think we're past that, Charlie.

We're past that, yeah.

Somebody call action.

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Previously on Sherlock and Co.

Hello, mate.

Four of us, sorry.

And this luggage to the

White Eagle Hotel.

Nobody moves.

We're not moving.

Okay.

Put your hands on your head.

Feast out.

Agent Athelney Jones.

In the early 2000s, this gang appears on the scene.

They start breaking into diamond stores, vaults, collections.

Then it gets more brutal.

They start kidnapping dealers and collectors, beating them up for information.

They interrogate scholars and experts for everything they know.

Jonathan Small, he's a friend of ours, an expert in the field.

His leg was amputated after a beating.

It spills out from the industry to smaller communities, oldie world-type places, where the stories were the most coherent and consistent.

Everything pointed

to Pondicherry.

Thus, the last photo ever taken of Captain Arthur Morstan alive.

Who's that he's at the table with?

Sholto.

I'm gonna go on a date with my father's murderer.

Sholto is pretty much surrounded if he tries anything.

Mary, how are you?

He has one of your diamonds.

I send everything to you.

Do you have it?

Ah, thank you.

Mary,

look at me.

Do you have it or not?

Have what?

what?

Oh, no.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

You did this.

You have to try and vomit.

Someone call an ambulance.

The sign of poor.

Give it up, you murderer.

And you see how it reflects on the enormous man-made pool that surrounds it.

Yeah.

Wait, the man-made what?

The man-made pool!

Okay, out you come.

There you go.

I think

he may have got away from us.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think you might be right.

It's nice to watch the world go by, I suppose.

Yeah, I guess so.

How far away is he?

He sees he's looking for us right now.

Morning.

Morning, Mariana.

Uh, hi.

Hello.

He's deep in thought.

Ah, I'm not surprised.

Are you okay, Mary?

How are you doing after last night?

Uh, yeah, uh, I'll be okay, honestly.

Don't worry about me.

I just feel sorry for Sholto, I guess.

Never thought I'd say that.

Speaking of feeling sorry for Mary, Jonathan is coming up.

Oh, that's so sweet.

I know.

Oh, there he is.

Hey, Jonathan.

Ah, I was halfway to another cafe.

Goodness me.

Ah, Mary.

Hi.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

How are we doing?

I um I feel

I don't know.

I I feel responsible somehow.

Don't be ridiculous.

I misguided you.

I gave all this talk about the shadow and his nasty motives, and uh

I'm sorry.

Goodness,

before I bore my eyes out over all of you,

how are we?

How are we doing?

We're okay, thank you, mate.

Sherlock and I ended up taking a bit of a dive last night.

A dive?

Yeah, we fell into the um the Golden Temple Pool.

Oh, goodness, no.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But nearly caught the guy, didn't we, Shelves?

Hmm.

You seem...

unsure, Sherlock.

Watson is right.

We did nearly catch the guy.

But as we know, we're dealing with a group.

The sign of four.

Yeah.

Sorry, Jonathan.

I know what you've been through, and if we

don't you dare.

I'm made of sterner stuff.

The second I heard something was wrong out there.

I tell you, I haven't moved that fast in a while.

And still,

it's not like I need any excuse to come back to this place.

Truly the soul of the earth.

Wouldn't you agree?

Oh, it's amazing.

Yeah, was kind of hoping to have a better crack at the local cuisine, though.

And also wish I hadn't watched an old man die, so.

Of course, course, yes, but you will see it.

The beauty of this place.

It will find a way inside you and glow for a hundred years.

I don't want to be boring, but um...

What do you want to do?

We have work piling up at home.

I feel

this city cannot offer us much more.

Well, Jonathan and I were going to head back tomorrow if you want to rearrange your flights.

Uh, yeah, we we could do that, sure.

You've only just got ah, don't you worry.

My fourth trip this year.

And I plan another, believe me.

Plus, I'm here for Mary.

Of course.

Yeah, yeah, but but we've we've we've got her back, haven't we?

Nobody needs my back.

