A Soul of Loss and Joy

Murder

Lucie perched on a chair and looked out of the window, to John driving away. A slight feeling of apprehension was building in her - a murder in Fleet street? Was Sherlock taking her? Just then, the doorbell rang and Sherlock walked over to open it. A man with a friendly face and a grey suit walked into the house and sat down. He looked at Lucie, surprised, then, in a whisper, asked Sherlock about her. Sherlock muttered some incoherent reply, and sat down also. The man then drew out a scribbled on sheet of paper, and cast another look at Lucie. This time Sherlock angrily replied:

"Yes, I've told you, she can be trusted! Now get on!"

Lucie didn't know what to make of it. If Sherlock hated her so much, why didn't he send her upstairs while they did whatever the man had came here for? She settled down into the chair and silently watched the pair talk.

Sherlock didn't know why he hadn't sent Lucie upstairs. It confused him. Usually his mind made perfectly rational and thought out decisions, but here this abnormality had occurred. He decided to look at it in his mind palace later. Meanwhile, Sherlock discussed the day's events with Lestrade. As he had expected, the murder was at the top of the list, and they set out straight away. Before leaving, Lestrade nudged Sherlock and pointed towards the window. Lucie. She stood indecisively in the dim light of the window, unsure of what to do. Sherlock, surprising everyone in the room, flicked his had at Lucie so that she might follow him. So quickly had he thought out that he might as well go along with his primary idea (the partner), that he had barely hesitated before moving his hand. He then went out of the house and beckoned for a taxi.

Lucie sat in the car and watched the rain trickle down the window, forming little rivers. She rested her had against the glass and looked at Sherlock. He was wearing his usual cold mask; it was impossible to tell anything. Before, she had thought he hated her... Why this sudden change of mind? This was frustrating. Also, where were they going? From what John had told her, Sherlock was the only consulting detective in the world, and a genius. Why did he need her?

The scene of the crime was a multi storey car park, on the bottom floor. When Sherlock saw the body, he didn't even flinch. It was spread out on the concrete, arms and legs splayed out in a grotesque cross. The head lolled to one side, and the black suit was worn and faded, particularly the sleeves. A peculiar stone of amber jutted out from the victim's left pocket. Lucie, however, shivered and stayed as far away from it as possible. She had never seen a dead body, and it revolted her. The look of terror on the man's face was obvious, even at such a distance. The blood which spilled into a pool near the torso was also quite clear. Taking a deep breath, Lucie remembered what they were here for. Sherlock was already examining certain aspects of the man's clothing and possessions. She steadied herself and stepped closer to the man.

Lestrade looked on as the two figures circled the body. He fancied they looked like two vultures, circling their prey. Greg didn't even attempt to examine the body - he knew Sherlock would instantly smirk. After a minute or two Sherlock straightened his back and looked at Lestrade. Lestrade waited for him to start his usual deductions, but he didn't - instead, he addressed Lucie and asked her to say to him what she though of the body. Her eyes widened with amazement, but then Lucie stuttered to a start.

"Well, I should say that he's a business man, he works at desks a lot judging by the state of his sleeves, and the suit overall is quite worn suggesting he just doesn't have enough money to buy a new one, even though he wears it every day. It, therefore, was not a robbery. Also, he came here by appointment, as the notebook in his pocket mentions a time and date, yesterday, circled twice. Because of this, and also the look of terror on the can't face, we can assume that he knew why he was killed and the killer probably also promised something much worse than death. So why, we must ask, was this man involved with someone who would easily kill? He was probably hired to do something enticed by big payments because of money problems. He was also maybe only at first payed money, and then threatened, until the job was done and they no longer needed him. Thinking he was unimportant and could not be traced to them, they left him here. Also, in his wallet was a picture of a family consisting of a baby and two parents, but it is dated 8.6.2000, which suggests he has long lost contact with them. A divorce, maybe? Anyhow, a family could be used to blackmail a person into doing anything, and then he is easily disposable of, and  I really don't know what to make of the amber."

When Lucie finished her speech, she was breathless. Lestrade was looking at her in a mild form of awe, and she could have sworn that Sherlock had looked at her with approvement. However, this quickly ended, and Sherlock turned to Lestrade and suggested he check the man's bank account and recent hotels used. He then pointed out that the man had obviously travelled a lot, and, without explaining, exited the building. Lucie waved Lestrade goodbye and hurried after Sherlock.