The Interview
Watson's face fell in astonishment.
"Claire? Is that really you?" he gasped, looking at the young woman before him.
Claire turned her face towards him.
"Yes, John it is I. I know you would not expect to see me here of the places in England, but here I am," she said with a small sigh.
Holmes directed his attention away from the flabbergasted Watson to his apparent cousin.
"Now, Miss Watson, you will kindly tell me why the advertisement called for you to meet here."
Claire held up her gloved hand.
"I have the advertisement with me, hold on a moment and I shall get it for you," she said calmly, searching through her handbag. "Here you go, Mr. Holmes."
Claire passed him the newspaper clipping without a second glance at it.
Holmes glanced at it and then glared at Watson with the full force of his hardened grey eyes.
"Watson! You scoundrel! How dare you put in the paper that I need an assistant?" He raised his voice enough to make it quite clear that Watson had crossed the line this time.
"Holmes, I'm a married man now, I can't come with you on every case. And although you've shown that you can take care of yourself, I see no harm in getting a little extra help." Watson flustered, trying to avoid the penetrating gaze he was getting.
"What do you expect her to do? She's a woman, Watson! She cannot go off running with me to catch a criminal or something of the sort without me having to think twice because she might get hurt."
Holmes's tone had returned to normal volume by then but it was still very angry. Claire stayed remarkably silent for a moment and then rose.
"It looks as if there will not be any compromises, so I will leave you two gentlemen to your busy schedule. I am sorry, Mr. Holmes, for taking up too much of your obviously precious time," She said stiffly, as if a little taken back from Holmes's outburst
Watson stopped her.
"Claire, please stay - the least I can do for your trouble is to give you an interview," he said calmly motioning her to sit back down.
Claire conceded and sat back down her light blue eyes focusing on her cousin instead of his estranged partner.
"May I write all this down?" Watson asked before producing a pencil and his trusty log book.
"You may write all you like, John." Claire said, taking off her broad hat to reveal her dark brown hair twisted into a bun.
Holmes turned his back on the pair to light his clay pipe. He did not like women, and especially if Watson tried to bring them into his life.
"How long have you lived in London, Claire?" asked Watson, thinking it would be short term.
Claire's eyes twinkled at the thought. "I've been in this city for 7 exciting and interesting years," she said, laughing when Watson gave her an awe-struck look.
"What have you been doing that's been keeping you from writing me?"
Claire shook her head.
"Well, my mother never told me you moved to London in the first place and my work was keeping me incredibly busy."
Watson smoothed his mustache as he wrote. "Where have you worked in London?" he asked, again assuming it would something like nursing or maid work.
"I was at first a Typewriter for Scotland Yard for 1 year then I got tired of doing all the office work and none of the field work; so I became an undercover operative for 5 years." She stopped there because both Watson and Holmes were looking at her as if she has sprung another arm.
"An undercover operative for Scotland Yard? Claire, are you pulling my leg to look better in front of Mr. Holmes?"
Claire's eyes grew cold "Of all the people in the world, John, I expected you to think better of me." She was starting to get severely annoyed by such an intense reaction form the men in front of her.
Holmes stepped in front of Watson and just stared into Claire's face with what one could assume as curiosity.
"Would you please take off your gloves, Miss Watson?" he asked, kneeling down before her. Claire sighed as she took off her matching gloves and laid out her hands before him.
The room was silent accept for the ticking of the clock and the occasional puff from Holmes's pipe.
"Watson, she's telling the truth. A woman who has no less then five different calluses from having to shoot a fire arm or using a weapon is none other than a spy."
Claire looked down at Holmes. "Well, I'm glad someone acknowledges my services, although it was two years ago since I last used a gun." She rubbed her hands together.
Watson was utterly speechless and continued to stare at Claire. Holmes took over the interview from that point on, because he had the stones to ask her the tough questions.
"So, for the past two years you've been playing the violin somewhere, and since your indentations on your fingers of your left hand are deep it must have been for a theatre."
Claire responded with a small smile. "You have it exactly, Mr. Holmes; I was at the Crown Theatre for two years."
Watson's eyes lit up "The Crown? I've been a few times but I never realized you were in the orchestra."
Claire refocused onto Watson "Well, I'm not surprised, dear cousin, with your new marriage, working in your practice, and following around Mr. Holmes - you are a very busy man." She said to him in a forgiving tone.
Watson nodded in agreement. "Which is why I put the advertisement in, I have barely any time to go off every case you get, Holmes. Claire has shown us that she has experience in your line of work, and she seems able enough to stand up to whatever comes with running after you."
Holmes shook his head deprecatingly.
"My dear Watson, Miss Watson may have the requirements to the job; it all depends on whether or not I'll actually give it to her."
His words stung Watson's newfound pride in his cousin "Holmes, what reasons could you give not to hire her?"
Holmes glanced at Claire again, then responded in usual cold tone.
"Besides the fact that she's a woman, Miss Watson seems to me paranoid, hard-hearted, and used to working with others instead of on her own."
Watson was about to protest this when Claire rose up suddenly and faced Sherlock Holmes. "Mr. Holmes, I can guess to how you got your correct deductions but they aren't good enough reasons in my mind to turn me away." Her voice had turned from melodious to stern and wooden.
Holmes turned away from her in one swift motion. "Do you have explanations for these behaviors?"
Claire's eyes flashed dangerously at his back "I do, Mr. Holmes, but I do not think it would be wise to tell you them if in the end it would still turn out that I am not going to get hired. So, to avoid any more confusion I'm going to leave you two fine gentlemen and be on my way."
And with that Claire picked up her hat and shut the door behind her softly before heading back outside.
"Holmes, now look what you've done! She is never going to speak to me again for putting her through this!" Watson said, taking his coat and dashing for the door.
Sherlock turned from the door. "What I've done? You were the one who gave out the advertisement in the first place. Also, I will not have any assistant of mine treat me the way she did just then."
Watson looked at him with annoyance.
"Well anyone could have the same reaction after your outburst about her sex and your continuing negativity." Watson was riling up his already shaken nerves as he headed for the door. "I'm off to see if I can undo any damage that has been caused by a friend's concern for another."
Holmes leaped out of the chair after him "I'm coming along, if you feel like you have to make amends then I must go since I'm the apparent cause of the problem."
Watson shook his head. "She won't let me in if you come along. I promise to take notes."
Holmes took a hold of his friend's shoulder. "I'll go, and observe her once more and to give her another chance to redeem herself; but if she fails, then you stop trying to make me feel guilty."
Watson sighed and conceded before heading towards the brandy bottle for some much needed refreshment.