Sholto needed help, not me.

True.

True.

Speaking of, where is our Interpol agent?

That is a good question.

Interpol?

Yeah, we had Agent Jones from Interpol fill us in on Sholto.

Yeah, he's been dragging him for some time.

This.

This has stepped up a gear or two, hasn't it?

It's definitely getting a bit dicey.

So

we think the sign of four killed Sholto.

We do.

Do we think they took Tonga, the boy?

Well, Sholto didn't know who he was.

Is that correct?

Correct.

And the boy had been intercepting the diamonds, we believe.

That seems to be the case, yeah.

So somebody knew about the diamonds and knew about Sholto

and knew about yourself.

Two out of three have been eliminated.

I know what these people can do.

And

this is exactly why we're flying home.

We fight again another day.

It would appear the targets are not safe in London either, Mr.

Small.

I, uh, well, yes, I suppose that's true.

However,

he's a 14-year-old and Mary is ex-Army, so good luck to whatever stupid bastard tries anything.

I would offer my bodyguard services, but I'm not quite sure a one-legged pensioner is what you're looking for.

You're helpful in other ways.

What do you know of Pondicherry?

Why is it significant?

Ponder Cherry, right?

Boodoo Cherry, of course, now.

In the southeast, yes.

Beautiful place.

A region that has publicly heralded the diamond for some time.

It's on various crests and designs from that area.

Always has been.

It's funny.

My story times with dad at

Pondicherry.

Pondicherry.

Oh yeah, you said he would tell you stories about the princess of Pondicherry?

Yeah.

It...

I was the princess of Pondicherry in the story.

I'd be off on these adventures, but the one he would tell a lot, I think, or maybe just the one that's sticking in my head.

I had ventured over the high seas back to Pondicherry after beating some dragon or something, probably.

Of course, yeah.

And the sacred jewel

was missing.

No, wait, I think it was my jewel.

Yeah, no, it was mine.

And it had been taken despite my wolf that guarded it so fiercely.

I liked wolves a lot, so yeah.

And then I'd go on this quest through,

oh, what was it?

A jungle of fire.

Then,

oh, then there was this flying fox that would show me the way.

Yeah.

And then a snake pit.

That was always a creepy bit that he loved.

And I had to fight this big, like,

beast thing called, oh, God, what was it called?

Um.

Bost?

Was it?

No, uh, Dost.

Dost.

Dost.

Yeah, Dost.

All hell dost.

Or something.

My dad used to do a voice, like a chant thing, and I'd fight him for the jewel.

And he'd

stab him or whatever, I can't remember.

And he'd spit it out.

It was in his mouth.

He'd spit it out of his mouth and it was mine again.

Yeah.

Oh, that's gripping stuff.

I think my bedtime stories involved coming off the bench for Swindon Town.

Your bedtime stories, where anything could happen,

you didn't even start in the team.

You were on the bench.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, that's rubbish.

Right, okay.

Jonathan, you've got the get with flight, right?

Yes, I bloody well do.

For my sins.

Right, we reconvene in London and we get to the bottom of this bloody mess.

I've got my research with me for this horrid flight.

Do you have my notes on Pombichip?

I do.

Yes.

Thank you so much again, Jonathan.

Oh, my goodness, it's a pleasure.

Don't worry.

Right.

Love to you all.

Bye now.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Bye.

Bye-bye.

Mary, be bloody safe, for goodness sake.

I'm

going to go explain how prosthetics work to the security staff for the billionth time in my life.

Well, wish me luck.

Bye, mate.

Have a good flight.

Bye.

See you tomorrow.

Bye, bye, bye, bye.

Right.

Okay.

So I'm actually at the terminal over there, so I.

Oh, of course, we're different flights,

yeah.

Yeah.

Okay, well, I'll um, I mean, I mean, I'll we'll I'll see you tomorrow.

Of course, yeah, safe flight, yeah.

Yeah,

me too.

Let go, you'll see her tomorrow.

Yeah, yeah, all right.

Um, see you then.

Have a good one, you too.

