Sherlock & Co. - The Stockbroker's Clerk - Part Two

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

ATTACK OF THE CLONES - Our train was hurtling towards Birmingham in the middle of the night when the reality of this seemingly harmless case transformed before our eyes. Something wasn't right at Mawson and Williams, and that something had tracked us down halfway across the country. Part 2 of 3 This episode contains swearing, violence and death.Listener 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 Helena Doughty as Hayley Pycroft Additional Voices 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

Audio books, advery early access adventures, mailbag episodes, case file episodes, AMAs, behind the scenes, microadventures, authored by Watson himself, a Discord channel with nearly 2,000 chatter little members, merchandise discounts, exclusive events, and yes, done. Yeah, it's the most important bit, mate. Oh, patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and Co. Thanks. Previously on Sherlock and Co. We are going to present him as a big, beautiful, gleaming Trojan horse. A Trojan horse. Yes.

John, the horse, will woo a girl by the name of Haley Pyecroft. This Haley individual is working for an insidious corporation in the city of London that may have been responsible for the brutal ostracization and beating of Neville St. Clair. Ruby's husband from the man with a twisted lip. That's right. Well, Neville was hoping to, you know, get back on the horse. And Neville says, well, what are the chances of me getting my old job? but Mawson and Williams back.

Start as a stockbroker, maybe even a stockbroker's clerk. They're old-fashioned at that place. Well, anyway, recruiter cuts him off. Neville says the guy was nearly shaking. He leans in and says, Mawson and Williams are compromised. Compromised. He apparently then goes,

The greatest bank robbery of all time. And he says the key is Haley Pai-Gron. Then Neville said the guy got quite upset and shifty. Conversation kind of fizzled out to usual city talk. Hasn't been able to get a hold of him since. Haley Pyecroft. Haley Pyecroft. Did she tell you where she worked?

What? Did Haley Pyecroft mention her place of work? It's important, John. Um, yeah. Yeah, I think so. Somewhere in Birmingham. Is she in danger? Possibly.

But she is also perhaps dangerous. I'm still forming my judgment. Shit. You look frustrated. Well, yes, I am. Why? Because I wanted to stay away from whatever this was,

but now you've said she's in danger. I said it was possible. Why? How? Come with me and find out. To where? Houston Station. Hi. You have a table.

and some spare seats. Perfect. Perfect. For what? For us? To hear your confession. Hello. This episode contains a stunt that you absolutely cannot try at home.

Two reasons. One, it's impossible because the stunt would never be able to take place in a house. and two, it was and is a very stupid thing to do. Yeah, welcome to part two of the stockbrokers clerk. I don't work there. Lies. Truths. Falshoods.

Facts. All right, that's enough. John. What, mate? Here, another SD card. Okay. I would like to have this inserted into our adventure. Right, and what is it exactly?

It's a little tale of how Sherlock Holmes and Mariana Ometzsouro obtained proof that, although she denies it, Haley Puycroft here, is employed by Mawson and Williams. For God's sake. And action. You don't need to say action, I'll just cut it into the edit. When? Now. At this point in the adventure?

Well, yeah, unless... Actually, timeline-wise, I don't usually go back and forth, and obviously this took place. Last night. before I appeared at your restaurant. He was at the restaurant, like, stalking. He's, to be fair, a lot of his job involves that kind of behavior. Thank you, John. Right, so, yeah, maybe I should just put it in before...

Don't want to mess the listeners around. No, fuck them, actually, they won't mind. Yeah, I'll put it in now. Now? Now? Now. I caved, okay? And I just said that maybe we didn't intern together.

But my friend is great. Great. He is a doctor. He's... I showed pictures. Do not overthink it. It worked. They are on the date. Haley is clearly restless, looking for a new life, a way out. But why? Because the robbery is complete. The greatest bank robbery of all time. What?

