Chapter 22: The Great Game part 2
By mid morning the next day, Scarlett had not heard from John or Sherlock, which meant they were still working so Scarlett knew to not expect to hear from the again for while.
She again thought about texting Sherlock, but she didn't want to distract him so decided against it.
The day was slow, she went for a run, called her mum for a chat and had lunch out with her friend Sammie. But without Sherlock around she felt rather lonely, when she got back that afternoon, she thought about walking round to Baker Street but if Sherlock was at home which was highly unlikely in of itself, she would only get in the way. So residing her self to a day of crap TV she settled her self down in front of the TV, so she was shocked when her mobile phone rang. Pickling up the phone she slid the bar on the screen to answer the anonymous call.
"Hello" she called.
"Hello, Miss Monroe, would you like dinner" said the cold tones of the elder Holmes brother.
"Now, really Mycroft. I thought you weren't supposed to be flirting" she laughed slightly and she could look on his face at her comment.
"Is that, a no then" he asked and Scarlett smiled.
"Of not, it's not like I really have a choice anyway" she said with a laugh and Mycroft did nor answer.
"There is a car waiting outside when you are ready" said Mycroft before the line went dead. Laughing slightly Scarlett jumped up and quickly changed into something a litter nicer, the dress she wore to her birthday would do nicely, before heading outside. To his word the usual black jaguar was waiting. The driver held the door for her and slipped in.
The ride was short and they were soon pulling up to a very nice looking house. The driver again held the door for her, and alone Scarlett made her way inside. A man met her and took her coat before leading her into a large conservatory. In the middle of the room was a table, two high backed chair sat either side and a tall candelabra sat in the middle of the table. Mycroft sat at the far end and he stood as Scarlett made her way into the room.
"You look stunning, Miss Monroe" he said and she smiled she wasn't sure what Mycroft was up to but she enjoyed the show none the less.
"You look very nice yourself, Mr Holmes" she said as she approached the table, Mycroft pulled the chair out for her and she sat down, pulling herself in slightly.
"I thought you said, to Sherlock. That you were busy at the moment, something about Korea" said Scarlett as Mycroft too his seat opposite her and began to pour wine into the glass in front of her.
"Ahh, yes well remembered. But something you said to me yesterday morning, left me thinking. So I decided I would make time for my friend." said Mycroft.
"Are we friends, Mycroft" she asked sipping her wine and Mycroft smile a smile that reminded her of Sherlock.
"Yes, Scarlett I think so" said Mycroft as he lifted his glass towards her, they clinked glasses and she eyed his curiously.
"Well, if you've invited me here, to be your John, I'm afraid I will have to decline" said Scarlett with a cheeky grin and Mycroft smirked.
"No, I've invited you her to test a theory and really, Scarlett you are far to clever to be John" he said.
"Not clever enough to be a Sherlock" she stated.
"No, but I wouldn't say you were as far away as you think" said Mycroft and Scarlett sighed slightly.
"You flatter me, but let's get to the point, why did you ask me here tonight" Scarlett said and Mycroft nodded, he lifted a few papers from the table next to him and handed them to Scarlett.
Scarlett looked over the papers the first was a publication scientific work called 'How to become a human lie detector' by a Dr Cal Lightman and a collage of people's face. Scarlett looked up at Mycroft strangely.
"Dr Cal Lightman, is the world leading scientist in the science of micro-expressions. These are expressions on a person's face that last less than a second but, if a person can read them, they can read a lot about someone and more important how the other person is feeling. Dr Lightman talks about his ability to tell if someone is lying, he currently works along side the police force in New York helping them to interrogate prisoners. He claims to always know when someone is lying but not why. In the work I have just handed you, he speaks about people he called 'Naturals', these are people which have the ability to read micro-expressions naturally but might not know, he goes on to say with a little training these people can become extraordinary. I believe you are a natural, Scarlett" said Mycroft and Scarlett laughed loudly.
"Me! No I think you have the wrong girl" she shook her head at him, dropping the papers onto her plate.
"As children, me and Sherlock studied this ability, but Sherlock decided learning emotions was not important, my brother only believes physical things are what matter when I comes to reading a person. But you red myself and Sherlock with ease, without looking anywhere but at our faces." said Mycroft sipping his wine.
Scarlett simply shook her head at him, he was insane, no way could she read people like this Doctor Lightman was talking about, she couldn't tell if someone was lying, but wait yes she could. She had always had a strange ability to pick up on people's nervous tick, not maybe people had gotten away with lying to her. Curiously she flipped through the pages of the paper.
"OK, let's say I am this natural. What has that got to do with anything" said Scarlett and Mycroft smirked again.
"You have had a gift bestowed open you, I am only trying to help you make the most of it. If you allow me, I would like to train you, I believe with enough training you should be able to shame even the likes of Sherlock, when it comes to lie detection." said Mycroft and Scarlett's brow furrowed.
"I assume this is for a greater reason, than just shaming Sherlock" said Scarlett.
"Yes and no, if you show as much finesse at this, as I believe you will. I may be able to offer you a job, but more importantly I do hate to see such wonderful gift's going to waste" said Mycroft and Scarlett's eyebrows rose, working for Mycroft now that sounded interesting.
"OK, then" said Scarlett and Mycroft smiled.
"Brilliant, you can take those papers home with you and read over them. But first lets eat and toast to a new endeavour" said Mycroft lifting his glass again to toast her. She smiled at him and he returned it.
