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Previously on Sherlock and Co. Penny Montgomery, known for her iconic role as Lady Frances Carfax in the long-running detective series The Lady Doth Investigate, has been reported missing. No. Miss Montgomery was last seen aboard the cruise line at the Montpellier, which is due to dock in the port of Alexandria in northern Egypt at 3pm today.
How does a woman go missing on a ship? There's innumerable answers to that question, Watson. Well, maybe if you have a think and actually come up with something, we could help the investigation.
Search for Penny Montgomery, assistant. And before you ask why, it's because that is how the observations present themselves. So you might want to ask her why she has recently parted company with Miss Montgomery shortly before her disappearance. Been going on for a couple of years. There was suddenly this man in her life. This guy started to, what's the word?
No, nothing like that. He started to infringe. That's it, infringe on my responsibilities with Penny. Visual description? Um, short, stocky, very, like, sun-kissed. Sun-worn, kinda, you know what I mean? He had quite a lot of jewellery on him. Bracelets, necklace rings? Yeah. Watch? Mm, and a gold tooth. Earrings? Earring. Single. The other ear was...
Damaged. Like, uh, like cauliflower here from rugby or boxing? No, it was kind of torn. The lobe area was kind of torn off. I've seen plenty of investigations in my time, believe me. And you guys seem to really care about how you conduct them. So, here. Oh, what's... What is that? It's a key to her flat. Oh, she wants to quit the show and live a normal life. Yes. Yes, and she just wants some...
some normal slobby guy in some little cottage or something? Maybe in Europe. Yeah, completely. What absolute bollocks. Ornaments, sculptures, artworks, an antique mirror from this wall, two bronze figures that stood just here.
So, she...
Sold it all? Indeed. But why? For that, we must depart for another destination. We must track her last known movements. But that would involve going to Switzerland, Sherlock. Then we shall go to Switzerland, Watson. Chop-chop! Chop-chop!
Three, two, one. Hello, it's me. And it's you. And together we make the perfect podcasting team. Me the maker, you the listener. Dream team. Dream team. The adventure continues. Trigger warnings in description. But that's the usual shit, let's be honest. It contains swearing. Enjoy.
You're not coming? No. Why not? Because my time would be better spent tracking the financial demise of Penny Montgomery right here in London. Plus, I have meetings. Meetings? You have meetings? Yes, regarding my spider. And I don't wish to forego them for the sake of some celebrity scandal. Sherlock, you just pointed out how bad we are at deducing. Then you could do with the practice. Your destination is the Hotel National in Lausanne.
Good luck. You will need it in abundance. Yeah, thanks. Keep in touch. Only if I must. Bye-bye. Yeah, bye, mate. Great. Any ideas on where we start? Gate 35, I think. No, I meant... Right, yes. Maybe book us in for a night at the Hotel National? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'll do that. And also, I think it's...
best for the investigation if I have the window seat on the flight. Oh, you think that, do you? I do, yeah. Yeah, I just want to make sure that, you know, we find her. And I really feel that the window seat... Shut up! Ow! Don't poke me! You! You deserve it! Lady Frances!
I'm not so sure about this. Oh, Wilton, you fret over nothing. I fret over this giant pitch-black cave, ma'am. Mystery thrives in the shadows, Wilton. Yes, that is my concern, Lady Frances. The only thing you should concern yourself with is the truth. Oh, drat!
Merciful heavens! What? What is it, Wilton? Oh, I've stepped right into this foul-smelling puddle. My new loafers. Ruined. Wilton. This guy, honestly, is an absolute div. You have orange juice all down your shirt. It was the turbulence I said this. Uh-huh. Do you reckon I could get a refund? On the orange juice. I meant on the flight.
No, John, I don't. Well, that is enough the lady doth investigate for me. Better were you out there anyway. Oh, yeah. Wow. That's beautiful. Hey, did I say you could use my window? Do you want to get poked in the ribs again? You know, I was expecting the Alps, but...
