Chapter 10
Sherlock shut Mycroft's diary, he was confused. Mycroft loved her, maybe he still does, but he just left her to die? Katherine certainly thought so, and why would she lie about that? But then again, Sherlock wasn't able to tell when Katherine was lying, so he had no way of knowing for certain. He briefly looked through the rest of the diaries, there was no mention of Katherine in the more recent journals, so he was stuck with a dead end.
He returned to 221B Baker Street where John was typing on his computer.
"What're you doing?" Sherlock asked him.
"Blog," John replied.
Sherlock was about to walk past him into the kitchen when he paused, "You aren't... writing anything about Katherine are you?"
"No, that seems like-"
"A bad idea, I agree." Sherlock nodded in approval.
John was about to resume typing again before he stopped, "What is going on with Katherine exactly?"
"She was an assassin that worked for Mycroft," Sherlock said bluntly.
"Really?"
"Yes, and it seems that they were... involved," Sherlock explained with disdain.
"You can't mean..."
"I do."
"No."
"Yes."
"Mycroft?"
"Yes."
"And Katherine?"
"Yes."
John paused, "Really?"
"Yes."
"But isn't he..." John paused looking for the word.
"Cold, unfeeling, yes, all of the above. But yet..." Sherlock trailed off, "There's something about her that's just..."
Sherlock thought back to the bank where he couldn't tell if she was lying or not, but she had made a mistake. When they were about to leave she had spoken to him, that had been her, the real Katherine. He analyzed it over and over again in his head, she wanted him to know something, but what? What was it?
Sherlock growled in frustration, "John, we-" He started, but then looked up and noticed that John had apparently left the flat. There was a small note on his chair saying to text him if he needs anything.
"Hmph."
*Flashback*
Catherine was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her mother's house. There was arguing going on in the kitchen, but there always was, and Catherine paid no mind to it. Not too long after, her mother came into the living room and lit a joint, one of the milder drugs she often used.
Catherine's uncle came into the room after, he looked very cross, but turned to Catherine and said, "Would you like to get some ice cream?"
"Yes please!" She cried happily.
She stood and walked to her uncle, "Before we go, tell me what's wrong with your mother."
Catherine turned to her mother, "She's high and sad. She's sad you yelled at her."
"No Catherine, look deeper than that."
Catherine looked at her mother again, "She wishes she was dead, she's sad she's alive."
Catherine's mother had silent tears running down her face, "Go, please just go."
Catherine's uncle knelt in front of her mother, "Caroline, when you wonder what happened, just remember that I warned you."
He lead Catherine out of the house and to his car, Catherine got in the back.
"What are you doing?" Her uncle asked.
"Getting in the car of course."
"Come sit in the front."
Catherine smiled, her mother never let her sit in the front.
"Now, recite to me all of the irregular French verbs." It was something Catherine thought was a fun game, little did she know that her uncle was training her to speak French. She was nearly fluent, but she sometimes forgot the verb conjugation, she didn't think it was odd that a six-year-old could speak nearly four languages, English, Danish, German and nearly french. She lived in Denmark, her mother spoke only English and German, but her uncle spoke Danish and French, and he was her most frequent caretaker.
True to his word, Catherine's uncle took her to get ice cream, as they were sitting in the parlour he had her analyze people on the street.
Then they drove back to her mother's house, or what was left of it. The whole thing was almost burnt to the ground. There were firefighters, police officers and paramedics. One of the officers came up to Catherine and her uncle, "Do you live here?" He asked.
"I don't, but my niece and her mother do." He replied.
"Well, I'm afraid that..." His voice droned out of Catherine's hearing, she was too busy watching what remained of a body be pulled from the house. She wanted to be sad, she knew she should be, but... she felt nothing.
Sherlock was about to text John to meet him at Van Coons flat, but then John walked through the door with some bags.
"Good, you're back, let's go."
"Where are we going exactly?" John asked incredulously.
"Van Coon's flat it's the next piece of the puzzle."
"Well, what are we going to do about Katherine?" John asked, still slightly startled by what he had learned.
"Nothing, yet."
Later...
