A/N - I don't own the show or the characters or any other shows, movies, games mentioned here.
Summary: A puzzle filled with clues. Clues that were left there on purpose. Clues that led Sherlock and John to a very unexpected thief.
So, it's been forever since I last posted here. Life got so busy after college. I had less time to dedicate to writing but I never stopped. I did miss posting my fics here so much. I hope you all enjoy this new story and I'm opened to reviews, opinions, suggestions so don't be shy!
Title: The Chase Is On!
Introduction:
We allow this wonderful experience called life to become small and dull when we start believing other people's opinions about ourselves, when we let others or the society define who we are. We lose our essence and lose the ability to see beyond. By trying to fit in, we miss an opportunity to be all we can be. Most people live a limited reality, almost as if they lived locked inside a small cell where those four walls represent everything they've ever known. The tiny window from this cell is like a glimpse we all have sometimes of all the other possibilities.
What does being different mean? Does it mean doing things others don't do? What I do is not magic and is not out of this world. Except that I don't just look through the window. I'm on the outside of those four walls.
Most people see, but they don't observe. They are afraid to break free from their cells and see what I see.
221B Baker Street – Chapter 1 - A morning like any other.
It was a regular morning for Sherlock and John. After waking up to the wonderful smell of tea Mrs. Hudson had brought early, which Sherlock imagined magically materialized, the pair of detectives were sitting on their chairs as clients came in with their stories. Thanks to John's blog, that was far more readable than Sherlock's, written in a way people could relate and connect. After the blog they always had clients of all ages, with all kinds of stories you could possibly imagine.
"Tell us everything". – Said Sherlock placing his hands under his chin.
A well-dressed man, with expensive suit, expensive tie, expensive shoes and expensive briefcase was sitting on the chair between Sherlock and John. Sherlock had already looked the man from head to toe, adding his personal observations to his mind palace where nothing was ever forgotten. Except of course if the information was boring or unnecessary according to his own specifications.
"I met my wife some years ago at a coffee shop. My God she was, actually she is absolutely gorgeous. She has this wonderful smile…."
"Yeah yeah yeah, that's wonderful. Go straight to the point. Why are you here?" – That was Sherlock cutting the man off. His thoughts already running in his head a thousand miles per hour and his body was itching to get started with an investigation.
John rolled his eyes, but that was actually a normal reaction.
The man looked at John as if he was asking if he should go on or not. John nodded.
"Ok. We've been married for three years now and I realized I know very little about my wife's profession. She works till late at night and works more than me, comes home bringing dinner every night, with her hair looking perfect, smelling great, she has these meetings that happen too early in the morning or too late at night".
The man stopped his speech for a second and took a deep breath.
"I know what I'm about to say is gonna sound crazy. But this is too similar to that movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith? - Mr. Holmes, I think my wife is an agent!". – The guy concluded his speech with eyes wide open and difficulties to breathe, he was clearly shocked.
Sherlock let out a sigh and looked at the desperate man.
"No, she isn't. You're just an idiot with no self-confidence. I take you hardly ever had a chance to date pretty girls when you were at school and even after that. Thus it's hard for you to believe you were able to marry a woman that not only is beautiful, but also loving and successful, I understand your disbelief. The fact she comes home late at night smelling good is because she probably works for a big company with important people and that demands a good appearance all the time. Also is not strange at all that a woman carries make up, comb and perfume inside her purse. Also we have 24/7 restaurants in London, so bringing dinner home late at night is no trouble at all. Furthermore I figure she works for a multinational company. They usually have business with other countries like China, where the time is completely different from London. That could demand early or late meetings to please the client, respecting working hours from their country as well. There. You just watch too much TV. Boring".
Of course Sherlock had observed all those little but important details in seconds. John didn't even argue for he knew how Sherlock worked.
And other clients came that morning…
"Mr. Holmes, I think…." – A woman started.
"No, you don't. Boring. Next".
It's amazing how people's body language, clothes, accessories and other aspects could say so much more about a person than their own words.
"Have you checked your inbox Sherlock? Maybe something interesting there". – John suggested as he picked up the paper and started browsing through it.
… 5 minutes later …
"Boring, predictable, boring. Humm that could turn into something interesting. Maybe not. Boring".
John scoffed lowering his paper. "Let me check that". – John took the computer from Sherlock's hands.
"It's pointless John". – Sherlock said throwing himself on his chair.
The doorbell rang.
'Thank God'. – John thought. 'Client'
A girl who seemed to be in her twenties sat on the chair. She was wearing ripped jeans and a black t shirt, cheap dirty tennis shoes and messy black hair. Her eyes seemed distant and she had trouble to focus. Her mother was standing beside her looking extremely worried. It seems like she had cried before going to baker street.
"Are you alright?" – John asked the young girl. As a doctor he knew something was off.
"Please Mr. Holmes. She used to be a normal girl. Now she's having these visions. She speaks weird. I think she has been possessed by a ghost! We've gone to faith healers and other places, but no one seems to be able to help. I don't know what to do. I just want my little girl back". – The mother barely was able to speak as she started crying.
John took the box with tissue and handed to the woman.
Sherlock opened his mouth to speak but John immediately cut him off.
"I'm sorry, can I talk to you for a second Sherlock?" – John said.
Sherlock looked at him confused.
"Not now, we have a client".
"Right now, please". – John looked at the woman. "I'm sorry madam. We'll be back in a minute".
Both walked to the corner of the room, where they could talk without being heard.
"What is it?" – Sherlock asked shrugging.
"Let me talk to the woman". – John said assertively.
"Why?"
"Because the girl is clearly on drugs. She is high right now and this mother is totally unaware that her little girl is not an innocent child anymore".
