"Wilson? You are James Wilson, aren't you?" John questions, utterly confused. The man smiles slyly.
"Ah, so you do recognize me! I am indeed James Wilson. Ok, well, not exactly. But I suppose you'd know me as James Wilson. But, obviously, that's not really my name. I suppose I am not really that important right now, though."
John is furious. "So you used a murder to spy on me? Did you kill the man in the alleyway too? How heartless are you?"
Wilson interrupts John. "Shhhhhh…"
John quickly stops talking.
"Thank you, that's much better," Wilson says, "You may be angry right now, but let me remind you of something. I have a gun and a knife. You are completely unarmed. If you ask me, I'd say it would be in your best interest to refrain from angering me. Wouldn't you agree?" He grins cruelly at John.
John nods weakly. "You… you said you had a message for me, didn't you?"
"Yes. I do have a message. My orders are to read you the message, and then you can ask me questions, if you desire to do so. I don't know everything about this, though, so I probably won't be much help." John nods his head. Wilson, keeping his eyes on John, pulls a folded piece of paper from an inside pocket of his coat. He carefully unfolds it. John tries to see the writing on the paper, but Wilson shakes his head.
"No. My boss specifically told me that you are not to see the writing or hold the paper. He doesn't want any unnecessary complications. Don't try to see it. Things won't end up well for you."
John sighs. "Fine. I'm not going to try."
"Good! Now, are you listening?"
"Yes…" John is extremely uneasy. He is curious, yet worried. What if Wilson's boss is the person who killed both 'Sherlocks'? Is the same thing going to happen to him? Most of all, John wants to know what message is so urgent and secret that it would require such extreme precautions. Maybe this is good. Maybe he's going to find out something about where Sherlock is. But for some reason, John doesn't really want to know. Finding out that neither of the corpses were actually Sherlock had inspired a little bit of hope in John. What if he actually is dead? John doesn't want to feel the pain he had felt when he thought Sherlock had died.
Wilson interrupts his thoughts.
"Okay, so this is what it says. 'Hello, John. You don't know me, but I know you. I know you quite well, actually. I would introduce myself, but I suppose that I would prefer to do that in person sometime."
This sentence sends chills up John's spine. The man who murdered both 'Sherlocks' is planning on meeting him? Does this mean that he is going to be kidnapped or killed too? Wilson continues reading the letter.
"I have been keeping an eye on you lately, but I suppose you would probably have realized that by now because of the events that have just taken place. I am going to be honest. I have liked what I've seen in you. You're a very interesting person, Doctor John Watson. You are certainly a clever man. I want to see just how clever you are, and I plan on doing so.
I apologize. I'm probably confusing you by now. I suppose I should answer some of your questions. Before I do that, I must apologize for my means of delivering this message to you. I know that it is quite unconventional, but it was necessary to take extra precautions to prevent anyone else from hearing my message. I'd like to clear up some things about these murders you have been investigating. I am guessing that by know you've realized that these murders that you've been investigating aren't typical. You are probably very confused by the whole ordeal, and I don't blame you for this.
I am pleasantly surprised, however, by how well you have fared throughout the whole investigation. I was wrong about you. You are tougher than I suspected. But, anyways, I would like to clear a few things up and try to answer some of your questions.
Although you've probably guessed this by now, I would still like to tell you that the man you know as James Wilson works for me. He has worked for me the whole time that you have been investigating the murders. In fact, he has been one of my most valuable sources of information. And yes, in case you were wondering, I did hire him to get you to come to the murder scene. And that brings me to another question.
Did I kill both 'Sherlocks'?
Yes. I did.
Well, I didn't actually do it myself. But I did hire somebody to do it. Anyways, by now, you have probably realized that the corpses weren't actually Sherlock. So, it's time to answer your most pressing question. Where is the real Sherlock?"
John is nervous. He doesn't really know if he wants to find out what has happened to Sherlock. What if he actually is dead?
"I'm sure that you have been wanting to know this since the second murder. So, I will go ahead and tell you. Sherlock Holmes is not dead."
John sighs. He is relieved, but this relief doesn't last long. Sherlock is still missing.
"Now, I'm sure you are wondering something: if he's not dead, then where is he? Well, I'll tell you. I have Sherlock Holmes. I finally got him. It wasn't easy, to tell you the truth. He's extremely clever. In fact, he's almost as smart as me.
Almost, but not quite.
You are probably wondering how I managed to capture someone so intelligent. Well, I did it almost the same way that I tricked you.
A man named James Wilson showed up when you were away with Mary. He said that he had discovered a corpse in an alleyway. As you may suspect, Mr. Holmes couldn't restrain his curiosity. He came with Wilson willingly. Once they arrived, Wilson led him behind the building where you found the second victim. At that point, Sherlock had already realized that this was a trap. He tried to escape, but I had expected that and had stationed eight of my best men there. Of course, Holmes couldn't overpower that many people, and he was knocked unconscious. Then I had some of my men stage a crime scene in your flat.
And yes, Doctor Watson. They did come in through the window. I must say, your fiancée is quite observant, by the way."
'Of course they came in that way! But Lestrade wouldn't believe me…' thinks John. John thinks that it is eerie how the person who wrote the letter knew exactly what Mary had told him. Someone must have been watching the two of them the whole time they were talking.
"I am sure that you want to know how your friend is doing. He is still alive, as I have already said. I won't say much else about him. I'll leave you to your own imagination…
All I'll say is that he's finally getting the pain he deserves."
John winces, trying to suppress his own imagination. Obviously, the author of the letter was trying to get in his head, and John doesn't want to let him.
"So, now, I suppose the question is this: what's next? Well, I can promise you one thing. The worst is yet to come. Listen closely, because what you are about to hear is extremely important.
There will be more. You are going to keep finding more 'Sherlocks'. There are going to be more victims.
Do you want to prevent this from happening? I'm assuming that you do want to save more people, right? Well, there are a few things that you have to do. First of all, I need all investigation on this case to stop completely. Now, don't take this the wrong way. I'm not scared of Scotland Yard. They aren't really a threat to me.
But, I suppose you have learned a little bit from Holmes. Scotland Yard probably has too. And that could be a bit dangerous. I'm not afraid of any of you, but I do want privacy. Additionally, I want money. It you give me enough money, I might consider releasing Holmes. I know that you want that. I would strongly advise that you consider my demands.
Because there's one last thing.
I've already told you that there will be more murdered 'Sherlocks'.
But if you don't hurry, one of the dead 'Sherlocks' that you find is going to be the body of the real Sherlock Holmes.
And once he's dead, you'll be next."
Thanks for reading Encore! I hope you have liked it! I really appreciate any suggestions, comments, and reviews!
Nimara Portmac- I'm glad you are enjoying the story! Thank you for your reviews ;-)