24th prompt from Wordwielder: Strings
25th prompt from Hades Lord of the Dead: time-sensitive
Strings
Midnight had come and gone,
it was almost one.
Holmes could not settle, strode up and down
in his mouse coloured dressing gown.
He needed the relaxation only violin playing brings
but…good heavens! No strings!
He checked the case for fingerprints, the surrounding floor
for boot prints…a trail to the door
past a Gladstone bag, left where it had been dropped,
and a carelessly draped coat…and stopped,
recalling an exhausted Watson returning late
from home visits in a dishevelled state,
barely speaking…a swig of tea, sandwiches…just a brief bite
then a mumbled good night.
This had been barely an hour ago
for the third time in a row.
Holmes sighed and headed to the good doctor's door,
knew what he was looking for…
his violin strings looped round the knob, a note also pinned there
with three words only… "Don't you dare!"
Holmes nodded, acknowledging crime and motive. Violin playing would keep,
Watson unquestionably needed his sleep.
~0~