Sherlock and John had just arrived at Van Coon's flat when they saw Katherine's motorcycle outside.
"Is that Katherine?" John asked, "What's she doing here?"
"I texted her, thought we might need backup," Sherlock responded.
They got out of the cab and walked towards Katherine, "So, why are we here?" She asked.
"This is Van Coon's flat," Sherlock responded.
"Ah, I thought I smelled death in the air."
John looked at Katherine with wide eyes, "You think Van Coon is dead?"
"Oh I'm quite certain, it's what I would have done," Katherine said.
John's mouth gaped and Sherlock raised an eyebrow, but no further comment was made.
"The neighbour upstairs has recently moved in, we can use them to get into his flat," Sherlock said.
"How do you know that?" John asked.
"The label's new, new label, new name, new tenant."
"Maybe they could have just replaced it?" John suggested.
"No one ever does that," Sherlock and Katherine responded simultaneously.
John scoffed his arms and crossed, he was really pleased that there were now two of them with him.
Sherlock pressed the neighbour's button and said, "Hi! Um, I live in the flat just below you. I-I don't think we've met."
"No, well, uh, I've just moved in." The woman responded.
Both Sherlock and Katherine turned to John as if to say 'I told you so' before Sherlock spoke again.
"Actually, I've just locked my keys in my flat," Sherlock said.
"D'you want me to buzz you in?"
"Yeah, and can I use your balcony?" Sherlock asked.
Katherine didn't pay much attention to what immediately followed, as her phone started to vibrate.
She rolled her eyes and said to John, "I'll be right back, I've got to take this." John nodded, and Katherine walked off towards the road a bit before she answered. "Hello?" She asked with exasperation.
"Hello Katherine, please get in the car," Magnussen replied as a black car pulled up in front of her on the street.
Katherine sighed but got in regardless, "Hello poppet," Magnussen greeted creepily.
"Hi." She replied shortly.
"Now is that any way to greet a friend?" Magnussen asked and handed her a manila file.
"What's this?" Katherine asked, flipping through the pages, seeing details about a man named Gregory Veritas.
"I want you to kill him of course, he is... well, it doesn't matter," Magnussen told her. He looked at her carefully, "You know you used to love doing me these little favours."
"Yes, before I grew a spine, something I see you're still working on," Katherine replied sharply.
"Ha!" Magnussen laughed. He then began to sniff the air like a dog, "You changed your perfume, Black Opium, rather suiting, but I preferred English Rose."
Katherine clenched her jaw, he was alluding to his knowledge of both her past relationship with Mycroft and her current one with Moriarty. "I'll do it tonight."
"Excellent, goodbye my dear," Magnussen said as she exited the vehicle.
Katherine shoved the file into her purse and noticed that the police were now here. She was about to enter the building when Sherlock nearly ran into her storming out of it.
"Where have you been?" Sherlock asked her.
"Meeting with an unsavoury character in a suspicious black vehicle, you?"
"Van Coon's dead, you were right."
"Murdered I presume?"
"Yes, but by who?!" Sherlock cried in frustration.
John then came outside and joined them, "Where'd you disappear to?" He asked Katherine.
She had her mouth open to respond, but then Sherlock, "No time for that, we have to talk to Sebastian."
Sherlock ran to the road and hailed a cab, John and Sherlock got in. Katherine grabbed the door and said, "Sorry boys this is where I leave you, I've got something important tonight. Catch you later!" She shut the door and the cab drove off.
Sherlock picked up his phone and pressed his speed-dial number three, who answered on the first ring.
"Hello Sherlock," Mycroft answered.
"You should have surveillance put on Katherine Lestrade this evening." John looked at Sherlock with surprise.
"And why would I do that?" Mycroft asked.
"Because she had a free day, then suddenly she gets a mysterious phone call, and now she is suddenly busy. Sounds like something you may want to look into."
Mycroft sighed, "You better be right."
"I always am."
Authors Note: Okay, so the spelling of Katherine's name in the flashback was not a mistake, it's on purpose and you'll find out why later. Hoped you enjoyed, please comment/review thoughts/feelings, :)