Sherlock is thinking, even as he listens. John, farthest away from him, also listens, but Sherlock doesn't think of him. Neither is Lily, the woman dressed like a fairy — his first, striking thought upon seeing her attire earlier — invading his thoughts. His mind is working, turning, on the case at hand. It seems straightforward to most, especially in terms of who the perpetrator is. But Sherlock isn't so sure. Something about this doesn't make sense...
"I shouted," Mr. Holder is saying, "and Arthur dropped it, and I ran to get it." He breathes in, a bit shakily. "The back corner is missing, and three beryls with it. I asked him what he did with it, but he insists he didn't take it. He pretended he wasn't even aware there were any pieces missing. I told him to tell me where it was, but he said he wouldn't say a word, not even when I told him I was calling the police.
"We'd been shouting at each other, and it woke up Adeline and Hayley, and they ran in the room. Both of them were horrified — Hayley more so, I believe. She and Arthur are close, from what I understand.
"He's been arrested since. He's in holding of some sort now, until we've figured this all out. Multiple people have asked him where the broken piece is, but he won't say."
"He maintains his innocence?" John asks, bringing himself back to Sherlock's mind.
"Yes. He says he didn't do anything to the coronet, but he won't explain why he was holding it, much less trying to break it again, if he didn't take it." Sherlock absently nods at this, in thought. It's singular that he isn't providing an alternate narrative of the event, but that's certainly what a guilty person would do, to put the blame away from themselves. Why would he be silent? "You'll find the missing piece, won't you, Mr. Holmes?" Mr. Holder asks, taking Sherlock out of his thoughts.
Sherlock starts. "Yes, yes, I'll do my best. To start with, I'd like to speak with your daughter and her friend."
Mr. Holder seems surprised. "Whatever for?"
"Just to get the whole picture, see if there's any details that could assist me in my search." They may have seen or heard something, or they may know a detail that they've thought nothing of but which could help Sherlock immensely.
"They're both home now, but Adeline has to leave for one of her university classes soon, I believe," Mr. Holder replies.
"Then I will speak with her first."
Both girls come downstairs a few minutes after Mr. Holder calls them down, and Sherlock brings in Adeline first. She's the sister, she might know something. She seems a bit impatient and upset, but it's understandable all things considered.
"I need you to tell me everything you saw and heard the day the coronet was broken," Sherlock tells her. She frowns, but does as asked.
"Well, I had class that morning, and I came home for dinner. Arthur was home instead of out gambling or partying or whatever else he does on a daily basis. We didn't say much, since I had homework, and I did that and scrolled through Instagram until Hayley got home from work, then we watched a movie. We were in the middle of it when Dad got home, and it was time for dinner soon after, so we went down.
"Dad mentioned bringing home the coronet, and Arthur asked where it was, said he hoped we didn't get robbed that night. I had the same thought, too, but I never said anything. Arthur mentioned being able to get into the safe where Dad put it easily, but he says things all the time, so I didn't pay attention to it.
"That night, I went to bed as usual. I thought I heard somebody out in the hall while I was dozing off, but Hayley's room is next to mine, and she gets up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom all the time, so I didn't think anything of it."
Sherlock stops her then. "Where's Arthur's room?"
"Across the hall," she replies, and Sherlock tells her to continue, making a note of that. She must've heard Arthur getting up, whether that was to steal the coronet or not. Adeline says, "Anyway, I started dozing again, until I heard Hayley come back-" Sherlock finds this a bit odd, considering Arthur likely never came back "-and I got woken up again by my dad shouting at Arthur for stealing part of the coronet. Hayley heard it, too, and we ran upstairs to see what was going on. Dad was holding the coronet and shouting, and Arthur looked mad and said he didn't do anything, and Hayley and I were just... shocked."
"So, you don't think your brother would do this?" Lily asks, leaning closer to Sherlock to face Adeline, who shrugs.
"I didn't expect him to, but... I know he had some gambling debts," she says. "Practically anybody would do it if they felt desperate enough, I guess."
"Did he ever talk to you about his debts?" John asks.
Adeline shakes her head. "No. The only person he would've said anything to was Dad, and that would only be to ask for money. I don't think he was ever specific about anything. He was mostly ashamed about it all."
Lily's brow raises. "Mostly?"
"Well, he brought home one of his gambling friends every so often. I think Dad would've forbid him from showing up here if he weren't so fascinating."
"Fascinating how?"
"He's been all over the world, and he's got a number of entertaining stories. He's good at telling them, too. He's... charming, I guess you could say. I could personally do without him, but I can see why Arthur would want to be friends with him. He's the kind of guy you'd think had the whole world at his fingertips, you know? It's a wonder he isn't filthy rich."
"What's this man's name?" Sherlock asks. He could be involved, or at least know something.
"Robert..." and then she blanks "... I can't remember his last name. If you go talk to Arthur, you can ask him; he'll know it."
Sherlock sighs a little; it'd be nice if she'd remember, but he supposes he can wait for when he talks to Arthur. "Alright, thank you, Adeline. Send Hayley in, if you will."
Adeline nods and leaves, then, a minute later, Hayley enters, shyly sitting down where Adeline had been, in Mr. Holder's chair. "You wanted to speak with me?" she asks.
"I need you to tell me everything you saw and heard the day Arthur broke the coronet," Sherlock replies.
She frowns. "So you believe that he did it?"
