Sherlock & Co. - Black Peter - Part One

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

CABIN IN THE WOODS - My companions and I had come up against some obstacles for the next published case. The Vatican said no, the canary trainer was too complicated, I was at a loss... That was until an old friend in Stanley Hopkins came to us with a problem. The problem was that of Black Peter... and what exactly happened in his cabin late at night. Part 1 of 3 This episode contains swearing, depictions of death, description of deceased. Listener discretion is advised. For merchandise and transcripts go to: www.sherlockandco.co.uk For ad-free, early access to adventures in full go to www.patreon.com/sherlockandco To get in touch via email: [e-mail] Follow me @DocJWatsonMD on twitter and BlueSky, or sherlockandcopod on TikTok, instagram and YouTube.  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 Rhys Tees as Stanley Hopkins Additional Voices: Natalie Green Joel Emery Adam Jarrell 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

Get groceries delivered across the GTA from real Canadian Superstore with PC Express. Shop online for super prices and super savings. Try it today and get up to $75 in PC Optimum Points. Visit superstore.ca to get started. 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 six pounds a month. Six pounds. 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 and Co members club. Yeah, 29 minutes in a Heathrow car park or Sherlock and co members club You decide patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and come Welcome to the bedroom of John Hamish Watson. This is where our story begins That's it's not really but you know, this is where I record the intros so yeah anyway hi welcome this is the adventure of Black Peter it is comprised of three parts it's bleak and dark and sad so yeah deal with it all the other info is in the episode description. Let's crack on. Shout out to our Chris. Chris with a K who has an operation coming up. We're wishing you all the best Chris.

And hi to your sister too. Look at that guy. What guy? On the Vespa in the tank top. Yeah. We're in Rome, John. Well I know, but... Hey come on, it's January. Ah, the Italians aren't like you guys. They're outward, they come on it's January. The Italians aren't like

you guys they're outward expressive loving affectionate. Have you ever watched Italian football? You want to see some of their censorbacks mate nothing loving about them. You're recording again we can't put this adventure out John. No yeah I know it's just gonna provide a wee bit of context. Ciao everybody, we're in Italia. Have a listen. Bellissimo. Anyway, enough of that. We're doing a case for the Catholic Church basically, them lot. Ah, what's it called? My mind's gone blank. What are they called? The Vatican? Vatican, God almighty, John.

Oh, better keep my voice down with the old blasphemy. You're literally standing outside the Vatican City. How can you forget the name? Anyway, came all this way expecting to document the adventure, the death of Cardinal Tosca. And it turns out the Lord doesn't approve of microphones. So yeah. out the Lord doesn't approve of microphones so yeah now we're waiting outside for Sherlock to impart his wisdom on the matter oh here we go and this way mr. Holmes awaits. Let's go. Yes let's Avanti. What does that mean?

Shut up. It means shut up. I know no just shut up. What do you mean, shut up? I know. No, just shut up. Alright, mate. Yes, hello. How did he die, then? I need you. Oh, of course. Yeah, no, what do you need me for? I can examine the body if you... I'm talking to Mariana. Oh. What's up?

Could you tell them that Cardinal Tosca died not through any mysterious means? Ok. Um... Salve, signori. Possiamo dirvi che il Cardinali Tosca non è morto per cause sospette. You speak Italian? Sì, sì, sì. What's going on?

How many languages do you actually speak? I think six. Six or seven. Six or seven. Shh! Sorry. He was not attacked. He had blood coming from his ears and his eyes, not through physical assault or superficial

injury. The damage was done on Christmas Day, and I suspect the tumble he took down the stairs was not because he was brutally thrown down them. Well, your killer is a little elderly. He's over 230 years old in fact, and rather immobile. Only moves a couple of times a year, should the pope be in good health. But having said that, he's also rather formidable. He's eight feet high, eight feet in diameter, and weighs nine tons.

