The Theft

Sherlock Holmes was sitting in his easy chair and was reading an old book. It was very cold night outside but the heater was making the temperature inside the room quite moderate. His room was looking exactly as his personality, quiet, old fashioned but still very graceful. In one corner were bookshelves. All occupied with books of all kinds. Old and new, thick and thin, and on various topics. He stood up and walked across the room towards his chest, and took out his pipe. He poured some tobacco in it and lit it. He then sat again in his chair, and resumed his study. Smoking a pipe was his old habit. Although it was much out dated now but Sherlock Holmes simply couldn’t resist it. He was 45 now, but still he was energetic and strong, both physically and mentally. He was drowned in his study when his cell phone rang up. “Dr. Watson” was written on its screen.

“What’s up Watson?” Holmes said holding the phone to his ear.

“Holmes I am very sorry to disturb you, actually there is someone who wants to meet you, and according to him it’s very urgent”. Watson replied.

“Well, you may show him here. It's my profession to solve people’s problems”. Holmes commanded Watson.

                   After some time, the door of Holmes’ room was knocked at. “Come in please”, answered Holmes. Two men entered the room; one was Holmes’ old friend Dr. Watson. The other was most probably the one who wanted to meet Sherlock Holmes at this time. He was a somewhat fat man, with thin whiskers and a broad face. His height was not more than 5’7”. He was wearing white pants and coat, with boots. He looked like coming straight from his office or working place.” Pray, sit down”, Holmes directed them to the sofa.” Holmes this is Mr. Joseph Hopkins. He has got some problem to discuss with you.” Watson introduced the guest. “ Welcome Mr. Hopkins, you can discuss any problem with me, and I will do my best to solve it”. Sherlock Holmes encouraged his client. “Sir, actually its very urgent. I am very sorry to disturb you at 11’O clock at night, but I think you must at once move with me to my office”. Mr. Hopkins looked pretty nervous. “Well Mr. Hopkins I always prefer to hear the problem first, so please explain it thoroughly before we move somewhere”. The maid entered with three cups of tea as Holmes completed his sentence.

                   “Sir, I am the owner as well as the manager of weekly “Line of sight”, it’s a magazine that covers almost any topic that may interest the readers. I have my office at the Caxton Street. It is on the first floor of the building”.

“And what’s on the ground floor?” Holmes interrupted

“It’s a restaurant, namely “The Rose”.” Answered Mr. Hopkins.

“And what’s above your office?”

“Sir the building is only double storeyed”, Hopkins replied.

“Pray, move on with your statement then”, Holmes sipped the tea.

“Well sir I think I should explain the building first. When you go upstairs, there is a hall. On the left side is the room of security guard. In the front is the door for the room of composers and researchers, it contains many computers”.

“How many are they?”

“Sir they are almost fifteen. On the backside is the room for editors. While on the right side in the front is a small gallery, and at the end of the gallery is the door to my office to the left side.”

“Will you please sketch what you explained”, Holmes gave him a pencil and a paper.

“Yes sir”, Hopkins started sketching.

____________________________________________                 
|                                  |          Hopkins’                    |          |
|        composers’        |        office            |          |
|          room                  |                            |          |
|____________________|_________________|          |
|  guards’  |           hall                                                           |
|    room  |                      ____________________ _ | 
|              |                    |    editors’ room                |               
|________|____________|_______________________|






         “Thank you Mr. Hopkins, it will help”. Holmes took the paper from him.” Now pray tell me more about what happened”.

“Sir, I have a safe in my office. I put all the important documents in it. It has an electronic lock. It needs a five-digit code to open. It can also tell that how many times it has been opened. Same type of lock is present on the door of my office. I received some very important and secret document in the morning of the day before yesterday. I put them into the safe. The office timing start at eight in the morning till three in the evening. All the staff comes at eight in the morning, but I usually reach at nine. I go for lunch at one and return at about two in the evening. Then I work till three in the evening and return to home. I go to the office again at eight in the night and work there till eleven. Staff is not present at that time; only a security guard remains there. Then I return home again. Today when I went there in the night at eight, I opened the safe, and the document was missing. I checked the record of the lock. It told me that some one other than me had opened the safe, but there was a greater mystery. When I checked the record of the door lock, it was not opened by any one else”.

“Doesn’t your lock tells the time when they have been opened?” Holmes asked.

