FIVE HOURS
...
Sherlock was sitting in the kitchen scanning through photographs and newspaper clippings that had been sent to his email from the anonymous 'friend'. It was easier than trying to search for everything himself. He had shut himself in the kitchen, leaving Adara and John on the other side of the sliding privacy doors. Adara was scanning over some research of her own while John paced the length of the room anxiously. Checking his watch again he huffed before peeking his head into the kitchen.
"Can I help?" he asked. Sherlock didn't react, his eyes still locked on the pages in front of him. John sighed before speaking up a gain.
"I want to help. There's only five hours left." He insisted anxiously. John frowned as a text alert sounded from his pants pocket. Adara glanced up at him silently before going back to her work.
Any developments? – Mycroft Holmes
"It's your brother. He's texting me now." John pursed his lips, looking over at the man in the kitchen pointedly. John blinked, his face dropping into a frown as a sudden thought hit him.
"How does he know my number?"
"Mycroft has connections, and he is rather intelligent." Adara answered evenly, her gaze not straying from her laptop. From the other room Sherlock grunted in displeasure.
"Must be a root canal." he mused. John rolled his eyes and put his phone away before stepping further into the kitchen.
"Look he did say national importance." John pointed out. Sherlock snorted, switching out a set of papers.
"How quaint." He murmured.
"What is?"
"You are. Queen and country." Sherlock hummed, scanning the new documents. John clenched his jaw.
"You can't just ignore it." He countered sternly.
"I'm not ignoring it. Putting my best man onto it right now." Sherlock insisted distractedly. John visibly relaxed.
"Right. Good." He folded his arms in satisfaction before pausing and staring at Sherlock curiously.
"Who's that?" he asked. Sherlock glanced up at him with a smirk.
"You of course." He pointed out. John blinked owlishly.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I am. Look, I even have his office address so you can go meet with him." Sherlock handed John the sticky note with the address on it. John frowned, taking it from him.
"Alright….I guess I'll just head over there and get on it. I'll keep you updated." John nodded, turning to grab his coat and head off. Adara remained silent as she watched John leave in a hurry. When the door shut behind him, she stood and silently made her way over towards the kitchen doors. She slid them open and stared down at the man at the table.
"Any reason you sent John to look into the West case? You know I'm already checking out my own sources on that." She hummed walking in and leaning on the table. Sherlock glanced up at her fleetingly.
"Taking a page out of your playbook. He wants to be useful, so I sent him on an errand that also got him out of my hair. Two birds, one stone." He muttered. Adara smirked in amusement.
"Got it. Anything I can help with?" she inquired. Sherlock paused and glanced up at her. Before he could answer, her eyes narrowed warningly.
"And be honest. Don't send me on a stupid goose chase like you did to John." She insisted. Sherlock smirked at how perceptive she was. He shook his head.
"Not at the moment. I need to think." He explained. Adara nodded and turned to walk out the doors, closing it behind her. Glancing at the clock she hummed, knowing they were beginning to hit a time crunch. Walking back over to her own laptop she accessed a hidden server she had running behind her other internet searches. Glancing up at the doors once more she waited for a beat to make sure he was absorbed in his work. Deeming it safe Adara quickly got to work on her own separate research project. Might as well use the alone time while she could.
...
THREE HOURS
...
Sherlock had moved from his previous position at the table and was staring into his personal microscope at the counter nearby. Adara smiled politely up at Mrs. Hudson as she entered the flat with a tray of mugs, John trailing in behind her. Walking into the kitchen she set them down on the table. Sherlock abruptly looked up.
"Poison." he blurted in realization. The landlady stared at him in confusion.
"What are you going on about?" she asked. Sherlock slammed his hands down on the table, causing the utensils to rattle. This alerted the other two in the flat.
"Clostridium botulinum!" he declared, startling the older woman. Mrs. Hudson quickly fled the kitchen at his outburst. Adara and John walked over from the living room.
"What is this about poison?" Adara inquired.
"It's one of the deadliest poisons on the planet!" Sherlock continued, ignoring her question.
"Ah, clever." Adara mused thoughtfully. John glanced between the two blankly.
"Carl Powers." Sherlock pointed out for the man.
"Oh wait, are you saying he was murdered?" John inquired. Sherlock stood and made his way over to the shoelaces that had been hung up on the opposite end of the kitchen turned laboratory.
"Remember the shoelaces? The boy suffered from eczema." Sherlock reminded. Adara nodded along.
"It would be super easy to slip some of the poison into his medication. It would soak into his skin and wouldn't reveal itself until hours later." She added thoughtfully. John stared at her incredulously. Before he could comment on how well she thought that through Sherlock continued explaining the train of thought.
