Dancing With The Devil (part two)

Chapter 74: Destruction

It was mid-March when Jim and Astrid began to put out the evidence that would lead the little group of detectives to Jim. The Baker Street boys were in the last stage of the plan before Jim's big reveal, they had found yet another corpse at the location of the house of one Kitty Riley. This then leads them to believe that the next location would be at Saint Bart's hospital, right where it all 'ended' for the Moriarty they knew.

This, of course, is not what happened. Astrid and the Baker Street Boys had left their children with the safe company of the dear landlady, whilst they had made their way with Lestrade and practically half of Scotland Yard to surround the Hospital as the four of them searched the building. Sherlock immediately went straight to the roof with Astrid in his toe. The second he stepped out onto the roof of the hospital his face morphed into a completely unfamiliar look of confusion.

"What were you expecting to find?" she asked, squinting into the sunlight as he leant over the edge of the roof and looked down below. He sighed and turned back towards her.

"I dunno, a dead body... or something," he shrugged before the two walked back down the stairs to meet John and Lestrade in the lab. Five minutes later they were all still stood in almost silence, each trying to come up with another plan. Sherlock groaned in annoyance when nothing was coming to him, "it doesn't make any sense, this is the only place... why would he- whoever's doing this... just choose every location that is significant to Moriarty and me, but forget the most important of them all? There's got to be something, something that I've been missing all along."

Astrid smiled slightly, "you'll get it, you always do." She turned to John, "we should probably get back to the kids, we've been gone for nearly half an hour and Mrs. Hudson will probably be wanting time off childcare."

John chuckled softly and nodded, he glanced at Sherlock who turned away from them to lean over the desk in defeat.

"We'll let the detectives take care of whatever this is, then?" he continued sarcastically, "Sherlock, are you actually going to be back tonight or will you be spending yet another night sleeping here?"

"I can't leave the lab, this is too important."

"You're ridiculous" John sighed and rubbed his forehead

"I concur with the good doctor" Astrid smiled with thin lips, "let's go then..."

Twenty minutes later the pair entered the flat, John ahead with Astrid in tow, a subtle smirk on her face. John entered the flat, calling for Mrs. Hudson, but receiving no reply. He looked into the room that was absent of all human activity except for a little girl sitting in John's large chair.

"Grace?" John said and knelt sweetly in front of her, "where's Mrs. Hudson?"

"With Rosamunde"

"Rosam-" he began, "where's Rosie"

Grace just shrugged and looked over at her mother. Astrid had taken off her coat and had left it hanging over a chair. As she turned back around with a peaceful smile, John noticed the necklace. He frowned, his gaze sticking to the jewelry around her neck. Astrid picked up on this and smiled brighter.

"Do you like it?" She asked, peering down at the necklace, briefly, "it was a gift from a friend, a couple of weeks ago."

"Who?"

Astrid's expressions began to turn less real and more sarcastic and acted, "he went by a few names."

"Do you know where Rosie and Mrs. Hudson are?" he pressed on.

Astrid just nodded, "asleep probably" she looked towards Grace and held out a hand. Her daughter joined her.

"It's midday, Mrs. Hudson doesn't usually take her naps until mid-afternoon"