Sherlock Holmes comes to rest in a small town where there was a petty theft, and then

murder. The detective finds out that members of one of the two opposing families
committed both crimes.

SUMMARY OF THE CASE:

 After a serious investigation, Sherlock Holmes; health deteriorates and Dr. Watson brings
him back.He (Dr. Watson) decides to take him on vacation as he needs some rest, Dr.
Watson brings Sherlock Holmes to the estate of his patient, Colonel Hayter, near the
town of Reigate.
 On the day of arrival, it turns out that somebody robbed Mr. Acton's local squire. Thieves
rummaged through the entire library, took a volume of Homer, a couple of candlesticks, a
tangle of twine. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes does not show
interest in this matter, but at night the coachman of Justice of the World Cunningham,
William Kirwan is killed. with a shot in the heart. Upon learning that Sherlock Holmes is
in Reigate, a police inspector Forrester turns to him for help.

Sherlock Holmes gets down to business and starts investigation. He comes to know that Mr.
Acton and Cunningham have been fighting for many years, and their estates are the largest in the
area. The old Acton has some claim on half of Cunningham’s estate. According to
Cunninghams,the night before the murder, Mr. Cunningham went to bed, and his son Alec was
still vigilant. They heard William calling for help, and Mr. Alec ran downstairs. At the open front
door, he saw two men fighting. The killer shot at William and disappeared, the coachman fell
dead. Mr. Cunningham saw the criminal from the window, and Alec lingered next to William
and could not rush for the killer.

William lived in a gatehouse. Frightened by the theft from Mr. Acton, he went to the house to
check if everything was safe. A piece of a note was held in his hand with the words: “at a quarter
to twelve you will know that which can ...”.

Holmes studies the note and investigates the crime scene. The day before, William received a
letter in the mail. He brought this note to the meeting. A killer pulled it out of the coachman’s
hand, since there was no one else nearby.

Near the Cunningham house, Sherlock Holmes faints. They transfer him to Cunningham’s house
where he continues the investigation. Mr. Cunningham was still awake, and his son was smoking
in a room with a lighted lamp; nevertheless, the criminal who had just committed the theft
invaded the house, breaking the door. Given that the set of stolen things is very strange, Sherlock
Holmes offers to write an ad in which he appoints a reward for the capture of such an unusual
criminal. He suggests to Mr. Cunningham to enter the amount of remuneration.

Sherlock Holmes walks around the house. In one of the rooms, Holmes knocks over a table on
which stands a decanter of water and a vase of fruit. Suddenly, he blames Dr. Watson for the
incident. While the astonished people gather fruit, Holmes disappears. Alec Cunningham and his
father set off in search of him, and soon they hear his cries. He calls for help. Those who rush to
help see how Mr. Cunningham twists Holmes’hands and Alec strangles him. The great detective
advises the police inspector to arrest them on charges of killing William coachman and shows a
note.

In the presence of Mr. Acton, Dr. Watson and Colonel Hayter, Sherlock Holmes gives an
explanation. If Alec Cunningham’s story is true, and after the shot, the killer rushed to run, he
could not snatch a note from the coachman’s hand. Consequently, Alec did this, and he could
only put it in his coat pocket. Turning the table over, Holmes diverted his attention and pulled a
note from the pocket of his robe that hung next to him.

If you look closely at the note, you can see that it was written by two different people. The time
of the meeting was written with a firmer hand, and there is a certain similarity between the
handwritings. Holmes suggested that the note was written by Cunningham, and was convinced of
this, having received a sample of his father's handwriting. After examining the body of the killed
man, he came to the conclusion that the shot was fired from a distance of several meters.
Examining the place around the estate, Holmes did not see any traces of the escaping killer.
Given the fact that Cunningham has been fighting a lawsuit with Mr. Acton for many years, the
great detective suggests that it was they who committed the theft. Not finding the right
document, they took what came to their hand to avert suspicion. The coachman William saw this
and began to blackmail the owners. They trapped him and killed him.

Now the great detective can safely return home to Baker Street, because his vacation in the
village was a success.