The Back-to-Front Case, Chapter Seven; The Final Victim

As Sherlock continued to bicker with Donovan and Dimmock while Sherlock sat and the other two crowded around him at the computer, searching for any women who went missing in the last three days who met the profile, I stood behind them, shaking my head in disbelief; all our hard work over the last two days came down to this, a bitter argument between three childish adults. I looked away from them towards the other end of the room where I gave a slight start.

Sitting with a man whom I knew to be DI Gregson was a familiar looking woman; familiar only because I had been looking at pictures of women who looked exactly like her for the past two days. She had light blonde hair and had the physique of a woman who was very active and I couldn't help but think that she was somehow part of this somehow.

"Sherlock," I started to say, but he was too busy calling Donovan incompetent and childish to pay me any attention, so I began to walk the length of the room towards DI Gregson.

As I approached I could see that the woman was in her mid-forties and was extremely upset, but she completely fitted the profile in all aspects, apart from her age. I got as close as I could and tried to catch Gregson's eye. He looked up to me before standing and excusing himself from the crying woman to make his way over to me.

"Watson, I'm with someone right now, can't it wait?" he asked me quietly and somewhat impatiently. "I've come to expect this kind of behaviour from your friend, not from you."

"No, sorry," I said awkwardly. "That woman you're with, what is she here for?"

Gregson gave me a deep frown. "And why would I tell you that?"

"Because she could be relevant to Dimmock's case," I said quietly yet in a hurried manner. I wasn't as familiar with Gregson as I was with Lestrade and even Dimmock, so I didn't know if he worked all that well with Sherlock but I needed to check this possible lead out, even if it was a long shot. "Why is she here?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but her daughter has been kidnapped." He told me after a few moments of hesitation.

"You're joking," I said, not quite believing my luck.

"No, why, do you know something?" he asked me sharply.

"Her daughter, did she go missing three days ago?"

"How did you know that?" Gregson asked in surprise.

"Because I think that you're actually working Dimmock's case," I said, glancing back to the others, who were all still arguing. "Look, can I ask her a few questions?"

"I can't let you –"

"Just ask her if she knows a man called Jonathan Foster, please!" I said hurriedly.

Gregson considered this for a few moments before giving me a nod and telling me to wait where I was. He walked back over to the woman and sat down in front of her. A few short moments later he motioned me over to him.

"Mrs Lucas, this is Dr. John Watson," Gregson said as I approached them, the woman's teary blue eyes turning to me. "He is helping with one of my colleague's investigations and would like to ask you a few questions. Would you be able to repeat what you just told me?"

"I don't see how this is relevant to my daughter, detective." Mrs Lucas said weakly.

"Please, it may be helpful, Mrs Lucas." I said as gently as I could, given my current adrenalin levels.

"Yes I knew Jonathan Foster," she told me. "We dated for a while when I was in my early twenties, but it didn't work out, why?"

"This might come across as really rude, and I am really sorry for asking, but did the relationship end because he found you in bed with another man?"

"What?" she asked, glaring at me through her tears as Gregson growled disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry," I said earnestly. "But he's been arrested for murdering twelve women who looked exactly like you and he just admitted to kidnapping another to get back at a woman who wronged him about twenty-six years ago."

"Oh my God," Mrs Lucas said weakly, looking to Gregson with a terrified expression. "Has he got my baby?"

"Tell Dimmock," Gregson said seriously to me as he attempted to comfort the grieving mother.

"Her daughter; how old is she?" I asked quickly.

"She's only ten," Gregson said. "Go John!"

I nodded and turned to walk quickly as I could back to the others, my heart racing at this new complication and I picked up part of their conversation.

"There's nothing in the database that fits the profile," Donovan said stiffly.

"That's because the profile is wrong," I said confidently as they all looked at me in confusion, Sherlock opening his mouth to speak but I spoke over the top of him. "Shut up and let me explain, Sherlock, we don't have much time, even less than we originally thought."

Sherlock closed his mouth, looking at me in surprise.

"The woman down there talking to Gregson, it's her, the one who triggered Foster into killing all those women." I continued quickly as they all looked down to her. "She looks exactly like the other victims and she knows Foster. They dated twenty-six years ago and she ended up cheating on him. And here's the worst part; her ten year old daughter went missing three days ago."

"Jesus," Dimmock gasped as Sherlock just stared at me in confusion.

"But why her ten year old daughter, how could that be revenge on the mother?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"A parent always care if their child is kidnapped, Sherlock." I said, shaking my head slightly at his ignorance.

"And then it also depends on what Foster has done to the girl," Dimmock added reluctantly.

"But this also changes things," I said. "Medically speaking, a child may not survive three days without water."

"But if this is our final victim, how are we going to find her?" Donovan asked. "We've got no more places to check."

"Wrong," Sherlock said quietly. "There is only one possible place left, not including the small possibility that Moriarty has supplied a secret location."

"Where?" asked Dimmock.

"Foster's house," Sherlock replied steadily.

"She's not there, I checked the house myself, not to mention that Lestrade is currently digging up the garden!" Donovan said hotly.

"Exactly, Lestrade is only concerned about the garden right now and when you searched the house you didn't have all the information that we have now." Sherlock said, turning to stare intently at Donovan.

"Do you think she could still be alive?" I asked, needing reassurance.

"We need to get to Foster's house." Sherlock declared seriously.