Upon entering the flat again, Sherlock walked to the fireplace. John and Sarah came in after. At the end of the party was a half-asleep Danielle. The adrenaline of beating a man with a stick fading off her far too soon.

"They'll be back in China by tomorrow." John sighed.

"No, they won't leave without what they came for." Sherlock dismissed. "We need to find their hide-out; the rendezvous."

"It wouldn't be close to the circus, would it?" Danielle hoped. She walked to the fireplace, "Because that would be nice."

"I doubt it." Sherlock dismissed. "They can't have it in a place so obvious, or well populated."

Danielle huffed as she looked at the other pictures. John stood near them, also watching.

Sherlock reached for one of the photos, touching the painted cypher. "Somewhere in this message it must tell us."

'Well it can hurry up and tell us.' Danielle huffed internally. She tapped on the pictures scattered about, trying to think it through. Nothing popped out in her mind, though.

Sarah made a sighing noise. Danielle turned towards her. "Well, I think perhaps I should leave you to it."

"No, no, you don't have to go-" John denied. He glanced to Sherlock. "-does she?" Sherlock opened his mouth. John immediately understood it had been a mistake to ask. He turned back to Sarah. "You can stay."

"Yes, it would be better to study if you left now." Sherlock answered, because he had been asked and wasn't it rude not to answer a question when asked?

Danielle hid a smile at their antics. "Don't mind them. They're always like this."

"Yeah. Don't mind us. Please stay if you'd like." John confirmed.

Sarah glanced between the two flatmates then back at Danielle. Sherlock was already focusing on the photos again. Sarah was giving Danielle a hesitant smile. "Is it just me, or is anyone else starving?" Sarah prompted.

Sherlock huffed in annoyance. "Ooh, God."

"Oh! I can get things." Danielle offered.

John sighed in relief. "No, Danielle, you don't have to. This is my flat, let me-"

"I'm headed to my flat anyway- have to walk the kids." Danielle explained. "Give me ten minutes, I'll have it brought round."

"You really don't have to." John shook his head.

Danielle held his wrist, looking him meaningfully in the eye. "John. Surely you can handle yourselves for ten minutes?" She nodded her head towards Sarah.

John followed her line of sight. "You know? I think that's a good idea."

"Knew you would." She gave him a pat on the shoulder. She grabbed her purse, walking towards the door. "John, if he comes up with anything make him text me!"

John hummed in confirmation.

Sherlock said nothing.

==NKMHLY==

Danielle walked into her flat. Erika was on her in an instant. Danielle stumbled over her, trying to keep the door shut so Erika wouldn't escape.

"You're all ready for a run, ain't ya?" Danielle ruffled Erika's head. The dog licked her hand in reply. "Yeah, yeah, hold it together."

She got together some quick easy snacks. She made sure Nightwing's litter box was cleaned, then got Erika's walk supplies. The dog was already following Danielle at the heel. All of this took just under ten minutes

"Easy, girl!" Danielle cooed. "We're heading out now. Okay? We're heading out now."

Erika yipped.

She brought the snacks next door. Mrs Hudson was more than happy to take them up, her own train of snacks was mostly cheese and crackers. Mrs Hudson walked the snacks upstairs. Danielle was dragged down the street by a giddy dog. They were at the park before long.

Erika was much happier when she was running in the park. It almost made Danielle want a house with a yard. However that meant having a lawn, and Danielle was not at all ready for lawn maintenance.

Ten minutes later, Danielle and Erika were walking back.

At some point in the walk, Danielle got a text from John. Apparently, Soo Lin had left a message on the pictures for them to use. She had begun translating the message. According to the pictures and Sherlock, the smugglers were saying something about '9 MILL'

She smiled at it. Good, that even beyond the grave Soo Lin was defying the gang.

That's exactly when Danielle heard the clicking of a gun.

==NKMHLY==

Sherlock ran out into the street. He had to get back to the museum. If Soo Lin was translating it, that meant she would've had the book on hand.

"Taxi!" He yelled out.

So in a rush was Sherlock, that he missed the tourists walking right outside. He nearly collided with the man, a breath away from knocking himself to the floor. Sherlock had hit the man's arm. The tourist dropped the book he was holding.

