Late again. My excuse - a new term at uni has started and I was too busy pitying myself to take care of the editing of this story. Sorry. I'm a afraid that delays are bound to happen again.
Anyway, a big thanks to everyone who commented, followed, favourited or just read this story :) You guys are wonderful.
Warning: A cheesy theory ahead.
I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter!
I don't own 'Sherlock'.
"Wait a second. Weren't you claiming it was all about that? The policy?" Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade grumbled in exasperation. Jason Saunders regarded him for a second end then spoke again.
"I thought so but you were right. If it indeed had been a plan it would have been the worst plan I have ever seen, this guy would have to be a total idiot and I know he isn't. He works with Holmes, I bet he would know how to plan something like this."
Greg frowned suspiciously.
"So you don't think it was planned." he said.
"No, I believe it wasn't."
"What is your point then? I don't follow."
Saunders straightened in his chair. He and Lestrade have been talking for a good fifteen minutes and it didn't seem like they were going to get anywhere.
"I know that doctor Watson is capable of killing...under the influence of emotion."
Greg tensed. 'Oh, crap. Don't let it be what I think it is.'
"What? What are you talking about?" he managed, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, Greg. You've been there and seen it."
Lestrade cleared his throat. Yes, he all too well remembered what'd happened on that dark December night and he wasn't particularly keen of that memory.
Seeing that his older colleague wasn't going to answer, Jason Saunders continued.
"Two months ago your kind-hearted doctor friend nearly killed a suspect during a pursuit he shouldn't have even participated in and I know that he went far beyond the borders of what could be considered necessary defence."
Greg's jaw clenched. When the case of Mary's murder had started he knew those events were going to be dragged out sooner or later but he was still hoping that it could be avoided, that no-one would spill the beans. How gullible he was to cling to that hope.
The story was rather simple. A chase gone wrong, Sherlock Holmes facing down two armed culprits, putting a hell of fight. John getting there just in time to see his friend thrown roughly on the ground to get furiously hit in the head with a crowbar.
Somehow, the sight had made John snap. No one actually knew why, after all the doctor had seen Sherlock in far worse situations and something like that had never happened before. Whatever the reason was, John tackled one of the assailants and began hitting him madly, first with his fists and then, to the horror of the officers, he crashed the man's head multiple times against the asphalt and he didn't stop until the policemen dragged him off the unconscious suspect. When they did, John was just as shocked as everyone else. The culprit was taken to the hospital and saved, but it was a close call. Luckily the man didn't even remember what happened.
None of the witnesses mentioned it again, at least not officially. Greg wondered if Sherlock talked about it with John or if John ever told Mary but it was impossible to guess. After the incident Lestrade tried to bug the doctor for answers only to be brushed off with claims that it was just a momentary loss of control, but one didn't have to be a master of deduction to know that John was feeling very uneasy about the whole thing.
Greg broke out of his reverie and addressed Saunders again.
"Alright, it got out of hand but he was just trying to protect..."
"Holmes, I know." Jason interrupted him. "And trust me, it wouldn't really matter to me if it weren't for the circumstances, Greg."
Lestrade sighed angrily.
"And what does it have to do with the case, hmm? What happened in December was a completely different situation. Why the hell do you think he would attack his wife?" he grumbled. Saunders' obstinacy was really starting to become unbearable.
The yoinger DI shifted a bit in his chair.
"Look Greg, I understand your eagerness and I am grateful for your help, but this is still my case. Let me do my work, alright?"
Soon the conversation was finished and Lestrade almost stormed out of Saunders' office.
Just like Greg anticipated, Jason wasn't very convinced by Sherlock's findings. Saunders wasn't all that stupid though and knew that the consulting detective was brilliant at what he did. The younger DI wasn't surprised in the slightest when Lestrade earlier told him about the night visit to the house but he said that, as much as he appreciates the effort, the secured traces are in no way enough to clear the doctor of the suspicions just like that. Still, he was clearly taken aback by the fact that his own team missed a possibly vital clue.
Saunders did have a new theory, however, and wanted to check it thoroughly before fully trusting Sherlock Holmes who might have actually been involuntarily playing a bigger role in the murder.
For many the theory might have seemed utterly nonsensical and far-fetched, but the funny fact is that it's often what the real stories are like. People are used to complicated and clever plots the writers skillfully craft to draw the reader in, while in reality many cases are true soap-operas without much fineness. That was exactly what the new theory was but Saunders had led enough investigations to know that far more unlikely scenarios sometimes ended up being the solution.
