A/N: In case anyone was wondering, it's Fourth Doctor. It came earlier than expected... Constructive criticism again please?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plotline. You asked me before!
Chapter 1
Sherlock came out of the front door of 221 Baker St to see a small robot dog with K-9 marked on it's side trundling along the foot path. He stared for a moment before rushing after it. "Hey you! K-9?!". It stopped and turned around before rolling back. "Yes, my name is K-9. Yours?" it questioned. "Sherlock. Alright then, K-9. I've never met a robot dog before, especially not one formerly from a hospital and in the possession of a rather eccentric personage," Sherlock remarked. "I am in the possession of nobody," K-9 said coldly. "Alright then, currently travelling with a rather eccentric personage.". "I believe he is generally considered to be eccentric, as you say. I am currently 'scouting out the territory', so if you would let me on my way?" "Alright then, off you go," said Sherlock incredulously.
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As K-9 glided down the street, his attention was attracted by a commotion at a tall building on his left side. "Police! Let me through!" an intelligent-looking, brown-eyed man with salt-and-pepper hair was calling, flashing his badge as he moved through the crowd. He was followed shortly by Sherlock and a shorter, sandy-haired man. As they went into the building, K-9 followed them.
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Inside the building, the body of a young man stabbed repeatedly in the chest lay on the floor with a briefcase beside him. The room was a sophisticated modern lobby with glass panes and leather couches dotted around. All the potted palms had been dragged up to hide the body. As K-9 came in, Sherlock was crouching by the body. The apparent policeman started recounting the facts. "The body was discovered this morning by a clerk who'd come in early to open up. Her first instinct, apparently was not to call the police or scream, but to hide the body, which is why the plants are there. She then called us, and we called you. So, what's your guess?" "I do not 'guess'." said Sherlock coldly. "Alright, alright," said the policeman, holding his hands up in a traditional (for this planet and time) gesture of surrender. "What's your deduction?" "The victim was a museum caretaker bringing a valuable artifact back from….," there was a slight pause as he looked over the body "South Africa." He decided. "He was in his early 30's, recently divorced, so obviously not the type of person to think his relationships over carefully before committing to them. I'd suggest you find his divorcée. He was stabbed in the chest 36 times, indicating his killer was rather angry, which places the motive as most likely jealousy, revenge or both. As to cause of death… John?" he asked, gesturing to the shorter man. He came over and studied the body. Very quickly he exclaimed and looked up. "Ok, as odd as it might seem, this man was not killed by the knife to the chest. He was strangled beforehand, and then stabbed in the chest very shortly afterwards. Sherlock, I'm not even going to ask about the rest, but caretaker bringing a valuable artifact back?". "I was going to say well done, but then you didn't get that. Oh well, well done for the rest. The briefcase is top security, but there are scuffs on either side of it, and he seems the sort of man who'd take good care of his things. That indicates it was dragged between two narrow aisles of seats a few times. There is wear on the handle consistent with a chain being strapped to it. Conclusion: he was carrying something so valuable it had to be chained to him, most likely to his wrist, on a long enough flight, probably about 12 hours (which, plus the tan, indicates South Africa as the most likely place. There are other things as well, but I won't go into them.), that he had to get up quite a few times, most likely to go to the bathroom. As for his profession, his suit is expensive, as are his shoes, which indicates the he was in a well-paid job where he didn't usually have to do much physical work. And yet he was bringing back an artifact from a Third World country. It's been raining heavily around the airport lately, but his suit is relatively dry, indicating he went home and changed before he came here, which suggests that he was in a position where his public appearance mattered. The only position which fits all the criteria is museum caretaker.". He sighed. "Must I explain everything?". The policeman looked up. "We get it, you're smarter than us. And no, as John said, you don't have to explain the rest. We've been around you long enough to understand it." "It was a rhetorical question, Lestrade." The three walked out. K-9 slowly followed them out. This man, Sherlock, he intrigued him.