Something Ruby said to me. Well, a city headhunter said to her husband, but how? That is what we must find out. Cool. Can I turn this off now? The mic. No. Why? Because first we're going to ride this night bus

To the Tower of London. Hit stop, ding! Get out, thank the driver, walk to the southern entrance of Lombard Street, access a crane currently erect and parked in the site of St James's place, climb it, lower ourselves onto the grade two-listed skylight of the Mawson and Williams building, gain entry through its service window and into the ventilation hatch to the plant room. Exit, take a left, shut off the circuit marked power offset 9, which will take up the interior sensors and the WAN, which the cameras are using.

tut-tut, access the computer of Georgina Powell that she leaves on so she can remote into it from home when Asian markets open. We then access the local network, find the staff list, locate the name Haley Puycroft, and get to the bottom of what exactly is going on. I... Here we go. Ding! Aye, Sherlock. Okay, I found the circuit. I think I found the circuit. Power offset 9.

How the hell do you know all these things about this place? They do a rather wonderful tour. I attended on Thursday. Do they? Yes, starting in the old Victorian vaults at the Vanderbilt's requested to be constructed. They kept acquired European artworks there. Absolutely fascinating.

It was a shame to have to sneak off and do all my research, but, hey-ho, perhaps we can all go as a team. Yeah, that'll be cool. I love that kind of stuff, because it... Are you okay? I... Ah, yeah. Yeah, no, our circuit is off,

but I think another... Two may have tripped? Perhaps a backup system attempted to go online and cause to surge. Is that bad? For us? No, it's a stroke of great fortune. For Mawson and Williams, yes, bad. They'll need an electrician first thing Monday morning. Fair problem.

Absolutely. This way, we must hurry. I have a date. You do? Well, I don't, but John does. And I would very much like to be in attendance. He is going to kill you. Don't be ridiculous. I'm going to kill you. John, we accessed the staff details.

She is lying. She does not work in Birmingham. She works in that very building. I even located her desk on the 17th floor before we left. You are completely delusional. You were born on the 15th of March, 1999. Your passport number is 666. Very appropriate.

7682110. You live at number four, Waldron Road in Wandsworth, just off Garrett Lane. I did, and now I don't. I live in Birmingham where I work. Lies. Look, you logged out of your workstation at 6.57 on Friday night. You filed your nails that day at your desk and even picked some dead skin off your little finger

because I have it right here. This is your skin. What is wrong with you? Take your skin. Oh, please, please stop giving women's skin. It is hers. It is from her desk. She is lying.

And this, this performance unnerves me greatly. But performance? What are you on about? You recall the case of the Beryl Coronet, John. I was able to observe the tells of Alexander Holder and that of his brother, that they, in fact, illustrated their lies subconsciously. Their fiction was signalled in movements of their limbs and eyes.

But this, this she devil... Sherlock, just... She gives no tells. This deceit flows out of her as if it were gospel. Because it is... There's nowhere else to go, Haley Pyecroft of Mawson and Williams, rather like this train. It is stuck only to the track.

It cannot deviate from its destination and you find yourself hurtling towards the termination point of truth, where we shall alight onto the platforms at Revelation Station and venture into the city of Resolution. Thank you, that'll do. Haley, I think, yes, he makes the point in his own way. He broke the law several times and then gave us some flowery poem about truth.

but I expect that from him. I don't expect this from you. But it's clear now, though, I never really knew you, isn't it? Right? Sorry, this is so... No, that's it, isn't it? I mean, you don't have to be sorry. We don't know each other, really.

So, yeah, back to the dating drawing board. Not but I have that kind of thing in the flat. I'm not like that. I mean, that sounds desperate. figurative drawing board. It was nice. Lovely stuff. Great wine choice. I hope the job in Birmingham gets better.

You don't truly believe this charade, do you, John? You think I'm on a train to Birmingham. To pretend, I have a job there. That's correct. But you think I actually work at Mawson and Williams in the city. Haley, it's time to confront the reality of your position. Although you are intimidated and confused, this is in fact favourable. We are not.

