Chapter 15: How Life Goes

Alice leaned back, twirling a pencil between her fingers. There was a piece of paper in front of her, which had the title of her course on it and the date, 22nd of march 2010. The lecturer was telling all sorts of things as an introduction to anatomy of the human body and all the students around Alice were busy penning every single word down. She had enrolled together with other students who had done either and internship or a period abroad before starting their studies half a year later. She was late, since it was already the beginning of march, but she didn't think she was behind on any of her fellow students. Sometimes Alice would close her eyes and look at the files upon files that had already been stored in her cabinet marked "Medicine and all things I need to know to become a doctor". She felt her fingers move as she browsed through the files, as one was being filled at that very moment. She wouldn't miss a syllable, like all her fellow students she would make notes. Mental notes. She looked around at the cabinets surrounding the one with the bustling file that got bigger and bigger. That was her advantage, Sherlock had said a couple of days earlier. She was young, and just like him she could browse through her mind and all the knowledge she had, while at the same time listening attentively and saving all the new knowledge that was being thrown at her. Her eye was caught by the stockpile of loose files. She moved towards them and perused all the files individually. "English", "Arabic", "German", "Russian", "Spanish". It wouldn't be long until that pile would grow too big and topple over, but there was no use in organising them. Then she turned and looked at her wall of profiles. Her biggest storage of knowledge, all linked to human behaviour, outward appearance and all things that could be influential in profiling a supposed criminal. All the lines drawn with red rope were because of a current case. The ones in yellow were for yet another one, and so was the blue one. Alice browsed the red line, which was for the Murder on Winchester Road. A murder committed in broad daylight in a busy street, but with no witnesses. The other two were not cases in a way of murders or kidnappings. One was of John Watson, the man that intrigued her, because he could stand her father's proximity and not go insane, without being on the same level as the consulting detective. The other one had gone a little stale, the dust was collecting on the little rope. Stephen Bainbridge. Alice didn't really know why she had kept the profile she had created about the young cab driver she had only met once a couple of months ago, but she couldn't just let it go, since it could be of importance in the future. She opened her eyes and looked at the lecturer again. She glanced at the clock that was hanging on the wall right in front of her. 11.47. Only a few more minutes and the man would stop talking. Everyone would grab their stuff and rush out to get lunch in the cafeteria. Not that Alice didn't want to eat, she just didn't think it would be smart, considering they had a dissection straight after lunch. They wouldn't have to do any of the cutting, yet, that was something they would do in a month or two. However, seeing the dissection take place from a distance could be just as disturbing. They just didn't realise it yet. Their bad. With her head going into two directions again, her thoughts and picking up the information the lecturer was giving, Alice continued to think about the various corpses she had already seen in her, compared to her fellow students, short life. Mostly she had seen them without her mother knowing, when she had heard of some sort of crime happing close by. And when she had just arrived in London, she had visited an exhibition with dissected and stripped bodies. At the time without a real purpose other than the fact that she was bored, but in hindsight it turned out to be a good way to kill time and gain knowledge she would need in the future, at the same time. When the lecturer stopped talking, Alice packed her blank sheet of paper and her pencil in a small bag she had with her. She grabbed her phone and headphones and her coat. It was getting warmer and she was now wearing a black trenchcoat, but she would wear a white scarf with it to keep her neck warm. She went outside to spend her hour and a half lunch break there, before heading to the dissection. She had packed herself some lunch and was planning on eating it by herself in the first sunlight of the year, with only her headphones as company. When she exited the building and scanned the square in front of the university, she quickly turned to a man in a long coat and a dark blue scarf, though it was a different one than the one Alice had given him, he apparently owned multiple of them now. She stopped next to him, but looked past him.

'How far are you with the Winchester Road murder?'

Alice continued to look ahead, at a couple that was snogging each other for what seemed ages. What was the fun in that? You couldn't even look at each other, you were too close to not go cross-eyed if you did and apparently it was considered rude and a reason for girls to break up with their boyfriends over if you kept your eyes open. Idiots.

'Lestrade has arrested a suspect who was seen close to Winchester Road who had a criminal record.'

'Idiot.'

Sherlock curled up the corners of his mouth and a soft low chuckle could be heard. Alice looked at him and their eyes met. She started to laugh as well.

'Had lunch already?'

Alice shook her head.

'Good.'

Alice looked back at her University building one last time, before she joined her father, who had already started walking towards the street, where he turned left and continued walking, until they arrived at the place where he apparently wanted to have lunch.

'Sandwich?'

Alice nodded.

'Yes, but nothing with meat on it, I have a dissection after lunch.'

Sherlock chuckled softly and Alice returned a smile.

'Coffee then?'

Alice nodded gratefully. Sherlock went to the counter to order as Alice sat down on a table near the window. She draped her coat on her chair and sat down. Looking out she observed those passing the shop as well as those she saw in the reflection of the window. As Sherlock put the cups of coffee on the table, he could see her eyes fleeting from one side to the other.

'Stop working Alice.'

Alice looked up and stifled a laugh. They drank their coffee in silence for a while. Until Sherlock opened his mouth.

