It Started With Stealing | Sherlock Holmes

75 - If Thy Right Hand Offend Thee...

"How can you switch off so easily? These are people's livelihoods we're playing with. How can you be standing up there, treating this decision so trivially?" Distress wore away at her expression, "How do you get to decide this?"

"I don't - we are deciding this. Not them. Elizabeth, you are making this harder than it needs to be, come up here so we can decide."

"Not without their say." She headed over to Ruth, who was still crying and began to pull out her gag.

"Elizabeth, don't - argh!" Sherlock ran an irritated hand over his mouth.

"Please, please, don't do this." Ruth wailed and begged, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, please don't do this to me."

The thief then walked over to the witness box to remove the gag from Felix's mouth.

"What the hell is this? Who the hell are you people?" Felix snapped, "You better not be cutting off my hand, I'll have you sued!"

"Both of you, shut up for a second." Elizabeth snapped at them before pointing at Ruth, "You cheated on your husband with him," She then looked and pointed at Felix, "And you should have known better than to entertain her fantasies. An affair is not how one fixes a marriage."

"Where is Henry? Is he okay?" Ruth snivelled.

"I'm not answering that now. We - "

"Oh God, he's dead isn't he? Henry's dead!" Mrs King began to bawl again.

"Ruth, Ruth, listen, hush up, okay, we're going to be fine." Quietly, Felix said to himself, "At least, I will be."

Sherlock was losing his patience. Removing their gags was the worst thing Elizabeth could have done to herself. With two not-so-innocent people playing the pity party, Sherlock knew that this decision would tear her apart.

The other window shattered as a bullet hit it, the glass raining down in the courtroom like shooting stars. Ruth had shrieked at the sharp, sudden sound. Clearly, the snipers were equally as impatient for this choice judging by the red dots that had reappeared on each bound person's torsos.

"We don't have much time. We need to make a decision now!" Sherlock reiterated.

"Okay hold on. We have a choice to make and if we don't make it you're both going to die. So make your claims. Why shouldn't you be the one to face a consequence?"

Felix impulsively spoke up first, annoyance and frustration lacing his tone, "I'll tell you why - I did nothing wrong! Ruth was the one that came onto me. She was the one that flirted with me. And so I gave in - I didn't know she was married. She lied to me! She cheated!"

"Ruth?" Elizabeth looked to the widow.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, please, just don't do this. I love my husband, I do, please..." She continued sobbing incoherent words but had no real defence for herself.

Elizabeth looked up at Sherlock on the magistrate's bench, her eyes glistening as he knew they would. His look didn't soften though. Not now. Now required him to be detached, now required him to put logic over morality. This case was essentially 'The Trolley Problem' - an ethical dilemma to which there appeared no right or wrong answer.

Especially when science had come so far.

Sherlock knew Elizabeth would never be able to choose, especially after hearing both speak their piece. From the very beginning when he walked in, Sherlock knew he would be left alone with the responsibility.

"Go outside. Call an ambulance."

"Sherlock - "

"Call an ambulance. Go."