16

Sherlock left Baker Street in a cab twenty minutes after Lestrade's phone call. Molly wanted to go with him but his arguments had made her give up, "You know how long these things go. Your shift starts at ten in the morning and you need to get some sleep. I promise to update you".

Waiting for him outside the crime scene was Sergeant Sally Donovan who greeted him politely and before escorting him inside Stapleton's basement where he was awaited by Lestrade, she briefed him on what they had discovered so far, "His wife found him. She heard the noise of a gunshot and ran down here to check. She thinks he committed suicide like their son. But Lestrade thinks it otherwise".

Sherlock hummed and thanked her with a nod of his head as he stopped at the doorway to the basement room he had visited the previous day. He observed the environment with his usual concentration, vaguely perceiving the men of the forensics and policemen moving around, taking care not to contaminate anything could prove useful evidence.

Greg only reached Sherlock when he saw him approach the window to analyse it with his magnifying glass, "Any idea?" he asked following the consulting detective's gaze, "Mm…you're right. It's a murder" replied Sherlock turning towards the DI, "Someone entered through the window". With slow steps he walked back to the centre of the room where lay seated, head bowed and shoulders hunched, the lifeless body of Martin Stapleton.

"I bet weapon's serial number is abraded" Sherlock said circling the corpse and observing it from every angle and Greg confirmed with a nod, "The shooter is left handed" he stated continuing his inspection, "And I would say, judging from the angle of the entry hole, the killer didn't have the courage to look him in the face. Maybe he knew…" he ventured. Greg nodded to the camera fixed to the corridor's ceiling outside the basement, "I'll have the footages recovered. We'll see them at Scotland Yard later".

Before returning to a standing position and put his magnifying glass in the inside pocket of his coat, Sherlock called the cop's attention to something shiny which was dangling out of one of Martin Stapleton's trousers. "What the hell is that?" inquired the older man putting on a latex glove and grasping the item delicately.

It was a thin white gold chain with a butterfly charm in a vivid red colour. Sherlock watched it carefully as Lestrade dangled it in mid-air, "I've seen it before" he said narrowing his eyes for a few minutes, " Oh, yes! Vanessa Cox wore it in a photo attached to her case file. And it was on the list of items found on her at her death. How did Stapleton get hold of it?".

As the DI shook his head and placed it in an evidence bag, Sherlock got distracted from 'the wall', still wondering why there weren't any pictures of Winston Stapleton on it. "Any news about the owner of the black SUV?" he asked Lestrade as he headed for the exit, "Donovan took care of it. You can ask her at Scotland Yard" the cop answered handing the bag to one of the forensic team. Sherlock nodded thoughtfully, "Have Mrs Stapleton brought to Scotland Yard as well. She has to explain a few things" he turned towards the room's entrance, his coat dramatically flipping behind him, "I have a look outside and then I'm with you".

It was almost half past seven in the morning when Lestrade entered his office. As he walked to his desk he looked at Sherlock sitting in one of the chairs in front of it, "Are you updating Molly?" asked hinting at the phone in his hands, "Hmm" the consulting detective muttered keeping on typing.

The DI flamboyantly dropped the Stapleton case file onto the desk top and when Sherlock looked up he huffed, "Tell her to come here". He raised an eyebrow at the cop, "What for?" asked as Greg sank into his leatherette swivel chair with a plop, "I've to ask her a few questions about her last night comings and goings…" he sighed bringing a hand to his face, thumb under his chin and forefinger to his cheek scrutinizing Sherlock.

"Are you telling me Molly needs an alibi?" he asked stunned, "Nonsense!" he added indignation in his voice, "I know Molly didn't kill Stapleton…but there's that newspaper's article, Sherlock, which I can't ignore. Stapleton questions Molly's abilities as a pathologist, threatening her career. I have to check where she was, with whom she was and so on. You know as well as I do, how these things work. I can't do otherwise. Please, call her".

"Fine" Sherlock said sulking a bit as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You don't need Molly", Greg rolled his eyes "Sherlock…" the DI began convinced he had to give life to one of their interminable discussions in which Greg tried to make him understand his reasons as a cop, but Sherlock just made a dismissive gesture with his hand and said "I'm her alibi".

Lestrade leaned his back in the chair "So Molly was with you last night?", Sherlock nodded "I went back to my flat around 8 pm. We were together until you called", Greg folded his hands on his lap "All the time?" he asked smirking at him inquiringly as he noticed not only Sherlock had stiffened but also had blushed.

While he waited for his friend to answer his question, Lestrade couldn't help but give himself an imaginary high five. After the upheaval brought by Eurus Holmes, he immediately sensed something was shifted between Molly and Sherlock although they didn't show anything.

And this was a confession. Yes, without a shadow of doubt Sherlock was admitting he had spent the evening and part of the night with her. And, he was sure, not playing Cluedo or watching old movies, "So? Have you been together all along? Has anybody seen you?" urged he, barely suppressing the fun he felt in teasing him.

Lestrade saw Sherlock rolled his eyes in irritation, "Fine" he sighed as he stood up and strode around the room, "Yes, we were together the whole time. I assure you neither she nor I moved away from each other until about 1 am when Molly went downstairs to talk to Mrs Hudson" he blurted out stretching his arms on a chair's backrest.

