This was to be their last client of the day. Sherlock by now was bored, and john just didn't want to deal with his complaining. So last client it was. The silence of 221 Baker Street was calm and relaxing broken only by John's constant typing up of their latest adventure. Sherlock sat in his chair hands folded under his chin. He was brooding and silent think of the last threat Moriarty had promised him. When the jarring sound of the doorbell broke the peace in the flat Sherlock scowled in annoyance.
"Please be nice to this one Sherlock." John reminded the detective
"There tends to be no truth in nice John" John shook his head in annoyance and sat down in his chair as the door opened and Mrs. Hudson ushered in the client.
The client was a rather striking female with slight strawberry blonde hair that had small waves in it. She was slim and obviously very short, Sherlock calculated her to be 5 feet. Freckles painted her oval face. Most striking of all though was her eyes, a deep grey that seemed to look past a person's exterior and into their very being. Overall even Sherlock had to admit that she was rather beautiful. Though she held herself with confidence and gave no tells Sherlock saw in her a fear, an unmeasurable fear.
She sat in the chair already pulled out and looked at the two men. "Hello, I'm Clara Terry"
"I presume you already know us." Sherlock stated
"Yes I've heard of you, the consulting detective and his doctor companion." Her voice was soft but not so quite one could not hear it.
"So why are you here today?" Watson said with a small smile.
"I think someone is trying to kill me," Clara stated. "A few days ago my flat was broken into and the robber was still there, he attacked me. I fought him off and he ran out my window. Then just yesterday I was jumped in an ally downtown by a bar I go to all the time. I maced the man and he too ran off. I went to the police about both these men but nothing. They insist it was just bad luck. I might have believed them too if I wasn't followed home from the station. Please Mr. Holmes I need your help. If anything come to my flat and prove my suspicions wrong." Clara finished, by the end she was practically pleading for his help.
Sherlock looked into her eyes and saw the fear and the hopelessness. John nudged him with his arm encouragingly, he had obviously taken a liking for her. Sherlock rolled his eyes in defeat, "Fine I will come to your flat."
Clara gave him a brilliant smile that only showed her beauty more. John too smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
"Thank you so much Mr. Holmes!" He nodded his welcome and went to fetch is coat and scarf. As the three of them were about to leave John got a call on his cell from the hospital asking him to come in.
"Sorry Sherlock gotta dash, someone has to pay the bills around here." He laughed and ran head of them.
Sherlock looking slightly annoyed rolled his eyes and continued to walk down the stairs, Clara following behind him. It had started to rain while they were talking in the flat, and no taxies could be seen coming down the street.
"How far do you live from here?" Sherlock asked her
"Not far only 4 blocks, I walked here." She replied turning in the direction of her flat.
Sherlock had observed her outfit when she first entered his flat but now saw how utterly useless they were for the rain, she wore a sweater and black leggings with tall boots, not exactly rain cloths, and she was already shivering from the cold rain prone to London. He said nothing, just shrugged off his coat and gave it to her before beginning the walk to her flat. Clara, surprised at his gesture, rushed after him barley able to keep up with his long legs.
They said nothing as they walked but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Clara was right in the fact that her flat was not far, in only 10 minutes they reached it.
"My flat is on the fourth floor." Clara stated heading up the stairs.
"Lead on then." Sherlock said following after her. The flat was what he expected of course, based on her appearance she was obviously in school, it was small and modest with plain furniture and no paintings lavish paintings on the wall. Clothes littered the floor and the sofa and dirty plates were in the dishes, just the cleaning he'd expect from someone on their own for the first time. The number of books jumped out at him though, there were three bookcases full to the brim and multiple stacks on the floor.
"Sorry for the mess, wasn't expecting visitors." Clara looked at her feet clearly embarrassed by the state of it.
"Its fine, now what do you want me to do?"
"I don't know. You're the detective, prove to me that no one is hunting me. Use your dectectivey skills."
"Dectectivey?"
"It's a technical term." Sherlock smirked in amusement at her joke and started looking round.
He could find no evidence of foul play from the robbery, nothing missing or out of place, but she had interrupted the robber, that could be the reason. Then why was she jumped at the bar? It could have been as the police said just bad luck, a coincidence. But did he really believe in coincidences? No he didn't, nothing at the flat though could prove someone hunting her.
When he came to this conclusion he walked over to where Clara was sitting and just looked at her, unable to express the lack of evidence he found.
"Couldn't find anything? Ah well I knew this was a long shot, maybe it was just bad luck like the cops said." She still looked sad at that, not truly getting the closer she wanted.
"Take care of yourself Clara." Sherlock said sticking his hand out
"And you too Mr. Holmes."
"Sherlock please."
"Alright Sherlock, maybe I'll see you around"
Sherlock smiled at her, turned on his heels and left the flat. He walked down the stairs slowly, not wanting to face the rain any sooner than he had to. Or was it something else? He shook his head and continued down the stairs. On the third floor he passed a man going up with and umbrella in his hand. Sherlock looked at him, why would he be there? From his cloths and his watch he didn't live here, both too expensive for this kind of place. The man rushed past Sherlock and up onto the fourth floor. Something poked out in his mind about that. He thought then realized. No one else lived up there, Clara's name was the only one on the list in the main hall. Sherlock jerked around and ran up the stairs two at a time.
When he got to Clara's apartment the door was wide open. He ran in looking franticly for the man in the trashed living room. The man's cane was on the floor with a hidden blade with the head of the cane attached to it right next to the broken tea table. He found the man and Clara in Clara's bedroom, door smashed open. The man was leaning over her his hand rapped around her next, choking the life out of her, her face was red and her lips gasping for air as her slowly lost the energy to try and buck the man off of her.
Sherlock let out a loud bellow and hurled himself at the man, pulling him off Clara. The man lifted Sherlock and slammed him down to the ground. Before he could try and choke him, Sherlock kicked the man's knee hyperextending it and pushing the man to the ground. Sherlock got up off the floor jumped on top of the man and repeatedly punched him in the face, over and over again.
When the man was officially unconscious Sherlock got up and ran over to Clara. "Clara? Clara? Can you hear me Clara?" Sherlock said to her lifeless body, shaking her at the same time, trying to get something, anything out of her. "Please open your eyes!" He begged. He pressed on her chest trying to get her lungs to start working
Suddenly a gasp and a huge intake of air came from her. "Sherlock?" She managed her eyes looking at him in confusion.
"Yeah it's me Clara. Are you alright? Can you get up?" She nodded and Sherlock helped her get up, looking her over in concern.
"God I have a headache, and my throat is killing me. What happened?" Clara asked Sherlock.
"Well for the first two, it's a good thing I have a doctor as a flat mate. For the last, all I can say is I do believe you have someone out there trying to kill you."
Well there's that hope you enjoy it review/follow pleassse, more coming out soon/soonish depending on school!