Life's Most Precious Things
Chapter 1: Dead Woman Walking
A cab pulled over alongside of the sidewalk on Baker Street allowing a female passenger to exit the cab, paying the driver and watched as the cab drove away. Her attention was brought to the people walking on the sidewalks, cars driving by then she looked to the buildings around looking down at the notepad clutched in her hands searching for the numbers. She backtracked realizing she was heading in the wrong direction slowing down to looked into the little restaurant, Speedy's Sandwich Bar and Café. She continued only for a few steps more her heels clicking on the cement realizing that door a few feet away was her destination.
221B Baker Street.
The wind blew some of her wavy two toned gold blond, brown hair into her face as she gently tucked it behind her ear something she only did when she felt nervous. She was finally here, hoping that maybe the persons living here would be willing to help; it has been plaguing her for far too long now that she couldn't turn away. Not now. It didn't help her nerves either when the door she was staring at burst opened with so much force she thought it would have fallen off its hinges.
Sherlock was the first one through the door as always, his long strides made it easy for him to make it to the edge of the sidewalk to hail a cab within a few seconds, his body ecstatic after weeks on end a case had finally peaked his interest. No it wasn't one of those ones where people's lives were at stake, some priceless piece of art wasn't a fake, nor was he chasing a criminal…ok the fact was he had a case, despite it coming from Mycroft at least it was going to get him outside back into the world with interesting people. Ok that wasn't true either he just couldn't stand listening to John's current woes with another woman he was dating that was doomed to fail. He was so focused to get out the door, to start the case and finish hoping something more interesting would pop up that he didn't even see the woman standing a few feet away.
"Really, John could you be any slower." Sherlock's hands were in his pockets, watching as John stumbled out the door still putting on his coat still not noticing the woman. But John did, nearly bumping into her as he closed the door behind him.
"Sorry, my apologies." It was all he had time to say but before he could dash off into the cab with Sherlock the woman spoke.
"Doctor John Watson?" He stopped turning back around.
"Yes, that's right, that's me."
"And Sherlock Holmes?" Sherlock was already entering the cab ignoring the woman, probably another 'fan'. "I need your help." Thank god, he couldn't take another fan at the moment.
"Sorry but we're busy with a case, you will have to find another time to meet, John." He said motioning for John to hurry into the cab. John held up his hand making Sherlock roll his eyes.
"Are you in some sort of trouble?"
"No but I…"
"Obviously it isn't urgent so can we please move along now!"
"Sherlock wait."
"Please, I need help."
"You really don't seem to be an intelligent woman considering that I am going to have to repeat myself that 'we are busy', now hurry up and get in the cab."
"Sherlock!"
"Viktor Winmore." The woman said. Things got quiet, the only sound to be heard was Sherlock shuffling in the cab to get back out close the door, walk right up to the woman and stared at her with such intense eyes she swore it was like she had insulted the man and was about to unleash whatever fury he was going to unleash on her.
"Say that again." He noticed more of the woman now, staring down at her. But she managed to find strength staring back at those blue orbs with her own hazel ones, straightening herself knowing full well she had his attention.
"Viktor Winmore." They stood just staring at each other for a few moments, almost like he was testing her, but she didn't back down and neither of them blinked. John who was on the side watching god knows what, broke the silence.
"Did I miss something here?"
"John, tell the driver we will be no longer in need of his assistance and text Mycroft to get someone else on the case."
"Sorry, what?" Sherlock turned to face him now, realizing how long his was staring the woman down.
"We have a new case. Please, follow me." He gestured the woman back towards their flat with his arm, leaving John to deal with the driver and opening the door in a very gentleman like manner leading the woman inside. John turned to the annoyed looking driver gesturing to him as to make a decision: leaving or staying.
Sherlock led the woman up the stairs into his and John's flat, taking his coat and scarf off and throwing them over his favorite chair by the fireplace and straightened his suit as he watched the woman slowly make her way around the room near the couch opposite of him then stood watching him back. She was wearing a moss green jacket, gold buttons down the front, and a black belt cinching her tiny waist, blue skinny jeans and ankle high black heels that added height to her. She was obviously short seeing that he still had to look down at her even in heels.
