Chapter Four: Research

"We're back," Dean called as he walked into the flat. Sam ducked through the door behind him. Dean started his trek up the stairs. He really hated stairs.

"Tea?" John asked from the kitchen.

"Nah," replied Dean.

"No thanks," said Sam.

"Did Sherlock come by while we were gone?" Dean asked.

"No, he hasn't been in the flat since before you two first got here."

"Not suspicious at all," Dean mumbled sarcastically.

"What'd you get from the victims's families?" John asked as Sam and Dean entered the sitting room.

"We would totally tell you if they had families," Dean said. "But they didn't. So we had to find some of their friends."

"We didn't learn much that we didn't already know," Sam said, "but useful stuff. I think we found some common threads."

Sam took out folders of information on the victims. He opened each of them and laid them down side by side. There was a headshot of each of the victims, their basic information, and some other stuff that Dean would make Sam read.

"So here are the vics," Sam said, pointing to each of them in turn. "Oliver Robinson, Justin Philips, and Hugo Thompson. All male. All unmarried, no children. All in their thirties. All with military backgrounds. In fact, all of them served in Afghanistan. And their deaths were identical. All visible skin was missing from the bodies, and their hearts were missing."

"See usually," Dean said, "when the heart is missing, it's a werewolf. That's what I thought it was at first, but the bodies had no claw or teeth marks. So I thought, "Could've been someone who needed human hearts for a sacrifice." But that couldn't have been right 'cause-"

"Because get this," Sam interrupted. "The hearts weren't clawed out or cut out. The skin around where the heart belongs was burnt. So whatever killed them burned the hearts out of them."

John shivered. The pool. The bomb. The little red dots. Moriarty. "I will burn you. I will burn the heart out of you." John shook his head clear.

"Somethin' wrong?" Dean asked him.

"No, no," John replied. "It's not important."

"Anything," Dean said, "anything could be useful. No matter how pointless it seems."

John sighed. "I think it, whatever it is, is after me."

"How so?" Sam asked.

John took a deep breath. "First of all, i fit the pattern. Male, unmarried, no children, and I'm in my thirties. I even served in Afghanistan."

Dean and Sam shared a look. "What's the second thing?" Sam asked suspiciously.

John hesitated. "This is going to sound crazy..." he sighed.

"We're used to crazy," Dean said.

"There was this man," John began. "His name was Moriarty. James Moriarty. He was Sherlock's arch nemesis. Called himself a "consulting criminal." If you wanted someone dead, he would find a way to do it. But he didn't just kill people, he sort of...he made it a kind of game between him and Sherlock. "The Great Game" he called it. Sherlock would always solve the crimes, but Moriarty always got away with it, usually through threats and blackmail. He was just as clever as Sherlock. He convinced the whole world to believe that Sherlock was fake, that Moriarty was fake. He convinced everyone that he was Richard Brook, an actor that Sherlock had hired. But that was all part of the act. Moriarty was real."

"So what's this got to do with the case?" Dean asked.

"Moriarty," John said, "Moriarty once said to Sherlock, "I will burn you. I will burn the heart out of you." And once, when he thought someone was lying to him, he said, "I will find you...and I will skin you.""

Sam looked nervously at Dean.

"So you think Moriarty is behind all of this?" Sam asked.

John sighed. "I do but..."

"But?" Dean asked.

"Moriarty's dead."

"You sure about that?" Dean asked.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm sure," John answered.

"How did he die?" Sam asked.

"Stuck a gun down his throat. Sherlock saw it happen. Blood pouring out of his skull. His body was found on the roof where he shot himself."

"Hold up," Dean said. "Sherlock saw it happen? How?"

"Moriarty got Sherlock to come to the roof of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital. He said that if Sherlock didn't jump off and die, he would get his snipers to shoot me, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade. The only ways we would live were if Sherlock fell and died or Moriarty called them off. So he shot himself so Sherlock had no choice."

"So how are you still alive?" Dean asked.

"Sherlock jumped. But the whole thing was orchestrated so Sherlock would survive. He knew Moariarty's plan all along. Then he left London to destroy the rest of "Moriarty's Web." He says he succeeded, but I wouldn't know since he let me think he was dead."

"That's just low," Dean sighed. "So this Moriarty guy is dead. But people are dying the way he described. Could be a vengeful spirit."

"His death seems violent enough for him to become a ghost," Sam said.

"When did he die?" Dean asked.

"Two or three years ago," John answered.

"That's definitely enough time," Dean said. "Where was he buried?"

"He was cremated," John said.

"Just perfect," Dean sighed.

"Are there any possessions of his that may have his DNA on them still around?" Sam asked.

"Not that I know of," John said.

"Hold on a sec," Dean said. He closed his eyes. "Dear Cas, we could use some of your angel-mojo right now. So please come and help us...amen."

"Hello Dean," Castiel said, appearing behind Dean. John looked scared.

"Could you take a look and see if you can find any objects with the DNA of one James Moriarty?"

"Certainly," Castiel said, and he dissapeared with the sound of flapping wings.

"Does he always talk that little?" John asked.

"He doesn't stay to chat," Dean said. "He's all about business."

Castiel re-appeared. "I could not find any of James Moriarty's possessions. All of them were burned after he died."

"Fantastic," Dean sighed.

"But there is one place that has his DNA," Castiel finished.

"Where's that?" Sam asked.

"The roof of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital."

and so ends the fourth chapter! (surprise you got one on a Friday again)

please review! and on the subject of reviews, thank you to goanago, Samdemonium, CoolNinjaOfDoom, better-in-black-since-1234, and Geusts for reviewing already! you guys are what keep me going. I love you all! but you know what would really keep me going? more reviews! (please i am so alone give me love)