Chapter Three: Investigation

"I will kick your arse if you don't behave!" Zoey shot back as she stomped down the stairs. Sherlock merely watched her descend, his face serious but eyes unreadable.

"What happened while she was in London?" Ana asked me as we headed downstairs as well.

"I don't think it's my place to say since it's your sister's business."

"But you were there with her, right?"

"It's still not my place." I replied as we reached the bottom and Zoey held up her keys.

"Come on guys. Let's get it over with. I know a lot of people won't really want to answer questions on Rachel, given the circumstances, but we need to find out what we can." I could tell she was back in her Scotland Yard state of mind. She was thinking like a cop, and if I knew how that area of her mind tended to work when she needed it to, she was also going to start thinking a bit like Sherlock.

We pulled up to the college in an inconspicuous minivan, due to the fact that Danni wanted to tag along so she could fetch some stuff from her dorm and Zoey felt bad making us all squish together in another car. Sherlock had sat in the front next to her since he needed the most leg room. They had fought over the radio the whole way. Ana and I sat behind them, just observing. She found it amusing while I felt like I was watching Sherlock and Mycroft together. Danni sat behind us listening to her ipod without a care either way.

The campus was rather pleasant. Students walked to and from their dorms while others just sat in the warm spring sun. They were obviously enjoying the little time they had off for the weekend as much as possible. There were trees planted here and there giving the perfect amount of shade and beauty. The buildings were all brick and no more than two stories tall. It was cozy.

As we entered the lounge area filled with couches, tables, and even a fireplace, Zoey suddenly froze when we all heard a whistle. "Oh no…"

She quickly ducked and spun, avoiding a girl who leapt over a nearby couch attempting to tackle her. "Zo!"

"Lily…" Zoey sighed as she stood upright once more, looking at the short haired brunette who had almost taken her out.

"You're back! When did you get back? Are you happy to be back? What happened to your arm? Why didn't you call and say you were back? Who are they? Are they English? Are you dating one of them? If so, since when? Have you—" Zoey's hand locked over Lily's mouth as I looked over at Sherlock. From the look on his face I gathered he was wondering the same thing I was: didn't that girl need to breathe while talking?

Zoey then did something extraordinary. She answered every question in order. "Few days ago. Yes. Got shot. Didn't have time. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Yes. No, I'm not." She remained serious but her eyes smiled for her, showing her true feelings about encountering her old friend.

Lily looked over at us and waved then started mumbling under Zoey's hand and using large arm movements until she was released. "You were shot? Why? Why are the two Brits here? Do you like either of them?"

Zoey shot her a look, making her shut up as Ana and Danni stayed behind us laughing. They were apparently used to these sorts of antics.

"I was doing my job and a suspect decided not to play nice." She said as she rubbed her wrist. She had used it to cover Lily's mouth and the sudden action had probably aggravated it. "And they're here to help me. You heard about Rachel, right?"

"Yeah, everyone has." Lily nodded, folding her hands behind her head. "And you didn't answer my question."

"Yes I did." Zoey said as she grabbed one of my arms and one of Sherlock's. "Come along boys, there's a mystery calling."

"A mystery? Oooh! Can I come?" Lily asked as she threw her arms around Zoey from behind.

"No. Go… Hang out with Danni or something. She came to get something from her dorm. WE actually have WORK to do."

"Threesome?" Lily purred, making Zoey clench her teeth so suddenly I heard them click.

"NO. I am not having a threesome with them. They are helping me. Lily! Please!" Zoey begged, causing Sherlock to pull the smaller girl off of her.

"If you will excuse us, miss, we do have some business to attend to and it is rather urgent. We would be most grateful if you obliged us by complying with Miss McCarron's request." Sherlock said calmly, hands still on Lily's shoulders as he turned the girl to face him. His voice was soft and almost resembled a purr. Lily just stared, wide eyed and nodded, causing Sherlock to smile for an instant before returning to his usual brooding manner and walking off. "Right… Dorm room is this way?"

Lily nodded and Zoey continued standing beside her, somewhat fixated on Sherlock as he walked away.

"Good god, that man can growl." Lily mumbled as she nudged Zoey. "So… you and him?"

"No."

"But you lived together…" Ana started, stopping when Zoey shot her a look.

"You what? And… but… why? He has the voice and… He's English!" Lily complained, trying to

understand how Zoey could turn that down; wondering what happened. "He looks like the kind of guy you'd go perfectly with…" From the look on Zoey's face, there was a lot she wasn't telling Ana or Lily. There was a lot she wasn't telling anyone. She had a look that reminded me of him.

"Go with Danni." Zoey said, shaking her head and heading after Sherlock, jogging to pass him and lead him to the correct room. I followed; looking over at Lily who pouted then went with Danni like she was told.

"So, how are you two friends?" I asked as I leaned against the doorframe of Ana and Rachel's dorm room. It was left just the way the police had left it after investigating. It was still a mess but Sherlock was complaining on how they cleaned up and ruined everything for him as he lifted the covers and looked under the bed.

"I knew her when she was in high school. She was in Danni's class and I helped out there for a time as a tutor." She sat on the bed with her legs crossed, watching Sherlock as he crawled around on the floor nearby. "She's almost like another sister to me in an annoying, hyper, I want to punch her sort of way."

Sherlock stood up and looked around the room, hands on his hips. "Well, the police sure did a fine job as ever eliminating any potential evidence left behind."

"If they took it, they were doing their job." Zoey rolled her eyes.

Ana still refused to enter the room as she stood just behind me in the hallway watching. Her eyes moved slowly around the room, landing on a small patch of brown in the carpet. I walked over to it and scratched it.

"Sherlock, it's blood."

"Not surprising…" Ana said quietly. "There was broken glass…"

Sherlock was beside me in an instant. "Yes, but there was no blood on the glass. She must have received the injury some other way."

"How?" Zoey asked, jumping off the bed and kneeling beside us. "There's nothing else that she could have…" She looked at Sherlock who was staring intently at her. "What?"

"Don't move." He said quietly as he reached out and his fingers moved along her thigh for an instant, stopping to pluck something off of her sweatpants. He lifted it to eye level, squinting at what looked like a tiny prickly twig. "Interesting."

"What is that?" Ana asked, leaning into the room slightly.

"A clue. Now that we actually found something of importance, is there anyone we should talk to? Was anyone angry at her or holding a grudge?"

"I don't think so…" Ana mumbled. "But… her teachers might. We didn't discuss classes much. Only interesting stuff like boys…"

Both Sherlock and Zoey rolled their eyes in unison as we all got up. "Well then," Sherlock huffed, "Although this next bit may seem dull to you in comparison to the opposite sex, we will go and interrogate the professors."