We are not officers of the law. We understand that innocence and guilt exist on a spectrum. If you are being strung along by criminals, bank robbers, if you are doing their bidding against your will, we will take that into consideration. I must know of this bank robbery, the greatest of all time. I really, actually work in Birmingham. Oh, Haley, Haley, Haley, Haley, Haley. Why is this so hard for you to understand? For whom do you work in Birmingham, Haley?

This will be good, Johnboy. Don't call me Johnboy and stop nudging me. Franco Midland. Franco Midland? Let me see here. Ah, here we have it. Wow-wee. Stock photos on website, very impressive,

and apparent global presence. Team members' faces are clearly AI-generated, as are their bios. But of course, I already knew this. But you chase me down anyway, and threw someone's skin at me on a night train to Birmingham. I'm proud of you. You did at least admit to Franco Midland,

so I can confirm this is your LinkedIn page right here, Haley Pyecroft. Yep. Duke of Edinburgh Award. Sailing, good for you. I wanted to work in the Navy. Mm-hmm, I'm sure. Excellent university. Couldn't have had a more relevant internship placement, I see.

And then off she goes to Franco Midland. Mm-hmm. You interned at a prestigious London hedge fund. And was offered a job, yeah. Then left. Took your entire life from London to Birmingham for a job at a pitiful non-company that's... What?

Who's that? Do you know him? Who? That guy down the carriage that he's looking at. Both of you. Come this way. What? What is it? Up.

Now. Are you running? Yes, and so should you. Sherlock, what's going on? What did you see? A man. An armed man. So, what?

He came through. from Coach F to Coach E he's shielding the outline of a firearm in his jacket pocket. We must survive until Milton Keyes. What do you mean? Survive? They know. Who's they?

Asociet. I don't know who that is! Why have you stopped? Who is it, Sherlock? Are they going to kill us? He is a member of whatever firm, whatever dark force has infiltrated Mawson and Williams. But we haven't even done anything to them.

We've perhaps nudged the Hornet's nest. a little? No, no, no, no, no, you. You have. Ideally, we would keep running. To the front of the train, there we would disperse. And how exactly do we disperse on a moving train? Well, that's why I said ideally. There's problems. Oh, you surprise me. The organisation of our gunmen are slick, organised and well-versed in catching and punishing their foes. Right. Which means they would employ a far more effective tactic of trapping us on a train. They wouldn't send one man walking up The carriages from J to A, they would send a second man to beginning in Coach A and walking the opposite direction.

How'd you know that? Because he's right here. Excuse me, sir. Went to get the windpipe, sorry. Don't worry, sir. It can feel like choking, but your airway has in fact just closed involuntarily. Your body is treating the trauma as if you're choking or drowning. Sherlock.

It's a spasm, really, so try not to panic, but I really do need you to black out. No, don't grab me. Get off. Please black out, otherwise I have to hit you again. Okay, there he goes. Lazy night. Lovely. What is going on?

I'm not entirely sure. While I frisk this sleepy gentleman, Haley, you need to look down through the end of the carriage. If a clean-shaven ball, 5'11 man with a wax barber jacket and timbre and boots comes through, let me know. Oh, we'll do. Watson? Yes, mate. Look out the train window.

You will eventually see a white rectangular post. It will flash by the window. Uh, yeah, it just did. Did you see the number? What, has a number? For God's sake, they're mile posts. I need to know the number. Okay, okay, okay, when's the next one?

In a mile, now, obviously. I meant in time, how much time? I've told you, this is easy. Haley? Nothing yet. When is the next one, Sherlock? The telegraph poles, 60 yards apart. Count them with me as they pass.

One, two, three, four. Four poles every three seconds. That's roughly three. meters for seconds, so 260 kilometres per hour, which would be 161.6 miles per hour. You saw the last mile post 21 seconds ago, so you should see the next one. Uh, now! Number? 46. 46. 46. 46. 46. So we're in Buckinghamshire. Four lines running from what I can see out there, not six, so we've passed late and buzzard. We won't be able to get off for 11 and a half minutes, possibly 12. Bugger? Bugger? What's, what's bugger? We don't have time. And our

man here doesn't have a gun on him. What do we do? What do we do? What do we do? It does have a knife. This way. Oh God. Through here. What are you doing? We're going to pass through Bletchley. There are neutral sections here. Neutral sections? What's, uh, what are neutral sections?