Bye, guys.

Have a good flight.

Joy first class.

I know, I will.

Yeah, I know, right?

Back to economy for the rest of my life after this.

Bye, guys.

Bye-bye.

Bye.

I'm not bad.

You okay?

Yeah.

You worried about her.

Hmm.

And Jonathan, actually.

I feel like

somebody does not like the fact that they're alive.

Hmm, I agree.

Don't worry about this guy as well, by the way.

You alright?

Yes.

You seem a bit absent.

You're just avoiding eye contact with the bum bag.

Huh?

Go on, look at it.

Marvel at it.

Aye, John.

Why couldn't you have left that at the bottom of the temple port?

Uh, excuse Excuse me, mate.

The inner waterproof lining saved our passports and his sunflower lanyard.

Well, they should have been in the hotel safe.

Yeah, but Athelney Jones said don't trust those hotels.

So.

Stop it.

Agreed.

Let's go.

I'll have my curry at the airport.

I don't quite

feel like it.

Oh, don't worry, I'll get naans and onion bargees and stuff.

No.

The journey home.

Yeah, it's a 12-hour flight, mate.

No one feels like that.

No, for goodness sake.

I'm trying to process everything and I just don't feel

resolved.

Hey, hey, that's normal.

We came all this way, right, for this

amazing trip.

I mean, work, too.

But

it got cut short.

And

yeah,

you're just sad.

Sometimes going home can be sad.

No.

I have somewhere else to be.

Sherlock!

Take the flight!

I will see you in London!

Sherlock, no!

The driver says he went that way.

Jesus Christ, this is insane.

Sherlock!

Out!

Sorry, excuse me.

Sherlock!

I can't see anything.

Well, I mean, I can see loads, just

too much stuff everywhere.

There's so much noise.

Why would he choose to do this?

This is like his worst nightmare.

No.

No, I know, right?

So...

I mean, where would he go for...

Oh.

What?

That sign up there.

Where?

Look.

Oh, train station.

Go, go, go.

Excuse me, sorry.

Excuse me.

Um, excuse me.

Sorry, sorry, thank you.

Thank you.

Why can't you

take the big case?

Just leave it.

Uh, no, this is all of our clothes.

Well, we'll buy new ones.

Mine are all from Primark anyway, to be honest.

Ugh, fine.

Bye, my wheelie big case.

Farewell!

I feel so free.

Yeah, see, this is why I don't buy clothes.

Okay, okay, okay.

Ah, here we are.

Um,

is there like a viewing platform?

Maybe he just wants to look at the trains.

There's hardly any trains.

Okay, um, there's uh I don't see a viewing area or uh much seeping.

Um

down this way.

Can you see anything?

Uh no, nothing.

What the hell?

Is he answering his phone yet?

My battery sucks.

Okay.

Ah.

Um.

It's just it's just ringing out again.

God, this is like that Dev Patel film, you know, where they lose their kid at the railway station and he turns into an Australian.

He doesn't turn into an Australian, John.

He gets adopted.

Yeah, whatever.

That's just how the Aussies get you.

You know, the amount of mates I've had.

Oh, I'm just going on a holiday.

Bang.

Next thing you know, they've emigrated.

Hey.

And it's like, okay, I get it.

You can go to the beach and eat big prawns, but it's just the big prawn mate.

Get over it.

John.

Is it worth the.

Oh, they'll let me see.

The spiders, sharks, kangaroos look pretty confrontational, to be honest.

John!

What?

Look!

I, yeah,

yeah.

What am I looking at?

That platform, the train.

Train.

Train to.

Pondicherry.

Do you think.?

I do think.

Come on, go, go, go.

We figured it out.

I figured it out.

We did it.

Sherlock?

Sherlock?

Are you in here?

Must be another carriage.

Come on.

Where are you, you big stupid genius?

God's sake.

Why can't you he go missing in like Bristol?

Why does he have to go missing in one of the biggest countries in the world?

Oh, I can't see much in here.

No, me neither.

How long do we have until the train leaves?

