Eldritch4
She waited in the doorway, while John opened drawers and looked in piles for a screwdriver and a pair of pliars. Sherlock was laying on the sofa just staring at the ceiling. He was awake but appeared to be out of it. She wasn't sure what to make of his behavior so she took a quick read of his surface thoughts. They were chaotic and all over the place. Most of them had to do with murder victims so she withdrew.
"If you're going to come in just do so and shut the bloody door" said Sherlock
She jumped because she did not expect him to say anything. She inched inside and calmly closed the door. As she stood there waiting for John to find those items she let her eyes roam around the room. She could feel someone staring at her so she moved further inward so he would actually have to move to watch her. Something on the wall caught her attention and she moved towards it. It was a bunch of pictures with strings leading to what looked like crime scenes. There was a post it note with a question mark between each one.
"Don't touch" said Sherlock
She stopped mid-reach, because her hand had been reaching out to do just that. She turned to find the man staring at her intensely. She pulled her hand back looking slightly embarrassed by her curious behavior.
"Sorry" said El
Sherlock was still staring at her intently and it was making her nervous. For some reason it felt like he was looking right through her and it made her feel very exposed.
"He offered you a ride but you took the tube instead, which he anticipated" said Sherlock
John gave them both a worried look. She turned back to look at him.
"Another thing you could have gotten from a phone call" said El
She had no idea why she was baiting the man. He was obviously as dangerous as his brother, perhaps more so because he didn't seem to follow established rules. He smiled and moved closer to her. "Sherlock don't" said John
Sherlock seemed to ignore him. She took a slight step back because he was uncomfortably close. He nodded to himself like she had just told him some great big secret.
"You thought he was someone else, someone your very afraid of" said Sherlock
She shrugged it off even if he was currently scaring the shit out of her.
"Or maybe I thought he was some crazy person trying to kidnap me" said El
She stopped herself just in time because she almost said again. He gave her a perplexed look.
"Do people normally try to kidnap you?" said John
She shook her head no.
"Not especially but a girl can never be too trusting" said El
Sherlock gave her that annoying smirk again and she just had to turn away before she gave into the urge to punch him.
"Why not?' said Sherlock
She turned back towards him. She gave him a look that was part incredulous and part disappointed. He stiffened and she knew she had pricked his pride without having to even read him. She looked back at the wall. Out of the seven victims depicted four were female.
"You solve crimes?" Said El
"Yes, the police do call on my expertise in some matters" said Sherlock
He sounded confused so she decided to pity him just a little bit.
"Out of all the crimes you've consulted on about how many of the victims were female?" said El Sherlock frowned and she could almost see him adding up the numbers in his head.
"About 60 to 70 percent why?" said Sherlock
She gave him another look that he seemed to finally get that time.
"Ah I see what you are implying but that doesn't explain why you took the tube which would be more dangerous at night instead of a cab" said Sherlock
She turned her attention back to the wall. Why was it drawing her attention so? There was something her senses were trying to tell her but what was it? Her eyes kept going towards the question marks.
"What are these question marks for?" said El
"I found two but I'm not sure which one you need" said John
He held up a flat head and Philips screwdriver and a pair of pliers.
"Oh that's great, I'm not sure either can I just borrow both?" said El
John smiled at her.
"John get your coat" said Sherlock
John gave him a confused look
"Why?" said John
"We are going out, to dinner" said Sherlock
El looked around the room, she couldn't blame them the house was trashed.
"Do grab your coat Miss Rayne" said Sherlock
She watched as he disappeared into the back room. She gave him a confused look and looked to John for help. He looked equally surprised and confused by Sherlock's behavior. Sherlock came out of the back room buttoning a nice dress shirt. He was pulling on a huge coat as he walked.
"Ah why should I get my coat?" said El
Sherlock draped a scarf around his shoulders and smiled at her.
"Because you have nothing in your ice box, your bistro set is in pieces in a box and it is after five" said Sherlock
El blinked in shock did he just invite her to dinner.
