Lestrade made her way into Holmes' room, still yelling. "What happened last
night, Holmes?! Tell me the truth!"
'Ahh, she must have got the clues I left last night,' Holmes
thought. But now he didn't want her to find out. Now if she
knew, Lestrade would be in even greater danger. As much as he
hated lying, he couldn't tell the truth. "What do you mean,
Lestrade?" He would put off lying as much as he could.
"Holmes, the Bits and Parts hardware store was robbed last
night, and all pieces of evidence... well, they all lead to
you." Lestrade's voice was quiet now, even shy. Suddenly, a
surge of energy and will burst through her, and her voice rose.
"Someone's framing you, aren't they, Holmes? Ohhh, the rascals!
Wait till I get my hands on them! I'll... I'll...." Lestrade
trailed off and bit her lip. She had no idea how to handle this.
Her beloved (that's right, beloved) Holmes might be a criminal!
The very thing she had been working so hard against! She waited
for him to agree with her that he had been framed, but he
didn't.
"Lestrade..." His soft, soothing voice made her want to break
into tears. "What sort of 'evidence' did you find?" He still
wasn't exactly lying.
Lestrade bit her lip and stared into Holmes' eyes. There was no
way a cold-hearted criminal could be hiding behind those sweet
blue eyes of his. "Your DNA was all over the scene...along with
your footprints and other things."
Holmes sighed. Now he would have to lie to her. Tell her some
crazy story. He tried to look her in the eyes as he spoke, but
couldn't. After reassuring himself that he was actually saving
Lestrade by lying to her, he began his story. "Well, I was
there, Lestrade, but I didn't steal anything. I had a feeling
that the hardware store was the next target, so I went there a
little after three in the morning. I was to late, however, to
catch our criminal. He had already been there and stolen things.
I looked around for clues, but there were none." Holmes had been
staring at the ground the whole time, but now he lifted his head
to examine Lestrade's face.
A mixture of sadness and confusion settled upon Lestrade's
features, along with a bit of hopelessness. When she finally
spoke, her voice was barely audible. "How'd you hurt your arm?"
Holmes looked towards his floor again. "I tripped going out the
door of the store."
"May I take a look?"
Holmes nodded his head. "By all means."
Lestrade tenderly stripped the bandages off and peered at his
arm. A look of hurt swelled in her face. Lestrade was no doctor,
but she had handled ionizers enough to know what an ionizer
wound looked like. And this was most definitely an ionizer
wound. There was no way he could have got this from tripping.
She wrapped his arm back up, still with the same amount of care,
and looked at Holmes long and hard. He stared back at her, and
for a few minutes, each was locked into the other one. Finally,
tears came into Lestrade's eyes, and she broke away and ran out
of the house.
Lestrade looked at Holmes' front door in shock. There was a pool
of blood on it, and Lestrade's scanners verified that it was
Holmes'. The front door seemed to be the end of a long trail of
blood. Lestrade followed the trail from end to beginning and
found herself by the river. She looked at her reflection in the
water and was surprised to find herself looking so hurt. She
knelt beside the river and had a deep, long cry, all the while
thinking, 'He lied to me. Holmes lied to me. Why? Doesn't he
trust me?'
Grayson came in on the vid-phone. He failed to see the tear
streaks on Lestrade's face. "Lestrade, what have you found on
the 'Bits and Parts' case? Any clues? Suspects?"
Lestrade swallowed. "No, Chief. No clues or suspects or
anything. Not even a DNA trace." Without waiting for a response,
she pressed the 'off' button and the screen went blank. 'Holmes
wouldn't lie to me unless it was absolutely necessary. I just
know it. Something is going on here, and I'm going to find out
what. First thing to do: wire him.' Lestrade made a mental list
of what she had to do to keep track of Holmes and get to the
bottom of this. Following her own first step, Lestrade walked
into a mechanics store and bought a tiny camera. 'Now to just
plant this on Holmes....'
'Ahh, she must have got the clues I left last night,' Holmes
thought. But now he didn't want her to find out. Now if she
knew, Lestrade would be in even greater danger. As much as he
hated lying, he couldn't tell the truth. "What do you mean,
Lestrade?" He would put off lying as much as he could.
"Holmes, the Bits and Parts hardware store was robbed last
night, and all pieces of evidence... well, they all lead to
you." Lestrade's voice was quiet now, even shy. Suddenly, a
surge of energy and will burst through her, and her voice rose.
"Someone's framing you, aren't they, Holmes? Ohhh, the rascals!
Wait till I get my hands on them! I'll... I'll...." Lestrade
trailed off and bit her lip. She had no idea how to handle this.
Her beloved (that's right, beloved) Holmes might be a criminal!
The very thing she had been working so hard against! She waited
for him to agree with her that he had been framed, but he
didn't.
"Lestrade..." His soft, soothing voice made her want to break
into tears. "What sort of 'evidence' did you find?" He still
wasn't exactly lying.
Lestrade bit her lip and stared into Holmes' eyes. There was no
way a cold-hearted criminal could be hiding behind those sweet
blue eyes of his. "Your DNA was all over the scene...along with
your footprints and other things."
Holmes sighed. Now he would have to lie to her. Tell her some
crazy story. He tried to look her in the eyes as he spoke, but
couldn't. After reassuring himself that he was actually saving
Lestrade by lying to her, he began his story. "Well, I was
there, Lestrade, but I didn't steal anything. I had a feeling
that the hardware store was the next target, so I went there a
little after three in the morning. I was to late, however, to
catch our criminal. He had already been there and stolen things.
I looked around for clues, but there were none." Holmes had been
staring at the ground the whole time, but now he lifted his head
to examine Lestrade's face.
A mixture of sadness and confusion settled upon Lestrade's
features, along with a bit of hopelessness. When she finally
spoke, her voice was barely audible. "How'd you hurt your arm?"
Holmes looked towards his floor again. "I tripped going out the
door of the store."
"May I take a look?"
Holmes nodded his head. "By all means."
Lestrade tenderly stripped the bandages off and peered at his
arm. A look of hurt swelled in her face. Lestrade was no doctor,
but she had handled ionizers enough to know what an ionizer
wound looked like. And this was most definitely an ionizer
wound. There was no way he could have got this from tripping.
She wrapped his arm back up, still with the same amount of care,
and looked at Holmes long and hard. He stared back at her, and
for a few minutes, each was locked into the other one. Finally,
tears came into Lestrade's eyes, and she broke away and ran out
of the house.
Lestrade looked at Holmes' front door in shock. There was a pool
of blood on it, and Lestrade's scanners verified that it was
Holmes'. The front door seemed to be the end of a long trail of
blood. Lestrade followed the trail from end to beginning and
found herself by the river. She looked at her reflection in the
water and was surprised to find herself looking so hurt. She
knelt beside the river and had a deep, long cry, all the while
thinking, 'He lied to me. Holmes lied to me. Why? Doesn't he
trust me?'
Grayson came in on the vid-phone. He failed to see the tear
streaks on Lestrade's face. "Lestrade, what have you found on
the 'Bits and Parts' case? Any clues? Suspects?"
Lestrade swallowed. "No, Chief. No clues or suspects or
anything. Not even a DNA trace." Without waiting for a response,
she pressed the 'off' button and the screen went blank. 'Holmes
wouldn't lie to me unless it was absolutely necessary. I just
know it. Something is going on here, and I'm going to find out
what. First thing to do: wire him.' Lestrade made a mental list
of what she had to do to keep track of Holmes and get to the
bottom of this. Following her own first step, Lestrade walked
into a mechanics store and bought a tiny camera. 'Now to just
plant this on Holmes....'