When John returned to 221B he wasn't sure what to expect. Sherlock was sprawled out on the couch with his hand pressing down on the nicotine patches on his arm. Angelica sat crisscross in his arm chair, nursing a mug of tea.
"What are you doing?"
"Nicotine patch. Helps me think," Sherlock explained. Angelica glanced down the hallway towards her and Charlie's room. Sherlock noticed the look but elected to ignore it. He showed John the three patches. "Impossible to sustain a smoking habit in London these days. Bad news for brain work."
"It's good news for breathing," John said as he went further into the room.
"Oh, breathing. Breathing's boring," Sherlock responded causing Angelica to raise an eyebrow and John to frown.
"Is that three patches?"
Sherlock pressed his hands together in a prayer position under his chin. He closed his eyes. "It's a three-patch problem."
John looked towards Angelica who only turned her head away and gazed into the empty kitchen as she brought the mug up to her lips.
"Well?" John asked.
Neither Holmes responded.
"You asked me to come. I'm assuming it's important."
Sherlock didn't respond for a moment and Angelica glanced towards him. His eyes suddenly shot open. "Oh, yeah, of course. Can I borrow your phone?"
"My phone?"
"Don't wanna use mine or hers. Always a chance that the numbers will be recognized. They're on the website."
"Mrs. Hudson's got a phone," John noted.
Angelica shrugged. "Yeah, she's downstairs. I tried shouting but she didn't hear."
John spoke with hint of anger in his voice. "I was the other side of London. You left me on the other side of London." He looked at Angelica this time. She merely shrugged.
"There was no hurry," Sherlock insisted.
John's mouth was agape as he looked at Sherlock. Finally, he gave in, dug his phone out of his pocket and handed it over. "Here."
Sherlock's eyes were still closed as he held out his right hand expectantly. John glowered at him before walking over and slapping the phone into his hand. Sherlock returned to his previous prayer position with the phone now between this hands.
"So what's this about – the case?" John asked.
"Her case."
"Her case?"
Sherlock opened his eyes. "Her suitcase, yes, obviously. The murderer took her suitcase. First big mistake."
"Okay, he took her case. So?" John nodded.
Sherlock looked towards Angelica. "It's no use, there's no other way. We'll have to risk it." He held the phone out to Angelica. "On my desk there's a number. I want you to send the text."
Angelica placed her mug of tea onto the table and took the phone from his hands. She peered over at John curiously. "What's wrong?"
John took a seat in the arm chair across from where Angelica had just been sitting. "Just met a friend of yours."
Sherlock frowned in confusion. "A friend?"
"An enemy."
Sherlock relaxed. "Which one?"
"Umbrella man," Angelica said. "I was informed you were going to meet while you were speaking to Sergeant Donovan. Did you take the money?"
"Do people have arch-enemies?" John asked.
Sherlock shrugged. "But, did you take the money?"
"No."
Angelica frowned. "Pity. Could have split the fee. Better yet, put it towards the rent. Charlie doesn't make enough."
John's brow furrowed at the comment. Did Sherlock not have a reliable source of income? "Who is he?"
"The most dangerous man you've ever met and not my problem right now. On my desk, the number," Sherlock reminded his daughter. She rolled her eyes before grabbing the number and quickly sending the text message.
"Yay. I love texting murderers," Angelica smiled before picking up her tea and sitting down on her proper place on the couch. Sherlock had stood and walked over the table and into the kitchen.
"Wait, you texted Jennifer Wilson's phone?" John asked.
Angelica nodded and watched as Sherlock brought a pink case into the living room. Sherlock grabbed one of the dining chairs and placed it between the two armchairs. He set the case down in the chair as John looked at the case with wide eyes.
"That's ... that's the pink lady's case. That's Jennifer Wilson's case," John realized.
"Obviously," Charlie said as he emerged from the hallway. His voice of casual and joking. John blinked at his sudden reappearance. "Didn't even go to the crime scene and I was able to piece things together faster than that. Shame on you, Dr. Watson."
