"Raoul de Santos is your killer. Kenny Prince’s houseboy. Second autopsy shows it wasn’t tetanus that poisoned Connie Prince – it was botulinum toxin." Sherlock told Lestrade while Vaness was on the phone, calling John.
"We’ve been here before. Carl Powers? Tut-tut. Our bomber’s repeated himself." Sherlock said.
John told Vaness in the phone that he was already in a Cab, going back home, then asked how Sherlock solved it. So Vaness put him on speaker.
"So how’d he do it?" Lestrade asked.
"Botox injection." Sherlock answered.
"Botox?" Lestrade ask.
"Botox is a diluted form of botulinum. Among other things, Raoul de Santos was employed to give Connie her regular facial injections. My contact at the Home Office gave me the complete records of Raoul’s internet purchases..." He points to the folder. "...He’s been bulk ordering Botox for months. "
"Bided his time, then upped the strength to a fatal dose." Sherlock finished.
"You sure about this?" Lestrade asked.
"I’m sure." Sherlock said.
"All right – I need to go." Lestrade said.
Lestrade closes the door behind him.
John, still from the phone, said, "Why did you even send me here?"
Sherlock stayed quiet.
"Don't worry John, I'll tell you everything original when you come back." Vaness said.
"Fine." John said ending the call.
Sherlock walk towards his wall of clues. He continued what he was doing earlier. He was muttering to himself, trying to find out who the bomber was.
When John came back, he immediately asked Vaness what happened. She told him he convinced Sherlock not to prolong the old woman's agony and Sherlock agreed.
"So you mean to tell me, if you hadn't convinced him, he would have just let that poor old lady there?!" John asked. He was starting to get extremely angry and disappointed at Sherlock.
"He listened." Vaness told him. She caught John's eyes, "Sherlock listened. I think that's what matters."
John calmed down. Which was nice because Sherlock was also there in the living room, not listening to them, but still.
MORNING. 221B.
Sherlock and John are sitting in their armchairs, Vaness was at the kitchen finishing their breakfast, watching the news on the TV. Sherlock has the pink phone on the left arm of his chair. The windows are still broken and boarded up and the traffic is loud outside.
John filled Sherlock on what would've happened.
"12 people would have died." John said looking down.
"Would have. But didn't." Sherlock said. He then frowned, "Why?"
"She described his voice, softly she said." Vaness told him from the kitchen.
"He would have killed the old lady because she started to describe him." Sherlock said, his eyebrow arched.
He raises a finger on his other hand.
"Just once, he put himself in the firing line." Sherlock said still frowning.
Then as if he was hit by lightning, there was a glint in his eyes.
"Ah, ofcourse" he said.
"What d’you mean?" John asked.
"Well, usually, he must stay above it all. He organises these things but no-one ever has direct contact." Sherlock said.
"What ... like the Connie Prince murder – he-he arranged that? So people come to him wanting their crimes fixed up, like booking a holiday?" John asked.
"Novel." Sherlock said softly, his face full of admiration.
John looks at him in disbelief, then turns and looks at the TV screen.
"Huh."
He jerks a finger towards the screen and Sherlock looks up to see Raoul de Santos being bundled out of Kenny’s house by police officers. The press are there and are shoving each other as they struggle to get close to Raoul and take photographs while interviewers shout questions. The headline on the screen reads: “Connie Prince: man arrested.” Raoul is shoved into the back of a police car. John looks round at Sherlock, who is looking down at the pink phone.
"Taking his time this time." Sherlock said.
Vaness finished cooking and served them food, "told you you'd have time." She said to Sherlock as she gives him a plate of food.
He looked at it, sneered but accepted it. He really didn't eat when on a case but there was no arguing with Vaness.
"Anything on the Carl Powers case?" John asked as he accepted the plate Vaness gave.
"Nothing. All the living classmates check out spotless. No connection." He answered.
"Maybe the killer was older than Carl?" John suggested.
"The thought had occurred." Sherlock replied.
"So why’s he doing this, then – playing this game with you? D’you think he wants to be caught?" John asked.
Sherlock presses his fingertips together in front of his mouth and smiles slightly.
"I think he wants to be distracted." He said.
John laughs humourlessly, as he take a bite.
