Sherlock & Co. - 19 - The Gloria Scott - Part One

Episode Date: February 6, 2024

HE CAME FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER. My companion, Mariana and I headed to Donnithorpe House in Camden, with an old school friend of Sherlock's who was in desperate need of our help.  For ad-free, early access to adventures in full go to www.patreon.com/sherlockandco Follow me @DocJWatsonMD or get in touch via email [e-mail] Listener discretion is advised. This podcast is property of Goalhanger Podcasts. Copyright 2024. ------- SHERLOCK AND CO. Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Paul Waggott as Dr. John Watson Harry Attwell as Sherlock Holmes Marta da Silva as Mariana Ametxazurra Thomas-Lee Kidd as Victor Trevor Harry Frost as Lionel Trevor Nick Sayce as Hunter Music by Racing Birds - courtesy of audionetwork Written by Joel Emery Directed by Adam Jarrell Editing and Sound Design by Holy Smokes Audio Produced by Neil Fearn and Jon Gill Executive Producer Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For just £6 a month, you can get early access to ad-free episodes. Just binge those full adventures immediately. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more over at patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and Co. Just £6 a month. £6. Yeah, that is cheaper than parking at Heathrow for 29 minutes. Do you know that? Yeah. 29 minutes in a Heathrow car park

or Sherlock & Co. members club. You decide. Patreon.com forward slash Sherlock & Co. Welcome to the adventure of the Gloria Scott. Hope you like this one. I've had Gloria by Laura Branigan in my head all week. It doesn't feature.

Yeah, just the word Gloria made me get that song in my head. Go listen to it. Belter, as they say. Jesus Christ, John, get to the point. This episode contains the F word, so watch out, batten down the hatches, brace yourselves. It also contains a

bloke who is a complete arsehole um and that's not me or sherlock there's there's a guy in this that yeah you'll see he's awful awful man i've also really gone to town with the music and it's angsty stuff people so i've tracked down the songs that were playing in the places we were and spent an enormous amount of time in my room editing to make it sound right so yeah just um just enjoy it please Okay, so bread. Yep, bread, check. Um, yeah, no, not that one. What's wrong with it?

A lot. A lot is wrong with it. Um, get this loaf here. Okay. And, um... Oh, I want to have some flowers in the office. Yep, that's a good idea. That warm, comforting presence for those in despair.

Or, yeah, ooh, what about this? A cactus. I think flowers. Well, this might flower eventually. Orchid. Yeah, they always die. Oh, what about a fruit bowl for clients? Yes, love it, love it.

Oh, sorry your husband's been murdered. Have an apple. Cox's Pippin. OK, I'll need another basket. Oh, John, can you get some pasta and the mascarpone sauces just for Sherlock's dinners? Roger that. Penne only. Yep, God forbid he try a different shape of pasta. Ah, the glitz and glamour of a detective consultancy firm.

Fusilli, Togliatelle, Farfalli, Bucatini. Who? Bucatini. Used to play for Watford, didn't he? Holden's are the best ones. Penne. Booyah. Yes, two bags of those. Now some boring pasta sauces.

I should explain for those who care. Sherlock is, yes, fascinating. And yes, a man that enjoys the many... God, that's a fortune, that one. It's just blended tomatoes, for God's sake. Enjoys the many different aspects of life. He's not a plain Jane or a plain James. He does, however, go through spells of a spectacularly boring diet,

the bedrock of which is, you've guessed it, tomato pasta. Who are you talking to? Oh, just the ghost of Sainsbury's. Ha ha ha, very funny. Say hi to the listeners. Hola, queridos oyentes. Perdonad a John por ser tan aburrido. I can guess what that was. No,

you can't. I can. Go on, then. Annoying. I'm being annoying or something. Close. Boring. Ding, ding, ding. Bravo. Thank you. Speaking of boring, penne pasta for Sherlock Holmes. Lovely. Oops. The penne has dropped.

Oh, thank you. Here you go. Thanks. Sorry, did I hear you say Sherlock Holmes? I did, yeah. Do you know him? I'm assuming it's the same guy. The penne pasta is a dead giveaway as well.

