Sherlock & Co. - The Musgrave Ritual - Part Three

Episode Date: January 20, 2026

MURDER ON ICE - I had not taken Sherlock's suspicions regarding his former school bully all that seriously. It was dawning on me now, in the frosts of Hurlstone Castle, that once again my Detective friend was right and could see things I simply couldn't. Part 3 of 4 This episode contains swearing, death, a corpse, abuseListener discretion is advised. A new clothing store has opened: www.sherlockwear.com 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 2026. 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 Joel Emery as Reginald Musgrave Additional Voices:Thomas Mitchells Darcey Ferguson 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

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Previously on Sherlock and Co. What a birthday, a big creepy castle, freezing cold, missing bloke. Doesn't get better for you, doesn't it? Hi, I'm Mariana. Hello there, I'm Reginald. It doesn't get any worse. Forgive me for not engaging more fully at the funeral. I was quite hopelessly in my own head.

The old man and I had complexities. Yes, well, everyone else had a marvellous relationship with him. So perhaps the problem wasn't him. God's sake, Sherlock, what's happening with his fire? It is a castle. After all his renovations, it would seem the plumber was next on the list. Oh, where are you going? I'm going to walk around a bit, trying to warm myself up.

Some old Musgraves, royalist fanboy Musgraves, I should add, built this place for defence. Yeah, well, that shiny knight over there fought out the next Civil War, the big one, 1640s. I'm not overreacting, am I? There's a battle axe on the floor. Yes. wielded somewhat recently Oh yes, the battle axe medieval martial axe, I should say

of the enjave imperial period to be exact Yes, that was me The table is Burl Elm from the Musgrave Elm that grew on this land For nearly 600 years I do not wish its polished memory To be stained by pizza cheese Sorry

As I follow the noise It takes me past that hallway And I reached for it The Battle Ax That's right Braced myself And I threw open the door and say, what the devil are you doing?

And there he is, Richard Brunton. Feet up on the old bureau. His perusing papers, he's swinging keys on his finger like he owns the place. The following morning, nothing. Gloves, teamie, and hats. Oh, you beauty. A deer stalker. Fulph, blimey, it's quite the coat there, Reginald.

Bless you, John. She's made of links. Kevin Higgs, rise. Kevin Higgs, rise. I look out there towards the trees across the lawn and I would see this man slow steps across the grass And you believe that man to be Richard?

Absolutely I turn away from him Because the van's coming up the drive It's Roy. Roy. Roy Howells, a plumber. But the plumber is Richard's guy He never arrived to work I could never contact him

I'll give him a wave Then I turn back towards where Richard was On the lawn and And he's gone Whoa, that is a... It's totally frozen. A lake? So are you!

Ah! Oh! Oh, dear! Oh, no, you're okay. I told you, I told you, I'd sleepover. And you were all like, no, no, you need to turn and... Mariani, you alright? There's... there's a face...

There's a face... there's a face... There's a face under the ice, John. What? Sherlock, Sherlock. The snow masks the tentative steps of our missing Mr. Brunton. Sherlock. Body, face. Body face.

The face, body, ice, um, in the ice in the body of the, uh, there's a face. Where? We, what do you mean? We, we saw a body under the ice of the lake. The face is, was pressed up against the ice and we, we, uh, um, show me. I swear, I swear it was. literally right in this spot, right, John? Yeah, you can even see where Mariana's hands were.

He was there, he was there. I promise. I believe you. Was it Brunton? No. Do you have any idea who it might have been? I don't know. It's...

Okay, it was a guy, a white guy. Kind of well-built, right? Like super stocky. Yeah, a bit of stubble. bald, balding. It isn't Brunton. Then who is our frozen face in the lake? We should find Reginal Mousgrave like right now.

Let us stew a little before we do such a thing. Why? Yeah, why? Because a man he confronted is missing. And now, you're suggesting we have found a dead body on his property. Sherlock, yeah. He's a good guy. He's very prim and proper.

I get that. And I know you've seen a different side to him. His father was a good guy. Yeah, and maybe the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree in this instance. Let's speak to him. The apple is rotten to the core. Okay, well, you're still with your stupid apples. I'm going to call the police.

