Under And Over: The Finale

Having Fun, Cleopatra?

On his phone was an ad posted on eBay, a photo of the sphinx head (taken from before), called a "replica", which was in a bidding war. The ad had been posted 23 hours before, meaning the bids were almost done. Sherlock looked and saw that there was a bid of three million pounds, meaning that the person who was buying it knew that it was more than just a replica.

"How did you find this?"

James put his phone back in his pocket. "I just sort of got a link from a cell number. Over text."

"Which number?" James brought out his phone again, and showed Sherlock a number which he recognized. Lestrade. 

Where was Lestrade, anyways? He sent texts to both Sherlock and James, and he was nowhere to be found. Who had taken Lestrade's phone? And where is he now?

Sherlock turned to James. "Meet me at 221 B Baker Street in one hour, sharp." He began to walk away when James stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"To meet a friend."

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Sherlock walked into St. Bart's.

"Sherlock, what are you doing here?" Molly abandoned her autopsy to see a man who she hadn't seen in a long time. "You never come around and visit anymore."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, things have been... busy." He started to look at all the specimens and other scientific equipment in the lab.

"I'm guessing you need a favour, or something?"

"Molly, stop underestimating yourself. You're more than just being put to use. I came to say hi." 

She stood up straighter as he said this, and a smile started to form on her lips. "Oh." She stared at him for a moment. An awkward silence in the air. She noticed that Sherlock was not standing as he usually did, his shoulders seemed to slump just a little bit. Sad. As Sherlock looked up from the specimens and equipment, she spoke. "I'm sorry about Emma." She paused. "It must be hard."

He stared at her now, and noticed the sympathy on her face. He did not need to nod or say yes, as it was a known fact that Emma being in jail was very hard for him, especially now as he has been too busy and hurt to call her. Talking to her over phone is not the same as seeing her in person, but going to the jail to talk to her is not the same as before. That's why he sent her a burner phone when these cases started, so that he could still update her but not have to face her. He limited his texts just to cases, he thought about her all the time but could not let her know that. He did not know when she would be getting out of prison. He cares about her a lot. He looked back at the specimens.

"I'm here if you ever need me." She walked closer to him and noticed that he was staring at a microscope, the slide blank. "You can use the equipment whenever you want, you know." She was about to get some slides for him to look at when her phone dinged. He looked up at her, wanting to know who it was.

"Lestrade?"

She nodded. "Needs me to look over some samples. Would you like to help?"

"Samples for what?"

"For what happened at St. James park."

Sherlock stood up straight and tilted his head slightly. "Not about Cleopatra's Needle?"

"What happened at Cleopatra's Needle?"

"Meet me at my flat in an hour." He ran out of St. Bart's. Molly sighed.

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AN HOUR LATER. 

221B BAKER STREET.

Molly sat on the couch, looking at James beside her. James stared at the floor. Both were waiting for Sherlock to speak, he had just been looking out the window for the past few minutes. He liked people watching, making deductions with limited time. Finally, still looking out the window, he spoke.

"Both of you got texts from Lestrade, notice anything weird about them?" They stared at him cluelessly. "James, you don't know Lestrade... how did he get your number? Did Emma tell you anything about him?" James shook his head. "Molly, when did you last see Lestrade? Is he the one that gave you the samples, who usually oversees lab work?" Molly shook her head.

"He doesn't oversee lab work usually, but I just saw him as I was leaving work to come here."

Sherlock looked over at Molly. "You saw him? How was he?"

She shrugged. "Seemed fine. Normal self during a case, a bit stressed. Nothing out of the ordinary. He got a phone call when I passed by him though, so I wasn't able to talk to him. Police were at Cleopatra's Needle, I guess he was getting an update."

Interesting. Someone is texting from his number but he still has access to his phone. Is it possible that Lestrade sent both messages to James and Molly, but someone else sent Sherlock his message? Greg would never write 'you'll miss out on all the fun', he did not think cases were fun like Sherlock did. Cases are real, and difficult, and stressful. Sherlock looked back out the window.

"I need you two to help me. James, you will be my connection to Emma." Kind of like a stand-in. "Molly, you will be my connection to St. Bart's and Scotland Yard. It appears that some of my information I have been getting before is not completely correct."

James gets a notification on his phone. "The head sold, 3 million pounds."

Sherlock nodded at this information, knowing that it would sell. He asked both of them, "What would you do with 3 million pounds?"