The Art Of Deduction (A BBC Sherlock Fanfiction)

12. Janus Cars

SIX HOURS TO GO.

JANUS CARS
************************

Sherlock, Elisabeth, and John are in the office of the car hire company. John sits at the other side of the desk to the owner, taking notes while Sherlock looks out into the forecourt.

"Can't see how I can help you gentlemen." Says the Owner.

"Mr Monkford hired the car from you yesterday." Says John.

"Yeah. Lovely motor. Mazda RX-8. Wouldn't mind one of them myself!"

Sherlock walks over to the other side of the desk so that he's standing beside Ewert, then points into the forecourt.

"Is that one?" Asks Sherlock.

The owner turns his head to look and Sherlock immediately looks closely at the side of the man's neck.

"No, they're all Jags. Yeah, I can see you're not a car man, eh?"

Sherlock straightens up as the owner looks round and smiles at John.

"But, er, surely you can afford one – a Mazda, I mean?" Questions Elisabeth.

"Yeah, it's a fair point. But you know how it is: it's like working in a sweetshop. Once you start picking at the liquorice allsorts, when does it all stop, eh?"

He starts scratching near the top of his left arm with his right hand. Sherlock looks at him for a moment, then turns away and heads around the room towards the other side of the desk.

"But you didn't know Mr Monkford?"

"No, he was just a client. Came in here and hired one of my cars. No idea what happened to him. Poor sod."

Sherlock has reached the other side of the desk and stops.

"Nice holiday, Mr Ewert? You've been away, haven't you?" Asks Sherlock.

"Oh, the-the ..."He gestures towards his tanned face. "No, it's, er, sunbeds, I'm afraid, yeah. Too busy to get away. My wife would love it, though – bit of sun."

"Have you got any change for the cigarette machine?"

"What?"

"Well, I noticed one on the way in and I haven't got any change. Im gasping."

He offers Ewert a bank note.

Ewert reaches into his trouser pocket and takes out his wallet. He opens the wallet and looks inside.

"No,Sorry."

"Oh well. Thank you very much for your time, Mr Ewert."

He turns and heads for the door.

"You've been very helpful."

They leave the office and walk across the forecourt.

"I-I've got change if you still want to, uh ..." Says Elisabeth.

"Nicotine patches, remember? I'm doing well." Says Sherlock, patting his left arm.

"So what was that all about?"

"I needed to look inside his wallet."

"Why?"

"Mr Ewert's a liar."

ST BART'S LAB.
***********************

Sherlock has a large drop of blood in a shallow glass dish. Putting the dish onto the desk, he reaches into a small bag of equipment, opens a bottle and siphons out some liquid with a small dropper. Bending down to the dish, he squeezes out a drop of liquid onto the blood, which starts to fizz. As Sherlock straightens up, the pink phone rings. The Caller I.D. reads "BLOCKED". He picks up the phone and answers it.

"Hello?" He says

The Young man speaks.

"The clue's in the name. Janus Cars."

"Why would you be giving me a clue?"

"Why does anyone do anything? Because I'm bored. We were made for each other, Sherlock."

"Then talk to me in your own voice."

"Patience."

The line goes dead. Sherlock lowers the phone and looks thoughtfully into the distance for a while. Finally he looks down at the fizzing liquid in the dish, then picks up the dish and looks at it more closely. He begins to smile.

THREE HOURS TO GO.

POLICE CAR POUND.
*************************

Sherlock, John, Elisabeth, and Lestrade are standing around Monkford's car.

"How much blood was on that seat, would you say?" Asks Sherlock.

"How much? About a pint."

"Not 'about.' Exactly a pint. That was their first mistake. The blood's definitely Ian Monkford's but it's been frozen."

"Frozen?"

"There are clear signs. I think Ian Monkford gave a pint of his blood some time ago and that's what they spread on the seats."

"Who did?" Asks John.

"Janus Cars. The clue's in the name. The god with two faces." Answers Elisabeth.

"Exactly." Says Sherlock.

"They provide a very special service. If you've got any kind of a problem – money troubles, bad marriage, whatever – Janus Cars will help you disappear. Ian Monkford was up to his eyes in some kind of trouble – financial, at a guess; he's a banker. Couldn't see a way out. But if he were to vanish, if the car he hired was found abandoned with his blood all over the driver's seat ..."

"So where is he?" Asks Lestrade.

"Columbia." Answers Sherlock.

"Columbia!?"

"Mr Ewert of Janus Cars had a twenty thousand Colombian peso note in his wallet. Quite a bit of change, too. He told us he hadn't been abroad recently, but when I asked him about the cars, I could see his tan line clearly. No-one wears a shirt on a sunbed. That, plus his arm."

"His Arm!?"

"Kept scratching it. Obviously irritating him, and bleeding. Why? Because he'd recently had a booster jab. Hep-B, probably. Difficult to tell at that distance. Conclusion: he'd just come back from settling Ian Monkford into his new life in Colombia. Mrs Monkford cashes in the life insurance and she splits it with Janus Cars."

"M-Mrs Monkford?" Asks John.

"Oh yes. She's in on it too. Now go and arrest them, Inspector. That's what you do best."

He turns to John and Elisabeth.

"We need to let our friendly bomber know that the case is solved."

He turns and leads John and Elisabeth away. Lestrade watches them, still reeling at all the information that he has just been given. Sherlock clenches his fists triumphantly at his sides as he goes.

"I am on fire!"

221B
**********************

Sitting at the living room table in their coats – presumably because the heating still can't be turned on nor the fire lit after the explosion– Sherlock types a new message onto The Science of Deduction:

Congratulations to Ian Monkford on his relocation to Colombia.

He sends the message. A few seconds later another 'BLOCKED' phone call comes in on the pink phone lying on the table beside the computer. Sherlock switches on the speaker.

"He says you can come and fetch me. Help. Help me, please."Says the young man.

Shortly afterwards, police officers are running towards the young man from all directions.