Okay everyone, this is it! The final mystery dinner chapter you've been waiting for (sorry about that wait :/). For those of you who like where things are going, stay tuned for some (at least for a few of the characters) surprise revelations, but for those of you who were here mainly for the mystery, the clothes and jewelry, this is your last stop. After this full warnings will again be in effect. Ya been warned!

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Pressed up on her toes by the edge of the kopis, the alchemist blanches, her eyes glued to the bright edge of the blade jutting past her chin. "Oh I believe you Master of the Guard."

John sighs internally and smiles coldly at the two, "Stand down, the lady will talk." Fraiser nods and releases the woman to stand behind her. The alchemist rubs at her neck for a second then slowly turns toward the tray of herbs Mycroft identified. Clearing her throat, eyes flicking back to the sultan every few seconds, she speaks.

"Well the ashwagandha is just a nice energising herb, putting one in the mood, and the bitter melon is a similar fruit, but..." she trails off looking at the sultan nervously. "The tansy is a..." swallows a bit, "toxin in large amounts, will cause spontaneous loss of child and can be fatal to the woman if prepared too strongly."

John's eyes take on a harsh flinty look and several persons in the room make some kind of involuntary surprised noise. The alchemist presses on.

"Mugwart is also known as the best herb to bring on a woman's seclusion time, regardless of the presence of a child. As do anise and angelica to a much lesser degree." The sultan begins to lean toward her aggressively.

"The reishi is, as the cook said, harmless, but the goldthread, while balancing a woman's mood and making her more receptive to advances, prevents a woman's womb from quickening."

"Oh my word." murmurs Mrs. Hudson placing a trembling hand over her lips.

John walks away from the gathered people, needing a few minutes to work off his anger. After all he hardly wanted to have the woman killed before he discovered if his sister knew of these plants deadly abilities.

Frustrated that he can't seem to focus he finds himself standing over Sherlock again. Looking back over at the alchemist who is standing frozen, amongst a gathering of people who seem shocked and outraged, John calls out to them as he looks back at the body before him.

"Has anyone figured it out?" because I have, is on the tip of John's tongue, but he just raises his weary eyes to the others in the room.

Greg cocks his head, "Really mate? Are we done already?"

John nods, "I know who the killer is, and why. Anyone else have an idea? I'll give you first go." A few people look at each other, most seem confused, if not completely lost, but Sally and Anthea seem ready to talk. John establishes eye contact and nods at each in turn, "Bring my sister in again please."

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Sally watches John's body posture as he walks around, 'He looks fit to be tied...' Her mind is franticly flitting from fact to fact trying to see what John says is there, and then, as Mrs. Turner walks back into the room stiff and proud, she sees it.

The older woman is standing tall, shoulders back her eyes holding John's in a hostile manner. 'She's already on the defensive, without knowing that they have been caught out. Might have gotten away with it if she'd have stayed cool...'

Feeling a bit giddy her eyes flit back to Sherlock lying so still and in a sudden moment of clarity she gets him. She gets that in some way the whole world is a murder mystery dinner for Sherlock Holmes. It isn't that he enjoys the suffering of others, or has the urge to protect people, like she does, it's all about the riddle, and that is how he came to fake his death. After all, if he loved the dead, as she herself accused him of, several times, he'd have been happy to have a dead John stowed away in his fridge.

Shaking her head a touch to dislodge the thought she looks back toward Mrs. Turner and sees Sean's confused face poking up over her shoulder. Smirking in glee she clears her throat.

"I know John, I know who it was and why."

All the eyes in the room turn to her and her smirk widens to a full on grin. At her own pace she wanders back toward the group, where Greg looks on with pride, and Mrs. Turner is standing ram-rod straight avoiding Sally's look.

Calmly she turns to John, "Sultan, I, a lowly merchant, have solved your mystery." looking at John's expectant face and bowing to him slightly, "May I but ask a few questions of your older sister?"

John nods and Sally turns to Mrs. Turner, the New Scotland Yard officer obvious in the change to her body language.

"Mrs. Turner, I have heard it said that you were the one behind all of these additions to the harem diet, is that true?"

Mrs. Turner stares at her frostily, "I might have been, depends on what you are implying."

Sally starts wandering around the two women under question, weaving between them, seemingly for no reason. "I'm sure you are aware that we now know the true reason for these dangerous herbs being forced on the women without their consent."

Mrs. Turner gives no reply, her lips pinched together tightly in irritation.

