Sherlock - The Game Is On!

The Sign Of Three- One

Chapter One

Third POV

Eighteen months ago

A newspaper article is headed, 'BANK GANG LEAVE COPS CLUELESS'. The accompanying photograph shows two men outside a court holding their hands up in front of their faces so they cannot be recognised in the pictures. At the entrance to the court itself Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade and Detective Sergeant Sally Donovan walk briskly out through the door. "They just walked out of there!"

"Yeah, I know. I was sort of sitting next to you."

"The whole Waters family! They just walked right out of there!"

"Again, I was in the room."

"How do they always manage that?"

"They're good."

"They're greedy, and they'll do it again, and next time we're gonna catch 'em in the act."

"How?"

Twelve months ago

A newspaper article is headed, 'WHO STOLE OUR TWO MILL?' Police officers standing in a cordoned-off area outside a building, with a police car parked behind the cordon. In real life, Greg gets into the driver's seat of his car parked just outside the cordon and angrily slams the door closed. Sally is sitting in the passenger seat. "No good?"

"They always know we're coming. How do they always know?" Gregory was beyond angry. "They're good. They work at it."

"They're never gonna stop."

"Well, neither are we."

Six months ago

A new headline reads, 'POLICE ARE NO CLOSER TO WATERS GANG CONVICTION' and the photograph again shows the court. Greg storms out of the building with Sally behind him. He lets out an angry incoherent noise as he walks away.

Three months ago

This time the headline reads, 'Waters gang walk free – again!' and there is another photo of two men near the court, covering their faces against the photographers. On the steps outside the court, two uniformed police officers stand and watch while Greg repeatedly kicks the living daylights out of the back tyre of his car, grunting with fury. Sally stands beside the driver's door and helplessly watches him. Finally she has had enough. "Greg!" Greg gestures dramatically at her. "In the act! The only way we're gonna do this! In. The. Act!" He kicks the tyre once more and then storms forward and angrily tugs the driver's door open, inadvertently shoving Sally out of the way.

Yesterday

A man wearing a gruesome clown's mask and holding a shotgun looks around a bank vault and then turns to where a second man, wearing a different but equally horrid-looking mask, straightens up from typing on a laptop. A third masked man is inside a nearby open strong room and is slowly carrying three heavy gold ingots toward the door. The laptop screen shows, 'ALARMS OFFLINE'. The second man goes into the strong room where hundreds of gold ingots are stacked up on a couple of pallets. He lifts three ingots on top of each other, then hauls them up in his hands and makes his way out.

On a different laptop the screen shows the same information as the one in the vault but this one now displays a second message reading, '*** HACKING DETECTED***'. In a car outside the bank, Sally sits in the passenger seat with the laptop on her lap. The rooftop lights of nearby police cars are flashing and police officers are walking around. Greg sits beside her. "You still blocking it?"

"Yeah. Very efficiently hacked. They must be bloody pleased with themselves."

"They must be!" He smiles at her.

Inside the strong room the third clown is looking down at the two pallets, which are now empty. The second clown walks over to him and puts his hand on his shoulder.

Outside, armed police begin to run into the bank. Greg and Sally are out of the car and Greg gestures to her as they follow the others. "Right then?"

"Oh, no! No, you've gotta make the arrest. This one's yours, boss."

"You've never called me 'boss' before." Greg turned to Sally. "Ah, well, look what happens when you're good!" They both grin as they walk on. "You know how most days aren't good days? This is a good day."

"Not for the Waters family." Greg's phone beeps a text alert. He looks down towards his pocket and grimaces, but then ignores it. "Okay: ten men on the roof; All exits covered; The bank's closed, so there are no hostages to worry about..." Greg's phone beeps again. Again he grimaces and Sally looks round at him. "Sorry, no, go on, go on."

"Um, we've got the tunnel entrance covered, and Davies, Willard and Christie are heading up our Response on Mafeking Road." Greg's phone beeps twice more. He takes it from his pocket and stops to look at it. "Sorry, I'd better get this."

"It's him, isn't it?" Greg's face fills with shock as he reads the string of messages he has received:

HELP.
BAKER ST.
NOW.
HELP ME.
PLEASE.

He looks up at Sally. "I, I have to go."

"What?!"

"You make the arrest." Greg determines. "No way!"

"Sorry. You'll be fine. I'm-I'm-I'm cool with this."

"Jones'll get all the credit if you leave now! You know he will!" Greg hesitates, clearly reluctant to give up his chance for success. "Yeah, but d... It doesn't matter. I have to go." He turns and hurries away. Sally watches him for a moment, grimacing, then continues on with the other officers.

Outside, Greg is running for his car, making a phone call as he goes. "Back-up. I need maximum back-up. Baker Street, now!" He gets into his car and speeds off.

Greg races up the stairs and into the living room. "What's going on?" He states breathlessly. Sherlock sits at the dining table looking at his laptop. The fingers of both his hands are pressed into his temples. "This is hard."

"What?"

"Really hard. Hardest thing I've ever had to do." Lowering his hands, he picks up a book and holds it up to show Greg. The book is called 'How to write an unforgettable best man speech'. "Have you any funny stories about John?" Greg stares at him in disbelief. Outside, police cars are sirening their way into Baker Street and screeching to a halt. "What?!" Putting the book down, Sherlock looks up at him. "I need anecdotes."

He seems to notice Greg's expression. "Didn't go to any trouble, did you?" Greg stares at him, still breathing heavily. Outside, an ambulance is sirening its way up the road, and a helicopter can be heard approaching. Sherlock's eyes shift sideways when he becomes aware of the noise outside, and the curtains in the open window behind him billow inwards as the helicopter hovers lower. Sherlock looks round as the billowing curtains knock some sheet music off its stand. Greg closes his eyes in exasperation.