Chapter 2
Several phone calls
The next morning.
John had just fallen asleep again for a short time, when he was awoke by his ringtone. It was 'Highway to Hell'. Not really the kind of music John habitually listened to, but he couldn't bare any music that wasn't loud and hard at the moment. Furthermore the song quite suited his situation.
„Hmm." he responded drowsy, without checking the display for who actually was the caller.
„Morning John! It's me, Greg. - Er, are you alright?"
„Hmhm." John muttered for affirmation.
„So,...er...look...so...you do have plenty of time at the moment, don't you?"
„Why?", he asked surprised.
„Well, there's a lot going on here and Anderson is busy and..." Lestrade hemmed and hawed „well, to cut a long story short: Could you help us out on a case with your medical knowledge?"
„Greg, I'm fine. You can stop involving me in pseudo-cases purposely, just to besides give me advice on how to cope with my grief. The one about going out by the way was the only one that worked."
Within the first time after Sherlock's death, Lestrade occasionally had called John and sent him to crime scenes, because he worried about him and wanted to see, how he coped with his situation. But in recent times John withdrew more and more and the contact almost broke.
„No, no, it's not a pseudo-case this time, I promise!", Lestrade tried to persuade John „there's really a shortage of staff at ours. Please! I don't want to work together with a forensic freshman, who has no conception of police work and accidentally destroys all my evidence while experimenting with the corpse."
Ok, that was understandable, John admitted. Apart from that, his life currently only consisted of therapy sessions, alcohol and his vainly nocturnal struggle against his nightmares.
Finally he gave in: „Fine. But this is the last time, ok?"
„Yes, understood. Good, we'll pick you up in about half an hour. You don't need to take anything with you, we'll provide all the equipment necessary.", Lestrade explained.
John confirmed to Lestrade that he had understood him. Then he said goodbye and hung up.
This would probably be his last contribution to the work of Scotland Yard. He had decided to begin an entirely new life and to forget everything that had happened. But he knew himself good enough to know that this attempt would, like all the others in recent times, fail this evening in some filthy London pub.
„Holmes", Sherlock responded just a split second after Lestrade had dialed his number.
„It's Lestrade. I got a case for you. It's about the murder of a well-known drug dealer. - Yeah, I know it's not very exciting." he added when he hear Sherlock sigh at the other end. „But I can't get you another one. The corpse has been discovered this morning by some strollers on the waterfront of the Thames just near the northern end of Battersea Bridge. We're sending a special commission. John will be there, too, I told him off for forensics. But how do you want to show up there without people hitting the panic button?"
„Plainly by not showing up there at all."
„What? You wanted to work on that case!", Lestrade shouted.
„Yes, I'm gonna do that. But I surely won't show up in front of your whole naughty team and start analysing the crime scene. I'm gonna take a backseat first. Don't worry: Nevertheless it won't be a problem for me to make my deductions."
Lestrade took a deep breath to quash his anger. Then he asked: „So what about John now? If your not gonna show up, it wouldn't have been necessary to call him at all!"
„I'm gonna take care of that myself. Will Donovan be part of your Supercrew?"
„No", Lestrade replied „we had a little...disagreement."
„Did she quit, because she discovered that she gets paid less than it's her due in her position? Did it came to her mind, that her disgusting character might be the reason for that?"
„No, and it's not because of her character. She simply doesn't work enough. Anyway, what's that to you?"
„So, see you later.", Sherlock Holmes bowed out.