Back at the flat at 221B Baker Street, Sherlock was on his laptop, searching the internet for anything and everything he could find out about the man known as Brandon Key.
"Interesting..." Sherlock mentioned, eyes glued to the computer screen. "Brandon Key was completely ordinary and not at all impressive. No Twitter or any social media account except for a three year old Facebook account that he rarely updated, nothing to suggest he had any affiliation with anything."
"So he was just an average bloke." John replied.
"Even less than average, I'd say." Sherlock mentioned, eyes darting to their corners at his friend at once.
"So what was a man like him doing inside an old empty building like that?" John asked, sitting down in his chair and taking a sip of his tea.
"Boys, you have a visitor." Mrs Hudson chimed out as she came up the stairs to the flat, leading a young woman up as well.
"Go away. I'm busy." Sherlock dismissed, not even looking at the door, but dismissing both the landlady and the client with an uncaring wave of his hand as he made his way toward the kitchen.
"Oh, Sherlock, honestly. How could you be so rude?" Mrs Hudson asked in a disappointed tone. "After all this girl has been through!"
"It's fine, Mrs Hudson. Really." the young woman replied graciously. "Thank you."
"That voice..." Sherlock thought aloud, stopping in his tracks. He walked backwards, retracing his steps quickly to see who was at the door. "Ah. Just the woman I was hoping to see." he said.
"I am?" the woman asked.
"She is?" John asked, looking at Sherlock.
"Of course. If anyone could tell us about Mr Key's habits and lifestyle, it's his sister." Sherlock replied.
"But she was also caught lurking about the crime scene." John reminded him with a warning look in his eyes. "How do we know she isn't in on this somehow?"
"You. Sharky." Sherlock said at once in a commanding tone, spinning abruptly on his heel to her and pointing to her almost accusingly.
"My name is Samantha." she said firmly. "Samantha Elizabeth Key."
Sherlock raised his head and seemed to nod only a little, waiting one whole second after she'd spoken before he replied. "Sharky, why did you keep going back to the scene where your brother's dead body was found?" he asked indifferently. "In my mind, there would be only two reasons, the first being because you genuinely care for your brother and want answers as to the last moments of his life. The second reason is because you had something to do with your brother's death and you're trying to hide your involvement or the involvement of someone or something else. Which is it?"
"Mr Holmes, I've come to you today to ask for justice... and to find the one who took my brother away from me." Samantha answered calmly, standing firm. "If you're really as good as the world says you are, then my involvement in this case will become apparent shortly. I had nothing to do with the death of my brother."
"Then why did you keep returning to the crime scene?" John asked, standing up and walking towards her just a little so as not to seem quite as cold towards her as Sherlock was being. "Why not just let the police detectives do their job?"
"Because there aren't many people out there who can be trusted, Mr Watson." she answered, directing her stern stare at him. "How can I be sure that this wasn't the work of one of the detectives on the case?"
"So you truly have no idea who could have killed your brother?" Sherlock realised. "Interesting..."
"Mr Holmes, please. I am begging you to let me investigate this case by your side." Samantha said.
"Oh, I'll take the case." he replied in sort of a snooty way. "But you won't be coming along, Sharky."
"But-!" she began.
"You'll only get in the way." he interrupted. "Right now, you have a wall built up. The only thing keeping that wall standing is your stone-cold and almost obsessive interest in this case. But the dam is weak. That emotional barrier you've built up for yourself will crack at any moment when you realise that your only brother is dead, and that flood of raw, uncontrollable emotions will come bursting out at which point you will be completely useless to me."
"I can keep my emotions in control, Mr Holmes." she insisted stubbornly and angrily through her teeth, fighting the tears that stung her eyes. "As long as I stay focused on solving this crime, pretending that I am merely a detective on the case and not the sister of the victim... that is the only thing keeping my emotions back."
"But at some point, it will all become real to you. Your facade will crumble. Your little game of playing detective will come to an end." he replied, sounding just as firm.
