Sorry for ending that last chapter when I did, I know lots of you wanted Mycroft to get distracted by the cake trolley or for Sherlock and Molly to ignore the case and the phones.
I will make it up to you eventually, I promise.
Chapter 9
Molly sat nervously in the cab with Sherlock. They were apparently 'in a relationship' but she still didn't quite know how she should act around him. With any other boyfriend she would have snuggled up with them in the back of the taxi but she didn't quite know whether she should. She shook her head at herself as she looked out of the window.
Sherlock must have seen because as she glanced back round he was looking at her quizzically. 'What are you thinking Molly?'
Molly sighed looking down at her hands on her lap, 'nothing really I...just it feels strange still...you and me, I don't quite know how to act around you now we're...you know...together.'
He narrowed his eyes, 'well, how would you act now with someone else?'
Molly smiled shyly and scooted over so she was side by side with Sherlock. He looked down at her slightly nervously. She lifted his arm so she could slide into his side and it was looped over her shoulder. She felt him initially tense up before gradually relaxing and holding her closer.
She sighed again but this time more contentedly. She turned her head to look up at him, 'OK?'
He paused for a few moments before replying, 'yes, surprisingly this is OK.'
Moly relaxed against him, maybe this could actually work she thought to herself.
MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH
They arrived at Bart's ten minutes later and made their way together down to the morgue. She quizzed Sherlock as they walked about who the victim was and the cause of death.
'Well, I was kind of hoping you would be able to help with the cause of death,' he looked down at her smiling. She found herself punching him lightly on the arm and laughing with him before being surprised, was she loosening up round Sherlock Holmes?
When they got there Molly changed into her lab coat and set about preparing for the autopsy. It all seemed fairly straightforward, bullet to the back of the head. Sherlock was muttering about entry points and what it meant that it was close quarters but from behind.
'I need that bullet Molly as soon as you can, ballistics will hopefully confirm my suspicions.'
Just at that point Anthea, Mycroft's PA, arrived carrying a file.
'Mr Holmes, your brother has been delayed but asked me to bring you this file regarding the deceased. He also sent a list of staff who would have had access to his file.'
'I see my brother is of the same mind then. The killer must be someone who works at MI6. They had to have had access to both his current record, the past crime record, his location and possibly, depending on the bullet, access to weaponry...Oh...'
Molly recognised that tone in Sherlock's voice and looked over. He was staring into space, fingers on his temples, eyes flickering from side to side, 'yes, yes, he, and it must have been a he to achieve some of the physical aspects of the previous crimes. He must be adopted. There's no way he would have passed the MI6 clearance if they'd known his connection to the previous crime. So he's adopted, finds out about his birth parents only to find out his...yes his dad was convicted of a crime he didn't commit and killed himself. He looks up the records at work only to find the cover up.'
Molly loved the way he thought aloud, speaking almost so fast she could hardly keep up.
'So he killed the witness and the prosecuting lawyer, they knew about the cover up, maybe had a pay off.'
'Mr Holmes...' Anthea tried to break into his flow, looking at her phone with a concerned expression.
'He then tracked down the agent who'd caused the original death. Killed him, had to use a gun, couldn't go up against a trained killer any other way, so not an agent himself...no...his weapon is the information...so IT then...IT security. Who do we have on the list from there?' He looked at Anthea.
She was busy typing into her phone, worry written all over her face now.
Sherlock strode over, 'what is it?' He grabbed her shoulders almost shaking her. Molly gasped in shock she'd never seen Sherlock grab someone like that. She was about to call over when Anthea spoke, 'it's...it's Mycroft, he's missing. His car set off 20 minutes ago but it's dropped off the grid. We're trying to trace it but...'
'Nonononono...' Sherlock clutched his hair, spinning, 'the cover up. It was Mycroft's orders wasn't it? Wasn't it?' He shouted the last at Anthea who flinched away from him.
'Yes, yes he was new in post, had to prove himself when it came to difficult decisions. But yes, it was Mycroft...I need to call the office. I'll be back in a second with the latest information.' She strode over to the doors already talking quietly into her phone.
Sherlock balled up his hands pressing them to his eyes as he fell back against a desk. Molly ripped off her gloves and went to him. She had never seen him react like this. She had always assumed there was no love lost between Sherlock and Mycroft but she was seeing now how wrong that was.
She pulled at his wrists seeing tears streaking his cheeks. 'Sherlock, Sherlock come on. You need to pull yourself together. Mycroft needs your brain not your sentiment. Don't make me slap you again...please.'
He looked down at her concerned face, she continued 'come on...think, where is he, where would the killer have taken him?'
'I..err..it's too far to go to the original crime scene. He needs somewhere quiet, where they won't be disturbed. He...um..he probably wants Mycroft to su...suffer before...'
'Stop, come on don't think of that. Now where have they gone? Come on, Sherlock, this is what you do. Solve it!' She was shouting at him now, scared for him, for what might happen to his brother.
'The warehouse, the warehouse where he killed Rachel Wheeler. It will be deserted now, sealed off as a crime scene but no longer needing a guard. They'll be there, I have to go. Thank you Molly.'
He grabbed her face kissing her quickly.
'No, wait I'm coming with you.'
He had started to walk away but he turned back, 'no, you are absolutely not coming with me. This is too dangerous, I can't afford to be looking after you as well as saving Mycroft. Stay here!' And with that he pushed out of the double doors.
Molly's face hardened, she remembered her anger as she had touched the scars on his back. She was not going to let anyone hurt him again, not if she could help it.
SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH
Sherlock had made his way to the warehouse. He had tried to contact John on the way but there had been no answer. He assumed he must be busy with his family. He had been forced to ring Lestrade and he knew, from Anthea, that MI6 were also on their way.
He also knew it was no good. He knew that the killer had no intention of coming out of this alive. You don't kidnap someone of Mycroft's stature and influence and think you can walk away. So Sherlock was aware that he would kill both himself and Mycroft before he would let himself be captured. It was an impossible situation.
He knew as he entered the building that he was potentially signing his own death warrant but this was Mycroft. He couldn't do nothing. Maybe he could delay the killer long enough, distract him enough that MI6 could do something, anything.
He walked down the corridor towards the room where the first victim had been killed. Recalled how Molly had been with him when he had last visited. For the first time his heart clenched and he almost regretted the action he was about to take. If he died it would hit Molly hard. He pushed the thought away, shoved it to the back of his mind and locked it away. He couldn't afford distractions.
He pushed open the door to the room and walked in.
Dun, dun, duuuuun. It's not often I have a cliff hanger but here it is. I'll leave you all dangling for a few days, hope you manage to hold on. As ever let me know your thoughts. I'll try to post the next chapter on Thursday.