A demon? Nope. A much more welcome resident of St. Peter's Basilica. In the tower, to be exact. Where Cardinal Tosca was on Christmas Day, was he not? You're not being clear. Oh, I'm being as clear as a bell, your reverence. Right, we best be off.

But thank you for the case. It's been most enjoyable. And next time the sacred Campanoni rings, I believe on Easter Sunday, We best be off. But thank you for the case. It's been most enjoyable. And next time the sacred Campanoni rings, I believe on Easter Sunday, make sure there aren't any elderly cardinals in its vicinity. Signora, we request your service to solve this case. Being in close proximity to sounds over 100 decibels

is extremely dangerous, signora. The pressure on the human body is enormous, as our late Cardinal has demonstrated. Please do take care. Watson, Mariana, Avanti. See, it is Avanti. I didn't say it wasn't. Righty-o, well, we should probably take the earlier flight then.

I'll see if it lets me change it on the app. Oh, lovely. Mr. Holmes, we refuse to accept. The death of Cardinal Tosca is a great pain to us. To all humanity, your reverence, I assure you. For whom the bell tolls, father. For whom the bell tolls. Ding dong. 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. You're watching Peter Orwell, Kerry, and I'm talking, a real system for the f***ing people. It would be a real democracy. Not this s*** show now. We have run by these... these c***s because they're the same, each one the same and I'm not saying I'm not I'm not saying schools and the background of these people, I'm saying they're these people are bioengineered

right? bioengineered they're all the same people, they're all the same f***ing thing. And it's bioengineering, right? And they're rolling that out across the UK, across the west on a industrial, f***ing industrial scale. Now you wouldn't, you can't even. And my way is the only way we're going to survive as a species and not get completely wiped out. Or worse, or worse, assimilated, assimilated. Forced into their fucking conformity so they have and I talked about this before I've talked about this before so they would have eternal power that's what they want that's what they

want they want you think I want to be out here in this cabin in my woods I do it because they're listening in my home, right? They're listening to everything in my house. My family, they're being assimilated. They speak like them. They... they're contaminated. That's exactly what they are. They're contaminated and it's... Something has to... yes, something's got to give.

And they ain't gonna be f***ing me. Guys, honest. They start looking at me with those eyes, those dead, brainwashed, synthetic eyes. And that's... that's an agent of the state, right there, in my home. And I won't hesitate. I won't hesitate. I won't hesitate. Bang. We will hear from the juror. We will hear from the juror. Thank you. On the charge of attempted murder, we the jury find the defendant guilty.

Yes, thank you. Thank you. And thank you to the jurors and counsel. Mr Wilson, you have been found guilty on the charges presented to the court. We will adjourn and reconvene for a sentence hearing on the 19th at 11am. Thank you very much. Court is adjourned. Well, well, well, well, another one bites the dust. And another win for Sherlock and Co. That'll be great. So great. I think we have to go out this way, then the main entrance a bit.

Sure. Do you think... Do I think what? Do you think it's good enough? What's good enough? The case. To publish as an episode. A what?

Oh, don't say this now. I'm... I just don't think the case is that, um... exciting. Wilson the Canary Trainer. Attempted murder in East London. Come on, this is gold. You really think that? No. But loads of podcasts put crap out on a weekly basis. It's our turn now. Yeah, great idea, John. Listen to crap now, wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, I know I'm not that religious,

so it's easy for me to point the finger, but this is God's fault, really, isn't it? Sorry, what now? His bishops and cardinals and all that, they shot me out of recording at the Vatican, so I couldn't do that case, could I? Now, I tried to get this one in the bag, I even smuggled a microphone into a Crown Court,

for goodness sake. Now you're telling me it's crap? If you really think the case of Wilson the Canary Trainer is worth publishing, then do it. Bollocks. Exactly. Then what are we gonna do? Uh, we be patient. We do our usual approach.