How do you know him? He was an old school friend. Before he got himself chucked out, anyway. No way! Yeah. I'm Victor. Victor Trevor. John Watson. And this is Mariana Amejezura. Hi. Good pronunciation.

Thanks. Has he mentioned me at all? I don't know, actually. Maybe. Not sure. He doesn't really talk about old friends or anything like that, does he? No, no. Yeah, I don't think he's mentioned anybody. Well, he didn't have any, apart from me, so I just wondered. You, well, I mean, I can give you his number and you can catch up. We work with him.

Well, we work and live with him. And we haven't got much on for the next couple of weeks. Botanists? Hmm? Oh, I just always thought he'd be a botanist. He was into that a lot. Ah, yeah. No, he has a lot of keen areas of interest, I suppose.

Does he still have the criminological, is that a word? Don't know. That and the deductions. Is he still into that stuff? Very much so. Oh, right. OK. In that case, I need to speak to him.

Urgently. Can that be arranged? Um, yeah, yeah, that's okay, that's okay. Do you want to just come with us for a sec? We can take you right to him. That'd be great. Yeah, that'd be great, thank you. Here, have some water. We haven't paid for that. It's fine.

No, I'm just saying. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, okay. Just deep breath. Yeah? In through your nose. Through your mouth. There we go. There we go. Yeah. Okay. Let me just switch this off. My name is

Dr John Watson. Once of the British Army Northumberland Fusilier Regiment, now a true crime podcaster based in central London. I don't have much experience in criminology, so this is mostly a record of how I met possibly the most brilliant and bizarre person I have ever and will ever know. Join me as I document the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Is there anything else I can get you, Victor? No, I'm fine. Honestly, I'm fine. Apple? No, thanks. Thank you.

Right, well, I will go get the big guy. Okie dokiekie two secs yeah i'm as stumped as you lot probably are but um we'll find out won't we archie boy who's a good boy who's a good boy there's you yes you are a treat, have a treat. Oh, there we go. Hello, Sherlock. Who is it?

Dr John Watson. We share a flat, a business and a blossoming friendship. I meant who else is here. How do you know? Because I know. Well, can you just come out of the room so I'm not shouting through the door like a hostage negotiator? Morning, Watson. New mouthwash? Er, yes, actually. Delightful scent.

Thanks. Spearmint. Yep. Not willing to share it. What? Well, you're not storing it in the bathroom, are you? That's correct. Don't you worry. I wouldn't share mouthwash if my life depended on it.

You didn't complete the big shot. Er, worry. I wouldn't share mouthwash if my life depended on it. You didn't complete the big shop? Uh, no, I didn't. No stress marks on your hands from the bags. You're not out of breath like you usually are. Faint footprints lead right to my door, so you haven't unpacked anything. But why? Why would the big shop be abandoned? Well, it would have to be a case, wouldn't it? It didn't come in an email because that wouldn't require hurrying back. It came in person. The case confuses you, so you don't

yet know the details. The client is downstairs and you have come to alert me to their needs. There is something else. I can't quite tell it on your face. A more profound confusion, bordering on intrigue. He's an old school friend of yours. Victor Trevor. It'll be about his father, no doubt. Well, that was intense Victor Trevor Sherlock bloody Holmes Goodness me

How you doing? You okay? You all good? I am indeed You are not, I sense How do you guys know each other? College College, right

Okay, you said you never went to a school. I said I never finished one. Certainly didn't finish at ours. Victor Trevor here was just about the only person at that place that could stomach me. Oh, come on now. That's not true. I was never a very sociable fellow, you see, Watson. Always rather fond of moping in my rooms and working out my own little methods of thought, so I never really mixed with others much.

You surprise me. He was a great laugh. I'll bet he still is. Am I, Watson? A great laugh? Er, yeah. Yeah, I'd say so. Yeah. Er, Mariana? Mmm, yeah. Uh, cold on the outside but warm on the inside sort of thing. Like, like an, um, uh, what's it called? Uh, the thing... Nuclear reactor?

