Sherlock & Co. - The Engineer's Thumb - Part Three

Episode Date: July 7, 2026

THE LAST RIDE - I had done some 'exceptional detective work' as my friend Sherlock would say. Deciphering the dreamworld was one thing, but what do you do when you face down reality... without my beloved Master Detective by my side.Part 3 of 3This episode contains swearing, dread, horror, goreListener discretion is advised.A new clothing store has opened: www.sherlockwear.comFor merchandise and transcripts go to: www.sherlockandco.co.ukFor ad-free, early access to adventures in full go to www.patreon.com/sherlockandcoTo get in touch via email: [e-mail] me @DocJWatsonMD on twitter and BlueSky, or sherlockandcopod on TikTok, instagram and YouTube.This podcast is property of Goalhanger Podcasts.Copyright 2026.SHERLOCK AND CO.Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan DoylePaul Waggott as Dr. John WatsonHarry Attwell as Sherlock HolmesShin-Fei Chen as VickyJack Ayres as Lysander StarkAdditional voicesAdam JarrellDarcey FergusonJoel EmeryWritten by Joel EmeryDirected by Adam JarrellEditing and Sound Design by Adam JarrellProduced by Neil Fearn and Jon GillExecutive Producer Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Lysander. Who's he? He was my boyfriend. I was studying mechanical engineering. Basically everyone I knew was doing the same. And I met him. him at a party. What did he do? Everything. Everything. Yeah, he would like, one day he'd be a courier, then he'd be doing construction. He just, he knew so many different people too, and I swear,

the cash he had. A lot? So much. They had some businesses where I could go and do some work for them. First one I do, plant hire business. So, so heavy machinery? Exactly. I said to Liza I'm not qualified, I can't do this. And he just says, he points to this telehandler and says, if you can get that arm to move again, because it hasn't for two years, then you absolutely can do this. And did you?

In like 30 minutes. Good for you. I wanted to just bring this to you. Today, because of something. Something in the nightmare. A skeleton's, the bride. The clown on fire? Yeah.

I had it last night at my hotel. Over in King's Cross. But last night, for the first time, it... It wasn't a clown. No? It was him. It was Lysander. And it wasn't silver fangs.

It was... A blade. Sorry, what's your name, mate? Lysander. Right. Okay, uh, forms are all sorted. Oh, great stuff, thanks, mate. No problem at all.

You doing some digging? Sorry, what? No, no, I was... Usually, I wrote a blocs that have put their backs out. Got blisters on their hands from trying to do it themselves. Right, no, yeah, no. No, I'm fresh. Fresh, fresh. Ready to go. I did. see signs of burns on him.

What? Are you serious? Yeah, burn marks. Oh my God. So, with the thumb, and now this, we can categorically say that your nightmare was real. Vicky. Aford, Berkshire, fires of hell, flames engulf, haunted coaster, March 2021. Oh, I did it.

Hello all, and welcome to the final part of the engineer's thumb. You have to be this high to listen to this episode, this high to ride this particular coaster that is part three. I am aware none of you can see the height I'm gauging with my hands, but hey, you know, these intros are largely irrelevant. What to say, what to say? Yes, some animatronics were harmed in the making of this episode, so big apologies to the animatronic community out there. The rest of you, enjoy. Morning all.

Well, very early morning to you. Currently on the train to Aford in Berkshire, in what I'm increasingly getting imposter syndrome for even considering this as, I don't know, the resolution to the case. I wonder if this is how Sherlock feels when he's... No. No. way. Actually, there's no way. If anything, he gets more confident.

So... The next station is Aford. Oh, right. This is us. Come on, listen. Oh, listen. Listen. The beep, beat, beat. Vicki said him out. She took the train. She took the bloody train. She is walking right up to me. What the hell? I got your message. You're lucky I can't sleep. How did she get here? My work drives me places when I need it so. Wow.