With that, Charlie entered the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets. He soon realized they had no food and disappeared from the flat. Angelica could hear him knocking on Mrs. Hudson's door, asking if she had any spare biscuits he could snag. John continued to stare at Sherlock.
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Oh, perhaps I should mention: I didn't kill her."
"I never said you did." John paused before continuing to speak, thinking back to his earlier conversation as he was leaving the crime scene. "Do people usually assume you're the murderer?"
Sherlock smirked. "Now and then, yes"
"How did you get this?" John asked.
"By looking," Sherlock answered.
"Where?"
"Five minute cars ride radius of Lauriston Gardens. He dug through the skips. Didn't you notice the smell?" Angelica said, cutting off Sherlock who was about to go into a long winded explanation.
"Pink. You got all that because you realized the case would be pink?" John asked.
"Dr. Watson, it had to be pink. You saw the woman," Angelica scuffed.
"Why didn't I think of that?"
"Because you're an idiot," Sherlock said causing John to gape at him.
"Don't worry," Charlie said as he reentered the flat with several biscuits in his hands. "I am too. You'll get used to it after a bit. Practically everyone is in their eyes."
John nodded.
"Now, look. Do you see what's missing?" Charlie asked.
"From the case? How could I?"
"Her phone. Where's her mobile phone? There was no phone on the body, there's no phone in the case. We know she had one – that's her number there that Angelica just texted it. You'll catch on to the deductions soon enough," Charlie said as he headed towards the hallway. "She has a string of lovers and she's careful about it. She never leaves her phone at home."
"When were you told about the case?" Sherlock asked.
"I could hear the two of you talking a mile a minute through the walls when you came home from getting the suitcase. You were shouting at each other to think harder," Charlie shrugged before heading back down the hallway.
"Why did she just send that text?" John asked after Angelica had handed him his mobile back.
"Well, the question is: where is her phone now?" Sherlock responded.
"She could have lost it," John suggested.
"Yes, or ...?" Angelica pressed.
John spoke slowly. "The murderer ... You think the murderer has the phone?"
"Maybe she left it when she left her case," Sherlock said, "Maybe he took it from her for some reason. Either way, the balance of probability is the murderer has her phone."
"Sorry, what are we doing? Did Angel just text a murderer?! What good will that do?" John questioned.
As if on cue, his phone began to ring. He picked it up and looked at the screen. The Caller I.D. read:
(withheld)
calling
John looked across the room at Sherlock and Angelica. Angelica had curled back up on the coach with her tea whilst Sherlock had sat back down in his armchair.
"A few hours after his last victim, and now he receives a text that can only be from her. If somebody had just found that phone they'd ignore a text like that, but the murderer…" He paused as the phone ceased ringing, "would panic."
Sherlock stood to his feet, flipped the case closed and then headed towards the door. He picked up his coat and pulled it over his shoulders. Angelica stayed put until Sherlock threw her coat at her and nearly knocked the drink from her hands. She rolled her eyes as she placed her mug on the table and proceeded to pull on her coat head towards the door.
Angelica slipped out into the cool London night and turned right down the pavement. She kept here walking gate shorter than usual as to allow time for both her father and Dr. Watson to catch up with her. After a moment, Sherlock caught up to his daughter. Shortly after, Dr. Watson caught up as well, accompanied by Charlie.
Charlie matched Angelica's walking pace as they walked in front of their father and the doctor. Charlie was wearing his ear bugs and Angelica could hear the rock tune he was listening to. She couldn't quite place why Charlie had followed them. Everyone was always an open book to Angelica Holmes -everyone omitting her brother.
John and Sherlock spoke as they walked, but Angelica tuned them out as she thought over the case. Something in the back of her mind kept distracting her – Charlie. Something was off about him and she couldn't place what it was. Maybe she should ask father. He would have noticed. She shook her head. Sherlock doesn't give Charlie a second glance most times. Their uncle was the better option.
"Hungry?"