"I hope you’ll be very happy together." John said after a few seconds.
"Sorry, what?" Sherlock asked.
"You sound jealous John." Vaness teased, calming them both.
John and Vaness lock eyes for a moment.
"We've talked about this." Vaness told John.
"You're still disappointed." Sherlock deduced.
John took a deep breath. "No, I'm not, not anymore." He said.
Sherlock frowned.
"Oh" Sherlock said.
Sherlock and John stare at each other for a second but then the pink phone sounds a message alert.
"Excellent!" Sherlock said excitedly.
He picks up the phone and activates it. The phone sounds one short pip and the long tone, and a photograph appears showing a river bank.
"View of the Thames. South Bank – somewhere between Southwark Bridge and Waterloo." Sherlock said as he reaches into his jacket for his own phone.
"You two check the papers; I’ll look online ... " he said to them.
John finished his food quickly, then went to Vaness, who was at the sofa, browsing the newspaper.
"Do have a clue for us, Vaness?" John asked hopefully.
She stayed silent, contemplating .
They were going through the pile of newspapers on the coffee table while Sherlock’s phone shows timed reports from the Waterloo area, giving tide times, police reports and other information.
"Ah. Man found on the train line – Andrew West." John reads.
"I wanted to be an Astronaut." Vaness said quietly.
John looks at her, "What?" He asked.
"Nothing, I just remembered. I wanted to work at NASA, when I was a kid." She said.
Sherlock looks exasperated when he finds no helpful information in the reports.
"Nothing!" Sherlock said.
He hits a speed dial and the phone begins to ring out. As soon as it is answered he starts talking.
"It’s me. Have you found anything on the South Bank between Waterloo Bridge and Southwark Bridge?" Sherlock asked.
On the south bank of the River Thames, the tide has receded to reveal the body of a large man wearing black trousers, a white shirt, black socks and no shoes.
Later, while the police and forensics officers work at the scene, they arrive. Sherlock is pulling on a pair of latex gloves. Lestrade is waiting beside the body.
"D’you reckon this is connected, then? The bomber?" Lestrade asked.
"Must be. Odd, though ..." he holds up the pink phone, "... he hasn’t been in touch."
"But we must assume that some poor bugger’s primed to explode, yeah?" Lestrade asked.
"Yes." Sherlock answered.
He steps back and takes a long look at the man’s body which is now lying on its back on a plastic sheet.
"Any ideas?" Lestrade asked.
"Seven ... so far." Sherlock said.
"Seven?!" Lestrade repeated, shocked.
"My favorite number." Vaness said to herself.
Sherlock walks closer to the body and squats down to examine the man’s face closely with his magnifier. He then looks at the ripped pocket on the shirt before working his way downwards until he reaches the man’s feet.
He pulls off one of the socks and examines the sole of the foot with his magnifier. Standing up and closing the magnifier, he looks across to John and jerks his head down towards the body in a mute order to examine it. John looks enquiringly at Lestrade for permission; the inspector holds his hand out in a ‘be my guest’ gesture. John squats down beside the body and reaches out to take hold of the man’s wrist while Sherlock walks a few paces away and gets out his phone.
"He’s dead about twenty-four hours – maybe a bit longer."
He looks up at Lestrade.
"Did he drown?" John asked.
Sherlock was on his phone.
"Apparently not. Not enough of the Thames in his lungs. Asphyxiated." Lestrade answered.
"Yes, I’d agree." John said. "There’s quite a bit of bruising around the nose and mouth. More bruises here and here." He said pointing to the man's mouth and neck area.
"Fingertips." Sherlock said thoughtfully.
As John stands up, Sherlock was still on his phone.
"In his late thirties, I’d say. Not in the best condition." John said.
"He’s been in the river a long while. The water’s destroyed most of the data." Sherlock said. He quirks a grin.
"But I’ll tell you one thing: that lost Vermeer painting’s a fake." Sherlock told them.
"What?" Lestrade asked in confusion.
"We need to identify the corpse. Find out about his friends and associates ..." Sherlock said not answering.
"Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait. What painting? What are you – what are you on about?" Lestrade pressed on.
"It’s all over the place. Haven’t you seen the posters? Dutch Old Master, supposed to have been destroyed centuries ago; now it’s turned up. Worth thirty million pounds." Sherlock said.
