Chapter Eleven-
John smiled at the young Beta woman that sat across from him as she had read over his resume. She was a pretty little thing. Light brown hair that was pulled back in a messy, falling apart bun, and wide, watery honey brown eyes. He was slightly shocked that she hadn't turned him away the moment he had stepped into the interview, like so many other people had done. She had even smiled warmly at him and offered a hand for him to shake. "Just locum work." She told him after skimming through the resume.
"No, that's fine." John told her politely. He raised an eyebrow when she blushed and checked him over. He had to have imagined that, he was broken. No one wanted a broken Omega. Well, no one other than Sherlock.
"You're, um..." She stuttered glancing back at his resume. "Well, you're a bit over-qualified." John refused to believe that her tone had taken a more flirtatious vibe.
"Um, I could always do with the money." He told her with a polite smile, making her blush darker. She was just warm, the room did feel a tad bit warm.
"Well, we've got two away on holiday this week and one's left to have a baby." She squeaked out tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. John looked at her wondering what she was meaning by that. "It might be a bit mundane for you." That caused John to chuckle. Having something mundane to ground you every now and then was good when you were with Sherlock.
"Um, no, mundane is good, sometimes." He told her, smiling warmly as he thought of Sherlock sitting back at home trying to figure out what those symbols meant. "Mundane works."
"It says here you were a soldier." She said, the look in her eyes and the tone in her voice made John slightly uncomfortable. She was definitely flirting with him. But why? Why now?
"And a doctor." He told her preying she didn't hear the nervous tone in his voice, and if she did that she believed it was him being nervous of getting the job or not.
"Anything else you can do?" She asked, fluttering her eyes at him. John shook his head and she smiled at him. "Well, welcome a board, John."
After getting his schedule for his shifts, John quickly left the small clinic and high tailed it back home wondering if he should tell Sherlock about the Beta or not. The Alpha was already busy trying to solve this case, the most interesting case they've had since the 'Study in Pink' as he had dubbed their first case together, and John didn't want to distract Sherlock from The Work, as Sherlock dubbed it. With that decided, John spent the rest of the journey home trying to erase every trace of his distress over being flirted with from his mind and body. It wouldn't do for Sherlock to deduce it and throw a fit.
"I said could you pass me a pen?" Sherlock growled the second he had stepped into the flat causing John to pause.
"What? When?" John asked wondering if he had missed hearing him, but that was impossible, he had literally just got in.
"About an hour ago. Where were you?" Sherlock asked checking him over from the corner of his eye. And unlike when the Beta had checked him out, Sherlock's gaze relaxed him.
"How long did it take you to notice I'd gone out?" John asked with a small smile as he found a pin and tossed it to Sherlock who caught it and went back to staring at the pictures of the symbols that he had printed out and pinned to the wall. Sherlock not answering him alerted John that it was longer than the Alpha wanted to admit. "I went to see about a job at that surgery." John informed him, even though he had told this to Sherlock before he left. However, the Alpha obviously didn't remember him telling him, nor did he remember responding with a grunt.
"How was it?" Sherlock asked.
"Great." John said hoping Sherlock didn't deduce anything that had happened during the interview.
"Who was it?" Sherlock asked never taking his eyes off the pictures.
"Huh?" John asked.
"Who made you uncomfortable?" Sherlock asked and John sighed causing the Alpha to finally look at him. "The interviewer." Sherlock began to deduce. "Beta, woman, young. Said something you didn't like."
"It's nothing, Sherlock." John told him half hoping he would stop the other hoping he would continue.
"She flirted with you." Sherlock growled.
"It was harmless." John tried to defend.
"It's my scent." Sherlock suddenly said confusing him. "My scent is covering up the scent of your damaged womb." John froze at that. How long had Sherlock known about his womb? How long had he planed to keep the fact that he knew about his womb a secret before this slipped out. Oh, John knew Sherlock hadn't meant to let slip he had known about the womb from the slight widening of the Alpha's eyes after he had said it. Suddenly Sherlock was up, out of his seat and standing in front of him arms out as it to grab John, yet refusing to actually touch him as if scared of John's reaction to being touched. "John, I- I don't care-" Sherlock started.
"How long?" John demanded hoarsely.
"Since our first meeting." Sherlock told him quietly. John gave a humorless laugh at that. Of course Sherlock had known since then. Probably deduced it the same time he deduced everything else about him. A thought cut into his fear. Sherlock had known all along that it was his damaged womb that made him broken, and still wanted to be with him. Going so far as to break the vow he had made himself to never take a Mate. John stepped forward and rested his forehead on Sherlock's chest. "John, I just want you to know, I don't care if your womb is damage. It's not your womb I'm interested in, it's you." Sherlock whispered to him as he wrapped his arms around John.
"So, tell me what you've deduced about the case." John told him.
"Right, have a look." Sherlock said releasing him before gently pushing him to the computer (John's) that was open and had an article pulled up.
"'The intruder who can walk through walls.'" John read out loud.
"It happened last night." Sherlock informed him. "Journalist shot dead in his flat. Doors locked, windows bolted from the inside. Exactly the same as Van Coon."
