SOCIOPATH'S ROMANCE // Sherlock Holmes x Reader

Chapter 19 - The Great Game part 7

As usual with the Baker Street gang, they were at Scotland Yard. Except that this time, legally Y/n was working, break period now over. She was sitting next to Lestrade, stirring a machine coffee and poking the inside of her cheek in annoyance. They were behind the glass desk with the folders whilst John, Sherlock and Miss Wenceslas were on the other side. 

Sherlock had his hands in the prayer position under his chin, "You know, it's interesting. Bohemian stationery, an assassin named after a Prague legend, and you, Miss Wenceslas. This whole case has a distinctly Czech feeling about it. Is that where this leads? What are we looking at, Inspector Baxter?"

Lestrade scowled at the detective's obvious jab but gestured for Y/n to go ahead. She picked up a few sheets of paper to give herself some contenance and answered with a smile, "Criminal conspiracy, fraud, accessory after the fact at the very least. The murder of the old woman, all the people in the flats ..." 

"I didn't know anything about that! All those things! Please believe me.", Miss Wenceslas begged in an extremely panicked state as she stared at Lestrade and Y/n. Sherlock gives them a tiny nod to confirm that she's being truthful. "I just wanted my share – the thirty million.", she sighed and hung her head low, "I found a little old man in Argentina. Genius. I mean, really: brushwork immaculate, could fool anyone.", Sherlock snorted sarcastically as soon as she said so,  "Well, nearly anyone. But I didn't know how to go about convincing the world the picture was genuine. It was just an idea – a spark which he blew into a flame." 

"Who?", he asked sharply.

She shook her head and said, "I don't know." 

Lestrade did a disbelieving laugh, Y/n snorted with Sherlock raised his eyebrows. They had all heard it or seen it before. The usual. 

"It's true! I mean, it took a long time, but eventually I was put in touch with people ... his people.", she mumbled and at some occasions dared to look up. With every word, Sherlock grew more interested and concentrated, "Well, there was never any real contact; just messages ... whispers." 

"And did those whispers have a name?", insisted Sherlock leaning towards Miss Wenceslas in anticipation. 

"Moriarty."

Sherlock leaned back and immediately delved into his mind palace to add this piece to the mind map. He hung it up with a bright silver pin and traced the path from earlier to this with red string before standing back to contemplate it all. 

"So, what can we tell?", her voice spoke up softly from next to him, slightly startling him. She had appeared in there once more, a little radiant and with such gentleness to her features. Why was she annoying him whilst he was trying to do this? 

"What are you doing here?", he asked as the board disappeared and the integrality of his surroundings turned a soothing white colour with some familiar settings blending into one. 

She tilted her head a little, "What?" 

He sighed and shook his head, clarifying,"In my mind palace." 

"Is that what this is?", she turned around to take it all in. She laughed gently, "Well, not as fancy as mine, you know, I actually see a palace but sure."

"Why are you here?", he questionned again the woman standing in front of him inside HIS mind. 

"I don't know. It's your mind palace, not mine.", Y/n shrugged as she walked a few paces around. He didn't unscrew his eyes from her, watching her every move inside his mind. 

"You're disturbing me.", Sherlock stated, growing confused and frustrated by her recurrant apparitions. 

Y/n grinned proudly, "That is the whole point."