Part Nineteen:
"Where are we going Sherlock?" John asks as they ride past Baker Street.
"Where ever the taxi takes us," Sherlock answers looking intently at the cabbie.
"We're letting him take us somewhere and we have no idea where we're going or how to get back? That's a great plan," John says sarcastically.
Suddenly they hear a phone ring. Sherlock immediately pulls his out but soon learns it was not his phone that rang. John retrieves his from his pocket only to see it wasn't his either. The phone rings again, but this time they see it at Sherlock's feet.
"Is that the-," John begins only to be silenced by Sherlock. The phone is identical to the one that belonged to the woman from the lady in pink case, "What does the text say?"
"It's a picture message," Sherlock states looking at it.
"Of what?"
"A tattoo," Sherlock says while creating a new message. He forwards the message to Kathryn's phone. Before John can ask another question the taxi comes to a stop. Sherlock steps out of the taxi and John follows.
"Why did he takes us here?" John asks.
"The tattoo was our answer. It was referring to the smugglers we found last year. This is where they took you to kill you," Sherlock explains. The two of them slowly enter the tunnel to see what it was that was waiting for them.
"Lestrad I'm going back to my flat," Kathryn says as she enters a taxi that has just pulled up along the beach where Sherlock and John had left Kathryn in Lestrad's care.
"I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight," Lestrad reminds her as she sits down.
"You tell him the address then if you don't trust me to go right home," she suggests. Lestrad rolls his eyes and shuts the door.
"Just be careful," he instructs.
Kathryn gives the cabbie her address and the driver begins toward Baker Street. While on the car ride Kathryn feels her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She quickly retrieves it to see a picture message alert. Opening it she sees the picture of the tattoo that Sherlock had sent from the mysterious phone.
"Whose number is this?" she thought to herself, "and why would they have send me a picture of a tattoo?" It wasn't immediately that Kathryn realized why the picture was sent to her. By the time she got to her flat she recognized it as the smugglers' tattoo. Sherlock had told the story of saving John and his date on many different occasions, but he never mentioned where it was the smugglers took them.
Kathryn raced to John's workplace. Sherlock also failed to remember what John's date had been named so it took awhile to find her. She found out where they had been that night and went there as fast as she could. When she got to the tunnel she entered quietly.
Before she got even five feet into the tunnel she got another text message. It was another forwarded message from the mysterious number. This time there was no picture attached. The message told a shorter version of the Hansel and Gretel story.
"Why on earth?" Kathryn began to ask herself before realizing that one of Sherlock's cases involved using the story of Hansel and Gretel. When she realized what the message meant she continued on in the tunnel.
"Sherlock, how long will we follow these bread crumbs?" John asks.
"Until the next text message," Sherlock says just before his phone rings again. He opens the message to see a picture of the Baskerville hound.
"What does that mean?" John asks. Sherlock doesn't answer but continues on in the tunnel. Suddenly the pink phone rings again with another picture of the Baskerville hound, the same exact picture. This time Sherlock forwards the message to Kathryn.
"Look!" John points. At the end of the tunnel is a blinking light.
"I don't remember a blinking light," Sherlock says confused.
"I do, on the hill," John says still watching the light blink. Seeing that the breadcrumb trail has ended they continue on in the direction of the light.
"Do you think Kathryn understood the messages?" John asks as they follow the light.
"The days before she sent you to the flat, we would talk at night. She wanted to hear the stories of the cases I've worked on. More specifically, the ones we worked on. She knows every detail that I know. I'm sure she's already on her way," Sherlock explains.
"But you told Lestrad not to let her out of his sight," John reminds him.
"She left before she even got the first text. She wouldn't have stayed with Lestrad for long."
The two continue on until they reach the end of the tunnel. They see no source of the light.
"Now where?" John asks looking in all directions. Sherlock doesn't answer but find his way to the back alley behind a warehouse. He starts climbing up the old and rusty fire escape.
After following the breadcrumbs to where the light begins blinking Kathryn realizes she has to pick up speed if she wants to get to Sherlock and John quickly.
At the end of the long tunnel Kathryn is struck with the same question of where to go next. She hadn't gotten any new text messages since the picture of the Baskerville hound.
Upon looking up at the roof of the old warehouse she can see a figure, then two, and then three figures. Figuring that the three were Sherlock, John, and Moriarty, she began climbing the back fire escape. When she reaches the top she is spotted immediately.
"How nice of you to join us, Kathryn," Moriarty says as he sees her reach the roof, "we're just here to finish what we started a few years ago."
Kathryn slowly begins to approach John and Sherlock, keeping her distance between Moriarty as large as possible.
"Kathryn, stand behind me," Sherlock instructs.
"No need," Moriarty begins stepping closer to Sherlock and John, "she's not the one in danger."
"You threaten me when you're outnumbered?" Sherlock questions, "you've got no power over me."
"No, but I have this," he jumps toward John and pulls a gun from his coat. He puts the gun against his head and steps away from Sherlock pulling John with him.
"You trust me to kill myself again?" Sherlock asks him while stepping in front of Kathryn to be sure Moriarty can't get to her.
"No, but I trust Kathryn," he shrugs.
"You will not touch her," Sherlock commands.
"I don't need to. You'll make her kill you. She'll have no choice," he says, "either she kills you, or you kill her… or I could just kill him."
From behind Sherlock Kathryn makes a surprised noise. Sherlock turns to face her. She looks up at him with eyes of fear.
"Kathryn, listen to me. You have to do this," Sherlock insists.
"Why? Sherlock, it's three to one it doesn't have to happen like this," she replies.
"I can't put John in this danger. He won't rest. You're not safe unless you do this. If anyone were to take my life, I'd want it to be you. I trust you to do this," he reassures her. She still has a frightened look in her eyes, "How will you have her do this?"
"She can shoot you, or she can come up with another way to take your life. As long as I get to see the pain in her eyes when you're dead," he snickers knowing Sherlock is going along with his plan.
Kathryn's eyes dart around the rooftop looking for a way out. Suddenly her eyes fall on a rope and she remembers something she and Sherlock had once talked about.
"I won't shoot him," Kathryn states, "I'll hang him by his neck."