I guess I should have become a mechanical engineer. So, where are we going, John? To an abandoned amusement park. Oh, great. You don't remember this, no? No, this is an abandoned theme park. Well, I mean, generally I think theme parks are bigger, have more sophisticated a track. John.

Yeah. What is this place? It's a fun kingdom. It doesn't look very far. Yeah, it's been a while since it's been fun from the looks of it. Come on, let's try and find the main entrance. It doesn't really look like they still sell tickets. True.

But I would rather try and get in that way than over the razor wire at the top of this fence. Ah, good point. Okay, I think we have the old entrance here, completely vandalized. Jesus, careful where you step is broken glass, absolutely everywhere. Graffiti tags, I'll never understand it. They always look like someone's testing it for pen works, except in this instance it's a spray can. Oh, look. This graffiti on the wall here, murderers.

Murderers. Murderers. Murderers everywhere. This one's... You killed... Max... Max Sharp. Well, you've got better eyes than me.

No. What? I remember. You remember being here. I do. I... I came through here. Lysander brought me through these gates. His...

There were some of his uncles there. And... A boy was... A boy? It... The... It was Max. Who's he?

He was injured, I think. They had him... Right here. His friends were crying. I don't... he pulled me through here into the park yeah

yeah here let me help you through yeah careful of the glass yeah right where do we go to the haunted hell

ride where's that um oh oh what are you doing it's a it's a map well under all the

grime and dirt Let me see Okay Oh haunted hell ride Is over here We We are here So we need to go

Well we can either go around the side But there's cameras and security lights for trespassers Like us Yeah like us So through the middle here Around the toddler soft play Past the Dodgums then right next to the Princess Castle, there it is.

I think we... What is that? Is that... Oh, that's coming for us. That is good. Shit! Run! Run! Run!

Run! Go! Yes, on it! On it! John, I think that's some of his uncles. Yeah, well, I really, really don't want to meet them right. What are we heading towards? That kind of looks like the soft plan. Wait!

I got you. What the hell? There's like a drop here. That's not safe. It's a drop slide. Oh. Yeah, if you want to go down it, maybe we wait until we're not being chased. Oh my God. Yeah, come on, this way.

Christ, I'm too big for this. Where you headed? Exactly. The back of the building. It will at least take us closer to the hell right. Hopefully there's a fire exit or something that we can leg it out of here. Where are you? Oh, why?

They turned the power back onto the park. I know who you are. Don't think I don't remember you. I didn't think we'd be having a reunion after all these years. I thought Lysander broke that big brain of yours. Quick, quick, quick, come I don't. It'd be a damn side easier than whatever is your plan then. You know that?

You know that. He said, get out to you. I know his voice. It's okay, it's okay. You come to give us the other thumb. I'll tell you what. If you don't get out here right now And off our land

I'll take every single finger What are you doing? You called me You said we had an intruder Well you go look for her Don't just come and find me I'm not a very intruder, am I? Go, go, go, go! Capture there's an exit this way

No, I'm not. I'm not sure about anything You've got the wrong detective If you want certainty I'm afraid, but I do have a good gut feeling about things every now and again Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha we head in that direction hide behind the dodgms and reassess then pass the ferris wheel and the princess castle and we're nearly there okay go okay dodgums do we have eyes? Holy fuck

god almighty that's get the-he called you a little girl ha ha ha ha ha ha oh god let me um oh shit what my phone i think it fell out in the board pool tell me you're kidding i have no service i'm not kidding is a Emergency call working. Shit. What do you want to do? Call this off or figure this out. Hitch black.

That smoke still smells even five years on. Yeah. You feel the track? Underneath your feet? I do. It's okay. You know, we're here now to fix it. There's no demons.

There's no tortured spirits. There's no... Stop! Okay. Slight correction. There is a headless bride. I can see. There are...

eyes. The eyes of the demons. Look, in the walls. I know I can't see very well in here, but you sound like your smile. Really how people respond to trauma, but I'll take it. Weren't real. All this time, they weren't real. That's right. It also wasn't my imagination. It was just a ride in an amusement park. Yeah.

