Hard Work

I worked on the papers throughout the rest of the day, and by the time John knocked on my door to collect them, I had them all sorted.

"Good evening Emily!" He said when I opened the door.

"Good evening. Here's your papers. Sorted by time and date." I said, handing him the stack.

"Great! Thank you. Do you mind if I come in for a minute?" he asked, as he tucked the papers under his arm.

"Sure, come in."

He came in and sat down at my table.

"So, Emily. I have another task for you, but this one is much bigger." He said as he shifted in the chair.

"I'll do it." I said, prepared for anything he was going to throw at me.

"I want you to work on a case."

"What?!" I asked, baffled. "But you said you didn't want me to help with cases."

"I know, I know, but you seem so interested in detective work. And I could really use your help on this one. Sherlock won't take it because he doesn't think it's worth his time, so I need someone to work on it with me." He said looking at me thoughtfully.

"Well, of course I'll do it! What's the case about?" I said excitedly.

"That's just it. I don't really know."

"What do you mean?"

"There's been a dozen deaths over this past month, but not one suspect has been found for any of them. The police think that they aren't related since the bodies are found in different towns, but I beg to differ. On all of the bodies, there was a piece of paper found somewhere on them. It says nothing. It's blank. But I think it could lead to the killer. But neither the police, nor Sherlock will listen to my reason."

"Wow. Well, I'll try to help you out. What can I do?"

"You can start by seeing if there's any connection to a blank piece of paper. Maybe there's some myth with it, or possibly other serial killers have used it in the past."

"Ok." I said as I pulled my lab top out. "I'll get right on it."

"In the meantime, I'll be upstairs. If you find anything, just knock." He smiled, and left back upstairs.

I searched for hours, but I couldn't find anything that added up to the murders. I reluctantly shut my lab top, and went up the stairs to tell John I hadn't found anything important. I went to knock on the door, and John immediately opened it.

"Find anything?"

"Nothing. I have no idea what it could mean."

"Hm, well, I found a few people that could lead us to the suspect. I was thinking that we could split up tomorrow, and interview them. We can see if they know anything."

John handed me twelve photos of the people we were to interview the following day.

"Pick six of these people to interview. Look up some background information on them before hand to see if any of them have had any felonies. I'll take the ones you don't want." He said, as I searched through the papers. I decided on an old lady, a young man about my age, two middle aged women, and two older men to interview. I started my research on John's computer immediately, and wrote down all my notes for each person. Shortly later, Sherlock came inside the apartment. I was waiting for him to act like I wasn't there, or shove my papers off the counter, but he didn't. I turned to face him to see why he wasn't saying anything. He stood with his back against the door, and his face was pale. His eyes flickered from me to John, but he stayed silent.

"Sherlock? What's the matter?" John asked worriedly.

"John, may I speak to you in private."

I took the hint and began grabbing my things to head for the door, but Sherlock grabbed me by my shoulders.

"You are not to leave this apartment until I say so." Sherlock said, gripping my shoulders harder. "Stay here."

Before I could say anything, he dragged John into the other room, and left me alone in the kitchen. I sighed and gingerly touched my shoulders where he gripped me. A moment later, the two men emerged. They were both pale in the face now. I looked to John for an answer, but he turned away. I sat in silence watching them for a good minute before I spoke up.

"Sherlock? Can I go back downstairs yet?" I asked, annoyed that neither of them were talking to me. I got no answer back from him, but John finally talked.

"Emily, I think it's best if you stayed up here tonight. Sherlock doesn't feel like its safe for you to be alone right now. He found some evidence that is alarming."

"Well, I feel like I should have the right to go back downstairs if I want to, whether or not if there's evidence. Now if you'll excuse me." I took the photos, and went for the door. But this time, John grabbed me. His grip on me was softer, but I still couldn't move.

"Please miss Emily. Sherlock and I know what we're doing, and we know it's best for you to stay up here for tonight. Please." John pleaded. His voice was so soothing that I had to give in. I sighed, and relaxed. John hesitantly let go of me when he felt that I stopped resisting.

"Alright. I'll stay here for the night." I said, as I walked toward the sofa. "But I would like to know what's going on."

"I promise that I'll tell you everything in the morning." John said, as he grabbed blankets and pillows from a cabinet. He draped the blanket across me, and put the pillow behind my head. He sat in the armchair opposite me, and put a blanket over himself. I heard Sherlock walking back and forth, and when I looked over the sofa, I saw that he was pacing in front of the front door.

"Really John? You two are seriously watching me all night to make sure I don't leave?"

"Emily, we are not watching you. We are keeping you safe. Please just cooperate."

I let out a very loud sigh before I turned my back to him, and buried my face into the sofa.

I tried to sleep but it was hard getting any rest when Sherlock was making so much noise. But his pacing became rhythmic, and it almost lulled me to sleep when he suddenly stopped.

"Is she asleep?"

"Let me check."

I felt his warm hand press lightly against my neck to find my pulse. I tried to slow my breathing to make it look like I was in a deep sleep. After a moment, John withdrew his hand, and pulled my blanket tighter around me.

"She's fast asleep."

"Good. Make sure she stays in here. I'm going down to her apartment."

"No Sherlock!" John said. "We don't know what we're dealing with."

"I do. I saw the letters on the body. I'll try to reason with him. He doesn't know that she's up here, and as long as you keep her inside, she'll be fine."

"What makes you think I won't keep her in?"

"Well, you let her work on a case, didn't you? She obviously has a pull over you John. Don't be stupid."

After that, I heard the door shut, and John's footsteps came back over to the sofa. He sat on the edge, and I could feel him looking at me. He pressed his fingers against my neck again, but this time my pulse was racing.

"Emily, I know you're awake." He said as he pulled his hand away. I threw the covers off of me and stood up.

"John, what the hell is going on? Why is Sherlock in my apartment, and what does any of this have to do with the man who got shot the other day?" I said, as I tried to fight back the fear that was creeping up on me.

"Emily, please calm down. It's nothing to wor-"

"Yes, It is something to worry about! What did the letters on that man's body say? What does it have to do with me?"

"I don't want to tell you yet." John said calmly.

"I have a right to know."

John remained silent, and wouldn't say anything more about it. And as much as I tried to fight it, panic rose up inside me, and I burst out in tears. I sank to the sofa, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Don't cry miss Emily. It'll all be ok. You're safe." John said as he sat down next to me. He pulled me into him, and I buried my face into his sweater. He held me like that until I fell asleep.