The Doctor's Daughter | Wholock {1}

Chapter 10: Think Like a Holmes

The cab ride back to the Watsons' flat was a bit awkward, to say the least. Kimmy was crammed between Sherlock and Anderson, which was in no way comfortable. To keep her mind distracted from both her discomfort and worry, Kimmy decided that she was going to spend the ride deducing things about Anderson.

Without trying to be obvious about it (though she was sure Sherlock noticed), she glanced at their new companion out of the corner of her eyes. He was dressed casually—jeans and a faded shirt—and really needed a haircut. Yeah, I have no idea what that means, Kimmy thought, disappointed in herself.

You're thinking like a Watson, a voice in her head—one that sounded strangely like Sherlock—told her. You will accomplish nothing doing that. You need to think like a Holmes.

Fine, she though, trying not to roll her eyes. After several minutes of thinking, she realized that, despite how bitter he acted when she and Sherlock first approached, he'd agreed to come with them without very much persuasion. He didn't want to spend time with his relatives, she thought. They probably convinced him to post online that they were spending time together.

Something else caught Kimmy's attention: Anderson's wedding ring. He kept adjusting it, as if he wasn't used to wearing it. She could see the edge of a tan line under the ring, so he wasn't recently married. An affair, she concluded. He's having an affair. The realization made her even more uncomfortable.

Thankfully, the cab came to a stop in front of her parents' flat. Sherlock quickly paid the cabbie and the three walked into the flat. They went straight to the living room, where Moriarty's menacing warning still shone bright red. Unsurprisingly, the message was the first thing that Anderson noticed. "Wasn't that Jim Moriarty's message a few months ago?"

"Yes," Sherlock answered. Kimmy expected him to make a smart comment, but he didn't. "He probably left that as a message to Kimmy's stepfather or the police."

"Why would he do that?" Anderson asked, walking around the room. Almost too late, Kimmy noticed a framed wedding photo of her parents on a table beside the couch. Before Anderson could see it, she grabbed it and shoved it between two cushions. Anderson, thankfully, didn't notice.

"Kimmy, why don't you go back to 221B?" Sherlock suggested suddenly. "You're not an investigator, you could contaminate the area."

"Okay," Kimmy said, cutting off whatever Anderson had opened his mouth to say. "Call me when you have something, won't you?"

"Of course," Sherlock promised. Nodding, Kimmy reluctantly turned and walked back out of the flat.