Wait. Why? We must wait. Sherlock, there is a line for private investigation. It was crossed the second Richard Branton went missing. We are now so far past the... the line. It... I am calling them... No. You want to be the guy that puts him away. You want to exercise whatever happened in boarding

school. But this is not the way, Sherlock. You misread me, John. I'm calling 999. To say what? Excuse me? How about there's a dead man in the lake? Where? Show me. It was right here. Ah, fabulous, madam. You saw the missing Richard Brunton. Excellent work. I'm PC Stickler. This is off as a mediocre. No, it wasn't him. Sorry, madam. What was that? It was not him. Oh, right. Well then. Let's... Let me get my senior officer to come and visit and sign off with investigative authority. We'll need another sign off from the National Crime Agency too, then I think we may need a risk assessment for ice thickness and environmental hazards. Is this lake public?

No. Oh, it's privately managed. Oh dear. Oh dear, madam. So we will need a thorough habitat report to work with. Then we can contact the regional search and marine unit. Hopefully that all happens before darkness, just before 4pm and connected with a missing person. You say perhaps we need to close the road. We could get a stop and go arranged. Sherlock.

Oh, look at that. We didn't file the reports in time. Good morning. Day number two. I'm afraid I can't help you because this has now been handed to the fire service. They will be your primary responders, madam, so you'll have to deal with them now. They have the specialist ice saws and sleds, then our marine unit can arrive. We get it, mate. Morning day four. Day three was a Sunday. Oh dear, that's unfortunate.

The ice looks under three inches thick. We can only have a two-meter access hole then. Safety regs you see, ah, and the visibility will require a mechanical dredge, or perhaps a dredge pump. The fire service have gone home and the mutual aid from the local authority have been reallocated by a counsellor. Back to the police you go. My senior officer is away, so please restate your claims on these forms, and don't forget to cite your crime reference number. Are you quite

finished? Day six, hello. You would like a ten-man dredge operation for a body, is that correct? A dead body, of course. We must hurry. Ah, the weather has frozen a local Thames water pipe and that's bus,

so we're using all the pumps currently. Day nine, hello there. Look, enough. Enough. I think I've made my point. What you've done is made me mad. That is all you've done.

Hello there. Everything all right? Everything is fine. Thank you. Asshole. I could say the same. How do you think? Yes, come.

Go Walmart. It's quite the library, isn't it? Crazy that these castles were built for wars and big battles, but they all have dining rooms and libraries. Excuse me, soldiers can read. What does this say then? It's a lot. Gobbly cook to me, mate.

Oh, I am so cold. I can't. Oh, it's like cold, got into my bones. What's the latest on the plumber? Roy Havles. Yes, I'll tell you the latest. Look. What's that? I gave him a one-star review. You haven't even used his services. A bit harsh. He hasn't even shown up, okay? I'd love to use his services.

And this is how you get small businesses off their asses, okay? You're cruel and you're cold. Shut up. Put your feet down, Sherlock. See? You can take the deer hat off now. I'm sitting how. Reginald claimed Brunton was seated. When Reginald found him?

Yes, in this chair. He was swinging keys and his feet were up like so on the bureau. Was he wearing a deer stalker too? Nope, I just like it. And what's that? This? Yep. Our host, Mr. Musgrave, he didn't mention a book from this library.

He claimed that Richard Brunton was sat at this bureau with his feet on it. Here, and he was perusing papers. Yeah. But where, John? Where are these papers exactly? Well, you're one year older now, and it looks like your eyesight is going, because hello, right in front of you, babe. Ah, silly me, of course. Let's have a read. Oh, goodness. Well, isn't this a little problematic for Musgrave's record of events? Perhaps I need this magnifying glass.

Let me see. Nope, nothing. They're blank pages. They are all blank pages. This is merely unused paper from a notepad. What are you saying? I'm saying this story doesn't hold water. Reginald failed to mention the battle acts until we discovered it.

He failed to mention the confrontation until we prompted it. He failed to mention the body in his lake. Which he may not know about? And now he has clearly misled us by suggesting papers from this bureau were being perused by Richard Brunton. We must have a motive. We need it. Why dispose of Brunton?