Shit! I see him! I see him! John, take the knife. No, no, no, I'm not stabbing anyone, mate. No, you're bloody not. Wedge it into the door here. Sorry, the train door that opens onto the track? Yes. The neutral sections will cause the train lights to dip. That is a signal that there is a power change over inside the train. The pantograph contact pressure from above will fluctuate. God Almighty. And that causes the split second voltage drop.

He's coming first. Oh my god, oh my god! He's pointing the gun! Sherlock! You wait for the light to go out, Watson. My light are going to go out in a minute. You wait. No, you figure something out. I have figured something out. Well, I'm holding the door at knife point. It doesn't feel like... Now, wedge the night!

You didn't! You did it! Pull! Pull with me, John! I could tell, mate! She was slow and come to a natural stop. We cannot wait that long. We must exit.

We are not going to exit. Yes we are. No, we're not. All right, yes we are, yes we are. Wait for the tree line to return. And... Fun fact number 26 about Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes has over 130 roundabouts more per square mile than almost anywhere in Europe.

That's fascinating stuff. Right? Fun fact, number... Please stop. Oh, sorry, sorry, what are you doing to lift the mood? I am not doing or saying anything to lift the mood. The mood does not require any alteration. I think you'll find it does, right, Haley?

Yeah, no, I'm fine with just walking to Milton Keynes and getting home. Yeah, but would you rather walk in total silence or... Total silence. Oh, really? Yeah. Just looking up physiotherapists in Milton Keynes. I think I did my shoulder when I jumped out. That, and I went straight into brambles.

Look at that. Cuts up my arm, probably some on my back. Can someone check my back? No? Great. Great. Just trudged through the fields of Buckinghamshire in total silence, then. Cool.

Great. Oh, God's sake, it's 2 o'clock in the morning. Well, that's good news. You'll be early. I'll be early? Yes, by the time we have walked to Milton Keynes Station, I'd say a little over four hours at this rate. You can get on the 640 to Birmingham News Street.

Oh, right. Okay. It's just one thing, actually, that might make that problematic. Oh, yes. What, exactly? I don't want to walk to Milton Key Station and get on the 640 to Birmingham News Street. Of course, I understand. I completely understand. I apologise. Thank you. The 640. You have to change at Nun Eaton. In which case, the 652 would be direct...

Kill him. I'm going to... Ow! Why don't you just? I don't know what you want with me! Watson, help her lady talons are in me. You sort of deserve this at this point, mate. I just saved us from a gunman. The gunman was there because of you!

Yes, but as this curious little mystery unfolds, we will be able to decipher actually what the gunman and his associates are after. My life is not... Sherlock, are we perhaps letting Haley off the hook here, Seeing as it's quite clear she's not some thug. Ah, yes. I realised that just before I landed. Before you landed? In the bramble bush.

You realised that she was innocent as you were jumping off a moving train? That's correct. At what point were you going to tell me that? At what point were you going to apologise? Because it would have been helpful if you had said it before jumping. Did I not vocalise it mid-flight? No. Ah, apologies. Yes, well, I am doubting and reshaping my original hypothesis.

It happens. You were merely caught up in the initial summations I made. Caught up? Yes, you see, I have to eliminate the impossible. And, oh, Watson, hell! Please, like, you've just got to leave me alone. Haley, he's right. He's not right about anything. You don't just get to walk away and be off the hook.

I mean, yeah, you're not a suspect, but just something, for God's sake. Great. Great, I've missed the 808. Well, you wouldn't have if you'd have walked at the pace I instructed. I swear to God. Sherlock, just and Haley, please, calm down. Calm down. Okay, okay, sorry, I didn't mean calm down.

