"I guess your phantom hasn't lost his mind after all, Sherlock." Mrs. Hudson beamed at the detective slumped over the kitchen table. He jolted up and rubbed his eyes.
"Did you fall asleep over you work?" Mrs. Hudson scolded. "You really should sleep in your bed, Sherlock. Or at least the couch. You could get awfully sore."
"It's fine. What is it?" Sherlock looked at the basket his landlady was holding out for him. It was similar to the one he had received the day before, but was much smaller.
Sherlock accepted it and peeked inside. "Tea?"
"Like you said yesterday, it's simply deplorable to make scones without tea." She looked at the basket of scones in the living room, still untouched. "I see you can have a proper breakfast this morning."
Sherlock nodded, retrieving one of the eight tea bags from the basket. Mrs. Hudson read him the note that had stuck out of the top of his eighth present.
Oh, how awfully rude of me!
I've gone and forgot the tea!
It was dreadful, I must say,
For me to treat you in this way.
"Well, at least he's got some manners." Sherlock mumbled, starting on his scone.
"Have you noticed?" Mrs. Hudson pointed out, "All of these funny little notes are on the same type of paper? And with the same pen and handwriting?"
"Obviously."
"Well, is that significant?"
"It's nothing of huge importance. It's common for one to have a favored writing utensil and almost identical lettering when writing. Although on the same paper…of that sort…"
"Yes?"
"They must have not had anything else to write on. It's not a commonly used paper…Oh!" Sherlock gasped, almost dropping his fresh tea. "Of course! It must have all been planned ahead of time. This person must have simply used whatever paper was near them and wrote out the notes ahead of time. Or… perhaps that was just intended to throw me off…"
"There you go, see? You're getting somewhere. I'll leave you to it." Mrs. Hudson hesitated for a moment before she walked out the door. "And eat your breakfast, you skinny thing!"
There, that rhyme was a little better. c:
Any more guesses? I'm enjoying see all your Sherlockian brains at work, I hope you are too!
