A Step Closer

"I have to go find her!" John sounded a little crazy as he bolted for the door.

"Stop him!" Lestrade said. At that command, Moriarty shot in front of John, blocking the door.

"Let me get to her!" He cried.

"John, you can't go after her, they want you to." Lestrade explained.

"Better let your landlady handle it herself…" Moriarty put in.

"No! It will lead me to Sherlock too." John said. He tried to push past Moriarty, but the consulting criminal was too strong.

"As… disturbing as it sounds, I agree with the criminal. You must let Mrs. Hudson help herself. We can't afford to lose anyone," Mycroft said softly.

John turned. "Don't you care about her?"

"Of course. It's because we care

Mrs. Hudson awoke to find herself in a small room, sitting in a chair with her hands tied behind her back. The door opened and a woman walked in.

"So, the housekeeper is awake."

"Ah, for what it's worth," Mrs. Hudson said as she examined the situation. "I'm not the housekeeper, just their landlady."

"In this case, it isn't worth very much."

"Oh…"

"Do you know why you're here?"

"No."

"Well for starters it will move things along. Your friends are a bit slow…"

"Their looking for Sherlock."

"Yes, yes I know."

"They know it's a female…" Mrs. Hudson said carefully. "Did you take Sherlock?"

"At least someone caught on," the woman smirked.

"Where is he? Is he all right? I must tell John."

"Hmm… No, that won't do. You can see him, but you two won't be contacting anybody."

"And why not?"

The woman sighed. "The quickest to catch on, but the slowest to understand. You see, John knows you are gone. He will try to contact you and then my point will be made."

"What point? Who are you anyway?"

"That," the woman said., "Is something I will not tell you."

"They might not let him."

"Who?"

"Mycroft, Greg, and Jim."

"Hmm… I didn't think of that. Well thank you, old woman. Goodbye." With that, the woman exited the room.

Old woman, Mrs. Hudson thought, I'm not that old.

Back at the room where the group had interrogated Molly, John was still trying to get out. Just then, 3 phones beeped. Everyone dug in their pockets for their phones. Mycroft, Moriarty and Lestrade all got a text.

"What is it?" John said after a few moments.

At first no one spoke. Lestrade was the first one to speak. "She wants us to let you go."

"What?"

Mycroft spoke next. "She said 'Let him go. His housekeeper is getting impatient'. What should we do?" Everyone turned to Moriarty.

"So I'm the mastermind in all this, am I?"

"In a matter of speaking," Lestrade said.

"Let him go."

"What?" Lestrade cried.

"You ask for my opinion and I gave it," Moriarty said coolly.

"Do you know where to look, John?" Mycroft inquired.

"No. But I'm going to do what I can." Just then, his phone beeped with an address. "Now," he said as he held his phone up, "I know where to go." And he dashed out the room.