Sorry, I haven't had a girlfriend for a while. I forgot I'm not supposed to say that. Look, there are some dangerous criminals in London. They have taken over a financial institution. It's like 150 years old. Oh, wow, great. Don't care. What Sherlock is saying is that Mawson and Williams is like, It's like a ship, right, that is now being run by pirates, but...

But hardly anyone knows it apart from us, yeah? I mean, I have some complaints about the metaphor, but fine. And they are using you. No, you are using me. He is using me. I've got nothing against Mawson and Williams for fuck's sake. I accepted a job offer, then I got offered something better. It's not personal.

It's business. They know that. Shush now. Excuse me. Yeah, Sherlock, they don't like that either. Calm down, shushing, it's all off limits. I said shush. Making a phone call.

To who? Exactly. Morrison and Williams. Yes, hello. I am Milton. Bletchley. Milton Bletchley. Good sake.

Pretty early over there, I bet. I'm calling from Singapore. Not sure if you've seen the markets this morning. Is Haley Pyecroft there? She'll know what it's regarding. Let me check. Hold, please. What is wrong with you?

Nothing wrong as such, just a deviation from typical thinking patterns and social behaviours. Remind me what school you went to, Haley. School? Yes. Are you actually? School, now. Hall Grove, just a tiny schooling bagshot. Tiny?

Wonderful. Co-educational, I hope. Yeah. Excellent. Class of... 2017. Splendid. Okay, right.

Well, you do your thing. I've got to go and be late for work. No sleep covered in mud and cow shit. And if I've got time on my lunch break, I can hopefully get an... X-ray on what I'm pretty sure is a broken wrist. So good luck with this little adventure you're on. Haley Pyecroft speaking. What?

Haley Pyeley-Pycroft, Milton Bletchley. Hallgrove School in Bagshot, class of 2017. Remember? In Mr. Watson's class? We all do. I'm very good. Out here in Singapore. Coming to the end of a nasty day on the floor.

When did they offer you the job? Haley, Mawson and Williams. When? Three years ago. I had no idea. Dear you were at Mawson and Williams. How long have you been there? Oh, just over three years. Good for you.

Yeah, yeah, loving it, loving it. Great, ah, hold on, got a client. Let me call you back. Baby, you okay? Yeah, um, all that, um, walking and now. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Have a seat. Come here, there we go. There we go.

And... Deep breaths. Yeah, Sherlock, maybe. Have you to have a bottle of water from the shop? Of course. Deep breaths. Here we go. What's going on, John?

What's coming on? I... I don't know. I'm not asking her to do a day's work, Watson. Then what exactly are you asking? Because it feels a lot like we're currently on a commuter train to Birmingham. Yes, to her place of work at Franco Midland Headquarters. Sherlock, she is exhausted, coated in mud.

And worst of all, she has a clone, apparently, involved in financial crimes in London. She really does not need a day at work right now. That's correct. What the hell are we... Hayley, hey there, Haley. Hi. Come have a seat.

Good toilet, good toilet trip, thinking about going myself. Yeah, it was all right. Cool, cool, sir. It's always a bit of a weird one when you're a bloke. You know, do you stand up and piss and risk a little wobbling on the tracks, potentially disastrous consequences, especially on a plane, bit of turbulence. Bam, you get it everywhere.

It's pretty obvious. You were talking about me. You don't have to hide it. Yeah, we were talking about you. How long left? Uh, if you go and come back in maybe five minutes? No, the journey. Oh, a little over 20 minutes until Birmingham New Street. And what? You're going to follow me home, are you?

Not at all. Good. We're going to follow you to Franco Midland Head Office. You think I'm going to work? Not quite. You take us there, get us in the building, we'll do the rest. Sorry, let me just try. I follow exactly what you're saying. You know they're not Mawson and Williams, right?

Mm-hmm. They're Franco Midland. Yes. The people I work for. Person you work for, but yes. Yeah, there's just Harry. That's literally it. Harry.

