AUTHOR'S NOTE: Made a slight change to this chapter about where Sholmes works.

Inside a row house not too far away, Juan Hatson, a young medical doctor who was immensely lucky enough to run a practice in London, kept the TV on as he got ready to leave for his first appointment of the day. More so than the newscast, Hatson's attention was fixed on his housemate. His housemate never watched television. Today, however, he stared, unblinking at the screen, taking in each detail of the heist at the Buckingham Palace. Hatson was sure it would be all his associates and patients would be talking about.

Hatson recognized the shift in demeanor from his housemate. He recognized the pull from indifference, to rapt attention, to obsession.

Herlock Sholmes had found a new case.

Sholmes kept his eyes on the screen. He wasn't an official detective by any means, though Hatson was sure he could be. Sholmes worked keeping records for a nonprofit that helped find missing people. Outside of work, if a case caught his attention, he would send whatever evidence he could find to the police department or investigate the cases himself. Most of the cases Sholmes looked into were small fry, nothing that made Hatson worry for his safety.

"I've requested all of the documents connected with this incident," Sholmes told Watson. "It's strange, though. The police department seems very short-staffed lately. I am not sure why this case isn't getting more attention. I don't even know when they'll send me their documents."

"I'd guess they will send in more police once they gather more evidence," Hatson remarked.

"Hasn't it seemed like the departments have been distracted lately? This has not been the only case that has fallen through the cracks."

"Perhaps so," Hatson responded. "I haven't heard of anything, though."

"Maybe there is something the police is not telling their constituents," Sholmes said. "Perhaps this case is key to finding out what they might be hiding."

Hatson nodded. "Any guess on who the suspect might be?"

Sholmes tensed in irritation. "I don't guess. I deduce." He continued. "I found it interesting that the stolen object, the Horatii clock, is certainly valuable, but not among the most valuable objects in the palace by far. Leaving little to no evidence behind indicates someone who is skilled at theft. Not an amateur. That's not to say though that the heist lacked theatrics. The officers don't believe the suspect escaped on foot, meaning it is possible there was some sort of aerial transport involved. Dents in the air vent could indicate that the suspect intentionally took a more interesting route then, say, entering through a window. The skillmanship, the dramatic flourishes and risk-taking seems to point to the thief being the internationally-wanted Lupin III."

Hatson raised his eyebrows. "Lupin III?" He echoed. He had heard of the master thief on a few world news broadcasts in the past. "He doesn't come to London all that often, is that right? I wonder why he would want this artifact from the Buckingham Palace?"

Sholmes nodded slowly, his mind wandering. "He has never been permanently captured or imprisoned. He has always found a way to escape. Most of his thefts lead to pursuits, but most can't take back what he stole. Many detectives see him as a problem. Most of the investigations put out against him have been awful, laughable at best."

Sholmes lowered his head. Watson recognized the determined glint in his eye.

"But Lupin has not come up against me."

Jigen and Goemon stared blankly at the papers that Lupin had spread across the table at their hideout.

One was a map that showed the paths of the River Thames, and the land surrounding it. The other, a poster of a reclining, bearded elderly man. He held a shovel in one hand and wore nothing but a cloth around his legs and torso. Made of stone, the statue of the man had a weathered look, carrying the history of hundreds of years. Below the statue, the word "Thames" was carved in the stone.

"Not much of a looker," Lupin started, winking at Goemon and Jigen as though to answer their puzzled expressions. "But this statue of Old Father Thames is priceless, in more ways than one."

"It's said that the sculptor, Raffaele Monti, hid a diamond inside of the statue, where it's been preserved since 1854. It was last moved in the 1970s to its current location at St. John's Lock along the river. With luck, we could move it again."

"We should case the area first," Jigen suggested. "For increased security. The Buckingham Palace thing has been all over the news."

"Good point, Jigen," Lupin responded. "Was thinking we could take a different mode of transportation this time."

Goemon and Jigen suddenly found semicircular objects thrown in their direction. Catching them, they peered down and saw bicycle helmets with cycling clothing folded neatly inside.

"The bicycles are outside," Lupin added, fixing on his helmet with a wink.