"Dear God!" John exclaimed as he realized what Sherlock was saying. "You think-"
"He's killed another one." Sherlock confirmed with a sigh as he stared at the pictures. John wondered what Sherlock was seeing, but figured when Sherlock was this far into his thoughts that the Alpha wouldn't want to be bothered by John asking him what he was seeing. With a sigh, John turned and started walking into the kitchen to make them both a cuppa only to freeze when Sherlock jumped from his seat and grabbed the computer. "Come John, we have somewhere to be."
~Eleven~
That somewhere, it turned out, was the Scotland Yard. Sherlock led John into the building as if he owned it, ignoring all the dirty looks he was receiving. At first John was sure Sherlock was going to go to Lestrade and demand he take the case over from Dimmok. However, when they passed Lestrade's office and just went straight to Dimmok, John wondered what Sherlock was going to do. Sherlock placed the computer on Dimmok's desk and quickly logged into it.
"Brian Lukis, freelance journalist, murdered in his flat. Doors locked from the inside." Sherlock told the Detective before turning the computer around to show him the article.
"You've got to admit, it's similar. Both man killed by someone who can walk through solid walls." John pointed out.
"Inspector, do you seriously believe that Eddie Van Coon was just another city suicide?" Sherlock asked and Dimmok looked away causing Sherlock to growl out a sigh of annoyance. "You have seen the ballistics' reports, I suppose?" Dimmok nodded. "And the shot that killed him, was it fired form his own gun?"
"No." Dimmok said.
"No." Sherlock agreed. "So this investigation might move a bit quicker if you were to take my word as gospel." Dimmok looked away again in annoyance. "I've just handed you a murder inquiry. Five minutes in his flat." The two Alpha's glared at each other for a minute before Dimmok sighed and stood up.
"Five minutes." The Detective growled out before leading them back out of the building. Dimmok turned and headed to the car park while Sherlock hailed a taxi. "Are you not coming?"
"We'll follow you." John told him as Sherlock gently pushed him into the taxi. However, they didn't follow Dimmok, they led him to the crime scene. And Sherlock wasted no time in slipping under the tape and up the stairs with John and Dimmok close behind him.
"Flour floors up." Sherlock muttered looking out the window after glancing around the room. "That's why they think they're safe." He went back to examining the room. "Put a chain across the door, bolt it shut, think your impregnable. They don't reckon for one second that there's another way in." He said before walking out of the room and over to to the skylight in the hall.
"I don't understand." Dimmok said.
"We're dealing with a killer who can climb." Sherlock told him as he opened the skylight.
"What are you doing?" Dimmok asked.
"Clings to walls like an insect." Sherlock continued deducing, ignoring the Detective. "That's how he got in." He said looking out the skylight to the roof.
"What?" Dimmok demanded.
"He climbed up the side of the walls, ran along the roof, dropped in through this skylight." Sherlock informed them.
"You're not serious? Like Spider-Man?" The Detective scoffed.
"He scaled six floors of a Docklands apartment building," Sherlock growled at him, "jumped the balcony and killed Van Coon."
"Oh, hold on!" Dimmok hissed back.
"And of course that's how he got into the bank. He'd run along within the ledge and onto the terrace." Sherlock told him before shoving past the Detective and began to search the room once more. "I have to find out what connects these two men." Sherlock suddenly bent down and picked up a book that had been thrown on the stairs. "John, let's go." Was his only warning before Sherlock ran out of the house.
John sighed and chased after him to find he already had a taxi waiting, how the Alpha always managed to get a taxi amazed him. Sherlock had obviously already told the cabbie where to go, because the second John shut the door behind him, they were off. John was curious as to where they were going, but kept that question to himself after seeing Sherlock deep in thought. John's question was answered when they pulled up to the West Kensington Library. John followed Sherlock into the building and to the second floor.
"Date stamped on the book is the same day that he died." Sherlock told him as they began to search for the shelf the book had come from. They easily found the shelf and Sherlock pulled out another copy of the book and began to flip through it while John scanned the neighboring shelf waiting for Sherlock to find whatever clue he needed. John pulled out a thick book intending to flip through it only to spot what he thought looked like paint on the back of shelf and began to pull out hand fulls off books.
"Sherlock." John called once he had relieved the very same graffiti that had been in the bank.
~Eleven~
"So, the killer goes to the bank, leaves a threatening cipher at the bank." Sherlock began thinking out loud the second they had entered their flat as John made his way over to the wall, eyes roaming over every picture and clue they had. Van Coon panics, returns to his apartment, locks himself in. Hours later, he dies."
"The killer finds Lukis at the library," John began slowly, his mind trying to race to get to where Sherlock's mind was, "he writes the cipher on the shelf where he knows it'll be seen. Lukis goes home."
"Late that night, he dies too." Sherlock finished coming to stand next to him.
"Why did they die, Sherlock?" John asked, hoping that Sherlock had figured it out already. Sherlock shook his head before tapping his finger on the picture of the first cipher.
"Only the cipher can tell us." Sherlock told him with a sigh. They stood there, both silent and eyes running over every clue they had. Out of nowhere, a stabbing pain in his lower abdomen caused John to suck in a sharp breath causing Sherlock to look at him. "John?"
