Chapter 5

August 1994

Jim sits at a desk going though papers in front of him. On some of them are blueprints and others are notes on security features. A phone rings in another room but Jim ignores it concentrating on the papers in front of him. 'JIM?' a man's voice with an Irish lilt to it floats through the door. Seconds later a knock sounds at Jim's bedroom door. 'Jim?' Jim puts down his papers and rises from his desk chair. He glances around the room and deems it tidy enough. He unlocks his door and opens it.

'How's the planning coming along?' Jim shrugs. He steps back and lets his foster father enter his room carrying a phone with the mouthpiece covered. 'Phone.' Jim reaches out for the phone and Jared Moriarty hands it to him.

''lo?'

'Very eloquent Jimmy.' Irene's voice spills out of the phone's speaker.

'Rene?'

'Course. Wow you sound so Irish.' Jim laughs

'I do live in Dublin, Rene. You can't talk you sound posh.'

'Belgravia darling. What do you expect?' the two of them pause. Jim glances at Jared looking around his room. 'Jimmy?'

'Yeah Rene?'

'Is there a chance that you might be in London in the next fortnight?'

'Wait a sec.' he turns to face Jared. 'Sir, might we be able to go to London?' Jared turns to face Jim.

'When?'

'For my birthday?'

'Wondered when you'd ask. Bit late now.' Jim watches Jared as he goes through the papers on Jim's desk. Jim's shoulders slump slightly. Jared straightens, turns and looks Jim in the eye. He smirks. 'We leave in three days to spend two weeks there.' Jim smiles brightly.

'Rene, we'll be there in three days.' Irene's cheer is clearly audible for Jared to hear on the opposite side of the room. Jim giggles slightly. 'I want lots of presents from you Rene.'

'Don't be cheeky James.' Jared admonishes him.

'See you on the weekend Rene. I've got to go, work to do and all that.'

'Wait what are you doing?'

'Learning the business.'

Irene hangs the phone down and walks into her sitting room and replaces the handset on the base. 'Rene?' her foster mother's soft voice floats into the room. Irene walks to the door and looks up the stairs.

'Yes?'

'I need your help darling.' The woman smiles and Irene darts back into the sitting room and remerges carrying a camera. Irene climbs the stairs towards her guardian. Irene is lead to the back bedroom. A couple of hours later, Irene creeps out of the room and scuttles down the stairs clutching the camera to her chest. She darts into the sitting room and hides the camera. She tidies her hair and straightens her clothes before walking out into the hall. A man in military uniform walks down the stairs followed by Irene's guardian rubbing his wrists.

'What you looking at squirt?' The woman slaps the officer's head. Irene just smiles at the military man and offers him his coat and satchel.

'General.'

'Same time next month General Watson?'

'Of course Miss Sophia Adler.' The general turns and kisses the hand of Sophia Adler. He glares at Irene as their maid opens the door and he exits. The maid closes the door and walks past Sophia and Irene into the kitchen.

'Camera?'

'In the safe.' Sophie twists to look at Irene

'In the safe?'

'You showed me where it was. It only took me ten minutes to work out the most likely combination.' Irene looks down at her perfectly manicured hands and smiles up at Sophia.

'When you're old enough treasure, you and I will be formidable. School work my little genius.' Irene walks into the other room opposite the sitting room to complete her schoolwork. 'When's Jim getting here?'

'The weekend.'

Sherlock sits at the kitchen table with his chemistry set recording the reactions of various substances with a particular acid. Mycroft enters the kitchen behind Sherlock who ignore his presence. Mycroft walks around to the opposite side of the table and slams his coursework on the top jolting the test tubes. 'Careful Mycroft!' He protests

'Sorry Sherlock.' Mycroft hisses. Sherlock glances up at Mycroft tone. He raises an eyebrow at the state of Mycroft's face. 'Don't. Say. A. Thing.' Sherlock replaces the test tube he's holding into the stand before slipping off his chair and retrieving the first aid kit. He also removes some ice from the freezer and wraps it in a towel. He gives it to his brother to put on his eye and nose. 'Where's Mummy?'

'Gone to see Mrs Nelson in town.' Mycroft hisses as Sherlock dabs at the cuts on Mycroft's face with antiseptic. 'Don't be a wimp.'

'It stings.'

'Not that much.' Sherlock glances at his chemical reactions. His face becomes delighted and he darts around the table to jot more notes down. 'Brilliant, brilliant.' He goes back to Mycroft and finishes cleaning his brother's face and hands. Mycroft throws a weary glance at the chemicals with his good eye. Sherlock catches it. 'Don't worry, I haven't used any corrosives or irritants.' Sherlock moves over to a counter and reaches up for tin. He places it on the counter and takes out a half-eaten cake.

'Should you be eating that?'

'Mummy said we could each have a slice when you got back.' Sherlock looks at his brother. 'I think you could do with one.' Mycroft chuckles before grabbing his ribs. Sherlock looks at him worriedly. 'Who did this?'