"Okay. So what has that got to do with the stiff?" Lestrade asked.
"Everything. Have you ever heard of the Golem?" He said grinning briefly.
"Golem?" Lestrade asked.
"It’s a horror story, isn’t it? What are you saying?" John said, also confused.
Vaness was the only one who can understand Sherlock that moment, and it was because she already knows.
"Jewish folk story. A gigantic man made of clay. It’s also the name of an assassin – real name Oskar Dzundza – one of the deadliest assassins in the world." Sherlock explained.
He points down to the body.
"That is his trademark style."
"So this is a hit?" Lestrade asked.
"Definitely. The Golem squeezes the life out of his victims with his bare hands." Sherlock said.
"But what has this gotta do with that painting? I don’t see ..." Lestrade said.
"You do see – you just don’t observe." Sherlock said exasperated.
"All right, all right, girls, calm down." John said.
"Hey!" Vaness said, "I take offense to that."
"Sorry." John said apologetically.
"Sherlock? D’you wanna take us through it?" John asked.
Taking a moment before he responds, Sherlock looked thoughtful then said, "Vaness can explain she observed it already."
John and Vaness looked surprised. Sherlock loves to show off, and here he was, letting Vaness do the showing off.
"Really?" Lestrade asked surprised at Vaness.
"Er, yeah sure." Vaness looked at Sherlock and he gave her a look that said, 'well go on'
"There's not much left on the corpse, the killer saw to that. He's pretty formal, but it's cheap, polyester, it's heavy-duty. It's also not the right size for him, likely a standard issue. So he's dressed for work. There's hook on his belt for a walki talkie, so maybe security guard." She said.
"Or tube driver," Lestrade said.
Sherlock subtly throws him a look which blatantly says ‘idiot.’ Lestrade didn't notice.
"Maybe, but his flabby, you’d think that he’d led a sedentary life, yet the soles of his feet and the nascent varicose veins in his legs show otherwise. So he likely sits around and walks around. He's watch, the alarm shows he did night shifts. There was some kind of badge on his shirt, but it was torn off, so maybe it's recognizable."
Sherlock was looking at her weirdly.
"Sherlock said that the Lost Vemeer Painting is fake, so maybe he worked at the museum. But why would an assassin kill a security guard? Maybe he knew about the painting, that would stop the owner getting paid, thus, he needed to die." She finished.
John believed him immediately of course.
"Is she right?" Lestrade asked Sherlock.
"Yes, I did a quick check – the Hickman Gallery has reported one of its attendants as missing." Sherlock said.
"Alex Woodbridge. Tonight they unveil the re-discovered masterpiece. He knew about the painting so they ordered an assassin to kill him. The picture’s a fake." Sherlock said.
"Poor sod." John said.
"I’d better get my feelers out for this Golem character." Lestrade said.
"Pointless. You’ll never find him. But I know a man who can." Sherlock said.
"Who?".Lestrade asked.
"Me." He said grinning.
He turns, grabbed Vaness and walks away. John sighs, his entire body radiating ‘Oh, here we go again,’ but he dutifully follows his friends.
John caught up to them.
"You have my lines memorized." Sherlock said to Vaness.
"I don't." Vaness said.
"The way you explained was almost how I would have said it." Sherlock said.
"Almost." Vaness said, looking at him she said, "I did say this is my Fandom, right?"
TAXI.
As they sit in the back of the cab, Sherlock is looking at the pink phone in frustration.
"Why hasn’t he phoned? He’s broken his pattern. Why?" Sherlock asked.
"So you'd miss him." Vaness said.
"And you do." John said.
A thought strikes Sherlock and he leans forward to the taxi driver.
"Waterloo Bridge." He said.
"Where now? The Gallery?" John asked.
"In a bit." Sherlock said.
"The Hickman’s contemporary art, isn’t it? Why have they got hold of an Old Master?" John asked.
"Dunno. Dangerous to jump to conclusions. Need data." Sherlock replied.
He has taken his notebook from his pocket and now writes something on a page before tearing it out and folding a bank note inside it. He puts the paper into his pocket, then a few seconds later calls out to the driver.
"Stop!"
The cab pulls over to the side of the road.
"You wait here. I won’t be a moment."