Oh man, like two minutes.

Oi, this is not good.

No, it is not.

What do we do?

Do we stick it out or I don't know?

And to make matters worse, what?

I really need a we.

So?

You check the carriage up that way.

I'll quickly use this toilet, then we'll reconvene on the platform.

What a terrible use of your final couple of minutes searching for your friend on this.

I need to go, Mariana.

It's better than bickering here with you.

Right, this is that locked or unlocked?

Oh, sorry.

Can't you knock, for goodness sake?

Sherlock.

What?

The hell are you doing?

Trying to have a wee in peace on a fucking train to Ponder Cherry.

The airport had toilets, mate.

Okay, fine.

I will apologize.

You will apologize?

Yes.

Well, where is it then?

You can't just forecast an apology and then go quiet.

Well, if the trip proves fruitful, I won't need to apologize, will I?

So let's just wait and see.

So, we're really doing this, huh?

You really think Pondicherry is the key to finding Tonga?

Indeed.

It's time to locate this fabled diamond and see what its hallowed temple can reveal about this most peculiar case.

Right, let's do it.

Uh, okay, train is only 49 minutes to Pondicherry.

Fab, lovely, John.

Yeah,

that says 49 hours.

What?

No, you're.

No, that's wrong, because it's 1 p.m.

now.

It says it gets in just before 2 p.m., see?

Mm-hmm.

2 p.m.

On Monday?

It's Saturday?

Sherlock!

Gold the line

force through the blinds

Wash away the worries like a winding Whoa,

yeah,

pretty

yesterday

Let farm be snap nope wait snap you can't just keep saying snap snap

oh my god I won't

we're stopping for the elephants guys guys

Hello you

now I miss Archie.

He looks like an elephant.

No, no, but he kind of smells like one

Goodbye, lovely fellow.

He wanted to feed the ducks, and they just came

sprinting towards it.

And the panic wasn't panicked.

Oh, I can't live anymore.

Stop

That's a beautiful country.

Like a whole world.

Tigers.

What?

Look.

Tigers.

Tigers.

Tigers.

It's a sanctuary.

Quick, quick, take photos.

You take the photos.

I'm busy looking at you.

Don't take photos.

If somebody doesn't take a photo, I swear swear to you.

With you,

no need for words to say you're

incredible.

You finally got your food you wanted.

Greatest food in the world.

Greatest.

You do know that a lot of white people get a bad bite on their first trip out here.

Yeah, this is worth it.

Okay.

You're sleeping in a different cabin tonight.

Big mountains.

Do you feel absolutely tiny right now?

Ant-like.

I know, right?

Stunning.

Still worth it?

Oh, yeah, 100%.

Yes, yes, I washed my hands.

Wow, that is yet another beautiful sight out of our little train window.

It's sure

we should open a Sherlock and Co.

branch in India.

I agree.

Me too.

I give up the world, the moon, the sky.

For you, for you, I

for you.

you I

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Hello there, listeners.

Say hello.

Hi, listeners.

And you?

Hello.

Oh, all right, mate.

Jesus, swallow the mic, why don't you?

You put it towards my mouth.

Yeah, but just you don't need to be that that close.

Welcome to Pondicherry or Puducherry, as it's known these days.

But just about everyone we've bumped into so far has used both.

We are following our new best friend, Chuck, Chakrapani, our guide to all things Pondicherry.

Say hello Chuck.

Hello listeners.

Where are we going Chuck?

We are currently walking alongside the Sangrabani River on the Puducherry side.

Tamil Nadu is on the other side over there.

See?

Oh yeah.

And we are walking to the hidden temple.

So it's actually called the Hidden Temple?

Guptmandir.

Yes, Gupta Mandir.

Yes, which it means sort of cryptic.

Temple basically.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, hidden temple.

But as I warned you, it is not...

not easy.

No, I know.

We just have to

observe some things.

Some secret things.

Yeah, secret things.

You're not in the least bit curious, chuck.

God, it's humid, isn't it?

