Cousin Jennifer
By Nick Smith
Cousin Jennifer
One evening recently, our housekeeper Mrs. Hudson had brought us a pot of tea, she turned to Sherlock Holmes with an uncharacteristic mischievous smile. “I have a little poser that I fancy might amuse you for a moment or two Mr. Holmes, if you care to hear it.”
~~~
Sherlock arched an eyebrow. “Go ahead, by all means.”
“Well then, Mr. Holmes, the long and short of it is that my cousin Jennifer just got out of the London Hospital on Whitechapel Road. She’d been there for a week, and her with nothing wrong with herself whatsoever. No illness, no injury, no mental problems, nothing. Not a word of complaint from her, before, during, or after. But they kept her in there for a whole week, and wouldn’t let her do a single thing for herself. Why, they wouldn’t even let her touch a knife or fork. And to cap it all off, she had to be carried bodily from the place. What do you make of that?”
Holmes smiled thinly. It’s clear enough, Mrs. Hudson. What say you, Watson?”