After he'd questioned a few of doctor Watson's former partners, a pattern of some sort appeared. None of the women said that the doctor was ever aggressive towards them, truth was that they all felt that he...wasn't actually very interested in them. When asked, they were rather consistent in the claims that Watson was often prone to drop everything when his flatmate required his attention. Now, that naturally didn't have to mean much, but added to the fact that Watson and Holmes had lived and worked together for a year and a half during which the doctor hadn't sustained a relationship for more than three months and the detective apparently didn't even start a relationship was a reason to ponder.
There were no actual proofs that there had ever been something more between the two men, but Saunders decided to investigate the matter further. If his suspicions would turn out to be true, allowing Sherlock to join the investigation would have been a costly mistake.
There was also the matter of the marriage. Some time after Holmes' fake suicide doctor Watson met Mary Morstan whom he married soon after the famous detective returned from the dead. In spite of what it might have seemed, it wasn't actually that much of a flaw of Saunders' theory. The DI knew that sometimes people did such things against themselves, he had seen cases like that and he also knew the suppressed emotions could erupt suddenly and unexpectedly like a volcano and that such outbursts sometimes ended with a tragedy. Still, at that point it was just speculation that needed to be verified and that required an official interrogation.
.
One day later, somewhere around midday Gregory Lestrade was slowly picking a number on his phone. He was hesitant to make the call and he had his reasons. Even though he was sure that what he had to say was not going to be a surprise, it still made him uncomfortable. John was his friend, after all.
He finally pushed the call button and waited a few moments for the doctor to pick up.
"Hello, Greg." came a concise greeting.
"Hi, John." The DI's voice was calm but remorse was audible even in those first words. "How are you doing, mate? Holding on?" he asked lamely.
The question was stupid but Lestrade couldn't bring himself to say the news straight from the shoulder. The thought of having to hurt the good doctor further was hard to bear.
"It's... a bit better, I guess. Thanks for asking. But please, spit out what you have to say." John replied.
Greg sighed. Be it, then.
"Alright. I, um...I suppose Sherlock and your lawyer already warned you, but..." A brief pause. "You are going to be arrested."
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
"I know." John said eventually in a grave tone but remained calm. Greg continued.
"Saunders told me that they wanted to come to Baker Street and do it there but, um...then he suggested that you could come to the Yard yourself." he blurted out. An unpleasant memory of another arrest that took place on 221B Baker Street over three years earlier resurfaced in the DI's troubled head. He shook it away and resumed speaking.
"He wants to avoid the media frenzy. Maybe it will be better this way."
John listened to him, nodding absently. Sherlock earlier told him that something like that was likely to happen and John was averse at first, not wanting to make anything easy for the police anymore but the detective made him realise that it was indeed a better option than being led handcuffed to a police car in front of a crowd of reporters.
The doctor addressed Lestrade again.
"Yes, it will. Thank you for calling me, I really appreciate that. When should I come?"
"The sooner the better, John." the DI said and quickly added: "I regret it has to be like this."
"So do I." The doctor's voice sounded bitter though he naturally didn't blame the befriended policeman. "I'll be there in thirty minutes."
"Alright. I'll tell Saunders." Lestrade then disconnected the call.
John moved the phone away from his ear. The same memory that passed through Greg's mind briefly now reappeared in the doctor's as well. He all too well remembered how it was when Sherlock and him were arrested. It wasn't nice, but in fact not that bad. However, the memory of the arrest was closely linked to that of what happened the morning after and it was something that still made John cringe.
He forced himself to chase the dark recollections away. It was not time to dwell on the past.
Half an hour later he entered the Yard after barely getting rid of the reporters who attacked him when he exited his cab. Sherlock and Telling were waiting for him in the hall.
"They are not wasting time, are they?" John meant both the press and the police as he tried to joke to ease the tension, but it came out rather pitiful. Sherlock eyed him with an unreadable expression.
"Yes, they are. Apparently it's the only thing they're capable of doing." the detective's voice was dripping with disdain.
The two men exchanged a look that was more meaningful than any words could be.
'This is really happening, isn't it? I'm going to be arrested any minute now.'
'Yes. But remember it's only because these idiots have no other ideas. It will all end sooner than you think, I'll make sure of that.'
