A/N: This flashback takes place just after Sherlock has realised and told Molly that he loves her (from my story `The Science of Attraction`) No-one else knows this fact, nor will get to know, for quite some time (John, in particular!).
Sanderson is the odious boyfriend of Sally Donovan (they met in `When Sherlock Met the Other One`) - he has been given the pseudonym of `Joseph Swann`.
John H Watson`s Blog
Private Message: From G Lestrade
Hi John, I was wracking my brains last night for an example of Sherlock`s lateness, and I think we`ve got the bugger! Do you remember the Reynolds trial, around four years ago, just a few months before Molly Hooper went off to Sweden for that research gig? It was the one with ears – when two, unmatched ears were found in that biscuit tin in that shed in Pinner. Double murder. Ring a bell? Sherlock was a key witness, and Molly was called as an expert witness. It was nearly a bloody disaster …
The Curious Case of the Circumstantial Evidence
(with assistance from G Lestrade, S Donovan and S Gnezere)
St. Bart`s Morgue
Lab Two
11.53 am
Sherlock strode into the Lab, swishing his coat as was his wont. Sarah Gnezere (lab assistant) and Molly Hooper (lead Pathologist) looked up from their tasks, then looked down again. The only difference in their reactions appeared to be the hint of a flush on one set of cheeks.
"Sarah."
"Sherlock."
"Molly."
"Sherlock."
Silence. A slight shuffling.
"And … Sarah … how is your parrot?"
"Oh, much better, actually. Thanks for the tip about the vets, Sherlock."
Another pause, followed by a clatter of slides. Molly Hooper blushes further.
"Sorry, butterfingers."
Sherlock walked slowly along the bench, to nowhere in particular. He was wearing his gloves and drew a single finger along its edge, as though collecting dust.
"Did you catch up with Molly the other night?" Sarah was watching them both with a crinkle in her brow. She is tall, dark and loyal. She has been privy to her colleague`s seemingly never ending crush on the suave automaton that was Sherlock Holmes. More than privy – totally frustrated with it, to be honest. She knew lovely Molly Hooper was very much barking up the wrong tree. The wrong forest, truthfully. Strangely, Sherlock seemed a little less suave than usual today.
He was decidedly flustered. The trailing glove ceased its traverse and he stopped dead, still not looking at either one of them. Sarah`s glance at Molly revealed a pipette being held upside down.
Should she say something?
"Ah," a deep cough. "Ah, yes, thank you most kindly for your – assistance. We did, actually, run in to each other later on."
Molly grins brightly, too brightly. "Hah, yes, in the park, of all places! Fancied a bit of fresh air. Sherlock walked me home. Nice."
As another awkward silence looms, Sarah makes a decision and stands up.
"I know you have that court case – the ear thing – at one thirty. If you want to discuss it, I don't mind finishing up in Lab One." She gathered her folder and strode towards the door, pausing fractionally to give Sherlock a deep brown eyed glare.
He fancied he heard a slight hiss of words escape her lips. They may have formed into "be nice."
The door swung shut and they were alone. As she turned, momentarily, Sarah saw the face of Molly Hooper through the lab door window, looking up into the face of their visitor.
And she is smiling THAT smile, and Sarah knows a hopeless case when she sees one.
X
St Bart`s Morgue
Lab Three
12.07 pm
Joseph Swann*, Lead Pathologist, was not always a very pleasant man to be around. He was short-tempered; he blamed others for his errors whenever possible; he never did his paperwork on time; he never refilled the coffee machine when he`d used the last. And he never unloaded the centrifuge, even when there were no beakers to be found. And he didn't like cats.
Shame on him.
He was just checking some notes (for a change) from an autopsy done by Molly Hooper on the previous day. He was hoping she`d mucked up the blood work, but it seemed in order. Bugger. Swann was in the process of gathering the file together to replace it in the filing cabinet when he heard it – a crash of breaking glass, coming from the lab next door. Probably one of those new lab monkeys – idiots, fresh out of college, thinking they knew more than he did; trying to catch him out by asking inane questions – " – just to clarify, Dr. Swann …" Idiots.
Then, he heard it again – a crash and glass breaking. Swann snarled. He was responsible for the equipment budget this financial year and Mike was so nit-picking if things weren`t jotted down and checked in triplicate. He just didn't have the finances for new beakers every five minutes.
He`d better just pop next door and give a good rollocking to one of those monkeys – time they learnt some respect.
He slammed open the door, to create some kind of authoritative impression and get them quaking in their boots, but was more than annoyed to find the lab completely empty. Swann looked around – he could have sworn…
"Hey! Is anyone in here? I just heard something smash! What`s going on?"
A small `eep!` could be heard from … the store cupboard, over by the far door.
"Is everything alright?"
