The Baker's Detective

| The Sauce and the Hunch |

"Just walked in."

"Alright. See you soon. Bye."

"Bye."

He hangs up, and the lady at the front desk points him into the dining room. "They're in there, waiting for you."

"Thank you."

He walks into the dining room, finding Mary Gray, her mother, and Officer Davis. "Hello, Mr. Holmes," Mary says.

"Hello." He shakes her hand, then Officer Davis', then Mary's mother's.

"I'm Sherry," she says. He sits down.

"We just wanted to ask you a few questions about Nancy," Officer Davis says.

"How much do you know about your daughter's testimony?" Sherlock asks.

"She told me everything," Sherry replies. "I've been thinking about it for a while now. I haven't told her anything, though. It's... Well, it's hard to explain. Nancy has been so private about everything, and I don't know how she'd want me to tell it, you know. There's a reason she doesn't talk about it."

"What do you know?"

"Well, I don't know a David. The only other information I think I can provide you with is Henry. She and James fought with him, in the war. He was... Well, they were in love, Nancy and Henry. They were talking about getting married. But the three of them — Nancy, Henry, and James — were close, though James outranked them both. Then, Henry was sent on a special mission. I don't remember what it was, specifically, but the point is, he never came back. They didn't find his body, but he was assumed to be dead. After that, Nancy was a wreck. As soon as she could, she got out of the military, but she and James stayed connected. He was the only one who understood, you know. Eventually, they started going out once they felt like they were ready. He resigned from the military to marry her. She said couldn't be around it anymore, and I don't blame her."

"Do you think it is possible Henry didn't die in Afghanistan?" Officer Davis asks.

"I suppose, as they never found his body. But it's been so long. I don't understand how he would've survived that long and gotten back here. Of course, I don't know the details of that mission he was sent on. Nancy would never say. I don't even know if she knew."

"Describe Henry for me, please."

"Mary told me what the man looked like, from a distance, anyway. It seemed consistent. Short, blond hair, cropped beard — though he was almost six foot, but of course Mary said he walked with a limp and was a bit hunched over. I suppose he was injured, when he disappeared."

"You didn't mention that," Sherlock says to Mary.

"I forgot," she replies. "I figured you'd get it from the police, anyway."

Sherlock sighs a bit, but then he factors this new information into what he was already thinking about. He's so close to the answer, he can feel it. He just needs to think it through — and talk to Mycroft.

"What was Henry's last name?" he asks, already typing out his text to his brother.

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