Note: Shorter chapter, this one. It has a transitional character; that's why I decided upon a double update today. Big thanks go to all you constant reviewers. I'm so thankful for your comments, they really keep me going :) Enjoy reading.
Sherlock had spent the rest of Saturday night flicking through the newsletters from Molly again. Every 20 minutes he stood up, paced across the room, played some tune on the violin and sat back in his armchair, redirecting his attention to the mails again.
He had only gone to bed in the early hours of Sunday morning and woken with the lingering memory of the now rather familiar dream of Molly being dragged away from him. This time, she was wearing the necklace with the microscope pendant and Sherlock recognized the man grabbing her as David. The detective got out of bed fast and quickly showered and dressed. Throwing the dark coat over his shoulders, he passed John in the kitchen. Only nodding towards him, he left his friend to have breakfast alone. Forcing himself to think about the missing bodies, and nothing else, he wandered through the streets aimlessly.
Cursing his sub consciousness, Sherlock suddenly stopped when he realised he'd turned a corner and was standing in Molly's street. He wanted to go back right away when he saw her at the other end, two Tesco bags in her hands. She was looking grim. The bags appeared to be heavy. Sherlock thought about sprinting towards her and helping with the bags before deciding against it. He quickly turned around and vanished without her having noticed him. After glancing at his watch, Sherlock smiled and quickened his pace.
It's only 9.30 a.m. If David had stayed over she wouldn't already be up and doing what seems to be her weekly shopping.
After five minutes he raised his arm and, as if by magic, a cab appeared immediately. Settling on the backseat contently, Sherlock ordered the driver to bring him back to Baker Street.
_.:0:._
It was late afternoon when John's phone rang. Up until then he could do nothing concerning the case and was beginning to understand Sherlock's immense boredom when something wasn't progressing fast enough.
"Dr Watson, hello," said Sergeant Cooper, "I'm not one to say 'I told you so', but we didn't find inconsistencies in any other funeral home. It seems like your… friend was wrong."
John didn't like the way he pronounced 'friend' but let it slide. "Hm," he said, not convinced and trying to remember the last time Sherlock had been wrong – about anything. He couldn't recall a single instant. "And what about this Dr Knight? Did you find him yet?" he asked.
"No, unfortunately, he is still missing. His wife has no clue where he could be. Says, he isn't the type of man to stay away for so long. Says he's generally rather domestic. Colleagues weren't so mild in describing him. They use the word 'boring' instead. Does Mr Holmes have any hints concerning the men who took the bodies yet? I don't want to sound impatient… but he has been advertised as rather quick with results. And so far…"
John frowned. I bet you'd still be totally in the dark without his help, you git. Sherlock interjected at this point and took the phone out of John's hand.
"Tomorrow evening I will have more information on Knight and hopefully on where to look for the rest of the bodies. Until then, look out for limping men and monitor the hospital. If Knight is part of this, he cannot be the only one. It's too much of an effort for a single – commonplace - mind," he explained. Then, he ended the call without another word and tossed John's phone back to him.
"Why tomorrow evening? Do we have some appointment that will give us access to more information?"
"I'm meeting Molly for coffee and she assured me to find out more about Max Knight and his father in law until then."
John quickly turned his head and looked Sherlock in the eyes for a while. "You are having coffee with Molly? Did I hear that right or did I imagine the sentence? And what is important about Knight's father in law?"
"You did indeed hear me. You said she is my friend and that I should treat her likewise. She will gain information concerning the case and tell me about what she found out during coffee. I like coffee and I like progressing in cases. With this arrangement, I don't have to waist much time and can do many things I like at once." Plus, David hates me and thinks I'm stealing her back from him. "Do you see a problem in this approach?" John only shook his head. "As for Max Knight's father in law. The newsletters sarcastic style of writing strongly suggests that Max is very dependant on the goodwill of this man. He got the pathologist a rather well paid job he would not have gotten under normal circumstances. Very soon, the older man also got him a promotion (accompanied by a much bigger pay check)."
John didn't quite know what to make of Sherlock's sudden social aspirations. Essentially, he supported the idea of his friend starting to interact with other human beings on a casual level. But, there was something nagging him about that. It just felt so un-Sherlock! Somehow he suspected a hidden agenda in every action of the detective. Then there was this sudden obsession with Molly. The doctor really hoped that Sherlock wouldn't decide to play some cruel games with her and her feelings. In this respect she was vulnerable.
"Sherlock, please don't make Molly end it with this man just because you can and because you like to be the centre of her attention, ok?" When his roommate started to frown and opened his mouth for an answering tirade, John shushed him and added, "you don't need to explain anything or try to convince me your intentions are others. It's fine if they are. I just want to make myself clear here. It is not right to risk Molly's happiness for your vanity or to end some minor discomfort."
Sherlock looked at John for a while. Then, he just nodded slowly and turned around to grab his violin again.