From ThatSassyCaptain: Holmes has sought to disprove ghost stories and fantastic legends all his career. Only, this one is true and this is how he found out.
"I do not believe in such things," the grey-eyed Englishman snapped at her in near-impeccable German. "Find someone else to fool with your tricks."
"It's not a trick," the young girl insisted and grabbed his hand to keep him from leaving. "I only have a message for you."
He snatched his hand back. "I won't pay you."
"I don't want money," she sneered, tempted to leave him to his fate, but she had learnt through experience that this would be a mistake. "I have a warning for you."
He hesitated then, and she could see the doubt in his eyes. He was on the run, that she knew, but she didn't care about that. "A warning from who? Who do you work for?"
She sighed. For someone so intelligent, he was remarkably narrow-minded. "I work for no one but myself and the spirits. The warning is from Mary."
He scoffed. "Mary? One of the most common names there is. And you chose Mary rather than Maria or Marie because you can see I am English. You are resourceful, I will grant you that. Are you sinti?"
"You ask too many questions," she told him bluntly, "Listen, for once. Mary's warning is this: 'John is in trouble. Go home.'"
It was interesting that he hadn't risen to the name Mary because it was so common, but the name John had him instantly on edge. Of course Mary had said it would be so, and the spirits were rarely wrong.
"Is that a threat?" He looked around wildly, not unlike an animal in captivity. "Who sent you?"
"It's a warning from Mary," she repeated impatiently. "'John is in trouble. Go home'. That's all she told me. Goodbye, Mr Holmes."
He paled to his lips, and that was what convinced her that he would heed the warning and go home - wherever that might be. She skipped away, pleased that her work was done.