I'll take that. Lakes and forests. You'll see the Alps from Lausanne. But they're to the south. Cool. And we are right on the lake. Lake Geneva. Yeah. Look. On the booking here. Switzerland on one side. France on the other. Oh, nice. So nice.
Super romantic. Ah, yeah. Yeah, we can finally be romantic with each other. Yeah, you're pretty irresistible with your orange juice shirt. Yeah, that's what I was going for. Sure. My plan, by the way, might involve something a little risque. Oh, OK. I got myself...
Some of these bad boys at the airport? Yeah, so I saw this come up on the business account app. Why do you have 300 Swiss francs in cash? Because I would very much like to speak to the manager, if you know what I mean. No, I don't know. Get a few answers to a few questions. Is that a wink? Is it not working? Let me try it with the other eye.
Do you realise... Actually, I may take a picture. Do you realise how stupid you look right now? Listen, if you can't read between lines, that's your problem, OK? Cash plus questions equals answers. Oh, you want to bribe the manager of the Hotel Nacional? Yes. With money from our business account? Yeah. What? What's that face for? It's not illegal, it's our money. It absolutely is illegal. What? They're not...
They're not government officials. They run a hotel. That is a business account. Yeah. Even I could get arrested for not stopping you in the act of bribing the manager. What offence is that, exactly? There. You see? You don't even know. A commercial organisation failing to prevent bribery by an associated person. That is an offence. Really? Since 2010, yes.
Fine. Fine and imprisonment. No, I'm saying fine. Like, fine. I won't do it. Okay. Good. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Henshaw from the flight deck. We're now starting our descent into Geneva with an expected landing in about 15 minutes. Weather on the ground is clear and rather warm at 19 degrees centigrade.
If you're sitting by a window, you might catch a glimpse of the Alps on the right hand side for those lucky enough with the expanse of Lake Geneva below. Definitely a sight to enjoy as we make our approach. As we get close to landing, please make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened, your seatback is upright and any larger devices are stowed in the seats in front of you. For those heading to Luzon, there are easy connections from Geneva Airport to the city, taking around three quarters of an hour.
If this is your final stop, we hope you have a lovely time here in Switzerland. And if you're catching another flight, we wish you a smooth onward journey. On behalf of myself and the whole crew on board, thanks for flying with us today. Cabin crew, prepare for landing. 45 minutes to Lausanne. Yeah. Now we get in there. Train? Well, I figured, with Sherlock not joining us, we could afford to be a little more adventurous. Cheers. Cheers.
Hello everyone! We are bobbing along on our little ferry across the absolutely stunning
Lake Geneva. I feel like Captain Corelli's mandolin. Well, I don't feel like his mandolin. I feel like Captain Corelli. That's Italian. All right. I feel like... What's her name in the Sound of Music? Can you maybe pick something that doesn't involve war? Well, no. Probably not. Yeah, I thought as much. You join us, lovely listeners, as we head across Lake Geneva to investigate the disappearance of Lady... Oh, no! Good Lord.
nearly called a Lady Frances Carfax, the disappearance of Penny Montgomery. The water is so clear and still just... On our right you can see France showing off the Alps mountains with snow glistening on their sharp peaks, with the beautiful forests and woodlands clambering at their foothills.
it's switzerland on the left and the ancient stone spires and meccano like wooden piers protruding out from the city of lausanne that has this incredible front row seat over this lake it's mounted it is wow there's nothing more beautiful than this nothing even comes closer actually this is the most beautiful thing that is a pint of beer yes it is yeah yeah what is that again
Matterhorn. Which is? Vodka, crème de cacao, cream. Right, so vodka, cream and more cream. And then this little Swiss chocolate garnish. Can I try a sip? I told you to get something that wasn't just beer. All you drink is beer. I told you to get something different and you didn't. So no. I'm recording all this. Obviously. So what?
