deal or no deal | Sherlock Holmes

14

𝐸𝓋𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒

"Evangeline!" I snap out of my sleep. My eyes fly open and the first thing I see is my Mother. "Get up!" She whispers harshly.

I blink hard and slowly lift up. My limbs feel like jello. "What is your bloody problem?" I groan out.

She slaps a hand over my mouth. "I've entertained him long enough. It's your turn to talk to him!"

I furrow my brows. "Who?" She points to the kitchen. I stand from the sofa where I'd fallen asleep last night and walk in. "What are you doing here?"

"Good morning to you too, Angel." My father takes a sip out of one of my glasses.

"I'll be heading out." Mother whispers. She grabs her coat and hat.

"Great seeing you, Margie." My father calls after her. Mother scowls before slamming my front door. He looks back at me. "This is a nice place you've got here." He looks around at my well decorated walls. "I wish I'd lived somewhere this nice when I was your age."

"What do you want?" I cut him off.

"To talk." He retorts. "We haven't gotten to do that in quite some time you know?"

"And that's my fault?" I scoff.

"I never said that. But a conversation requires at least two people." He points out.

I shake my head and pull out a chair. "I gave up on trying years ago." I cross my arms over my chest. "I wrote you every week for twelve years. You replied back three times."

"I'm a very busy man." As always, making excuses.

"You're a self centered piece of rubbish." I spit hatefully. "Do you even realize how much you've damaged me?" I bite the inside of my lip. "I can hardly let a man try to love me because the one that should've loved me no matter what left." My eyes tear up but I will not let myself cry.

"I'm sorry, Angel." He whispers. I shake my head violently. He sighs and purses his lips. "What I did to the three of you was very wrong. It's one of my biggest regrets. I can't explain myself really. Not yet anyway. I still don't truly know why I did what I did." He stands from his seat and leans on his cane. "I don't expect you to forgive me..."

He trails off but I just shake my head. "Why did you send me those letters?"

"I knew you'd figure it out." He smiles softly. "But it's a lot to get into." He heads for the door. "Give yourself a few weeks, months maybe to heal. Then you can come talk to me about all of the wrong doings of this family." He glances at a stray newspaper. "You know where to find me." And with that he leaves.

***

Some time later after I'd pulled myself together and gotten ready I headed upstairs to find Sherlock. I knocked at the door, it was about a minute later when he answered. His hair was a mess, eyes wide, clothes disheveled.

I furrow my brows. "Have I caught you at a bad time?"

He shakes his head, I think his eyes are vibrating. "No! No. I-" he takes a deep breath. "I need you to come with me." He steps out of his flat and leads me to the stairs.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" I yank his hand and pull him toward me. I comb my fingers through his hair and button up his coat. "You look like a child."

"And you act like one." He teases me. I glare at him and he boops my nose. He then grabs my hand once more and drags me out of the building. "We haven't a moment to waste."

"What's the rush, Sherlock?" I drag his name out.

"I've just cracked the marquess case." He admits excitedly. "I was up almost all night."

"Did you now?" I ask.

He nods. "I'd give you the full rundown but I you'll hear it when we get there anyways."

"Where?" I ask.

"Scotland Yard of course."

***

By the time we've arrived at Scotland Yard, Sherlock has mellowed out. Probably all the walking. We enter in, Sherlock picks up his pace like a man on a mission. I stay close behind. We approach the check in desk but Sherlock doesn't budge. Instead he grabs my hand and pulls me behind him.

The clerk lifts his hand."Sir?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Sherlock interjects. I mumble a sorry to the poor gent. He pulls me down a long hallway and into a room filled with officers. "Lestrade?"

"Lestrade?" I mumble.

"Lestrade." Sherlock turns to find just the man he was looking for.

I grimace. "Ugh Lestrade!" I try to leave but Sherlock pulls me closer to him.

"Ah... Sherlock Holmes." Lestrade smiles until his eyes fall on me. "Ugh you."

I roll my eyes. "We meet again."

"Please." He looks back to Sherlock and leads us inside of his office. I take a seat on the sofa in front of his desk. "You've been building quite a reputation for yourself, despite your best efforts to avoid the press."

"The marquess case." Sherlock interjects, grabbing his full attention. "You need to arrest his grandmother, the Dowager. She's trying to kill him, as she kill his father." My mouth falls open. What a foul old hag.

"Two questions." Lestrade lifts two fingers before taking a seat. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"It's a question of divided loyalty and succession." Sherlock plops down beside of me."With the boy dead, the uncle would take the vacant seat in the Lords and stand against the reform bill and the extension of the vote, just as the Dowager wanted. The boy, I deduce, would not, nor would his father have."

"So why would it not be the uncle himself that did the deed?" Lestrade asks.

"To the father or the son?"

He thinks for a moment before throwing out there."Father?"

"His uniform in the press photographs." Sherlock stands to hand him a newspaper. He nods and opens it up. "The medals on his chest. He wasn't in the country when the boy's father was killed, rather serving in the Afghan war." Lestrade chuckles to himself. Sherlock looks to me then at the door. I get the idea and stand. "It's always there, the truth. You just need to look for it." Sherlock opens the door to leave.

"Second question." Lestrade interrupts. "How did your sister get there before ya?"

I'm shocked but I can't help but smile. She did it. Enola really did it.

"I'm sorry?" Sherlock looks confused.

"We'll be leaving now." I push Sherlock out the door. "Thank you for you time." I nod before shutting the door.

Sherlock stays silent as we leave that is until he fully realizes what's just happened. He smiles brightly and gives a little. "Ha!"