I think I know what I have to do. You do? I know this part. There's a system room. I think it's down this way. Yes, it's definitely down this way. It was a green door. And inside, he showed me the mechanics of the ride.

Vicki, why did he show it to you? Something had gone wrong. With Max Sharp? I think, yes. And they rushed me here. What? I'm right. Yeah?

Look. It's here. It's all here. This is... This bucket. This was the first thing I saw. Okay. What does that mean?

It was for a leak. A persistent leak, they said. And I... I told them. The leak was... Was by the electrical cabinet and the main relay plate. And that was so dangerous.

Ah! And this... The logbook. they had been Look Look What am I What am I looking for here

Vicky? Every inspection Look I told them How can every inspection be perfect When I can see Breakware

I can see Fastness missing Insufficient Chain Stretchers Break pressure sensors Reset after Every ride No working

cooling fan I said to them I said I saw all these things And they weren't Logged And that was fraud

Lysander started to argue with me William His uncles were They were so tense No, his dad was there too That's right, his dad was there I had never met him There was something with the boy

And the ride And I had to fix it They told me I had to fix it right there And then cover it all up Okay Okay that's good Then what happened? What happened?

There was a queue. A queue of kids outside and they... The Starks, they wanted the right to run. They wanted it to run again, and I said no. I said that it wasn't safe. And the only safety circuit that was... That was still working in this place was... Fire.

Fire. I tore a page from the book. Here. I set it alight. I put it under the alarm It broke out It must have Then what happened

Bicky Bicky Lysander What did he do He knocked you the fuck out mate Asking who The family To do what?

They done with shit like this before You know, shit them off Like what? Kidnap him It's not that, it's not that at all You put them into a into a work system at one of the farms or out with gym

on the fishing trawler you know and it's like it's a whole thing you know they forget themselves after a year or two yeah

become all new people whole new life half the time these days you're doing them a fucking favour to be honest so you think he's what

police or something the thing is he like he met with me he cased the plant hire like an undercover wood you don't think He's police here.

I don't start. No, of course. Sorry. I just knocked him out and he knows my name. Because he's trespass. You knocked out a trespasser, Lysander. You lied to me. Vicky.

Just... Vicky. How can you even say that name? How? Oh, here we go. Good luck, Lysander. I spent years. Years.

Creating Vicky, who I wanted to be, what I wanted to do. I dreamed of the whole life. And you deleted her in a fraction of a second. Oh, it's just a thumb. I'm not talking about my thumb. I'm talking about me. You made, you. Nobody has ever made me doubt myself, doubt my mind, question everything.

and you you couldn't even just say to me I don't want to be with you anymore or whatever it was you were doing I was just using you Ficky I don't really like you you were just useful

you think I can't take that you think I'm that weak I said it because it was a hell of a lot easier to have you mad than sane yeah do you want to shut your mouth yeah exactly

I'm talking to you Lysander shut it yeah of course You are the weak one, not me. Look at you in his shadow. Shut up. A little boy that does what he's told and doesn't think for himself.

Vicky? Seriously, shut up. Do you have any idea what it takes to be called out for your... Your... Your... Nodging, conforming behavior. by a girl from China. Lysander, that should hurt.

Shut up! Enough! Enough! One of your cousins is going to take her and head. You've got to start trusting me, Lysander. It's okay. Yeah, just... I know I want some sleep. Just not...

