The Hoax and the Vanished Holmes

1 The peaceful Meiringen valley lies under the mountains; a dark gorge breathes spray

2 Above the Reichenbach chasm, Holmes leans on a boulder, arms folded, beside the Swiss lad

3 A doctor looks back up the hillside at a small black figure striding toward the falls

4 Landlord Peter Steiler's grey brows lift in surprise at Watson's question

5 Watson sprints down the empty Meiringen street, the hoax letter crumpled in his fist

6 Holmes's alpine-stock stands alone against the wet black boulder, the only trace of him

7 Horrified, Watson lies flat in the mud at the brink of the Reichenbach chasm, shouting

8 Watson's trembling hands hold three torn note-book pages written in Holmes's calm pencil

9 Watson reads Holmes's farewell letter, which admits the Meiringen message was a hoax