Street, two weeks before the wedding.
A sleek black sedan stopped right next to John. The doctor sighed and got in the car. A familiar face was waiting for him. He hadn't been "kidnapped" like this for a long time. Mycroft smiled.
"Congratulations! John. In two weeks?"
"Thanks, Mycroft."
"Mary Morstan. A charming lady, working at a library?"
"Mycroft, please.. Don't. You don't need to watch me or people that I engage with any more."
The older Holmes heard the exasperation in John's voice. The doctor was supposed to be right. The only reason that Mycroft watched John was to ensure his brother's well-being. With Sherlock "gone", there was no reason for Mycroft to put surveillance on John Watson. The problem was that Sherlock didn't die, and that he had promised his younger brother to keep John safe no matter what. So he had to meet John today.
"Shall we go for a drink?"
"Just say what you have to, Mycroft. I need to size wedding rings today with Mary. Mine got tighter and hers got a little loose."
"All right. Who is Alice?"
"Mary's best friend from America. Mary asked Alice to be her bridesmaid."
"How did your fiancée meet Alice?"
"Mary used to work part-time at the shooting range that Alice's father ran in New York."
"Her last name?"
"Strangely, I've never asked."
"Alice M. McCarthy. Her father was Charles McCarthy, an army veteran with an excellent marksmanship."
"And?"
"He died when gas exploded in his house five years ago. Officially it was believed to be a gas leak."
"Believed?"
"Now the police think it was a foul play."
"Was it a murder?"
"They're investigating. Alice McCarthy is in the Yard, answering questions at this moment."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"She was engaged years ago. Her fiancée … By any chance, do you know his name?"
The doctor racked his brain for a minute and answered,
"I think it was Chard. I don't know his last name."
"Chard is a shortened name for Richard. He was Richard Brook. Ring a bell?"
John's face hardened in alarm. Of course he knew so well the bastard who had shot himself to make his best friend jump.
"Richard Brook? You mean Moriarty?"
"Yes. Richard and Alice were childhood friends; they graduated from the same primary school."
"Did Alice know that Richard was Moriarty?"
"We could only guess. Alice met Richard again at her father's funeral. Richard Brook had apparently read Mr. McCarthy's obituary in the papers. A tearful reunion...after Alice left for America years ago. Here is the police report. Her father almost adopted young Richard when the boy's parents died in a suspicious traffic accident. Icy road. Brake failure…"
John gasped in horror.
"Did he do it?"
"At that time, Richard was fourteen years old... He was off the hook easily give his age and "alibi". Moriarty that we know could've done it, but we have no proof."
John flinched, unable to fathom the mind of that maniac who might have killed his own parents. Mycroft continued,
"Something happened. Mr. McCarthy gave up adopting Richard and moved to America. Richard who was almost of age inherited his parents' fortune and disappeared for a few years. Then he started working as a supporting actor. As we had discussed, Richard Brook's official record, was exemplary after he reached adulthood: he even didn't get a traffic ticket."
Mycroft checked the incoming text, and told John.
"Alice was sent home. She's not a suspect in her father's death."
"Is it Moriarty's, too?"
"Maybe."
Damn Moriarty. You pulled the trigger three years ago and still I live in your shadow. You made him jump. It's always painful to remember him.
John cussed. Mycroft gave him a terse nod as if he knew what John was thinking. The doctor hesitated for a couple minutes, and then decided to ask,
"Mycroft. Is it okay for me to get close to someone that has a connection to Moriarty? Is Mary safe?"
Trying to keep his face blank, the older Holmes spoke slowly to reassure him.
"It was either Sherlock or his three friends. Sherlock's dead. There's no reason to believe that you are in danger, John."
John felt sorry: he shouldn't have asked: he was being selfish. Mycroft glanced at his watch, held out his hand, and said a good-bye.
"Well, I recommend your fiancée change her bridesmaid… John, I'll see you at your wedding. Thank you for the invitation."
"Of course. Well, good-bye."
John didn't know how Mycroft knew the jewelry shop, but the car dropped him off at the shopping mall that he was supposed to meet Mary. Mary waved with a big smile at the entrance. Smiling back, John tried to forget a nagging feeling.
Meanwhile, Mycroft ordered to install a few secret cameras around John's new flat just in case. He made a call to his brother in Paris. A third sniper was still on the run. The evasive Moran was still out there.