“No sir, that’s the problem, their record only tells that how many times they have been opened”. Hopkins replied.           

“So, someone has opened the safe inside your office without opening the door of your office. Are you sure that you have never left the door open?” Sherlock Holmes investigated.

“I am hundred percent sure about that. I only leave the door unlocked if I go out for a very short period of time”. Hopkins replied.

“How much short?”

“Today I just left it open twice, once at about twelve at noon, when I went to the washroom. I spent at the most two to three minutes there and then I was back. Second time I went to the editors’ room, at half past two and returned in about two minutes. I don’t think that this time is enough to get something out of my safe”, Hopkins explained.

“Who knows the code of the safe other than you?”

“No one on earth. I never told any one.”

“Have you ever written it somewhere?”

“No sir, never”.

“Is it possible that you have entered the code in someone’s presence, I mean when someone is looking at you?”

“No sir, I always enter the code when the door is closed and no one is in the room”.

“It might be a queer question, but I want to know if you have a habit of talking while sleeping, or talking to yourself”.

“No sir, not at all”.

“When did you last see the documents?”

“I saw them when I was leaving for lunch at about one in the noon, they were there at that time”, Hopkins told.

“So, they have been taken away between one in the noon and eight in the night. Quite a large time span”, Holmes commented, “Mr. Hopkins would you like to tell me the significance and genre of the documents. It will be more easy to solve the mystery if you explain these things”.

“I am afraid sir, I can’t tell you completely about the topic of these documents, but they were something that was to be published next week. It was some secret scandal about a famous person in the city. The importance of that document was that if we publish it, our magazine would become a lot more famous than it is at present”.

“You mean the magazine which publishes it, will become a lot more famous. Whom do you suspect?”

“I can’t suggest this sir, how can I suspect some one, when I have told no one about this thing”.

“You have not told any one, but what if the sender has told some one”.

“I don’t think it to be probable, because the sender is one of the oldest and most faithful correspondents of my magazine”.

“How many security guards do you have?”

“Sir, they are two in number. One has his duty timings from five in the morning to five in the evening, and the other has the timings from five in the evening to five in the morning”.

“Did you ask your guard?”

“Yes sir, today at eight in the night when I couldn’t find the document, I went to the room of the guard, and told him about the incident. He said that the security camera in my room was out of order today, but he had not seen any one entering or leaving the room, as the camera in the corridor was working”.

“You have got security camera in your office. How many cameras are there?”

“Sir, there are total five cameras. One is in the hall, other in the composers room, editors room, the small corridor which has the door of my office, and in my office”.

“Now the case is looking a little bit simple to me, but before presenting any of my theory, I think we must go to the crime scene. We must not lose time. I think I will have to work through the night. I hope Mr. Hopkins, your criminal will be caught soon. So, let’s move”, Sherlock Holmes stood up and went towards the door,” you both go to your vehicles, while I prepare my accessories for the crime scene investigation”. He moved out of the door.
         
                   Dr. Watson had arrived in Joseph Hopkins’s car; they both sat in the car and waited for Holmes. After some time Holmes appeared in his own car. Although he looked a bit out dated, but it wasn’t the case with his car. He had recently bought a brand new black BMW M3 saloon. He was wearing his long brown over coat and a beret. He beckoned them to move. At twelve in the mid night, two cars raced out of the Baker Street and moved out towards the Caxton street. They reached the building, it was almost empty. The restaurant was already closed. They went up through the flight of stairs. Now they were in the hall. Sherlock Holmes was holding a black brief case in his left hand, he watched here and there and observed the hall with his careful and curious gaze. Then he went into the Guard’s room. Watson and Hopkins followed him. The guard was not astonished to see them, because he had already seen them on his TV screen. Holmes shook hands with him. He was a strong man almost 6 feet tall and with a fine personality.  “He is Jacob Martin”, Mr. Hopkins introduced him.

“So, Mr. Martin you have seen no one trespassing Mr. Hopkins’s office?” Holmes investigated.

“Absolutely no one sir, I have seen no one entering or leaving the office. I can swear that the act of theft has been committed before my arrival”, Jacob Martin explained his innocence.

“When did the camera go out of order?”, Holmes asked.

“It was also before my arrival”, said Martin.

“Did you ask the previous guard about it?”

“No sir, I noticed it later”.

‘Is the output of these security cameras stored somewhere?”

