Day 19 - From Ennui Enigma: Sherlock Holmes Crossover with another fandom of your choice
A/N: A continuation of the previous crossover with Gotham by Gaslight
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It was a strange case that brought Holmes to Gotham. Two murders in a row, both prominent politicians, and both brutally stabbed to death at night in what should have been the safety of their own homes. The local authorities had no leads, and there were no credible witnesses. There was only wild speculation and hushed gossip. Though there had been one supposed witness, considered far too excitable to be credible who claimed the killer was an assassin from a secret cult, and took the form of a giant man-owl at night, disappearing into the tunnels below the city after his bloody deeds were done.
It had been a long shot, searching the tunnel under the city, but that had yielded the only clue in the case – an ornate knife with a gold and black trimmed handle that was likely the murder weapon, and an unusual book of Gotham legends. Both had been contained within the same bloodstained package, and both very likely had something to do with the case.
"Do you think this is the murder weapon then?" Bruce Wayne asked, carefully handling the knife with a handkerchief, and frowning at the tiny owl on the handle. Bruce was a former student of Holmes', and a detective of growing merit. He had invited Holmes and I to Gotham after realizing the case was most likely beyond his ability to solve, and we were all staying at his lodgings on Bell Street.
Holmes leaned back in his chair and smoked his pipe. "Either it is the murder weapon, or it is a very clever distraction," he said. "Meant to cover for the real murderer, whoever he may be."
I leafed through the book, until I came to an entry with an assassin dressed in black robes with gold trim and googles. "Are we meant to think this creature was the murderer?" I asked, pushing the book into the center of the coffee table.
Bruce frowned, something in his expression hardening. "There's an old legend, of a cult that secretly influences Gotham, sending their assassin, the Talon to kill anyone who stand in their way." He took a quick sip of coffee. "I looked into it once, it doesn't exist."
Holmes eyes glittered. "And yet we are faced with two options here: either the legend is true, or someone who is extremely adept at covering their crime wants us to believe it is true."
"And how will we tell the difference?" Bruce asked.
Holmes sighed. "Unfortunately, aside from the evidence that the murderer possibly wanted us to encounter, we have nothing. Therefore, our only option is to deduce who the next target might be, and try and catch the killer in action."