Author's Note - A bit of writer's block but hopefully it's all cleared because, hey Chapter 4!

A few shouts before the chapter as always!

Valerie E Mackin - Thank you for the review, sorry this took a bit, I'm glad that you're liking it so far!

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So as always, please enjoy read and review! Thank you!


The dark haired girl's head spun with the new information and her breathing became erratic. Whoever had killed Cassandra was targeting her. Victor handed Raelyn a valium and a glass of water. She downed both without question. This mystery was getting out of hand and fast. There was one thing for certain; Raelyn was in danger while she was in London. The drug induced sleep the Irish girl fell into was troubled she woke up just hours later covered in cold sweat. Her head ached from all the information she had absorbed in such a short time.

Rae took a long hot shower to try and wash away some of the anxiety. It helped a bit, but she was still shaky as they pulled up to Sherlock's flat. Her father escorted her in as she was having trouble walking on her own. John helped her up the stairs as Mrs. Hudson put on a kettle for tea. Sherlock was staring into the soft glow of his laptop with another man standing over him looking at something intensely. Rae was pulled into the present by the smelled of antiseptic and what was most likely formaldehyde. Dr. Watson and her father held her steady and led her to a chair.

"You told her," Holmes said not turning from the screen.

"She figured it out," Victor answered.

A smiled widened the deductive man's face as he turned to the ashen girl, "Did you now," he said as he stood, he sounded impressed almost. "Detective Inspector Lestrade, Raelyn Hale, our 'Rae of Sunshine'."

The DI looked her up and down, "You're positive?"

Sherlock scoffed a bit, "Have I ever been wrong?" He knelt before the girl before Lestrade could answer, "Did you think of anything else," he asked holding her hands. Raelyn just shook her head slightly. Holmes smiled again, "Good for us I did," he gave her hands a squeeze before getting up.

"You found something," Lestrade questioned.

"Well, to be more accurate, I added onto what Raelyn found," he motioned to her.

The dark haired girl looked at the DI and something snapped. He would have been the one on scene when Cooper was arrested. Why was he here, did he believe that someone else was killed Cass? "Cal Bannister." Her brogue broke through the silence and all eyes were on her. She looked at Lestrade, "You don't believe that Cooper killed her do you?"

The Detective Inspector turned to her, glanced at Sherlock then back to Raelyn, "Something never added up right. Plus, this one here keeps going on and on about that note. Tell me about this Bannister." Sherlock opened his mouth to speak but was cut off, "Not you, the girl."

Rae took a deep breath as the DI sat in front of her, "Cal and I grew up together; spent summers at me grandmas in Kilkenny. Childhood sweethearts we were, until I started takin' me schoolin' seriously. We were both sharp as whips, but it came more naturally to Cal than it did to me so I had to study more."

"What does this have to do with your brother & his fiancé?" Lestrade probed.

Raelyn nodded, "I'm getting there. Cal was the only other person to call me 'Sunshine'. It was my ma's pet name for me. And he got into Uni on scholarship for chemistry. Sherlock said my brother didn't wake up until he heard the sirens. It could be the work of one of Cal's concoctions."

The DI considered the angle carefully. That note was a bit of a head scratcher, no one could figure it out. Everyone else, except Sherlock had chocked it up to the victim writing her soon to be sister-in-law. There was always the fact that Cooper Hale maintained his innocence and still grieved for the loss of the woman he loved. His sister and Sherlock could be onto something with this Bannister fellow, but that still didn't explain everything, no prints other than Cooper's and the victim's, no forced entry, and the note in the victim's handwriting.

"What more do you have to think about," Sherlock asked the DI very impatiently.

"The other counts of evidence that still prove Cooper was the only one there," Lestrade answered loudly. "Sorry Miss, but I need more to go on before we can let him go."

Rae looked to her father who nodded slowly, "I know Detective Inspector, but it's something."

Lestrade stood but handed her his card, "If you think of anything else call me."

"Can I see him?"

"Pardon Miss?"

"Can I see Cooper? I need to talk to him to get the whole story."

Rae and her father followed Sherlock, John and Lestrade to the prison where Cooper was being held. Sherlock took her back to a waiting Cooper. He saw Rae and lit up, it had been the first time Cooper had smiled in weeks. The dark haired girl ran to hug her brother and the both of them just burst into tears.

"Wha' are ya doin' here?"

"Max called and said ya were up to no good as usual, had ta come bail ya out," she sobbed but a light laugh broke the end of her cry.

"Aye, I see ya met Mr. Holmes. Ya should'na come Raelyn, they're after ya," he looked her dead in the eye.

"What else do ya know?" she looked at him quizzical, needing to know every piece of this puzzle.

Cooper shook his head, "Everythin' I know I've told ta the Yard an' ta Sherlock. Ya're a lot alike," he nudged her.

"Cooper, please," she begged.

Her brother nodded and recalled his story once again, "It was a typical nigh' out for me an' Cass; dinner, then arguin' about a show which we never did see; we came home. I went ta bed early, nasty headache, while she watched telly." Cooper paused as tears fell from his eyes as he continued, "the next thin' I remember is hearin' sirens and seein' Cass dead on our bedroom floor."

Rae cried with him but as she wiped her tears away, she knew there something that wasn't adding up, "When ya were out at dinner, did ya see anyone?"

Her older brother thought for a moment, then a realization hit, "Yeah, we ran inta Cal, had a friend with him."

There it was the connection to Callum Bannister. He had seen Cooper and Cassandra that night before she was murdered. This tiny oversight could save Rae's big brother. The dark haired girl turned to Sherlock and his eyes widened with excitement, this was turning into quite the intrigue.