Rounding on the other woman, "And I'm certain you, as an alchemist, have a sense of professional integrity. Or else you'd find yourself barred from all civilised markets and forced to trade with the barbarians in the north." The threat of being forced to travel to the Greeks and Etruscans to make a living, not to mention the Mongolians, is extremely vivid.

Everyone holds their breath as the alchemist visibly pales and sways on her feet a touch. Sally crows inside, the woman would spill it all now, no need for Sally to explain it at all.

Surprisingly it's Mrs. Turner who pipes up. "Oh for crying out loud woman, if your going to fall on your sword, get it over with!"

And the alchemist snipes back, "Well it is my livelihood you know. You can just sit back and live off your little brother while you bleed his family dry, I cannot!"

Turning to John she takes the few steps to him and throws herself down on the floor at his feet whilst recounting her story. "Sultan what was I too do? Your sister came to me in disguise, not a jewel, or veil to claim her station. She told me that her brother had an illness of the mind and she hoped to keep him from siring children so the infirmity wouldn't taint her family. I had no idea that she was talking about you!"

"I was very careful in my instructions, especially with the tansy and the mugwart, explaining to the chef that any deviation from my instructions would have the opposite effects he sought. I tried m'lord."

Greg picks up the argument as he turns to the woman, face a picture of disgust, "Ah but now you are caught in the lie. If you met the chef you certainly were aware the sultan was the mark."

Waving his comment away impatiently the alchemist replies, "Yes of course, in the end I did know, but by that time, the lady already purchased some of my herbs in disguise and threatened to mix them all together and poison the harem pinning it on me if I didn't help her convince the chef!"

Turning she fixes John with a pleading look. "I had no choice, but I tried anyway, I tried to get caught, really I did."

Sally reaches down and helps the alchemist to her feet, "You did try to give the game away, I know, that's how the ikba got killed, isn't it?"

Nodding a touch franticly, "I think he saw me going to meet with Mrs. Turner after hiding the mare. I waited, and waited at the bottom of the stairs for any one of the people at the stables to turn around. If I'd have known it was him looking I'd have hid, I'm so sorry to have caused this."

Sally turns then to Mrs. Turner, "How did you do it? How did you manage to take down the sultan's ikbal?"

Mrs. Turner, a haughty expression frozen on her face, shrugs one shoulder slightly, "It was easy, when I came into the room he was facing away from me, obviously searching for someone. I dropped the mare's ear covering and approached him from the side. He was surprised to see me, but quickly accepted the lie that I'd followed him."

"Then I pointed out the silk lying on the floor and when he stooped to pick it up I took up one of the heavy cast iron warming plates and struck a fatal blow to his neck. I'm certain I heard a crunching sound and he fell forward in a lump."

"Quickly I popped the plate back under it's dish and hid away in the servant's hall till you came and fawned over him. While everyone was milling about I merged into the group easily enough."

John, who had been holding himself still and silent, bears down on his sister and grabs her up by the wrist, dragging her over to Sherlock lying on the table. Once there he whips the cloth back and pushes her toward the body, using her shoulder as leverage, his voice hisses out, angry and intense.

"Look at him! Look at the beautiful young man you have killed with your scheming and plots. Look at HIM! What could possible be important enough to kill such a divine creature?"

Looking irritated, Mrs. Turner wiggles out of John's grasp and rounds on him. "Don't you dare try to make me feel bad about this! You are the one who is to blame! Imagine the shame of you choosing a boy for ikbal?! I could not stand to see our family brought so low."

Pointing at the alchemist, "I told her the truth, you do have a mental illness, and I know that with you out of the way, my son would be the one to rule. I checked with your vizier on that! Everything went as I had planned, except it was supposed to be you I bludgeoned to death, not him. But if all my efforts were coming crashing down, at least I got to hurt you, and take him away from you!"

John staggered back away from Mrs. Turner a bit, horror clear on his face, as Fraiser finally comes to his rescue and ushers his sister away to the guard tower. Staring after her he doesn't notice the movement behind him.

Feeling a bit like he's trapped in some kind of horrific dream John shakes his head like a St. Bernard shaking off it's drool, but he goes completely still when a long fingered warm hand comes to rest in the middle of his back.

"John..." Sherlock's voice caresses his ears as he spins around to see for himself Sherlock standing there. "I cannot believe it, but Sally has correctly concluded the mystery."

A smile curving his lips John closes his eyes enjoying the warmth and proximity that was missing with his flatmate since his 'murder'. "Well I guess you'll have to be nice to her now, since she clearly isn't an idiot." Sherlock's voice rumbles through the air to be felt more than heard, "Mmmm, maybe, but only if she stops lowering herself to Anderson's level. She could do so much better."