Like that. Take them where? He's going to see if we can get him working on the fruit pick and cake. And excuse me, it's rude to listen to other people. people's conversations. Yeah, well it's rude to kidnap people too. Well, I haven't done it yet. Well, I wouldn't start it now. I wouldn't do a lot of stuff in your position, mate. Generally when you're tied up in the dirt, you do less of this and more of this, huh? I don't need to do either, thanks. What? Well, the problem is, there's clever people,

like Vicky here, who think of everything. All right? And then there's the kind of middling people, like me, who have holes in knowledge, perhaps we catch up when we can. Then there's people like you, total idiots. Excuse me, John. Watch it. Because Vicky here, or my mate Sherlock, would have tied me to, I don't know, some steel beam or joist in here that I'd never be able to get away from. If I was doing it, would have looked for the nearest thing, you know, a bit of rope round the wrists, then find anything that works. Then there's you, who tied my hands to nothing.

God's sake. Don't start, Lysander, mate. You ever heard the cuffs? Huh? That slip your knowledge gap, did it? I'll get the others. What are you thinking? We don't need them.

We don't need them. Listen. I can run right into it. Yep. Go. That's it. You fucking get them. Christ.

Just arrived. I hurt my thumb when I punch that stupid clown. You'll get over it. Trust me. Trust me. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

Where are we? Where I can smell the lubrication oil. It's puddled somewhere. We must be below the loop. Okay, so, um... That's still in darkness. Still hidden, that's good, at least. Yeah.

But, um... How do we get out? We have to. I'm sorry, I don't know. I just don't know right now. They'll see us. We can't stay here forever. They'll find us.

I know, I know. Um, what are you doing? I'm trying to find some kind of weapon. John, there's a lot. We have to... It's where the tunnel will lead then. Oh. Run.

They'll get stuck down here. They won't hurt me. They clearly would. Ficky, they did last time. John, please. We will face it down together. Okay? We'll.

Uh, yeah, yeah, what will be? We'll be. I can hear something. I hope that's your hand. It is. Yeah, apparently we're getting taken away together, so... Yeah. I should probably say that, um... I'd say this to you, V-I-Sush.

What are I doing? It's the theme tune. We'll be calling the police, won't we? Your show. Yeah. I don't think now is... No. It's the tone for friends.

Follow that sound. Here! Over here! Over here! Coming! This way, Vicky! Come, come, come, go. Oh my God, I've never been so pleased to see you. I mean, I can't see you.

Must be Vicky. Hi. Hi, this way. Okay, what's the way out? The ride backs onto this place. Jesus. Princess Land, I believe. She's right about that, I guess.

We took her eyes. We, um... And we pass a fusebox on the way out. Can we maybe flick the switch and put these poor women out in the misery? dresses are so cute. Right, should we go before we get crushed in so animatronic order? You have my fun.

And I have your thumb. Doing that, you prick! Get back! I'll stick this in your fucking eye! Get back! Let go of her. Let go of her. No!

Lysander, this isn't you. I don't know who you are, mate. So don't presume to know me. I'm the only genuine one here! She made her so thumb, and this little twat comes to my place at work pretending to be a dog. God's sake, I am a doctor! So don't give me that this isn't you!

It is me! Oh, so you're a genuine guy, are you? Yeah. Yeah? I told you to move back! Look, if you say you're an authentic guy, you're just... Whatever, being tricked, entrapped, whatever, then, you know, let's talk. No! I'm serious.

Why should I? Because it could spare you prison. My law-enforcing friends kindly joined me on this little excursion. What's it going to be, Lassander? Come on. You don't understand. I don't. No, but I think I'm pretty close. And you know I am. You know I am. She. She! There was a boy.

You killed him. Shut up! Lassander, what happened? I don't know. I was... All right? I was... I was... I was trying to make something at myself in London. Yeah? I had this amazing girlfriend and we were doing jobs together and it just, they called me one night. The uncles?

Yeah. They called and they said this kid is just, the ride is fucking, the brakes. Chammed off the loop he came off. Broke's neck, cracked his skull. They said we had to fix it. AASAP, just, not just the brakes, but. But everything, repair everything, clean out everything, because it would have been over. And it was for somebody, wasn't it, Lysander?

