The Danger of Deduction
Chapter 2
Thirty minutes later, John and Sherlock were heading to the Ministry of Defense.
During the drive doctor Watson told Sherlock what the news said about the attack. And it wasn't much, they didn't even say the number of assailants. They only named the deceased and showed some comments of the people who saw how the helicopter had crashed. It seemed there wasn't an official version of the facts yet.
The car Mycroft had sent them stopped one street away from the place. The driver got off the car and opened the door for them.
When they got off the car they saw that the whole block had been closed. There where two fire trucks and at least five police cars.
Before getting in, Sherlock beckoned John to follow him.
They surrounded the building. Sherlock had his brow slightly furrowed.
On the right side of the building he pointed John all the broken glass and the numerous cartridge cases that covered the sidewalk. Sherlock took one of them watching it carefully and then he put it into his pocket. They arrived to the building's front again and Sherlock bent over a small stain on the stairs and silently pointed it out to John.
They continued their way to the main entrance, where Lestrade was waiting for them. He looked nervous.
"I wasn't expecting you here, Lestrade" greeted Sherlock coldly.
"Apparently my team just drew our chief superintendent's attention for our many solved cases…" he told them with a look of amusement on his eyes "…so, this baby's mine" he finished with a worried tone on his voice.
"Congratulations" said John raising and eyebrow
Lestrade half smiled. Without another word he turned and the three of them entered to what used to be the lobby.
John couldn't help but to remember the assaults in Afghanistan as he saw the burned bodies of at least 20 people lying down the ground. An unpleasant smell of burned flesh was all over the place. All walls and columns were covered with holes of all sizes. He had never seen so much destruction inside one building.
"Security cameras show a woman and a man entering to the lobby and just how they start shooting all of the security guards…" Sherlock started rounding the room carefully observing the walls, then he started walking through the bodies as the inspector gave them the details "…they called for backup…" Lestrade paused, watching the dead bodies covering the floor "…then they went to the elevator... and the last thing we see is how a bomb explodes from within. We think they went up the elevator's hatch and cut off the cables 'cause they somehow got to the building's roof as the elevator crashed down making the bomb exploded"
"Are there any other elevators in the building?" asked Sherlock
"Yes, the service elevators" he answered "but they are not safe to use yet... we still don't know the damage the bomb made on the building, we will have to take the stairs"
"And those are safe?" ironized John.
"We'll go on the elevators" said Sherlock pointedly
"The building. is. not. stable" the inspector remarked
"Of course it is" said Sherlock watching the room "main support structures weren't damaged"
Lestrade seemed uncertain.
"Are you sure?" He didn't like the idea of climbing up all those stairs again either
Sherlock looked back at him impatiently.
"All right" he accepted leading them to the service elevators.
"On the roof they stole the helicopter..." Lestrade were saying as they came out the elevator "overflew the right side of the building and shot at one of the offices on this floor" he lead them to another destroyed room where there were three other bodies, some tables and chairs dumped on the floor.
Sherlock paced the room observing the bodies and the things on the floor, then he got to the window turning his back and watching the room from that point.
"Let's go to the roof" he said.
On the roof there was a forense's group of specialists who were checking 10 more bodies there. John couldn't believe only two people had cause all that disaster. At one sign of Lestrade they stopped their work and watched all Sherlock's moves.
Sherlock studied the bodies for a while.
"Where did the helicopter crashed?" he asked standing up and heading to the exit door.
"6 blocks from here" answered the inspector, as John and him followed Sherlock to the elevators.
When they got out of the building Lestrade lead the way to his police car.
"I'll get a cab, thank you" said Sherlock
"Not if you want to arrive before Christmas" answered Lestrade opening the back door for them.
"I'm walking, then" he replied stubbornly
"Six blocks?" John frowned "I'm going with Lestrade" he said getting into the police car.
"Get out of there, John" Sherlock ordered him
"Start walking, Sherlock or we'll have to wait ages for you- he replied from within the car.
Lestrade started the engine
Sherlock clenched his fists in anger, then took a big breath and without any other word got into the car with John.
Even then it took 10 minutes to arrive to the Shad Anderson bank where the helicopter had crashed.
The place was unrecognizable. They had evacuated the building and closed the streets. The front part of the building was totally destroyed with black smoke raising up the sky.
The helicopter had crashed into the building, so they could only see the tail of it from the street.
When they arrived to the building's gates John looked up "Any casualties?" he asked
"13 people were injured... 4 of them badly wounded" answered Lestrade "and... one dead"
They got into the building and headed to the elevators. Lestrade pushed the 13 button and waited untill the doors got closed.
The helicopter was totally destroyed.
Sherlock only gave a quick glance at it, and walked to the window, where a firefighter was still bombing water to the smoking remains of the floor.
John approached slowly and carefully to the helicopter.
"How could they possibly survived to... this?"
"Oh John" Sherlock rolled his eyes "they weren't on the helicopter when it crashed" he said impatiently taking his mobile out from his coat.
Lestrade looked surprised
"Where were they, then?" he asked
Sherlock just pointed out to the building across the street and kept typing on his mobile. John and Lestrade got closer to the window; they only saw a cracked window on the tenth floor, just at the middle of the building.
"Sherlock...?" start asking Lestrade
"There is no time for questions" Sherlock interrupted him keeping his mobile on his coat "You need to go to that building and ask for the security record of the rooftop or the lobby if they don't have it. You are looking for three suspects, not two. Identify each dead body and VERIFY their backgrounds, there are bodies which shouldn't be there. Send me the security video from the Ministry of Defense..."
He was interrupted by an erotic moan coming from his coat pocket.
John rolled his eyes.
Lestrade raised his eyebrows "You haven't changed it yet?"
Sherlock got his mobile again and read the message.
"We have to go, John"
"Wait!" said Lestrade
Sherlock turned "What?" he asked impatiently
"What did you m...?"
"That shouldn't be there!" he interrupted him "You'll know when you see it. Come on, John"
They got off from the elevator and ran to the street where Mycroft's car was waiting for them.
"Are we going with your brother?" asked John frowning
"I need answers and his office is not far from here" he answered.