He gets out, goes to the railings at the edge of the pavement and easily vaults over them.
John follows him, Vaness decided to just stay. She watched them as Sherlock walks off, John shakes his head in exasperation, then scrambles over the railings and follows him. Sherlock trots up some steps to where a young woman is sitting on a bench under Waterloo Bridge.
She has a large bag beside her with a handwritten cardboard sign poking out of the top. The first two words on the sign say, “HUNGRY AND”. Presumably the next word, obscured by some of her possessions, is ‘HOMELESS.’
Sherlock gave the homeless girl the paper with the bank note folded inside. He immediately turns and walks away again. John looks at him in bewilderment before turning and following, pointing back towards the girl.
The girl was unfolding the note and reading it. Sherlock goes to the railings and easily leaps over them again. He opens the rear door of the cab.
"Now we go to the Gallery." Sherlock said.
HICKMAN GALLERY.
The taxi pulls up and Sherlock steps out. John is about to follow but Sherlock and Vaness stops him.
"No. I need you to find out all you can about the gallery attendant. Lestrade will give you the address." Sherlock said.
"Okay." He said and sat back next to Vaness.
He closes the cab door and gives a new instruction to the driver. Sherlock walks away towards the gallery.
"You know you two could just tell me, anything, where we are going, what are we going to do. I'm the only one clueless." John told Vaness in exasperation.
Vaness gave an apologetic look, "Well, we are going to Alex Woodbridge's house, and we are going to ask about him, hobbies, anything." She said.
John grunted.
ALEX WOODBRIDGE’S HOME.
A woman leads John and Vaness into Alex’s tiny attic bedroom. It’s messy with clothes scattered everywhere. The window in the canted ceiling looks up into the sky, and standing below it is a large object covered with a sheet.
"We’d been sharing about a year. Just sharing." The girl, Julie, said.
Julie stops and gestures around the room. John and Vaness walks in and looks around, not touching anything. John looks at the sheet-covered object and points to it.
"May I?" John asked.
"Yeah."
John tries to lift just the top of the sheet but it slips from his fingers and falls to the floor.
"Sorry."
He looks at the telescope on a tripod which has been revealed.
"Astrophile." Vaness commented.
"Stargazer, was he?" John said.
"God, yeah. Mad about it. It’s all he ever did in his spare time." Julie said.
She looks away sadly. "He was a nice guy, Alex. I liked him."
She looks around the room. "He was, er, never much of a one for hoovering."
She laughs nervously. John smiles at her, then pulls a face as she looks away.
Vaness just wandered aroung the smal room, she didn't lie when she said she wanted to be an Astronaut.
"What about art? Did he know anything about that?" John asked.
"It was just a job, you know?" Julie said.
"Hmm." John bends down and peers at the items on the bedside table.
"Has anyone else been round asking about Alex?" John asked.
"No. We had a break-in, though." Julie replied.
"Hmm? When?" John asked straightening up.
"Last night. There was nothing taken. Oh – there was a message left for Alex on the landline." Julie said
"Who was it from?" John asked.
"Well, I can play it for you if you like. I’ll get the phone." Julie said.
She goes out of the room briefly and comes back with the phone and plays the message.
"Oh, should I speak now? Alex? Love, it’s Professor Cairns. Listen, you were right. You were bloody right! Give us a call when ..." a woman spoke.
The message ends.
"Professor Cairns?" John asked.
"No, no idea, sorry." Julie answered.
"Mm. Can I try and ring back?" John asked.
"Well, no good. I mean, I’ve had other calls since – sympathy ones, you know." Julie said.
He nods and Julie leaves the room again just as John’s phone trills a text alert. He gets out the phone and looks at the message which reads:
RE: BRUCE-PARTINGTON PLANS
Have you spoken to West’s
fiancée yet?
Mycroft Holmes
John grimaces and puts away the phone.
WESTIE’S FLAT.
Vaness is sitting on the sofa beside Andrew West’s fiancée. John was sitting beside Vaness, he was listening as the girls talked.
They have been there long enough for her to have made them mugs of something which are on the coffee table in front of them. Lucy is upset throughout the ensuing conversation.
"He wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t." Lucy said.
"I know, but people, specially his colleagues..." Vaness said softly.