“Yes sir, they are stored in this computer for a later view, but I viewed the out put of the cameras, I saw no one entering or leaving Mr. Hopkins’ office except him and Miss Rosa”.

“May I view it”?

“Sure sir”. The guard showed the video captured by the camera in the corridor, it showed the video of all the day, but no one came in view except the two persons already mentioned. Then Holmes saw the video captured by the camera in the hall. It also didn’t show any one coming towards the corridor except Miss Rosa.

“When does the sweeper come Mr. Hopkins?”

“Sir he comes early in the morning”. Hopkins replied.

“Thank God, it will be a lot easier to study the foot prints then”, saying this Holmes moved out of the room. All three of them followed him. He stopped at the corner of the corridor, that led to the door of Mr. Hopkins’ office. He laid down the brief case and said,” now you people please stay a few steps away from here, I don’t want the footprints to be spoiled, and Mr. Hopkins you may call the day guard, it will be very difficult for him to come at such an hour, but it is necessary”. All of them stood a little away. Hopkins made a call to the daytime guard from his mobile phone. Holmes took out a pair of kneepads from the brief case. He wore them and then bent down on his knees. Then he took out a magnifying glass and a small torch. When he switched the torch on, it gave out a Bluish purple beam of light. Holmes examined the area of floor around him carefully with his magnifying glass in the light of that torch. “So, Miss Rosa was wearing a high heeled pair of shoes”. Holmes commented after observing a print of female shoe. “I think so”, replied Hopkins. Holmes moved a bit further on his knees, still inclined on his magnifying glass. Sherlock Holmes asked Hopkins,” Mr. Hopkins, were you wearing the same shoes in the day that you are wearing now?” “Yes sir,” Hopkins confirmed. “Then please show me the sole”, Holmes requested.

“Yes these are your footprints then, now let’s look for the criminal’s prints”. Saying this Holmes moved even further. After observing for some time Holmes exclaimed,” yes here they are”, and he took out a small plastic cane containing a powder from his brief case. He then took out a small brush and rubbed a certain area of floor very softly. He sprinkled the powder on that area of floor. Then he took out a small air blower. He blew some air on the area where he had sprinkled the powder. The powder flew away leaving a clear white impression of a shoe print. “It is the criminal’s shoe”, exclaimed Holmes. He took out a measuring tape and measured the length of the print. He noted it in a small notebook. He then measured its width from different points and noted them as well. Then Sherlock Holmes took out a black high-resolution digital camera, and took four pictures of the print from different angles. He put it back and took out a roll of broad cellophane tape; he cut a length and very carefully placed it at one end of the print. He then ran his finger slowly but heavily on the tape so that it stuck all over the print. After that he slowly removed the tape from the ground. The white powdered impression vanished from the floor and was transferred onto the tape. Sherlock Holmes took out a big white envelope from his case, and placed the piece of tape carefully in it. He then put all the things back in the case except his magnifying glass and the torch. He again started hunting for the footprints with the help of torch and the glass. He slowly moved ahead, and then took out the measuring tape again. He measured the distance between two foot prints. He noted it and started moving again. He kept moving slowly, continuously observing the ground, till he reached the door of the office. He then returned to the three persons.

“What kind of thief it is, whose picture has not been captured by the camera, but still his footprints are present that show that he walked here”, Mr. Hopkins looked puzzled, so was every one else.

“We will think about it Mr. Hopkins, but later. From the study of these foot prints, what I have deduced is that the criminal was male, he was not afraid while walking through the corridor and entering your office, his height was approximately 5’10” to 6 feet”.

“Sir you guessed by the shoe that it was a male shoe, you guesses by the manner in which the prints were found that the intruder was walking calmly, but how did you guess his height?” Hopkins asked Holmes.

“By measuring the size of foot and the distance between two steps, one can guess quite accurately the height of the person to whom the prints belong”, Holmes explained. “Now, according to the foot prints, the criminal has not stopped at the door, rather he moved in at once. How can you explain it?”

“There are only two possibility, either the criminal was a ghost, who could pass through a locked door, and who can’t be captured by a camera, or the door was already open”, Dr. Watson commented.

“If the first probability is true, then I am afraid Mr. Hopkins, I can’t do any thing”, Holmes said smiling,” then of course we will have to consider the second one true”.

“But how can it be, I left the door of my office open for a very short time. Only for two three minutes, not more than that”.