Harry Pinner, CEO, but it's a global company. Haley, we are accompanying you on this journey to Birmingham for your own safety and protection. But now I wish for you to take us on another journey, one that began three years ago and I promise you our presence alongside you is for your own good not ours

you want to know the story of how I am where I am we need to know that story Miss Puycroft so many things depend on it right okay

I graduated from King's College in London I'm from Surrey bagshot, obviously, but went straight to London. Finance was, yeah, not my ideal job, but, you know. Safe? Exactly. Seemed the safest. I appreciate someone was firing a gun at me last night, so finance may have been the wrong choice after all. I did a graduate scheme at Harcourt, which was just like a trading arm of a kind of conglomerate of banks. Then they offered a role at the end of it.

I was genuinely going to take it, but then I was kind of advised by my parents to not just take the first thing that came my way. I had a good degree, master's from a good uni, but now I had a really good internship. So the CV was already like, yeah, like I could assess my options. And I applied for a few paces. And Morsim and Williams was one of the ones,

that called me in for an interview. It was a Friday. I remember that because the internship was finishing that day and I was able to squeeze this in on my lunch break. I felt like a spy or something. Sneaking out of the office, pretending I was going to grab a sandwich,

but I went straight to the offices of Mawson & Williams. Nailed the interview, said all the right thing. Stop. What? What is it? Who did you speak to? It was a junior HR person. the person who would be my line manager and then the manager of my actual team. Who else?

Who else? Nobody. Nobody at all. You entered the building, got accreditation, I assume. Yeah, I signed in at the reception. Then what? They took a photo of me, printed it out to put on a visitor's pass. I filled out the details.

What kind of details? details like date of birth, address. Address? Yes. To security personnel at reception? Yes. And was the address printed for this pass of yours? No, that just had my face.

Who I was meeting with and the date, I guess. And that I was a visitor. And I assume they offered you a role in the interview. Would that be right? How did you know that? That's the only way this would work. What would work? You spoke to the security member as you left, did you not?

No. Yes, you did. No, I didn't. I was running out of time, and... No, wait. I was buying a sandwich across the road, and he came in. Who came in? The guy that had been on reception.

He was getting lunch as well, and he asked how... it went. And you told him? I told him I got the job. I know it has been three years, Haley. But did that security staff member resemble either of the men we saw tonight on that train? Oh, fuck. I, um... Yes or no? Yeah, yeah. They could have been. They could have been. It's okay, Haley. After your interview, you were visited that evening. How the hell do you know that? He took your address. He did. I... I got the train back to Wonsworth. I went into the shared house that I was in on Waldron Road. I think I called my parents whilst I was making dinner.

I think that's what I was doing. And then there was a knock at the door, and I didn't answer it because, you know. London. Yeah, they knocked again, and my dad goes, someone's at the door. And I just said, yeah, but I won't answer. He said, oh, she's rude now. She's in London or something. and I said, fine, you're right, I'll answer it.

I remember joking and saying, if I get murdered, you're going to feel really bad. So then, after that joke, my mum said, well, we're staying on the phone, so yeah, that was a whole thing. Answered the door, assumed it was for Abigail, who was the girl I lived with. She wasn't in, and the guy goes, listen, I'm Harry Pinner. He hands over a business card. He's so, like he knows this isn't cool. And he says, we recruit the best talent we can, you know? And he's going on about that.

And he says, look, they all do it. Meaning what? They all have these aggressive recruitment techniques, even turning up at your door. He says, we know who's been made offers to. We know, like, who's coming up on people's personnel searches, head hunting profiles, like that kind of thing. And he says, Mawson and Williams always get the best people.

But now we want the best people. My mum and dad are obviously having a field day on the other end of the phone. And so Harry says, plain as day, he says, Look, I'm having a drink with a friend up the road. You enjoy your night, your weekend. If you want to chat, I'm there. But whatever Mawson and Williams have offered you will triple it.

Give me a call before Monday. Wow. Yeah. Wow. Like, wow. And he leaves. He leaves. I go inside.