So, the listeners all think you're great and now you're exposing your true self. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, sure. Yeah, um... Hi, listeners. This is my true self. Hi. God, this guy. Have you ever seen a richer-looking guy in your life? Nope. Look how many waitstaff he's got buzzing around him.
Oh, God, he's doing the wine tasting thing. That's what people do, John. Yeah, but not like that. OK, let's maybe not get you annoyed. Cheers? Yeah, cheers to Lake Geneva and finding Penny. Cheers to Penny. Oh, and to Sherlock. Oh, yeah, that guy. Cheers. Nice. Oh, shit. Oh, sorry, that was... Yeah, I'm genuinely sorry about that. That...
Genuinely sorry, that was an insult to the people of Switzerland and um... Oh, the rich guy is staring! Is everything all right, sir? Madame? Sorry, yeah. Uh, oui. Mon ami ici est juste un peu gasseux et pas très brillant. Je comprends parfaitement. Demandez-lui de garder son comportement stupide pour sa chambre. Ah oui, je le ferai bien sûr. Mes excuses, monsieur... Mon nom est Monsieur Moser.
This is an English language podcast, so...
I cannot divulge information about our guests. This is Penny, right? Penny Montgomery? Enjoy your time here. Enjoy your drinks. But wait, wait. You remember her being here? She was here for a sufficient period of time, yes. How long? Monsieur, please. Monsieur Mosser, this is Dr. John Watson and I am Mariana Mezzazurra. We are investigators from London.
It is a pleasure to meet you and to have you at her hotel, but I cannot reveal further information regarding a guest at this hotel. But we are investigators. Sir, with the greatest respect, I have rejected many journalists today, and I'm sure I will reject many tomorrow. We're not journalists. Please, I cannot. Everybody knows our onward journey. It is public record.
The police mentioned Baden-Baden in Germany, and then the sheep, the Vessel Montpellier. This is in the report I read today. The hotel divulges none of this. You understand? Was she here with somebody, or was she alone? Enjoy your drinks. Monsieur Mozart, my friend enjoyed his beer very much, and he would enjoy answers to our questions even more. Which is why he wants to tip the waiter of this table 300 Swiss francs.
In the meantime, we would like to be shown to our room. Madame. Merci, Monsieur Mosser. Au revoir. Just gonna leave that right there. It's a great beer. You. What? It was your idea. Yeah, and you told me it was illegal. Hey, if it works and we find her, it will balance out. Oh yeah, that's how the law works.
Oh, for once, I would just like him to leave voice notes. I just get messages from him saying, busy, can't message. Well, leave a bloody voice note. Yeah, I think he's done like one voice note to me the whole time I've known him. Anyway, you lot, sorry, just whinging about Sherlock. Some extra special shout-outs from a hotel room balcony overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps. G'day to Esther and their dad Simon, who listen in Australia.
And also to Dan in Australia, who thinks we should do this as a TV show. I agree, Dan. I agree. Thanks, mate. Shout out to Marlene in New York, who likes to laugh at me when I try and speak Spanish. Gracias, Marlene. Shout out to Betty and their dad, too. To Jasper in Brazil. A quick sip of beer here. Apologies. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Wait, what's your oh, my God?
Look, this just came through our door. What does it say? Brûler après avoir lu. Meaning? Meaning burn after reading. Well, open it then. Wait, what's your Oh My God? Oh, yeah, I'll go first. Sure. Okay, this is like a shout-out, but...
Like, you will see what I mean. Rathin in Minnesota has been in touch. And he listened while driving cross-country from San Jose to Minneapolis, where he and his partner Abigail moved back home. Sure, okay. They recently bought their first home. Rathin goes on to say that Abigail is...
The most kind, supportive, thoughtful partner anyone could ask for. Oh. And he feels lucky to have her by his side every day. Oh. And he cannot wait to spend the rest of his life with her. So, Abigail, will you marry Raffin?