And who is the man in the ice? What is his connection? Hello? Let me go check. Reginald? Well, good news, John. It looks like we have a new listener. Went to the local shop.

Now, they didn't have much, so don't judge. I've got baked beans with little pork sausages in them. Oh, God. You say pork. The can claims just 19% of the sausages are in fact, pork. I said no judgment. Yeah? Quavers, what sits, as little accoutrement.

Oh, great. And some of our lunch specials today, we have instant noodles in a Chinese curry broth. Cream of chicken soup from a manufacturer that went into administration in 2019. And for Mr. Detective, it's a bag of quick and easy pasta. Quick and easy pasta. No, quick and easy.

You boil the kettle, pour the water in the bag, and hey, presto, a lovely little pasta and sauce. Well, to quote the packaging, two minutes, hey, pesto. Yes, great, isn't it? Oh, uh, choose your aid. Got power aid, gatorade, Lucas aid, lemonade, uh, cherry aid.

Do you have any first aid for when I get a stomach ulcer after this meal? Right, can we just recap? He said he didn't trust any food coming from Reginald Musgrave, not until we've made some progress. That's what he said, not me. I choose poison to death. Why didn't you just go get pizza? Because the pizza place isn't open until this evening.

Besides, we had pizza last night. And that was fine. Come, eat. We must refuel. I don't think I've been so eager to close a case for some time. But what? What are the next steps? God, I'm so cold. You should sit here.

Why? These water pipes, they're warm. It must be for the hot water. It's not just the radiator's not hooked up properly, I guess. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God, that's... Oh, that is warm. See?

John, could you step in for the plumber, please? Maybe we wouldn't be completely frozen. Frozen. Frozen. That's exactly it. The pipes will just be frozen. It's got nothing to do with the refurb. How, how do you know exactly? Because this, this will just be water, tank water. Well no, for the hot water, that would just be some big cylinder that heats with electricity. I bet Reginald's just turned it on so we can shower and stuff. Excuse me, I'm trying to read the instructions for my pasta. Yeah, and I'm getting us some heating, mate.

Well, I see oil in this tank the size of my bedroom, so that rules out of a few fuel problem. Then follow the oil pipe along here to the castle wall. Yeah, that's where it goes into the property, as I thought, absolutely frozen solid. So then we pour the boiled water for Sherlock's pasta over this pipe here, which looks like it's heading from the oil tank. Ha ha, yes, there we go. Thaw out, you bastard. Hey, it's me. Try the boiler now. Oh, okay. Um... There's a red flashing light. Just, just hold it down. Oh, yeah. Is this gonna blow up or something? Um...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you mean? Um... No? John. Is it running? Uh, nope, it's not. Right. Um... Okay, give me a sound. Sure.

So that pipe goes to the boiler. Could be frozen from further out, closer to the tank. You all right? Ah, yeah, hoping for a miracle, actually, trying to get some heating going, saw that this pipe was all frozen where it goes into the castle. Yeah, but you'll have air bubbles now, and you thought it, you've got to bleed it out.

Oh, right, ah, okay. Here, let me try Roy again. Roy? Roy Howes, a plumber. Got his number the other day from the site office board. Right. The elusive plumber. Yeah.

Well, I get it, though. I mean, this time of year must be blimely dealing with just about half the boilers in the area. Hey, what's that? What's what? On your phone? His number. Is that him?

Oh, the profile picture, yes. That's Roy, I suppose. I've seen that, yeah. Balancing a pint on his head. It's good, isn't it? You're right? The plumber is dead. What did you do?

I didn't kill him, I just got this off heat. What is it? The profile picture. Look. Holy shit. This is Roy Howells. Sherlock, that was the face. Our frozen man.

That was him. Oh my God. Oh, my God. He murdered Brunton. Then he murdered the plumber. Should probably delete that bad review now, Mariana. Mm-hmm, yeah. You still haven't said it.

He's not going to say it. He certainly never said it to me. That's because you've never been right. So why would I ever say you were right? That is not true. So you admit it? I was right. I was right about the body in the lake.

