A New Life

Chapter Six

After a silent ride in the taxi, we were outside a block of flats. Sherlock walked up to the door's buzzer and pressed the one that read Van Coon. After receiving no reply Sherlock pressed the button again and looked up into a camera above the buzzer.

"Doesn't look like he's gonna answer, Sherlock," I said looking up at the building.

"So, what do we do now? Sit here and wait for him to come back?" John questioned.

Sherlock looked at the buzzers and then the building. I watched him, wondering if he was calculating the layout of the flats inside like I was. Before I could ask he walked back to the buzzers and looked at us triumphantly. I walked over to join him and glanced at the list of occupants and their buzzers. Above Van Coon, there was a handwritten label with the name Wintle.

"Just moved in!" smiling at the men beside me, I took charge. "John step to the side and stay quite."

I fixed my hair and pulled Sherlock beside me. Locking arms with him I pressed the button. A woman's voice came over the intercom.

"Hello?" she said.

I looked up at the camera, smiled and put on my "I'm just a harmless human being" voice.

"Hi! Um, my husband and I live in the flat below you. I don't think we've met," I said as Sherlock gave a knee-buckling smile.

"No, well uh I've just moved in," Ms. Wintel said politely.

"Actually, my darling husband here locked our keys in the flat," I chuckled and gave Sherlock an exasperated look.

Playing along easily Sherlock bit his lip plaintively, acting embarrassed.

"Do you need me to buzz you in?" she asked.

"That would be lovely, and can we use your balcony?" I said dropping the act a bit.

"What?" she replied nervously.

After Ms. Wintle let us in, Sherlock and I were standing on her balcony. We looked over the side, staring down at the ground several floors below us.

"Ok, we are really doing this then?" I mumbled.

He looked over at me and smiled. "Scared Elisabeth?" he asked.

Putting my hands on my hips, I sneered.

"You wish Holmes."

I placed my hands on the balcony and lifted myself over the side. I looked down as the wind swept through my hair. I pushed back the panic that was beginning to make my hands shake. That would be just grand, my shaking hands knocking me to the ground. I met Sherlock's calculating gaze and gave him my best smirk as I let myself fall to the balcony below. I landed with a quiet thump and shakily walked over to the door. I sighed in relief as I found it unlocked. It would have been just my luck getting stuck on a suspect's balcony. I walked inside and looked around the elegantly decorated living room. Clearly, Mr. Van Coon is well off, the white leather furniture and shiny black tables attest to that.

The apartment was clean and well maintained but there was no sign of a maid or of Van Coon himself. I sensed Sherlock behind me, examining the apartment. I turned around to face him