Young Sherlock | School of Deduction (Book One)

Chapter Twelve

"The keyword would be something only the person it was meant for would know," said Sophie.

"Unless the person who it's intended for doesn't know it's for..." Sherlock trailed off. "Oh!"

"What?"

Sherlock's eyes widened. "Oh, that is clever, that is genius!"

Just then, the nurse returned. "Paper for you, Sophie?"

Sophie smiled and took it, then stated at the front cover in disbelief.

"Oh my god ..." she gasped, looking at the headline.

SEVEN KIDNAPPED SIMULTANEOUSLY LAST NIGHT

It was accompanied by a picture of a post-it note slapped onto a oak door that read, "Tick tock, or you're next."

"We have to solve this code," Sophie said. "That's 10 people now, it's getting ridiculous!"

Sherlock, however, was paying no attention to the article. He had begun flipping frantically through Sophie's notebook.

"Where is it, where is it?" he muttered repeatedly to himself.

"Where's what?" Sophie asked.

"The first sodding note, of course!" Sherlock cried. "The code, the picture of the note from the first article!"

Sophie snatched the notebook and turned to the back, extracting a newspaper clipping from a small pocket she'd made from ripped out notebook pages. She handed it to him.

"Here!" Sherlock cried.

"S & S - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE - THE KEY TO FINDING THEM IS ONLY REVEALED WHEN YOU HAND YOURSELF OVER TO ME."

"What?!?" Sophie exclaimed in annoyance.

"The KEY to finding them is only REVEALED!" Sherlock cried. "Revealed! That's the keyword!"

Sophie's eyes lit up. She grabbed a pen, and within a minute had scribbled down the decrypted message in the notebook.

But something was wrong. If Sherlock was bad at one thing, it was interpreting human emotions, but he wasn't stupid.

"What is it?" Sherlock asked. "That has to be right! I'm never wrong!"

"Sherlock," Sophie said quietly, her eyes wide with fear. "Look."

She passed him the notebook. What?!? He read the decrypted message. Then again. And again.

FAO Sherlock Holmes and Sophie Marie Thompson - One Alfred Place, (One Alfred Pl), London

Downstairs ;)

"It's an address!" said Sherlock. "1 Alfred Place, London! And it's especially for us!"

"Wait, calm down Sherlock," said Sophie. "This is really bad! We should report it to the Police!"

"What?" said Sherlock. "Nooo! Are you kidding?! This is the best thing that's ever happened to me! Now get yourself discharged, we're going!"

"Um - where?!?" Sophie demanded.

"1 Alfred Place, of course!" Sherlock smiled, putting on his scarf and turning up his coat collar.

Sophie sighed as Sherlock went over to the nearest nurse and started bombarding them with requests.

"Boys," she groaned.