CHAPTER 10:
Despite her initial confusion, Molly was quickly caught up on the going's on. While she shot a few suspicious looks at Sherlock, the pathologist couldn't say she was surprised. They'd been here all of an hour or two, and he was already getting up to mischief. Still, she couldn't deny the entire story WAS fascinating. After all, it wasn't every day a place was cursed.
That being said, she still wasn't entirely sure what he was proposing was a good idea.
"You want us to pretend to be dance partners so we can spy on your husband?" Molly asked slowly, smiling gratefully at Siobhan as she brought her a cold pack.
"Well, actually Mr. Holmes here came up with the idea but in a word… yes." Evelyn confirmed.
"I don't know. Relationships work better on open communication-"
"Look, I don't want to rock the boat. We've just got things settled again, and we were doing well. Ollie's come to all the couple's therapy, we're living together again, and he's been so supportive while we've been working on the studio. His affair was a long while back, and I feel terrible about even thinking he could be up to something like that again but-"
"Most cheaters are serial, you know. It's not unlikely, in fact statistically once a partner has cheated they're- oof." Molly stomped on his instep, even while he worked to clean her scrapes. "What he means is, do you have a reason for thinking he might be stepping out on you?"
"Well… not exactly. It's just-" She glanced at Siobhan.
"I can leave if you want me to Evie." Her friend offered. She hesitated and nodded.
"I'll go put back the cold pack then. No hard feelings." Siobhan promised. Evelyn hugged her, and the other young woman hugged her back before taking Molly's cold pack and excusing herself.
"I didn't put any stock in this curse until things started happening. And they started to occur after I noticed Ollie has been paying a lot of attention to Isa."
"Isa?" Molly asked. She nodded.
"My niece. Isa's been staying with us, helping out so she can save up for a place closer to her school. She's in college." Evelyn explained.
"And your husband has been- preoccupied with her?" Molly offered. Evelyn sighed.
"Kind of you to put it that way. She was just a little girl when they first met; she's my older sister's daughter. But we hadn't seen her much in the last couple of years, not until we came to this area. She's a lovely girl, and there isn't a harsh bone in her body, but she's been acting strange and so has Ollie and I can't help but worry something is wrong between them. Maybe he isn't cheating, but something isn't right all the same." She insisted.
"Then we'll have to meet your husband under the guise of the dance class. Does Isa help out as well?" Sherlock asked.
"She's one of our instructors, part-time. She's just getting back into the class. One of the accidents hurt her ankle, so it's been healing. Mr. Holmes… I am not a suspicious woman by nature, but things are happening that I can't explain. I need your help." She admitted. Sherlock shrugged.
"It's not the first time someone's asked for my help, and it certainly won't be the last. Very well. Molly and I will devise a backstory and infiltrate the class. It's possible that if your husband has nothing to do with this so-called "curse," then someone else has a reason to come after you or your business. I'll need a list of the students and time of the classes; we'll also need a calendar, and I need a diary of your husband's movements so we can track him." Sherlock summarized, once again, looking at the fallen shelf.
"Were you near this when it happened?" He asked.
"Yes, I was trying to show Isa a step we would be teaching in class when the shelf fell."
"And your husband was nowhere near the area?"
Evie shook her head. "He was getting the front ready for the day."
"Mm. Well. Not to worry, Mrs. Beaumont, I'm sure I'll have your little curse dissolved within a day or two. Molly? " And nodding at their new client, he swept himself out the studio and through the front door.
"Is he always like this?" Evie asked., Molly shrugged apologetically.
"Pretty much. You get used to it. Sherlock's quite- well. You get used to him." She repeated.
"Right... well. To each her own. And he's quite the looker, lucky you, right?" She smiled at Molly, who blushed and hurried to follow the detective.
"No, he and I- that is, well- no, we're not- he's probably waiting, I should get going. We're going to have dinner tonight and then I think we can stop in tomorrow to get the information. We'll get it figured out, Evelyn, promise." And smiling as reassuringly as her hot pink cheeks would allow, she headed after Sherlock.
When she caught up to his stride, he was already on his phone, searching something out.
"What will you do now?" She asked, not sure where this was going.
"Exactly what I told her. I'll solve the case in a day or so, and then I'll find something else to occupy my time." He decided, grumbling when his phone took too long for his liking.
"John said you needed to rest. And you're short of breath right now." Molly reminded him, taking his arm. Searching for a bench, Molly didn't notice that he'd allowed her to keep ahold of him.
