Chapter 2
"Does she know you're not good with children?" John asked. Sherlock looked questionably at him. "What do you mean?" Sherlock asked. Sherlock looked skeptical. "Like you don't know." He said. "Just don't scare the kids." Sherlock and John went up the steps of Stewart High School. Alice's coordinates from her texts pointed to the high school.
When they were on the top of the steps, they heard car honk. John and Sherlock turned around to see Alice come out of a cab. "So, are you ready?" Alice said while walking up the steps of the school. Sherlock sighed. "I don't usually have my clients work with me." Sherlock said while looking away. "Well I'm not an ordinary client." Alice said. She smirked. "A little warning, the headmaster is a little headstrong." Alice said while pushing the door open.
The hall was filled with teenagers. Sherlock took one look at them and snarled. "Teenagers" he mumbled. "I know." Alice whispered while frowning. A man came up to Sherlock, John, and Alice. "Ahh Mr. Johnson," Alice said. "It is nice to see you again!" Alice stuck her hand out. Mr. Johnson recoiled. Alice put her hand back in her pocket. "This is Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, the detectives." Alice said. Mr. Johnson mumbled, "You didn't have to bring them Alice." Alice looked at him straight in the eye and said, "For your own good, I suggest you let them investigate." Alice walked around him. "Come along you two." She said. Sherlock and John started following Alice.
Along the way, they dodged teenagers. The teenagers stared at Alice. "They must have seen her before." John whispered. Sherlock made a deduction. "No" he said. "They haven't. She's young and beautiful in people's eyes so they stare." Sherlock stopped. He looked at John. "Like you." Sherlock said. John shook his head and sighed. Sherlock and John hurried up to Alice.
"The door is up the hall." Alice said. There was a giant ring from the school bells. All the teenagers went in there classes. "Thank god!" Alice said while throwing back her head. "I hate being stared at." she mumbled.
"When did you see the man?" Sherlock asked. "I saw him at about 6:30." Alice answered. "What did he look like?" Sherlock asked. "He was a short haired brunette with security issues. He had family trouble and wore a black hat. He had gym shorts and a black jacket." Alice answered. John's eyes widened.
"Here's the door." Alice said while stopping. Sherlock opened the door. It was a normal janitor's closet. It had a mop, broom, a few buckets, and two high shelves. Sherlock took out is pocket magnify glass. He looked at the buckets, broom, mop, and shelves and made deductions. (Buckets are rusty and are ten or more years old. Broom is scratched deep with fingernails- indicates anxiety. Mop is fairly new.) Sherlock closed his magnify glass and kneeled. He made another deduction. (The shelves have been moved many times.) Sherlock got up.
He pointed at Alice. "Get the headmaster." he ordered. Alice did a one-sided smirk and walked off. Sherlock got out of the closet.
Sherlock said to John, "Look in the closet and figure out what is wrong with this picture." John walked in the closet and looked around. "Um," he said. "It needs to be dusted and usually the janitor would have done that by now since there is a lot of dust." John said. "And?" Sherlock asked while putting his hands behind his back. "I don't know." John said. He got out of the closet. "The thing wrong with this picture is that all the tools are there, but no janitor is here." Sherlock said. "Maybe he is sick." John said. "Let's ask the headmaster." Sherlock whispered while Mr. Johnson was coming to Sherlock and John with Alice.
"What do you want?" Mr. Johnson asked gruffly. "I need to know if your janitor is sick and when is he supposed to come in." Sherlock asked. Alice smiled even wider. "He is supposed to come in at 7:00 o'clock A.M. and has not called in sick." Mr. Johnson said. "Now may I go?" Mr. Johnson asked. Sherlock nodded.
When Mr. Johnson was out of ear-shot, Alice said, "I knew you were smart enough!" "Smart enough for what?" Sherlock asked. "This case," Alice replied. "I saw the closet and formed questions for the headmaster. I knew you were smart enough to ask the right ones." she said. Alice turned away from Sherlock and John. "Oh and I know the janitor's address if you were going there." she said over her shoulder. John turned to Sherlock. "Are we going to the janitor's house?" John asked. Sherlock nodded. John looked back at Alice. "She's modest isn't she?" John said. John walked to the school's front door. Sherlock didn't follow immediately. He was getting uneasy about Ms. Grey. Sherlock followed John.