"Exactly two hours later. He comes up to London, the poison takes effect, paralyses the muscles and he drowns." He finished for John's benefit.
"How…how…how come the autopsy didn't pick that up?" he inquired in confusion.
"That strain of poison is virtually undetectable unless you're looking for it. It's the perfect murder, really. Takes someone who knows what they're doing." Adara waved dismissively. John once again turned to look at her warily.
"You have thought this through." He pointed out with a frown. Adara blinked.
"Well it is part of my job to. Don't think too much of it." She insisted airily. Meanwhile, Sherlock had walked around the table to where his laptop was. He pulled up the forum for his website, 'The Science of Deduction'. Adara walked to look over his shoulder as he sent a message.
FOUND. Pair of trainers belonging to Carl Powers (1978-1989).
"There were still tiny traces of it left inside the trainers from where he put the cream on his feet." Sherlock added as he gestured to the laces.
Botulinum toxin still present. Apply 221b Baker St.
Sherlock grinned as he sent the message out.
"That's why they had to go. Leave no evidence behind." Adara murmured, staring at the laces. Whoever had done this was very good. Sherlock straightened out proudly, setting his hands on his hips as they waited for a response.
"So how do we let the bomber know…"
"Get his attention…stop the clock." Sherlock answered breathlessly. John hummed in understanding. Sherlock glanced down at his watch.
"The killer kept the shoes all these years." John mused thoughtfully.
"Yes. Meaning…" Sherlock trailed off, looking over at his companion.
"He's our bomber." John finished. All three heads whip around as the pink phone rings on the counter. Sherlock reached over and quickly put it on speaker. More sobbing was heard on the other line.
"Well done you…..come and get me." The woman cried, obviously reading what was typed for her. She let out a large sigh of relief, her sobbing increasing.
"Where are you? Tell us where you are." Sherlock insisted. The woman broke down in more terrified sobs as she gave her location. Adara pulled out her cell and called Lestrade, relaying the information so they could get the poor woman.
...
...
The following morning Sherlock, Adara, and John were back in Lestrade's office. Sherlock stood by the window, looking towards the main office area. His fingers were steepled together, tapping out a rhythm as he stared ahead thoughtfully. John sat opposite Lestrade by the desk while Adara stood behind him.
"She lives in Cornwall. Two men broke in wearing masks, forced her to drive to the car park and decked her out in enough explosives to take down a house." Lestrade explained. He looked up as Sherlock turned towards them.
"Told her to phone you. She had to read out from this pager." John reached out and picked up the pager that he had set on the desk.
"And if she deviated by one word, the sniper would set her off." Adara hummed knowingly. Lestrade furrowed his brows curiously.
"I never mentioned the sniper." He pointed out. Adara shrugged innocently.
"I would assume there was a sniper. That or someone holding the bomb detonator. There had to be some immediate incentive." She explained easily. Lestrade nodded, his brows raising in surprise that she had known that. He couldn't argue with the logic.
"She would have also been set off if you hadn't solved the case." John added, glancing over at Sherlock who had strolled back over by the window.
"Oh. Elegant." Sherlock murmured softly. John sighed in exasperation.
"Elegant?" he asked irritably, frowning down at the desk. Adara smirked at him.
"John, sometimes you have to admire the thought that went into this. The detail is very…elegant." She hummed. John frowned deeper, very much disproving of the idea.
"Blowing people up is not elegant. I don't think you two should be enjoying this as much as you are." He scolded. She nodded in agreement.
"Point taken."
"But what was the point? Why would anyone do this?" Lestrade questioned incredulously, clearly bothered as most normal people would be.
"Oh I cant be the only person in the world that gets bored." Sherlock pointed out dryly. Adara rose her eyes to the ceiling in exasperation.
"I thought just one of you was bad enough. Looks like both of you need to have some healthy redirection of this boredom." She pointed out, thinking back to the battered wall in the flat. Sherlock narrowed his eyes at her over his shoulder. The moment was broken by the sound of an incoming message from the pink phone. They all turned to watch as Sherlock opened it up.
"You have one new message." The automated voice chimed in, followed by four beeps.
"Four pips." John pointed out.
"First test passed; it would seem. Here's the second." Sherlock thought aloud, walking over towards Lestrade. He tilted the phone to show the new photograph, a close up of an abandoned car with the driver door wide open. The license plate was easily visible in order to track it. A phone rings from the main lobby moments after they are shown the picture. Adara rose her brow curiously, glancing back to watch Sally Donovan answer. It was no coincidence, and the timing was very precise. Her eyes flitted around the glass office, mentally frowning at how exposed they were. It would be very easy to watch their movements and reactions. However, the men in the room ignored it, still transfixed on the pink phone.
