THE PROPHET IN THE RAIN

The Prophet in the Rain continues with Holmes and Watson leaving the funeral and heading towards Holmes’ secret HQ when they notice a car following them.  They meet, in the interminable rain, an enemy they’ve run into before – a Mrs Edgar Curbishley (Tracey Childs).  I’m not familiar with this character, so it’s possible she’s be a primary antagonist in previous stories that I’ve not been able to obtain as yet.

Curbishley reveals that she had been working for ‘the Society’, the organisation Holmes blames for Mycroft’s death and the leader of whom he believes learned her trade from the late and unlamented Professor Moriarty, but upon learning of their plans, she can’t go along with them.  At Holmes’ HQ, she bargains what she knows of their plans for a full and unconditional pardon of all past sins.  These sins are apparently aplenty and abominable, judging by Watson’s reticence to countenance such a deal, but “proof” of the Society’s schemes comes in at half-hour intervals.  This forces Holmes’ hand, and he agrees to speak with the relevant people on Curbishley’s behalf.

The deal done, Curbishley begins her tale but is suddenly afflicted with an illness.  A poisoning, enacted some many hours earlier, which sees her writing in paroxysms of pain, her whole body transmogrifying into some animalistic beast.  With difficulty speaking, she begs that Watson shoots her with his revolver.  Despite his antagonism towards her, Watson refuses.  Before Holmes can put her out of her misery, they’re interrupted by someone who isn’t so reticent.

Without further information about the Society, the only new information is the revelation of a bomb planted by a member of the Society.  A plan that was thwarted, and the perpetrator taken into custody.  Only that perpetrator turns out to be … Watson’s wife!

The story clearly continues in the other three adventures of this box-set, but my finances preclude me from listening to them at this time.  Judging from this story, however, The Sacrifice of Sherlock Holmes is another excellent entry into Big Finish‘s range of Sherlock Holmes adventures.