SHERLOCK I, II, III & IV • #wattys2016

Pawns and Players

For John and Sherlock, neither of their journeys was pleasant. Both were bound and gagged and stuffed in the back of a car’s trunk. Sherlock had tried to kick out the tailgates, but it was no use; his legs were tied and the inside of the trunk was lined with rubber. John had tried the same tactic and almost succeeded if the back end of the car hadn’t pivoted in a large circle, knocking him unconscious.

When Sherlock’s ride came to a halt, he heard the bustling of the passengers exit the vehicle and then the sound of feet shuffling across gravel. Before he had time to identify his possible location, the trunk flew open and a rough hand dragged him out. He hit the ground and heard voices grumbling around him. Pushing himself to his feet, Sherlock waited for someone to address him.

As he listened to the noises around him, he identified more than two hundred scents on what he deduced to be five men around him. By the clinking of metal and the rustling of fabric, Sherlock was sure that there were at least three of the five men armed and the two remaining were business men. The air around him felt compressed, moist, and thick. Telling him that he was in a rural area where there were at least three abandoned flats.

“Hello, Sherlock Holmes,” came a smooth, feminine voice in a slight Russian accent.

Sherlock felt the cold presence of a slim figure closing in on him. He let her come inches from his face before bending his neck around hers and whispering, “Hello, Evangeline D’Nour.” Sherlock felt the woman jump underneath him. In a smoother voice than hers, he said, “Oh, don’t be surprised. The excitement in your voice gave yourself away—you’ve wanted to see me. Also, a friend told me about you. You’re a line-breaker.”

Tilting her lips to meet his ear, she said, “Line-breaker? What do you mean by that, Mr. Holmes?”

“You said you were part of The Axis, that’s the American group. But you’re currently with the Russians.  Clearly, you’re playing on both sides.”

“Of course, I am,” Evangeline replied as her hands began peeling the bandages off. “I am the creator of this. Moriarty put me in charge.”

It was the detective’s turn to flinch. “And, do both parties know about this? Or shall I tell them?” Sherlock felt the setting sun warm the area around his eyes as the bandage slowly thinned.

“Oh, you won’t tell them a thing. I can easily command the Americans to kill John Watson. I know you wouldn’t want that—Moriarty told me how fond you were of him.” Evangeline unraveled the last piece of the bandage and stepped away. “Don’t open your eyes yet. But, we’ll give you something that’ll make it easier for you to see.”

Still keeping his voice low, Sherlock inquired, “You made the Russians think I have the message and the Americans think John has it? Clever.”

“I want to be extra thorough, Mr. Holmes. I know one of you knows it.” She took Sherlock by the arm and led him into a darkened space.

Sherlock felt the gravel turn into concrete and the air became significantly colder. Letting the woman lead him, he attempted to open his eyes. But a shocking pain around the lids stopped him from going any further. “How convinced are you that I have the message?”

Evangeline shrugged. “I’m convinced enough that I won’t let you go until you tell me. How’s that for an answer?”

“What if John has it?” Sherlock asked as he felt a bright light flood onto his face.

“If you friend has it then we’ll kill him afterwards. He’s not much use to me. And besides, I want to finish what Moriarty couldn’t do.”

“What? Destroy us both?”