“The case seems quite an extra ordinary one to me, there are plenty of things to think about”, Watson spoke.

“Well we will think about it later Watson, now I think I must examine the office. Has any body gone inside other than you, after you left it? And did you locke it when you came to Watson?” Holmes asked Hopkins.

“Yes I locked it and no one came in there except than me”. Hopkins confirmed.

“Very well then, pray open the door lock for me’, Holmes requested Hopkins, “and Watson, stay here because the presence of many people in the room is not good”.

“Sure thing Holmes, no problem”, replied Watson.

                   Hopkins entered the code and the lock clicked; he then turned the handle of the door and pushed it open. Both of them entered the room. The room was well decorated with frames and showpieces. On their left was the glass window on the wall through which the hall could be seen. On the right were four chairs near the wall. In front of them was the table on which Hopkins worked, and behind it was his chair. There were two more chairs in front of the table for visitors. On the right side of the table was the safe, inserted in the wall. On the left of the table hung a long curtain on the wall, almost of the size of a door. Holmes went near the curtain and slid it to one side. There was another glass window, little bit sunk into the wall. The glass was blurred one. He put his face on the glass and hands on the sides of his face; still he was unable to see anything. He deduced from it that there was a curtain on the other side as well. Holmes then moved towards the safe,” Mr. Hopkins, please turn on the lights”. He took out the torch and magnifying glass from the pocket of his overcoat and started examining the door of the safe. After examining it, he turned towards Hopkins,” I don’t think the criminal will have left any finger print, most probably he might have used gloves, although there are many finger prints on the safe, but I think they all belong to you, and it is impossible to get good prints from the keypad buttons because you have used it”. Hopkins nodded. Holmes then looked towards the ceiling; he saw the camera in one corner. “So, there is the security camera”, he whispered.

He sat down in front of the keypad of the safe as if he was going to dial the code. From there he looked towards the security camera. He did this from different angles. Then he stood up. “Its ok Mr. Hopkins, now we can move out of the room”, he said and went out, followed by Hopkins. Both of them joined the doctor and the guard.

“Now Mr. Hopkins, as I told you that the criminal entered the office fearlessly, and secondly he entered when the door was already open. Doesn’t it suggest that the criminal is not an outsider, rather it is some one from your staff”? Sherlock Holmes said.

“Yes now I can think so”, Hopkins replied.

“What do you think Mr. Martin?” Holmes put a sudden question to the guard. He became nervous, and his face turned pale. “Sir believe me, I have nothing to do with this, I know nothing”, he replied. Just then arrived the other guard. He was almost 5’9” in height and had a strong body. He had a small trimmed beard. His eyes were dark. He came near the lot standing in the middle of the hall and shook hands with each of them. “This is Russell Morgan”, Hopkins introduced the new comer. “ Welcome Mr. Morgan”, Holmes said, “we are really sorry to bother you at this time, actually there has been a very serious problem. I hope Mr. Hopkins has told you a bit”.

“Yes sir, its really a serious accident”, Morgan replied.

“Its not an accident Mr. Morgan, it’s a crime”, Holmes said staring in his eyes. Morgan became nervous. “Actually I wanted to ask you some important questions, since when is the security camera in your boss’ office out of order?”

He hesitated and colors left his face, “Sir as far as I know, it was not showing picture from the morning when I came on duty”.

“You mean since five in the morning”, Holmes inquired.

“Yes sir”, replied the confused guard.

“Mr. Martin, what do you suggest? Was the camera showing picture when you left?” Holmes asked the other guard who was equally confused.

“Yes sir, believe me, it was showing result when I left, I swear”, Martin said in trembling voice.

“I mean sir, it might be after some time, I might have noticed it later. I actually don’t remember correctly”, Morgan tried to get himself out of trouble.

“No need to lie, understand”, Holmes said with commanding voice, “just tell me at once the truth about the camera”.

“I am telling the truth”, Morgan replied.

“I have got nothing to do with this case, believe me please”, Martin said.

                   Sherlock Holmes took out his mobile phone and dialed a number. “Yes, Mr. Robert, I need your help please, if you come with some men it will be very kind of you. Its very urgent”. Then he put the phone back in the pocket of the overcoat. “Well you both, pray go to your room and let us discuss something”, Sherlock Holmes ordered the guards and they both moved to the security room. After that Holmes spoke to Hopkins,” Mr. Hopkins most probably one of the criminal is the daytime guard”.