Angelica finally tuned into the conversation at the mention of food. She hadn't eaten since yesterday and even though food was bad news for brainwork, it was good news for bodily functions. Charlie's ears perked up at the word and he removed his ear buds.
Angelica and Charlie slipped into the familiar restaurant: Angelo's. The twins ate here often when Sherlock was off on cases that Angelica was banned from. Mrs. Hudson would often feed them when Sherlock was out, but they knew that she wouldn't be around forever. They found other ways to survive and that meant mooching off their father's former clients.
Sherlock and John were right behind them as they entered. The server recognized them right away and led them to a table near the window. The server removed the reserved sign as Angelica and Charlie slid into the booth.
"Thank you, Billy," Sherlock said as he slid off his coat.
Angelica did the same and set it in the seat before sitting down properly. John sat next to Charlie with his back to the window whilst Sherlock sat next to Angelica. John took off his jacket as well.
"Twenty-two Northumberland Street. Keep your eyes on it," Sherlock instructed his daughter.
"He isn't just gonna ring the doorbell, though, is he? He'd need to be mad," John said.
Charlie chuckled. "He has killed four people."
"Okay."
The manager came over to the table with a bright smile on his face. He's a big, Italian man with large muscles with a friendly demeanor about him. He shakes Sherlock's hand. "Sherlock. Anything on the menu, whatever you want, free." He places menus in front of Sherlock and John. "On the house, for you, the twins, and for your date. The usually, kids?"
"Please," Charlie smiles as Angelica gives a curt nod.
Sherlock looks towards John. "Do you want to eat?"
John was too busy looking at Angelo in shock. "I'm not his date."
"This man got me off a murder charge," Angelo tells him. "Him and his beautiful daughter. She was barely up to my waist then. Look at her now!"
Angelica gave Angelo a tight smile and Charlie had to bite his cheek at his sister's expression.
"This is Angelo," Sherlock introduced. John and Angelo shook hands. "Three years ago I successfully proved to Lestrade at the time of a particularly vicious triple murder that Angelo was in a completely different part of town, house-breaking."
"He cleared my name," Angelo praised.
"We cleared it a bit," Angelica said. "Anything happening opposite?"
"Nothing." He looked at John again. "But for this man, I'd have gone to prison."
"You did go to prison"
Angelo smiled at John. "I'll get a candle for the table. It's more romantic."
John spoke towards the man's retreating form. "I'm not his date!"
Sherlock put his own menu down onto the table. "You may as well eat. We might have a long wait."
Angelo came back with a small glass bowl containing a lit tea-light. He put it onto the table and gave John a thumbs-up before turning and walking away again.
"Thanks," John said slightly annoyed.
A few moments later, a server came by and took John's order after giving Angelica a mug of tea and Charlie a glass of water. It made John wonder just how often the pair came here.
"Did you two cut school today?" John asked. "It's just, it was the middle of the day when I met you two. Shouldn't you have been in school?"
"I have a degree in Criminology and Chemistry already; but, Scotland Yard won't hire a minor," Angelica explained. John nodded slowly before shifting his gaze to the boy next to him.
"Private arts school. We've always got random holidays. This one is for some composer's birthday or whatever. I go back tomorrow," Charlie explained and shrugged his shoulders. He took a sip of his drink.
A few minutes later, the server returned with their food. Angelica had a spinach alfredo dish, Charlie had lasagna, and John had spaghetti. Sherlock didn't eat, only kept his eyes trained on the building across the street.
"People don't have arch-enemies," John said out of the blue.
Charlie froze for a moment and glanced towards Sherlock. It took him a moment, but Sherlock responded to John's remark. "I'm sorry?"
"In real life. There are no arch-enemies in real life. Doesn't happen," John expanded.
Sherlock nodded and then fized his gaze back out the window, disinterestedly. "Doesn't it? Sounds a bit dull."
"So who did I meet?"
"What do real people have, then, in their 'real lives'?" Sherlock avoided the question.
The twins shared a knowing look which caused John to flinch slightly. Their appearances where almost identical in that moment.
"Friends; people they know; people they like; people they don't like ... Girlfriends, boyfriends," John said.
