Being Detective Adelhard Kluge's assistant has never been an easy job." Emil Fuchs wrote in his diary, "He prefers his solitude, and living with him is like living with a ghost. The house's location at the outskirts of the city doesn't help much. There isn't a lot to explore, and folk here don't like to talk much.
People have always compared us to Holmes and Watson, but real life is a lot different and a lot tougher. Doyle never mentioned Watson's plight seriously.
For the past week, Kluge has been more discreet than usual. He keeps sneaking out of the house, never telling me about it. Knowing his temper, I prefer not to ask, but this new whim of his is testing my nerves - I now feel completely alone. I know for sure that he is involved in a new case, because he takes his wretched journal along with him. He hasn't parted with it the whole week. - 24th July 1924"
The next evening, Fuchs saw Kluge leave the apartment in one of his typical disguises, his journal tucked under his arm. Fuchs followed him, careful not to be noticed.
They arrived at a dilapidated old house somewhere in the middle of the old town. There wasn't anyone around. Fuchs remained hidden outside while he saw Kluge enter inside. After a while, seeing nothing happening, Fuchs decided to enter the building.
The house was empty; there was dust, mould and cobwebs all around. nobody seemed to be around, and there was no sign of Kluge. Fuchs looked around, and saw a thick book lying on the floor - Kluge's journal. He picked it up, opened up the bookmarked page, and began reading:
"18/07/24
The Victim's body lay prostrate on the floor. The mouth was foaming, possibly a case of poisoning. Victim had been dead for more than 36 hours.
No signs of a struggle, neither of another person involved in the scene. The police believe it to be a case of suicide through ingestion of Glycol, the symptoms of which are clearly visible on the victim. The victim's recent depressed state of mind also suggested the same.
I was called to the scene soon after the body had been discovered by a neighbour. The victim wasn't seen in the locality before, and the house had been abandoned for some time."
Fuchs turned the page,
"I observed the victim carefully, noting down the symptoms. Next, I searched around the body. Finally, I observed the floor and the area surrounding the building. Subsequently, I told the authorities I would need a week's time.
22/07/24
I have been returning here in disguise every day since, to look for the criminal - this is a murder. Criminals often lurk around their deeds. But to no avail, there was no signs of the criminal in the whole locality. Meanwhile, I am awaiting an important reply from a friend at the Swedish Chemical Laboratory.
25/07/24
The results from the lab arrived today. Have invited the authorities for briefing."
Fuchs felt a slight headache, dismissed it as due to the dust, and kept reading:
"When they arrived, I explained to them the case:
While examining the body, I observed that the victim's nails had spots beneath them; clearly not a symptom of Glycol poisoning. I also found a short red string under his hand. It looked broken from one side. I pocketed it, and sent it soon to the Swedish Chemical Labs to check for a hunch I had.
All that I needed next was a medium for the crime, and I found it on the wooden floor: a scratch; a relatively new one. It was the result of impact of the edge of a hard object with the floor, something which the victim had been holding, but was removed from the scene subsequently. This further intensified my hunch. I awaited the lab results."
Fuchs flipped the page, he felt tired - must be due to all that sun, he continued reading:
"Today the test results have arrived, and they prove my hunch to be correct. The red string belonged to a book: it was a bookmark." - Fuchs felt dizzy, something wasn't right - " The broken end still had traced of binding glue on it. the victim's symptoms matched with those due to inhalation of Pernitrate powder, an obscure substance with similar symptoms as Glycol, except, for example, nail spots. The thread tested positive for the powder." The room was spinning around; Fuchs felt short of breath, he clutched a wall for support.
"The victim was lured into the house and made to read a book - its pages sprinkled with Pernitrate. As he read, he inhaled the powder" - Fuchs couldn't breathe, his sight dimmed as he noticed the red bookmarking thread attached to Kluge's journal; he began to fall - "and soon died, falling as he did, dropping the book on the floor. The criminal then picked it up, leaving behind the bookmarking thread."
Foam poured out of Fuch's mouth as he breathed his last. Adalhard Kluge came out of hiding, picked up his journal, careful not to leave any remnants behind, and left the building.