“Do you think criminals were more than one?” Hopkins asked in astonishment.

“I mean the one who has given information and support for the crime. The mystery is now almost solved Mr. Hopkins. You know when you told that no one on earth knows the code of your safe other than you, you actually lied, although unintentionally. You said you have never entered the code while someone is watching you, but when you told me that there is a security camera in your room, I at once thought that the guard watching the picture from the camera could have seen you entering the code”. Holmes explained his deduction.

“I never thought about that, it is really very silly of me”, Hopkins reacted, “if it is the case, then the guard must have seen me entering the code of the door lock. Why didn’t the culprit open the door? Rather he used already opened door, which was more risky act”.

“Its all about angles my dear client. The camera in the corridor doesn’t make an angle through which the guard could see the buttons you press, but the camera in your office has such an angle that the keypad of the safe is clearly visible, and the guard can see you entering the code as if he were standing behind you”. Holmes presented his theory.

“Still there are two possibilities, any one can see him entering the code who goes inside the guard’s room. May be some one else saw him”, Dr. Watson suggested.

“Yes that's possible as well, but even in that case, the guard seems to be involved. One of the guards has supported the crime, and most probably the daytime guard”, Holmes replied.

“You said that the criminal entered my office when the door was already open. It means the crime has been committed in the time when I left the door open, but I don’t think it to be a sufficient time to do this act, I left for a very short time”, Hopkins said.

“Mr. Hopkins, are you sure about the timings that you told me about leaving your office. I mean you never took more than three minutes and less than two minutes to return to the office?” Holmes put a question to Hopkins. He thought for a while, “sir I am dead sure about that”, he answered.

“Let’s test it then, as the criminal was about my height, so I will act as the criminal. The footprints tell that the criminal had either come from the guard’s room or the composer’s room. Mr. Hopkins you go and open the door of your office. I will walk as calmly as the criminal walked, and then we will calculate the time taken by me to get to the office, open the safe, take the documents and return here. Mr. Hopkins will you tell me the code of the safe, you can change it after wards”.

“Yes sir, it is 53654”, Hopkins replied.

“What is it, I mean is it related to some date or something else that you can remember?” Holmes asked.

“No sir, it is nothing else than a code”, Hopkins said.

“Ok then let’s start, Watson get ready your stop watch, one, two, three, and here I go…” Sherlock Holmes walked calmly from the door of the composers room, he turned into the corridor, entered the office. Entered the code and opened the safe. Took out a paper from there and walked back again, quite calmly. When he reached back at the door of the composers’ room, he asked the time.

“You took three minutes and twenty seconds”, Dr. Watson told the measurement.

“So, it is proved that crime couldn’t be completely done in such a short period of time. Although it can be done partially”, Holmes uttered. As he said so, four men entered the hall from the stairs. The man in front was a tall young man with a strong physique and graceful personality. He had a French beard on his face and his hair were brushed backwards. The other three men were plain clothed policemen. “This is Mr. Robert D Costa, from Scotland yard”, Holmes introduced the new person. The new comer shook hands with each of them. “I am very sorry Robert to bother you at such an hour, I think you were not asleep”, Holmes apologized.

“No, I was working on a case when you called me, what is the matter here?” Robert asked. Sherlock Holmes told him the whole story. “So, you want to arrest the guard”, Robert commented.

“Yes, only the daytime guard, Russell Morgan”, Holmes said.

“Well I think at the moment I should just disarm them, Joe and Henry, you disarm both of the guards and detain them in the room. If any of them makes some fuss, use the handcuffs. You Peter, guard the entrance, no one should come in or go out without my knowledge”, Robert issued the orders. The three men took out their black HK P2000 Mausers and started executing the orders. “Now lets sit down somewhere and talk”, Robert suggested. “Yes I can unlock the editors room, there we can sit”, Hopkins replied, and they all went into the room.

“What can be the story behind the security camera?” asked Watson.