"Why did you tell her we could solve it?" She asked when they were seated, watching children play a game of jacks across the street.
"Because we can. This case is barely a three, someone is using Evelyn's fear and superstition against her, most likely the spouse." He sneered. "It's always the spouse."
"Well- that is, I agree. But- But I don't understand why you told Evelyn we would do it."
Now he did look at her curiously and with his head tilted. "I... misstepped? Should I have asked you?"
"No, that's okay. Well, yes. Yes, you should have. It's only fair. This is my holiday too. Maybe I don't want to take a dance class." She reminded him, feeling slightly bolder. Something that wasn't easy given the way he appeared either incredibly confused or incredibly- something else?
"A point I had not considered. Molly Hooper. Would you like to solve a crime with me?"
It should have set her heart fluttering the way it did. The memory of his asking the same thing when she was engaged was still there, and really, it was nothing like the situation now, was it? Still.
"Yes." She answered primly. He grinned then, a smile she hadn't seen in some time. Something inside did another little pitter-pat.
"Excellent. We'll need a cover story if we're going to infiltrate successfully." He looked out at the children. "Have you anything in mind?"
"Hmm," She hummed thoughtfully, her earlier butterflies now taking a backseat to the excitement. Real undercover work! "I know how to dance, and you mentioned-" No, Molly, touchy topic, back tread. "If we both have experience dancing, then they'll probably notice that. Her husband, I mean."
"Can you use your clumsiness to pretend you have none?" He asked, not entirely unkindly. She glared but kicked her feet tidily.
"To be honest, I think my two left feet speak for themselves. I can dance on my own; it's different in front of a class." She reminded him. He sighed and nodded.
"So it is... but that could work in our favor. If we're trying to build your confidence, then it would make sense we're there. We'll need to have cover stories for our identity as well. While Siobhan recognized me, Evelyn did not. The town may be small enough that my escapades have reached no local ears."
"We could be brother and sister?" She offered. He made a face.
"Dull. Trite. Not to mention we display far too much chemistry for it not to have incestuous undertones."
"What?" Her head snapped up, but he was already on his way to his next decision.
"We will present as romantic partners. Our relationship is new, and therefore, we are searching for activities to do as a couple. Believable, it makes for a sympathetic character- No. No, we'll need to be in an established relationship, the husband wouldn't speak to me otherwise. Depending on his mood, then I'll start up a line of conversation to put us on even footing and from there dissect his excuses." Finally, he looked at Molly, who was still trying to wrap her head around his "cover story" example.
"You don't think that'll work?" He asked.
"I- well, I guess if he's cheated before you just have to figure out whichever one you think would work best? Maybe if we were- if it were a new relationship, then he would try to give advice?"
"What makes you think he wouldn't simply harp on the darker aspects of romance?" Sherlock asked.
"He's cheated, and he's gone into couple's counseling. Plus, they're trying to reconcile, that's what Evie said. She thinks they're getting back to normal." Molly took a long moment to consider her next words with care. "That tells me that either he's good at hiding what he's doing or he genuinely wants to make things work. So it would make sense if he wants to offer you advice, to avoid the troubles he's had. It's a natural reaction, people emote and put those feelings onto others, right?" She swung her feet on the bench again, watching the children play.
"You. Have more experience with hands-on emotions then myself." He muttered, doing the same. "So I'll defer to you. But I suspect John wouldn't approve, so perhaps it's best we don't tell him what we're doing. He's sure to misunderstand and bluster and overprotect, and there's no need for that since I intend to have this case open and shut in the matter of the next few days. So if it's alright with you, we won't discuss this with Watson's."
"Um... yeah, alright. Don't tell John and Mary." Molly nodded and Sherlock appeared satisfied.
"Excellent. And I appreciate your silence; I'll make certain to take my faux partner to a nice dinner out as thanks."
"Oh, you don't have to-"
"But, you agree we should be dating?"
She let out a little squeak of embarrassment but tried to collect herself. "Right, yes. We should. We should be dating."
"For the case to be resolved, it's only natural." He shrugged.
"Right, it's natural." Molly echoed. But she didn't miss the way his eyes never left the children or the red tinge just around his ears.
"So then, it's agreed."
"Yes."
"Very well." He turned to look at her, taking her small hand in his own. "I suppose we should make this official. Molly Hooper. Will you be my case-solving faux girlfriend?"
She couldn't help it. She smiled like an idiot.
"Yes."
