Why Fireflies Flash
Chapter Six
"Up the Waterspout"
221B Baker Street
"Always in pairs," Sherlock says as he stares intently at the wall of blown up photos. "Numbers... come with partners. Why did he paint it so near the tracks?"
"No idea," John breathes as he works on Quinn's shoulder.
"Ow!"
"Sorry, but you deserve it."
"I deserve it?" Quinn breathes in deep stifling another outcry of pain. "What the hell did I ever do to you to deserve this?"
John rolls his eyes as he injects the numbing agent around the gash. "You should've had me look at it the moment it happened."
"Sorry," she snapped. "I was a bit busy trying not to be hurt by the spider."
"That's not an excuse. Stay still, wouldn't want to hurt you anymore."
She rolled her eyes as he swiftly closed up her wound. She tried to pay attention to Sherlock's rambling to himself but the gentle tugging on her shoulder grabbed her attention. It would've been done as soon as they returned to the flat but she insisted on helping Sherlock translate the numbers and John took the chance to get in a few winks. Eventually, though, John had woken up and insisted himself on checking out her shoulder.
"Whatever was stolen he wants it back. It's all somewhere within this code."
"Yes the book code," Quinn breathed. "Which we cannot crack without Soo Lin."
"Book code?" Sherlock asked turning to face her.
Quinn pulled the shoulder of her dress back up and shot him a blank stare. "Yes, book code."
National Antique Museum
After changing quickly into a less bloodied dress and shorter heels, the trio took a trip to the museum where they met up with Andy again.
"Two men who traveled back from China were murdered," Sherlock informs harshly. "And their killer left their messages in Hangzou numerals."
"Soo Lin Yao is in danger," John speaks up. "And that cypher, it was just the same pattern as the other. He means to kill her as well."
"Look, I've tried everywhere. Friends, colleagues, I don't know where she's gone. I mean she could be a thousand miles from here."
"Thanks, Alfie," Quinn breathes into her cell phone. "Sorry to bother you on your honeymoon." She turns back to the group. "He is right. If neither me nor Alfie can find her, then he certainly would not be able to find her." She glances at Sherlock who was staring off into the distance. "What are you looking at?"
He points to a glass case right behind her. "Tell me more about those teapots."
"Well, the pots were her obsession," Andy explains. "And they need urgent work. If they dry out then the clay will start to crumble. Apparently you just have to keep making tea in them."
"Yesterday only one of those pots were shining," Sherlock observes. "Now there are two."
"She will be back tonight to do another one," Quinn states."
Sherlock nods. "So now we wait."
Later That Night
"You saw the cypher. You know he is coming for me."
Quinn gives a nod. "You have been clever at hiding from him. But I do not understand why you did not contact me or Alfie for help. We can get you away safely."
"I had to finish," Soo Lin says, "to finish this work. It's only a matter of time. I know he will find me."
"Who is he?" Sherlock asks. "Have you met him before?"
Soo Lin gives a soft nod. "When I was a girl. He came back from China. I recognize his signature."
"The cypher."
"Only he would do this. Zhīzhū."
"Zhīzhū?" John asks.
"The spider," Sherlock and Quinn respond at the same time, Quinn more pointedly than him. John looks at Quinn suddenly getting her story about her shoulder.
Soo Lin removes on of her shoes and shows Sherlock her heel. "You know this mark?"
"Yes," he states in reply. "It's the mark of a Tong."
"Hmm?" This is John, the ever curious one.
"It is an ancient crime syndicate based in China," Quinn reveals.
"Every foot soldier bares the mark. Everyone who hos for them."
"Hos?" John asks softly. "You mean you were a smuggler."
"I was fifteen, my parents were dead. I had no livelihood, no way of surviving day to day, except to work for the bosses."
"Who are they?" Sherlock wonders.
"They are called the Black Lotus," she tells. "By the time I was sixteen I was taking thousands of pounds worth of drugs across the border into Hong Kong. I managed to leave that life behind me. Mr. Quinn brought me to England. He got me a job here. Everything was good. A new life."
"Until he came looking for you."
"Yes, I'd hoped after five years, maybe they would have forgotten me. But they never really let you leave. In a small community like ours, they're never very far away." She wiped away her tears as Quinn rubbed her back soothingly. "He came to my flat. He asked me to help him, to track down something that was stolen."
