I do not own Sherlock, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes or anything associated. Takes place between series one and two.
Irene had to admit she was surprised to see him sitting at her table, staring at her with cold, dark eyes and a cruel smile. She should of known this would happen, and she felt the dolt for not anticipating it.
Moriarty held up an unlabeled bottle of wine. "Care to have a drink with me?" His sentence was phrased like a question, but she would have been a fool to think it was anything but a command.
She smiled her best smile and set down her purse and coat on the counter. "One moment, I'll get the glasses." She turned and removed two crystal wine glasses from the shelf. "I'm afraid they're a bit dusty," she said, moving to the sink and very carefully rinsing them out. She then thoroughly dried them with a towel embroidered with small, pink azaleas on one side.
Clean and shining, she handed the glasses to the man sitting at her table. He lifted one and poured some of the bottle's contents into it. The maroon liquid splashed a bit before settling, and Moriarty handed it to her carefully.
He had poured far too much into her glass. She swirled it carefully and took a cautious sniff. "Cabernet sauvignon?" she asked as he poured himself a glass.
"Yes," he said. "I have some interest in the vineyard where the grapes are grown. I find the soil there is well fertilized."
Irene smiled at him, giving no indication she understood what he was getting at. "So, is this a friendly visit or a business meeting?"
Moriarty sighed, swirling the wine in his own glass. "Business, I'm afraid. I would love to come 'round for a friendly chat, of course, but I'm just so busy these days."
"I had heard," Irene said, demurely taking a seat across from one of the most powerful men in the world. "Your business has been suffering recently." The criminal underground was a-buzz with mentions of a so-called "consulting detective" named Sherlock Holmes. Word had it he was getting close to Moriarty, that the detective knew the name.
Moriarty's face twitched, but in a moment his face was back to it's normal reptilian mask. "An unfortunate turn of events, but business will be back to normal soon." Irene frowned. For a moment she thought he had looked... excited.
"That is wonderful to hear," Irene replied, filing that little tidbit away in her mind. She must investigate later.
Moriarty looked at her almost jovially for a moment. He raised his glass, "To business?"
Irene smiled carefully back at him. "To business," she said, toasting. Their glasses made a very satisfying clink as they smacked against one another. The woman and the consulting criminal put their glasses to their lips, but neither took a sip. The wine was just a prop. Both knew the other had found a way to poison their drink.
Read and Review