"It's abandoned, wouldn't you say?" Sherlock inquired pointedly, looking to Lestrade.
"I'll see if it's been reported." As he picked up the phone to make the call, Sally Donovan walked into the room with another phone in hand.
"Freak, it's for you." she informed dryly. Sherlock walked over to the door to take the phone from her, with Adara on his heels. She gently pushed on his back to get him out of Lestrade's office and around the corner to a spot with much less windows. He eyed her strangely but yielded to her silent directions while taking the call. John frowned in confusion as he watched from the office, still able to see them across the room.
"Hello?" Sherlock answered.
"It's okay that you've gone to the police." A shaky male voice rang out over the line.
"Who is this? Is this you again?" Sherlock questioned, his body tensing and focusing completely. John straightened up with interest as he saw the change in posture.
"But don't rely on them." The man continued, ignoring the question.
"Clever you, guessing about Carl Powers. I never liked him." Sherlock glanced at Adara sharply, their minds whirling as they added this to the total equation.
"Carl laughed at me, so I stopped him laughing." John slowly approached them, listening to the conversation.
"And you've stolen another voice, I presume." Sherlock continued, wanting to get the mystery phoner to reveal anything.
"This is about you and me." The shaky voice countered.
"Who are you?" Sherlock insisted.
"What's that noise?" he asked, listening hard to the collection of noise in the background.
"The sounds of life, Sherlock." The stranger sobbed. Adara frowned at the effort in his voice to keep from falling apart.
"But don't worry….I can soon fix that." The man stopped talking to let out some sobs before quickly getting himself back together. Adara clenched her jaw tightly. The man was clearly somewhere near a lot of people and traffic. How was no one noticing this?
"You solved my last puzzle in nine hours. This time you have eight." The phone went dead. Sherlock blinked thoughtfully before looking up as Lestrade joined them.
"We've found it." The inspector informed them before heading out the door. Sherlock hesitated, his mind trying to pick up the pieces left for him. Seeing his hyper-focus Adara reached up to pull the phone away from his ear.
"File it away for later, right now we have a car to search." She whispered pointedly, making sure she had eye contact with the man. Sherlock blinked before nodding and following her out.
...
...
A police perimeter had been set up around the abandoned dock site where the abandoned car had been found. Lestrade, Sherlock, and Adara led the way with John and Sally trailing behind. Lestrade opened up the file in his hands, reading it aloud as they walked under the police tape towards the vehicle.
"The car was hired yesterday morning by an Ian Monkford. Banker of some kind. City boy. Paid in cash." Adara rose her brow curiously. Sherlock eyed a sobbing woman talking with a female officer as they passed.
"Told his wife he was going away on a business trip, but he never arrived." The trio stepped closer to the open door of the car while Sally turned to John.
"You're still hanging around him." she pointed out, pursing her lips.
"Yeah, well…"
"Opposites attract, I suppose." She hummed. John sighed in annoyance.
"You know full well that we are not together." He growled. Sally shrugged.
"I don't know what the freak is into. Could be a polygamist." She countered. John rolled his eyes, not wanting to push the issue any further. If anything, Sherlock would be the furthest things from a polygamist. He was just an….Adara-ist. Lord knows no one else would be suitable enough for the man.
"You should get yourself a hobby. Stamps, maybe. Model trains. Safer." Sally added one last comment before walking off to join those by the car. Sherlock leaned inside to examine the large amount of blood all over the front seats and in between. The opened the glove box.
"Before you ask, yes, it's Monkford's blood. The DNA checks out." Lestrade told the man. Sherlock said nothing, filing that information away silently. Inside the glove box he pulled out a business card.
"No body." He mused, straightening back up and placing the card in his coat pocket.
"Not yet." Donovan commented.
"Get a sample sent to the lab." Sherlock informed, looking only at Lestrade. The man nodded while Sherlock turned away onto the next task. Adara watched out of the corner of her eye as Lestrade stared pointedly at Sally, silently ordering her to do as asked. The woman stared back indignantly before stomping away angrily. Adara smirked to herself, pleased that at least Lestrade took them seriously. She followed Sherlock over towards the grieving wife who they had passed on the way in.
"Mrs. Monkford?" Sherlock asked gently. The teary woman looked up at him.
"Yes. Sorry, but I've already spoken with two policemen."
"No, we're not from the police we're…." John began, only to be silenced by Adara who lightly pinched him on the arm out of sight from the others. He frowned at her curiously while Sherlock quickly stuck his hand out to the woman, his face contorting into one of sorrow.
