When the police move the body, they discover a small gold wedding ring. Though there are splashes of blood all over the floor, there is no wound on the body, and on the wall, written in blood, is the word “RACHE.”ĭetectives Gregson and Lestrade are at a loss to explain the mystery, though Lestrade offers an incorrect theory that the murderer had tried to write “Rachel” but was disturbed before finishing. Approaching the house, Watson watches Holmes examine the road and garden path outside the house before they meet Gregson and Lestrade inside, where the body of an American man, Enoch Drebber, lies on the ground. Though Holmes is initially reluctant to take the case because Gregson and his colleague Lestrade will likely take the credit for solving it, Watson convinces him to take the case, and Holmes invites Watson to the crime scene at an empty house on Brixton Road. The messenger delivers a letter from a Scotland Yard detective, Tobias Gregson, asking for assistance on a recent murder case. Though Watson is skeptical, when a Scotland Yard messenger whom comes to their door confirms Holmes’ deduction that he was once a Marine sergeant, Watson is amazed. Holmes, however, eventually reveals that he is a “consulting detective” who helps other detectives with their cases by applying “the science of deduction and analysis.” Holmes claims that he is able to deduce the history and profession of any man through careful observation and analysis. As he has little else to do, Watson becomes increasingly interested in his roommate’s eccentricities - such as his deep knowledge of chemistry and British law and simultaneous ignorance of literature and astronomy - and spends much of his time speculating about Holmes’ profession but failing to come to a conclusion. Stamford mentions that an acquaintance, Sherlock Holmes, is looking for a roommate, and after warning Watson about Holmes’ eccentricity and scientific coldness, agrees to introduce them.Īfter Holmes and Watson meet to discuss the rooms and review their compatibility with each other, they move immediately into 221B Baker Street, and find each other easy to live with.

The two catch up, with Watson recounting to Stamford his misfortunes during the war and his need to find a less expensive residence. Watson is living in a London hotel, “leading a comfortless, meaningless existence,” when he runs into an old colleague, Stamford. Watson, an army doctor who has just returned to England after being injured during the Second Afghan War. Part 1 of the novel is presented as an excerpt from the journal of John H.

Novel a study in scarlet