I'm silent because I'm giddy, but also because I'm waiting, like, for her reply. Yeah, I mean, she can't answer. It's a podcast, so... Yeah, anyway, there you go. Keep in touch, Rathen and Abigail. Unless she says no, in which case... Yeah, don't tell us if that happens. Cheers. Cheers! See? Told you the trip could be romantic. You were right. Right, let me get matches for the letter. Two sixes.
Ta-da! Matches, courtesy of Hotel National. OK. We burn it after reading. Dumbass. What is wrong with me? That marriage proposal has completely thrown me. Maybe it's the three beers. Who knows? Yeah, who knows? Right, let's read. Miss Montgomery was booked to stay for three weeks. Blimey. OK.
At the end of the second week, a tall bearded man arrived on our lakefront dining space. He sat at her table and following a very heated conversation, our staff intervened. She left shortly after. We have no contact from her since. Her room remained unused for the duration of her booking. That's the end. A tall bearded man? Yes. What do we think? I think we have our kidnapper.
Hello, I'm William Durrumpal. And I'm Anita Arnand. And we are the hosts of Empire, also from Goldhanger. And we're here to tell you about our recent miniseries that we've just done on The Troubles. In it, we try to get to the very heart of the violent conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the 1960s all the way up to the mid-1960s.
up to 1998. It's something that we both lived through and remember from our childhoods, but younger listeners may not know anything about it. And it's the time when there was division along religious and political lines. Neighbours turned against each other. Residential city streets became battlegrounds. Thousands were killed.
and the IRA bombed London. It seemed as if an end was out of reach, but in 1998, a peace process finally brought those 30 years of violence to an end. But the memory of the troubles is still present, not only within Northern Irish communities who experienced it, but
but in international relations and political approaches to peace. And new audiences are starting to understand this national trauma through films like Belfast and kneecap and TV shows like Derry Girls. In fact, our guest on the miniseries is Patrick Radden Keefe. Now, he's the author of the non-fiction book that inspired the hit TV drama Say Nothing.
It's one of my favourite books. It's, I think, the kind of in-cold blood for our generation, extraordinary work of non-fiction. And if you'd like to hear more about this very recent conflict that put Northern Ireland on the global stage and hear from Patrick Radden Keefe, we've left a clip of the miniseries at the end of this episode. To hear the full series, just search Empire wherever you get your podcasts.
Englischer Hof Baden-Baden Guten Tag, hi there. Is Brackenzie English? Yes, sir. Of course. Mein Name ist... He said he speaks English. Name is... Sorry. Name is Dr. John Watson. I'm inquiring after Penny Montgomery. Do you have the guest's room number? I don't. She left. She's vacated the room.
I'm actually a doctor. It's some very, very important medical information. Yeah, really quite urgent. I don't know if there's much I can do. If she's no longer in the hotel, sir, I do apologise. What if... Do you have a... Like a database of guests. Yes, yeah. Can you search her on your system? See if she left a number or anything at all? Let me see.
She left before her booking expired? Did she check out with anyone? Of course, yeah. Yeah, no, that's not working anyway. Came to see her when?
What was his name? Did...
Okay, do you have... He left a telephone number to be contacted if she returned. He did? Schlesinger, yes. I have the number here. Oh, fantastic. Lifesaver. Literal lifesaver. Can I send it to the number you're calling on? Yes, please do. Anything else on him? Yeah, anything else you have on him? You know, like where is he headed? Just in case I can't get a hold of him. He provided no identification. Like yourself, sir, he was concerned over her health. Yeah, yes, of course.
There's a note on the system for the same inquiry actually. Oh, what does that mean? A note? It says a man called yesterday asking for the description of Dr Schlesinger. Who called? What was the name of the person who asked for his description? I can see the call log. It says the caller was you. What? The caller. You. You gave the name Dr John Watson.
