"Police! Open the door."
Layla couldn't move. The person on the other side of the door said they were the police, but…..How had the people that killed Flavia gained entry into her apartment? When Layla was there she didn't notice any signs of forced entry. The door hadn't been busted open; yes, it was ajar, but the door was still intact. Whoever had killed Flavia had used some sort of ruse to get her to open the door.
Upon hearing the young lady scream, Mycroft's butler came running through the house and looked up. Seeing her huddled in the floor of the landing and hearing the police officer outside, he immediately understood. Making his way to the foyer, Higgins keyed in the passcode for the security system and opened the door.
"Inspector, come in quickly."
Rushing in DI Lestrade could make out the sound of what seemed to be sobbing. Looking up the stairs he saw the bundle huddled in the corner.
"Higgins, what happened?"
"I'm not actually sure sir. I just got in myself. I had gone to the shops to get some supplies. As soon as I came in, I heard her scream. I dropped the bags I had in my hands and came running."
Lestrade ran up the few steps to the landing to try to calm the woman down. When he put his hand on her shoulder, she screamed again.
"Ma'am, calm down, I'm DI Lestrade with the MET. I just need to know what happened."
Shaking and still sobbing, the bundle moved, turning to look around at who was speaking to her.
"Le-Lestrade?" She looked at the man a little closer. "I know you…."
"Layla?"
"Sir, you know this young lady?"
"You don't?"
"Well, I know her as much I need to. Master Holmes said her name was Layla Adler and that she is staying with us for a time until some repair work can be done to her home. He said she had just recently purchased the old family property on Baker St. But sir, how do you know her?"
"I don't really. I met her briefly a few weeks ago when I was returning to London from America at the end of my vacation. We sat in the same row. Layla, what happened?"
She could seem to catch her breath, she was gasping for air.
"Come on, let's get you into the sitting room and get you calmed down."
Lestrade had to lift her off of the floor and physically carry her into the sitting room. Once he got her in there he sat her on the sofa. Higgins ran to fix her a glass of scotch.
"Higgins, scotch?"
"Sir, I thought that after the fright she has had that water just wouldn't do."
Layla grabbed the tumbler and slammed it back in one go, leaving the two men to gawk at her.
"What?"
"Layla, would you care to explain what's going on?"
"I bought a property over on Baker Street, an old Victorian pile of bricks. It needs some work. Mr. Holmes was kind enough to allow me to stay here while I wait for the work to be done. What are you doing here?"
"You've left out a lot."
"You haven't answered my question." Layla started to get up carefully moving away from Lestrade, her breathing only marginally better.
"What are you doing here Inspector?"
"I was wrapping up at a crime scene close by and I got a text from Mycroft that someone was in distress here. And I heard you scream."
Lestrade watched her raise shaky hands to her face and rub them up and down over her eyes, trying to pull herself together. She was still trembling rather a lot. She kept looking at the TV like it was the devil himself.
Walking over to Layla, Lestrade stopped her pacing by standing in front of her; he wouldn't let her pass as she kept trying to go around him, he just held out his arms to try to block her even more.
"Don't do this." She backed down, looking around like a caged animal, and suddenly seeming even smaller than she was before.
"Layla, Mycroft Holmes sent me a text, while I was at a crime scene, and told me to get over here….that someone was in distress. I get here and you are huddled on the floor screaming and crying. I want some answers."
Nodding, Layla knew he was right.
"Higgins, I'm sorry if I alarmed you. Can you give me a few minutes with Lestrade?"
"Of course madam; if there is anything I can get for either one of you, do let me know." He made his way out of the room without another word.
"Layla, you're stalling."
"Yes, I know. Please, sit. This may take some time."
As soon as she saw him take a seat, Layla walked over to the window and started talking and pacing even more. She told him about her work in America and that she had been in the cyber-crimes division in the FBI. She went on to tell him about the case she had been working and finding her best friend murdered.
"She wasn't just murdered though. She was slaughtered. It made me think of the Black Dahlia a bit. Parts of her were slung around the room like they were garbage; blood was everywhere in the room. I could smell the death all over the place. Flavia was the only real friend I had. We had grown up in foster care together, even lived in some of the same group homes sometimes. When we first started working together, I was so happy to see her, finally a face I recognized.
You don't know what it's like to be an orphan, to grow up in foster care and know that nobody wants you. She did. We looked out for each other all the time. This time I failed her and she's gone."
"You didn't fail her though."
"How can you say that? I ignored blatant warnings from whatever madman was responsible. I didn't even warn her to be on the look-out, I never dreamed they might come after her. I wish they had come after me instead."
"You don't mean that."
"I do, I really do. I have nobody that will miss me. Nobody. She had a boyfriend. They were gonna have a baby. She was gonna be the best mom in the world. She always said that she was going to give that baby all the love that she had missed growing up. She had showed me the sonogram pictures; she let me watch the DVD the doctor made….I heard that baby's heartbeat; and now they're both gone. And I'm left here. For what?"
"Well, now, I'm your friend and I would miss you terribly." Lestrade saw Layla roll her eyes. "You don't believe me?"
"You'd be the only one." If Lestrade hadn't been watching every move she made, he would have missed the tiny, bittersweet smile that lifted one corner of Layla's lips.
"What happened that led Mycroft to send me such an urgent message?"
"I was sitting here flipping channels on the television, having no luck finding anything that grabbed my attention. I was about to turn it off when the screen flickered and went a bit fuzzy. When the picture came back there was a man that was sitting, covered over mostly in shadow so I couldn't make out any features. But I do know that he had a voice that would freeze the blood in your veins.
It was the man responsible for Flavia's death. He told me that I was sadly mistaken if I thought that having an ally like Mycroft Holmes would save my life. And he told me that since Mycroft had bothered to get in the middle of his business that Mycroft was now in danger from him as well.
I was going to run up the stairs and grab my suitcase and get out of here when I heard you knock on the door. After what I had just witnessed…I don't want anybody to die the way Flavia did. Mycroft can't be made to suffer because of me. I can't..."
Lestrade walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her while she proceeded to sob her eyes out.
In the kitchen, Higgins sent a text to Mycroft letting him know that, for now, things were back under control. After pressing send he set about starting an early dinner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Across town, a body was washing up on the bank of the Thames; it was young, female, petite, brunette, and no older than maybe 40. She wouldn't be found for hours and she was missing her extremities.
