Chapter 1: What mysterious events surround Richard Brunton's disappearance?
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Look, I don't want to hurt his feelings, especially on his birthday, but sometimes we have to take a little bit of pain to ease the bigger pain of our friends, right?
John, he could be... I mean, he could be going through something right now. His brain works differently to you and me.
Going through something, please.
No.
Sherlock's late for the funeral. What? What? If that's why you've been acting off, you know, doing erratic things, then I understand. I haven't been off or doing erratic things. Ah, 39 seconds. That lasted. Are you OK, Sherlock? Hmm. Can't help question my detachment. Perhaps her deliberate emotional mechanism, maybe. Sherlock mentioned he was a, um...
A teacher at your, at the college, Dulwich College? Mr. Musgrave, yeah. A good teacher. Good man. it has all been a rather challenging predicament.
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Chapter 2: How does Reginald Musgrave describe his relationship with his father?
The decision to come to the funeral or simply let it pass me by. Why would you not come? That's Reginald Musgrave. His son. Mr. Musgrave was so lovely, but Reginald was, oh... A tyrant. The devil adorned in human flesh. A bastard. A wanker. A platinum-plated prick. Oh, all right. Okay, let's just... Mr. Musgrave had such a soft spot for Sherlock. His son, Reginald, however...
There is, I'm afraid to say, an observation that lingers unfiled. Is there indeed? Yes, and it's rather an important one. You said you needed it. Needed it? You said the trick of deduction. You needed it. Why, Reginald Musgrave, do you require my services? Services?
Sherlock runs a detective agency.
Chapter 3: What role does the castle's history play in the current mystery?
What are your plans for this weekend? The Musgraves have been at Hurlstone Castle for nearly 700 years. When my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his very first act, before treatment plans, before wills, was to arrange for my succession there. Most would have called it a gift. He, I hope, understood. It was rather more of a burden just three weeks ago.
Richard Brunton, my esteemed project manager, leading expert in the high medieval period, vanished off the face of the earth.
Part two of four of the Musgrave Ritual. A little bit of turbulence ahead. Swearing aplenty, as usual. Drugs, they show up, as they are prone to do. And, yeah. See you at the end.
Hi there. My name is Richard Brunton. I'm one of the leading heritage development directors here in the UK. As the founder here at Stonecraft, we have redeveloped and restored hundreds of Britain's most treasured and fabled heritage sites.
From Underloom House in Shropshire, to Minam's Tower in Northumberland, and Astley's Keep in Aberdeenshire, all of which now spearhead the UK's premium hospitality industry. all of which were saved from decay and demolition. If you have a listed property that faces these same threats, then please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
You can find me personally in the chat box below, or at Richard at Stonecroft.
I just can't believe how cold this is.
Okay, shall I see if I've got yet another jumper in the car?
Yeah. Maybe one that doesn't say Stamos Stag 2025 on it.
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Chapter 4: What unusual observations does Sherlock make about the castle?
Oh, ew. No. Ew, ew, ew.
No.
Please, let's just get this fire started.
It has started. But the hearth is so vast, we're losing heat.
Hey, look. What? I've got the cupcake. Oh, nice. Light it on the fire?
Excuse me, Sherlock, let me just... Here we go. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Sherlock. Happy birthday to you. Wow, that's a cupcake you've sat on. Yeah, but I only sat on this bit of it, though. The rest of it is bum-free and delicious.
Is this our client coming in? I hope it will help with the heating. Right?
Thank you for the cupcake, team. Very, very kind. What a birthday, eh? Big creepy castle, freezing cold, missing bloke. Doesn't get better for you, does it?
Hi.
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Chapter 5: How does the conversation shift to the significance of the battleaxe?
I'm Marianna.
Hello there. I'm Reginald. It doesn't get any worse. You all got in all right, I see? Splendid. Terrific. Sherlock, goodness, so sorry for the delay, old boy. One has to get everything in place at the city apartment before I, well, yes, well, head out to this place. Give us a shake, old boy. There we go.
You have the grip of a serpent.
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. Hardly surprising, of course, given he was already well into his later years when I arrived on the scene, as it were.
Yes, well, everyone else had a marvellous relationship with him. So perhaps the problem wasn't him.
Yes, perhaps you're right, eh? One can harbour ill feelings that are largely frustrations against oneself, can't they? Oh, let me see if I can flick the kettle on and get some hot water bottles going. Two ticks. Utter arsehole.