"Yes, clearly". – Sherlock said as he finally understood why John was doing that. He wanted to GENTLY tell the woman about it.
"Oh. You just assume I will be rude?"
John just raised his eyebrows.
"Fine. You tell her". – Sherlock agreed finally.
…
And a few more came that morning. No one with something puzzling enough.
With nothing to do, Sherlock decided to update his own blog adding information no one cared about and it was interesting to no one but himself.
John was updating his own blog when his phone rang.
"John Watson". He listened carefully to the person on the other end. "Ok, where? We're on our way".
"Lestrade?" – Sherlock's eyes shone in anticipation with the possibilities of that phone call.
"Yeah. Jewelry store robbed. The person left you a little puzzle".
Sherlock looked at John with a smile. Finally something interesting.
They took a cab and rushed to the crime scene.
Jewelry Store – 11:30 am.
When they arrived at the store, Lestrade, Donovan, Anderson and some other cops were already there, doing their job, or according to Sherlock, compromising the integrity of the crime scene.
Lestrade approached Sherlock and John.
"You arrived here quite fast". – He looked at his watch.
"Slow morning" – John said. Except the morning hadn't been slow, just really boring according to Sherlock.
"Ok. The owner of the store, Jane Wiggins called this morning. Even though the store has an alarm which automatically notifies the police if someone tries to break in, the police received no notification at all, the alarm was disconnected. The door was still locked, but the side window was how the person got in. Something was used to cut the glass…".
Lestrade was walking them through his findings. When he looked up, Sherlock had already gone inside the store to see the scene by himself, leaving John behind to listen to Lestrade's explanation.
"Just do what you guys do". – Lestrade said leaving John to talk to Mrs. Wiggins.
Mrs. Wiggins seemed to be in her 40s. She was wearing a white blouse and a navy blue skirt, high heels, and of course, the whole nine yards when it came to jewelry. That was her business after all. She was also wearing flawless make up and had flawless hair. It was an uptown store.
Lestrade came back inside the store to see what Sherlock would find.
Sherlock was using his magnifying glass to observe the cut glass. The cut was shaped like a circle, big enough for a thin person to pass through without getting hurt; it even looked like one of those you see in cartoons. Even though there was a table right under the window, there was nothing out of place.
Sherlock then proceeded to the carpet and the glass balconies. He observed the cameras and went on checking the whole store.
"Female thief" – He said first.
Lestrade was used to surprises in the crime scene. He didn't even get shocked anymore.
"Yes, sure. And we know that because…." – He asked out of curiosity.
In this moment John entered the store and joined them.
"Shoeprint on the carpet. High heels, small size".
Sherlock put his magnifying glass away.
"The object used to cut the glass was very sharp and very precise. She made no mess as she entered the room, the table under the window is perfectly organized and nothing has been moved, she took her time. The alarm and the cameras were already off and there was no chance for her to be interrupted. She wanted to make an impression. There's a shoeprint on the carpet and no fingerprints anywhere. The shoe size is small and she was wearing high heels. Stylish shoes if you're thinking of breaking in. There's also one strand of brown hair one the floor, close to the shoeprint, just one, perfectly placed there. She didn't steal the diamonds but rather used them to write the letters CS on the glass balcony.
"There's no camera footage even though the camera is working normally right now. The images go blank from 2 till 3 am than back to normal." – Lestrade observed.
"This store has million pounds worth of products but she only took one object. A ruby necklace. Mrs. Wiggins said this necklace was worth 1.5 million ponds but there were way more expensive necklaces she could have taken". – That was what John learned from this conversation with the store owner.
"Why would someone be so careful to break in but leave so many clues behind"? – Lestrade asked Sherlock who was oblivious to anything else in this moment.
"Because it's a game". – Sherlock said as usual imagining people were following his train of thought.
"So you're saying the person wasn't sloppy, was all of this on purpose?" – John concluded.
Sherlock turned to John and Lestrade and started walking around the store as he explained what he had in mind about each clue.
"Ok! Female broke into uptown store. She was extremely careful about camera, alarm and with the glass window. The dust around the objects on this table under the window is intact which means she entered the store gracefully, didn't drop or move anything. She left a footprint but no fingerprints and a strand of brown hair right beside the print. It means she wasn't at all sloppy but intentionally left these clues. Then she signed her work of art with two letters written in diamonds on the glass balcony. Stylish, very stylish, she was showing off and took nothing more than just a ruby necklace clearly letting us know who she is".
"Oh, clearly". – Said John sarcastically.
Sherlock looked to John and Lestrade as a child on Christmas day expecting they would have understood the puzzle.
…. Silence in the room ….
John and Greg were still waiting for the grand finale.
"Carmen Sandiego". – Sherlock concluded looking all too excited about the new case.
"Who's that?" – Greg had no idea why he was supposed to know that name.
"Carmen Sandiego? Wasn't that a cartoon?" – John did remember watching a cartoon with this name.
"Yes! It was also a game. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego from 1985. You had to track down and chase her villains and then go after Carmen herself around the world. An investigation game with puzzles, warrants, trips. Their intention with this game was teaching geography".
"Ok fine, but how is this linked to the game at all?". – Greg was still confused.
"The dossier. You had access to the villain's dossiers. Carmen had brown hair and never went out in public without a ruby necklace".
"CS – Carmen Sandiego". – Now Greg got it.
"But Sherlock, there wasn't a real Carmen. It's just an invented character". – John pointed out.
"Yes, you saw the circle on the glass window. Just like the cartoons. But someone has brought her to life. Someone has just become Carmen".
Sherlock looked to the CS written in diamonds once again barely being able to contain his thrill.
"John. The chase …. is on"!
TBC?
Obs: Ok so the chapter is not as long as I wanted, but a little bit of suspense is needed lol!
Thanks for reading!