The deck rose and fell in rhythm with the waves. They had rounded the city and were heading across the lagoon towards the mainland. The police had not tried to stop him leaving. Though to be fair, he had not really given them a lot of time to get their act together.

Ahead lay Italy, a train via Milan to Nice, from there to Paris, Calais, a ferry to Dover then home. It should be possible to do within three days, if he was lucky with connections.

Of course…he could return to the city in a matter of hours…

As if to silence the voice of his conscience, he shoved his hand into his pocket once more and clasped his fingers around the glass bottle.

You can still go back.

In a swift movement he drew out the bottle and hurled it over the side of the boat. Suddenly feeling light headed, he sank down to his knees on the deck, and fumbled with trembling fingers in his breast pocket for a cigarette. But when he struck a match, he merely stared at the flaring orange triangle until it scorched his fingers and he dropped it.

You can still go back.

Daniel Trelawney had killed his great aunt, he had admitted as much, and the bottle of cyanide hidden in his room, which the police had no doubt found by now, was testament to that.

He had also, Holmes knew with every fibre of his being, been responsible for the untimely death of Morris Hertford, the only friend he, Holmes, had ever known.

And his own failure, his own inability to use the scientific rigour with which he habitually carried out chemical experiments to prove Trelawney's guilt rankled deeply, but at least…at least maybe this way there would be justice of sorts. Assuming the Venetian police were just clever enough but not too bright…

…He drew out Edwina's note, still unread, from the inside pocket of his coat, and found he still lacked the strength to open it. Instead, he struck another match.

The flame caught in the bottom right hand corner of the folded page, and licked up, grey ash curling off and blowing away into the wind.

Now there was no going back.

o.o.o.o.o.o

o.o.o.o.o.o

Well, that's it... (sorry this final chapter is so short). Thanks very much to everyone who has been reading this! My other story - 'Unfinished Business' is a sequel to this one...