Sherlock Holmes In Love (Completed)

15. Them again

They are being followed.

The cult members are far from home. This is London. Not their turf anymore. Holmes has seen them outside their apartment few times. For beefy guys like them to blend in with crowds, not a chance.

Holmes is playing his violin since very early this morning. Apparently he hasn't slept a wink.

(She kept secrets from me. Big secrets. Cult, huh? Am I supposed to believe it? Why she trusted John not me?)

Irene has gone out with John. Not him.

A text from Lestrade, "The guy you asked, birth name Rudolf Woods. He's kinda local ruler in Amensbury. They got a mayor, but he's the shadow leader in the neighborhood areas."

Holmes texts back, "Connection to Eric?"

"His dead brother. Killed in local thugs war. The locals won't say anything more to the police. But areas near Stonehenge is infamous for thugs war. Dunno why. The case, Holmes?"

Holmes sighs. He texts about the the method the killer's used. And how he could escape from the locked room.

If one day, Lestrade becomes Chief, it's his fault. Because he had been helping him from behind.

Holmes opens a window. There are few kids hanging out on the street. Playing together. He whistles. One of the kids quickly stands beneath the window. He crumples a paper and some money, tosses it down to him.

The kid reads the note and then he dashes off to the nearest bakery store.

Few minutes later, Holmes is eating a ham sandwich bought by that kid. The note in his hand reads Ham sandwich. A simple code for follow that beefy guy.

The kid reports, "Franz is tailing him right now. On his bicycle. Easy enough. That moron never look back."

"Tell him to be careful, Jim. These guys aren't usual criminals."

"Franz is the best in our squad, Mr. Holmes. No worries."

It has been few years since he started using the kids as his personal spies. It started when the kids watched James Bonds movies, dreaming to be him. They begged him to teach them spying.

The bored detective took their pleas seriously. Now they are his unpaid assistants. Only paid whenever he needed them. They are his Baker street squad.

He never sent them for dangerous mission. Usually just scouting task. Keeping them from being bored teenager boys. Too many teenagers got involved with drugs simply because of boredom.

The kid shows his phone screen to Holmes. The beefy guy just enters a nearby M146studios, a nearby hotel. Probably where the rest of the gangs reside.

Holmes takes £10 and gives it to him. He suggests, "Tell Franz to buy some ice cream. Not weed, you hear me. Or I'll bust his ass."

"Certainly, Mr. Holmes. He only listens to you. Not me. I'll tell him right away."

Holmes sighs when the boy has left his apartment. He is staring to his phone screen.

He whispers, "Irene, you're my kryptonite. You're the only one who could make my mind go blank."

GPS shows that John is heading to that hotel, probably under Irene's command. They didn't know Holmes has planted a tracker device in his gun. When it's gone this morning, he knew John has taken it.

(What to do with her? She wouldn't tell me the truth. Heck, I'm the Sherlock Holmes. No mystery is safe from me. Irene, I'll figure out what skeleton kept in your closet).

Holmes grabs his umbrella before he leaves his home. It's cloudy again. Carrying an umbrella isn't weird in London.

*****

"He isn't here," complaints Irene.

She just asks the receptionist earlier. The werewolf gang just went out this morning.

John suggests, "It's better to go back. We didn't tell Holmes about..."

"That man has nothing to do with me."

John shakes his head. He asks, "What do you want, Irene? You didn't let him in. And guys aren't immune to pretty women. Especially guys without any commitment."

Irene is silent.

Rudolf sent her a text to meet him yesterday. Before she left Amensbury.  They were supposed to meet here. Unfortunately he didn't include the time of meeting.

She finally gives up. She says, "You're right. Let's go home, John."

They walk pass a street musician playing his violin. None of them paid any attention to him.

Few minutes later, Rudolf and his gang got back to the hotel. They have gone to 221B Baker street to find Irene. But the landlady told them no one is at home. Everyone has left early this morning.

Rudolf sniffs the air and he growls angrily. She had been here. The scent is fresh. They just missed her.

The blind musician looks shocked and he stops playing for a while.

A beefy guy asks, "What are you looking at? Scram!"

The musician sighs. He gathers up his stuffs and accidentally bumps into one of Rudolf's guy when he's leaving the spot.

"Hey, you stupid bum!" yells him before shoving him away from him.

Rudolf says, "Let's head back to our room. We could plan things there."

In a dead end alley, the blind musician puts in his ear phone. Listening to their conversation. He has plamted a listening device on a guy earlier. It looked like a dead fly.

In their room, Rudolf says, "She just texted me. Madame Tussauds museum. Ten o'clock. It's time to bring our Luna back, gang. She's gone too long."

His men cheer for him.

In the alley, Holmes gritted his teeth. There's no way he would let them win.

They aren't fanatic cult member. More like gangsters.

His phone makes a ding sound, incoming message from Anya, "Miss you, Holmes. Don't you miss me too?"

"No," that's his sole reply when he texts her back.

"Don't be a stranger. Drop by anytime. As a reporter, I hear juicy news from the streets."

He's very tempted. Anya knows him too well. She knows how to tempt someone like him.

Holmes shakes his head and then chuckles. That woman is troublemaker. She would never accept no. Not until they officially dating.

He walks slowly like a blind man. Hanging out with various bums in the streets. It's another source of information for him. They are very talkative because they think he's one of them. Just another bum in London.

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Lonesome Holmes.

Sometimes for a person with great mind, the road ahead is very lonely. No one seems to understand him.