Thanks to dear Ennui Enigma for editing this story, without her help and encouragement this story would not be published!
The case is inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot". The modern version of Hamlet is Hamlet: As Told on the Street by Shel Silverstein.
The story takes place sometime after Sherlock is back from his hiatus and all the characters are reconciled with each other (well, as reconciled as they'll ever get that is!)
Disclaimer: I don't own ACD's story or characters, neither the TV series characters nor Shakespeare's Hamlet nor Silverstein's Hamlet.
This is my first story, please read and review. Reviews are highly appreciated!
Hamlet as told on Baker Street
John and Sherlock walked into their flat. John slumped in his armchair utterly exhausted while Sherlock started pacing in front of him. John envied Sherlock's seemingly never-ending energybecause after running around half of London interviewing witnesses and chasing after a suspectwith unsatisfactory results, John was thoroughly worn out. How Sherlock managed to keep standing, let alone pace with such velocity, eluded John.
The case that they were working on was a series of robberies. The interesting fact was that the thief had gone through the victims' possessions with the utmost care and had taken his time while the homeowners were asleep in their houses. The locks were picked but there were never signs of a struggle. The thief was careful to avoid waking the intended victims. He always put the owners to sleep before he entered. Laboratory analysis of the victims' last ingestion of food and drink revealed no drugs or poison. All reported a feeling of heaviness and stuffy air after waking up so it was assumed that the sedative was administered through air. Unfortunately all evidence of such was destroyed because each victim had invariably opened up their window upon awaking.
But, like all criminals, this thief made a mistake. Well, a miscalculation really, and it was John who first noticed it.
There was a shaded lamp in the sitting room of victim number 5. While they interviewed the witness, John sat on the chair near the side table and took notes. He found the room's light insufficient, so he turned on the shaded lamp on the table and continued his task. Then the fumes hit his nostrils. He immediately began to feel dizzy.
"John, what's wrong?" Sherlock looked at John with a mixture of confusion and concern.
The room began to swim in front of John's eyes and he noticed something else "What's that weird smell?"
The witness piped up "that's exactly the smell I sensed last night, right before I fell asleep!"
That is how Sherlock figured the drug was placed in the inner covering of the shade. When the owner turned the lamp on, the heat produced by the light bulb made the drug evaporate, thus subduing the home-owner. You see, all the other home owners had regular light bulbs which made a lot more heat than the energy efficient bulb the last owner used. This light bulb produced much less heat which resulted in the partial evaporation of the drug. Therefore when Sherlock and John were investigating the crime scene, some of the drug was left and Sherlock was able to take some of it in order to further investigate the matter.
Sherlock pulled out a small bag full of yellow powder out of his pocket while still pacing in front of the fire place.
"Isn't that considered tampering with the evidence?" asked John, remembering watching Sherlock scrape off some of the yellow powder into the evidence bag in the last victim's flat.
"Hardly, I only took a portion of the powder and left the other half for the police to investigate. Any amount of the drug is enough to reach the desired conclusion. I even pointed out the lamp to the head of the forensics team. Whether he makes use of it or not is his choice"
"By head of forensics team you mean Anderson?"
Sherlock paused in his pacing and made a face "Yes."
John snorted "Anderson who is as bright as a dynamo light on a bicycle traveling at two miles per hour? Forget withholding evidence, that's obstruction of justice!"
They were in the middle of a fit of giggles when they heard someone at the door.
"It's Lestrade, probably here to see if we've made any progress with the case" Sherlock informed John while he hastily put the little bag under the skull. He then turned towards the door as the DI came in "Ah, Lestrade, perfect timing as usual."
"How did you know it was me?"
"The fifth and twelfth stares are squeaky, you always step on the fifth one, then you remember about the creaky steps and when you reach the twelfth step you hesitate because you can't remember if it was the twelfth or the thirteenth, then you decide it's not important and you step on it on your way up."
"Awe, you've memorized my climbing pattern, how sweet!"
Sherlock was taken aback, but he quickly recovered. Ignoring John's attempt at hiding his smile, Sherlock pushed on "I think you've come here to hear about our progress in the case. Best have your pen and paper ready, I will not repeat myself!"
So they started filling him in on their findings right up to their conclusion about the airborne nature of the drug.
There was a pause and out of the blue Lestrade spotted the skull. He moved towards it "I don't believe it! You still have this poor old guy? Why don't you bury him and let him have some peace?" He made to pick it up when John and Sherlock shouted "NO!" Lestrade froze, but before he could get suspicious, John said "Yorik is essential to the recitals."
Lestrade's eyebrows raised suspiciously, "what recitals?"
"Hamlet: As Told on the Street by Shel Silverstein"
"Why not Hamlet as told by Shakespeare?"
"Because when Sherlock is playing his violin at three in the morning, I can't exactly concentrate on the sixteenth century version. My two favorite parts are the scene in the graveyard and Hamlet and Ophelia's argument. Silverstein took the original speech and put in two different parts of the book, but they can be read together."
Lestrade seemed intrigued "How does it go?"
John started reciting the poem. Sherlock was shocked by the modern adaptation. Lestrade was very much amused. In fact he liked it so much that he said "OK, I'd like to see the graveyard scene while you hold the skull."
"There is no holding the skull, it is only addressed."
"Yes there is, all Hamlets hold the skull!"
"Mel Gibson doesn't hold it."
"Yes he does!"
"No he doesn't! We'll have a movie night, Mel Gibson's Hamlet. If He holds the skull…"
"Oh, I see a wager is in order!"
Sherlock suddenly asked, "What is the wager going to be?"
John and Lestrade paused. Then Lestrade turned to John. "How about you bake me cake?"
John snorted "Sure, if you want some grilled feet on the side as well!"
Lestade's face turned a faint tint of green "Er, no thanks! Now that I think of it, I don't have a stove at my flat to bake if I lose."
"John could treat you to a drink in the pub?" Sherlock suggested.
"Boring!" came the simultaneous reply of the DI and the doctor.
John was becoming frustrated "I'll rehearse all of Hamlet as told on the street for you? I don't know, how about we decide on it tomorrow."
"Deal! See you two on Saturday then!"
They both collapsed on the sofa in relief when Lestrade left.
"I guess I should go work on the contents and formula of the drug then." Sherlock said. Then he noticed a mischievous look spreading on John's face and felt a bit alarmed. "What are you planning?"
"I can use it to make you sleep when you get insomnia and decide to screech on your violin in the middle of the night!" John said with a wicked smile.
"John!"
"What? It's had successful testing and we know it just puts people to sleep, it's not like it induces everlasting madness or anything."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm pretty sure we both took that one a while ago!"