"I'm not letting you two out of my sight until you agree to let me help you." she hissed, tears rolling down her cheek.
"Sherlock..." John began with a bit of a sigh, sounding as though he was tired of Sherlock's ice cold heart, just wanting to give Samantha a break already.
"Out." Sherlock commanded, pointing to the door, glaring at Samantha. "At least until you can get your emotions under control. You won't be able to think straight until they are and until then, I have no need for you."
Without saying a word, the stone-faced woman marched right into the flat, walked over to John's chair, sat down promptly, and crossed her legs and folded her arms, staring determinedly at Sherlock. Sherlock, seeming quite stunned, though the look was mostly hidden, turned to Samantha and stared at her.
"...So you're staying then." he said.
Samantha bit her lip and turned her head away with her eyes closed as if irritated before turning her head back to him. "I've given you your answer already, Mr Holmes." she answered with thick disdain in her voice. "You're not getting rid of me until you choose to willingly accept my help."
"So it's a battle of wits you're after." Sherlock replied immediately, eyes narrowed. "...Unwise, Sharky... Perhaps you don't know exactly who I am quite as well as your appearance suggests."
Samantha said nothing, just continuing to glare challengingly at the detective with her fiercely golden eyes. Seeing there was no reasoning with her, Sherlock turned away, ignoring her completely, and went back to work. John awkwardly made his way over to the chair where Samantha had placed herself.
"Um... do you mind... possibly sitting in that chair over there?" he asked her as she kept hateful eyes on Sherlock's back. "This is usually where I sit and I..."
She looked up at him with a cold glare that could kill, knowing that the look in her eyes would be answer enough for the doctor. She wasn't moving for anything.
John sighed heavily, knowing better than to try to coax her any further, and went into the kitchen, sitting at the table to continue drinking his tea.
The flat was awkwardly silent for about an hour before Sherlock decided to do some investigating outside of Baker Street. As he and John got themselves ready to go out in the cold weather, Samantha stood and watched them.
Sherlock looked over at her as he put on his scarf. "Coming with us then?" he asked in a perky tone.
"I said I wasn't about to let you out of my sight, Mr Holmes, and I meant it." she replied.
"Eh. Suit yourself, but the temperature has dropped a bit since you came around." he said, looking away from her. "It might be a bit uncomfortable without a jacket."
"You should know that we sharks are accustomed to the cold... Mr Holmes..." she retorted darkly.
Sherlock rolled his eyes and went down the stairs. John looked back at Samantha one last time before following his friend and she soon followed after them.
Samantha went with them in the cab that Sherlock had hailed; she went with them to every place they stopped at, never speaking a word. During a particularly lengthy walk outside, though she still said nothing, the bitter wind was really beginning to get to her. John noticed this right away. "Here." he said, taking off his own coat and putting it over Sam's shoulders.
"You don't have to be so nice to me, Dr Watson. I'm certainly being nothing more than a burden on you two." Samantha shivered, pulling the coat around her tightly for warmth.
"Be that as it may, Samantha, I made a promise to never refuse help to another living soul." he answered with a sigh.
"Well... thank you..." she responded. "I appreciate it..."
"Oh, this is just getting ridiculous now..." Sherlock said, stopping and turning to them abruptly with a disgusted look on his face, stopping both of them in their tracks alertedly. "Fine. You can tag along and help out."
"What- you're giving in?" John asked him, quite surprised.
"Where's your flat? We'll need to get your coat or something..." Sherlock said to Samantha, looking around with narrowed eyes.
"It's a house. A proper house." Samantha replied. "And if I didn't know any better, Mr Holmes, I'd say that you're actually showing concern for my safety or something."
"I'm protecting my assets." he replied. "Now quickly. Take us to get your things so we can get back to work."
Samantha broke into an elated grin, overjoyed to have finally gotten permission from the detective to help out. "Oh, thank you so much, Mr Holmes! You won't regret this!" she exclaimed, stepping up to him excitedly. She hugged him tightly, which surprised John quite a bit, but Sherlock just stood there with no expression on his face.