Feeling a bit better John nodded shortly and the three of them made their way upstairs. Some policemen and other workers glanced at the trio now and then only to be glared down challengingly by both the detective and the doctor.
Once they reached the third floor where Saunders' office was John painfully realised that a big part of his confidence dissipated while he was ascending the stairs.
Preparing yourself is one thing, facing the challenge is another. Even the best combat simulation can only do so much to reduce the stress a soldier feels during his first real fight. John experienced that himself when he was sent to the field for the first time and, oddly enough, now he felt as if he was reliving that moment. He didn't really now why, it wasn't like he had anything to hide. It was just so bloody difficult to keep a straight head while being surrounded by madness.
Sherlock noticed John's agitation. For everyone else it might have seemed that the doctor was completely calm but the detective knew better. When they stopped in front of Saunders' office he took a step forward to stand closer to the doctor. His shoulder touched John's back and he felt the short man minimally lean against him.
Saunders emerged from his office.
"Doctor Watson. Gentlemen." he greeted them with a slight nod.
"Detective." John answered curtly. Telling did the same but Sherlock remained silent.
"You know why you are here, doctor. Let's not prolong this."
The DI gestured to the open door to his office where two officers were already waiting. Well, at least it was not going to happen in the middle of the hallway.
John wordlessly entered the room, feeling a sting of cold where his friend's shoulder was a moment earlier.
Telling went in right after him, followed by Saunders who tried to quickly close the door but Sherlock's hand grabbed it like a vice.
"No. I have the right to be here." he said in a low, icy voice.
"Mr Holmes, we will come out in a minute. I'm sure you can..."
"No." Sherlock repeated distinctly. "An arrest can be performed in front of witnesses. Let me in." he demanded, eyes flashing dangerously as he stood with his face just a few inches from the policeman's. Saunders didn't look away but was clearly surprised by the intensity of Sherlock's gaze. Noticing that things might go wrong, John decided to act.
"It's alright, Sherlock. He's right."
'No, it's not alright. This is ridiculous.'
Sherlock ignored him, knowing that the idiotic DI had to let him in whether he wanted it or not. Saunders finally relented grudgingly, wishing to avoid a scene. He allowed Sherlock inside and closed the door.
The tension inside the room was almost palpable. Everyone was on edge but the British etiquette didn't allow the gathered men to show it. True, both Sherlock and John wanted to do nothing more than just throw said etiquette out of the window along with the moronic policemen but they managed to keep that to themselves.
John was thankful that Sherlock stayed, the detective's calm but silently supporting demeanour worked like a soothing balsam on the doctor's careworn mind and soul. He straightened his neck and looked straight in the DI's eyes. The man held his gaze as he extracted a piece of paper from a parcel he lifted from the desk and then moved the paper towards John. A warrant. Telling was about to say something but John stopped him, not even looking at the paper.
"Let's get it over with. I believe you argumentation is very convincing." he drawled out, making it sound as sarcastic as he could muster. With a corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Sherlock's smirk. Saunders' brow furrowed.
"Very well, then. Patrick..." The DI nodded at one of the young officers who then walked over to John. Saunders looked at the doctor again.
"John Hamish Watson, I'm arresting you on the suspicion of murdering your wife, Mary Elisabeth Watson. You have the right to say nothing but everything you say can be used against you in court."
John had heard that formula so many times before. And even though he did expect to hear it under his own address, it still hurt like hell.
He remained silent as his hands were being handcuffed behind his back. He didn't even look at Sherlock when two officers lead him out of the office and to the hallway but he could feel the his friend's presence close by as they all made their way towards the interrogation rooms. He heard the murmuring observers, saw their expressions, some accusatory, some compassionate but all of that seemed to be hidden behind a dense haze. It was still hard for John to believe it was happening.
Sherlock saw the looks too but didn't pay them any attention. His thoughts refused to focus, instead teasing him about his lack of power. It annoyed him how much the sight of John being arrested affected him. John was going to be fine, hurt but fine and soon would be released. So why was it so hard to watch him march though the corridor with handcuffs on his hands? Sherlock's logical mind declined providing an answer.
I guess it's easy to tell I have no idea about how the MET works. Sorry, I just wanted to make it a little bit more dramatic. As for that Saunders fellow - I actually do believe a policeman would consider the idea he came up with. I've seen a lot of cases on Investigation Discovery(the cases were real!) and trust me, there were theories far more more cheesy than this one :)
Tell me what you think, if you find the time!
