NEW SCOTLAND YARD. D.I. Dimmock sits at his desk and folds his arms in exasperation as Sherlock stands on the other side of the desk and types onto a laptop.
"Brian Lukis, freelance journalist. Murdered in his flat ..." He turns the laptop around to show Dimmock the web page which John was looking at earlier "... doors locked from the inside."
"You've gotta admit, it's similar." John said.
"Only an idiot would ignore the difference." Dare said, still dealing with the unwanted side effects of her medication.
Dimmock scowls at the computer.
"Both men killed by someone who can ..." John hesitates momentarily as if unable to believe what he's about to say, but perseveres onwards "... walk through solid walls."
"Inspector, do you seriously believe that Eddie Van Coon was just another City suicide?" Sherlock said.
Dimmock squirms, not meeting his eyes. Sherlock looks up, exasperated, and sighs pointedly "You have seen the ballistics report, I suppose?"
Dimmock nods "Mmm."
"And the shot that killed him: was it fired from his own gun?"
"No." Dimmock said reluctantly.
"No. So this investigation might move a bit quicker if you were to take our word as gospel."
"Dimmock look at it this way. You became a detective to arrest murders so they can't murder any more people. We only want to help you put away these murders. We are on the same side Dimmock." Dare said.
Dimmock looks back at them silently. Sherlock leans forward over the desk and speaks quietly but intensely into his face.
"She is right. I've just handed you a murder enquiry." louder, nodding towards the picture of Lukis on the computer "Five minutes in his flat."
LUKIS' FLAT. Sherlock ducks under the police tape at the bottom of the stairs inside the door of the flat. He goes upstairs, followed by Dare, Dimmock and John. Looking around at everything as he goes, he walks into the living room. There's an open empty suitcase on the floor. Nearby on the carpet is a black origami flower, similar to the one that Sherlock pulled from Van Coon's mouth. There are books everywhere on the desk and on bookshelves and scattered about on the floor. Several open newspapers are also lying on the floor. He walks over to the kitchen area and looks through the window at the nearby rooftops of lower buildings. Pushing the net curtain back for a better look, he smirks.
"Four floors up. That's why they think they're safe. Put a chain across the door and bolt it shut; think they're impregnable." Sherlock said before he walks into the middle of the room again.
"They don't reckon for one second that there's another way in." he turns back towards the stairs and sees a skylight above the landing.
"I don't understand." Dimmock said.
"You're dealing with a killer who can climb." Dare said as Sherlock went out onto the landing.
Sherlock hops up on something – maybe a step stool or a box – to get closer to the skylight which is high up on the angled roof.
"What are you doing?" Demmock asked.
"He clings to the walls like an insect." Sherlock said.
"Or a gecko." Dare added.
Sherlock unhooks the latch and pushes the window upwards.
"That's how he got in." Sherlock said softly.
"What?!" Dimmock asks.
"Climbed up the side of the walls, ran along the roof, dropped in through this skylight."
"You're not serious! Like Spiderman?(!)"
"He scaled six floors of a Docklands apartment building, jumped the balcony to kill Van Coon." Dare said.
Dimmock laughs in disbelief "Oh, ho-hold on!"
"And of course that's how he got into the bank. He ran along the window ledge and onto the terrace." Sherlock said.
He steps down onto the landing and looks around again "We have to find out what connects these two men."
His eyes fall on the pile of books scattered up the side of the staircase. Jumping down a few stairs he picks up one particular book which has fallen open at its front page which shows that it has been borrowed from West Kensington Library. Slamming the book shut, he takes it with him as he heads off down the stairs.
After a taxi journey during, Sherlock, John and Dare are once again on an escalator, this time inside West Kensington Library. Sherlock finds his way to the aisle where Lukis' book came from.
"Date stamped on the book is the same day that he died." Sherlock said.
Checking the reference number stuck to the bottom of the book's spine, he goes to the correct place along the shelves and starts pulling out books and examining them then passing them to Dare to hold on to, she was not pleased with her job. John, probably just for something to do, pulls out some books on a nearby shelf on the other side of the aisle and immediately gets lucky.
"Sherlock, Dare."
Sherlock and Dare turn and see John staring into the gap left by the books he removed, Dare shoves the pile of books into Sherlock's arms and walks over to John, leaving Sherlock to put them away. Dare starts pulling out handfuls of books and passing them to John to reveal that spray painted on the back of the shelf are the same two symbols that were sprayed across Sir William Shad's office. Sherlock joins them just after he finished returning the books to their rightful place.
221B. Photographs of the shelf have been added to the earlier photos stuck around the mirror in the living room. The trio are standing at the fireplace looking at the pictures.
