A New Mystery at 221 Baker Street

Chapter 59: The Sign of Three

Transcript provided by Ariane Devere/ Callie Sullivan

***

The sun had already set and the guests were mingling and dancing in the reception hall. Sherlock waltzed with Janine in a side room alone.

"Ooh," Janine breathed out in relief as they finished. "Why do we have to rehearse?"

"Because we are about to dance together in public and your skills are appalling," He answered, giving her a slight smile.

Janine let out a laugh. "Well, you're a good teacher and a brilliant dancer,"

Sherlock leaned towards her. "I'll let you in on something, Janine," He whispered. "I love dancing. I've always loved it,"

"Seriously?"

Sherlock looked around to make sure no one else was watching before he did a pirouette.

"It never really comes up in crime work but I live in hope of the right case,"

Janine sighed. "I wish you weren't..."

Sherlock smirked. "I know,"

"Well, glad to see you've pulled, Sherlock, what with murderers running riot at my wedding," John joked as he entered the room.

"One murder- one nearly murder," Sherlock corrected.

"Sherlock?" Alice said as she and Lestrade entered with the wedding photographer. "We got him,"

Sherlock smiled and clapped his hands together. "Ah, the photographer, excellent," Sherlock reached towards the camera bag. "May I have a look at your camera?"

"What's this about? I was halfway home," The photographer said.

"You should have driven faster," Alice remarked as she took the camera out of the bag and handed it to Sherlock.

Sherlock began to flick through the photos, smiling. "Ah, yes, very good,"

"What is it?" Lestrade asked looking at the photographs. "Is the murderer in these photographs?"

"It's not what's in the photographs; it's what's not in them- not in any of them,"

"Sherlock?" John interrupted. "The showing-off thing: we've discussed it before,"

Sherlock walked closer to the photographer. "There is always a man at a wedding who is not in any photograph but can go anywhere and can even carry an equipment bag around with him. You never see his face, you only ever see the camera,"

Lestrade cuffed the photographer to the nearby empty birdcage.

"What are you doing?" The photographer asked.

Alice stepped forward with her phone in her hand. "Jonathan Small, today's substitute wedding photographer- known to us as the Mayfly Man. His brother was killed in the incursion. He sought revenge on Major Sholto and worked his way through Sholto's staff until he found what he needed: an invitation to a wedding. It would be one time Sholto would be out in public. So, he made his plan and rehearsed the murder on Private Bainbridge,"

"A brilliant, ruthless, and almost certainly monomaniac," Sherlock added. "It's a shame, his photos are pretty decent,"

"It's not me you should be arresting. Sholto- he's the killer. I should have killed him quicker," Jonathan said, shaking his head in defeat. "I shouldn't have tried to be clever,"

"You should have driven faster," Sherlock corrected as he and Janine walked away. John followed soon after.

Within a few minutes, Alice had sent the complicit photos of Small with Bainbridge and the rest of the details to Lestrade's mobile from Small's phone.

"You know, you can go back to the reception if you want. I don't mind waiting until a squad arrives," Lestrade said as stood next to Alice across from the cuffed photographer.

"No, it's fine. I have to make a quick call anyway," Alice responded with a sad smile before excusing herself.

*

The wedding guests watched as John and Mary celebrated their first dance together as a married couple. Alice and Sherlock were on the low stage playing the waltz they composed. As the music drew to a close, John dipped Mary and the two shared a kiss.

Sherlock stepped forward to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, one last thing before the evening begins properly: apologies for earlier, a crisis arose and was dealt with. More importantly, however, today we saw two people make vows. I've never made a vow in my life and I intend to only make one more after this. Mary and John: whatever it takes, whatever happens, from now on I swear I will always be there, always, for all three of you," Alice raised her brow as Sherlock corrected himself. "I mean two of you. All two of you. Sorry, I miscounted. Anyways, it's time for dancing,"

After a little more prompting and some upbeat music, the guests began to move once again onto the dance floor.

"Sorry, that was one more deduction than I was expecting," Sherlock apologised once he joined John and Mary.

"Deduction?" Mary questioned.

"Increased appetite, change of taste perception, and you were sick this morning. You assumed it was wedding nerves. All the signs are there,"

"The signs?"

"The signs of three," Sherlock smiled. "Mary, I think you should do a pregnancy test. The statistics for the first trimester are..."

"Shut up. Just... shut up," John interrupted before turning to Mary. "How did he notice before me? I'm a bloody doctor,"

"It's your day off," Sherlock argued.

"It's your day off," John argued back

"Stop panicking,"

"I'm not panicking,"

"I'm pregnant, I'm panicking," Mary said.

"You have absolutely no reason to panic. You're already the best parents in the world. Look at all the practice you've had!" Sherlock said, smiling.

"What practice?" John frowned in confusion.

"Well, you're hardly gonna need me around now that you've got a real baby on the way,"

The trio smiled in delight before beginning to laugh.

*

Alice smiled as she watched Sherlock talk with Mary and John from the corner of the reception hall. Our family's getting bigger, she thought to herself as she left the venue. A familiar black car waited for her outside. She had received Mycroft's message when she was collecting Jonathan Small with Lestrade.

It's time

MH

*

Molly stood alone at the by the wall, she broke off the engagement with Tom during the unscheduled break. She watched as Alice quietly left the reception. Her gaze then turned to Sherlock who was still talking to John and Mary, unaware that his fiancée left the reception early.

*

Alice's dress hung on its hanger in the bedroom of 221c. Alice shed a tear as she packed a bag. Returning to her closet, she took out the flash drive in the jewellery box and placed it in her coat pocket. "I'd go to the end of the Earth for you too,"

***

Surprise Thursday Update!!

I will hopefully post the first chapter of His Last Vow later this weekend if not in the first week of February. I just want to thank you all for voting and commenting on this book. It originally started as a way to get through the first lockdown and it's hard to imagine how we have less than 15 chapters left. I may do a bonus chapter of just some fun facts and ideas I had while writing if you guys want. 

Thanks again! 

Love Anya