Sherlock Holmes: The Secret of the Silver Earring:

gog.com edition 2016 and I have played it without any trouble with Windows 8.1

If you have found this walkthrough via google search or via another site then you have  probably not visited my site. 

A lot more very detailed game walkthroughs can be found on my site at:  www.pcgameswalkthroughs.nl

2020: walkthrough by Louis Koot

Chapter 2: Day 2: October 15, 1897:

221b Baker Street

The day starts with a movie. We see Inspector Lestrade entering Holmes's house.

Holmes, Watson and Lestrade then enjoy a tasty English breakfast and discuss Lestrade's murder and notes.

You start Day 2 as: 

Watson:

Watson is at the door and we see Lestrade sitting at the breakfast table. In inventory you now have the Test Tube, the Magnifying Glass, the Tape Measure and the "Photo Pretty Young Woman". Watson has informed you that he should actually read Lestrade's notes. So open the Inventory book and click on TAB C to open the "Documents page". Here you will find the notes of Lestrade and these are: "The Crime", "Instrument of Crime", "The Motive", "The development of the crime", "Scotland report" and "Melvyn Bromsby". Read all these reports, I am not going to spell it out for you so read them yourself or if you do not want to then make sure that you have at least clicked on all these topics. Also remember to use the scroll down buttons as some of these documents are multi-page. 

Once you have read through these topics, or at least have opened them all, you close the inventory book. Watson then gives some comments on what he just read, he says: "The shooter was not in the ballroom or in the hallway. Where was the shooter then?" The great guru Sherlock Holmes will interfere because he feels it is time to return to Sherringford Hall. The environment map appears, so who are you to contradict the great Sherlock Holmes? On the environment map, click on:

Sherringford Hall:

Holmes:

Holmes, Watson and Lestrade take a "taxi" and arrive back at Sherringford Hall where they are met by Miss Lambert who is standing outside the front door on the landing. Click on Miss Lambert. She takes the 3 gentlemen inside the Ballroom and then disappears to see if Miss Lavinia is already awake.

Ballroom:

Mr. Grimble also reported early to Sherringford Hall and joined our 3 astute investigators. Talk to Grimble.

Grimble would like to be kept informed of the progress of the "investigation" and hopes that the murder of his business partner can be solved quickly. Such a murder is bad for "business". Grimble also tells something about the relationship between Lavinia and her father. To illustrate, Grimble talks about a scene that took place between a friend of Lavinia and her father. That friend got a big beat from daddy. 

The 4 men therefore stand in front of the double exterior doors of the Ballroom. Click on the door in the right wall. Holmes says goodbye to Lestrade, Watson and Grimble and leaves the Ballroom and the 3 gentlemen will continue there conversation about the noble Polo sport. Oh so English.  Meanwhile Holmes has ended up in the "Harness hallway". Go through the left door to the:

Kitchen:

Carl Pennington, the chef, is at the work table celebrating his aggression on a piece of meat. Talk to the cook, who has lost 2 bottles of 18 year old whiskey.

Say goodbye again and go through the door back into the hallway and then through the middle door into the next hallway. Here you go through the door on the right to the:

Men's Smoking Room:

There is now a pair of white gloves on the coffee table. Click on the white gloves and Holmes examines them. In the close-up you grab the white Gloves.

Close the close-up and head back into the hallway. Walk through the hallway via the middle bottom twice and then go to the left door again to the:

Ladies Salon:

Here is now a red handbag on the round table. Click here. Holmes tells you this is Lavinia's purse. Grab the purse.

In your inventory click "Unpack" on the red purse. 2 letters come out. Click "Read" on both letters. The "Program of London Opera" simply disappears, but the "Herrington's Letter" disappears into your inventory book. So open the book and click on TAB C and read the "Letter from Herrington". Herrington has moved into the  "Queen's Arm", a pub close to Sherringford Hall. He also deliberately left his gloves in Sherringford Hall to have a valid excuse to visit Lavinia. Close the book and your inventory. Exit the salon back to the hallway and then go back through the right door to the:

Ballroom:

Lavina is awake and dressed and has joined the gentlemen in the ballroom. Click on Lavinia. Holmes walks over to her and talks to her.