"So, the killer goes to the bank, leaves a threatening cipher for Van Coon; Van Coon panics, returns to his apartment, locks himself in." Sherlock said.
Flashback of a terrified Eddie Van Coon turning the key in the inside lock of his front door and fastening the safety chain before hurrying towards his bedroom.
"Hours later, he dies." Dare said.
"The killer finds Lukis at the library; he writes the cipher on the shelf where he knows it'll be seen; Lukis goes home." John said.
"Late that night, he dies too." Sherlock said.
"Why did they die, Sherlock? Dare?" John asked softly.
Sherlock runs his fingers over the line painted across Sir William's face.
"Only the cipher can tell us." Sherlock repied.
He thoughtfully taps his finger against the photo as his expression sharpens. Apparently he has had an idea.
TRAFALGAR SQUARE. The trio are walking through the centre of the square, heading towards the National Gallery.
"The world's run on codes and ciphers, John. From the million-pound security system at the bank, to the PIN machine you took exception to, cryptography inhabits our every waking moment." Sherlock explained.
"Yes, okay, but ..." John said.
"... but it's all computer-generated: electronic codes, electronic ciphering methods. This is different. It's an ancient device. Modern code-breaking methods won't unravel it." Dare finished.
"Where are we headed?" John asked.
"I need to ask some advice." Sherlock said.
"What?! Sorry?!"
Sherlock and Dare throw him a dark look as John smiles in disbelief.
"You heard me perfectly. I'm not saying it again." Sherlock said.
"You need advice?"
"On painting, yes. I need to talk to an expert."
"We don't know everything John." Dare said.
He leads John and Dare towards the entrance to the National Gallery ...
... and straight around it to the rear of the building where a young man has spray-stenciled onto a solid grey metal door the image of a policeman holding a rifle in his hands. The image has a pig's snout in place of a human nose. A large canvas bag is at the man's feet and he is holding spray cans in both hands. With one of the cans he has sprayed his tag, "RAZ", below the image and he is now adding the finishing touches to his 'artwork'. He continues spraying, unperturbed, as Sherlock, John, and Dare approach.
"Part of a new exhibition." RAZ said.
"Interesting." Sherlock said disinterestedly.
"I think its spot on." Dare said smirking, picturing Donavan and Anderson with pig snouts.
RAZ grins at her before saying "Thank-you. I call it Urban Bloodlust Frenzy."
"Catchy(!)" John said uninterested.
"I've got two minutes before a Community Support Officer comes round that corner." RAZ said to Sherlock, still spraying.
He looks round to Sherlock "Can we do this while I'm workin'?"
Sherlock has taken his phone from his coat pocket and now holds it out towards Raz, who turns around and tosses one of the spray cans at John. John instinctively catches it, and looks at Sherlock and Raz in bewilderment. Raz takes Sherlock's phone and scrolls through the photographs of the yellow ciphers from Sir William's office and the library.
"Know the author?" Dare asked.
"Recognize the paint. It's like Michigan; hard-core propellant. I'd say zinc." He replied.
"What about the symbols: d'you recognize them?" Sherlock asked.
"Not even sure it's a proper language." Raz said squinting at the pictures.
"Two men have been murdered, Raz. Deciphering this is the key to finding out who killed them." Sherlock said.
"What, and this is all you've got to go on? It's hardly much, now, is it?"
"Are you gonna help us or not?"
"I'll ask around."
"Somebody must know something about it."
"Oi!" someone called.
The four of them look round and see two Community Support Officers hurrying towards them. Sherlock instantly grabs his phone from Raz and runs off in the opposite direction with Dare close behind, while Raz drops his spray can, kicks his bag towards John and also scarpers. John, the blithering idiot, meekly turns towards the officers.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? This gallery is a listed public building." The Community Officer said.
"No, no, wait, wait. It's not me who painted that." John said, a poor attempt of proving his innocence.
The Officer holds up the spray can.
"I was just holding this for ..." John turns and seems to realize for the first time that he has been abandoned. He sighs quietly.
The officer kicks open the bag to reveal more spray cans inside, then looks at John pointedly "Bit of an enthusiast, are we?"
John looks blankly at him and then stares at the graffiti on the door, apparently wondering how he's going to explain his way out of this.
Firstly I'm sorry it took me a while to update, but lately I've been behind in my work at school, and now I'm finally starting to get caught up. And I'm really sorry, but it looks like it will be a while before I update again. So please be patient with me, and don't worry I am NOT giving up on this story or any of my other stories. They will just have longer times between updates.