Beauty and the High-Functioning Sociopath {#PFCC2k16}

The Trial of James Moriarty

"Wow, I'm liking you." the woman said.

"You mean I'd make a great feature, 'Sherlock Holmes, the Man Beneath the Hat.' " Sherlock said.

"Kitty Riley." The woman introduced herself. She took off her Sherlock hat. "Pleased to meet you."

"No, I'm just saving you the trouble of asking. No, I won't give you an interview." Sherlock said. "No, I don't want the money."

"You and Alexandra Watson just platonic?" Kitty asked. Sherlock ignored her and tried to open the door. She closed it and cornered him. "Do I put you down there for a no as well? There's all sorts of gossip in the press about you. Sooner or later you're going to need someone on your side. Someone to set the record straight."

"You think you're the girl for the job, do you?" Sherlock asked.

"I'm smart and you can trust me totally." Kitty said.

"Smart? Okay. Investagitive journalist, good. Well, look at me and tell me what you see. If you're that skillful, you don't need an interview. You can just read what you need. No? Okay, my turn." Sherlock said. "I look at you and I see someone who's still waiting for their first big scoop so that their editor will notice them. You're wearing an expensive skirt that has been rehemmed twice, the same that Alex is wearing except that one was a gift from John. It's the only posh skirt you've got. And you're nails, you can't afford to do them that often. I see someone who's hungry, I don't see smart, and I definately don't see trustworthy. But I'll give you a quote if you like, three little words" He took her tape recorder out of her pocket and held it up to his mouth. "You. Repel. Me." (I have to give credit to this actress because if Benedict had been three inches from my face and said, "You. Repel. Me." I would have started crying.)

Sherlock walked out of the bathroom after giving Kitty her tape recorder back. He found Alex and John shortly. Alex gave him a confused look.

"That was an awfully long time." She said. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just got ambused by a reporter is all." Sherlock said. "Come on, we have to go in now."

Soon, the trial began. Alex and John sat together in the jury and watched Sherlock, who was at the witness stand.

"A consulting criminal." Sherlock's lawyer said.

"Yes." Sherlock nodded.

"Your words." The woman said. "Can you expand on that answer?"

"James Moriarty is for hire." Sherlocks said.

"A tradesman?" The laywer tilted her head.

"Yes." Sherlock said.

"But not the sort that'd fix your heating." The woman said.

"No, the sort to plant a bomb on stage, an assassination, but I'm sure he'd make a pretty decent job of your boiler." Sherlock said. Some laughter passed through the room.

"Would you describe him as-"

"Leading." Sherlock said.

"What?" The woman said.

"Can't do that, you're leading the witness." Sherlock said. "He'll object and the judge will uphold."

"Mr. Holmes." The judge said.

"Ask me how I would describe him, what opinion have I formed of him." Sherlock said. "They don't teach you this?"

"Mr. Holmes, we're fine without your help." The judge said.

"How would you describe this man, his character?" The woman asked.

"First mistake, James Moriarty isn't a man at all. He's a spider, a spider at the center of a web." Sherlock said. "Criminal web, with a thousand threads, and he knows precisely how each and every one of them dances."