Chapter 4
Holmes looked at him blankly.
"As if that works so easily – huh? We have no clue at all." Watson contemplated.
"I…uhm…You are the genius here!" Slowly Watson started to get frustrated.
"Great." Sherlock tried to raise up but failed miserably.
"Can you remember ANYTHING at all, Holmes?"
Sherlock was quiet for a moment.
"And what exactly would that be?"
"Well, you got a phone call, you're face went pale as death and than you just collapsed.
What-"
Sherlock interrupted him nervously.
"Watson, a few minutes ago, I didn't have any clue who I was. I have to rely on the ramblings of an alleged (he emphasized this particular word a bit too much for Watson's liking) friend concerning this matter und you expect me to remember a phone call? Ridiculous!"
Watson replied sheepishly: "Well, it often seems the most recent or most important memories return first. I really hoped-"
"You have an appointment tomorrow? But it seems you're not looking forward to it…"
"How-"
"Really, that was easy." Holmes' smirk was confident of success.
Watson tried to get hisself together to prevent fainting. That would have been the last thing the two of them needed…
"Damn! How do you know? I thought you suffer from amnesia?" More and more Watson believed to be in a very awful nightmare which he would soon wake up from. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case.
"I remember you reading an e-mail when I came in. It read you should come to Trafalgar Square tomorrow at 8 pm."
"Oh, than I suppose you remember the rest, too." Watson hissed sarcasticly.
He simply couldn't comprehend it. Why in the world had he to remember this embarrassing incident?
Holmes brooded about Watson's question.
"I'm sorry to say that this is not the case."
"But I thought I…." Watson stuttered. "Have you also… I mean…uhm…"
"Have I what?"
"There were…"
"My dear Watson, you are indeed incredible!"
"Oh, really?" Watson couldn't believe his ears. He grinned stupidly.
"An incredibly bad liar!"
The smile disappeared promptly from Watson's face.
"Thank you very much, I'm sure!"
"To notice you're hiding something from me is easy as taking candy from a baby. Every bloody idiot would be able to deduce this from your stammering. So, what is it?"
Sherlock shoved past Watson and opened the notebook: Enter password.
"Hey, that's my-!"
Fast as lightning he pressed a few keys and hit enter.
"How can you…"
"It's obvious. Your…"
"What is the meaning of this, Watson?"
One could read the shock in his eyes very clearly.
Once again, Watson had the urge to bolt. Already getting ready to escape, he realized his leg would upset his plans.
Over and over, he wondered how he got into this absolutely weird situation and what the hell he had done wrong…
"Watson, did you listen to me?" Holmes looked seriously irritated.
He may have lost his memories but his character was still the same. He hated it when nobody listened to him.
"Well… Yes, of course… Uhm… Yeah… It was like that… You know… We were drunk… You can get really akward in this state. I suppose you already experienced something similar?"
Watson himself didn't even believe his stuttering would convince anybody, even less his friend Holmes.
"No, not at all. Listen, I think we should meet this mysterious extortionist together tomorrow.
"That's not a possible option. You remember, I should come alone, right? How do you imagine to manage this?"
"I'm going to hide somewhere. No one knows what these people are planning to do. If the extortionist attacks you, I'll use my gun."
Watson blanched with fear. Had Holmes gotten so hard-boiled he resented to killing if it came down to it?
Another thought, then: Sherlock seemed to be more annoyed by the extortion than by the fact that the picture showed HIM and a – at least for the moment- unknown man having a fling.
"Wha- Of course, Holmes."
"Sherlock."
"Hmmm."
"You've never called me Holmes. To be precise I don't like being addressed by my last name."
"Yes, but you-"
"Just my intuition, that's all."
Watson's previously hopeful face darkened.
"Watson, I don't know how these pictures – he could here the disgust in his voice – came about but you really should think a bit more about your reputation instead of doing nothing."
"Agreed. But how?"
"Because I am a brilliant detective - like you told me before - you should confide in my abilities more."
"Considering it properly, you are right." Watson would be confident with anything at the moment if only they wouldn't have to talk about these awkward pictures. He felt the urge to strangle the one responsible for the whole mess…
Thanks for the reviewer from Britain (you know we mean you ;) )! Also thanks to all the readers!