'So, the Winchester Road murder. Casual hit and run?'

Alice, still sipping her cup, shook her head sharply.

'No, the victim was a creature of habit. He did the same thing every single day. Walked the same route every day and would be in that street at the exact same moment every day. That is hardly a coincidence that he was murdered in a busy street that he would go through every day.'

Sherlock nodded in agreement.

'So? The suspect?'

Alice put her cup down.

Male, in his thirties or early forties. Owns a large short haired dog who is quite brutal and violent, and likes to jump up against his owner. Probably not a criminal record, considering the fact that the victim must have known the suspect and that said victim was known for completely background checking all people he was acquainted with. Considering the angle and the vigour of the stabbing, approximately 6 foot 1 inch tall and muscular built. The speed and accuracy of the stabs indicates knowledge of veins and soft tissue points. Either a doctor or a soldier with marksman's ability. The build rather suggests soldier. That and the angle gives us the information that the killer is left-handed. A left-handed sniper and known killer just returned from service in Iraq. Sergeant Lennox to be precise, the victim's left-handed childhood neighbour and friend. Motive, in the early days, Lennox and victim struck a deal when they both committed fraud and received loads of money via whitewashing. Lennox lost all his money due to victim's bets and was completely broke. However, upon being confronted with it, victim said he was completely innocent, that it had all been Lennox's own fault and that there was no way that he was going to go back to that moment in his life, that, though it had made him filthy rich, also repelled him. The victim just had the bad luck that Lennox's temper was not much to speak off since his return from Iraq, and he was not going to let go on this matter that easily. He observed the victim for a few days, knew his route, and then one day took out his army knife, which was his favourite method of killing and went for it, mingling in the crowd and sufficiently bumping into the victim, stabbing him three times in 7 seconds. Once in the brachial artery upon approaching him from the side, then by just scratching the ascending aorta by turning towards him and then by plunging the carotid artery as a way to know for sure that he was going to be disposed of. Before anyone could see what had happened, he had moved into a different crowd and left, quickly putting the knife away by putting it in a sheath around his ankle by tying his shoe laces only a few metres from the crime scene.'

Sherlock nodded in complete agreement. He was on the trail of Lennox already, but he could not have pinpointed the motive and the manner in such detail yet. Alice picked up her cup of coffee again and took another sip. She was still more of a tea person, but the occassional cup of coffee would keep her more alert from time to time didn't hurt.

'And how is the study?'

Alice had to stop herself from spurting her sip of coffee all over the table.

'Don't try to make small talk with me Sherlock. It is not your style.'

She put her cup down on the table.

'But the study is going alright. I am going to start a new one next week. Law. Just an addition to my curriculum. Alongside medicine.'

Sherlock nodded.

'Obviously.'

They finished their coffee and both got up again. Without saying another word they walked out of the shop and back to the university, where Sherlock stopped in front of the door.

'Obviously I am not coming with you.'

Alice, who wrapped her coat a little tighter around her body, turned around and looked at her father.

'Clearly.'

Sherlock wanted to turn and walk away, but then seemed to change his mind and turned back around.

'There is another case that might be coming up, but I am not quite sure what to make of it yet. The client is coming over tomorrow morning, if I send John out early enough, would you mind consulting with me?'

Alice started to smile, they had been solving crimes alongside each other, but never together. Maybe this would be their time to solve a crime as the two Holmes's. She nodded.

'Gladly.'

Sherlock put his hands in his pockets.

'Good, I will see you tomorrow at 10.15 sharp. The client is coming at 10, but then I have a moment to decide whether it would be worth our time and abilities.'

Alice nodded, 10.15 would give her enough time to prep with Mrs. Hudson for Speedy's and then go upstairs to find out what she and her father were going to do. Before Sherlock could turn around, Alice opened her mouth.

'What is the case about?'

Sherlock turned around.

'Something about a diamond. The Jaria Diamond or something along those lines.'

Alice looked at her father as he turned around and walked away. Then she turned around and went towards the operating room that was located in the basement. Most of her fellow students were already there, some were still eating their sandwich or sipping on their coffee. Idiots, but they will figure that out soon enough. Alice took her own coat off and put a lab coat on, washed her hands and dried them, constantly keeping her eyes on the students waiting on the other side of the wall. As she walked in, the professor entered from the other side of the room.

'Everyone washed their hands and lower arms? Everyone got a face mask?'

All the students looked a little flustered, Alice being the only one who nodded as she fastened the mask around her neck. Then the door opened again and a table with a corpse was rolled in by an attendant. The corpse was already opened up to save time, making the inside organs visible. Alice moved a little closer, as some of the students turned away to vomit in the litter boxes in the corner. Before the attendant could open her mouth, Alice had already done it.

'Male, late forties, early fifties, two day old corpse. Fractured hip. Surgery two years ago and another surgery in the same place about 9 months ago. Cause of death: Kidney failure.'

The people around her looked intently at her, including the teacher.

'That was spot on, miss...'

'Ho...Reynolds, Alice Reynolds.'