"Enough now. Get your things." Sherlock said after a few moments.
"Right! Sorry!" she realised, letting him go at once. "We'll take a cab. From there, we can take my car. I'll take you two anywhere you need to go!"
"Well you've certainly become helpful!" John joked.
"I told you. The only thing I care about is finding out what happened to my brother, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I can do just that." Samantha replied. "I can be quite useful to you if you let me, Mr Holmes. Just say the word."
"Excellent. Shall we get started then?" Sherlock asked, seeming to have a whole new attitude towards her now.
"Absolutely." she replied with a firm nod. "I'll call a cab. I'm buying this time."
"This is it." Samantha said, unlocking the front door to her house and opening it, letting herself in before the two men. "It isn't much, really... but it's home."
"You live alone." Sherlock deduced the moment he stepped into the house, sounding a bit surprised. "I would have guessed you would have had SOME form of company."
"I do." Samantha insisted. "I have two fresh water aquariums, three salt water ones, and a dog."
"I knew all that. I meant some form of HUMAN company." he replied.
"Insinuating you thought I had a..." she began.
"Boyfriend." he cut in way too quickly, looking at her at once. "...Or a girlfriend."
Sam's brow furrowed. "Why would you think that?" she asked. "I've been single for two years now. I haven't dated since, and I certainly never lived with any of my boyfriends."
"Two years?" John asked, looking at her, seeming a bit surprised.
"Why does that seem so odd to you two?" she laughed, looking between them.
"Dunno. Just... sort of... does..." John answered.
She became quite sombre at once. "It wasn't a good relationship." she said. "It's... taking me a bit longer to bounce back from it..."
"Oh. Sorry to hear that." he replied with a concerned look. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah. Fine. Now." she answered, seeming to shake herself awake from some unsettling dreams. "Anyway... I'd give you boys the grand tour, but I'm sure you're as anxious as I am to get back into the search, so I'll just grab my coat and we'll be off."
She rushed off into a room in the house, leaving John and Sherlock standing in her foyer. John put his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his feet patiently as he gazed up and around at the inside of the house.
"Seriously, though. Why did you think she was living with someone?" John asked his friend suddenly, looking at him. "You don't think her brother was living with her here, do you?"
"No. His Facebook said he lived in a different place in London entirely." Sherlock answered.
"So then why did you take such an interest in-" John began.
He cut himself off when Samantha ran up to them, not wanting her to hear their conversation. "Sorry about that! Ready to go!" she told them perkily. The shark tooth necklace she'd been wearing before was being worn on the outside of her jacket, still being displayed with pride.
"What's the story with that shark tooth?" John asked with a slight smile, just trying to make friendly conversation.
"It's from a tiger shark." Sam said, holding the tooth at the end of her necklace out a bit to show it off a little better. "My father brought it back from his trip to Barbados when I was a little girl. Tiger sharks aren't typically found around Barbados, and given the size of this tooth this shark was also quite large for its species, so it really is something of a rarity. It's really what sparked my interest in marine biology early on."
"Enough idle chatter. We have work to do, in case you've both forgotten." Sherlock said coldly, walking towards the door. "Sharky, get your bag. You have driving to do."
Samantha just as quickly got her purse and then stood alongside John, the two of them watching Sherlock saunter off.
"Are you so sure you want to go with him?" John asked, both of them keeping their eyes on Mr Holmes. "He ALWAYS acts like this. Most people can't stand it for long."
"I'm not most people, Mr Watson…" Samantha replied with a lowered head, keeping her eyes on Sherlock's back determinedly. She started after Sherlock, John following her after a moment of brief intrigue from her reply.
Author's Note: I apologize if there are still any technical difficulties with the way I'm posting these chapters. I'm still learning how to use FFN a bit. I'll try to get better. Anyway, hope you guys like Samantha all right. I'm gonna wait until I get a few more readers and possibly a few reviews before I post the next chapter. Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading, everyone! It REALLY means a lot to me. ^^