You then asked for a visual description of Schlesinger. No, I didn't! My colleague provided the description and then you interrupted my colleague. It wasn't me! Like you are interrupting me now. Faf... And you asked about his ear. His ear? Is this some sort of amusing prank? Well, apparently yes, and I seem to be the target. I have provided you with some entertainment. No, look, no, I'm not... I'm not trying to wind you up, okay? Thank you for the number, I appreciate that. Hello? Hello? Oh, great.
Great. John... Don't start. You called them. I did not call them. It's just some bloke taking the piss out of us as he drags this poor woman across Europe and then...
Chucks her off a cruise ship from the sounds of it. Give me your phone. Calm down. I'm going to call this guy. Yeah, yeah. Well, tell him he's impersonating a doctor. Well, he's impersonating a different doctor than the doctor that he... Just tell him to fuck off. Oh, wow. Hot phone. Yeah, I'm not surprised. No, no. You're getting loads of notifications. Oh, no. That's Discord and Twitter. It'll be the fans. They like to get in touch, chat with me, send abuse messages.
It's a whole thing. There's a news link they keep sending. Let me check. Oh. Oh no. What? Look. My name is Penny Montgomery. I am being held. No. Against my will. Please. Please help me.
There is a 24-hour window to save the life of Penny Montgomery. Oh my God. The Holy Pirates hold her captive. She will remain alive until that window closes. The ransom is 5 million US dollars. And that disturbing video has just come to us now with regards to the disappearance... There's a telegram account in the top corner. Look. Look. Oh, I have that app. I have that. Can I get you any more drinks? Yes. I'll come back. Okay. Okay.
OK, I can message. What shall I say? Say, we are investigators from London. OK, investigators from London. We are private, we have substantial financial backing. Yes, John, that's good, that's good. OK. And...
We want to use this opportunity to... for... Oh, for marketing, right? Exactly. To boost our profile, we can pay a ransom in full. Send. Oh, it's been read. Mm-hmm. Okay. Oh, typing. Typing. What is it? A phone number. Note it down. Are you... are you noting it down? Stop. Wait. That...
That's the same one. Schlesinger? Same. Look, see? Holy shit! Schlesinger doesn't really sound like the name of a North African pirate. Is this our bearded man? Well, he's wearing a balaclava, so who knows at this point. We know, John. We know. You can see, right?
He found her right here in Lausanne and she fled. He almost found her in Baden-Baden and she fled, but he was right behind her and then he finally caught up with her on the Montpellier cruise ship. And he takes her? He takes her. The bearded man? The bearded man. I'm calling it. It's happening. It's go time. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. You have the money? We do. Yep, we have it. Proof? Proof.
Proof. Proof. I know what to do. Two seconds, please. Excuse me. Hello. Hi. Hi. Hi, rich whiskey man. Can I help? Yes, you can. A big help. To a woman being held captive? What? Not her? Oh, no. No, no, no. Oh, not me. Not me. Another girl. Would you please take a screenshot of your bank account for me? No, I'm not falling for that.
Because you don't have a lot? I have plenty. Look, you can black everything you want to out. All of it. Just...
Please. She's given you a chance to show off your knob. Just do it. Show us how loaded you are. For God's sake. Fine. Hold... Just hold on. Michael, you really don't have to do this. They don't believe me. I've worked damn hard for this money and I won't have people thinking I'm some try-hard waxing out his credit card. Give me an AirDrop or a Bluetooth. Okay, you can connect to me here, Marimo. Alright. Or... Send.
See? Told you. I bloody told you. I have a yacht on the lake as well if you want to see that. Michael! Enough, Audrey. Alright? I heard you. Share that if you want. If it goes viral, I really don't mind. Sure. Yeah, okay. You got it, John? Yeah. Hello. Just sending you a screenshot of our account now. We are currently in Switzerland. You'll see from the...
top bit of the phone, the service provider. We are just surveying our vault, our bank vault we have here. You need to get to Alexandria. Alexandria in Egypt. Yep, we can do that. You land, you prove to me where you are and that you are alone. Then we can...