The two men's eyes met, "We were having sex, if that's what you're interested in" he finally admitted with a huff of annoyance, "Are we cleared up?" he inquired.

The DI nodded and said "Molly still has to come here to sign her testimony", Sherlock frowned at him and retrieved his phone quickly typing something "Happy? She'll read it in an hour when she wakes up to go to Bart's. Can we please focus on Stapleton's murder now?".

Without adding anything else, Lestrade opened the Stapleton case file and scanned the lines of the first sheet of paper, "Therefore, from Mrs Stapleton's statements we know her husband decided to tail you and John after you two left their home. We also know that Stapleton got home around 8 pm and was in black mood…not angry, but rather upset. He went down to the basement without having dinner. And from that moment on, Mrs Stapleton hasn't spoken to him, nor has seen him until she heard the shot".

Sherlock sat down in front of Lestrade nodding in approval as the cop continued scrolling through the rest, "The lady also stated that Vanessa's chain was given to Winston Stapleton at the end of the trial by his lawyer, as the young man believed it to be proof of his innocence, indicating the presence of another man in Vanessa's life" he broke off as Sherlock leaned back and steepled his hands under his chin.

Lestrade watched him for a couple of minutes in silence then went on, "And that, thanks to Donovan we now know for sure. The other man was Nicholas Bailey, son of a well-known orthopaedist, and owner of the black SUV. He told Sally he had been secretly seeing Vanessa for about a month. They had fallen in love and he had gone to the boarding house that day because that was the day Vanessa would break up with Winston and Bailey didn't want her to face him alone".

"And I bet the butterfly chain was a gift from him" Sherlock muttered and, without waiting for confirmation from the detective inspector, closed his eyes to linger in his mind palace. All sorts of data he stored about Stapleton and his son rushed quickly into his mind.

What Sherlock had wondered right away was why in the years between the sentence, the incarceration, then the release and death of his son, Stapleton had never made himself heard. And why had he left a year and a half pass after Winston's death to raise all that fuss?

Stapleton undoubtedly had been very busy over the past six months. He had investigated on his own even going as far as tailing Molly and Lestrade. He had involved the press to point out the incorrect handling of his son's case by the police and Molly herself. He had made sure to involve him as well by leveraging his relationship with Molly.

Sherlock's mind drifted to the 'wall' in his basement and to those empty spaces. He was sure Winston's photos were missing from them. But why take them off? Winston was dead. Who could care what he looked like? Unless…a sudden suspicion crept into his mind.

What had Stapleton said to Molly outside Bart's? "My son has never forgotten you" and not "I have never forgotten you" as it was more logical to expect him to say since Winston was gone. "I want Winston back", how could this happen?

And then there was Vanessa's chain to consider. It had always been in Winston's possession since the trial was over. He would never get rid of it and since Stapleton, by his own admission, had kept nothing of what was in his son's flat in Sussex after his death, how did he now own it?

There was only one logical explanation for everything…Winston was still alive. Nothing could be simpler for a doctor to fake his own death and Sherlock knew this better than anyone else. It was thanks to Molly and her medical expertise that Lazarus operation, designed to make him disappear from the world to deal with the Moriarty crime network, had been successful.

Sherlock did not yet know how, but Stapleton had learned that his son was 'undead' and had worked hard to clean up his reputation before 'bringing him back' to the world. But did father and son share the same desire? Was it also Winston's will to 'return' as Winston or did he prefer to go on with his life with the identity he had assumed? Something told Sherlock that there had been some contrast between the two, and along the way something had gone wrong and Martin Stapleton had lost his life.

He opened his eyes to find Lestrade sitting at the edge of his desk turning a marker in his fingers, "You solved the case" he said with a half-smile, "Not yet" sighed Sherlock standing up, "I need to know everything I can about the accident in which Winston Stapleton seems to have died".

Lestrade rolled his eyes and repeated "Seems to have?", Sherlock nodded "I think he's alive". The grey-haired cop shook his head "Hell's bells!" he grumbled as he walked to the door, "Let me have the Sussex police and autopsy report, and all the information on the friend who was on the boat with him", Sherlock demanded.

It took almost an hour for Lestrade to get what Sherlock had asked. His phone started ringing as soon as Sherlock opened the folder Lestrade brought him. He was surprised to see Mike Stamford's number. Was it possible he was handling Stapleton's autopsy?

"Sherlock, forgive me if I bother you but I think there is something wrong with Molly" said her boss as soon as he picked up, "What are you talking about Mike?" Sherlock asked, stiffening instinctively "Oh well, the security guard at the entrance saw her arrive here around 8 this morning, but she didn't clock in. And now we can't find her anywhere".

Sherlock drummed his fingers nervously on the sheets of paper in front of him. He should have known there was something odd about the fact that Molly hadn't read any of his texts. "Was she alone?" he asked, his mouth dry and his heart pounding. Sherlock's eyes had fallen on the name of the friend with whom Winston Stapleton was on the boat on the night of his 'accident' and whose identity he had taken.

"No. Molly was with…" Stamford paused for a moment, "Jordan Maddox" they said at the same time as Sherlock jumped up causing the chair to fall to the floor.