The Art Of Deduction (A BBC Sherlock Fanfiction)

51. Hansel And Gretel

On the other side of the lab, ignorant of the conversation that has just taken place, Elisabeth is looking through police photographs taken at the school. John walks up next to her and starts looking at the photographs too. Elisabeth finds one of the inside of the wooden trunk which shows the envelope with the wax seal, and another with a close-up of the seal.

"Wait. Look at that envelope. It's the same one I found on our doorstep today." Says Elisabeth.

"Sherlock." She Calls out

"Hmm?"

"This envelope that was in her trunk. There's another one."

She walks over to where she has put her jacket.

"What?"

"On our doorstep. Found it today."

she gets the envelope out of her pocket and looks at it.

"Yes, and look at that."

She brings the envelope round the bench and gives it to Sherlock.

"Look at that. Exactly the same seal."

Sherlock reaches into the envelope and takes out some of the brown dust.

"Breadcrumbs."

"Uh-huh. It was there when I got back."

"A little trace of breadcrumbs; hardback copy of fairy tales."

His eyes widen.

"Two children led into the forest by a wicked father follow a little trail of breadcrumbs."

"That's "Hansel and Gretel." What sort of kidnapper leaves clues?" Asks Elisabeth.

"The sort that likes to boast; the sort that thinks it's all a game. He sat in our flat and he said these exact words to me ..."

Jim's voice overlays Sherlock's as he relates the words.

"Every fairytale needs a good old-fashioned villain."

Sherlock puts down the envelope and adjusts his microscope before starting to look into it again.

"The fifth substance: it's part of the tale."

He looks up again.

"The witch's house."

"What?"

"The glycerol molecule."

The final element in the sample becomes clear to him:

5. PGPR

"PGPR!"

"What's that?" Asks John.

"It's used in making chocolate!" Answers Sherlock as the three of them hurry out form the lab.

SCOTLAND YARD.
*******************

Greg hands a sheet of paper to Sherlock as he leads him and John into the department's main office.

"This fax arrived an hour ago." Says Lestrade.

There is a large handwritten note on the paper saying:

HURRY UP
THEY'RE
DYING!

Sherlock hands the note to John.

"What have you got for us?" Asks Lestrade.

"Need to find a place in the city where all five of these things intersect." Says Sherlock.

He hands a piece of paper to Greg, who reads it aloud.

"Chalk, asphalt, brick dust, vegetation ... What the hell is this? Chocolate?"

"I think we're looking for a disused sweet factory."