We look for the strange and the unexplained problems. And, uh, yeah. Great. So, we just go about our day-to-day life in the hope that we walk right into a case ow sorry no worries it's um oh Hopkins bloody hell hello John oh hey Stanley Hopkins right that's right yeah you're not a thingy at PCSO anymore no yeah right after the the Golden Pants day I got a couple of promotions actually I I'm a Sergeant now, so... Hey, nice! Congratulations!

Thanks, yeah, thank you guys. Oh, you deserve it. It was a great shout on the Pantene situation in the first place. Yeah, thanks. Tell Sherlock I said hi. Will do, mate. We're actually heading back to the flat now, so yeah. Great to see you again.

Yes, you too. Oh, duty calls. Of course, mate. See ya. He's nice, isn't he? Yeah. And that's so good. About the promotions? Hmm. Good for him. About time. Community support officer, honestly. Poor sod. What's wrong with that?

Oh, you know, it's just a bit... Blue Peter badge, isn't it? I don't get what you mean. Come on, it's like being a prefect, or a hall monitor. I was a prefect, and a hall monitor. Ha ha, I am not blown away by that information. What's wrong with that? I don't know, it's just a bit, you know... What, commendable?

No, lame. Oh, shut up. Look, I don't know how it is in Spain, but over here, there's a lot of people that can be very... Very what? Very... Oh, you can't park there. Oh, you filled in the blue form. You're supposed to fill in the yellow form. John. And then, oh, you can't build that there because there's a water vol sanctuary up the road, and all the water vols are having therapy for their separation anxiety.

Oh, so people that look after things or care about things or don't just go through life looking after themselves. Oh, please. Please what? You're in it for the power. Oh, it sounds like somebody didn't get to be a prefect at school. No, I didn't. And I didn't want to. Mm-hmm, sure. I didn't. I happen to be very content with my lot, thanks very much.

I don't need power or control or some virtuous status. Oh, so noble. I'm just saying, right? I don't go through life thinking I'm some hero of society. John, there's been a murder. We need you. I'll be right there, Hopkins. Don't worry. Watson is on the case. Hi, it's Cathy Kay here from The Rest Is Politics US. We felt at this time as America is heading into the Trump administration that we should look back on one of the darkest moments in recent American history. So we have done just that with a series on Trump's insurrection and his attempts back in 2020 to steal the election from Joe Biden.

There was an incitement of an insurrection. They stormed the Capitol. They literally have senators running for their lives. We break it down. We give an hour by hour of all the incidents, the fences smashing, the windows breaking, gunshots firing, Trump supporters, smoking joints, and statutory hall. Just imagine the bedlam and incredibly some of these people are going to be pardoned by Mr. Trump. And so January 6th, I've never told Cady K this, but January 6th is my birthday. Okay, tune in and listen. Yeah, that's not the only extraordinary thing about the date of January the 6th, however.

I mean, this is why this story and this series is so important and so gripping, because so many of these characters are coming back with us today. And so much has been forgiven and swept under the carpet. And America decided in the election last year that they were going to reinstate Donald Trump. With that, there really is no better time to take a look at these events. To hear more, just search the rest is Politics U.S., wherever you get your podcasts. Hear a clip from this mini-series at the Pooh, Chubby Lily. Enough. Sorry.

Still further down here. Yep. So the victim lived in this forest, Hopkins? Not quite. His house is back on the B Road, so up the track we came down and then left. They own about an acre over there, then two acres down through here where it stops at the river. And you'll see the taped off part there. In the trees, yes. That's the scene of the crime. He had a shack,

an old hunting lodge really, but he converted it into a bit of a man cave. And he'd spend what, the night there? Increasingly he you'd spend more and more time there. Yeah. Interesting choice, but okay. And what of him? Peter Carey. Right now, I don't know a great deal, but I've got officers there at the scene that are local to the area. Excellent. Hello all and welcome to Woodmans Lee in East Sussex. It is

