The Adventure of the Murdered Chemist

Friendly chemist Eugene Kane was found murdered this afternoon at the Chemist's. He had been brutally stabbed three times through the heart.

Scotland Yard has established through a witness that only three persons entered or left the Chemist's during the time of the murder.

The witness, Mrs. Wilma Farr, who lives two doors from the Chemist's, stated: "I was sitting outside on my doorstep waiting for my post like I always do, when Mr. Kane came by returning from lunch. He stopped for a moment and we chatted. I remember he said he had eaten lunch at the Boar's Head with Mr. Daniel Kirwin, an official at the Museum. He then wished me 'Good Day', and went and reopened his shop for business."

Mrs. Farr states that she then observed only three persons enter or leave the Chemist's. These three were Myra Hyatt, a clerk at the bank; Clara Wexler, an actress; and Michael Milligan, the local constable on his beat. All three of these unlikely suspects admit entering the Chemists shortly after lunch; but all three claim to have left Kane in good health.

Mrs. Farr says that after the postman arrived, she read through her post and found a letter addressed to Mr. Kane which was left with her by mistake. She decided to take the letter to Mr. Kane; and upon arriving at the Chemist's, she found the dead man's body and called the police.

Inspector Lestrade, who is investigating the murder, has wandered into 221B Baker Street to collect Holmes' thoughts on the strange incident.

After listening to Lestrade's account of the case, Holmes reminds the Inspector of one of the cardinal rules of deduction. "When you have eliminated the impossible," says Holmes, "Whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."