I'm not going to say it. Why not? Because. Because. That's it. That's your only response. Sherlock. Look, over there, other side of the lake.

Yes, I see. Reginald Musgrave has appeared once more. What's he doing? I would imagine he's thinking of a way out, Mariana. What was he thinking? And why the hell did he call us out here? Because, like he did many, many years ago, the underestimated Sherlock Holmes, yet again.

I think he underestimated how much you'd like that hat? Yes, that too. Should have got you one for your birthday yesterday. Well, now, three weeks on from the start date. And our plumber may have finally turned up. God, have they gotten? Oh, there's a body. That diver has a body. Look, look, look.

I see it. Come. The authorisation has come through, so just a few minutes, all right? That's all we need. Thank you. Ah. Hello there, Roy. Shame we're meeting like this. And then I maybe wait outside for this, I think. Yeah, yeah, no problem. This. What's this here?

That is just frost therathema. They'll have a few on this side if he was in that fixed position under the ice. very possible, seeing as it's a lake, it's been so cold. Yeah, see here, it's not bruising, it's just surface level. He does have some grazing, something cut deep into his hands, could be... Stone from the looks of it? Yeah, could easily be from the bed of the lake, to be honest. He looks so pristine.

Yeah, no discolouration, no bloat. No smell. all because of the conditions. Yeah, yeah, too cold. Too cold. You wouldn't want to be taking a body out of a lake in the summertime after three weeks of being down there, me. I certainly wouldn't be doing this inside a tent, that's for sure.

But in these freezing temperatures, not too bad. No sign of an axe wound, perchance? Nope. Hidden injury, then. Musgrave was always wily. I'd say no injury at all. Well, keep looking. Sherlock, there's nothing.

There, on his legs. It's from the ice. It fell through the... It took little nicks and slices at his legs as they plunged through into the deep, dark water. Poor sod. What about the bag he was holding? Unremarkable in every possible way.

Let me see. It's like a sack of... Manky old metal. Perhaps fractured pieces of old piping from a job. I ventured maybe he could have removed these pieces from Hurlstone's old plumbing. They're so contorted and calcified. Clays and dirt wedged in every crevice. Maybe it's like, and they weld, don't they?

Maybe it's material he welds down for the pipes and the lakers just, yeah, dirty them up. The bag, though, Watson. With these metals inside, it is weighty. Not an ideal weapon for self-defense, but not nothing. When an axe murderer comes your way, you do perhaps reach for just about anything. You, mate, are reaching for just about anything right now. You will see things from my perspective. Mark my words.

Mm-hmm. What was he doing on the eyes? Dumped there while dead, fleeing perhaps while alive. There is plenty about that morning that makes very little sense, Watson. Two men, one ready to finish. his job. Another ready to start. Both vanish. We have the reappearance of one in Roy Howells right here. Does Richard Brunton suffer the same fate? What are you doing? His fingernail, look. It's got to be his. He's lost most of it. Remove it. Sherlock. Remove it, John. We will

close this case far quicker than the police, but we need evidence. Right, fine. Just let me use these Tweezers... Do you mind? What? I'm trying to concentrate and you're breathing in my ear. Apologies, Watson, I'm rather excited. I can tell the flaps on your deer stalker are practically quivering.

Can you move back so I can see? Absolutely. Let's get you out of there. There we go. Put it here on the side? Yep. Magnifying glass. You took it from the library, didn't you?

Give it. Let me see now. What is it? Is it Richard Brunton's hair? No. Not dark enough. Is it Reginald Musgrave's hair? Not curly enough.

Then who is the owner of the hair, Sherlock? The owner would be a long dead Tibetan lynx. God. Graceful! Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is an utter humiliation. Oh, Mom. Shame on you.

Shame on all of you. In the car, sir. No. This was you, Holmes. It's for you! Me, skinny little Holmes, on the lower door. How unlikely. You!

Farewell, Reginald. Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you, you fucking. Savant, robot freak! And there he is, after all these years. You are not brilliant.

You are gross. He didn't see that, but I fucking did. I make you crap. You fuck. You're okay, Sherlock? Nothing I haven't heard before, I assure you. Well, You were right.

