About an hour later I walked down stairs to find John was just arriving back and was pinning the photos up on the wall. I grabbed a pen off the table which I was surprised was so easy to find considering the table was a mess. I walked up to the photos and after a moment of working out the numbers I wrote them underneath there corresponding Chinese symbol.
'Always in pairs, look' Sherlock stated after studying the pictures for a while, I was now lying on the lounge staring at the roof while John was half asleep sitting at the table
'Numbers . . . come with partners' Sherlock spoke out loud
'I need sleep' John muttered
'Why did he paint it so near the tracks?' Sherlock asked though he didn't expect an answer
'No idea' John replied sleepily
'Thousands of people pass by there every day' Sherlock continued one sided conversation
'Just 20 minutes' John said softly still talking about sleep
'John go and get some sleep' I said softly
'Of course, of course he wants information he's trying to communicate with his people in the underworld, whatever was stolen, he wants it back. It's somewhere here, in a code' Sherlock said more to himself when suddenly he started to pull down the pictures
'We can't crack this without Soo Lin Yao' Sherlock said loudly showing he was now talking to us.
'Oh, good' John replied sleepily and sarcastically. I smiled at him as we got up and followed Sherlock out of the flat and into a taxi. The taxi ride was a silent one as Sherlock looked out the window, deep in thought, I looked up at the ceiling in thought and I was pretty sure John was asleep next to me.
The taxi soon stopped which woke John from his slumber and Sherlock from his thoughts; Sherlock paid the taxi driver and took off into the museum. John was by his side while I lingered back at bit and took my time.
When I caught up to them, they had located Andy again.
'Two men who travelled back from China were murdered and their killer left them messages in Hang Zhou numerals' Sherlock explained to Andy, his voice was harsh.
'Soo Lin Yao is in danger, that cipher, it was just the same pattern as the others, he means to kill her as well' John explained kindly but firmly
'Look I've tried everywhere – friends, colleagues. I don't know where she's gone; I mean she could be a thousand miles away' Andy said somewhat upset. I watched the men with interest and noticed Sherlock staring at something in one of the display cabinets. I walked over to it with interest
'What are you looking at?' Andy asked Sherlock and I
'Tell me more about those teapots' Sherlock said walking up behind me
'The pots were her obsession; they need urgent work, if they dry out, than the clay can start to crumble. Apparently, you have to just keep making tea in them' Andy explained as Sherlock took a closer look
'What's wrong Sherlock?' John asked confused and when Sherlock wasn't going to reply he looked over at me.
'When we were here yesterday only one of them was shining and now there is two' I explained as John nodded, showing he understood.
'We need to stay here after hours Andy' John told Andy who nodded, still confused.
We turned all the lights off after closing time and waited patiently. Sherlock and I sat up against one wall while John and Andy sat against the opposite wall. I was feeling very tired and didn't notice my eyes drifting closed and my head leaning onto Sherlock's shoulder.
I was awoken by the noise of someone walking around. John and Andy were just standing up and Sherlock looked down at me to see I was now awake and smiled before standing up and helping me up.
'Thank you' I whispered and he smiled.
Sherlock walked into the darkness to talk to the girl while Andy and John went to turn the light on.
As I walked over to Sherlock and the girl I could hear them talking
'You saw the cipher, then you know he is coming for me' Soo Ling spoke quietly
'You have been clever to avoid him so far' Sherlock stated
'I had to finish, finishing this work, it's only a matter of time, I know he will find me' Soo Ling said sadly
'Who is he? Have you met him before?' Sherlock asked
'When I was a girl, we met in China, I recognised his signature' Soo Ling said
'Do you mean the cipher?' I asked and she nodded
'Only he would do this, Zhi Zhu' Soo Ling explained
'Zhi Zhu?' John asked Sherlock
'It means the spider' I explained as Soo Ling started to take off her shoe
'You know this mark?' Soo Ling asked me
'Yes. It's the mark of a Tong' Sherlock answered
'Huh?' John asked
'Ancient crime syndicate, based in China' Sherlock explained and John nodded before looking back at Soo Ling
'Every foot soldier bears the mark, everyone who hauls for them' Soo Ling explained
'Hauls? You mean you were a smuggler?' John asked not hiding his surprise
'I was 15, my parents were dead, I had no livelihood, no way of surviving, day-to-day, except to work for the bosses' Soo Ling explained sadly
'Who are they?' Sherlock asked
'They are called the Black Lotus, 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' Soo Ling said tears forming in her eyes
'And he came looking for you' I stated
'Yes, I hoped after 5 years maybe they would have forgotten me but they never really let you leave. A small community like ours, they are never very far away. He came to my flat, he asked me to help him to track down something that was stolen' Soo Ling explained
'And you've no idea what it was?' John asked
'I refused to help' Soo Ling explained
'So, you knew him well when you were living back in China?' John asked
'Oh yes, He's my brother' Soo Ling said as Sherlock looked up in shock as John gasped softly. I stayed silent, my eyes looking around the dark museum.
'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 betrayed him. Next day I came to work and the cipher was waiting.' Soo Ling said sadly. Sherlock pulled out the photos of the symbols I had taken at the train tracks and placed them in front of Soo Ling
'Can you decipher these?' Sherlock asked
'These are numbers' Soo Ling explained
'Yes I know' Sherlock said starting to get impatiently
'Here, the line across the man's eyes, it's the Chinese number one' Soo Ling explained
'And this one is 15, but what's the code?' Sherlock asked
'All smugglers know it' Soo Ling stated when suddenly the lights when out.
'He's here' Soo Ling said softly, Sherlock stood up looking around the darkness
'Zhi Zhu has found me' Soo Ling taking a sharp breath
'No, no Sherlock' John called out as Sherlock took off into another room. I stood up as well; John and I moved Soo Ling into another room and waiting silently. We heard gun shots coming from down the hall and I looked over at John
'I have to go and help him, bolt the door after me' John told me and I nodded before he bolted out the door as well. I looked at Soo Ling who was quiet. She grabbed the photos and wrote down some words on it before shoving them into my pocket. I looked at her confused before her eyes widened and looked past me. I closed my eyes and waited for the blow I knew would be coming. I heard a weapon get lifted up behind and then it all went black.