Your uncles didn't call you? Your dad did. He ran the park. He went to prison. He did. He did. Vicky. Um, she saw what we were trying to do and just, she lit it up.

The whole place just, whoosh, no one on the right or anything, but I couldn't find my way out. Neither of us could and I, I fucking, I fucking lost it, man, I lost it. I, I grabbed her and this ball of flame just caught me so bad. I just, I didn't, I didn't know what it was at first. Like, I swear down, I had no idea, no idea. I didn't even know it was a fire. I literally thought she was doing it to me, attacking me or something. And I just, I lost it.

Like, couldn't see anything. And I just, I started slashing and cutting with the knife. And my dad pulled us out of there. He got me out of the park, a couple of cousins, a few of his brothers. And we liked it. I left her. With whom? Family.

I see. I called me the next day. Told me that I cut off a thumb. It'd come off in the fire somewhere. They stitched it up, they said they sorted it, but... If you ever see her again... You say... You say you have no idea who she is.

So that's... That's what I did. That's what I did. What are we got up there? Come out with your heads up! Lassander? It's time to follow one more instruction. Yeah?

And that is to listen to that police officer down there, okay? Okay. When you're done, serving the time you are sentenced, no more instructions. From anybody. Okay. Be you. Okay, family... family don't own you. They don't. Okay.

I'll go down with you. Come on. I'm really sorry, Vicki. I said I'm really sorry. And I said nothing. Yeah. All right, we're coming up. No, it's okay. It's okay. It's all right. We're coming. I'm bringing him down now. Okay? We're coming. You must understand. It wasn't an intrusion.

I was not in. inserting myself into the case in any way. You solved it. There was not a clue or conclusion I resolved to influence your solving of it. Sherlock. It was merely a monitoring process I was undertaking. Sherlock. What? I don't think you solved the case. I don't think you were intruding or checking up on me. You did the right thing and bloody hell did you do it at the right time. Ah, yes. It was rather tight there, wasn't it? You still have princess glitter all in your air. I should shower. Yeah.

Well done, John. Thank you, mate. And thank you for... keeping an eye on Lysander's movement. That's quite all right. Stamford told me of the digger. I followed the collection vehicle back to the higher depot. I watched Lysander receive the call from the fairground.

The only misfortune was getting there after you had been knocked out. Hey, what's a bump on the head between friends? Well, in some cases, death and brain damage. Right, go have your shower. We'll do. Hey, hey, Vicki. Hi, John. Come on in. Come on in. It's a high time for a cup.

High time for high tea. I don't really know what high tea is. Actually, it could just be a cup of tea in the afternoon, which is, you know, which is you okay? Um, I'm actually really, really okay. Oh, that's good. Yeah, that is good, right? You don't want to come up? No, I...

Just a cup of tea. We can walk archie if you want. As much as I would like to. If I did those things, I'd miss my flight. Oh, it's your flight to Germany. To home, actually. I quit my job. I am... I think it's time to...

Wake up and finally be Sun Fung Xin. Sure. Yeah, that makes sense. I really would have liked to, but I think I need to be. Yeah, the sun. Not in anyone's shadow. Yeah, exactly that. You'd never be, like, I'd never take anything away from you. No, I know. This is about me.

Whoever the hell that is. I, um, here, have a... Each client gets a, uh, a t-shirt, apparently. So have, uh, this. Oh, Watson your mind. It's a pun on Watson. I don't know if that will try. It does. It totally does.

You have an eyelash. Oh. Make a wish. Goodbye, Dr. John Watson. Goodbye, son. There we go. Sleep tight. One thing you can say about this show is that every adventure is different. And that certainly was. I mean

It would have been nice if it was so different that I actually ended up with the girlfriend That would be nice But apparently Um Apparently not I gave it a go Hey my listening friends

But not to be And that's okay I've got everything I need right here Apart from a cup of tea So I'm going to go pop the kettle on Does anybody want anything Thank you.