Sherlock - The Game Is On!

The Abominable Bride- Ten

Chapter Ten

Third POV

The Strangers room of the Diogenes club

"Do you?" Mycroft asked. The younger Holmes, that has been facing away now turns to look at him. "Do I what?" Mycroft holds up the bloodstained luggage label with its 'MISS ME?' message. "How did you get that? I left it at the crime scene."

"'Crime scene'? Where do you pick up these extraordinary expressions? Do you miss him?"

"Moriarty is dead."

"And yet." Holmes turned away. "His body was never recovered."

"To be expected when one pushes a maths professor over a waterfall. Pure reason toppled by sheer melodrama: your life in a nutshell."

"Where do you pick up these extraordinary expressions?" Holmes stops at the sight of Turners: 'Falls of the Reichenbach.' For a moment it's as if he can see the water pouring over the top of the falls and plummeting into the drop. He blows out a breath and then sniffs harshly before turning to his brother once more. "Have you put on weight?"

"You saw me only yesterday. Does that seem possible?"

"No."

"Yet here I am, increased. What does that tell the foremost criminal investigator in England?" Mycroft raises his arm. "In England?"

"You're in deep, Sherlock, deeper than you ever intended to be. Have you made a list?"

"Of what?"

"Everything. We will need a list." Mycroft demanded. Taking a breath, Holmes takes a piece of paper from his pocket and holds it up. "Good boy." Holmes walks towards his brother, who reaches for the paper, but Holmes lifts it away, screws it up and puts it back into his pocket. "No. I haven't finished yet."

"Moriarty may beg to differ." Holmes sighs sharply to his brother. "He's trying to distract me, to derail me."

"Yes. He's the crack in the lens, the fly in the ointment... The virus in the data." Mycroft quotes. Lowering his hands, Holmes turns round and looks sharply at him. "I have to finish this."

"If Moriarty has risen from the Reichenbach cauldron, he will seek you out."

"I'll be waiting." Walking away, shutting the door behind him, Mycroft's face becomes sad. "Yes." He gazes to the painting. "I'm very much afraid you will."

Baker Street

Holmes, wearing a blue dressing gown over his clothes, is sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor facing the fireplace. The backs of his hands rest on his knees and he is touching the index finger of each hand to the thumb as if in a yoga pose for meditation. His eyes are closed. Newspapers lie on the floor all around him. In the corner behind his chair smoke is rising from an incense burner.

In the same place but inside his Mind Palace, he opens his eyes and torn out cuttings from newspaper articles start to float past him in mid air. He reaches out and grabs random cuttings as they pass, looking at the text on them. Some of them read:

THE DEATH OF EUSTACE CARMICHAEL

STATEMENT FROM CAB DRIVER
'IT WAS MRS RICOLETTI'

ALARMING DISCOVERY IN ISLINGTON.

ANOTHER BRIDE OUTRAGE.

VISCOUNT HUMMERSKNOT DEAD
SORDID END TO BRILLIANT CAREER
RENOWNED PEER VICTIM OF VITRIOL ATTACK SCOTLAND YARD BAFFLED

The door to the sitting room opens and Mrs Hudson, Inspector Lestrade and Michelle peer in. The trio speak barely above a whisper throughout the following conversation: "Two days he's been like that."

"Has he eaten?" Michelle shakes her head. "Press are having a ruddy field day. There's still reporters outside."

"They've been there all the time. I can't get rid of them. I've been rushed off my feet making tea." Mrs Hudson motions. "Why do you make him tea?" Michelle and Mrs Hudson stare at Holmes. "I don't know. I just sort of do."

"He said there's only one suspect and then he just walks away, and now he won't explain."

"Which is strange, because he likes that bit."

"Said it was so simple, I could solve it."

"I'm sure he was exaggerating. What do you think, Michelle?" The pair looked towards her and notice she's frozen. "Michelle?" Taking a sharp intake of breath, she shakes her head. "What's he doing, do you think?"

"He says he's waiting."

"For what?"

"The devil." Michelle responded. "I wouldn't be surprised. We get all sorts here." Mrs Hudson backs up her nieces statement. "Well, wire me if there's any change."

"Yeah." Mrs Hudson walks Lestrade to the door, whilst Michelle stares at Sherlock. "Oh Sherlock..." Huffing to herself she silently closes the door and walks downstairs.

In the sitting room, Holmes lifts up a newspaper from the floor and moves it to reveal a small open case containing a syringe. He reaches down and gently caresses the syringe with one finger, then picks it up. He looks down at it for a while, then lifts his eyes as if he has made his decision.