In New Scotland Yard, Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade sat at his desk. In his hands was a letter from Mycroft, who knew that the inspector was one of the few people that Sherlock could consider as an ally of his. It had been hand delivered to him by one of Mycroft's men. The letter spoke about his previous encounter with the Black Lotus Tong and that they were coming after him and John to get revenge. Lestrade sighed to himself. He knew that Sherlock had made enemies in the past, but he knew in his gut that someone was going to get seriously hurt this time.
"Sir, we've got a call. There's been a body found." a woman's voice suddenly piped up, interrupting his thoughts. The voice belonged to Sergeant Sally Donovan, one of his colleagues.
"Gender, location of body, and who found it?" he asked.
"Female, Lauriston Gardens, and two girls found it." she replied. Lestrade felt his stomach knot. This sounded very familiar to the last of a series of murders he had investigated with Sherlock a few years back. "Sir, are you alright?" Donovan asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Get a team ready and head to the crime scene. I'll meet you there; need to head to Baker Street first." Lestrade replied.
Donovan nodded, knowing why he was heading to a different location. "Let's get moving." she commanded to some officers.
Meanwhile, Sherlock sat in his flat, deep in thought about the first time he'd encountered the Black Lotus Tong. It had been an encounter that had almost cost John his life, and he knew that they would be after him to get their vengeance. At that moment, he saw flashing lights which meant only one thing; there was a murder. Sherlock turned as he heard footsteps running up to his flat, the footsteps belonging to Lestrade. "Where is it?" he asked.
"Lauriston Gardens; it's the same place where the body of Jennifer Wilson was found." Lestrade replied. "Donovan's gone ahead to secure the crime scene." he added.
Sherlock looked unhappy at the mention of Donovan's name. "You know how well Donovan and I get along." he grimaced.
"I know, but I'll make sure she stays out of your way. Will you and John come to investigate?" he asked.
Sherlock sighed. "Fine, it's better than being bored here all day." he replied.
"Thank you." Lestrade smiled, looking relieved that he'd agreed to help with the investigation. He made his way downstairs to head to the crime scene.
Sherlock sent John a text asking him to meet him at Lauriston Gardens. A smile spread across his face. "And so the game begins." he grinned to himself. He grabbed his coat and scarf and started to head downstairs. "Mrs. Hudson, I'm heading out. A new crime scene's appeared. It seems someone wants to settle the score." he called to Mrs. Hudson.
"Do be careful out there, Sherlock dear." Mrs Hudson called back as he walked by her flat.
"Why try to be careful? It's much more fun taking risks!" Sherlock smirked, a mischievous look in his eyes. As he left 221B Baker Street, he hailed for a cab and departed for Lauriston Gardens.
Eventually, Sherlock arrived at the crime scene. John was already waiting for him. "I don't know about you, Sherlock, but I'm getting a serious case of déjà vu here..." John shivered, looking a little worried.
"Oh relax, you're fine. Déjà vu is your body's reaction to the weakness of melancholy." Sherlock replied, dismissing John's worry. The two men headed upstairs to where the body was laying. Police officers were gearing up to investigate the crime scene. Sherlock noticed that Donovan was keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings. "Sergeant Donovan." he nodded in greeting.
"Holmes." Donovan nodded back in reply. "Well, this must bring up memories." she grinned.
Sherlock didn't reply as he went to investigate the body. "Everyone, move out of the way for a few minutes." Lestrade ordered his officers.
Once Lestrade had gotten everyone out of the crime scene, Sherlock knelt down next to the body of the woman lying dead before them. He noticed immediately that she was newly engaged from the shine from the ring on her ring finger. As he looked over her body, he made more deductions; she wore smart formal clothing that looked very modest, which suggested she probably worked with media as a producer or preferred to work behind the scenes. He noticed scuff marks on her nails which suggested she had tried to defend herself from the killer. But there was something else on the crime scene that he recognised immediately; a black lotus made from origami. "John, I need you to take a look at the body." Sherlock announced.
Pulling on some protective gloves, John knelt down and had a closer look at the woman's body. "Oh, sweetheart, what happened to you?" he whispered sadly. He noticed that she had bruising around her neck which was consistent with strangulation. Slightly turning the body, he noticed that someone had carved a lotus into her torso. "Oh, Jesus Christ..." he croaked, looking like he was about to be sick.
Sherlock looked unfazed, but seemed to be intrigued by the carving. "Now this is new..." he mused, having a closer look.
"That's all you have to say?! 'This is new...'?!" John spluttered, looking alarmed at his friend's lack of concern.
"Don't you see the significance?" Sherlock asked. "The black lotus origami was a message left by the Black Lotus Tong last time. But the fact that the body has a carving of a lotus can only mean one thing; the motive for this game has changed. The killer's warming up for something bigger." he explained.
Lestrade walked in as soon as Sherlock had finished his main deductions. "We checked for anything that might give us some clues and found her purse and personal belongings in a rubbish bin. Victim's name is Annie Bridges. She lives in the Camden area." he announced. "Alright, what've you got for me?" he asked.
"She was newly engaged, going by the shine of her ring. She worked in media but preferred to work in production, from the look of her clothing. Her nails show signs of self defence, which means she tried to fight off her attacker." he began. "She has bruises on her neck, which means she was strangled to death. Her torso, however, tells a different story. The carving was made after her death, which means the killer must have wanted to leave a message...or was unsatisfied until he or she saw some bloodshed." he continued.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Lestrade asked.
"We're looking for a killer who has a taste for blood." Sherlock replied.
"Wait a second, Sherlock. Didn't Mycroft mention that the new leader of the Black Lotus Tong has a love for blood?" John remembered.
"Yes, that means if she's the killer, it'll only be a matter of time until her next victim..." Sherlock nodded, looking solemn for a moment. He then clapped his hands together. "We have a serial killer on our hands, brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Lestrade, locate anyone who knew Annie closely. John, contact Molly and let her know she has a new addition to St. Bart's morgue." he called, running downstairs.
John watched him go. "Now that part; that wasn't a case of déjà vu." he sighed as he dug out his phone.