"Always in pairs, Jane, look," Sherlock says, waking me from my light sleep.

"Do you ever sleep?" I mumble, looking at him.

"Numbers, come with partners," he answers. I sigh and check my watch, seeing that we were now in the early hours of the day. "Why did he paint it so near the tracks? Thousands of people pass by there everyday."

"Maybe they're trying to communicate with their people in the underground," I suggest, my eyes drooping.

"Of course. Whatever was stolen, he wants it back." He grabs a few photos off of the mirror. "We can't crack this without Soo Lin Yao."

"We are not leaving. Not now," I tell him firmly. "We've been up all night. I need a strong cup of coffee or a twenty minute nap. Then, we can go." He stands for a moment before putting the paper down, heading into the kitchen to make tea. He comes back in a few minutes with a mug of coffee, handing it to me carefully.

"Knock, knock," I hear Mrs. Hudson say from the door.

"Come on in, Mrs. Hudson," I tell her, smiling weakly as I sip my coffee.

"This package came for you, dear. Don't know why they rang my bell, but it's for you," she tells me, placing a large box in front of me on the table. I smile at her again as she leaves, placing my coffee next to the box and preparing to open it. I undo the two metal latches and lift the lid. It falls to the table with a thud.

"What is it, Jane?" Sherlock asks. I lift my wide eyes from the contents of the box to look at him.

"A box of bad memories," I whisper.

"What does that mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I lied earlier. It was only to prevent this." I sigh heavily, preparing for the flood of emotions. "Growing up, my father was fascinated with bruises. My brother and I were his canvases during our childhood, after our mum died." I glance back at the box, and feel Sherlock sit on the couch next to me. "He said this riding crop made the prettiest bruises."

"You could have told me," he states silently, placing a light hand on my back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to think about it, honestly. The more I do, the worse it gets." He stands, the warmth of his hand quickly leaving my body. He latches the box closed, and brings it towards the kitchen. When he returns, I shoot him a questioning look.

"We are not eating until this case is over, so we won't be in the kitchen. Therefore, we can worry about it later." He sits back down next to me, hesitates, then grabs my hand to comfort me.

"Thank you. For everything." I lean against him in a side hug, smiling. I glance down at my watch to check the time. "Come on, let's get to the Museum before they get busy."


"Two men were murdered after they came back from China, and their killer left them messages in Hang Zhou numerals," Sherlock explains to Andy. "Soo Lin Yao is in danger."

"That cipher is the same as the others. They mean to kill her as well," I add, clarifying.

"Look, I've tried everywhere. Friends, colleagues, I don't know where she's gone." Something shining in the early morning sun catches my eye. "I mean, she could be a thousand miles away."

"Tell me about those teapots," I tell him, walking closer to the case.

"They were her obsession, they need urgent work. If they start to dry out, the clay starts to crumble. Apparently, all you have to do is keep making tea in them."

"Yesterday, there was only one teapot shining," I start.

"Now there are two," Sherlock finishes, catching what I was implying.


The sound of metal scraping against metal makes my ears perk up. Sherlock and I look at each other for a moment before Sherlock heads towards the workroom where Soo Lin was probably finishing her work. I hear a gasp cut through the silence.

"Centuries old, don't want to break that," I hear Sherlock say as I enter the room, turning on the lights.

"You saw the cipher. Then you know he is coming for me," she says, watching me lean against a tabletop.

"You've been clever to avoid him this long," I tell her.

"I had to finish," she states quietly. "To finish this work. It's only a matter of time. I know he will find me."

"Who is he? Have you met him before?" Sherlock asks her.

"When I was a girl, we met in China. I recognized his..."

"Signature?" I offer. She nods.

"Only he would do this. Zhi Zhu."

"The Spider," Sherlock and I say at the same time. Soo Lin begins to untie her shoe, pulling it off to show a small circular tattoo I recognize at once.

"Do you know this mark?"

"Yes," I answer immediately. "It's the mark of the Tong. Ancient crime syndicate based in China," I explain before getting a look from Sherlock. "Sorry."

"Every foot soldier bears the mark," Soo Lin continues. "Everyone who hauls for them."

"You were a smuggler?" I ask, and she looks at me.

"I was 15. My parents were dead. I had no livelihood, no way of surviving day-to-day, except to work for the bosses."

"Who are they?"

"They are called the Black Lotus." I close my eyes and sigh. "By the time I was 16, I was taking thousands of pounds worth of drugs across the border into Hong Kong. I managed to leave that life behind me. I came to England, they gave me a job here. Everything was good. New life."

"And then he came looking for you," I say.

"I hoped, after five years, maybe they would have forgotten me."

"They never really let you leave," I add, absorbed in my own thoughts.

"A small community like ours, they are never very far away." She wipes away the tears trailing down her cheeks. "He came to my flat. He asked me to help him to track down something that was stolen. I refused to help."

"You knew him well back in China?" Sherlock asks.

"Oh, yes." She looks to me. "He's my brother." I sigh and turn away, realizing the parallels between me and Soo Lin's childhoods. "Two orphans, we had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus, or starve on the streets like beggars. My brother has become their puppet, in the power of the one they call Shan. The Black Lotus general. I turned my brother away, he said I had betrayed him. The next day, I came to work and the cipher was waiting."

"Can you decipher these?" Sherlock asks, pulling the photos out of his coat pocket.

"We know they're Chinese numbers, but he doesn't know the cipher," I say, cringing at my slip up.

"It's based upon a book," she starts, and the lights cut out. I start to panic as Sherlock leaves to investigate.

"My brother read about the Black Lotus as a child," I tell Soo Lin as we crouch behind a counter, trying to distract myself. "He would tell me all about them. How he wanted to use their cipher." Gunshots ring out, startling me. "Stay here, bolt the door after me. We can protect you." I run to find Sherlock, and instinctively reach behind me for my gun, but grasp air. After a few moments, the gun stops firing. I breathe out in relief, as a single shot sounds from near the room I just left. I feel my heart sink as I run back to the workroom, spotting Soo Lin lying dead on the floor and a small black paper flower in her hand. Sherlock comes in shortly, catching his breath behind me.

"Scotland Yard is being incompetent, they need to know what they're doing wrong," I state, monotone. "And they need to know now."