Adventure of the Speckled Band

Helen Stone, a frightened and distraught young woman, has come to Sherlock Holmes for help following the recent death of her twin sister Julia. The young women were living with their stepfather, the austere and heartless widower, Dr. Roylott. They had returned from India to Stoke Moran, his family’s dilapidated country mansion, where wild exotic animals and gypsies now wander the grounds. Helen tells Holmes and Dr. Watson that the night Julia died, her sister had run from her bedroom screaming “the band, the speckled band.” Julia was soon to be married and would have received her share of the inheritance left by their late mother. Now that Helen is also engaged, she fears for her own life. Intrigued, Holmes agrees to go with Watson to Stoke Moran to investigate, especially after Holmes notices marks on Helen’s wrists made by her stepfather. After surveying the manor rooms and grounds, Holmes formulates a plan. Late that night, the two men wait patiently and cautiously in the dark manor bedroom until they hear a noise. And that's when they ultimately solve the deadly mystery. About 45 minutes.