They continued to chat over the course of the dinner, the food was better than anything Scarlett had ever had and she found she rather enjoyed Mycroft's company even if he did blatantly flirt with her. At the end of the meal, Mycroft told her to read the paper by Dr Lightman, he had given her and that he would be in-touch. He kissed her hand as he bid her goodbye and she climbed into the car to be taken home. It was late by the time she got in, her answering machine beeped as she got in. It was a message from John, telling her he was sorry he had not called earlier but he and Sherlock had been busy with a case and that they had a bomber on their hands, so he wasn't sure when this would be done as it was a delicate situation, and so she may not hear from them for a while.
Two days later the news spoke of an explosion in a block of flats, that had killed 12 people and though they said on the new it was a gas leak, Scarlett wondered if it had anything to do with the bomber Sherlock was investigating.
Scarlett had read all of the scientific paper Mycroft had given her and taken every online test that was mentioned in said paper, so far it came back she was a natural. Mycroft had been sending her, more things to read and video to watch via email, she could only guess at how he had gotten her email address.
Though she was still unsure of this whole situation, her curiosity was definitely peeking. What she had read through, seemed legitimate and so her doubts were slowly starting to far. Her first lesson with Mycroft was tonight and she wondered if she should let Sherlock and John, know of her newly found or rather newly understood gift, but more importantly should she tell them it was Mycroft who was helping her to harness it.
When the car picked her up that morning she was not sure where she was going to be taken but a prison was definitely not what she had envisioned.
Mycroft greeted her as the car pulled to a stop inside the gates of the maximum security prison. He lead her through the halls of the prison silently, until reaching an interview room where her lead her into a room next to the main suite. There was a way mirror which spanned the entire length of the wall, on the other side of the glass sat a man, he wore a prison uniform and look on his face of faked bravery.
"This man and two other are being held until trial for the murder of woman, they are all refusing to talk and all are acting as the others alibi, the officer will interrogate all three and you, Scarlett will find the liar. Of course I all ready know who the killer is but this is your first test." Mycroft explained and Scarlett looked at him, surely this kind of thing was so below him, it would be out of his radar but then he wasn't going to through her in at the deep end.
"Try not to make your decision using any of the evidence, try to go with the micro-expressions alone" he continued, as on the other side of the glass, a police detective walked into the interrogation room and sat across from the prisoner. Scarlett felt a sense of pride take over as she sat the other side of the glass and watched each of the prisoners faces as they told their account of what had happened. She wanted to get it right as she felt an urge to prove her ability to not only Mycroft but herself as well.
After all three men had been interview, Mycroft turned to her.
"Gardener is the killer" said Scarlett simply and Mycroft nodded.
"Explain" he said.
"Gardener is the only who showed contempt when threaten with life imprisonment, his lip corners tightened and he showed happiness when recounting the events of that night. Miller was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and has been blackmailed into protecting Gardener, as he showed fear when Gardener's name came up and surprise when the detective had spoken about the extent of the injuries to the victim. As for Johnson, he was with Gardener when it happened but was not directly the cause of her death, though I do suspect he did not stop Gardener as he too showed fear when Gardeners name came up, and though he tried to sound not bothered he was honestly saddened and disgusted when shown pictures of the victim." concluded Scarlett and again Mycroft nodded happily.
"Yes I too believe it was Gardener, that was very good" said Mycroft standing from his seat and motioning, Scarlett to the door. They left the prison together and Scarlett took the to speak to the eldest Holmes child.
"How did you know it was Gardener?" asked Scarlett looking up at the tall man he smirked at her.
"His shoes and fingernails" said Mycroft simply and Scarlett felt that that was all he was going to say, he saw her into the car, but did not get in himself as he explained he had other things to be getting on with a the prison, but he bid her goodbye with yet another kiss on her hand and a that he would be in touch.
Though she now believe in her own ability she still found it impossible to read Mycroft she was sure that he had lie to her about why he had to stay at the prison, but she had absolute no proof, his micro-expressions were far to quick to be read and picked up on and she wonder if she would ever be able to tell if Mycroft and Sherlock were lying, or if they would always continue to allude her. She could read Sherlock's emotion when they were alone and she could see the animal within his eyes, but as soon as the mask went back up she was just as clueless as everyone else. Both Holmes men had a mask they wore and it protected them from even the likes of her, and possibly even this Dr Lightman. When the mask was up, the lies were undetectable or at least they were, for the time being.
When she got back she continued to read through the second paper written by Dr Lightman and her interest in the area only seemed to grow. By early afternoon, Scarlett headed out for a run with Bruce and when she past 221b she had peered up at the flat and wondered if they were in, but somehow she doubted it. The house across the road with still in tatters, though reconstruction appeared to be beginning to take place.
She couldn't deny she missed that long haired lunatic detective, he was mad and strange and a bit of a sociopath but somehow she loved him anyway, just the way his was, eccentricities and all. Part her didn't even mind he had never actually said those three little words to her, because when they were alone his actions and his eyes showed her everything she wanted. Even though their relationship was still a secret, she didn't mind, her love for him was larger and stronger than that. A lay in her bed that night her fingers found the pendant round her neck, the necklace Sherlock had given had been worn every day since he had given it to her. John that people didn't like Sherlock and that the taller man could often be rude, and although when alone she saw a slightly different side to Sherlock, she still found his 'public' side just as endearing but she did understand why other people may not agree. She hope Sherlock and John were safe as they recent case seemed to be keeping them very busy, but then again she had been very busy herself.
Sighing Scarlett closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of her racing thought and slowly but surely her eyes became to heavy to open and she feel into a peaceful sleep, dream of a certain floppy haired detective filling her mind.