Maeve Moran Moriarty-Their only weakness

Chapter 6

'Maeve smirked and gave her the finger.'

**************

Maeve, for the millionth time, was in the back of another cab with the Detective and Blogger at her side explaining what had happened whilst they were gone. Sherlock showed her another image on the pink phone, this time of an abandoned car somewhere in London.

"That's where we are heading now, Lestrade's found a connection along the river bank. Like I said, the first puzzle solved followed by the second, counting four pips this time. You were right Maeve, Carl was killed because he laughed at our bomber." He explained to her.

"The bomber's playing a game with you, Mr Holmes." She stated.

"Well, that is fairly obvious, I'm not the only person who gets bored."

"I was thinking...if this Moriarty killed my parents because they held valuable information, what if he is after me too? With this game of his, it can't just be for you." Maeve feigned the innocent victim with ease; it was too simple.

"Sherlock will solve it Maeve, he always does." John reassured her with a nod.

They finally arrived along the bank of the Thames in some run-down factory area where a car sat abandoned in a damp, open space. Maeve strolled alongside John as Sherlock and the DI stormed ahead, a police officer lifting up the tape for them.

"The car was hired yesterday morning by an Ian Monkford. Banker of some kind. City boy. He told his wife he was going away on a business trip. He never arrived." Was all Maeve could hear before she was interrupted by a new voice addressing John.

"You're still hanging around him?" A female with black, curly locks asked him in disbelief. Maeve assumed she worked in the police force and certainly didn't like Sherlock and his unusual antics.

"Yeah, well..." John started but the woman continued.

"Who's this?" She cast a dark eye upon Maeve, "did you and Sherlock adopt?"

"Not really-"

"Opposites attract, I suppose."

"No, we're not-" John began to argue at her assumption but Maeve decided to finish it for him.

"Actually Miss, I'm not involved with either of them, Mr Monkford was my father and I'm here to provide them with some information." She lied, even going so far as to force a few tears out of her emerald eyes.

"Oh, well, sorry for presuming anything, but this man needs a new hobby." The woman shrugged it off and Maeve sighed internally. As the two began to wander off, she continued out of spite, "Stamps maybe? Model trains? Safer."

John cleared his throat awkwardly, "Thanks Maeve, but just ignore Sally. She's one among many who has something of a grudge against Sherlock."

"It's alright Doctor Watson." They managed to join Sherlock and Lestrade back at the car as they were examining it, Sally, the rude woman, at the side.

"Before you ask, yes, it's Ian Monkford's blood. DNA checks out." Lestrade informed the Detective as he peered inside the car, interested in the pool of blood that was splattered on the driver's seat.

"No body?" Sherlock inquired.

"Not yet." Sally replied.

"Get his samples sent to the lab." He instructed and Lestrade turned to Sally expectantly, who sighed and scurried off.

John and Maeve followed Sherlock like dogs to a crying woman in distress who was viewing the scene. Maeve was somehow sandwiched between the two as Sherlock began,

"Mrs Monkford?"

The teary eyed lady turned to him and said, "...Yes. Sorry but I've already spoken with two policemen."

"We're not from the police, we're-" John started before Sherlock interrupted him.

"-Sherlock Holmes. Very old friend of your husband's." Maeve smirked to herself as the whole Detective's demeanour changed to someone in distraught, just like she had done earlier.

But she was pulled from her thoughts as the man wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close, "And my daughter, Maeve Holmes." All she could do was smile up at the crying woman as Sherlock continued,

"We-we grew up together." He was sobbing now, a few stray tears escaping from his eyes, the woman looking at him confound.

"I'm sorry, who?...I don't think he ever mentioned you."

"Oh, he must have done. C'mon, he knew my daughter very well too." But Mrs Monkford wasn't buying it so Sherlock stepped it up a notch.

"This...this is horrible isn't it? I mean I just can't believe it. We only saw him the other day..."

"Yes, he asked me about school and read me a story with Dad." Maeve added for effect.

"...Same old Ian, not a care in the world." Sherlock remarked.

"I'm sorry...but my husband has been depressed for months!" She cried, "Who are you?"

But Sherlock ignored this and changed the subject. "Really strange that he hired a car. Why would he do that? It's a bit suspicious, isn't it?"

"No it isn't. He forgot to renew the tax on the car, that's all." The woman reaffirmed.

Sherlock let put a stiffled chuckle, "Oh well, that was Ian...that was Ian all over."

"No it wasn't!" She defended and Maeve noticed that she referred to her husband in the past tense, forgetting that he was just 'missing'. She found it very suspicious indeed.

Then, Sherlock immediately switched back to his cold persona in the blink of an eye. "Wasn't it? Interesting."

Just like that, the three left the crying woman as she questioned an actual officer on who she was speaking to.

"Why did you lie to her and get Maeve to do it too?" John questioned.

"People don't like telling you things. They love to contradict you. And no, I didn't get Maeve to do anything, she did it all to her own accord."

"Excatly, Mr Watson. I was just helping out." Maeve threw the Doctor a sweet smile as he obsverved her with a crease in his brow.

"Anyway. Past tense. Did you notice?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, what?"

Maeve and John commented at the same time.

"I referred to her husband in the past tense. She joined in. Bit premature. They've only just found the car."

"You think she murdered her husband?" John exclaimed and Maeve face-palmed.

"Definetly not. That's not a mistake a murderer would make."

"I see."

"No you don't." Maeve corrected.

"No, I don't. What am I seeing?"

As the three were walking past the police officers, Donovan popped out her huge head.

"Fishing! Try fishing." She called as John nodded nervously. Yet, before Donovan could turn back to her business, Maeve smirked and gave her 'the finger', John swatting her hand down.

"Don't do that, Maeve." He mumbled, cleary holding a laugh under his breath as the three burst out into giggles.

"Well done, Maeve. It seems you have grasped the concept of how adults communicate with each other." Sherlock concluded.

"Where now?" John questioned.

"Janus Cars. Just found this in the glove compartment." Sherlock said as he showed the pair a business card.