Act 3: The Adventure of the Seized Niece
Opening Scene: The New Scotland Yard office of Detective Inspector Gregory Lestrade.
Sherlock: (To Lestrade) It has been confirmed that Miss Devereux's friend Lucy Hannibal has been abducted in France. This group is after Laura as well. She needs to be placed in a safe house under guard at once. Mrs. Hudson and Laura's employer must be informed.
Laura: (Weakly) This will devastate Aunt Betty.
Sherlock: At some point we will have to reassure her. Have Miss Hannibal's parents been informed?
Lestrade: We have officers interviewing them now.
(Two sergeants arrive to lead Laura away and John squeezes her hand reassuringly. She impulsively hugs him. She glances at Sherlock, but he seems too busy talking to Lestrade to notice she's leaving.)
John: You're in good hands. Everything will work out, you'll see.
(Laura leaves with the police officers.)
Scene 2: The unmarked police van containing Laura is shown leaving the Scotland Yard garage. The van pulls into traffic. Shot of Laura inside with a policewoman and the driver. Stopped at a light, two masked men dressed in black and wearing ski masks, exit a car behind the van. They both have electronic car lock forcers, which they use. They taze both the driver and policewoman and grab Laura who initially screams and struggles, but one of the assailants is shown jabbing her with a hypodermic needle. Laura loses consciousness and is carried to the idling car, laid in the back seat and the car drives over a curb and down an alley to get away. Scene 3: Sherlock and John arrive at Lucy Hannibal's house in Knightsbridge. Police personnel are milling about both inside and out, including Sgt. Donovan. Sgt. Donovan: Hello again Freak.
Sherlock: Good evening, Sally. Working hard, I see. You haven't even had time to pick up your dry cleaning, judging from the red wine stain on your lapel.
Sandy: (Snidely) And why should you be so interested in my lapels?
Sherlock: Don't flatter yourself.
(Lestrade trots up.)
Lestrade: I've just been informed that the security van that was taking Laura to the safe house was ambushed. Both guards were overpowered.
Sherlock: (Furious) They've got her?
Lestrade: They've got her.
Sherlock: (Seething) Nothing at the border crossings?
Lestrade: Border crossings?
Sherlock: Oh for God's sake Lestrade, think! This obviously is an international group. Secure all the border crossings at once! Come on, John.
(They enter the house. Lucy Hannibal's parents are huddled together on a sofa being interviewed by police, but Sherlock isn't interested in them. He heads straight for Lucy's bedroom.)
John: Sherlock, don't you need a warrant to search their home?
(Not answering, Sherlock does an overall visual scan and then starts rummaging through the girl's bureau drawers.)
John: What on earth are you looking for?
Sherlock: The locket. It has to be here.
John: What, Laura's locket? Why?
Sherlock: Oh John, use your imagination! The locket is the only thing that links these two girls to their kidnappers. Lucy was abducted because last night the men watching our flat saw her leave wearing it. She obviously didn't take it to France or Laura would not have been kidnapped too. Therefore it must be here somewhere. (He steps into the bathroom and spies the locket sitting in a dish on the sink.) Ah! Here it is. She took it off to shower and probably in a hurry to leave, forgot to pack it. (He examines the locket minutely, first with his naked eyes and next with his high-powered lens. He examines the back and then the inside.) There's something here. There has to be. (He pulls out a small multipurpose knife and gently pries the small photo out of the locket.) Ahhhhh, I knew it! Look, John!
John: What is it?
Sherlock: (Points at a tiny piece of cellophane no more than .4 inch square that was hidden behind the photo of the two girls.) It looks like a microdot. A photocopy of something. Someone hid it there with the intention of retrieving it later, but was prevented for some reason, perhaps because Miss Devereux rarely took it off.
John: (Murmurs) Her name is Laura, Sherlock.
Sherlock: It may be the evidence that will solve this whole case!
John: Shouldn't we tell Lestrade?
Sherlock: No! No, John. Microdots are commonly used in cases of espionage and that is not Lestrade's jurisdiction. Leave Lestrade to find Miss Devereux. Mycroft is the one we need to see now. And as you know, he owes me a few favors.