I'm talking to my parents for so long. I literally, I down a pint of water after the call, because my mouth is just so dry from talking and talking and being excited. and being doubtful, but they were supportive of it, right? I mean, this is how they made their money, not just jumping at the first offer, but playing the field, surveying options and all of this. I'm literally about to shower, and I just think, sod it.

I run down to the Brewers Inn. There's Harry. I said, right, tell me everything. And that's when he says it's in Birmingham. Everything, the whole lot kicks off on Monday. He wants to be there from day one. I say, let's do it. And that was it?

And that was it, yeah. There must have been one final piece. What do you mean? Mawson and Williams were under the impression that you were going to begin your employment on that Monday, correct? Correct. And, on that very Monday, the Trojan horse appeared at their city gates and they waved it inside, at their doom. What do you mean?

Somebody who looked like you, who said their name was Haley Pichroft, came into the building, signed themselves in and started at the time they expected Haley Pichroft to come in and start. And they let her write in. No, no, because I sent an email. To whom? To the email of... I was given a card regarding the employment to reach out to. Who handed you the card? The member of the security staff.

Oh, shit. We're now approaching Birmingham New Street, which is our final stop. I thought he was just a creepy weird bloke that I don't know, wanted a girl in the office with him and just had a ton of money to do that. Who? Harry. Harry Pinner. That's CEO, apparently.

Jesus Christ. I knew that Franco Midland hardly had any business, and I was just like reaching out for new ventures with these bullshit emails. Shipping and logistics things. Making presentations. No client accounts, no incoming stuff. I'd raise questions and concerns,

and I'd just get a raise. And I just, yeah, like, I just came to the conclusion that he was rich and lonely. and was using this company as a means to, I don't know, not be lonely anymore. And this, this is exactly where I've been like, I've got to go. I've got to get out. Forget the money and just go, a graft at the bottom like I was going to in London. Be a stockbroker's clerk, which is what I should have done, but no.

I just got addicted to being well paid. feeling important, being a scepho or whatever. Oh, God. Look, you figured it out now? No. He figured it out. Well, yeah. I mean, that is his job.

And I am rather good at it. And I didn't even see it. No. Actually, it's worse than that, isn't it? Like, I did see it. I saw it. I saw it and I did nothing. You know, you know why?

because I'm materialistic and I've fallen for this. This same thing that everyone falls for, that money is everything. It's everything. And that is, that is sad. Oh, so sad. Fuck. Why are you nodding? I'm being emotionally supportive.

Haley, you're blaming yourself because you think that gives you control. but it doesn't. I can understand the impulse. Of course I can. After discovering what has been done to your identity, to want to try and get a grip on it, find a way in which it was you and your actions. But someone won this round, and that's okay,

because we're going to win the next round. Yeah? Yeah. Yeah. It's in this building here. Does he usually arrive before you do? Yeah. What is your typical arrival time?

I mean, definitely earlier than this. I see. Is this it? Like, does he have an office or anything? It's just the two of us, so no. It's just, we work in here. There's a meeting room at the back there. Come.

Yeah, let's check it out. Anybody in there, mate? Nobody. Hello? Mr. Pinner? Haley, maybe you call him. You're... You okay?

Okay? Yeah. What? What is it? Everything is, um... Everything is like, fine in place, but that has... has been vandalized. What is it? It's, um, an artwork that I had put up.

Old ships. It was all made of rope. It kind of snaked around the picture and made these cool coils and things. But the rope is gone. Yeah. Torn from the canvas it looks like. What are you doing? Checking the windows.

What, you think he climbed out? Rope like that is required for two things in this scenario. And both of them serve as a means to escape the concert. of one's actions. No signs of escape this way. Right, so climbing out the window, that's one. Yes. What's the other? You said there were two things for rope to escape the consequences.

Haley! Oh my God! Haley! What is it? What is it? What's in that room? It's not a room. It's a stairwell. Haley, we're gonna go, look, just...

Just wait right here. Okay. Okay. Sherlock, what is it? What is it? What are you? She saw, Watson, the hanging corpse of Harry Pinner. Binge this adventure in full, and without ads, go to patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and Cove.