"Sherlock Holmes. Very old friend of your husband's. We, um…..we grew up together." Sherlock lied, fighting back tears as his voice shook. He reached over and tightly latched onto Adara's hand, pulling her up to stand next to him. Covering her mild surprise, she quickly put on a sorrowful façade as well, playing along with Sherlock. John's eyes widened in surprise as Sherlock wrapped and arm around the woman, showing much more PDA than he had ever seen. Mrs. Munkford frowned.
"I'm sorry who? I don't think he ever mentioned you." she countered, sniffling back tears as she released his hand. John hovered to the side, trying to keep a neutral expression as he watched the duo before him put on a stunning performance.
"Oh he must have. I know this one talks about Ian all the time." Adara grinned thickly, her chin wobbling as she let tears seep out of her eyes.
"This is….this is horrible, isn't it?" Sherlock inquired, looking around the scene distraught. John cleared his throat lightly and had to regain his composure as he realized the they had also altered their accents to acclimate to the one Mrs. Monkford had.
"I mean, I just can't believe it. I only saw him the other day. Same old Ian, not a care in the world." Sherlock sniffled. Adara grinned tearfully up at him, patting his chest and holding him tighter for comfort. Mrs. Monkford frowned.
"Sorry, but my husband has been depressed for months." At that Sherlock sent a look towards Adara and John.
"Who are you?" Mrs. Monkford began to glare at them suspiciously, clearly upset by their lack of knowledge. Sherlock ignored her question, pushing forward more aggressively in the act as he produced real tears.
"Really strange that he hired a car though. Why would he do that. It's a bit odd, isn't it?" Adara wondered aloud, her face scrunching up in confusion. She turned to look at the woman for answers.
"No, it isn't. He forgot to renew the tax on the car, that's it." The woman corrected once more.
"Oh, well that was Ian. That was Ian all over!" Sherlock chuckled shakily.
"No, it wasn't." Mrs. Monkford insisted sternly. Instantly Sherlock's persona dropped, and he stared at her intently.
"Wasn't it? Interesting." He murmured lowly before whirling away. Adara stepped out of his arms and put more space between them as she walked alongside the man. John quickly chased after them as they ducked under the police tape, leaving a fuming woman behind them.
"Why did you lie to her?" John inquired. Adara offered a handkerchief to Sherlock who used it to wipe away the tears from his face. The only evidence left behind of his supposed meltdown.
"People don't like telling you things, but they love to contradict you." Adara hummed knowingly with a smirk on her face. Sherlock glanced down at her with a small grin as well.
"Past tense, did you notice?" Sherlock blurted.
"Sorry, what?"
"He referred to her husband in the past tense. She joined in rather than contradict like all the other things we said. She agreed that he's already gone." Adara pointed out, brushing her hair out of her face as the wind picked up around them. John blinked, nodding as he began following along.
"Bit premature, they've only just found the car." Sherlock added.
"You think she murdered her husband?" John asked. Sherlock and Adara shared a frown.
"Definitely not. That's not a mistake a murderer would make." Sherlock shook his head.
"I see." John nodded. Adara paused and looked over at the man skeptically.
"Do you?"
"No, I don't. What am I seeing?" John sighed, completely lost.
"Fishing. Try fishing!" Donovan shouted as the group walked past. Adara turned to walk backwards.
"Why don't you try celibacy or shagging men who are actually single." She countered, without missing a beat. John coughed out a laugh while Sherlock chuckled lowly. Adara turned back around with a small grin on her face.
"Where now?" John inquired, getting his laughter under control.
"Janus Cars." Sherlock informed, handing him the business card.
"Just found this in the glove compartment."
...
SIX HOURS
...
Sherlock, John and Adara stand in the owner of Janus Cars' office. Sherlock remained by the window, overlooking the fleet in the garage.
"Can't see how I can help you all." The man, Mr. Ewert, apologized.
"Mr. Monkford hired a car from you yesterday." John told him as he sat in the chair across from the desk.
"Yeah. Lovely motor. Mazda RX-8. Wouldn't mind one of them myself." The man chuckled. Sherlock walked over to the other side of the desk, standing next to the man. He pointed to a car in the lot out the opposite window.
"Is that one?" he inquired. As the owner turned his head towards Sherlock, the taller man glanced at the side of his neck. He quickly readjusted when Mr. Ewert turned back to face John.
"No, they're all Jags. Yeah, I can see you're not a car man, eh?" he grinned teasingly. Sherlock pursed his lips. Adara hid a small grin behind her lips. He wasn't wrong about that.
