It Started With Stealing | Sherlock Holmes

27 - Late Night Meeting

Irene just nodded, brow quirked, suspicious of the thief's feelings, "Nice to know you care for Mr Holmes...no need to worry about his coat. I left it in his room."

"You were here earlier?"

"Of course, Elizabeth. I had to return his 'nice' coat because I, too, understand how much Mr Holmes likes said coat."

"Right. Okay. Good. Great." Elizabeth nodded.

The coat was safe and well. Good to know. But now one couldn't ignore the real questions that needed to be asked. Elizabeth couldn't really avoid it for long. She needed answers after all.

"Why did you leave me the note?"

"I felt like helping."

"Who? Yourself, Jim or me?"

"A mixture of all of us really."

"What did you mean by 'they're listening'?"

Irene answered, "Your laptop. Jim placed a listening device on it. I've moved it out of this room for now. It's in the bathroom."

Distress, grief and anger crossed Elizabeth's face when this was said. She faced away from Irene as though consulting with herself. How hadn't she thought of that? Her laptop was one of the few untouched items in her old flat and she didn't question it? The masquerade - them trying to find Shaun - Jim had known about all of that. She had killed Shaun - and almost herself too with her own stupidity.

"Elizabeth?"

"Ye - yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"Fine. I'm - fine." She felt sick to her core.

Irene continued, with the strong impulse to not linger on this note for long, "If you haven't worked it out already, Jim wanted me to pass on a message."

"Okay."

"But I wanted to ask you something first?"

Elizabeth muttered the same response.

"You don't seem as cruel and coldhearted as Jim. Why do you stay with him?"

She scoffed, fiddling with the ring on her finger once again, "Family. Or at least I used to think it was that."

"And now?"

"And now I know it was because I never could have left in the first place."

"Jim spoke about you to me."

"Oh?" Elizabeth's brow knotted in the middle as she continued to play with the styled silver on her index finger, "What did he say?"

"That you're his 'little trinket'. Those were the words he used. But when he explained - or at least tried to explain it - he said that you were 'the only person to have ever stolen any feeling from him'. He said that he viewed you as family."

Elizabeth shook her head, finally daring to meet Irene's troubled gaze, "That's not right. He would never say - "

"Something like that. Why?"

"Well, we all know. He's a bloody psychopath. He can't really feel anything."

"Contrary to almost everyone's beliefs, psychopaths are still capable of feeling certain things. They do not lack feeling. They lack empathy. They may never be able show real 'love' but they will have their own versions of 'love' - this often being their respect. Which you have with Jim. He said it himself that you are 'important' to him."

Elizabeth shook her head, "But then we also know that if we wrong a psychopath, that they will also cut us out of their lives - potentially permanently."