No ring of any kind on her left hand, not married or engaged and no markings of any kind that would suggest she has or had been and she seemed healthy and fit, pale complexion, wavy hair golden locks up top and darker underneath a look she manages well and very little makeup. She wasn't one of those women who try very hard to maintain their image for the sake of society but does so all the same. But there was something off about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on…
"Are you finished?"
"What?" Sherlock shook his head breaking his eyes away from her. She rolled her eyes and sat herself down on the couch, leaned over her knees and began to stare at him. It was then he noticed a gold chain and small thin cross around her neck. Religious maybe and the accent, she wasn't from the UK originally and has only been living here for a few short years.
"Your deductions, I've read enough about you to know exactly what you were doing, any other woman may have interpreted as either flattery or just down right creepy." They heard thumping of feet climbing the stairs as John walked through the door and into the living room first looking at the woman sitting on the couch then to Sherlock.
"What the hell did I just witness back down there just a moment ago and why aren't we taking Mycroft's case?" John looked back over to the woman again finally taken his own notes about her. She was very attractive, one of the more beautiful women he has come across of before, definitely for a client. Irene Adler was beautiful John could admit but she was a dominatrix and screamed sex but this woman seemed like a fresh face to the both of them. And it only took a name of one man for Sherlock just to stand and stare at her the way he did that he most definitely missed something.
"It's very rude to stare, John." Sherlock said with a smirk on his face that he couldn't help, as annoying as John was with women Sherlock couldn't pass up a chance to mess with his head. John only glared at him. "Viktor Winmore is the name of a man, as our client was saying moments ago, of a serial killer through the 80's."
"He was probably staring trying to figure out how to introduce himself to me the proper way." She eyed Sherlock as he inclined his head not picking up on what she meant then stood to her feet extending her hand out to his as he took it. "Evelyn Farris, nice to meet you."
"Farris." Sherlock whispered to himself, furrowing his brows trying to think. Why did he know that name? Farris, Evelyn Farris.
"John Watson, as you already know from our first meeting down stairs. This Viktor Winmore, I'm not quite familiar with his name."
"You might know of him under his killing name 'The Belvedere Killer'. Others called him…"
"The 'Family Killer'." Sherlock spoke still listening but he was also putting a puzzle together in his head. "The victims were always families. Farris…" He had his fingers pressed to his lips still thinking over the woman's last name.
"And what is your interest in him, he hasn't killed in over twenty years?"
"Because I want him to pay." She said bluntly, the woman's demeanor changed no longer appearing soft and it was in her voice. There was malice in her words and to think the thought of her just mentioning of just this one man could bring such a change in one person so drastically, for a split second both men were able to glimpse into this woman's heart and even not knowing the woman for more than ten minutes he didn't think there was anything so dark about her.
"I see now." Sherlock smirked, turning to his friend and the woman and began making his way towards her. John knew what was coming. "Viktor Winmore, a former pediatrician turned killer, his first two victims' families were in Belvedere, and thus the media giving him the name the 'Belvedere Killer' but then he started to branch out killing families around in various areas around London. He always killed in the middle of the night and started with the fathers, them being the most threating he would kill them first then the mothers. It wasn't just the killing of the entire family that drew him in it was the children but not just any child he had a system. There needed to be both a boy and girl and he always left the girl, the oldest, last to watch. Then in 1988 the last family, the family in the heart of London, something went very wrong the father was killed as planned but something happened that threw him, both mother and son did die but the daughter, many speculated that he indeed killed her too and buried her body to never be found but why would he?" He stopped in front of Evelyn again staring her down and again she held his gaze.
"He would have risked everything even being caught if that meant finishing what he had started so there was only one conclusion and that was the girl had been taken but not by him but by the authorities and you, you have been under the guise of another name, taken abroad, far enough away so that maybe that five year old girl could have had a normal life and yet here you are asking for help to find that man who tried to kill you because as you say you 'want him to pay'. I knew right from the moment you said his name there was something more to you and I was right. You are that missing girl." When he could finally take steady breaths he didn't realize the burning in her eyes or take in the fact that her chest was heaving and fists where clenched her knuckles turning white.
It wasn't that fact he nearly told her life story, all of it was true but it was that look on his face, and the smile, it reminded her of another smile she wished would leave her memories and she only saw red. And the next thing Sherlock saw before momentarily blacking out was a fist then the floor board's strangely lifting up into view.
I hope everyone will enjoy my story I'm so glad I found the Sherlock series it has got me writing again after a long time. Enjoy!