Young Sherlock | School of Deduction (Book One)

Chapter Seventeen

Charles stepped forward slowly and placed the gun between Sophie's eyes.

"You wouldn't do that," she said, unflinching.

"That's interesting," Charles said, pressing the barrel further into Sophie's forehead. "Because 30 minutes ago, you wouldn't have thought I was a criminal mastermind. The truth is, my dear, you don't know me as well as you think. You don't know me at all."

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Mrs Hudson drummed her fingers anxiously on her knee as the taxi crept through the streets. Traffic lights here, a few delays there; if there was one thing she hated about London, it was the traffic.

When the cab shuddered to a halt again, she assumed that it was just another traffic jam, but when she stared out of the dirty, smudged window, she saw they had pulled up by a shabby looking house that could really have done with one of her rigorous cleans.

She glanced at a group of people down the street, all looking rather shabby and in need of a change of clothes. There were adults and children and teens - the funny thing was, they looked familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. Most of them were yelling into phones and looked agitated, and several of the small children were crying.

Mrs Hudson shook her head and gulped. That wasn't why she was here.

She thanked the driver and hurried down the path of a unkempt lawn. To her surprise, the door was slightly ajar and greasy fingerprints coated the dirty keyhole. Honestly, had this person never heard of cleaning?

She marched into the house, to preoccupied with thoughts of her Sophie and Sherlock to be cautious.

"Who's here?" she demanded. "Anyone home?"

An eerie silence answered. It was then she noted the dirty footprints decorating the dull blue carpet leading towards the door - from a small door in the staircase? She raced forwards and wrenched open the door, revealing a small stairwell.

"Found you," she whispered triumphantly.

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"I know you would never shoot me," Sophie said, a small smile creeping across her face.

"I will," Charles said. "Unless you leave NOW and let me become the criminal mastermind I could be without your pesky interference so -"

A sudden clatter made them all jump.

"Charles?" said a shocked voice from the other side of the room.

Mrs Hudson was standing in the doorway, her mouth open, the handbag she had been clutching lying on the floor.

"What are you doing?" she stammered shrilly. "Get that gun away from our niece!"

Sophie sighed and rolled her eyes in anger.

"I've had enough of this," she growled.

Before anyone could stop her she had pulled the gun out of Charles' hands, put it to her own head and pulled the trigger.