It Started With Stealing | Sherlock Holmes

77 - Secrets & Lies

"No! Wait! Out of the way! Elizabeth!"

A gunshot went off, courtesy to the other person who had gotten out of the van, startling the crowd back as Sherlock got to the front. They had fired a warning shot in the air as the other pulled the struggling thief into the van. At seeing this the detective jolted forwards into action, but they shot the ground just in front front of his feet. Elizabeth's muffled, high-pitched protesting rang in his ears as he stopped. Sherlock met his gaze with the gunman who kept the weapon aimed on him. Then, without a word, they jumped back into vehicle too, slamming the door shut with a heavy metallic rumble as it picked up speed instantly, with Sherlock bolting after it. It was no use though. He wasn't fast enough.

Sherlock stood in the road, staring after the speeding vehicle, panting. Onlookers watched quietly. Traffic continued, swerving to avoid hitting the detective.

He knew one thing and one thing only: the kidnappers were women.

* * * * * * * *

"She's gone." Sherlock announced, quiet wrath lacing his tone as he flung the door open to Rita's hospital room, "What did you say to her?"

Mycroft frowned, "What do you mean she's gone?"

"I said what I felt." Rita paused, still feeling her own ferocity course through her, "I said I would kill him for what he did to me."

"Rita - "

"Don't Rita me." The doctor spat at Mycroft, "You know what he's done - what he's taken from me."

The vexation that scarily shone in her eyes as she looked at the elder Holmes threw him. Mycroft had never, in all his time of knowing her, seen her like this. Rita had always been the happy one, the one who was always joking, the one who never seemed to carry an irritable bone in her body. Of course, people changed and especially after a trauma like this.

As Sherlock stared at her the only word that came to mind was liar. He could see it, he felt it in his gut that there was something more to this. What could she be hiding?

Sherlock clarified, "Elizabeth was kidnapped."

"What?" Both looked at him in disbelief of what the detective had said.

"Elizabeth was on the verge of a panic attack so she headed outside. An unmarked black van pulled up and two masked women," As he said this, he looked to Rita to gauge her reaction, "Jumped out, the one grabbing Elizabeth, the other firing a warning shot into the sky and at me. She's gone."

"Go find her then." Dr Rahat commented, "What are you still doing here?"

"Because I'm trying to work out what you're not telling me."

"I told you what I said: that I wanted Moriarty dead."

"Sherlock, I doubt she's hiding anything from you." Mycroft tried to mediate between the two, "You're upset - "

"Upset?" Sherlock looked at his brother, incredulity written into his expression, "Mycroft, Elizabeth's just be abducted after she went out for air because of a conversation that clearly pushed her over the edge. I'm telling you that Rita just saying it was because she wanted to off Moriarty is a lie or she is at least omitting some piece of information."

"Sherlock, you're being absurd."

"No, Mycroft, your love is making you blind." His fiery gaze met with Rita's, "Fine. Don't tell me. But don't think I won't work it out. And, brother," He looked to Mycroft again, "If you want any ounce of respect from me again, I'd keep questioning her when I'm gone."