Yes, okay, okay, thank you. You just look after her, make sure she has lots of fluids. As in the video, she looks... Hello? We have to go. Now. Yeah. Maurice! I know this is fast, but can it go faster? Do you have the money for the fuel? If that's what it takes. Hell yeah. Bloody hell. Okay.
We have to make this flight. It will get us to Istanbul in three hours and it's due to Alexander. Okay, okay, I'll just keep running. I don't need to hear the itinerary, I believe you. Wait! No, no, wait, wait, wait, don't close it! Wait for us! We're passengers! Passengers! Oh God, my legs! You okay? Yeah, yeah, just, you know, sprinting between gates and then sitting still for three hours and sprinting again and sitting. I could do with like...
An ice bath, I think. Because the muscles, you know, particularly my calves... John. Hmm? Could we maybe call the kidnapper now? You know, and rescue the famous actress? Yeah, sure. We, uh... What was that? That was, uh... Some port workers. I think. Uh-huh. Oh, see? That guy there. And, uh, that guy. Okay, yeah.
Let me just ask this bloke if we're at the right gateway. Excuse me. Is this the only gateway for the port? The port of Alexandria? Yes, the gateway. Yeah, but does the... Okay, lovely. Is this the place? Apparently. Okay, make the call. Now, John, please. No, we need the proof we're here. You take a picture of us with the gateway to the Alexandria port behind us. Uh-huh, right. Selfie mode. Okay, um...
Okay, she... Oh, no, wait. Do we smile? I... Oh, yeah, that's weird. I feel like we should smile. Yeah, because if we don't smile, is that like, you know, a grizzly face we're coming to get you? But then, if we do smile, he will think we are not taking it seriously. Yeah, but what if I come across as too threatening? I don't think that's something we need to worry about. I have quite a cold stare without a smile. Take the damn picture. Okay, okay, here we go. Uh, yeah.
Yeah, okay, that'll do. Right, I'll share this image in... Oh, no, actually I need to send to you, so then you can share into your telegrammer. Hey. What, Mariana, what are you doing? Shh. What? In the picture. The picture? The one we just took. Look. Can you see? In the background, behind us. Oh, shit. Bearded man. Hello? John, I don't like this now. Shh.
Wait, this is what we're here for? No, no. We're here to rescue a woman not get beat up and thrown in the water by pirates. Actual pirates. It could be police. You don't know. Hello? Hello? Stop. He's there. Oh my God. I'm going over. John. John. All right, listen, mate.
I don't recall seeing a gun in that video and it looks to me like you're all alone now. Get back! Yeah, you know what? I don't think I will. Get away now or face the consequences! The consequences are you rotting in a prison cell, mate. Who are you? Huh?
Have that. I'm Dr. John Watson. Ow! You bastard! John, no! John! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Please, please. Bring it to me. Bring it to me. No. Do it! Run, Mariana! John! Run! To binge this adventure in full and without ads, go to patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and Co.,
♪
So here's a clip from our series on the Troubles. This is the strangest thing about this story is that Northern Ireland is so small.
And listen, there are other, I mean, you could tell a similar story about Sarajevo or any number of other types of places where there's been a conflict, Rwanda, and then the conflict ends and everybody still kind of lives in the same community and you see these people. But, you know, there's an instance even as adults where Helen McConville was with her own family in McDonald's and sees one of the people who abducted
her mother. There's a moment that I describe in the book where Michael McConville actually gets into the back of a black taxi in Belfast as an adult. He sees in the mirror in the front of the taxi, he realizes that the man driving him is one of the people who decades earlier abducted his mother. The strangest, most eerie aspect of this is he doesn't say anything. He doesn't even know if that guy
recognizes him and they drive in silence and then he just pays the guy's money and leaves. To hear the full series, just search Empire wherever you get your podcasts.