A/N Ok this has been one of the weirdest weeks of my life. I havent been home for more than seven hours since I posted the last chapter and had no access to a computer at all. I'm so sorry for not keeping up on my promise so here's a few chapters for you all to enjoy! I promise all the chapters will be up by Monday. This promise I will keep! *determined face*
3
The next morning
Sherlock lay on the couch deep in his mind palace, the world around him nonexistent. Two things were on his mind. John and the case. He shoved John aside and tried to focus only on the case but John kept slipping back into view.
John, on the other hand, was sitting on the floor trying to convince the girl to talk. All he knew about her was from the two page file Lesterade had been able to find on her. She was eleven, came to England from Russia when she was seven, her parents were killed when she ten, and her name was Verochka. Thats about all the information provided about her.
"So your name is Verochka and your from Russia huh?"
No response.
"Which city in Russia are you from?"
No response.
John sighed and looked at the girl. He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and she looked up. He leapt at the opportunity.
"Hi."
She smiled timidly. Desperate not to lose the small cooperation John decided to bring up the snake still on her wrist.
"What's your snake's name?"
"V-valkyrie." She whispered. "She's my pet. Vladimir gave her to me."
Vladimir was one of her brothers and John couldn't help the sadness that constricted his heart when she mentioned her brother.
She looked up. "V-Vladimir is dead isn't he? A-and so is Vladislav."
John nodded.
"I've got it!" Sherlock shouted jumping up from the couch.
Verochka froze and immediately stopped talking.
"Damn it Sherlock you scared her! Can't you think of others before yourself once in your life?! "
Sherlock scoffed at him "Oh please John, she'll be fine. She'll get over it."
John stared in shock at Sherlock but then shook his head.
"Fine Sherlock, just fine." He abandoned Verochka in her corner and walked over to his chair. He sat down and stared at Sherlock, "so what do you have Sherlock? What have you figured out?"
Sherlock beamed, "One of the abandoned hotels around London! The basement specifically. One of them is the perfect place for these crooks to hold their victims and all the evidence points to it. The asbestus on the victims and the plaster on them. It makes sense!"
John nodded "It does. But that wasn't found on the victims of the past five murders."
Sherlock shot up from his chair "Yes but the hotels will at the least give us clues for the more recent murders. We'll split up and cover more ground."
John nodded again the empty feeling still inside him. "Alright that works," he stood up, took Verochka's arm and walked to the door, "let's go."