"But surely you can afford one. A Mazda I mean?" Sherlock inquired.
"Yeah, it's a fair point. But you know how it is. It's like working in a sweet shop. Once you start picking at the liquourice allsorts, when does it all stop, eh?" the owner explained with a grin. Sherlock watched as he began scratching the top of his left arm. Filing it away, Sherlock strolled back to the other side of the desk where John and Adara were.
"But you didn't know Mr. Monkford?" John pushed forward.
"No, he was just a client. Came in here and hired one of my cars. No idea what happened to him. Poor sod." The man explained.
"Nice holiday, Mr. Ewert?" Sherlock inquired bluntly. The man grunted in confusion.
"You've been away, haven't you?" Sherlock reiterated.
"Oh the..the…" he gestured towards his tanned face.
"No, it's uh, the sunbeds. I'm afraid, yeah. Too busy to get away. My wife would love it, though. Bit of sun." Ewert countered with a strained grin.
"Have you got any change for the cigarette machine?" Sherlock asked instead, randomly changing the subject. Adara blinked in surprise and looked over at him suspiciously. Ewert was completely caught off guard.
"Well, I noticed one on the way in and I haven't got any change." Sherlock explained, handing the man a bank note.
"I'm gasping." He added. Ewert quickly dug around for his wallet.
"Uh well…." He mumbles, pulling it out and looking in his billfold. As he did Sherlock subtly tilted his head so he could look inside.
"No, sorry." Ewert apologized.
"Oh well. Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Ewert." Sherlock nodded before briskly heading for the door.
"You've been very helpful. Come on, Adara, John." He dismissed, walking out of the office. The two follow after him.
"I..I've got change if you still want to, uh…" John pulled out some bills as they walked back out through the shop. Adara frowned and reached over to smack him on the wrist.
"Don't you dare. He doesn't need it." She hissed sternly, ignoring the man's yelp of pain. Sherlock smirked, glancing at them over his shoulder. He tapped on his upper arm.
"Nicotine patches, remember? I'm doing well." He explained. Adara grinned fondly at him.
"Yes, you are." She hummed in agreement. Sherlock's gaze locked on her own and he sent her a thankful nod.
"So, what was that all about?" John inquired, placing his money back into his billfold.
"I needed to look inside his wallet."
"Why?"
"Mr. Ewert's a liar. And not a very good one." Adara explained, pursing her lips thoughtfully.
...
...
Back at St. Bart's Sherlock had the blood from the car in a petri-dish. Setting it on the desk he reached into a bag, pulling out a small bottle of liquid with a dropper. Bending down over the dish he gently squeezes out a small droplet of liquid from the bottle. Instantly it begins to fizz and bubble. As he straightens up the pink phone rings, the caller ID blocked.
"Hello?"
"The clue's in the name. Janus Cars." The same man from earlier tearfully answers.
"Why would you give me a clue?" Sherlock frowned curiously.
"Why does anyone do anything? Because I'm bored. We were made for each other, Sherlock."
"Then talk to me in your own voice." Sherlock insisted softly.
"Patience." With nothing more, the line goes dead. Sherlock lowered the phone and stared at the far wall thoughtfully, filing away the details that he had gathered. His head jerks up as Adara walks into the lab with coffees in hand. She frowns, scanning his face.
"Something wrong? Did he call again?" she asked, looking down at the phone he still had in hand. Sherlock blinked down at the object and set it back down on the table. Adara stopped next to him, setting the coffee by his hand.
"Sherlock?" she pressed. The man licked his lips, turning to face her thoughtfully.
"He gave me a hint. The name Janus Cars." He explained. Adara furrowed her brows.
"Why would he give you a clue? He didn't do that last time, and we're still ahead of schedule." She pointed out, glancing over at the clock on the wall. Sherlock hummed before answering.
"Said he was bored." He explained. Adara pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"What exactly did he say? The whole thing?" she pressed.
"He said 'Why does anyone do anything. Because I'm bored. We were made for each other'." He reiterated blandly. Adara's eyes lit up curiously at the last bit.
"He expressly stated that you were made for each other?" she inquired. Sherlock rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I just said that." He grouched. Adara placated him, setting a hand on his forearm.
"I know, sorry. It's just….that indicates something more than boredom. They're becoming obsessed with you in particular. Interesting." She muttered aloud, her brain working in overdrive. It seemed awfully familiar…..but she couldn't make conclusions just yet.
"It would seem so." Sherlock agreed. They both lapsed back into thoughtful silence when the sound of fizzing brought their attention down to the petri-dish on the counter. Picking it up Sherlock holds it at eye level to examine it more closely. He grinned at the results.