“I think it will soon come out, and most probably according to my guess, which I don’t want to share at the moment. It can be a wrong one”, Sherlock Holmes answered.” you people sit here for a while, I am going to Mr. Hopkins’ office”, Holmes said while lifting up his brief case. He went out into the hall and moved towards the office. The door was already unlocked; he turned the handle and entered the office. He turned on the lights and laid down his brief case. The room was completely carpeted. He took out his kneepads and a flashlight. He wore the kneepads and turned on the flashlight, throwing the light on the carpet. He knelt and started observing the carpet with great concentration. Then he took out his magnifying glass and walked towards the curtain of the window that was present on the left of Hopkins’ table. He pulled the curtain aside and threw the light on the carpet; he knelt and observed it very carefully. After some time he stood up. He took out the measuring tape from the case and measured the height, width and depth of the window into the wall. He noted them and then put his accessories back in his case and went out of the room with it. He walked across the hall to the guards’ room. He entered the room and saw the two guards sitting on the floor with their hands on the back of their necks. The two plain clothed policemen were standing in front of them holding mausers in their hands. As Holmes entered the room, both guards started pleading and requesting. “Keep silent and tell me where are the wires of security cameras plugged in?” Holmes ordered. Martin told him the location. Holmes checked the plugged wires, there were four wires plugged in, while one wire was present near the socket on the floor. It was unplugged. Holmes put down his brief case and took out the kneepads, after wearing them he took out the small torch and magnifying glass. He started observing the plug of the wire. Then he took out the small brush and softly cleaned some area of the plug with it. He then took out the powder and developed the fingerprint by using the air blower. He took out the cellophane tape and transferred the prints on it. He put them neatly in a small envelope after wards. Then he came out of the room and walked across the hall to the editors’ room.

“What’s up Holmes?” asked Robert.

“Now we are looking for a person who works for Mr. Hopkins’ magazine. With a height of 5’10” to 6 feet and relatively thin, and has rather less wide shoulders. Do you know someone with these features who works for you Mr. Hopkins?” Holmes said.

“It is Mr. James Cox, he is a long fellow with a very thin body. He is one of my composers”, answered Hopkins, “how did you know these things?”

“Now all the mysteries have been solved Mr. Hopkins, the game is over now”, Holmes replied. “I will explain everything to you in the morning. Mr. Robert you please arrest Russell Morgan immediately and you may come in the morning here ready for another arrest. You should come at Mr. Hopkins office at half past seven in the morning. I will be present there, and then I will tell you the details. For now all of us can go home. Mr. Hopkins you are required to come to your office at half past seven in the morning, sharp. Mr. Robert you can take Morgan for now with you and I request you to bring him with you at Mr. Hopkins’ office in the morning”, saying this Sherlock Holmes stood up and went out followed by the other men. They all were very confused. Hence, at three in the morning, three cars raced out of the Caxton Street.

                   Holmes reached Watson’s residence at about seven in the morning; He took Watson in his car to Hopkins’ office. Hopkins had already arrived. A few minutes later Robert D Costa also arrived with two plain clothed policemen and Russell Morgan. They all took their seats in Hopkins’ office. The staff hadn’t arrived yet.

“Mr. Holmes, on what charge have you arrested me?” Morgan demanded.

“I will tell you the whole story in front of your partner”, Holmes replied.

“What do you mean by that?” Morgan said.

“I mean James Cox”, Holmes replied in a cool manner. Morgan’s face became white when he heard the name. “Now we are just waiting for him, I have already told Mr. Martin to inform us as he arrives”. They all waited when at five minutes to eight; the intercom in Hopkins’ office rang up. “Yes”, Hopkins held the receiver near his ear,” ok tell him to come to my office”. After a minute or so, someone knocked at Hopkins door. ‘Come in please”, Hopkins replied. A Quite long and thin man entered the room. He was almost thirty years of age, his height was about 6’2”. He looked confused upon seeing so many persons in the room. “Please take a seat Mr. Cox”, Hopkins pointed towards a chair. He sat down, looking at the faces of the men present in the office.

“Your name is James Cox then?” Holmes asked his first question.

“Yes sir, I am James Cox”, he replied, still confused.

“Mr. James, a crime has been committed in this room yesterday, what do you know about that”.

“Sorry sir, It’s not in my knowledge”, he replied, trying to be as calm as he could.

“Well, it’s not my style, I have not brought you here to ask you something. Now I will just tell you what you did, and you will only confirm it, or correct me it if I am wrong somewhere”, Holmes said in a commanding voice.

“I am not getting it”, James replied nervously.

