Nobody Knows My Heart Like You

Goodnight

Danielle woke up with two things on her mind.

One: she had a monster headache.

Two: where the bloody fuck was her dog.

She fought against the fog in her head. Trying to remember things, any things that could help her answer those questions.

She remembered walking Erika. Remembered making snacks for John and Sarah. Remembered that she had- she had gotten a text from John. Something about the code...and having solved it, thanks to Soo Lin.

The smugglers.

Danielle looked around the space she was in. She reckoned she was underground, from all the dirt and how it all looked like a giant tunnel. Her hands were tied together by the wrist, her body tied to the chair itself. There was a gag in her mouth- tasted like fabric. Maybe silk? It was softer than a blindfold.

She looked to her side. John was in a chair much like her's, only he had no gag in his mouth. There was blood on the side of his face- like he'd been hit.

Danielle remembered more now. She had Erika with her, when somebody had pointed a gun at her back. She had watched silently as they stuck a note under Erika's collar, then kicked one when they treated Erika's neck too harshly when planting it. They had whacked her head with something.

Funny- she had thought that was sweat on her shoulder.

A few feet ahead, Danielle saw three shadowy figures. Two were clearly goons, or henchmen whatever term they preferred. The figure in the middle was a woman, made to look more foreboding by the firelight. Danielle could almost recognize the face, if not for the sunglasses the woman was wearing.

But her head- it hurt. A lot. She- she didn't like this. She wanted to be let out. She couldn't make such a request, not just from the gag blocking her. Kidnappers rarely took their captive's suggestions.

John stirred in his chair.

Danielle sat up, struggling again in her seat. She tried calling out for John. Her words were mumbled, and all it did was get spit soaking her gag.

The older Chinese woman raised a gun towards her. Danielle shut herself up, stilled at the threat.

John groaned as he woke up. He seemed as out of it as Danielle felt.

"'A book is like a magic garden carried in your pocket.'" The woman recited.

John turned his head. His eyes caught Danielle. It took him a moment for that to register, but when it did he looked worried.

Danielle couldn't even say anything to him. She could only watch- helpless.

The woman walked closer to John. She raised her sunglasses and that's when Danielle recognized her. She had been the opera singer at the circus!

"Chinese proverb, Mr Holmes." The woman told John.

Danielle blinked- confused and not just from the past few moments of her memory.

"I...I'm not Sherlock Holmes." John told the woman.

The woman didn't accept this correction. She smiled thinly- not amused. "Forgive me if I do not take your word for it."

Yeah, that's fair. Anyone would deny being themselves if tied to a chair by smugglers.

The woman reached into John's jacket pocket. John complained in pain at this- the jostling not helping his bonds nor his head injury. She pulled out his wallet, then a smaller object from inside that wallet. "Debit card, name of S. Holmes."