Basil and Jamie were looking over the list Dawson had found while he was standing behind them, eager to see what they come up with.
"Offhand, I can deduce very little. Only that the words are written with a broad-pointed quill pen, which has spattered twice," Basil examined then handed it to Jamie.
"That the paper is of...native Mongolian manufacture, no watermark," she clarified as she felt the paper then handed back to Basil.
"And has been gummed, if I'm not in error," Basil smacked his lips on it then returned it to Jamie.
She smelled it and held her nose as she finished, "By a bat who has been drinking 'Rodents Delight,' a cheap brandy sold only in the seediest pubs."
"Hmm. Amazing," Dawson said, intrigued.
"Oh, not really, Doctor. We still don't know where it came from. Perhaps a closer inspection will tell us something. Jamie, if you please," Basil informed.
Jamie brought the list over and put it under the microscope. Basil focused it to where he saw black specks clearly.
"Coal dust. Clearly of the type used in sewer lamps," he let them know.
Before Dawson could look at it, Basil got it and put it under a lighter. He then let it catch on fire.
"Uh, but Basil--" Dawson stated.
"Shh! Don't speak," Basil shushed, placing it in a cup.
He smushed the ashes with a wooden masher. He dumped them into a beaker of yellow liquid that turned blue. Dawson looked at it until Basil grabbed it and another bottle.
"Excuse me, you two. Steady hand," he said, pouring one drop in it, which turned the liquid violet.
Then he placed it under a glass spout. He turned on the heater, causing green liquid to travel through the whole chemistry set. He urged it to keep going until one drop fell into the beaker, causing a reaction.
"Ah-ha, we've done it, you two! This reaction could only have been triggered by the paper's saturation with distillation of sodium chloride," Basil explained.
"Salt water," Jamie said, astounded.
"Great Scott," Dawson replied, also astounded.
"It proves beyond a doubt this list came from the riverfront area," Basil informed, picking up the right map and using his darts to hold it up.
"Now, steady on there, Basil," Dawson responded.
"No, no. Elementary, my dear Dawson. We merely look for a seedy pub at the only spot," Basil assured, placing the dart where they needed to go.
"Where the sewer connects to the waterfront," Jamie finished.
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A/N They know where to go, but what will they find?