Welcome to Baker Street

79. Drowning your sorrows

St Bartholomew's Hospital - The morgue

Molly Hooper, a pathologist at St Barth's, is sitting in the morgue, sipping a murky coffee she has just bought from the derelict vending machines in the corridor. Anyone else would rather spend their break at the hospital canteen or the coffee shop, if only to see the daylight again, take breaths of fresh air, and chat with other people. Other living people. But Molly likes the peace of that place; it's easier to relax when nobody is in a hurry. No body, she mentally repeats and chuckles at her pun, when she hears a knock on the door. Before she has time to reply, a team of police officers march into the morgue carrying a body bag. She stares at the policemen delivering the corpse of a woman and parking it hastily on one of the mortuary tables. When she overcomes the shock of that unexpected visit, she asks about the identity of the deceased woman and the reason they delivered that body there.

The Detective Inspector in charge, whom she met once when Sherlock was working on a case in which two bodies showed the same Chinese tattoo on their heels, gives her a worn-out look. She can't remember his name, though; she isn't good with names. He mutters something about the 'absurd request of the insane Mr Sherlock Holmes', then leaves unceremoniously.

Molly is left alone in the mortuary, gaping at the mention of that name. She needs no further information: if Sherlock chose St. Barth's, it means that he thinks he could use her expertise. It's time to prove herself.

She drops her half-drunk paper cup of coffee on the table and throws herself into her work.

"Hello, Molly," Sherlock hurriedly addresses the pathologist, who is performing the autopsy on the body of the nun, half an hour later.

As he enters the room together with John, she timidly greets him, blushing slightly.

"Oh, hi. The police brought this cadaver here saying it was for you..." she begins to explain but corrects herself, stammering, "I mean, not for you as a gift. That would be weird. What I meant is—"

"Any good so far?" Sherlock interrupts her babbling. He is circling the now naked body on the slab like a vulture as his eyes scan it from head to toe, while John shoots an apologetic smile at the poor pathologist.

The victim presents multiple bruises all over her body: Holmes studies the yellow and blue marks with a watchful eye. Before Molly can open her mouth to reply, he quickly intervenes, "She shows several post-mortem contusions inflicted with blind violence with an iron stick or something of the sort—the signs are unmistakable. The attacker didn't mean to cause damage, though: he knew she was already dead. He just wanted to hit her hard without cause."

"We might deduce that he was taking his anger out on her. Maybe we are dealing with deep-rooted revenge. It's a vicious crime, clearly personal; the killer must have really hated this nun," notices a female voice coming from the threshold.

All three people in the room turn their heads simultaneously to look at a panting woman leaning against the doorjamb. Giulia is catching her breath, showing that she has been running in the last few minutes.

Sherlock shoots a surprised look at her. How can she be there? She almost beat them to the hospital, even though he left her cuffed to the armchair in Baker Street. How is it possible?

Out of all the things he could ask her at that moment, he plays it cool and simply says, "Correct."

John, on the contrary, allows himself to show his surprise. "Giulia, I thought you were too busy to join us."

She grins at him. "Oh, I freed myself." She glowers at Sherlock.

"But how could you be here in such a short time?" John asks again. The detective might be too prideful to ask the questions, but the doctor never shies away. After all, working with Sherlock over the years taught him one thing: if he wants to keep up with what is happening around him, he has to beg for an explanation. Frustrating business.