An Eight-Days Wonder
Jul. 29th, 2023 05:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
upstairsfromrealitySherlock followed Marcus around the crime scene, a historic apartment in the Upper West Side with an unfortunate dead body in the front doorway.. "So the neighbors say the occupants are only in two or three days a week, but they couldn't agree for certain on which days or even if it was always the same day. Nobody knows them or talks to them, they only see them right at the door," said Marcus.
"One of the days is Wednesday, unless there's a housekeeper. You said he victim and his partner broke in. If you can't get in touch with the homeowners, you can expect them tomorrow," said Sherlock.
"Ok, I'll bite. How do you know that?" asked Marcus.
"See this clock? It's an eight-day. These weights are raised to the top when it is wound and then fall down gradually, providing the clock with its power. Mechanical clocks have winding periods intentionally a little longer than an easy-to-remember time period, to allow for a little discrepancy without the clock stopping. So 30-hour clocks are wound once a day, 40-day clocks are wound once a month, and eight-day clocks like this are wound once a week. It's Tuesday. The weights are three quarters of the way to the bottom. It was wound six days ago and was intended to be wound again tomorrow."
"Ok, that's good enough. If we don't hear from the homeowners tomorrow asking why there place is sealed off as a crime scene, I'm gonna start thinking seriously that they're in on it."
"One of the days is Wednesday, unless there's a housekeeper. You said he victim and his partner broke in. If you can't get in touch with the homeowners, you can expect them tomorrow," said Sherlock.
"Ok, I'll bite. How do you know that?" asked Marcus.
"See this clock? It's an eight-day. These weights are raised to the top when it is wound and then fall down gradually, providing the clock with its power. Mechanical clocks have winding periods intentionally a little longer than an easy-to-remember time period, to allow for a little discrepancy without the clock stopping. So 30-hour clocks are wound once a day, 40-day clocks are wound once a month, and eight-day clocks like this are wound once a week. It's Tuesday. The weights are three quarters of the way to the bottom. It was wound six days ago and was intended to be wound again tomorrow."
"Ok, that's good enough. If we don't hear from the homeowners tomorrow asking why there place is sealed off as a crime scene, I'm gonna start thinking seriously that they're in on it."