The people in this area have always spoken of the thieves, the jewel barons, the wars, and battles for the gemstones.

That

I have learned that it is best to let people follow their heart.

If

your heart is wanting these kinds of things, then I have no wish to join you on your journey of

greed or desire.

Well, Well, I mean, we don't want any jewels.

I've heard that before, too.

No, yeah, of course, I get it, but we just want answers.

And I hope you find them, Doctor.

Down there.

Where?

You see?

The bend in the river?

Where the farmed fields stop and the land begins to rise.

Yeah, yeah, I see it.

That is your temple.

Um, but there's nothing there, it's it's just a hill.

On the outside, yes.

The temple is cut into the hill.

Come,

Chack,

thank you.

Yeah, thanks, Chuck.

You sure you don't?

You don't want to join the quest?

I'll skip this one.

Good luck.

Bye.

Bye, Chuck.

I will miss our football chats, Chuck.

Me too.

Up the swindon down.

Ha ha ha, yes.

Spread the word.

Oh, that was Chu.

We We got chatting to him on the train, and instead of going straight to the hotel, we got our trekking boots on.

That's not true.

We are all in the same footwear.

Unfortunately.

You think yours are bad?

Look at mine.

Yes, but it wouldn't be an adventure unless your shoes got destroyed.

Yeah, that's true.

That's true.

But anyway, we um well, I think we kind of kept our cards close to our chest with Chack, didn't we?

I tried that, yes.

But you didn't fare so well.

No, come on.

anyway we told him

we thought something had gone down at a temple in in putucherry slash pondicheri and we think it may have involved westerners maybe not we asked about captain moreston and he kind he kind of

well he knew uh no one said Surakula, but it just goes to show how tuned in the locals are to the story, the myth of it all.

And now the trek trek continues.

The hill is probably about a mile away.

It's a really warm night.

No signs of rain though.

Starry and moony.

And we met a backpacker on the train.

Well, Mariana did.

She was chatting him up.

Shut up.

He was Spanish.

So, you know, they talked about Spanish stuff like omelets and

shut up.

Anyway, he was heading home and he gave us a tent.

So we're going to get right outside the spooky temple and pop the tent up and spend the night.

Should be fun.

Well, not fun, um, but hopefully, we will get answers on the Surakula and why that means Tonga and Mary are in danger.

So, yeah.

Oh, morning.

Hey, morning.

Oh,

God Almighty.

Back.

Yeah.

Oh, I think I slept on a rock.

Yeah, shame.

Coffee?

Hey, there's coffee.

I took some sachets from the train, made a fire.

Here, look.

Oh,

and I boiled some water.

Oh, you are.

I like you.

Thanks.

I like you.

Oh, cheers.

Cheers.

Wonder what Archie's doing right about now.

Let's see.

It's 7 a.m.

here.

So what, like

2?

2 a.m.

at home?

Yeah, so snoring and drooling, do we think?

Yeah, I'd say so.

I'd say so.

Come a long way, haven't we?

Yeah, yeah, we have.

Proud of us.

Me too.

But you worried the adventure's gonna be like 15 parts long and totally incoherent.

Oh, totally.

It is the end of the podcast.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Had a good run, though.

Are we ready?

Hey, Indiana Holmes.

What are we thinking?

Indian who?

Never mind.

Careful there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm okay.

This slanted floor leads down into the first chamber.

Then we have a door.

Okay, and where does the door go?

I have no idea.

I was kind of hoping for a play-by-play there, but alright.

That's a weird smell.

Is there?

Yeah, I think so.

Maybe it's just.

Yeah, maybe it's just very old.

Look at the walls.

Hold on, let me get my phone light.

Inscriptions.

Yeah, but what does it say?

Don't know, but it's pretty.

Excellent penmanship, but or carvedmanship.

No hidden codes as such.

But look here.

Is that a man being burned alive?

It

would seem that way.

Oh, look, after opening a door, lovely.

Shall we?

I mean,

unfortunately, we probably shall.

Yeah.

Now,

how does this

open?

