Chapter 8: Gossip
John Watson wants to go out and kill a bunch of innocent, useless animals because he is too stubborn than so be it! I have a case to work on! The sooner I finish the better!
Sherlock Holmes thought as he walked down the hall. The two children, Anabiel and Myron, were given a large room at the end of the hall in the West Wing, the same wing Sherlock and John were given rooms on. He came to room and knock the door, which was opened my Myron. Not looking at him in the light, you could see the fear building up in Myron's eyes. He was a lot cleaner then when Sherlock saw him for the time last night, but he still looked sickly.
"Hello Myron, is Anabiel in?"
"Yes Sir."
"Can I speak with you and her? It will only be for a moment."
Myron shook his head slowly, almost uncertain whether or not he should let the tell man into the room. "Myron, who's at the door? What do they?" Anabiel called from inside the room.
"Just me, I don't believe I've properly introduced myself, I'm Sherlock Holmes, and my friend who was with me last night name is John Watson. I wanted to ask you two a couple questions, about the Manor where you two came from."
"I don't know..." Anabiel said pacing over to the bed and taking a seat.
"Anabiel...I know something going on. Mr. Lukas, he's done something in the Manor. It's not a normal manor is it? He's using it for some purpose. Tell me, why are you two so scared of going back to the manor?"
Anabiel opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when the door was opened by none other than Roman himself.
"Mr. Holmes, please excuse us, I would like to please with Anabiel and Myron alone, in my office."
"Yes Sir" The two children said in one accord.
"I need to speak with them Roman, if you want me to find your blackmailer than suggest you let me speak with them."
"Sherlock these children are nothing more than runaway. They have nothing to do with the bla- my situation. Now please, I suggest you carry on and hurry and finish this case and make yourself scares before the other guests arrive for the party. Good afternoon." And with that Roman left with the children and lead them to his office.
John Watson was in his room getting changed into some appropriate clothing for hunting. He never really enjoyed the it, shooting for fun, but he really needed to get out of the house. And socializing with other people besides Sherlock would be good for him, and it wasn't an everyday chance he got too.
Once changed, he was about to put the clothes he was just in back into his closet when it stuck him. What was he to do once he finished hunting? Surely he couldn't help Sherlock finish the case. He wanted too, he really did, but he knew he'd let his emotions get in the way and that would only upset Sherlock more.
Perhaps-
No, no that was out of the question!
Perhaps I should just go home.
And leave Sherlock in a manor wit a blackmailer, an old colleague from Uni with wine and cocaine-
No, no he couldn't do that, if he did Sherlock would only end up doing something stupid. He was lucky catching Sherlock when he only took a small amount. Maybe no he wouldn't take anymore.
But what if he had? Would Sherlock seriously gone back to being an addict again? After all this time of being clean? Would he seriously and honestly go back? Was the nicotine patches, the case, John no longer enough anymore? And what would happen when they got home, once the case was over? What would happen if Lestrade did another fake drugs bust, but if this time, they would find the cocaine?
Would Sherlock really risk everything he had, just for some stupid high?
And the more John thought about the anger he got.
He was willingly to risk everything! His work, our friendship, everything! Just for some stupid rush! You know what, he deserves whatever happens to him!
Without even realizing it, John slowly began to pack his clothes. By the time he finished thinking, he had already finished packing his clothes, and started packing his bathroom items.
He decided there and then, after he finished hunting he would return to 221B.
It had been an hour later since Roman took the children to his office. He, John and the other male guests left to go hunting. Sherlock stared out his window.
Lukas Manor
What secrets did it hold? Why are Anabiel and Myron afraid to return? Roman was right about one thing, Anabiel and Myron were runaways, but there was more to them. Something was going on at the Lukas Manor. They're waiting, they haven't come looking for the children so they either don't care or they expect the children to be returned. Did they know the children would run to the Manchester Manor? Had they spoken to Roman?
Roman, he knows something, he knows something is going on at the Lukas manor, he knows it has to do with the blackmailer, but he doesn't want to believe it. That's why he hired me.
He wants me to prove him wrong? Of course! In University, I had proved him wrong so many times! I could find another answer for something when everyone else thought it had a different answer!
Sherlock rolled his eyes, case solved! Bored! Dull! But-
But what was going on in the Lukas Manor? Who are those children? If Roman knows about it, why doesn't he do anything about it? Who is the blackmailer? How did they find out about what is going on in the Manchester Manor?
Or...
Maybe, Fern Lukas IS the blackmailer! He knows ROman found out about whatever his secret is and needs him to keep his mouth shut!
But...