"I'm fine, Sherlock, I think I'm just hungry." John reassured him with a smile forcing himself to forget about the pain. It was well into the late afternoon, and he hadn't had anything but some toast for breakfast that morning, having been too nervous about his interview.
"I see." Sherlock said turning back towards the wall and John thought that was the end of that conversation. John bit back a grunt as the pain flared again and began to turn to head into the kitchen to get him something to snack on while Sherlock pulled out his phone and texted someone. Sherlock spun on the balls of his feet away from the wall and quickly made his way to the coat closet without a word. John sighed, it seems they were leaving again. John allowed Sherlock to quickly bundle him into his coat before following the Alpha out of their flat.
Outside Sherlock quickly hailed a cab and ordered the cabbie to take them to the National Gallery. John slid into the back of the cab ignoring the pain in his lower abdomen when it flared once more. The ride to the gallery was quick, as soon Sherlock was gently leading him by the hand through the crowd of both Londoners and tourists. "Once we're through here, we'll get you something to eat." Sherlock told him with a sigh as the pain flared once more causing John to squeeze Sherlock's hand.
"How are we going to figure out that cipher?" John asked, not wanting to distract Sherlock from The Work.
"The world runs on codes and ciphers." Sherlock began and John smiled. "From the million pound security system at the bank to the pin machine you took exception too. Cryptography inhabits our every waking moment."
"Yes, okay, but..." John started.
"But it's all computer-generated, " Sherlock finished leading John up the stairs to the National Gallery, "electronic codes, electronic ciphering methods. This is different. It's an ancient device. Modern code-breaking methods won't unravel it." Instead of going into the National Gallery like John expected, Sherlock began to lead him to the side of the building.
"Where are we headed?" John asked.
"I need to ask some advice." Sherlock informed him, shocking John.
"What? Sorry?" John asked. Sherlock needed advice? His Sherlock was unsure of something that he needed advice? John felt Sherlock's grip on his hand tighten.
"You heard me perfectly." Sherlock growled out angrily. "I'm not saying it again." Why was Sherlock suddenly angry? Did he not like the fact that he needed advice? But he had been just fine until he had informed John of this fact. Was Sherlock angry at himself for needing help? Did he think that John would look at him differently now?
"It must not be very often that you need advice." John told him with a soft smile when the Alpha glanced at him. His smile widened when Sherlock relaxed.
"So we need advice?"
"On painting. Yes, I need to talk to an expert." Sherlock informed him as they made it to the back of the building where and young Omega male was spray painting the back door. Sherlock stopped beside the young man and John couldn't help admiring the painting. It was a very detailed painting of a cop holding a rifle.
"Part of my new exhibition." The young man said without looking away from the painting or even to stop spray painting.
"Interesting." Sherlock drawled as he released John's hand to reach into his pocket to pull out a his phone.
"I call it..." The young man paused in spray painting to take a step back and look at his Sherlock with a flirtatious smirk, "Urban Bloodlust Frenzy." John glared at the young Omega and stepped closer to Sherlock. It didn't seem to matter to John that Sherlock hadn't even seemed to notice the flirtation as he scrolled through his phone. All that mattered to John right now was that he had seen the Young Omega flirting with his Alpha, and John needed to put him in his place.
"Catchy." John growled out receiving an eye roll from the young man before the Omega went back to spray painting.
"I've got two minutes before a Community Support Officer comes around that corner." The young man informed them. "Can we do this while I'm working?" Sherlock handed the young Omega his phone, the young man tossed one of his spray cans to John to automatically caught it. It took all of John's will power to keep himself from smashing the spray can into the young Omega's face when he took it, fingers brushing along Sherlock's gloved fingers. Who did that Omega thing he was touching Sherlock like that!
"Know the author?" Sherlock asked gently taking the spray can from John's hands and tossing it into the bag full of spray cans next to the young Omega's feet before taking John's hand into his. The feeling of Sherlock's larger hand against his calmed him down just enough. John looked at Sherlock who was watching the young Omega with a bored look and the young man flipped through the pictures.
"I recognize the paint." He told them. "It's like Michigan hardcore propellant. I'd say zinc." The young Omega said looking up from the phone to stare at John and Sherlock's clasped hands with a blank look.
"And what about the symbols? Do you recognize them?" Sherlock asked the young Omega sighed before looking back at the pictures.
"I'm not even sure it's a proper language." He told Sherlock with a smirk causing Sherlock growl at him in annoyance.
"Two men have been murdered, Raz. Deciphering this is the key to finding out who killed them." Sherlock told him. Raz looked from the phone to at both Sherlock and John in disbelief.
"And this is all you've to to go on? It's hardly much now, is it?" Raz said tossing the phone back at Sherlock who easily caught it just as John had to bite back a pain filled groan as the pain flared once more.
"Are you going to help up or not?" Sherlock growled glaring at Raz.
"I'll ask around." Raz told Sherlock.
"Somebody must know something about it." Sherlock said.
"Oi!" Someone yelled, alerting everyone that their two minutes were up Sherlock tightened his grip on John's hand before taking off away form the officer, taking John with him.