The twins visibly tensed before springing into action. Charlie quickly shoved some food in his mouth and Angelica took a long sip from her tea.
"Yes, well, as I was saying – dull," Sherlock shrugged.
"You don't have a girlfriend, then? Ex-wife?" John glanced between the twins and Sherlock.
"No, not really my area." Sherlock answered.
"Then how were they-"
"Our mother's a drug addicted rapist," Angelica's voice was monotone. "Not something anyone of his intellect would ever pawn after- or anyway, actually."
John's eyes widened for a moment before he realized Sherlock's earlier statement. "Oh, right. D'you have a boyfriend?" Sherlock's head snapped around to look at him. "Which is fine, by the way."
"I know it's fine."
John smiled to try and break the tension. "So you've got a boyfriend then?"
"No." Sherlock replied.
"I do," Charlie grinned ear to ear.
Angelica's brow furrowed. "No you don't. I haven't threatened him. He doesn't count."
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Uncle beat you to it."
"Uncle aside, I haven't threatened him. He doesn't count." Angelica looked towards Sherlock. "Tell him I'm right."
"Blonde that walked you home yesterday?" Sherlock asked. Charlie nodded. "Break it off. He's been going out with you as a joke. He's actually seeing the blonde girl in your maths class."
Charlie's face went blank before he shifted his gaze down to his food.
John's smile became fixed and awkward. "Right. Okay. You're unattached. Like me. Good."
Sherlock seemed to run through John's statement before speaking again. He started off slow, but by the end he seemed to be rambling. "John, um ... I think you should know that I consider myself married to my work, and while I'm flattered by your interest, I'm really not looking for any…"
John quickly interrupted him. "No." He cleared his throat. "No, I'm not asking. No. I'm just saying, it's all fine. Also, um, sorry, Charlie."
Charlie shook his head and took a deep breath. Sherlock turned his gaze back out to the street as John turned head away from the Holmes', trying to grasp what had just happened. Angelica sat up straighter in her seat, tilting her head to the side as she examined Charlie.
Slumped shoulders. Avoiding eye contact. Disinterest in food. Heavy breaths.
Charlie glanced up at Angelica and just like that her previous observations vanished. He sat up straight and looked her in the eyes as he took a bite of his food. Angelica's brow furrowed. Charlie raised an eyebrow as if questioning her confused expression.
"Look across the street. Taxi."
John twisted around to look at the taxi. Its rear end was facing the restaurant when Angelica looked over at it. Charlie knew better than to turn around.
"Stopped. Nobody getting in, and nobody getting out," Sherlock said. "Why a taxi? Oh, that's clever. Is it clever? Why is it clever?"
John raised an eyebrow. "That's him?"
"Don't stare," Charlie said as he grasped John by the shoulder and turned him back around. "Looks to suspicious. You'll catch on."
Sherlock quickly stood up and pulled on his coat. Angelica was quick to follow him out the door. Charlie looked sadly down at his unfinished meal. John looked down at his own meal and swore before grabbing his coat and following after the detectives, completely forgetting about his cane. Charlie considered his options before following as well.
Sherlock and Angelica quickly analyzed the quickest route to stop the car. However, they didn't consider their safety as they took it. This resulted in two cars nearly hitting them and Sherlock rolling over the hood of one of them. John and Charlie were apologizing for their actions as they went along.
At some point, they stopped, Sherlock realizing they weren't going to catch the cab at this rate.
"I've got the cab number," John told them.
Charlie looked towards Sherlock and Angelica expectantly, but replied to John. "Good for you."
Sherlock and Angelica brought their fingers up to their temples and shut their eyes as they thought. Charlie knew that both of them had memorized the map of London. He could still remember the day he tried to teach both Charlie and Angelica to remember it. Angelica picked right up on it; however, Charlie couldn't get past remembering anything that didn't run through Bakers Street.
"Right turn, one way, roadworks, traffic lights," Sherlock mumbled.
"Bus lane, pedestrian crossing, left turn only, traffic lights." Angelica said.