“Doesn’t matter, here I start. Actually I was unable to get to know, that what were your objectives, on what base did you commit this crime. But we can discuss it later. You somehow got to know about the documents that Mr. Hopkins had placed in his safe three days ago. You wanted to get them, I don’t know the reason. May be you were paid by some other magazine to get this document to them, or the person about whom the document was concerned, paid you to get it. You planned to get the code of the safe. You are an intelligent man, you had noticed the camera in Mr. Hopkins’ office. You realized that the guard, Russell Morgan could see Mr. Hopkins while he entered the code of his safe. You talked to him and persuaded him by promising him a share. He noted the code and gave it to you. You were unable to get the code of the door lock. So, you used your brain and planned such a feat that even impressed me. You asked Morgan to keep an eye on Mr. Hopkins through the camera, and tell you, most probably by giving a ring to your cell phone, when he was away. You knew that Mr. Hopkins doesn’t go any where for a longer time while leaving the office door open. So, you had planned to over come this thing. You had also planned to become an invisible man, by suggesting Morgan to plug the cameras out when you go for the office, and plug them back in when you have reached the destination. When Morgan saw Mr. Hopkins going for the washroom at twelve, he informed you and plugged the cameras out. You crossed the hall and went inside the office. There you performed the feat. You hid yourself behind this curtain”; Holmes pointed towards the curtain hanging at the left side of Hopkins’ table. Every one watched it with amazement.
                   
                   Holmes continued,” there was enough space for a person having a physique like you. Morgan afterwards plugged the cameras in, as I had seen in the movies captured by cameras, that there was no sign of you, but Mr. Hopkins was shown both leaving the office and coming back, but he had told me that he had taken almost three minutes there. While the video told it to be only one minute. From there I got the hint”. Every one was stunned, hearing Holmes’ discoveries. “You kept hiding there until Mr. Hopkins went out for lunch. There was enough time for you to open the safe and get the document easily, at that moment Morgan plugged the office camera out. You again vanished behind the curtain. Mr. Hopkins then returned after about an hour. Even if by any bad luck, Mr. Hopkins had checked his safe, he must have at once left his office for the guard, and you would have come out of the office and save yourself from the problem. But it didn’t happen. Mr. Hopkins didn’t check the safe. You kept standing there until Mr. Hopkins went out to go to the editors’ room. Morgan kept a watch on him, as he saw Mr. Hopkins going out, he unplugged the cameras. You came out of the office and went to your room. As you vanished from the scene, Morgan again plugged the cameras, but this time he committed a fatal mistake, he forgot to plug the fifth camera, that was Mr. Hopkins’ office camera, may be due to sudden appearance of some one into his room. Poor Jacob martin thought that the camera had gone out of order”, Holmes stared at the confused thin creature, “am I right Mr. James Cox?” He asked mockingly. The faces of both culprits were wet with sweat. They were looking downwards. “Mr. Holmes how did you guessed James’ physique?” Mr. Hopkins asked.

“When I came to know that the criminal had entered while the door was open, and then the fact that no one can take the documents at once within such a short time, I became sure that the criminal had been hiding in the office. I looked for a hiding place, and there was no hiding place better than this window, as it is a little bit deep into the wall, and its height is almost equal to the door. But it was not wide enough, and I noticed that if a person tries to stand in there sidewise, one of his shoulders would make the curtain bulge enough to be noticed. Hence, I guessed that the person who has been hiding here is a narrow shouldered and thin man. I found his height from his footprints”, Holmes explained his theories.

“Why did you suspect Morgan, the night guard could also have seen the code”, Watson asked.

“Actually, as I have told, I had already guessed that all this has happened with the help of one of the guards. Because the criminal had walked through the hall and no camera showed it. When I learnt that the criminal entered when the door was open I became certain that the crime has been committed in the day. Because Mr. Hopkins only left the door open in the daytime. So, I became sure that Morgan is one of the criminals”, Holmes explained his accurate deductions. “Robert, these are the evidences collected from the crime scene. These include the fingerprints taken from the safe and plug of the camera wire, shoe print of Mr. Cox and some pictures”, Holmes gave some envelopes of different sizes to Robert.

“Holmes, you are really a good detective. You have caught a very clever criminal in just 24 hours. Its really amazing”. Robert commented while receiving the envelopes.

“Thank you Mr. Robert. It’s because of people like you who encourage me, that I never lose my interest in this field. Well guys, its time for me to go home and take some sleep. Come on Watson…” saying this Sherlock Holmes put on his beret, carried his brief case and went out.