Scuffling noises could be heard and it was a matter of around ten seconds before the cupboard door cracked open a fraction and the bright red face of Molly Hooper peeped out.
"Ah, Joseph – sorry! Dropped a couple of beakers in here – was just – er… just looking for a new – er – clipboard…"
"What`s wrong with the one over here on the desk, Dr Hooper? And what has happened to your hair?"
Molly`s hand rushed to smooth down her dishevelled pony-tail. She was usually so neat and tidy. Swann was puzzled by the expression on her face. She was normally meek and timid and (overly) helpful around him, but she seemed to have affected an intriguing air of – mischief was the word that sprung immediately to his mind – about her.
Mischief and Molly? Not a marriage he had ever pictured, yet, there it was.
"Are you having difficulty clearing it up, Doctor? I can send for a lab technician …"
"No, no, noooo - !" The final word was accompanied by a strange little squeak and a flinch. And he still couldn't see the rest of her body.
"We – I`m just fine. Got a dust pan and everythinggg – " and she disappeared back into the cupboard, shutting the door in a fashion only fractions away from slamming.
"Mental," muttered Joseph Swann, under his breath, as he left the lab, almost imagining the shimmer of a giggle floating in the air.
*names have been changed to protect identities
X
The Old Bailey
Central Criminal Court
London
1.11 pm
DI Lestrade was pacing the corridor outside Court No. 1. He`d done it before and no doubt he`d be doing it again, but just the once, could he not just sit and have a coffee before a case, instead?
Sgt. Sally Donovan was madly texting. She was texting John Watson, Molly Hooper and even, (GOD!) the Freak himself, to try and find out why no-one had attended the one o`clock briefing before the case was due to begin.
"I SAID, I wanted to go through it one more time, but, NO! Sherlock Holmes is too good to have to sit down with folks and go through it! He just swans in, delivers his words from on high, and leaves – flaring that bloody coat!"
He and Sally have a momentary reprieve from their stress by a sudden, shared mental picture of the Sherlock Holmes Cagoule incident, then it is gone, and stress returns.
"Him, I`d believe, Boss, but where is Dr Hooper? She seems a pretty reliable sort."
"She IS! Always on time, always happy to help, and a bright, smart girl. I just hope nothing bad has happened to her…"
Just at that moment, a text alert pings to Sally`s phone.
`So sorry, on way – emergency came up. Don't worry. MH`
1.19 pm
The clatter of heels and a black suited (and almost unrecognisable) Molly Hooper skeeters through the wide, marbled corridor. Her hair is folded into a neat chignon and her briefcase gives her the air of professional immaculacy, but her pink cheeks tell another story.
"Thank the Lord!" Lestrade can`t berate her (since she is clearly adorable) but he still has a six foot, smart-arse sized gap in his witness list – Sherlock was veering into danger time. His testimony was essential, and the Court Clerk was ushering them all into the room.
Last call for the severed ears trial, beginning at Gate 11 …
It is only when they are seated and Lestrade is gathering the courage to summon the Clerk over to ask for an arraignment rescheduling that the huge wooden door swings open, creating the kind of draught that scatters papers.
Sherlock bloody Holmes.
He slips in besides a glowering posse of Scotland Yarders and nods a casual greeting to all, including Molly Hooper.
"Good afternoon everyone. Shall we get started? How charming you look today, Molly…have you done something different with your – hair?"
X
The Case of the Circumstantial Evidence
Comments: (20)
Molly H: eep!
Mary Watson: Oh, adorable!
JHW: Circumstances aside, the question hangs in the balance – was Sherlock late or not?
G Lestrade: Late enough for me to nearly have a coronary – again!
Mike Stamford: I`m not that nit picky about a few beakers…
G Lestrade: Sally, back me up – what time did Sherlock get there?
G Lestrade: Sally?
Sally Donovan: Sorry Boss, had some stuff to attend to…
Mary Watson: Ooh, sounds grim, Sally
Molly H: Hope everything`s ok?
Sally Donovan: It is now. Getting rid of bad rubbish – should have done it a lot sooner.
G Lestrade: High time; he was a wanker
Sherlock Holmes: 1.29 pm, if anyone is still interested.
JHW: You git – prove it.
Sherlock Holmes: I have the court records. I have emailed them to you.
G Lestrade: Unbelievable!
Sherlock Holmes: Give up, everyone – I did warn you.
Sally Donovan: We can`t give up now!
JHW: Haven`t you got a stock cupboard that needs tidying?
Sherlock Holmes: Oh, why am I always better than everyone else…
X
Arcoiris: thank you - it is great to know the tone is appropriate - I do worry about that at times!
Morgen: fear not! I hope the store cupboard incident has highlighted how happy they are with each other - Irene wouldn't have gone for that! :)