LIKE SUN AND MOON | Sherlock x Fictional Character

3 - And Why Not a She?

Sherlock spent the rest of the day in his armchair. Thinking. He felt the solution was close, but something was missing.

Amber, meanwhile, was unpacking things in her new room, which used to belong to John. She sighed and looked out the small window. She didn't believe she would be able to win Sherlock's approval so quickly. Apparently, he wasn't that stubborn and selfish.

When she returned to the living room, Sherlock was still in his armchair. He probably had not moved for hours now. The sun was slowly beginning to hide behind the horizon, filling the room with warm light and long shadows.

Amber sat down behind the desk and opened a laptop. She had to check something.

'John!' The cheerful voice of Mrs. Hudson from downstairs could have been heard even in their living room. (Amber had a chance to meet her and the old woman was rather surprised by Sherlock's new assistant.) 'How nice to see you. Sherlock is upstairs, come in, please. There is a woman with him.'

'A woman?' Watson was already climbing the stairs.

'Amber Arelun, a pleasure.' She shook a hand with a surprised man in a checkered shirt when he entered the living room.

'John Watson.'

'I know, I read your blog.'

'Oh. Thank you. Sherlock?' John approached his friend, but the man continued to sit motionless. 'What happened to him?'

'He's thinking.' Amber sat down at the computer again. 'We're on an interesting case.'

'Then I guess, now is not the best time. Anyway, I'll talk with him when he is more... contactable. So you are now his assistant?'

'Pease, don't be offended that I took your place, but...'

'Rest assured, I can no longer solve puzzles, and him-' He looked at Holmes. 'He could use an assistant.'

Still not getting any answer, he sighed and looked around the room. It was cluttered with various strange equipment. Nothing had changed.

'Wait, is this Sherlock's laptop?' He exclaimed surprised, looking at the device lying on the desk in front of the girl.

'Yes.'

'You guessed his password?!'

'You did not?'

John was speechless. Who is she?

'Well, I guess I'd better go.' He finally said.

Sherlock did not even blink. Watson turned towards the door putting his coat on. He was about to leave, but he turned.

'Will you tell me what his password is?'

Amber looked up at him with a smile.

'No.'

John nodded, expecting such an answer, and left.

'You guessed my password?'

Her eyes were not again on the screen, but she smiled lightly.

'How?'

'I gave it a thought. And now, since you have graciously returned to the real world, why don't we tackle this riddle?'

He suddenly jumped up from his chair.

'I've almost solved it. But I need one more piece of information. Come, I will conduct an experiment on you.'

Not without fear, she got up and approached him.

'Close your eyes.'

Amber raised her eyebrows questioningly but carried out his request.

'That's what you used John for?'

'Why don't you ask him when he will visit?'

'He just did!'

She opened her eyes to Sherlock's confused face.

'Oh.' He spoke. 'Anyway...'

Sherlock cleared his throat.

'Imagine-' He began going in circles around her 'That you are our pursuer. You commissioned a murderer to kill five men. Five famous musicians.'

'They must have messed with me a lot in the past.' She said with closed eyes.

'That's right. And then you sent the murderer a note with a cipher of where to collect his due reward.'

'I used a cipher based on music theory because the five men were musicians.'

'Very likely, that's why. But then, you nonetheless kill this murderer by getting him drunk first in the bar. The question is: why?'

He stopped.

'Maybe he learned my identity, and I care about anonymity?'

'Anyone who commissions an assassination cares about their anonymity.'

'Maybe I care more than just anyone?'

She opened her eyes and met the gaze of Sherlock's steel-blue eyes.

'Someone famous?'

'Famous and rich musician who is just the beginning of their career!'

He couldn't help but smile a little.

'I see I chose my assistant well.'

She replied with a smile.

'The problem- 'He sat down back in his armchair. 'Is that I haven't found anyone who has been rejected in the past by all those men and is now a successful famous musician. Who could he be?'

'Have you thought he could have been a she? It might as well have been a woman.'

'A woman...'

***

'Slow down, I don't understand.' Lestrade hid his face in his hands, trying to digest everything the detectives had just told him. 'Are you accusing Meg Helington? This Meg Helington of... of a murder?'

'The evidence is undeniable.' Sherlock said, strolling through the inspector's office. 'When she started her career as a cellist she was rejected by every one of these men.'

'But she succeeded anyway.' Added Amber, sitting in a chair, opposite Lestrade. 'And decided to take revenge on them all.'

'She lured them all to one place, blackmailing them...'

'And then hired an assassin, paying him a not inconsiderable sum. You will surely find in her account history that she withdrew a lot of money for an unknown purpose.'

'But later he learned her identity. It threatened her career...'

'...So she made an appointment with him in a pub...'

'... got him drunk...'

'... and killed him.'

Lestrade looked at them, bawling his eyes out.

'I see the new assistant is serving you.' He spoke up after a while. 'And what about that code found in the murderer's pocket?'

'It was to let him know where to collect the money for his job. After all, she couldn't make the transfer or meet him in person.'

'Brilliant.'

'Not so much, since we managed to solve it in one day.'

Lestrade looked at him but said nothing.

'What now?' Amber asked in the cab back to Baker Street.

'Now we look for a new case to solve.'

'You know that's not what I meant.'

He looked at her. And why not a she?

'You can stay.'

She couldn't hide her smile so she turned toward the window.

'But you are not to "borrow" my laptop anymore.'

'I'll see what can be done about that.'