'The elder Pycroft twins.' Sherlock's face drops. The elder set of Pycroft twins were a year older than Mycroft and were as strong as Mycroft was smart. The younger pair of Pycroft twins didn't have as much strength as their elder brothers but were smarter for it. They were also the same age as Sherlock. All four of those boys deemed it their life's work to make Sherlock's and Mycroft's lives as difficult as possible since they moved to the village of Hindhead three year previously. Sherlock replaces the cake in the tin.

'Sherlock?' Mycroft wheezes.

'You need a hospital.' Sherlock stares at his brother. 'They nearly cracked my ribs. You're worse than I was.' Sherlock scurries out of the kitchen to find their house phone.

'Call Mummy.'

'Mummy? Someone has beaten Mycroft up. I think he needs the hospital… yes Mummy I'm going to do it after talking to you… no he hasn't… he refuses to. Yes Mummy.' In the kitchen Mycroft listens to Sherlock talking on the phone to their mother. 'Yes Mummy, right away Mummy.' Sherlock hangs up the phone before taking it back down. 'Hello? My brother has been beaten up and needs an ambulance. Our address is 3 Beech Court Hindhead. He's wheezing and sometimes clutches his ribs on the right side. I think his leg might be injured too… no I'm eight and half he's fifteen… Mummy isn't here right now but she's coming. Okay the door will be open.' Mycroft listens to Sherlock hang up the phone again before running to the door to prop it open. He heads back to the kitchen to clear up his experiments. He empties all the test tubs into a plastic bowl before placing them in another bowl. He rummages around in the cupboard under the sink and sprinkles a white powder over the bowl with the chemicals in. the contents of the bowl fizz for a couple of moments before settling. Sherlock waits for a couple for moments before empties the contents into the sink.

'Should you be doing that?'

'What? No, it fine now. I neutralised the acids so I just tipped water down the sink really. Violet strides though the door and appraises her eldest.

'Who hit you?' Mycroft flinches and clutches his ribs in pain. Violet looks t her youngest. 'When is the ambulance getting here?'

'Any minute now.' On cue an ambulance backs onto their driveway and two paramedics jump out. Violet heads to the door and opens it fully knocking the prop out of the way.

'In the kitchen.' She directs them to her injured son.

Jim and Jared walk along a street in a well-off neighbourhood in London. Jim glances at each street name and house number. Jared notices and places his hand on Jim's shoulder. 'We need to see a client first before you can go and see your sister.'

'I know.' Jim replies calmly. 'I'm just memorising the area, planning ahead.' Jared laughs and squeezes Jim's shoulder. 'What number do we need?'

'494.' Jim points to a house just ahead of them on the opposite side of the road.

'It's that one.' Jared steers Jim over the road and they knock on the door.

Two hours later Jim and Jared emerge from the house of their client. Jim's expression is intrigued while Jared's expression is annoyed. 'Sorry about that Jim I thought that it would be more interesting.' Jim shrugs not really paying attention to Jared. Jared glances at his adopted son and tests whether or not Jim had been paying attention by suddenly stopping in the street. Jim walks on a few yards before stopping and turning back to Jared. Jim grins sheepishly and Jared resumes his walking and Jim falls into step next to his new father.

'Did I ever thank you for adopting me?'

'Not as such, your help and advice speaks volumes.' Jim smiles. 'Go on, you have opinions.'

'Are you going to solve the problem?'

'Maybe.' Jim glances up at Jared's face. 'He has a gossip's reputation.' Jim grins slyly. Jared guides Jim into a nearby café. The two of them sit at a table opposite each other. 'Well?' He demands.

'Did you see the pictures on the mantle.'

'His wife and children, so?'

'What about the ones on the dresser in the corner of the room?'

'There weren't any.'

'Not while we were there. Nor I would presume when he has any company in that house.'

'That house?'

'It didn't seemed lived in. No toys, no papers only a few photos, for appearance purposes.'

'Blackmail.'

'His reputation is unwarranted. He keeps at least two houses and earns at least 750,000 per year.' Jim and Jared grin slyly.

'We can get a decent amount from of him.' The two of them drain their drinks and leave the café. Ten minutes later finds them outside another house in the same neighbourhood and ringing the bell.

'How can I help you?'

'Jimmy for Rene.' Jim speaks into the intercom as the door clicks open. Jim grins and pushes the door open. He and Jared step into the tastefully decorated entrance hall. Irene flies down the stairs and launches herself into her twin brother's arms.

'JIMMY!' She shrieks. Jim laughs at her.

'Rene, you don't need to shout in his ear.' Sophia chastises as Irene takes a small step back with a small smile.

'Sorry, Jimmy.' Jim pulls her back in for another hug. She whispers in his ear 'I'm adopted now. Sophia's now my mother.'

'Me too.' He whispers back. Over the head of the twins Sophia gestures for Jared to enter the sitting room. He enters the room and Sophia follows him in.

'Rene says her birth mother is dead, is this true?'

'No. I did some research last year and as far as their mother and brothers are concerned Irene and James are still living in Guildford with their father.'

'You aren't going to tell him?'

'No. You?'

'No. Ignorance is bliss and all that.'