"Westie wasn’t a traitor. It’s a horrible thing to say!" Lucy said.
"I'm sorry, Vaness said. I know how you are feeling. You know him, but everyone judges him wrongly. And now he's gone..." Vaness trailed off, sighs a then continued, "...but you must face the facts. They are thinking badly of him. That's why John and I are here. Help us prove them wrong. Tell us what happened that night." She said gently at Lucy.
"We were having a night in, just watching a DVD." She smiles at the memory.
"He normally falls asleep, you know, but he sat through this one. He was quiet." She becomes tearful.
"Out of the blue, he said he just had to go and see someone." She said
"And you’ve no idea who?" John asked.
Shaking her head, Lucy begins to cry, Vaness hugged her.
Later, she opens the front door and shows John and Vaness out. A cycle courier walks along the pavement towards the house, wheeling his pushbike.
"Oh, hi, Luce. You okay, love?" Joe said.
"Yeah." Lucy answered.
"Who are they?" Joe asked.
"John Watson. Hi." John said.
"Vaness Miche, hello." She said, her eyes narrowed a bit.
"This is my brother, Joe." Lucy told them.
"John and Vaness are trying to find out what happened to Westie, Joe." Lucy told her brother.
"You with the police?" Joe asked John.
"Uh, sort of, yeah."
"Well, tell ’em to get off their arses, will you? It’s bloody ridiculous." Joe said.
Vaness pursed her lips, "You can tell them yourself." She said with a charming smile.
Joe didn't know if he should be turned on of her beauty, or scared at the look she gave him and her words.
So he turns and puts a comforting hand on his sister’s shoulder for a moment before wheeling his bike inside the house. John clears his throat and steps closer to Lucy.
Vaness cleared her throat. "I believe you Lucy," she told her, "you know him best and I believe you."
Lucy cried and nodded, going back inside.
NIGHT TIME.
John and Vaness are in the back of a taxi heading along Baker Street. They spot Sherlock and John told the driver to stop.
"I'll wait here." Vaness told him.
She waited for them, as on the sidewalk, they were talking and Sherlock walked towards the same homeless girl as earlier.
Soon enough John and Sherlock were walking back towards the cab. Sherlock opens the cab door and gets in.
"Hello." Sherlock said genuinely smiling.
John climbs in and the taxi heads off.
VAUXHALL.
They have got out of the cab and are walking along, Sherlock buttoning his coat as he gazes up at the sky.
"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Sherlock said.
John and Vaness looks up.
"I thought you didn’t care about things like that." John said.
"Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it." Sherlock replied.
"Yeah right, not because Vaness said she wanted to be an Astronaut." John teased.
"Don't make me blush John." Vaness said jokingly.
They walk into the Arches.
"Listen: Alex Woodbridge had a message on the answerphone at his flat – a Professor Cairns?" John was saying.
"This way." Sherlock said not listening to John.
"Nice part of town. Er, any time you wanna explain." John said, then looked at Vaness hopeful.
"Homeless network – really is indispensible." Sherlock begins explaining, turning on a flashlight.
"Homeless network?" John asked, getting a small flashlight from his pocket and switching it on
"My eyes and ears all over the city." Sherlock explained.
"Oh, that’s clever. So you scratch their backs and ..." John trails off, letting Sherlock continue.
"Yes, then I disinfect myself." Sherlock replied.
Their beams pick out homeless people all around the place, most of them settling down for the night. Suddenly, in the distance, the shadow of a man shows on a wall as he begins to stand up. The man is incredibly tall.
"Sherlock!" John whispered loudly.
"Come on!" Sherlock said, grabbing Vaness.
They duck to the side of a wall while the man continues straightening up for ages until he is over seven feet tall.
"What’s he doing sleeping rough?" John asked in a whisper.
"Well, he has a very distinctive look. He has to hide somewhere where tongues won’t wag – much." Sherlock replied.
John looks down as he realises that he has come out without something essential.
"Oh shi..."
"What?" Sherlock asked, taking John’s pistol from his coat pocket.
"I wish I’d ..." John was saying.
"Don’t mention it." Sherlock saud handing him the gun.
The man breaks into a run and hurries away down another tunnel. The boys chase across towards where he was and reach the tunnel just in time to see him climbing into a waiting car which immediately speeds off. Sherlock punches the air in frustration. He looked back and saw Vaness far behind, walking casually towards them.