Come on.

Need a hand, please.

Okay, here we go.

Ah, man.

Come on.

Oh, Jesus, this is heavy.

Who made this door?

The crusade?

Let's just exercise caution.

This door has trapped trespassers before.

Totally severed from the knee.

Just using your backpack, John.

Hold still.

No, no, wait.

It's an instruction.

It's not a warning.

And

the fire isn't on the other side of the door.

It's on this side.

Look, we.

Okay.

The entrance to the temple is here.

Then, the slope.

Then, it's fire.

Then, door.

Okay, so we said something alike, I guess.

Oh, yeah, let's just burn the ancient temple.

Sure.

No, no, no, no.

I see it.

I see it.

I here.

What are you doing?

Starting a fire.

Splashes of oil.

Where?

Here.

By the seam.

And...

Ah!

A bowl beneath it.

Can you see?

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Okay.

Okay, great.

Now what happens?

Don't you see?

Vines.

Vines have sealed the door on the other side.

The flame reaches through and burns off the vines that hold the door closed.

Well, that's that's quite a system.

Oh, hey, let's get it loose.

Here, ready?

One,

two,

three.

Yes!

Hey, good work, Marianne.

Indeed.

The door opened

quite easily, though.

Meaning.

The vines haven't grown much since the last visitor?

Correct.

Someone has been recently there.

Onwards.

But we are now in.

Feels like a tunnel.

It's got quite cold quite quickly.

There's.

I feel like.

Yeah, there's definitely a smell, isn't there?

Death.

Seriously?

Yeah, got to admit, Frankie's right.

That smell is death.

It is.

And we have a choice to make.

We have arrived at our fork.

Which tunnel do we take?

Two tunnels.

One isn't too dark from the looks of it, looks wider, and doesn't smell of death.

Then there's that one.

We're a detective agency.

We're not tourists.

Death it is.

Oh,

bats.

They scared the crap out of me.

The Indian flying fox.

What?

Look.

Above.

You can see them hanging.

Yeah, gross, mate.

You can see their colouring.

That reddish breast.

Oh, yeah, they look like foxes.

Tiny upside-down winged foxes.

Wait.

What?

Her father?

Mary's father.

His bedtime stories.

The princess of Pondicherry.

The flying fox, it would show her the way.

Yes.

And there was a jungle of fire.

Oh, yeah, the vine, the vines we just had to burn to get through.

So, the jungle, the flying fox,

then.

what?

Wait, what was the next thing in her story?

Snake pit.

See you later, guys.

Watson, all the best.

John.

I mean, no wonder we can smell death.

I mean, snake pit, for God's sake.

Come.

We cannot make a judgment until we see for ourselves.

Mate, what?

That's

just like saying to a toddler, you'll enjoy it when you get there.

It is snakes in a pit.

We've come all this way.

But for what?

Tonga isn't down there, is he?

Do you think that, Sherlock, that he's gonna be there?

I don't.

Then, what do you think?

I think.

I think we will expose the rot that has spread so far as to even reach into the walls of a 14-year-old boy's bedroom in West London.

That's what I think.

You think they're here?

The sign of four?

The question is not whether they're here,

but whether they are still here.

Oh, you think they've entered the temple?

I do.

It's just chasing any other bud guy, right?

Right.

Yeah, sure.

On we go.

Weird job, isn't it?

Uh, what what?

Our job, a bit weird, really.

Oh, yeah, yeah, I agree.

Like, someone asked me the other day what I did, and I said I'm a podcaster.

And then they gave me that look that, well, you know, anyone that says I'm a podcaster should get, to be honest.

But I mean, look, look at us now.

I'm not really a podcaster, am I?

I'm

an adventurer.

I mean, you can't say that at a garden party, can you?

Oh, oh, me, yeah.

I'm an adventurer.

I'm chief adventure officer.

Oh, yep.

That's a snake pit.

Okay, great.

Um,

what do we do?

There's a door on the other side of the room, see?

Oh, yeah.

Uh

oh, oh, well, hey, look, look, look, look.

