When the Past Returns - BBC Sherlock Fanfic

Chapter 9 - Janus Cars

The next morning, the trio walked into Scotland Yard, making their way up to Lestrade's office. Not one of them had brought up the events of the night before. It was as if it had never happened, the words that were spoken, never said. And maybe that was for the better? Once inside the office, John and Penny take the seats at Lestrade's desk while Sherlock stood at the window, watching the other officers bustling around the office.

"So, who is she?" Penny asked, a question she had clearly been waiting for the answer for since the first phone call.

"She lives in Cornwall. Two men broke in wearing masks, forced her to drive to the car park and decked her out in enough explosives to take down a house," Lestrade explained. Penny felt nothing but sympathy for this woman. She knew how she must be feeling. Lestrade looks up at Sherlock.

"Told her to phone you. She had to read out from this pager," he places it on the desk in front of everyone.

"And if she deviated by one word, the sniper would set her off," Sherlock said.

"Or if you didn't solve the case," John finished, placing the pager back on the desk. Penny had gone a little quiet. The strong sassy woman that John had met a few days ago was no longer the person sat before him. What happened last night had changed her, spooked her. John was pulled from his thoughts when the pink phone goes off. Sherlock opens the message and four beeps play from the phone.

"Four pips," John thinks aloud.

"First test passed, it would seem. Here's the second," Sherlock turns the phone to face everyone in the room. On the screen, a picture of a car with its doors open in displayed. 

"Abandoned wouldn't you say?" Penny asked, taking in every detail of the picture. Lestrade quickly goes to check to see if the car had been reported, meanwhile, a woman that Penny had never seen before walks in holding a phone.

"Freak, it's for you," the woman says. Anger started to boil deep down inside Penny. How dare this woman talk to him like that? Penny wanted nothing more than to go over there and teach this woman a lesson.

"Who is that?" Penny asked John keeping her eyes fixed on the woman, scowling at her.

"Oh, that's Sergeant Donovan, yea I don't like her either," John followed Penny's gaze and knew instantly how she felt about Donovan.

"Hmm?" Penny didn't want to let on how much Donovan's comment had annoyed her but she felt that John already knew.

"When she called him freak. She always does it, makes my skin crawl," John smiled at Penny. "Don't worry, it's not just you." He gets up and walks over to where Sherlock is in the main office. He was still talking on the phone but the look on his face showed he was worried. It's him again. The bomber. Penny followed behind John, furrowing her eyebrows, trying to hear as much as she could of the conversation.

"Who are you?" Sherlock asked, making eye contact with Penny. "What's that noice?" Penny prayed that this person wasn't in the same situation as the last, but the likelihood of that was low. All of her worry was quickly replaced with determination and adrenaline, she was ready for the next puzzle, ready to help this person. She was afraid to admit it but she was starting to have a bit of fun. Sherlock's call ended and Lestrade had located the var, within minutes the group were in cars and speeding towards the scene.

* * * * * 

Once the group had arrived at the scene, the forensic team were already getting to work, Penny walked alongside Lestrade and Sherlock as they started to run through the details of the car. She glanced at a woman who was talking to a couple of officers as they passed.