No, um, it's a dessert. Baked Alaska. Right, yeah. Well, I think a baked Alaska has a few layers, you know. Some are cold, some are warm, so I don't think the middle is warmer than... You know, it doesn't matter Anyway, sorry, give us the goss Why did you get chucked out of college?

For exposing truths Uncovering falsehoods Shining the searing light of candour On the cloaked nooks of deception What? He exposed the principal for having an affair Oh, wow. Okay. And they gave him the boot.

Plus, his grades were bloody awful. Worse than mine. Really? I can't really recall my grades. I'll take your word for it. Tricky old thing, memory. Sorry, are we talking about the same guy here? How did he have bad grades?

I don't know, really. He just didn't get a lot of stuff. You are joking. I've told you this plenty of times, Watson. Yeah, but it's nonsense. I am not as clever as you make out. I have a great deal of special interests. I like to hyper-focus around areas of crime investigation, observation and deduction. I often throw myself into particular areas of study, but that is out of curiosity or to assist those skills that I have formed into a system. I do it for principally myself and myself alone, not for some adulterous principal with no... principles. Right. Okay. Well, at the risk of winding you up even further, maybe we should maybe see what Victor needs from us. Is it your father? You definitely still got the knack. Tell me everything.

How did you know it'd be about my dad? I met him once. Yeah I remember that. I asked you to do your trick on him. Indeed. Stocky fellow. Limited education and proud of it. Eventually pulled through in the engineering game. Australian. Had seen a fair part of the world. Fitted with a pacemaker. Did plenty of boxing in his time. Yeah, that's him.

So, yeah, my parents had me in Australia. Moved to London when I was around nine, I think. Yeah. Upbringing was fairly around nine, I think. Yeah, upbringing was fairly well off, I suppose. My dad would, he'd have lengthy periods of just like, I don't know really, like he was devastated, almost haunted. Weeks and weeks, just this glum figure that would trudge around the house. He never worked much. He'd made all his money back in Australia, and he's just kind of sat the life out of the place

until he got his old self back every now and again. I always knew he was mentally unwell, before I even knew that people could be mentally unwell, if that makes sense. Anyway, so he's in his 60s now, and he's got a few friends here and there, but otherwise he's always been a bit of a loner. I'm a bit in between jobs and boyfriends.

So, you know, it's a big family home, so I'm staying there until I get things sorted. Anyway, to the issue. Anyway, to the issue. Three weeks ago, exactly, this guy, also Australian, also in his 60s, turns up at the house. Hunter. Hunter? Yeah, yeah. You know when someone has that, like, just a presence?

A threatening presence. They're not doing anything, but there's just this something coming off them. This guy, Hunter. He had that. It was just a stench of confidence and controlling. Sort of like he owned the place kind of energy just spilling out of him. I could feel myself shrinking. The moment I opened the door to him, as he was just asking, is my dad in out of him. I could feel myself shrinking. The moment I opened the door to him,

as he was just asking, is my dad in, sort of thing. And I, yeah, yeah. I didn't even call out. My dad just appeared behind the door. I just... Sorry. It's okay, Big D. It's all right.

You can take a break for a minute or two if you want. He must continue. Sherlock, he's crying. We can take a break, right? No, we can't. Why not? Because this matters. No, it doesn't.

It matters how we receive the story. I don't want it sterile and measured. Sorry. Sorry. My dad saw him and I just... The expression on his face was like someone had just stuck a knife in his gut. Like he was scared of him. Threatened by him. That, yeah.

But just I could tell a million thoughts were rattling around inside of him. I mean, I'm his son, so I'm obviously overanalyzing all of this just a fraction of a second, but it hit me like a train to see him like that. But right away, he bounded over to Hunter and gave him this big warm greeting and was hugging him. And I, uh, yeah, they sort of went through the kitchen area and cracked open beers, and it seemed, yeah, sort of friendly, and... That night, we had dinner with Hunter. He was...

He was kind of just travelling the world. Didn't have any family to speak of, but plenty of, you know, tales. And all sorts, really. So, what brings us up to now? Why has this situation driven you to us? He's the devil. Three weeks. Three weeks of this man.