"John was telling you about Professor Cairns, you weren't listening." Vaness said when she reached them.
PLANETARIUM.
Professor Cairns is alone in the planetarium’s theatre. As Gustav Holst’s “Mars” plays over the sound system, she is standing at the mixing desk in front of a huge screen and watching footage of a film which is played to visitors. Other than the light coming from the screen, the room is in darkness.
"Jupiter, the fifth planet in our solar system and the largest. Jupiter is a gas giant. Planet Earth would fit into it eleven times." Was narrated over the footage.
"Yes, we know that." The professor said boredly.
She stops the recording and fast-forwards it for a moment because starting the playback again.
"Titan is the largest moon."
"Come on, Neptune, where’re you hiding?" She said fast forwarding again.
Behind her, a hand pushes open the door to the theatre. A moment later, just as Cairns starts the playback again, the door bangs shut. She looks round.
"Many are actually long dead ..."
Cairns peers up to the projection room.
"Tom? Is that you?" She called asking.
"... exploded into supernovas."
She turns back to the desk. Behind her a long arm reaches out towards her.
"... discovered by Urbain Le Verrier in 1846."
A tall figure steps up behind Cairns and clamps one hand over her mouth and nose, pulling her backwards.
"Oh my God!" Professor Cairns cried.
She claws at the hand, crying out in muffled panic, and her other hand flails out and drags several of the sliders down the mixing desk. The footage begins to jump randomly as Cairns’ attacker continues to suffocate her.
"... composed mainly of hydrogen. Their light takes so long to reach us ..."
Sherlock, Vaness and John race into the theatre through another door. As John stops and aims his pistol towards the attacker, Sherlock yells at the top of his voice. "Golem!"
" ... many are actually long-dead, exploded into supernovas."
The Golem looks up, grunts in surprise, then snaps Cairns’ neck and drops her to the floor. Her fingers drag along the mixing desk and the footage goes into fast-forward again, plunging the theatre into darkness. The Golem ducks down out of sight.
"John!" Sherlock yelled.
"I can’t see him. I’ll go round. I’ll go!" John replied just as loudly.
Vaness looked around, the light were flashing. She couldn't see anything clearly.
As the footage continues spooling and then stopping and playing before spooling again, light comes and goes in the room. Sherlock stares around as John hurries off.
"Who are you working for this time, Dzundza?" Sherlock yelled at the Golem.
Behind him, the Golem steps out of the fluctuating darkness and clamps one hand around Sherlock’s mouth and nose while gripping his neck with the other. Sherlock grabs at the hand on his face, struggling to pull it free as he is slowly suffocated. John races over and stops in front of them, his pistol held in both hands.
"Golem!"
He cocks the gun and points it at the Golem’s face, his hands and voice steady.
"Let him go, or I will kill you." John said.
Vaness ran towards them.
Sherlock, whimpering in his efforts, continues trying to pull the man’s hand from his face. The Golem swings him around to the left and lashes out with his long right leg during a moment of darkness, kicking the pistol from John’s hands. Dropping Sherlock to the ground, he surges forward and wrestles with John. Vaness was close so she wrestles the Golem, helping John. As Sherlock gets to his feet, the Golem shoves John into him, sending both of the boys tumbling to the floor. Vaness kicked him but he ducked.
Sherlock scrambles up again and takes up a boxing stance in front of him, holding up his clenched fists. He swings a punch at the man but Dzundza grabs his hand and swings his other arm down heavily onto Sherlock’s shoulder, dropping him to the floor yet again. The Golem follows him down and clamps both hands over his face, leaning his weight onto them.
Vaness ran then jumped on the Golem's shoulders. She wrapped her legs on his neck making him let go of Sherlock who was on the floor, getting his breath back.
Golem stood up, shaking Vaness off. He saw John coming fast, he grabbed Vaness and threw her at John.
The Golem runs for the doors. Sherlock rolls over onto his back and fires twice towards him but the Golem makes it to the doors and disappears through them.
"... long dead, exploded into supernovas."
As the image of a supernova dramatically explodes on the screen behind him, Sherlock angrily slams his hand down on the floor in front of him.
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