Proof! I need proof!I need- I need- I need those children!
"All I'm say'in is that the master is overreacting! There must have been a perfectly logical reason why those darling children would runaway!" Hannah said as she helped Paula prepare lunch.
"And all I'm saying is that it's none of our business! Whether he decides to send them back himself to wherever they came from or report them to the police, it's none of out business!" Paula replied as she got the the plates out.
"Hannah, Paula, have either of you seen Maggie? She was suppose to help me clean the rooms!" Julian said entering the kitchen.
"But I thought I was suppose to clean the rooms with Maggie?" Hannah said adding some spices to a soup.
"Yeah, but since Keith left and you've been helping Paula in the kitchen, I told Maggie I'd help her with the rooms."
"A kitchen staff left, a maid disappeared, two mysterious children show up, and a big party on the way. Sounds suspicious if you ask me." Said a deep mysterious voice.
The three workers jumped and turned to see Sherlock Holmes standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.
"Evening Mr. Holmes, We an't positive she, Maggie, is missing yet. We just can't find her at the moment." Julian said picking up a tray of food to bring out to the dinning hall.
"Oh she's probably out in the garden snogging the face off that boy from the Lukas manor!" Hannah said spitefully.
"Boy from the Lukas manor?" Sherlock said perking up.
Hannah was lucking Paula and Julian were out bring the food into the dinning hall. They both had been working for the Manchester family for quiet sometime and if they had heard her they would have stopped her from speaking. But they weren't, so Hannah spoke her mind.
"Yeah, I think she said his name Jeramey. He works as a gardener for the Lukas manor. She always sneaking out and meeting him out in either ours or their garden and leaves me to do all the work while she's either snoggin or shagging with him! Don't envy her, the boy's already got himself a girlfriend, so soon he'll have to chose between the two, but I do mind that she leaves me to do all the work and then SHE BLOODY GETS A RAISE! Can you believe it! I work hard all day, don't complain, do what I've told, never late, never taken a day off, AND THEN THAT STUPID, SELFISH, BRAT GETS A RISE! I'm not saying she is, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out she's be shagging the master!"
"Yes, you're right you know. You should be mad, you've worked hard your whole life, and what happens? She gets what should be yours. But, I wonder, why would he be cheating on his girlfriend?" Sherlock slowly walking more into the kitchen so Paula and Julian couldn't hear him.
"I don't know! But from what I know, which to be honest isn't much,"
"You're too modest!"
Hannah blushed and smirked at the same time. She needed this, she needed to vent, to speak her mind, to be praised.
"I don't see women at the Lukas manor that much. I've been there a couples times, ya' know, there dog got out I brought it back, gave them a cake as friendly Christmas present. But in all that time, I've never seen one women, I've heard them, heard one scream one time, but never seen one. But I know he's got a girlfriend because one time when I brought them their dog back, he came and answered the door. I think he was suppose to watch the dog because he asked my to bring it to the back door. I didn't know if Mr. Lukas was a hard man, so I cut the boy so slack and brought the door to the back door. When I got I realized that Jeramey her been pulling up his pants when he answered the door. And at the back door I realized he had lipstick smeared across the front of his face!"
Sherlock stood outside the manor and looked over towards the Lukas manor. He was planning to pay them a visit. But first he needed to make sure no one from the Manchester Manor saw him, so he would have to wait until the men had gone inside for lunch.
"Sherlock! Mr. Holmes, how nice to see you, I thought you would gone with the others to go hunting."
Sherlock turned around to see Felicity Manchester, Violet Winterworth and Mrs. Lukewoods, it was Felicity who had spoken.
"Ah, Mrs. Manchester, I hadn't seen you there. No, I'm not for hunting I'm afraid."
"Oh that's alright, why don't you join us for a cup of tea? We'll be going in for lunch with the men. You could join us until then."
Sherlock looked up, out far in the distance, he saw John with the others. For a moment he thought John might have seen him, but he knew he was wrong.
"Way not, a cup of tea sounds lovely right about now!" Perfect chance to learn a little more about the manor and Roman.
John looked up, he thought Sherlock had seen him. He wanted nothing more than to run over to him and ask how the case was going and ask what he could do to help.
He deserves whatever happens to him!
John's old thoughts still echoed in his head.
Did he really? What if something bad were to happen to him? Would he still deserve it?
It's out of my hands, whatever happens to him now will be his own doing. There is nothing I can do to stop him. I tried, it's his own fault. but-
If John could see into the future, if he knew what was to happen to Sherlock, he would have taken it all back.
But he couldn't, so he didn't.
