Lord Lister No. 0344: Het raadsel van Harrow Road

The rain‑soaked streets of Paddington hide a cloak of darkness, broken only by the occasional flicker of a lantern. On a cold night in late Victorian London, two figures in long raincoats slip through a quiet garden gate, their purpose concealed as surely as the clouds that veil the moon. They make their way to the modest townhouse of a well‑known banker, where heavy‑set iron bars guard the basement windows and a copper plaque announces the resident’s respectable trade.

Inside, the notorious gentleman‑in‑breaker John Raffles, accompanied by his loyal associate Charly Brand, sets to work with a collection of silent, self‑made tools. A finely curved chisel, a cut‑away panel, and a whispered plan allow them to bypass the alarm and step over the threshold unnoticed. As the lantern light reveals a blue‑tiled hallway, the pair senses that the house may hold more than just ledgers—perhaps a secret worth stealing, or a danger that will test their cunning.