This is the final chapter, thank you so much for reading i hope you enjoyed it!

3

It was 9 o'clock on that cold December night as we approached Berry farm, I was very glad that my coat had been incorporated as part of my disguise and that my revolver was tucked away safely in its pocket. As we rolled up in the trap towards Berry farm, the steady rumble of the wheels was all that could be heard. Our breath billowing in the air was the only thing that seemed to disturb the peace. I shivered deeper into my trench coat. As we got closer to the trees on the boundary of the farm, we saw a shadowy figure emerge and walk on the road ahead. He had a bag slung over his shoulder. I saw Holmes hands retract reflexively on the reins as he passed them to me and indicated that we should pull alongside this man and stop. "Good sir" Holmes called out in a form of greeting "Would you be so kind as to tell us where Berry Farm is? We had had a rather long journey and now I fear we are lost under my servant's poor judgement." I gave Holmes an involuntary scowl - even in my disguise. "Berry Farm is unoccupied at the moment sir, if you were expecting bed and board then I am afraid you have come along way for nothing." The man turned to face us now but I couldn't make out his face in the dim light of the lamp on our carriage but I distinctively recognised the voice. My nerves caused me to tighten my grip on the revolver. "No, no nothing of the sort. I am Cedric Callow I am a cousin of the late Mr David Callow."

"It is hard to direct you there in the dark but I could show you? It is not far from here." The man offered coming closer to Holmes.

"Thank you that would be most appreciated." Suddenly the man dragged Holmes out of the trap with force. Holmes being somewhat of an expert in the defensive arts managed to remain upright when most men would have fallen to the floor. Dunn slammed Holmes against the carriage, the Horses jumping and stomping their feet nervously at the noise. He brutally lashed out at Holmes. Holmes deflected the first blow but was not quick enough for the second blow which was dealt with some kind of weapon. I cried out and launched myself from the trap. Holmes was too close for me to shoot. The attacker looked up and I saw it was Mike Dunn briefly before he came at me weapon in hand. I dodged him and he ran at full pelt past me before advancing back. He began to circle me in a menacing manner and with a cry of pure fury he came at me again. I shot him at point blank range in the leg just before Lestrade did the same. With two bullets to his leg and chest he crashed down forwards like a dead weight. In the commotion that followed; I barely noticed. Only one thought was driving me, I had to get to him.

My hearing was muffled like the sensation felt after a loud explosion, for a moment it was like I was back in the service stunned, disorientated my whole being pumping with raw adrenaline. I fell to my knees by his side, I checked his breathing which was weak and his face was covered in blood. I ripped off my scarf and fastened it tightly around his head, I tapped him on his shoulders and his face with no response; he was unconscious, so motionless it scared me more than anything. "Sherlock" I cried, Sherlock Holmes, please …. Answer me!" Those were my last desperate words to my friend, pleading with him not die. Suddenly I thought I saw movement around his eyes, I feared it was my imagination but then he opened them and tried to grab my arm. "Watson," he stammered weakly. "Please stop shouting you're doing nothing for my concussion."

I let out a sigh of slight relief and dropped back on my heels "Holmes, sarcastic as ever! Wonderful!" I blurted.

By now Lestrade was by my side and helped me lift him into the trap. We headed back to the white hart inn where we got him to bed. I placed some stitches in his wound and monitored him though the night. It transpired he had been hit with a fire iron, the only thing that had saved him was his superior reflexes, he had managed to block the iron so that the hook had only caught him with minimal force. Head wounds always bled well and his had been no exception.

The next morning Holmes was brighter, much to my relief! Although I was certainly not going to let him travel that day as he suggested. Instead he told Lestrade and I how he came to this explosive conclusion. "The morning after the conversation in the Inn; I delved in to Mike Dunn's life a little further. Upon this, I discovered that Mr Dunn had indeed worked as a farm manager at Berry farm before being made redundant by Mr Callow. After this it seems he spiraled into severe depression and developed an insatiable thirst for gambling as he could not make a living. On a high from a large win, he risked it all and lost all. In his mind set he started to hate his life. His wife left him and he could barely keep a roof over his head, his thoughts turned from hardship to revenge. He wanted the person who had caused his misfortune to pay. So, when Mr Callow walked back that evening Mike Dunn ended his life." Holmes drew his smoking jacket closer around him in the chair. Sensing his discomfort I rose and added another log to the fire.

"In an evil twist he used Andrew Smith to cover his tracks, Andrew had heard a cry and gone to investigate when Mr Dunn doubled back on him and pushed him to the ground knocking the boy out cold. There he devised the plan of using poor Andrew as an escape goat and in his haste made off with the weapon. The rest you know. Andrew was lucky to just become the escape goat and not to suffer the same fate as Mr Callow" Holmes stared broodily into the fire, no doubt contemplating his close shave - not that he would ever admit to it.

"Yes" said I "but how did you know?"

"Simple Watson; when we were talking at the table, I distinctly noticed the large amount of mud on Mr Dunn's boots, remember he was depressed and not taking care of himself as he should. When I bent down as he left to retrieve the napkin that I dropped in front of him, I collected a sample of the mud. Using my skills with chemical compounds I was able to establish it was the same as the sample I collected, earlier on in the day from the stream bank where the knife was found. This Particular soil PH is not common so it was easy to narrow down the location once the match was established. When i went to question Mrs Dunn i took the opportunity to look around the outbuildings and discovered Mr Dunn's hunting equipment, there was a rack of hunting knifes with one missing; one which i am sure is currently in the evidence locker. The hilt's matched, it was quite clearly part of the set. That and his strange distant, abstract behaviour was enough for me to deduce him as the killer." Sherlock paused. "So, the case is concluded. "Watson?"

"Yes Holmes?" I turned to face him.

"These stitches better be your best, I wouldn't want to be more heavily scarred then needs be, otherwise I shall have to blame my brilliant doctor." His lips quirked into what some who know Holmes extremely well; might consider as a smile.