Family Secrets
An Hope Holmes Adventure Chapter XI
Faith Robin
Some hours later (or at least I thought it was hours) I woke up. I wasn't in the same room as before. This time I was on a mattress. My arms were free, but unfortunately my ankle was chained to the floor. I groaned.
'So that's how father feels after just one injection of that foul stuff,' I thought with some disgust, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to relieve the headache that I had acquired. 'I wonder how long I've been in here.' My eyes adjusted to the gloom of the room. I saw a tray with a loaf of bread and a pitcher of water on it. I reached my hand out to pick up the pitcher and then pulled my hand away.
'Hope, get a grip, for all you know that stuff could be drugged.' I took in my surroundings. The room was nearly pitch black. There was no light, except for the sliver of light that was coming from under the door. 'I need to escape,' I thought. 'Now let's see if I still have a stray bobby pin in my hair.' I combed my hair with my fingers, searching for a bobby pin. I felt something thin in my hair.
'Yes! Success! Hey, I'm not that bad.' I thought with satisfaction, smiling to myself. 'Now let's see if I still remember how to pick a lock.' I stuck the bobby pin into the lock, listening intently.
"Holmes! Holmes!" Watson said holding the smelling salts under Sherlock's nose.
Holmes groaned and pushed Watson's hand away.
"Get that foul vial from under my nose Watson," Holmes said growling, sitting up.
"'Holmes what happened?" Dr. Watson asked, looking concerned for his friend.
"Watson, how long have I been out?" Holmes asked pulling himself together.
"Since you sent Mrs. Hudson out to send for me. She came back in and found you passed out on the sofa," Watson said putting the salts away. The needle rolled off the sofa. "Holmes… have you been at it again?" Watson asked narrowing his eyes. Holmes sighed.
"I just had one, Watson and that's not the reason why I passed out." Holmes said picking up the needle.
"Holmes you can't keep doing this, and if that wasn't the reason that you passed out then what was the reason?" Watson asked looking confused. Holmes found the note on the floor and handed it to him. "Holmes are you sure that this isn't some kind of practical joke?"
"Of course I am, Hope hasn't been home since five. She said that she'd be back in time for dinner, which was about…" he said looking at the clock, "four hours ago." "Plus it had a lock of her hair in the envelope," he said standing up and pacing around.
"Do you know where she went?"Watson asked laying the note down again.
"Yes she went to see a Miss Sally Granger," Holmes said sitting at the makeup table, staring into the mirror.
The lock clicked open. 'Yes!' I thought triumphantly. I stood up and started to walk around, pacing back and forth across the floor. 'I need a plan,' I thought. I glanced at the door, and then I looked at the tray that held the pitcher and the bread. A plan was slowly beginning to form in my head.
'They'll have to come back sooner or later,' I thought removing the pitcher and the bread from the tray. 'And when they do, I'll get the jump on them,' I concluded picking up the tray and moving towards the door. I felt for the door handle and when I had located it I estimated where I needed to stand in order to catch them by surprise. Then the wait began.
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