Welcome to Baker Street

80. Interview with the devil

When the cab pulls over, and they hop off, they stare at an old convent made of stonework and wood on the other side of the road. That building looks as if it has always been there since time immemorial. It's the timeless charm of ancient buildings; they convey a sense of security and stillness as if they were untouched by the hustle of the hectic life that goes by all around, barely grazing their eternal grandeur.

Sherlock glances around. His gaze hovers on a modern office building on his right. He cannot help but notice the sharp contrast between that fancy slender structure of steel and glass and the brick facade of the old convent, like a silent fight between centuries: the old story of progress versus tradition. He casts a glance at the emblem of the real estate development firm based in the futuristic building; their logo represents a mountain peeping out of the clouds, and he smiles to himself. After all, both the real estate firm and the convent reach for the sky: one seeking pious humility, the other out of lavish opulence.

The trio reaches the front iron gate of the convent, where several police officers are carrying out interviews with the nuns. Sherlock walks past them quickly, ignoring the mayhem, and heads straight towards a nun standing in the shade of an ivy-covered arcade.

"Aren't we supposed to work with the police?" John asks. He knows that no matter how high Sherlock thinks of himself, in the end, he is nothing more than a consultant.

"The police will waste time interrogating every occupant of the convent, while we only need a few minutes with one person," he replies enigmatically, walking on the cobblestones. "I struck a deal. We have five minutes to talk to the nun who first alerted the police about the disappearance of the Mother superior. Bonus: I can do that unsupervised." He smirks childishly.

Giulia arches a brow at him. "You mean Dimmock agreed to hand over the reins of the investigation to you?"

"No, but my other watchdog did: Lestrade interceded for me," he replies and introduces himself to the nun waiting for him. She smiles weakly and leads them along some corridors, showing them around.

After letting her briefly recall her phone call to Scotland Yard, Sherlock interrupts her chitchat and cuts to the chase. "Sister Laura, do you have a photo of the convent's Mother superior?"

She gives him a silent nod and shows them a picture of a woman identical to the one they found by the riverside.

"It's her. I'm so sorry," John mumbles in a contrite tone, rubbing his neck awkwardly as the nun cries.

Sherlock clears his throat uncomfortably.

"My condolences, Sister. Now, we must proceed with the investigation to find her murderer, so it would be useful if you could tell us when and how you found out that the Mother superior was missing."

Giulia glowers at his tactlessness, but he shrugs. The nun wipes away the tears and replies in a choked-up voice, "I noticed she didn't show up for lunch, which was unusual since she is always bustling about the kitchen and often provides the meals for all of us."

Sherlock flashes a conceited smile to them, hinting at his spot-on deductions about the victim's daily tasks at the convent.

"I just assumed maybe her interview with the journalist was taking more than expected. But when early in the afternoon, I didn't find her in the library, where she always was at that time of day, I figured something was off. I searched the whole convent, but there was no trace of her anywhere. I called the police because I feared something bad could have happened to her," she sobs.

"You mentioned an interview. What about it? I didn't think nuns had such an intense bond with the media," John points out.

"A reporter phoned the convent a few days ago, asking for an interview with the Mother superior. He was writing an article about the modern life of nuns in the 21st century and wanted to have some first-hand experience to include in his story. Our Mother superior was enthusiastic about it, so she arranged a meeting for early this morning. The journalist came to meet her, and she showed him around the place. I even bumped into the two of them while they were heading to the garden, deep in conversation."