"You've got no proof, you know." The cornered man informed his pursuers, infuriatingly calm as he glared defiantly at Inspector Jones and Doctor Watson.

Inspector Jones frowned. "That's because you killed the witness." He growled.

The murderer smirked. "There's no proof of that accusation either." He said. "You can arrest me if you want, but you don't have anything against me and you know it. I'll go free."

Jones nodded. "You're right." He said. "You will go free. If I arrest you." He stepped forward and grabbed the contemptible fellow by his collar.

"What-?" The murderer gasped. It was all he had time to get out before Jones shoved him backwards through the glass window behind him.

"Inspector!" Watson was across the room and peering frantically out the window into the darkness. On the street below he could just make out the form of the man Inspector Jones had just shoved through a second story window.

There was no movement below.

"Come on." Jones said. "We don't want to still be here when the police show up." He left the room without a backward glance.

For a second Watson wondered if he had just seen what he thought he had seen. But the broken window remained, and the form on the street was still motionless. He darted after Jones.

"You killed that man!" He called after the Inspector, his mind still reeling after what had just happened.

"I did." Jones agreed.

Watson stared at the back of the man he was following through the dark, empty house. "Why?" He demanded after a moment.

Jones turned to look at him. "I don't owe you an explanation, Dr. Watson." He said bluntly. "You can tell Holmes or Lestrade or whoever you like what happened or not. I don't care."

He turned back, and Watson was sure that was the end of it. Once out in the street, however, Jones stopped again.

"He was right. We had no proof." He said. He scowled and spat angrily towards the house they had just vacated. "He would have gone free. The man killed four pregnant women and tried to justify it with the fact that they weren't married. He also killed the only witness, the eight year old son of one of the women. He also nearly killed Holmes and Gregson because they were getting too close. He would have succeeded had you not shown up when you did. He had no qualms about killing anyone who crossed him. He had to be stopped before he killed again."

"So you killed him." Watson said, a trifle accusingly. "What's the difference, then between you and him?"

Jones shrugged. "Perhaps none." He admitted. "Maybe I'm just as much in the wrong, maybe more." He spat again. "I do know there's one less murderer on the streets now."


Disclaimer: Sherlock and the boys do not belong to me.