Lavinia now wants to answer all questions from Holmes. So use all conversation option with Lavinia.

After this conversation, Lestrade tells us to investigate Bromsby's office and we end up in:

Bromsby's office:

Lestrade walks to the desk and tries to open a drawer. BOOM ... does the drawer. Grimble says this was apparently one of Fowlett's booby traps.

Holmes is then at the desk. Click with your hand on the desk to get into the close-up

There are 2 photos on the desk. Click on the left photo. Holmes informs you that this photo shows Bromsby with his little daughter Lavinia. You can now also view this photo under TAB C in your inventory book. Click on the right photo. This will appear on your screen in close-up. This photo shows Bromsby and Grimble in Africa. However, you can also see that a part of the photo has been torn off. There should be a 3rd person in this photo. Of this 3rd person you can just see the left hand on Bromsby's right shoulder and on that hand is a thick ring. Take the magnifying glass from your inventory and click on that ring in the photo. Holmes tells you that it is a "Masonic Symbol" ... a symbol of the Free Masons ....

Close this close-up. There is a letter in front of the photo. Click on the letter. You can read this "Letter from Fowlett to Bromsby" again under TAB C of the inventory book. Have a look at the "Young Lavinia Bromsby" photo. So this is the left picture you just clicked on. You see father Bromsby with his young daughter Lavinia. Bromsby teaches Lavinia how to handle a gun. Close the book and your inventory.

There is also a dark brown book on the desk. Click on that dark brown book. Holmes informs you that 1 page in this book is marked and this page will also disappear to TAB C of the inventory book. Before viewing this page, first open the top drawer of the drawer unit, bottom right of the desk. It contains a number of burnt papers. 3 pieces to be precise. They were burned by the "Boom" that Lestrade caused.

Take all burnt pieces out of the drawer. Then open your inventory again and click "Read" on all 3 sets of burnt papers. Then open TAB C of the inventory book again and click on: "Medieval French Art", that is the page from the dark brown book. Read it through. The article is about the ability to hide images within another image. This art is called "Crude Colour Woodcuts". Check out those 3 sets of burnt letters, which are: "Burnt paper with a code", "Pieces of Newspaper" and "Piece of Book". In the 2nd part of the "Burnt paper with a code" you can read that in a certain code the number 55 must be added.

Close the inventory book and inventory and then close the desk close-up. A number of photos or paintings hang on the wall behind the desk. You can click on one of them with your hand. It is the middle of the 3 bottom pictures. Do that. Holmes tells what is in this photo and you can view the photo via TAB C of the inventory book if you click on this "Sir Bromsby in front of Kalidassa Abyss". Close the book and inventory and walk back a screen via middle below.

We then see Holmes, Watson and Lestrade talking to each other. Lestrade says that the Fowlett guy seems to live in Flatham and a neighbour of that Fowlett has something to say. Holmes then decides that  he and Watson will go to Flatham. The area map will appear on your screen and you will see the location "Flatham's Station" on it. DO NOT click on it yet, but close the book so that you are back in the normal game screen. 

You see a double purple door and on the right a life-size portrait of Sir Bromsby. Click on the life-size Bromsby portrait. Holmes walks towards it, takes a deep look at it and ..... he discovers Bromsby's Safe behind this painting. Click on the Save, but Holmes doesn't even start trying to open the Safe without knowing the combination.

Click on the double Purple Doors to bring the Area map back into your screen and then click on the Flatman Station location:

Flatman Station:

Holmes and Watson take a taxi and then the train and arrive at the platform of Flatham Station where they are greeted by Constable Fletcher, who has been telegrammed by Lestrade of Holmes' arrival.  

Use the "Help" topic and then the "Neighbours" topic and Fletcher takes Holmes and Watson to Fowlett's neighbour:

Graham, Fowlett's neighbour:

We are standing in front of a fence of a garden and a guy is digging in the garden. I would personally not do this job, so late at night and in this dog weather. The garden belongs to Fowlett's neighbour, whose house we see. Talk to that burrowing neighbour. His name is Graham, as you learn from Fletcher who appeals to him.

