Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

This was the first time I saw Holmes like this. He was sitting by the fireplace smoking a cigarette and looking at the fireplace silently. It was clear that the case had been solved and the murderer had been executed on the spot, but there was no joy on Holmes' face. This is a bizarre case. Three serial murders occurred in the distant Wicker County, and each one was like a miracle. An old woman froze to death on the beach on a summer night; a priest was struck by lightning in full public view and spontaneously combusted on a rainy night; an old man was buried shallowly on the edge of a pond but died of dehydration. Just then, Holmes broke the silence: "If I had never received this commission, maybe I wouldn't have to face this unsolvable problem."