And I think the real birthday present, one that you could have done with quite a few birthdays ago, has arrived. Closure. Closure. I must call Victor. Tell him the news. Sherlock!

Sherlock! As much as I love hide and seek, I'm not really one of those cold pizza guys. So if you could come get stuck in. Got a pepperoni, a margarita, and something called a cheese. Chicken-tastic bonanza. That's sake. Sherlock Holmes.

Don't make me grab this battle axe. Hello, Jesus. Can we move this royalist night bloke now that Reginald's gone, please? Sherlock, whatever you need to do, you've got more time. The roads are buggered, so we're leaving in the morning. Hi. Hello. You okay?

Yeah, it's you? Yeah. Yeah, what we're doing in the library? Closing the case as best we can. Right, did we not just do that? A body is yet to be found. Right. Yeah, of course.

As well as the case, you should also close this. It's bringing a draft in. Not possible, I'm afraid. No? No. Why not? Look. At the door?

Oh, the latch. Oh, yeah, it's stuck. The key is broken in the keyhole. Oh, yeah. What's this eerie energy you're giving off? You can remove the deer stalker now. And is the magnifying glass necessary? That paper is blank. You said it yourself.

So it would seem to be. Sherlock, you're right. Okay? You know, this Christmas's just gone. I rather treated myself, didn't I? Yeah, suppose so. It was a difficult year after all. Bohemia, Baskervilles, Milverton. Yep.

I rewarded myself for Christmas and my birthday. Interesting books, antiques, new gun. Yep, noticed that. But it didn't bring me comfort, Watson, nor solace, nor joy. By his remorse? Exactly that. You have that now? With Reginald, is that what you're saying?

Yes. Oh, that's completely understandable. Is it? Of course, mate. You've... Look, I don't like to overuse the work, but it's trauma at the end of the day, isn't it? You know, that bastard tortured you in front of your peers relentlessly. You've got your, you know, your vengeance, your revenge.

Call it whatever you want. It's nearly a lifetime in the making. Of course you've got mixed emotions. Yes. I have victory. But I don't have a motive, do I? Well, how about this, mate? He's fucking nuts, okay?

He bollocked Marianna about his elm table. He's been primmed and propped and molded into an emerald. possible standard. Hey, look at my hand. Look, look. His standards, right? Up here, what happens? Yeah, boom. Crash. He's not that person. And when people didn't fulfill his expectations, this devil inside came out. He killed Brunton because he was let down by him. He killed Roy Howells because he was let down by him. Then why did he bring us here? Because he's gone crazy. He's blanked out those fits of rage where he's killed those men. Where's the evidence? Don't do this, mate. Please don't. We cannot be shoddy, Watson. We must pursue

perfection. Great, now you sound like him. I have standards too. Then what, mate? What do we do? Because literally a couple of hours ago, this argument was the reverse. You couldn't wait to get me on side and now, what, you just jump back over now that I'm convinced? He was holding keys. What? There was a key snapped in the door. Brunton was holding them. Musgrave said it himself. Good, cool. Speaking of, cool, the pizza is getting cold. We are done here. Not a window broken. No, door. I've seen Richard's keys. They were left behind at the site office. There was nothing for this property on them. Yet, Mousgrave found him in here reading papers with keys. Right.

So, he got keys for this house and this library, and he entered late at night. For what? I don't know. But that story is from a crazy person who was lost touch with the reality of his actions, okay? I said he underestimated me, but he couldn't have. He couldn't have. I showed him. I showed him. him in the pub my skill set. His father reminded him constantly of the abilities and properties of my mind. And that is why he bullied me. He was jealous that I got his father's attention and he didn't. He invited us here to solve it. Or to kill you. Did you ever think of that? It doesn't make sense, Watson. I'm going to do you a favour. I'm going to take this stupid dear stalker off, put that magnifying glass down. These papers are going

back in this stupid bureau that won't fucking open properly. There. Wait. What was that? Oh, did I break it? Christ, never mind you. He's going to come kill me next. There is a compartment in this bureau.

No, there's not. Look, underneath. You've knocked it loose. What is this? They have papers. What does it say? 1649. the Musgrave ritual.

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