In the family home. My dad did everything for him. Everything? Everything. Like what? Feeding him. Getting him drinks. giving him his bed, being with him every second of the day,

waking him up with coffee and breakfast, taking him out for dinner, paying for absolutely everything you could possibly think of. Flat out, just giving him cash. Handing over cash to a grown man. I've witnessed him do it, and Hunter didn't even say thank you. He's doing his laundry. I've never witnessed my dad, even when my mum died, do his own laundry. He's always used to some app or whatever. No, not now, washing this man's clothes. Right, but that is a bit weird.

Weird and extremely out of character. My dad, right, Sherlock? Your description of my dad. Stocky, boxer, traveller, Aussie. He's like, he's an alpha male. And now suddenly, Hunter arrives and he's like his butler. But it's more than that, it's more, it's just, he's just different. He's not like serving this guy's wants and needs. It's more. It's just... It's just different. He's not, like, serving this guy's wants and needs.

He's fundamentally different in his behaviour. Anyway, yeah, last night I kind of... I just... It just went bang. I couldn't handle it anymore and I just basically told the guy to do one. You confronted him? Yeah, just like, time's up, mate. When you're heading off because my dad looks knackered i'm bored of you you're eating all the food drinking all the drink you're taking the piss

basically and we just need you out and what did hunter say to that he just laughed he laughed dad just stood there. Then Hunter, oh god, he grabbed a picture of my mum that was on the mantelpiece and he said, there was a time when your dad would let me have a lot more than a few dinners and some drinks. Then he started sort of stroking the picture of her. Jesus. He put it down, came up right into my face and he basically said, you're lucky I'm not a, you know, insert homophobic slur here oh lovely and he sort of slapped my face half playfully half yeah bloody painfully and then he went upstairs that wouldn't speak to me about it I've got no one to help me and there's siblings, and Dad doesn't have any family.

So, yeah, I'm just totally stuck. Really, totally stuck. And how is your father? Sinking. Fading. He's, uh... This is affecting him Definitely, yeah

What can we do? Would you visit? Just to try and decipher what exactly is going on Absolutely And your father's home It's in Camden Town, correct? Yeah You still got it, mate, honestly

How'd you land at that one? Oh, no, I mustn't. This is no time to show off. No, go on. No, please, stop. It would be improper. Go on, do it. Yeah, come on.

Well, if you all insist. Suit is musty, unused since probably a funeral, but worn today. Smart clothing is making you uncomfortable. Some inflammation around that top button. You wore it because you felt like you had to, so it was a job interview. You came from Camden. Your new Android update sorts apps in terms of recent usage. One there, called LRCC. Logo of a coffee cup on it. Just used this morning. You've had coffee. Most people do, of course, but in this weather, I can see the impression on your nose of the ventilation

hole of the takeaway coffee cup. I can see the slight browning of your gums. I can smell it on your breath. Watson here has mouthwash if I've made you uncomfortable, Victor. Yeah, it's spearmint. It's fine. Thank you, though. L-R-C-C. C probably stands for coffee or cafe. A quick Google of L-R-C-C reveals Living Room Cafe Club in Camden. You wouldn't have the app of an independent cafe if you didn't live nearby. Yep. Very enjoyable, as always. Happy? Very much so. Right, let's get to it.

Er, shoutouts, shoutouts, right, here they are. To the most important one first, to James Lucas and the Flow & Co crew. Sarah sounds amazing, James. I'm so sorry she's no longer with us. All the best to you and the Running Club. Shout out to Quinn in Canada, Robin in the Netherlands, and to Alex, who I assume is also in the Netherlands. To the Crompton crew. That's Ben, Claire, Millie, Ella and Isaac in Newcastle.

Hello, you lot. Jasmine in California. Happy almost birthday. Oh, actually, you know, it might even be your birthday when this is out. So happy birthday. Here's a shout out to you and your best mate in Romania. Charlotte in Australia. Of all places today, and to her sister, who may or

may not listen to the show, Janvi in India, to Aki, to Q, who binged the show in four days, and their friend Romana, who recommended it. Shout out to Star, lots of people doing exams right now, so I hope you've all got the results you wanted. And if you didn't, sod it, you know. You'll be all right. That is a John Watson promise. You'll be all right. Manuel Alexi Bukas. Shout out to you. Emily from Sheffield.