situated on a sort of heathland, well half heath common land type thing and half forested. All around us on the horizon and across the heath are these little clumps. Oh come on John, what's the word? Cops? A copse? Of trees? I think that's right, I'm feeling pretty confident. It is correct. Lovely. And one of the cops round here will be full of cops. A copse full of cops, because murder. Anyway, lots of patches of them and we're just coming down a track towards a much thicker forest where, as Hopkins just

noted, the police have taped off the area as a body has been found. A body of Peter Carey. Some little facts on where we are. This area where Woodmans Lee is sat is called Ashdown Forest. Medieval hunting ground created after the Norman invasion. For those outside the UK who are unfamiliar with the Norman conquest of England, it wasn't a bloke called Norman, it was actually a bloke called William in 1066. But he did come from Normandy and he took over lots of England and gave us jobs and admin and all that stuff which we are still doing to this day very hands-on management approach really annoying but it does mean that we know a

lot about that time now I suppose fast forward a few hundred years and Henry VIII is hunting in the area and Berlin living up the road, so he really was gunning for the local birds. John? Sorry, yeah, murder scene. Murder scene. Yeah, it's quite a dramatic landscape, but to lighten the mood without jokes, without medieval shagging, Ashdown Forest is the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood, which is from Winnie the Pooh. For those that didn't know. Could I offer some editorial tips? Mm-hmm. I feel it may be best for a true crime documentary to lean a little

further into the murder rather than Anne Boleyn and Winnie the Pooh. Yes true but we haven't seen the body yet, neither has Hopkins, so why should I speculate? Anyway, across the forest you've got Krobera, lovely little town, lots of famous people from there through the years, big name authors and thinkers, and Ross Kemp, and Ross Kemp, he's there. Yeah, so we're just now coming down a slopey bit and into the thick of trees. So just bear with me as I clamber down here. Sergeant Hopkins.

Hi Mike, I've got two inspectors from London with me. Oh yeah, yeah, sure. We're still under operating procedure for the scene, Sergeant Hopkins, so I'm gonna ask that you perhaps chaperone the two me. Oh yeah, yeah, sure. We're still under operating procedure for the scene, Sergeant Hopkins, so I'm going to ask that you perhaps chaperone the two gentlemen. Of course, yeah. Have CSI been? Been and gone for the moment, sir, yeah.

And the remains? The remains remain, but will be collected at 1200 hours, sir, I believe. Thank you, Mike. Mike, are you local? I am, sir, yes. And are you familiar with Peter Carey? I'm indeed. Then I request that you join us inside the cabin.

Okay, certainly, sir. It's, er... Yeah, we are... quite secluded now. In a forest, nothing around, and just this... little shack, log cabin, I mean literally a cabin in the woods. Looking back towards the top path where we've come from you can still see the victim's house and this is his land after all but

yeah it's pretty remote for an outhouse or home office or something. Let's head inside. Indeed. Mike, lead the way. Okay, it's quite a come through here gentlemen. It's, yeah, as you can see, it's... brutal. This is... monstrous. Yeah. Yeah. He's... pinned to the wall, Sherlock. He's pinned to the wall. Indeed. How? It's, uh... Harpoon. Through his chest. What in the hell? Sunk deep in the wood of the wall behind him,

pinned like a beetle on a card. Sherlock. Hmm? Look at his face. Yes. Frostbite. Frostbite. Peter was a mountaineer. He's had a couple of close calls actually in his climbing days, so... They would seem, judging by his face which is twisted like a lost soul in torment, to be the happier days of his life, officer. He's quite extensive frostbite, I've never seen it this bad before. Yeah, they, um... It's a bit... I shouldn't laugh, it's a bit cruel, but a lot of the locals

used to call him Blackbeard, because you could see how it's all sort of... Round his jaw, yeah. Yeah, yeah, and then it just became... Black Peter. Black Peter. How were you informed of his death, officer? His cabin is rather remote. Who discovered him?