"Okay, I guess you do have a point" said El
He adjusted his cuffs and looked up at her.
"Do hurry they are nearing their dinner rush" said Sherlock
"Ah alright" said El
She walked out of the room and down the stairs to her apartment. John was staring blankly at Sherlock as she left. Not that she blamed the man she was also a bit stunned by the invitation. She unlocked her door and rushed to the back room to quickly change clothes. She was a bit disappointed so few of her orders had arrived yet. She reached into her bag and pulled out some nice slacks and a sweater. Shoved her feet into flats that she could run in if she had to. She grabbed her purse and exited the room.
She found John and Sherlock in her doorway. Sherlock shoved something in his coat pocket. So that was the real reason for the invite she should have known that was his game. Sherlock eyed her up and down and nodded.
"You look nice" said John
Sherlock rolled his eyes and walked out the door.
"Come along people we haven't got all day" said Sherlock
They exited the building and she watched as Sherlock hailed a cab. Her stomach did a nervous little flip flop when a cab finally pulled up. Sherlock opened the door and climbed in.
"After you" said john
El turned to look at the driver. He looked nothing like that guy, in fact he was the wrong race even. Relieved she climbed in beside Sherlock and John climbed in afterwards. Sherlock was still watching her. It was a bit of a tight fit in that small car. John's presence pressed her up close to Sherlock to the point she was touching his side. She was nervous being in this cab after her last experience and Sherlock's rather intense presence by her side was not helping.
"So where are we going?" said John
His voice made her jump slightly because she hadn't expected it.
"Giancarlo's he's an old friend of mine" said Sherlock
He was still staring at her rather intently. The cab pulled up and John climbed out followed by El and then Sherlock. He handed the driver their fare and led the way to the front door. The maitrede knew Sherlock by name and quickly found them a seat.
"Sherlock! How nice to see you again, anything you want it is on the house for you and your lovely date" said a rather large jovial man
"I'm not his date" said El.
The man smiled at her.
"Thank you Giuseppe" said Sherlock
The man nodded and retreated ,after giving Sherlock an encouraging wink and look that plainly said go for it. She didn't need to read his mind to know what he was hoping for. A server came by and delivered some menus.
"what did he look like?" said Sherlock
She lowered the menu she was attempting to read.
"I'm sorry" said El
She was confused and looked at John for some help but he looked equally confused.
"In the cab you were nervous and you checked the driver before climbing inside why?" said Sherlock
She wasn't quite sure how to describe why she had checked the driver. When she didn't immediately answer Sherlock continued.
"You were also extremely nervous during the ride, you kept inching toward the door or me" said Sherlock
She was shocked
"Sherlock!" said John
He sounded appalled.
"Oh for crying out loud John one loud noise and she would have been in my lap" said Sherlock
El blushed deep red. He was right she had been quite close to the man. Someone she barely knew and she had been very nervous.
"It was a small cab" she protested
"Actually it was quite roomie" said John
She was completely mortified. The waitress delivered some breadsticks.
"So what are we looking for?' said Sherlock
He sat back and looked out the front window at the street beyond.
"Huh?' said John
"Think John each of our victims got to their locations with no sign of struggle and they have no connections what so ever, so how did our killer get them to go with him?" said Sherlock
John looked confused
"I don't understand what does this have to do with Eldritch?" said John
Sherlock smiled and pinned El with a glare.
"That's because she has figured it out and better yet she has met the killer, haven't you" said Sherlock
El's mouth dropped open in shock. The waitress came by to take their order. John and El ordered something but Sherlock declined.
"Sherlock you need to eat" said John
"The mind is what is important everything else is just a vessel" said Sherlock
"Yes but even a vessel needs to be refueled and if you deny the brain necessary minerals it will cease to function" said John
Sherlock narrowed his eyes in irritation.
"Well?" said Sherlock
"When you eat something" said El
Sherlock looked from El to John and back again
"Fine I'll have the manicotti, happy now?" said Sherlock
The server jotted it down and retrieved the menus. She retreated and Sherlock turned back towards El. He was waiting for her answer and El was trying to come up with one that omitted certain details without it looking like anything had been omitted in the first place.