Oh, bollocks, we're at Camden Town. Here we are. Donnythorpe House Wow It's beautiful Stunning Yeah He did alright the old man What did he do for a living?

He worked in oil Back in Oz He had quite a traumatic experience back in the day But managed to build a pretty decent life for himself Traumatic experience? In what sense? I told you about that, didn't I? I can't say you did. The Gloria Scott. The oil rig.

Christ, nothing gets past you. What oil rig? The Gloria Scott was an oil rig made famous by coming under attack. An attack? Full blown. Like, taking hostages. My dad was one of them. Escaped and was found washed up by Hornby Lighthouse on the air. An attack? Full blown. Like, taking hostages. My dad was one of them.

Escaped and was found washed up by Hornby Lighthouse on the... Just put your shoes over there. On the Sydney coastline. Wow, that's crazy. Was he alright? Who bloody knows? Oh, this is lovely in here, mate. Yes. Very grand, isn't it?

My mum did all the decorating quite a long time ago, so it's looking a bit knackered. But, ah, here we go. Ah, what's this? Hiya, how are you? Hi, John Watson. Lionel Victor, this fella's old man. This is my dad, Lionel. This is John, Mariana and Sherlock. Good to meet you.

Hi. Good to meet you. Hiya. Hello, Mr Trevor. Lionel, please. You have a beautiful home. Oh, thanks so much to meet you. Hiya. Hello, Mr Trevor. Lionel, please. You have a beautiful home. Oh, thanks so much. Thank you. Yeah, so this is Sherlock Holmes. We were at Dulwich briefly. Ah, bugger me.

Blast from the past, eh? Yes, quite. Victor looked after me in a turbulent couple of years back in the school days. Ha! The turbulent teens. I remember them well. Well, bloody hell, come on, grab a drink. A few brewskis in the fridge.

Got some, um, some, yeah, some wines and that. Oh, thanks, Lionel. You don't have to do all that. Nah, don't you worry. Had a, um, had an old friend over myself last few weeks, haven't I, Vic? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, so return the favour to junior over here, eh? Anyway, get stuck in, there's plenty in the fridge and in the wine cooler and all sorts. Your old friend, is he here now? Yeah, he's just, yeah he's upstairs. He'll be down in a tick I bet. I thought you met before, Sherlock? We have, yes. He's the guy that... The guy that does the old... the trick. The mind reader.

He's not a mind reader, Dad. Yeah, far from it, a lot of the time. I have a little hobby of observation, Mr Trevor. Well, you didn't observe me telling you it's Lionel, did you? Yes, quite. Lionel, apologies. That's right. You, uh, you told me, well, what was it? You were able to tell where I'd been travelling, that I used to box. And the pacemaker. The what? Pacemaker. Ah, yep, the old ticker. Yep. You knew I worked in oil?

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I remember that. Some scrawny little bugger reading me bloody palm or something. Yeah, he hasn't lost it either. Good times. Oh, you still do it? I do, on occasion. Well, that's great. He can do it on you now, Dad. Oh, you still do it? I do, on occasion. Well,

that's great. He can do it on you now, Dad. Nah, no. I think I can hear Hunter, so I'll just see if he's okay. He's very sweet, Victor. Yeah. That Hunter playing the music upstairs? Sweet tunes.

Tune-age. Don't look at me like that. People say that, okay? The green orchid. Ah, here we go. See, I told you I thought he was going to be a botanist. What's the green orchid? Dad's orchid over there. It isn't the same one.

Yeah, same one. It can't be. Telling you, mate. He loves that thing. Does he indeed? If you want an orchid, I can buy you an orchid, Sherlock. This one is different. Yeah, well, put it down for the old man's seas, alright? Indeed.

Right, Watson. Get to work. S-uh, sorry, what? The game plan. Go. The game plan? Uh, Give us a clue, mate. Oh. Did I not discuss it with the group? Apparently not. I thought I did a very grand speech

where I took you all through my plan of action and assigned various roles. Uh, no, no. My mistake. Right, Victor here told us that Lionel and Hunter will often spend time in the second floor lounge. Right, yeah. So, you will go and plant your microphone in there, amongst the couch cushions or...