Their eyes snapped open and they quickly took off running. They glanced towards a building under construction and quickly headed towards it. Sherlock moved a man heading towards the entrance out of their way and the man cried out in protest. John and Charlie chased after the pair. John raised an apologetic hand whilst Charlie apologized as they passed him.
The four head up a spiral staircase and get out onto the roof. Each Holmes took two stairs at a time and John struggled to keep up. Damn the Holmes family and their extremely long legs. They reached the edge of the roof and easily leapt across to the next building. The four scurried across to hop to the next building and the trio of Holmes' made the jump with ease. John paused for a moment, examining the gap, unsure if he would be able to make the greater distance with his shorter legs.
"Come on, John. We're losing him!" Charlie encouraged with a wicked grin. It wasn't often he got to tag along on a case with Sherlock and Angelica.
John took a few steps back before making a running jump to the other ledge. Charlie's eyes widened as John did so and he quickly rushed back over to the ledge. John's eyes widened as he missed the edge of the building with his feet. He barely managed to grab onto the ledge with his hands. Charlie scrambled to help the army doctor up.
"Can't have you dying on me. I need someone normal around the flat," Charlie joked as he patted John's back. He then quickly followed after his family with John in close pursuit.
They headed down the stairs of the building and out onto the busy streets. They ran down the pavement and John's eyes caught on the same cab from earlier, but it soon disappeared around the corner.
"Ah, no!" Sherlock gritted his teeth. Without delay he turns down an alleyway. "This way."
John had turned left in persuade of the taxi.
Charlie tripped over his own feet trying to turn around and quickly grabbed John by the collar.
"Sorry." John said.
The quickly take off again and once again, Sherlock and Angelica are almost hit by a car, but finally they intercept the cab and Angelica throws herself out into the street, causing the cab driver to slam on their breaks as Angelica crashes into the hood of the car. Sherlock reached into his coat pocket and produced a D.I. badge and flashed it at the driver.
"Police! Open her up!"
Sherlock panted heavily as he opened the rear door of the cab. A brunette man stared up at them with a rather anxious expression causing Angelica to groan and walk over to her brother. She leant her head against his shoulder and took deep breaths. Charlie wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"No." Sherlock said.
"No shit," Angelica mumbled as she pulled away from Charlie.
"Are you hurt?" Charlie asked.
She waved him off and took another look at the passenger." Teeth, tan: what – Californian?" She looked down at the tags on his luggage. "L.A., Santa Monica. Just arrived."
John's brow furrowed. "How can you possibly know that?"
"The luggage." Sherlock explained. "It's probably your first trip to London, right, going by your final destination and the route the cabbie was taking you?"
The man shook his head and spoke in an American accent. "Sorry – are you guys the police?"
"Yeah." Sherlock flashed the I.D. at him. "Everything all right?"
"Yeah."
Angelica moved towards the car and placed a hand on the door. "Welcome to London." She smiled and then closed the door. The four began to walk away.
"Basically just a cab that happened to slow down," John asked.
"Basically."
"Not the murderer." John said.
"Nope," Charlie said popping the second syllable. "Wrong country, good alibi."
"As they go," Sherlock said.
John looked towards the badge in Sherlock's hands. "Hey, where-where did you get this? Here." He took the badge from Sherlock's hands and examined the name on the badge. "Detective Inspector Lestrade?
"Yeah. I pickpocket him when he's annoying. You can keep that one, I've got plenty at the flat," Sherlock said.
John nodded, then looked down at the badge again before lifting his head and giggling silently.
"What?" Angelica said.
"Nothing, just: "Welcome to London."" John smiled.
Angelica grinned and then looked up at Charlie who let out a slight chuckle. Angelica turned around for a moment to see the cab from before pulled over. Police lights flashed and she could see the American man talking to the copper, pointing towards the group of four.
"Got your breath back?" Angelica asked.
The men all turned to look back at the police car. "Ready when you are."
They all broke into a sprint and ran down the road back to the flat.