John sits forward. "You don't?"
"I know he didn't do it," Hayley answers.
"But he was holding it," Sherlock says, seeing what she'll say. "He was bending it, as his father said."
"Maybe he was straightening it," Hayley offers.
That's exactly what Sherlock was considering. "Maybe. But he knew how to get in the safe, did he not?"
"He mentioned it at dinner," Hayley admits.
"So how do you know he didn't do it?"
"Because he wouldn't," she insists. "I know he wouldn't. He's not that kind of person. He's innocent."
And then Lily speaks, getting at something Sherlock was attempting to, in a roundabout way. "Mr. Holder mentioned that you and Arthur are close..." Even Sherlock can tell the statement embarrasses Hayley, and Lily turns to a slightly different line of questioning. "Did he tell you anything he didn't tell his family? Did you see him when they wouldn't have?"
She shakes her head. "I didn't — definitely not that day. I went to work that morning, then I came home in the afternoon, and he was there. He was eating when I walked in, watching something on TV. We didn't really talk; just greeted each other like usual. I went to Addie's room to watch a movie until dinner, after Mr. Holder got home. That was when he mentioned the coronet. Arthur was the only one that said anything about it, but there was nothing suspicious about what he said."
"It sounds suspicious," Sherlock says, wanting to see how she'll refute it. "He asks where the coronet is, he hopes the house won't be robbed, he knows how to get in the safe."
"The first two are completely normal. The last one is just how he talks. He says things all the time; he exaggerates sometimes. I didn't think anything of it."
"Seems no one did," John remarks.
"He also asked his father for two thousand pounds," Sherlock mentions. "Did you know anything about that?"
She shakes her head again. "No. He never told me about his debts, but Addie mentioned them vaguely sometimes. She worries about him, and I do, too... but just because he needed money, that doesn't mean he did this. He wouldn't do that to his dad."
"Then why was it in his hand?"
She opens her mouth, but she doesn't answer for a moment. "He was just looking at it. That's all. He was interested in it, but not to take it."
"Then why doesn't he tell the truth? Why won't he say what really happened?"
At this, she admits she's at a loss. "I don't know. Maybe he's upset that his father suspects him? I don't know. You'd have to ask him..."
"And you saw nothing that night?"
She shakes her head again. "No. After dinner, I went to bed, and I got up once to go to the bathroom-" Then she did get up. But so did Arthur... "After that, I tried to go back to sleep, but then I heard the shouting upstairs, and I met Addie in the hall, and we went up. I saw him with it in his hands, and Mr. Holder was shouting, and before I had time to really think about it, I was just... in shock. I knew that he wouldn't do something like that, but for that moment I thought he had."
"And now you don't think that?"
"Not at all. I know he's innocent."
Sherlock nods again, thinking of what to ask her, what will give him the information he wants, then says, "Then answer me this: if Arthur didn't do it, who did?"
Hayley thinks for a moment or two, and Sherlock suspects she'll say she doesn't know again, but she doesn't. "One of the maids. They were there that night. And I know one of them — Daphne, I think her name is — has a boyfriend who comes around a lot to see her, and he's... well, sketchy, to say the least. He'd definitely take that coronet, and he'd persuade Daphne to help him, I'm sure. She's new here, and we don't know too much about her, but I don't exactly trust her."
"Mr. Holder said the maids weren't in the room when he mentioned the coronet," John points out.
"She easily could've eavesdropped."
Sherlock only hums at this, thinking; she's right, it's certainly possible. But is it probable? Still thinking on things, but knowing his next steps, he tells her she's free to go and then stands himself. "Well, I think we learned just about enough from our witnesses for today."
"You don't want to go talk to Arthur?" John asks, also standing. Lily, still sitting, seems confused by this, too. She looks up at him, waiting for his answer.
"I need to think on some things first, compile all the questions I want to ask him," he replies. "I am going to look around the outside of the house before we leave, though." If a sketchy boyfriend was going to show up, it would be from outside, for one thing.
"What about the maid Hayley mentioned?" Lily asks, following him to the door, John behind her. "You don't want to question her?"
"Not at present, no," Sherlock replies simply. He isn't putting too much stock in that theory, and he won't until there seems to be anything that might corroborate that story. Hayley was conjecturing, turning the blame off of Arthur, and her motives for doing so are what interest Sherlock. Considering what Mr. Holder said about them being close — and the way she reacted when Lily brought it up — he's thinking it might be love. But the chain of events are thus far alluding him... He looks over at Lily, who's looking at him, but she's deep in thought, her brows furrowed.
"Adeline said Arthur's room is across the hall," she finally says.
Sherlock stops, completely turns to her, waiting for what she'll say. Maybe it's something he hasn't thought of yet. "Yes."
"She heard somebody get up, and she thought it was Hayley."
"But it could've been Arthur," John adds.
"But Hayley did get up. So did Adeline not hear Arthur, or... what?" Lily says. Sherlock had thought of it, but vaguely. It's still not clear exactly what happened, and who's guilt the discrepancy points to. Until they figure that out, it's going to be hard to find the missing piece of the coronet.
"It's hard to say," Sherlock replies. "He got out of bed, that much is certain. So either Hayley is lying, or Adeline somehow only heard one of them."
"Maybe Arthur got up after Hayley," John says. Sherlock only shrugs and continues on, now deeper in thought than before.