"You've no idea was it was?" John inquires.
The young Chinese woman shakes her head. "I refused to help."
"You knew him well when you were living back in China?"
Soo Lin nods "Oh yes. He's my brother."
Sherlock gives Quinn a look that simply states, "That would've been nice to know earlier."
She shrugs giving Soo Lin's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Two orphans. We had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus or starve on the streets like beggars." Soo Lin takes a deep breath. "My brother has become their puppet, in the power of the one they call Shan; Black Lotus General." She glances up briefly at her company. "I turned my brother away. He said I had betrayed him. Next day I came to work, and the cypher was waiting."
Sherlock stood and pulled out the pictures of the wall and cypher out, sliding them in front of her.
"Can you decipher these?"
"These are numbers," she explains.
"Yes I know."
"Here the line across the man's eyes; it's a Chinese number one."
"And this," Quinn points to the other piece of the cypher, "is fifteen. You taught me the numbers remember? But can you tell us what this means?"
"All the smugglers know it," Soo Lin explains. Quinn had to fight from losing her patients with the younger woman. "It's based upon a book."
Suddenly the lights go out, and Quinn sighs resignedly. "Keep an eye on her. Do not let her out of your sight," she orders a demanding tone in her voice before running out of the room.
"Anabeth!" Sherlock whisper-yelled, but she'd already left the room. He followed her out into the main hall, ignoring John's calls of his name from behind him.
He gets to the other side of the statue found there before he realizes he has no idea where she went or where he could be. He spun to face the statue debating on calling out her name again when a gunshot rang out behind him. As he dived for the solace of the statue two more shots were fired off, one decidedly closer than the other. As he backed up against the statue, he watched as Quinn came running towards him, small handgun in her hand.
Zhīzhū fired off two more rounds matched by one from Quinn.
"Dammit Holmes," she sighed as she. "I told you to stay put."
"Technically, you said to keep an eye on Soo Lin. She's fine," he states. "John's with her."
Quinn shakes her head and ducks as two more shots are fired from the balcony. She's quick to fire off three in response, narrowly missing him with each. "I hate handguns," she breathes.
Another shot aimed at them and Quinn fires back.
"Ten," she mumbles as she drops the now empty clip on the marble floor and digging into her pocketbook for her other one.
"I counted six."
She shook her head before standing and reloading. He picked up the empty clip and stuffed it in his pocket as he followed her to the evolution exhibit. Sherlock takes cover as the two shooters continue taking turns shooting.
"Careful!" he shouts. "Some of those skulls are over two hundred thousand years old! Have a bit of respect!"
Quinn comes to stand in front of him, the shooting on both sides ceasing.
"Thank you," he says loud enough for only her to hear.
She lets out a shaky breath which turns into a small giggle. "Oh god," she says catching her breath. "That was fun."
Sherlock looks at her strangely, taking in the excited glint in her eyes. It's gone a moment later and she's running. Back to the restoration room, back to Soo Lin. When the shot rings out, her steps falter in to nothing and she stops right outside the room. She squeezes her eyes and lets her hands hang by her side for an agonizing moment before pushing open the door and slowly walking over to Soo Lin's body.
The young Chinese woman had been laid gracefully upon her workspace, her eyes shut and her hand outstretched holding a black origami lotus.
It looked as if she was a sleep, well, except for the bullet hole in the middle of her forehead.
A hand is placed on Quinn shoulder and she looks up to see John giving her an apologetic look. She shrugged him off before turning sharply and leaving the room.
Scotland Yard
"How many more people have to die before you realize this assassin is out there?" Quinn questions harshly of DI Dimmick who walks past her without bothering to respond. "A young girl was gunned down tonight. That is three victims in three days. You are supposed to be finding him."
"Says the woman who shot up a museum," he mumbles beneath his breath.
"Eddie Van Coon and Brian Lukis were working for a gang of international smugglers, the same gang my father saved Soo Lin Yao from five years ago, a gang called the Black Lotus, operating here in London, right under your nose," Quinn sneers at the man, her voice low and threatening.
"Can you prove that?" Dimmick wonders.
Quinn gives him a haughty glare. "Damn skippy."
Okay so here's the dealio. I haven't posted for a long while and I am sorry. However here's a late Christmas present for those of you who actually are enjoying this story. Well, here's this and about four other chapters I'm posting today.