His wife did, sir. The family home is just up that way. Yeah, he didn't come back into the house. She said she would usually expect him in around 2am, something like that. And nobody has touched the interior of this room, is that correct? Correct sir. His phone case, here, was the only item that was knocked out of place by the wife's forced entry. Yeah, phone case. PC has his initials on it.

Yes, and so does this lighter. But that doesn't quite correlate. Doesn't it? What do you notice, Sherlock? Many things. Could you give us a few off the bat? Start of a 10 sort of thing. He's well dressed.

He doesn't smoke, but there's two separate single cigar case lids here and there, along with the lighter. So he was expecting someone. I'm not saying I disagree, but it's just worth noting he was a very troubled, lonely man, sir. So I thought you said he was married? No, he was, yeah.

How can he be lonely? Well, he preferred to be out here, in his cabin. And to be honest with you, he preferred that too. I see. Hopkins. Yes? Take a photo of that, please. Of what?

The notebook there, on the floor below the window. Okay. Is that important? Yes. Why? Because almost everything in here is covered in blood or at least has That notebook has not. In fact, if I just pick it up, you see the notepad sat on top of blood. Dried blood too from the looks of it. This was left here some time after the murder. Ah, could that be one of our officers perhaps? Nope. It's a complimentary notepad from an airline. Someone came back in. Right, hold up, the door.

The door is splintered here and on the frame too. Yeah, the wife said she had to kick the door in. It was locked. A lot from the inside, yeah? Yes, Sarge. If you could secure the area right outside that window there, make sure the forest floor remains untouched, please, Hopkins. Yep, will do.

Watson? Yes, mate? I have a suspicion. Could you confirm it for me? Sure, what's up? Was this man murdered last night? All right, let me see. Errrr...

Oh, errr yeah, some... bloating, slight... shades of green, and errr... Yeah, smell some... purge fluid in the nostrils from the looks of it. Yeah, Black Peter here has been dead for, I'd say two days? Yes, I thought the same. Yeah, I'd say not last night, the night before.

It was a sunny morning yesterday, and today. There's very little forest cover east of this cabin, so it would have been warm enough to incubate the corpse. Yeah, agreed. The wife, she said he was gone for just last night, and she checked on him this morning. Then she's lying, officer. Right, right. We have a few questions for her then.

So do I, once I have answered some others. Like what? Like how was a man murdered with a harpoon in a locked cabin? Who did it? And why did they leave a notepad written in Japanese under the window they crawled out of? Oh. Shall we get to work? Should we get to work? The Here is that clip from our mini series on Trump's insurrection. And these senators are being kind of ushered out

through a very narrow corridor. And one of them says, we were 20 feet away from the rioters. If the rioters had just looked the other way and seen that a whole bunch of senators were coming out, who knows what would have happened? Who knows what could have happened to Mike Pence? And I think it is important to point out that Donald Trump was getting these reports

and did not care. The Senate has been evacuated at 2.18 PM. Nancy Pelosi is also pulled out of her chair by the Capitol police and taken off the podium and taken to a safe location at Fort McNair in Southwest Washington. She originally tried to stay. She didn't want to leave the building, but because of security, she had to get out of there. One of the Democratic members of the Congress at this point, as they realized that the rioters are starting to breach their area,

one of the members, Democratic members of the Congress, yells down to the Republicans, this is because of you. And the members are getting texts. This is how they know that things are bad because they're getting texts from their family saying, what are you doing there? Why haven't you left? Are you safe? But they haven't got a television.

They're not watching it. They're trying to get on with the business of the day. I mean, it's this surreal. I keep thinking how surreal it was that inside the chambers, they're trying to do business as usual and feet away, the rioters are there saying that they want to have some of these people hung and that they want to overturn the election result. So then a few minutes after that, the house floor is evacuated, literally in front of

the rioters. The police manage again to secure a very narrow passageway through the rioters to get them out and one member afterwards says, I could look in the eyes of those officers and I saw the fear. They knew that the officers were outnumbered. To hear more, search the Rest is Politics U.S. wherever you get your podcasts. Yes.