James Windibank was the villain in the short story "A Case of Identity". He attempted to defraud his stepdaughter, Miss Mary Sutherland of her inheritance, via a complicated scheme in which he became engaged to her under the false identity of "Hosmer Angel" and then disappeared. His ruse was easily discovered by Sherlock Holmes, however; Holmes allowed him to go free, claiming that Windibank had committed no crime in the strict legal definition of the term. Holmes nevertheless predicts Windibank will continue a career in crime that will eventually lead him on the gallows.