Sherlock Holmes [Reader Insert]

Chapter 4

Dr. Watson waited by the front door. "Are you alright?" he asked you.

"Yes," you told him, scrunching up your nose at the pain at the back of your head. "I think so."

"What happened?"

You explained as you exited the building. "That other man came in and woke up the sleeping one. I hid until one of them went upstairs. I thought I could handle just the one."

"You thought you could...?" Watson trailed off, incredulous. "What do you mean?"

"She hit him over the head with the frying pan," Holmes cut in. The detective stared forward as the three of you started back to town, like he was lost in thought.

At least he's not angry with me. "It worked, too," you argued to Watson, "but it was too loud."

"The neighbors would've heard if they'd had any," Watson told you sternly.

"I didn't know what else to do," you admitted, taking your hat off so that you could re-pin your hair. The detective glanced at you but was otherwise quiet. You were starting to think this might be worse than his anger. You considered that he might be imagining the best way to scold you or that he might try to refuse your case because it was getting too dangerous. "I couldn't just leave the two of you upstairs."

"I think we've proven capable enough," Dr. Watson told you and then seemed to deflate a little, "but I can appreciate the loyalty."

Holmes took a deep breath. "When they wake up they're going to tell their boss who visited. After that there will most likely be men all over town looking for you," he told you.

"But we know they have my father," you said. "We just have to figure out where."

"Yes," Holmes nodded, "and we know who has your father."

"...we do?" Watson turned to him.

Holmes pulled the handkerchief out of his pocket and flashed it at Watson before tucking it away again.

"Where did you find that?" Watson's eyes widened.

"Knocks was holding onto it."

"But that doesn't make sense. He should be dead!"

"So should I," Holmes raised an eyebrow at his friend.

Watson pursed his lips. "Fair enough."

"He must've known we would come looking. He wanted to rattle me."

"Where do you suppose he is?"

"Who?" you asked, confused. "Who has my father?"

"His name is Moriarty," Sherlock Holmes turned to you and stopped walking. "He was paying your father to house his men as they traveled from London to Bristol, smuggling weapons and drugs."

You stopped and Watson stood next to you.

"Previously, he found his way to the ownership of a number of companies connected to wartime industry and then attempted to start a war."

Dr. Watson cut in. "By 'found' Mr. Holmes means that he blackmailed and murdered."

Your eyebrows rose.

"We were able to stop him, and in the aftermath he was presumed dead," Holmes continued. "It seems he has survived, and has been smuggling what remains of his companies in the underground." He started to walk again.

You caught up. "Do you know where he is?" you asked.

"I have some hypotheses," Holmes told you, his pace quicker than before. You had trouble keeping up.