"Hey, du! Siehst du nicht wo du hingehst?" The tourist ranted in German.

Sherlock turned. He saw the book on the floor, picking it up. A simple London A-Z. He had no use for that. "Entschuldigen Sie, bitte."

The tourist snatched the book back. "Ja, danke." The tourist walked off with his wife, mumbling about the 'politeness' of the English.

Sherlock huffed, disregarding them. He went back to the cab he had called. Only it had driven off. He huffed again, enraged and annoyed.

Then it hit him.

...Soo Lin, holding a restored teapot. At her side in the table was a London A-Z...

Sherlock wanted to slap himself. Oh he was an idiot!

He rushed off after the couple. "Please, wait! Bitte!" He requested.

The German tourists turned back.

"Was wollt er? Was will er?" The man asked.

Sherlock snatched the book back.

"Hey, du! Was macht du?" The tourist snapped.

"Minute!" Sherlock snapped. He pulled out the page.

"Gib mir doch mein Buch zurück!" The tourist snapped back.

Sherlock ignored him now. He searched the page, thinking of the first cipher. "Page fifteen, entry one. Page fifteen, entry one."

On the page, he saw the word 'Deadman'.

"Dead man. You were threatening to kill them." Sherlock realized. "It's the first cipher."

He looked at the paper, and pulled out a sharpie. It was easy work juggling all of the items. "Thirty-seven, nine; thirty-seven, nine-"

'Fore'

"Nine mill...for-" Sherlock searcher through the pages. "Sixty, thirty-five...Jade." He scribbled it down on the page. "Jade."

He continued translating the rest of the ciphers. Word for word, the message and threat became clear.

While Sherlock searches the last translation, he heard a dog barking. He didn't look up until the dog was right in front of him, loudly whining.

"Shut-" But when he looked over he saw it was Erika. The dog was scratching at the door to her home.

Sherlock up to the dog, kneeling beside her. The dog whined at his presence, pawing at the door.

"What is it?" Sherlock asked her. He glanced around, not seeing her owner. "Where's Danielle?"

Erika whined again, only sounding more pitiful.

Sherlock took note of that. He knew Danielle would not let her canine wander so far without her. If Erika had come loose from Danielle's hold then it would make sense why she was alone. But Sherlock believed that wasn't the case.

Sherlock put the book on the ground, ruffling the dog's head. She whined again.

"Come on, girl." Sherlock assured. He looked to the page in his hand, tucking the sharpie back in his coat. "I have any idea where."

He pulled out the paper. Erika whimpered, clawing at the door again.

"'Nine mill for jade pin dragon den black tramway'." Sherlock translated. He folded up the paper, tucking it into his coat. He grabbed Erika's leash. "Come on, girl, we'll find her."

==NKMHLY==

Erika and Sherlock ran into the flat. He threw the door open. The only sign of anything was Sarah, sitting at the table she had set.

"John! John! I've got it!" Sherlock called out.

"Jahn's not here. Got what?" Sarah asked.

Sherlock paused. He eyed the room, not seeing a single sign of John.

"The cipher- the book." Sherlock explained. He was still looking through the flat for John. "It's the London A to Z that they're using-"

He caught sight of the door. It had been too dark on his entry to see what had been painted there.

It was the 'DEAD MAN' cipher.

And Sherlock suddenly understood what happened to Danielle and John. He went to Erika's leash and collar, searching.

"Sherlock? What is it?" Sarah asked.

On Erika's collar- pinned between it and her neck-was a note. On it, made in yellow marker, was the cipher again.

==NKMHLY==

AN: Hehehehe- I'm mean to her.

Thanks to xXFallenSakuraXx52, Maia the Writer, mercenary2.0, firstofhername, Elise Jamison, rinningan, dawn223, and Triggerfinger213, for favoriting

Thanks to Maja Lnnroth, my Ella-Verayne, , PureAngelEyes, Maia the Writer, mercenary2.0, Evilhyperpixie13, Diamond D' Natsuki, PeriAce, RayRay9957, Elise Jamison, ohheyisabella, dawn223, and Triggerfinger213, for following