I didn't get an opportunity to mention it in my last update but it was slot of fun seeing the glimpse of Ben's character in Zoolander 2. I miss the eyebrows and the curls but thought he was still eerily attractive in an alien kind of way.
As for today, I'm just trying to distract myself from thoughts of tonight's party. A bunch of teenage boys, pizza, PlayStation and a sleep over...God help me.
Chapter 7
By the time Molly had awoken the next morning Sherlock had already gone to breakfast and she was alone in the room. She eased herself more upright wincing at the banging in her head.
Sherlock had left a cup of coffee and a glass of water on her bedside cabinet along with two aspirin and a note which informed her he had gone to breakfast and would bring something back for her.
She quickly took the two tablets and then lay back on the pillows as a wave of nausea swept over her. Please don't let me be sick repeating over and over in her head like a mantra. The last thing she needed was to be throwing up in the bathroom when Sherlock came back.
She had no idea why she had drunk so much the night before. It had just developed. First the meal, then playing darts and pool, she hadn't really noticed how much she'd drunk until it was too late and she'd lost all ability to say no to more. She hoped she hadn't embarrassed either Sherlock or herself.
She managed to sip at the coffee, which was still warm, whilst she tried to remember what she had said or done. She groaned slightly when she remembered how free she had been with kissing and touching him. God, poor guy, he must have hated it. She, more than most, knew how much he liked to keep his personal space intact. She'd have to apologise when he came back.
She put the coffee down and closed her eyes and it was only then that she remembered coming back to the room and Sherlock helping her to the bed and removing her shoes. Then...oh! She suddenly remembered THAT kiss. Her eyes snapped open and one hand came up to her lips. She squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to reconstruct what had happened. They'd kissed, and it hadn't been a quick peck on the lips. No, this had been an epic kiss. It had seemed to go on for ages. She remembered Sherlock's tongue in her mouth for god's sake! His hand under her jumper, splayed out across the skin on her back.
What the hell does that all mean? Why had he not just pushed her away? They weren't on show, this wasn't part of them being undercover. Maybe he just got carried away. Molly's face creased with confusion, that didn't sound like Sherlock at all. She had never seen him even remotely interested in anyone, male or female. She'd begun to think he must be asexual, so he wouldn't just get caught up in the moment.
All the speculation just made Molly's head start to hurt again so she dragged herself out of bed hoping that a bath would make her feel better.
SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH
Sherlock's morning meanwhile had taken a turn for the unexpected.
He'd left Molly sleeping figuring, quite rightly, that she wouldn't thank him for waking her. He'd made his way down to breakfast hoping that the weather might have improved somewhat; instead he had heard that the snow was worse than ever and had now started to drift badly. They couldn't even exit out of the front door anymore and Caroline informed them that the electricity was now coming from the back-up generator and as such would be limited and may be intermittent. She asked that they all use lights etc. as little as possible.
Hannah came to take his breakfast order. He requested some toast for himself and asked for a bacon sandwich to be made in 15 minutes for him to take back up for Molly. The food, he knew, would speed up her metabolism, helping her to eliminate the alcohol. Plus the mix of bread and bacon would give her the amino acids her body would be requiring.
He settled down with his coffee and toast wishing for the fiftieth time that he had his phone. He felt completely adrift without any connection to the outside world. Perhaps after he'd taken Molly her breakfast he would ring John using the landline.
It was at that moment that they all heard the scream.
Sherlock was the first to react and was on his feet and exiting the dining room even as the other diners were still staring round in shock.
He quickly worked out that the screams were coming from the staff quarters and he made his way through the private door and up the stairs. He was conscious that Marcus was now right behind him.
The screams had subsided somewhat but there was a harried conversation coming from one of the doors on the right hand side of the corridor and as he approached Theresa came out almost carrying a sobbing Caroline.
He turned to Theresa who seemed the most likely to give him quick answers, 'tell me!'
She turned in relief; her face drawn and pale, 'oh God, it's Alf. He's...dead, someone...someone's stabbed him.'
Sherlock turned to Marcus, 'don't let anyone else in, we may need to preserve the scene.'
He walked slowly into the room, his eyes casting about, cataloguing and deducing as he went. It was quite a large room, similar to the one he and Molly were sharing, acting as both bedroom and private sitting room. It was fairly messy, a sign of no cleaner and perennial bachelor. Clothes heaped on one of the chairs; books, magazines and paperwork scattered on the bed and desk. The bed itself was unmade and lying on the floor beside it was Alf.
It was obvious with even a cursory glance that he was dead, the cause of death was also fairly obvious given there was a letter opener embedded in his heart. Sherlock bent to feel the temperature and rigidity of the body. He would need confirmation from Molly on an estimated time of death but he was thinking it was over eight hours ago. He stood and looked around the body searching for other clues.
There was no sign of a struggle, whatever had happened Alf hadn't been expecting it. The room didn't appear to have been broken into but it was impossible for Sherlock to tell if anything was missing.
He needed Molly. He turned back to Marcus who was still by the door. When Sherlock reappeared he looked at him ashen faced, 'is it true? What mum said, is he dead?'
'Yes, I need Molly Hooper. Can you get her and I need my phone?'
