Chapter 12: Taken
When Sherlock awoke it was still dark out, his head pounded as he move, stopping himself as the room spun. He looked around as his sense began to return to him, Scarlett was gone, John still face down on the coffee table, but as he looked, John began to stir.
"John" cried Sherlock as he ran to his friend, John sat up and looked to Sherlock holding his shoulder.
"He got me in the shoulder" said John, "Shoot twice in the same shoulder" said John with a laugh.
"Where's Scarlett" he asked only just noticing the black haired woman was nowhere to be seen.
"He took her John, knocked me out and took her" Sherlock said as he sat heavily.
His face was the picture of sorrow, John had never seen Sherlock like this, he looked like he was going to cry.
"You really care about her" said John slowly looking at the detective, who's face had pale and he looked slightly vacant.
"Of course I do" Sherlock said shaking his head, his voice slow and sad.
"Well, then come on we need to find her" said John, before he stood grabbing a scarf Scarlett had left there earlier he wrapped it tightly around his shoulder.
Sherlock had already rushed out the door, his mobile in hand, by the time John was ready. Without a word John followed after him.
Lestarde got to the house only minutes after Sherlock had called him, the ambulance had taken away the bodies of the offices, and had treated John's wound as best that they could, it wasn't as bad as it looked, but they still tried to convince him to go to hospital, but John was having none of it.
"So any ideas" said John
Lestarde simply shook his head "Sorry we lost the car as it rounded a corner on the main road"
"That's not good enough" shouted Sherlock viciously at the older detective, who recoiled at the sudden noise.
"I need to think" said Sherlock holding his hands to his eyes. He began to mutter to himself, "I can't do it" he shouted again shaking his head. "J-T-R never left any clues as to where he would take, just threats that he would"
When Scarlett woke, she tried to move but the drug still had effect on her and her head lulled pathetically, and she tried to focus her vision.
She sat on a wooden chair, he leg and arm bound to it. She looked around; in front of her on a mount was a video camera, it looked expensive, top of the range.
Behind her was a window but a set of vertical blinds cover her view of the outside world. The rest of the room was empty save from a small wooden stool next to her and a long wooden table on the wall to her left, it was blood stained. Scarlett grimaced as she remembered the picture of those decapitated heads. The wall looked like they had smoke damage, and the wall paper was burnt away in places and large black areas near the floor could be seen.
The air was thick with a smell of burnt plastic and wood, she must have been in a burnt out house. There was only one door into the room. There was no light and Scarlett sat in near darkness the only light was coming from the streetlight outside the window. The man was nowhere to be seen, Scarlett pulled at her bonds but they were too tight and she was too weak.
Her head lulled and looked for a way out, but found none, she wished she was like Sherlock able to see things like he did. That would really be useful right now.
The door to the room was pushed open.
"Hello my love" he cooed, she turned her head to look. He held a lit candle in his hand. She could see his face now. He wore a look of pride, his hair was a dirty shade of blonde, with a long fringe swept to the side, clearly at some point a long time ago it had been cut into a style but now it was a long grown out mess. Scarlett wouldn't say he was attractive. He wasn't well built man but neither was he skinny, he was around 5,11, he had large dark circles under his eyes. His face was covered in stumble and as he grinned at her, she could she a yellow stain to his teeth, maybe he smoked.
She turned away from him and he let out a laugh.
"You don't recognize me do you poppet" he said
Scarlett looked him over again before she spoke.
"Should I?" her bravery only seemed to anger the man, his eyes wide, in three long strides he was at her side, he held her face tightly between his thumb and forefinger, so her cheeks protruded into the middle of her face, making her pout unattractively.
"Does the name Jovan Theo Riley mean anything to you" his voice was still high, and burnt at Scarlett's sense and she lulled in her drug induced system.
"Theo?" she asked as the image of a young blonde boy flash into her brain, Theo had been the photographer on many of her early shoots, when she had first started out as a model, years before the likes of Playboy. He had been smitten with her, but so had so many men back then, when she was still oblivious to their advances, far too caught up in her own hype.
She had never knew his first name, to be honest she hardly known of him at all, he was just the photographer, his face always hidden behind the camera. He was sweet, shy and clearly absolutely taken with Scarlett, but she hardly knew of his existence. He was neither attractive nor ugly he was just Theo boring and plain, he sunk into the background of Scarlett's world.