If you go along the wall on the right, you can walk straight past the pit and get to the door.

Come on.

Wait.

Put the light on that door.

Uh,

here.

That's not the way through.

Uh, see any other doors here, mate?

No,

not yet.

Sherlock.

Uh, this is quite obviously the way.

Booby-trapped temples tend to structure their roots and pathways to the unobvious.

Good point.

But your second problem: we know someone has been here recently.

But the cobwebs on that door over there, look at them.

Rather dense and plentiful, wouldn't you agree?

Cobwebs mean

untouched.

Correct.

I would venture the door we need

opens

a different direction.

What direction?

Down.

Sherlock.

Oh my god.

He is wading in snakes.

He is wading in bloody sleep.

Don't be afraid of the pythons.

They're not your problem.

They're vipers and crates.

A much more dangerous threat.

Okay.

Okay.

Embrace the pythons.

Cool, lovely.

Here we go.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

Yep.

Now it feels as weird as I thought it would.

Oh, no, no.

Get off.

Off, you big slithery twat.

Oh, my God.

Don't kick them, John.

That one went for me.

Feel for any looseness in the floor.

Feel for changes in height

or texture.

Wait, wait.

I feel something.

What?

It's.

It's

rattling slightly.

Um

it feels like a door.

Uh like a like a trap trapdoor, cellar door.

Let me see.

Come, come, hold my hand.

Thank you.

Where?

Just here.

He's put his hands in with the snakes.

Come and kick that one.

He's done nothing but hiss at me since I came in here.

You're right.

It's a door.

And

I feel a latch.

Okay.

Mariana, step back.

Well, what are you doing?

Heading into the next room.

Sherlock!

Oh.

Sherlock?

I'm all right.

Now, quick.

Jump through before more snakes fall in.

Okey-dokey.

Kiss off your slimy wankers.

Uh, ladies first.

Nope.

Whoa.

Let me close it back up.

There we go.

That smell.

I think I see where it's coming from.

Where?

Look.

Oh, oh, no.

There's

there's bodies everywhere, Sharlock.

Good

God.

It's it's a it's a massacre.

Most look shot, from what I can tell.

Yeah,

few rounds of magazines here on the ground.

But why?

What what

what happened here?

The stone wolf.

Look,

just like Mary said, the protector of the stone.

Then where's the stone?

There's a plinth.

Well, that'll be it.

That'll be it.

Go.

Go.

What?

Where is it?

It's not here.

It's been taken, but not recently.

Dust has collected in this basin here.

Then, who are these people?

Could be thieves.

Could be just some poor locals that had come to protect the Suricula upon hearing of the threat.

I think you may be right.

What makes you say that?

The blood,

the writing on the wall.

Here, some light.

It was written in haste.

Haste

from what?

Death.

The sign of four.

Mohinda Singh.

Abdullah Khan.

Dost Akbar.

I think he tried to write another name here.

But he didn't make it.

Wait, shh, shh.

No, no, stop.

Wait.

I wasn't doing anything.

Stop.

Fine.

It.

She.

Mary, she was...

When she was in Afghanistan on her first tour, she was kidnapped and held hostage in a cave.

The Barakan hostages.

Yeah, that was her.

She said that the soldiers that had her, they were telling her that Abdullah Khan was coming.

Curious.

And her dad, in the stories, the bad guy was called the monster, I mean, or whatever.

He was called Dost.

So, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.

They're in the sign of four.

They're hunting her, and Captain Morstan knew they would come for her.

But who?

Tonga.

What?

When we first met Prisha, she she claimed his friends had mentioned he'd been meeting a man named Mohinda Singh.

Oh, there we go.

Nice to see the sky.

And the trees.

Nice to not smell corpses, really.

What next?

Well, that would be a question for the Master Detective.

We

head back to London.

There's a boy who needs us.

Yeah, you're right.

Yep.

Yep.

And I bet Wiggins has been overfeeding him as well.

I meant the missing child.

Oh, God.

John.

Jeez.