With Maria
"How do know me?" Maria spoke in the first time since she entered the cab.
"Oh, I recognised you. Saw you in the restaurant with Sherlock Holmes. They told me you were clever." The cabbie said taking a turn.
"Why would anyone notice me."
"You're too modest Miss Palermo…They have all the clever ones there books."
"Who are they?" She said confused. However the man did not respond. I always said I wanted an adventure and now I'm being driven to my death… how lovely. Maria thought sarcastically.
"Where are we?" She said as they stopped.
"Roland-Kerr further education college… It's open, cleaners are in. Thing about being a cabbie, you always know a quiet spot for a murder. I'm surprised more of us don't branch out…Now come along Miss Palermo." He said gun in hand. Its a fake. she thought after being able to see the gun properly, exiting the cab she followed the cabbie in the building.
"You do realise you are severely underestimating the police, sure most of them are a bunch of hormone driven carbon based life forms with a power complex…but they are defiantly not idiotic, they will remember the cab and Mrs. Hudson will remember your face.
The cabbie chuckled before sitting in a chair motioning her to do the same and slowly taking out two pill bottles from his jacket.
"So thats how you poison them." She said sitting down.
"Brilliant! Your a proper thinker as well. Now between you and me, sitting here, why can't people think! Doesn't it drive you mad. Why can people just think?" His voice suddenly angry.
"Your clever as well."
"Don't look it, do I? Funny little man, driving a cab. But you'll know better in a minute . Chances are, it will be the last thing you ever know." The cabbie said.
Strange wording. Maria thought. "On the contrary most people who are genius' are not fancy, they often don't go to university because they are always bored with the curriculum and without credentials they end up having menial jobs." She explained, earning an annoyed look from the man across from her. "Two bottles, explain." She said playing his game.
"There's a good bottle and theres a bad bottle. Take a pill from the good bottle you live. Take a pill from the bad bottle , you die…Whichever one you choose I take the other and we have our medicine." He said.
From what Maria saw the bottles were completely identical. The wording!. She thought again. An air of calmness washed over her as she looked at the old man.
"Your dying." Maria stated. "Brain aneurysm correct?"
"Time to play." He said pushing a bottle forward. "Is that the a good bottle or the bad bottle."
"I am playing and I choose neither." She said simply, smiling.
He took the gun out of his jacket once more. "You sure you want to choose that."
"Positive." She said while he pulled the trigger, a small flame coming form the top. "I know a real gun when I see it… But why? Your motivation is your children. What would killing those people do?" She half mumbled her second sentence.
"Oh, you are good, aren't you? Not as dramatic as your boyfriend, you like to get straight to the point…I have a sponsor."
"Whose your sponsor?" She asked.
"Tell you what tell me which is the good bottle and ill tell you." The cabbie responded.
"Very well." She said not making a move.
"You need to answer love." Getting annoyed.
"I already did remember… I said neither… neither of them are the good bottle… Brain aneurysm medication is poisonous to anyone who doesn't have one…Doctors give out small doses to there patients and increase the dosage over time until they become immune…of course you already knew this." She said smiling. "Your turn now tell me who your sponsor is."
"Tell me how you did it first?"
Giving him an expectant look " I promise I will tell you if you tell me. Otherwise, I would just walk away and I know you would follow me."
"Why would I?"
"Because you're bored." She said simply. "Now, the name."
"Moriarty… Explain." He said relaxing in his chair even though he could hear the sirens from outside the building.
"Your wording, thats what gave it away…At first you said 'Chances are it will be the last thing you ever know.' then you said, 'we have our medicine.' you made it obvious that whichever pill I chose I would die and either one you could consume. So I couldn't have either." She explained.
"You are proper genius." He said. Right before Lestrade and Sherlock rushed in, Lestrade handcuffing the man.
"Are you alright?" He said wrapping his arms around the woman.
"Of course not…All I'm wearing is a skirt and a blouse, I'm freezing." to which he chuckled before removing his coat and giving it to her to fight off the London chill.
"What happened?" He asked.
"He had a sponsor…know anybody whose name is Moriarty?" She asked. To which he just shook his head.
"Theres an ambulance waiting for you Maria." Lestrade said taking the Cabbie with him, She nodded her and Sherlock right behind as she told him the events that went by.
"Sorry…I thought you caught him when you and John went off to chase the cab." She explained.
"It's alright." He said glad to have his woman back.
"Maria!" shouted John holding a sad looking Mia still in her pjs, lifting her head as soon as she heard the name.
Running towards them she quickly grabbed the little girl. "What are you doing up ankle-biter?"
"You left." She said, crying in her shoulder.
"Oh, I would never leave you ankle-biter." Leaning her forehead against the child's.
"Pwonise."
"I Promise." She said as Sherlock wrapped his arms around the girls. Maria quickly looked to John mouthing a thank you who nodded in return.
"Anyone up for Dinner?" Sherlock said, completely ruining the moment. "There's a good Chinese, end of Baker Street- stays open 'till two. You can always tell a good Chinese by examining the bottom third of the doorhandle."
"Starving." John laughed as they made there way. "Wait a minute…Thats him the guy I was talking about…" John said looking ahead.
"Mycroft." Sherlock and Maria said together. The trio, along with Mia making there way to him.