'You'll be lucky to get a signal but, yes I'll get it...and her.' He took off down the corridor. Sherlock heard voices coming from another room two doors down. He was reluctant to leave the body unguarded but wanted to question Caroline, who had obviously been the first to find the body. He decided to wait for Molly but huffed impatiently glancing at his watch trying to estimate how long she would be.
MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH
Molly had just finished getting dressed when there was a banging on the door. 'Mrs Hooper, Mrs Hooper, are you there?'
Whoever it was sounded distressed and Molly quickly made her way over. She opened the door to find Marcus wide eyed and clearly upset, 'your husband is asking for you. It's Alf...he's...I mean...well he's dead. Can you come?'
'Yes, yes of course. Give me a minute. I'll meet you in reception.' She closed the door and thought quickly about what she might need.
She grabbed the latex gloves that they'd brought, a notepad and pen and a hair band so she could at least put her still damp hair up into a ponytail. Then she was out of the room and running down the stairs, ignoring the thrumming of her headache.
Marcus was waiting holding the envelope that Caroline had used on the first day to secure their mobile phones. 'Mr Hooper asked for his phone.' He said by way of explanation whilst he showed Molly up to the staff quarters.
'At last, how long did it take you? Never mind. The body is in there, see what you can glean whilst I talk to Caroline,' he indicated the room up the corridor. 'She found the body.'
He strode away swiftly leaving Molly alone with Marcus who was now looking confused. Molly smiled at him whilst she put on the gloves, 'I'm a doctor you see, that's why he asked for me. He'll want me to see if I can determine the cause and the time of death.'
She spoke slowly and reassuringly knowing that Marcus was probably feeling shocked and vulnerable. He nodded his head as he listened and followed her into Alf's room.
She spent longer than Sherlock with the body, checking for rigour mortis, temperature. She checked his eyes and mouth looking for any discolouration or blood. She felt gently round the skull ensuring he hadn't suffered any head wound prior to the obvious stabbing. She rolled him gently to check for any injuries or stab wounds to his back. All in all she was as thorough as she could be given her lack of equipment.
She used the notepad to jot down any findings including the date and time. The last time she'd helped Sherlock she'd made copious notes. She wasn't sure what he might need and it made her at least feel useful.
She eventually stood up, 'is there any way to secure the room?'
Marcus nodded, 'yeah they all have individual keys, the staff rooms that is. Not that any of us bother. They're normally just left unlocked, we respect each other privacy see. We knock, we don't just walk in. Caroline has a master key but she's the only one. It took them a couple of minutes but they found Alf's key hidden under a letter on his desk. Molly locked the door behind them and went to Caroline's room to find Sherlock.
As she entered Theresa was on her feet looking accusingly at Sherlock.
'I'm sorry so you're telling me you are here undercover and are really some famous detective. I've never heard anything so ridiculous.'
Sherlock drew himself up to his full height and Molly could tell he was about to launch into some vicious evaluation of Theresa and what may or may not be ridiculous. She stepped in front of him cutting him off before he could start.
'I'm sorry but what Sherlock is saying is correct. Caroline contacted him and asked him to come and look into some thefts. Isn't that right Caroline?' She said it softly as she turned to the woman who seemed to have aged twenty years since Molly had last seen her. She couldn't imagine what finding your own son murdered must be like and she hoped she'd never find out.
Caroline nodded her head and in a husky whisper she confirmed what Molly had said.
Molly turned to Sherlock, 'the room is secure. Here's the key. What do you need me to do now?'
'I need to contact Lestrade. I'm suspecting we're on our own with this due to the weather, but we need to check. Find somewhere for the body. It can't stay here, maybe an outhouse or garage, anywhere secure. At worst the conservatory. Somewhere cold anyway.'
Molly nodded her head, 'Marcus has your phone. What should we tell the guests?' She put her hand on Sherlock's arm, 'I don't think we should scare people unnecessarily, particularly if we're stuck here. They'll panic.'
Sherlock narrowed his eyes thinking, 'fine, we'll tell them Alf's been found dead but that we suspect a heart attack. We can't cover up the death but we can alleviate concern. Agreed?' He looked round at Marcus, Theresa and Caroline who all looked at each other before nodding.
Molly and Marcus went downstairs to let everyone know the situation. They had all gathered in the bar area apart from Rob, the heroin addict, whom Molly presumed was still languishing in his bedroom. She made a mental note to check on him later, maybe there was something she could do to help.
They told them all the sad news and watched them break up into small groups and go back to their respective rooms. Hannah stayed back and Molly saw her comforting Marcus before she went back into the dining room to clear up. Marcus turned to Molly.
'How many times have you done this before then? You don't seem phased at all.'
'Honestly, none. I'm a pathologist though so I'm used to seeing the victims of violent crime. I'm just not used to being on the scene when a murder happens though,' she paused as she thought through Sherlock's instructions. 'Is there anywhere suitable for the body?'
Marcus thought for a second before nodding, 'yeah, I think so. There's a kind of shed come workshop at the side of the back garden. I'm sure it's got a clasp for a padlock.'
'Right I'll go and get my coat and boots and we can check. I'll meet you here in ten minutes.'
She took her leave of Marcus and made her way back to her room. Neither of them noticed they were being overheard.
Well, I figured we needed a bit more than just thefts to keep them occupied. So a snow in, a budding romance and a murder, is that enough to keep you all interested? Next chapter will be up on Sunday but until then please let me know what you think, and whether you think Zoolander Ben is hot or not :)