Put it on the bookshelf. On the bookshelf. Leave it recording and we can have a listen later to glean what we can from this most peculiar relationship. Right, er, okay. Oh, here. Uh, what are you doing? Eh, I need to pee anyway. Well, don't record yourself peeing. We're actively searching for sponsors.

No, I will plant the microphone in the room. Ah, right. Okay. Up the stairs. Lounge is the first right. Bathroom is at the end of the corridor. And do them in that order, please, because I don't want to put a disclaimer at the beginning of this episode

that says it contains a Spanish woman peeing. Come with me, listeners. Time to put you to work. This is such a beautiful home. Just heading up the stairs. Very dark wood, lots of photos, family photos. Okay, now I'm on the second floor. Oh, or... No, no, no. Yeah, second floor. Second floor? Second floor. Um, okay.

I see the lounge. And... Oh. Oh. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Hold on. Hold on. Oops.

Hello, sweetie. Hi. Hi, hi. Oh, just a quick bathroom break. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No worries. No one there. I'm Hunter.

Mariana. No, shit. Italian. Italiano. Spain. Ah, fuck yeah, Spain, of course. They all as pretty as you in Spain. Ah, um... Yeah? Yay or nay? Si, senor? pretty as you in Spain? Um...

Yeah? Yay or nay? Si, senor? Um, how do you know that Trevor family? My line, I go a long, long way back. Ah, right. Okay, that's nice.

Right the way back to the beginning of it all. Since you were born. Reborn, eh, sweetheart? Let me guess. Got yourself a boyfriend back home, eh? Some Barcelona bullsack with tight t-shirts and ponytail. Clicking his maracas.

Arriba! Or are you single? Single and ready to fingle. I'm single and ready to piss myself. If you... Vamos? Very body good. Nice meeting you, sweetheart.

I'll head downstairs, lovely. Okay. Oh, I hope you don't fall down and break your neck. Ugh, creep. Okay, okay. Game plan. Game plan. Uh, where is the lounge? Oh, here. Okay. Yes, here we go.

Just going to find somewhere to put you. Okay. You're going in between a book called A Captain's Duty and a book about animals of the outback. Okay. Good luck, listeners. Bye-bye. Bye. Bye. I'm all alone I ain't got nothing to do But he knows the love, the love

Total donkey, mate. He's trying to swim and just going, oh, buddy, help me. Yeah. Save oh, buddy, help me. Save me, buddy. I can't swim. Bloke is floundering around and I just haul him up anyway. I smacked him about like nothing else and I go, don't worry, Mikey. I'm a nice bloke.

I always throw back what I catch. And in he bloody goes! God almighty. His face, mate, honestly. What a bloody picture. Pardon me for being so blunt. It ain't my fault I'm such a... Steady.

Yeah, very bloody good, mate. Who's the little rabble downstairs, Lionel? Oh, some of Victor's mates. Well, it doesn't strike me as the kind to have mates, your kid. He calmed down a bit, has he? You what, mate? Getting his knickers in a twist, eh? Because I'm staying here, right?

Damn right rude. Really, mate? Yeah. I... Have a word. Yeah. Kid needs discipline. There's a reason why he's pissing about with no job,

living with his daddy. They don't learn otherwise. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Of course. Do I need to get firm with you, Lionel? No, mate. Bloody course not. You can always go give Beddo's a visit, eh? He knew, didn't he, mate? He knew.

He knew. He knew what? He knew. Jimmy,. He knew what? He knew. Jimmy, Jimmy, boy. Yeah, he just... He knew. What did he know, Lionel? Let's see if you've been paying attention.

He knew. What did he know, Lionel? He... The consequences. He knew. What did he know, Lionel? He... he... the consequences. Too bloody right, the consequences. The consequences of what, mate? It... it... the... of stepping out of line. What the fuck is that? What the fuck is that?

Lionel, what is this? To binge this adventure in full and without ads, go to patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and Co. Thank you.