"That's me" he said laughing slightly.
"I send you all those love letters, and you never even looked at me twice" he said slowly letting go of her face.
"I thought that you were too good for me, I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world, but soon I learnt I could have anything I wanted if I stop being quiet, if I shouted, if I waved a gun, people did as I said. Too long I have been trodden on and a push over, but not anymore. Now I have everything I want" he slowly stoked a hand over her face and she pulled away.
"I wouldn't fight my love, the drug is still in your system, your only tire yourself out"
Scarlett continues to pull at her bonds nonetheless. Suddenly his hand connected with her face and she let out a scream.
"Oh come now, i don't wanna hurt you, but you forced my hand" Theo said to Scarlett as he stroked the red area across her cheek, she looked up at him, eyes full of fire and she spat at his feet.
"Dirty girl" he said with a laugh.
"No how about some dinner"
Still bond to the chair and now gagged, Scarlett was moved to sit one side of the table, the candle now sat in the middle, she stared down at the blood stains in front of her and tried not to vomit, her head was beginning to sober up now. Theo entered with a glass of wine and some food, he placed it in front of her, and they began to play 'tea-party'.
He sat opposite her, as he ate and drank, talking to her as though she was answering.
"Oh I think you need a top up" he said with a yellow smile, her glass was still full and she looked at him questionably.
He rose from his chair, and removed a small bottle and syringe. He filled the syringe with the liquid and walked over to her, Scarlett screamed threw he gag and struggle in the chair, toppling it over, she now lay tied to the chair her back against the floor, she desperately kicked and pulled at her bonds, but to no prevail.
"oopsy daisy" he said as he righted the chair, and stuck the needle into her arm, as the drug entered her system she felt herself, lost track. Noises were numb and distant, her sight blurred in and out.
When she awoke, he was sitting in front of her staring at her face, so close she could feel his breath.
"I was thinking I might steal a kiss, but it's only our first date, what do you think" he said with that cruel smile again.
Slowly he removed her gag, he reached up a hand to stoke her and Scarlett leant forward and bit him as hard as her drug addled brain would allow. He let out and yell and threw her to the grown, he kicked her hard in the stomach over and over making her choke and cough.
"See what you made me do?" he said as he pulled the chair upright again.
She coughed as blood dripped from her lips.
"Now how about we call some friends, see how they are doing?" he said as he pulled the camera in front of her, the laptop on a stool next to it, and he began to dial out.
Sherlock and John re-entered the flat, and looked around, it held a horribly thick silence now.
"Bing Bong"
"Bing Bong"
John looked to Sherlock, who seemed to have a lapse, before he ran to his laptop and through it open.
"Incoming call on Skype" said Sherlock, "Call Lestarde up here" he said as he answered.
The screen was black at first then a figure moved, Sherlock couldn't see his as it was cut off by the camera angle, Scarlett face was now illuminated by a candle placed on a stool beside her.
"Say hello to your friends Scarlett" said the voice of her kidnapper.
John and Lestarde entered and stood behind Sherlock. Scarlett was bound to a chair, a cloth hung around her neck, Sherlock deduced she had previously been gagged by it.
"Hello" she said her voice weak, her eyes blinked rapidly, as though she was finding it hard to focus, she must have, suffered a bang to the head or had been drugged. Sherlock realised it was the latter as he syringe a syringe on the floor behind her.
"What do you want" asked Sherlock and suddenly a face of a man filled the screen.
"Why would you think I wanted anything" he said his head turning to the side.
"Because all criminals do, there is always a motive." said Sherlock his voice strong and angry.
"Now I have Scarlett, there is nothing in the world I could want" said the man.
"Goodbye, Mister Holmes" the man moved away from the screen and began to pace the room. Scarlett looked up into the camera; her face was blank and cold.
"Wait! If you don't want anything, why did you call?" asked Sherlock
"Just to let Scarlett say goodbye, you will not see her again" said the voice with a laugh.
"Scarlett we are coming, I will save you" Sherlock shouted at the laptop.
"Good bye, Sherlock" said the weak female voice; he watched a tear slip from her eyes, before the call ended and the screen went black.