Use whatever subject you get and eventually Holmes will get the key to Graham's Fowlett's house. When you're done with Graham, talk to Fletcher to ask for permission to enter the house alone. That is allowed. Then use the following option and Holmes sends Watson back to the station to interrogate the station master. Say "Goodbye". Look at Fowlett's house. You can see the front door and the open gate in the wall. Click with your feet in the open gate and Holmes walks towards it. Then click on the front door and Holmes walks towards it. Of course the door locked.

Take the newly obtained "Key of Fowlett's House" from your inventory and click on the front door and we end up in:

Fowlett's House:

Living room:

Holmes sees nothing. No no ....... Holmes has not suddenly become very blind ...... it is just very dark in here. Because there is no light, which is not surprising. I always turn off the light when I leave my home. To the left of Holmes is a small box. On the box is a Dragon statue. There is something between the front legs of the Dragon. Click with your hand on the front legs of the Dragon.

The Dragon spits fire and what was between his front legs is now in your inventory. It is a "Matchbox", so a box with matches. In the foreground you see a table lamp. The lamp is on a table, but it is therefore quite dark. Click on the table lamp. Holmes walks over and says he "needs something". So take that "Matchbox" from your inventory and click on the table lamp again. Holmes lights the lamp and we have light.

Holmes cautions you to be especially careful and to be alert to booby traps like that "Boom" thing in Bromsby's office. Behind Holmes, so in front of the dragon box, there are 2 pairs of shoes. Click on the shoes. They are size 6. At the shoes you can see, faintly, a few footprints on the wooden floor. Click on those footprints with your Tape Measure. They have Size 7.

Now walk further into the room via the bottom centre of the screen. On the next screen you will see the large sideboard, a green table in front of the sideboard, a sofa and the table with the table lamp. You also see a Clown in the corner and there are also 4 paintings on the wall. Walk on to the Clown.

When you reach the Clown, click on each of the 4 paintings hanging on the wall here. Holmes says that all 4 show a landscape near Epinal. Holmes also tells you to pay attention to Hidden Images in these 4 paintings. Number the 4 paintings, from left to right, as 1, 2, 3 and 4. Then click again, one by one, on each of the 4 paintings and look at them carefully and carefully and look for Hidden Pictures. You will find that:

Close the close-up of the last painting you viewed and then click with your hand on the Clown. You enter the close-up of the Clown Automaton. So it is a mechanical card game but a coin is required to play it. And Holmes doesn't have coins. So close the close-up and walk back a screen. You will see the large sideboard and the table in front of it again. On the right side is a yellow toy under the table. Grab that yellow toy. In your inventory you will experience that it is a "Wood Toy".

Go through the slanting feet at the bottom left, a screen to the left. Holmes then stands in front of the large bookcase.

Click in the bottom shelf of the bookcase. Holmes takes out a book.

It is a poetry book. You can read this "Poetry" page via TAB C of the inventory book. It is 2 pages 44 and 45. You read the poem: "The Villager and the Serpent". Take note of the last paragraph circled in red. Close the inventory book and your inventory. Holmes makes some comments on what he just read. To the left of the bookcase you see a double door. Enter through this door to the:

Kitchen:

Right in the kitchen you see an ashtray on the kitchen cabinet, to the left of the large white stove.

Zoom in on the ashtray with your magnifying glass. There is ash in the ashtray. Grab the ash from the ashtray. It is "Flaky Ash".

Close the close-up. You can see a bottle of drink on the kitchen table. Click on it with your hand. 

In the close-up you can see that the bottle is a gin bottle. Next to the bottle is the cap and a broken drinking glass.

Click on the bottle, the cap and the bloodied broken drinking glass. Holmes does not dare to pick up these things. 

Close the close-up and walk back a screen and return through the double doors to the living room. In the living room you now click with your hand in the arch passage, to the right of the bookcase. There's a door there and Holmes goes through that door and ends up in the:

Corridor:

It is rather dark in the corridor and, as befits a good detective, Holmes deduces that light is needed to be able to see anything in this darkness. So look carefully at what is in the hallway. First, you notice that outside the door through which Holmes entered the hallway, there are two doors. However, the front door, i.e. the one closest to Holmes, is locked. Furthermore, you can faintly see a box between the 2 doors. A wet mop is draped over that box. In front of the box you see.....Hallelujah, a lantern. So take the "Matchbox" from your inventory again and click on the lantern. Holmes lights the lantern and we have light.

