AN: For those of you who might still follow this story- wow, you guys have super patience. This chapter was the hardest to write, because I still wasn't sure how things were going to happen, and so I kept putting it off. But, here you go- and I have the rest of it written already, so it's the home stretch! ACD has first dibs, as always.
I tore apart the room searching for the key, which Holmes had implored me to safeguard yesterday, to no avail. The key was gone.
I must have dropped the key for the bed-and-breakfast room sometime during my self-pity fest yesterday. No matter, I could still talk to the front desk at the place and see if I could get in the room; while I highly doubted Holmes might be there, I hoped he might have left something to indicate his whereabouts. I gave up on finding the key an hour later, and gathered my stuff together. There was no use dawdling, and I had an appointment to keep.
After convincing the bed-and-breakfast manager that I was indeed a previous guest, I found myself standing in the middle of the room where I had last left Holmes. Of course, like I had suspected, he was nowhere to be found. Given that he was on the run anyway, I highly doubted that he had left anything remotely useful for me regarding his whearabouts. The room was meticulously clean and neat, even though the manager had assured me that the cleaning crew didn't go through the room yet. Holmes' bag contained only the clothes he was wearing yesterday.
I didn't have the faintest idea where to look for Holmes. He wasn't carrying his cell phone, and there was no way for me to contact him. How was I supposed to find him? I sank into the nearest chair, trying to rack my brain for any references, hints, or clues he may have inadvertently mentioned before we had our blowout. About James, my ex-husband, the man who Holmes claimed to be the kingpin of all organized crime in Los Angeles. The man who Holmes had been after for months.
That was it! I didn't have to look for Holmes. I only had to find James. Given Holmes' one track mind- in this case, catching James, who had escaped Lestrade- it was so obvious! Holmes would be looking for James too- so all I had to do was to find James, and tail him. I was bound to run into Holmes that way.
And unlike finding Holmes, it would be much easier to find James. After all, James was a creature of habit- and given that it was just past lunchtime, I knew exactly where James would be- at Nick's.
I was right- I found James having lunch with some men at Nick's, a seafood restaurant on the Wharf. I walked past the restaurant, and propped myself on a nearby sidewalk bench that gave me a good view of the restaurant and most of the street nearby.
"What are you doing here?" I heard someone hiss from the bench behind mine.
The voice was familiar. "Holmes?" I moved to turn around.
"Don't turn around. Now, I asked, what are you doing here?"
I gulped. "I was looking for you."
I heard his low chuckle. "No. You're here to interfere. With my apprehension of a criminal."
"I still haven't heard evidence of his criminal activity, Holmes. You're gonna have to do better." My voice grew defiant.
"Dr. Watson, I do not have the time to rehash this conversation with you. You'd see the evidence if you weren't so damn blindly in love with him. You were married to the man. Didn't you ever wonder why a math professor was pulling in millions of dollars a year?"
I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. "That money was from his computer science patents, Holmes."
"Believe what you want, Dr. Watson, but if you get in the way of the investigation, I shall personally see to it that you are…" his voice trailed off.
"Fine." I snapped. "This isn't why I was looking for you in the first place anyway."
His reply was short and curt. "What is, then?"
"I wanted to say…" I turned around, and found myself face to face with an old lady with Holmes' deep, piercing eyes.
If it were any other time, I would have burst out laughing at his ensemble, floral dress and matching purse, complete with a white wig, pearl earrings and a wooden cane. But I was too torn up to compliment his intricate costuming. Part of me wanted to really say goodbye to Holmes, run off and live happily ever after (albeit on the run) with James, and yet another part of me wanted to throw myself at Holmes' feet and beg for his forgiveness.
But I did neither, and an uncomfortable silence followed.
Holmes' sighed, and his voice took on something of his old chiding tone. "Your indecisions will cost you someday, you know. But you know what, I'll make this one easy."
I bit my lip, trying to muster up my courage to say something. "What do you mean?"
"Goodbye, Watson."
This was it. He had said what I could not. I stood up, nodded at Holmes, and turned.
"Just promise me one thing, my dear," an old lady's voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Anything," I whispered to myself, my back still turned.
"Don't lose the room key."
I whirled around, wanting to tell Holmes that I had indeed lost it- but the old lady was already gone.
Shit.
AN: And duh. Of course James took the key! J You all are so smart! Snow-wolf1, you rock. And Mists of Myth, thanks. Es, Kittenchatter- you all have been so helpful!