"What have we got?" Sherlock asked Lestrade as soon as he walked into the penthouse apartment, his coat flaring out behind him as he purposefully walked up to the Inspector.
"Dead woman...she was in her late thirties, her husband found her when he came back from a night out in London. He's outside, still shaken up." Lestrade informed Sherlock and he took a look at the body and noted how her body have been shot three times in the head, a neat triangle pattern.
"This is a professional," Sherlock informed Lestrade. "No one could have shaken like this when performing an execution."
"How do you know it is an execution?"
"Quite clearly she couldn't have shot herself three times in the head Inspector," Sherlock informed him, kneeling on the bed beside the corpse and looking observantly at it.
"True," Lestrade muttered in agreement as Sherlock moved her hand and then pulled it back before moving the pillow which her hand was stuffed under and he pulled out a wad of letters.
"What are they?" Lestrade asked Sherlock.
"Bills..." Sherlock said, flicking through all the pieces of paper. "Lots of them too. It would appear the couple were in debt."
"What are you thinking?" Lestrade wondered as Sherlock finally stood up straight and rested his hands onto his hips as he looked onto the corpse.
"I think the wife didn't know about the bills...I think they were placed here to leave a message. Quite clearly the couple were in a lot of debt. You need to speak with the husband."
"Why would the bills be placed there purposefully?"
"I think this was a loan shark," Sherlock said stubbornly. "I don't think she knew anything about this at all...I think she was in the dark and her husband dealt with the bills. Look at her, fashionable clothes, well maintained facials...looks like botox to me. No, she didn't deal with the bills, her husband did. He didn't want to worry her over them so that he could keep her happy with her high flying lifestyle...so he went to a loan shark to get the money to clear the bills and obviously he couldn't pay the money back and this is revenge."
"That," Lestrade said, "is very accusing."
"It's true," Sherlock replied. "Go and talk to the husband."
"And what are you going to do?" Lestrade asked Sherlock. "It's Christmas Eve...you can't exactly investigate it."
"I remember reading about a similar case to this...execution style...I need to go to the morgue and check," Sherlock replied, pulling his gloves on as Lestrade looked at his watch.
"At eleven at night?"
"This is London," Sherlock allowed his arms to flap to the side as a grin fell onto his face. "And we may have a serial killer on our hands!"
...
"Oh," Molly suddenly gasped as she yawned loudly. Working in the morgue on Christmas Eve was not something which she had signed up for.
"Good evening Molly," Sherlock greeted her as she shut another body up in the morgue and looked at Sherlock.
"Technically Merry Christmas would be more appropriate," she told Sherlock and he checked his watch and shrugged slightly.
"There's nothing Merry when you're working with dead people, is there Molly?" he asked her and she began to play with her hair in her ponytail.
"I suppose not," she agreed. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be at home with you girlfriend."
"She's called Scarlett," Sherlock informed Molly. "And she's...well...we had an argument." Sherlock began his manipulation on the woman.
"Oh," she simply said.
"Truth be known Molly she is an insufferable woman sometimes," Sherlock said. "I'm working a case and she couldn't help but tell me that I should drop it because it is Christmas...I mean you understand Molly, work is important."
"Yes," she agreed hastily. "It is."
"And you're wearing mascara," Sherlock observed and Molly began to blink quickly as she nodded at Sherlock.
"I was supposed to go out earlier but I had to work late," she told him and he nodded, a small grin going onto his lips as she looked back at him.
"It's nice," he said and she smiled widely back.
...
"Morning," John said when Scarlett walked out into the living room and looked around dejectedly as John shook his head at her, understanding what was going through her head.
"Merry Christmas John," Scarlett smiled at him and straightened out her simple black dress as she looked at the small tree in the corner and the presents under the tree.
"Do you think he would mind if we opened them?" John asked her, a small grin on his face as she laughed once.
"I don't think he will have a say," she responded and the two of them dived into the pile like little children. John received nothing from Sherlock but Scarlett gave him a new shirt and tie set along with the new James Bond DVD he had been after. He had bought her multiple books and a gift voucher for Topshop. Just as she looked at the final two presents for Sherlock, John handed her another one.
"It's from Sherlock," he told her. "You did well."
"He...he actually bought me something?" she managed to gasp out.
"Apparently so," John said and handed her the box. She looked onto the tag on it and read it slowly.
Don't say me stealing your laptop never brings good things.
SH.
Scarlett opened up the large box and looked inside of it and then smiled as she pulled out one of the heels which she had placed onto favourites on her laptop. They were glittery and ever so tall. She smiled once before she noted something else was in the box. She then pulled out a coffee mug and looked at the note inside it.
At least there will be one cup that no one else uses.
"He gave me my own cup..." she whispered. "He knows I was fed up of washing all of his..."
"Sentimental," John commented. "Well...slightly...anyway..."
...
"Sarah," John placed a hand onto the small of his girlfriend's back as he led her forward into the kitchen where Scarlett was looking at the text on her BlackBerry from Sherlock for the hundredth time, telling her he would be working late and didn't know when he would return. She placed a hand onto her stomach as she looked up at John who was showing Sarah into the kitchen. "This is Scarlett."
"So you're the elusive Scarlett," Sarah shook the younger woman's hand. "John has told me a lot about you."
"He's told me a lot about you too," Scarlett replied. "It's nice to meet you finally."
"And you too," Sarah replied. "So...you have to tell me...how did you get Sherlock to like you. I've known him for ages and I could swear he still dislikes me."
"That's not-" John began.
"Yes it is," Sarah cut him off as a sudden timer went off and Scarlett jumped slightly.
"That's the turkey done," she said. "Why don't you two take a seat whilst I dish up?"
"Are you sure?" John asked her and she smiled at him and nodded.
"I'm pregnant John, not incapable of movement," she assured him.
"What?" Sarah gasped. "You're pregnant?"
"John didn't mention it?" she asked her and Sarah shook her head.
"No...he didn't."
"You know Sherlock Holmes?" a sudden voice boomed and all three of them turned to look at a tall man who was stood in the doorway to the living room.
"Is this when we say no?" Sarah squeaked out and John grabbed onto her hand as they looked at the man who was holding a gun by his side. He wore a dark suit and his face was covered by a balaclava.
"Do you know Sherlock Holmes?" his voice boomed again as they all stood in a row behind the table and remained silent.
"Maybe," Scarlett spoke. "Maybe not." And then she reacted. The turkey which she held on her baking tray suddenly went flying from her hands as the turkey rose into the air and the baking tray distracted the man as it hit him weakly. John took his time to act as he picked up a chair and ran at the man with it. Sarah jumped back as the man toppled to the floor and the chair was chucked to the side, leaving the two men on the floor tousling. Scarlett quickly grabbed hold of the utensil jar which was empty due to her cooking and she smashed the pot around his head, allowing John to roll him so he was under his weight, finally delivering a final punch, dislocating his jaw as he closed his eyes. Sarah took the gun from his hands and stepped back as far as she could.
"You okay John?" Scarlett checked, helping him stand up.
"I'm fine," he said as Scarlett pulled her BlackBerry out. She allowed the other end to ring before receiving his voicemail.
"Sherlock Holmes you answer your phone right now and get yourself home! We've got someone here who wants to see you!"
...
A/N: So here is another case! It's going to deepen in time again so we shall see how that turns out! Please do review!