"Sherlock what makes you think she's met the killer?" said john
Sherlock rolled his eyes in irritation.
"Because she has, John think what moves through the city unseen yet seen by all. People get into it when they are at their most vulnerable when they are drunk or lost yet they never look at the driver" said Sherlock
"An invisible car?" said John
Sherlock gave him an incredulous look.
"A cab" said El
"Exactly!" said Sherlock
He sounded excited
"I couldn't figure it out until I saw Miss Rayne's reaction to the driver, only someone who has ridden with our killer would react that way" said Sherlock
"Then why isn't she dead, no offence" said John
"None taken" responded El
"I don't know why but I do aim to find out" said Sherlock
He turned his gaze back towards El and she swallowed, feeling like she had somehow done something wrong. John must have sensed her nervousness because he laid his hand over hers.
"It's all right you can tell us" said John
He was trying to be reassuring.
"There's nothing to tell really. I got in the cab told him where I wanted to go except he went in the opposite direction. So I left the money on the seat and bolted at the first light" said El
Sherlock took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. She could tell he was sensing more to her paltry story but she wasn't going to give it to him.
"Then you do know what he looks like" said John
"Of course she knows what he looks like haven't you been listening, no don't answer that of course you haven't" said Sherlock
"Clearly he is a white male I'd say early fifties, out of shape or he would have given chase. You say he went in the wrong direction which would have put you, no don't" said Sherlock
She opened her mouth to tell him and he held up his hand to stop her.
"By the state of your knees I know you darted across heavy traffic and the only heavy traffic within a ten mile radius of our street would be Piccadilly, which means he let you off near the circus. Which means he works for one of two cab companies. The carpet fiber on your sock tells me that you took cover in one of the discount shops most likely one of the tourist traps. You left there and proceeded on foot until you ran into my brother." said Sherlock
He was smirking.
"You managed to avoid him at first but he caught up to you outside the apartment. Most likely when you returned to retrieve something sentimental, good show except for the last part. It is exceedingly difficult to evade my brother" he said
She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. It sounded an awful like he was calling her stupid.
"Ah thanks, I think" said El
She couldn't resist just one little reading. She picked off his surface thoughts that he had chosen this restaurant in hopes that the killer would be in the area.
"So what you're just hoping to run into him in a town with thousands of cab drivers?" said El
Sherlock glared at her because she had just aired most of his plan and made it seem absurd.
"No, I am hoping that with your help, we can at least identify him and maybe even catch him" said Sherlock
The waitress delivered the food, El cut off a chunk of the chicken and blew on it to cool it.
"But I already did, or rather you did, all you missed was the hideous hat and you've got him in a nut shell" said El
She smirked and took a bite of her food.
"So what you were planning to just sit here all night and watch for him?" said John
John glared at Sherlock and he reluctantly picked up his fork, cut off a chunk of the pasta and ate a bite. He chewed and swallowed
"Not exactly" said Sherlock
El caught the thought before he quelled it and set down her fork in shock.
"You were planning on using me for bait?" said El
Sherlock shrugged as if she had commented about the table linens.
"Sherlock!" said John
"What John we would be right here, she is perfectly safe" said Sherlock
A waitress was walking by with several glasses of wine from an empty table. El snagged one and threw it in Sherlock's face.
"Be your own damn bait" she hissed.
Stood up grabbed her coat and flounced away. She left the restaurant in a huff. That was twice one of the Holmes brothers had made her feel like a fool. A cab driver across the street lowered his paper started his engine and pulled onto the street right behind El.
She didn't see it but Sherlock did. He jumped up grabbed his coat and lurched into the street as if drunk. "Sherlock?" said john
Sherlock nodded towards the cab currently following a pissed off Eldritch.
"Catch me when I stumble and steer me toward that cab" said Sherlock
John gave him a worried look.
"Are you sure?" said John
"Yes now hurry damn it before he grabs her" said Sherlock