Who? That despicable fellow.
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Chapter 6: What clues emerge from the discussion about Richard's last known actions?
The Reginald guy?
Yeah.
Are you hating on posh people now like he does? Um, I don't hate on posh people. Yes, you do. Last week, you kicked that boy's ball away in the park because his name was Balthazar.
Oh, well, I mean, come on. Balthazar? That's fair. Plus, I could hear him talking about a skiing trip.
Oh, so now he can't go skiing?
To answer your point, Sherlock hates him because he was brutally bullied by Reginald Musgrave at school.
Oh, my God. Sherlock, I'm so sorry. That's awful. Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?
Your lips are blue.
I... what?
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Chapter 7: What does Higgs reveal about the day Richard disappeared?
For god's sake, Sherlock, what's happening with this fire? It is a castle. How exactly would you plan on heating this 700-year-old building the size of the Royal Albert Hall? I thought he said construction was all sorted downstairs. Well, we know he's a deceitful man, don't we? Hence this elaborate, affable persona he has developed. Can we be serious for a moment?
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, try and warm myself up. everyone, and, um, welcome to Hurlstone Castle in Sussex. This is the voice of the late podcaster John Watson, who froze to death at the age of 36. Um... Yeah, the thing is, when you live with a detective that blatantly has aristocratic heritage, even though he never talks about it, you end up with a lot of gigs like this.
This particular gig being the disappearance of Richard Brunton from an actual castle. Um... Yeah, I've been looking him up, actually. He's, well, he's sort of an elite project manager for property development. Well, redevelopment. Once the hotel renovation got the green light, he got the job and got cracking on giving this place new purpose. Another chapter in the annals of Hurlstone Castle.
And what annals, I have to say. Built in... Nope, not going to do that spiral staircase, that's mental. I'll walk this way instead. Built in the 13th century, the 1200s. That's right. But why was a castle built in Sussex all that time ago, John? Well, you of course know that the Second Barons' War between 1264...
And 1267 was a civil war in England between the forces of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the future King Edward I. Yeah, that was Wikipedia, sorry. But yeah, some old Musgraves, royalist fanboy Musgraves, I should add, built this place for defence and it became...
as unbelievable as it is to say when you're staring at cobwebs dangling 20 feet above your head, a home.
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Chapter 8: How does the episode conclude with a shocking discovery?
They stayed as staunch royalists and... Oh, shit. Literally just walked into a knight in shining armour. Oh, sorry, mate, let's put you back together. For fuck's sake, 1645, that's ancient. Have I broken anything? Uh, mm-hmm. I don't think so. Right. There we go. This way. So, yeah, well, that shiny knight over there fought out the next civil war, the big one, 1640s.
His lot, I'm afraid to say, lost. And the king, Charles I, lost his head. And this fortress, to hearten the royalists and strike fear into the parliamentarians... Well, it became a home, and as we know, every good home needs weaponry on the wall. Nice sword collection here, and... Yeah... Actually... I think I should... Probably... Sherlock! Sherlock!
I'm just going to run something by the boss man. Yes, Watson. Oh, yikes. What is that? That is a battleaxe. Indeed. I'm not overreacting, am I? There's a battleaxe on the floor. Yes. Picked up and wielded somewhat recently. See the grip of hands silhouetted against the dust. Do you want me to grab Reginald? By the throat. Be my guest.
Will you just... It's the only weapon you can really reach without a ladder, I guess.
Well noted. But why would someone in this castle require a battle axe? Well, there's no renovations done to this wall. Or this hallway, actually. Couldn't have been cleared for that. No. Plans state that this hallway isn't part of the hotel refurbishment. It ends by the dining room and spans all the way to the pantry lodges. So what's down this way?
Well, fortunately, that deceitful Reginald gave you a floor plan. And, um... It looks like... The... The library?
Did Reginald mention the builders using the library at all for, I don't know, storage or breakout space? They have a site office outside and a barn for storage. These areas are off-limits. Yeah, but... It would be a fierce stipulation from any heritage trust, John. The hotel renovation is taking part in a much younger part of the building, post-Civil War. This is all pre-1640.
It must be preserved. Sherlock, I realise he is your mortal enemy. We have no enemies and we have no friends. We have only a case and its suspects. Do you understand? Right, so we have a battleaxe.
And a bunch of questions.
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