Click on the mop on the chest. According to Holmes, this mop was used to mop up the bloody mess in the kitchen.

Click on the door in the foreground, so the door before the chest, and Holmes ends up in the:

Bedroom:

Stop and look around the screen first. On the left is a large closet. There is a mirror next to the closet on the wall and below this mirror is an automaton that you can click on. It turns out to be a shoe polish machine. Also an invention of that Fowlett. At the bottom right of the screen we look at the table. The room lamp hangs above the table. On the table is a Checkerboard with a bunch of numbers on it. Click on that Checkerboard and you will get a close-up of the:

You are immediately on the next screen in front of the table on which the puzzle board is located. That thing hanging above the table turns out not to be a lamp but some kind of drill. You can click on it to hear Holmes comment on it. On the right you see a screwdriver stuck to the window and there you also see the large safe. The safe says "Noah's Ark". On the wall hang 3 "diplomas". You can click on all these things but you don't pick up anything. Our detective finds these screwdrivers very interesting. Through the 3 diplomas you will experience that Fowlett has been frequently in South America. The safe will not open. Walk  a screen to the right, through the slanting feet at the bottom right. You will then see the bed and the sink in the corner. Click on the bed. Holmes remarks very sharply that there is no pillow on the bed. Click on the sink. You come into the close-up and see a yellowish substance on the sink. Grab that yellowish substance.

In your inventory you will find out that this substance are "Greasy Balls". Close the close-up. Click on the picture hanging on the wall to the right of the clock. We see Fowlett on it. Close the close-up. Go back via the bottom middle to the 1st screen where you also see the large closet, the mirror and the room door. Click on the room door to return to the hallway. Click on the door in the back of the hallway and you are back in the living room.

Living room:

Walk through the living room to the corner where the Clown machine is.

Click your hand on the Clown again to get back in the close-up. You are now going to do the Card Puzzle:

If you have read all this carefully, close the inventory book, the inventory and the close-up of the safe. We then hear Watson calling. That Graham Murray found a key in the yard. So go back to the room door via the bottom centre and go back up the hall. Go through the door at the back of the hallway into the living room and then walk through the lower left door to the front door. Go out the front door and Holmes walks to Watson and receives the key found by Murray from Watson. Click on Fowlett's front door again and open it again with the "Key of Fowlett's house" and Holmes will enter Fowlett's living room again. Continue through the arch right next to the bookcase, to the corridor. In the corridor, take the "Key" you just received from your inventory and click on the door to the left of Holmes. 

Holmes ends up in the:

Basement:

In the middle of the basement floor is a lot of potatoes and under the potatoes is a corpse. Only the feet of the corpse protrude from the pile of potatoes. Holmes calls Watson and they argue a little bit at the body. Holmes sends Watson away to get the constable. Take the Tape Measure from your inventory and then click on the feet of the corpse. Size 6.

To the left of the heap of potatoes you see a white paper on the floor. Grab that white paper

Holmes thinks he recognizes the manuscript. In your inventory click "Read" again on this "Visit Card" and then dive TAB C of the inventory book again to read this "Antiques Dealer" card. The handwriting of this De La Vega is the same as that of Louis Phillipe de la Musardiere. Close the book and inventory. There is nothing more to do here in the basement, so click with your hand on the basement stairs and Holmes ends up outside the front door.

Outside of Fowlett's house:

Via the feet in the middle left, go forward twice to the back of Fowlett's house. You will then see a wooden barrel in the bottom centre of the screen.

There is a footprint on top of the barrel. Click with your hand on the barrel. Holmes walks over and makes his usual astute comment. So take the Tape Measure again and then click on the barrel to measure the footprint. Size 10. Now walk back to the front of the house and then go down the middle to Constable Fletcher and Watson, who are still standing in front of the garden of that burrowing Graham Murray. Click on Fletcher or Watson. Holmes talks to Watson and he tells what he heard from the station manager and we automatically end up in:

221b Baker Street: