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Ivy Liu takes a slow drag of her cigarette, watching Sherlock with those sharp, unblinking eyes that seem to s...
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Guilt
Sherlock's fingers tapped furiously on his phone, ignoring everyone else as he brought up the weather menu. His eyes darted across the screen, while Ivy leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Unlike John, she wasn't confused by Sherlock's behavior—she had deduced most of it herself, save for one minor detail. But she let Sherlock have his fun—for now.
Lestrade glanced between the two of them. "Alright, so she's German?"
Sherlock, without even lifting his eyes from his phone, replied, "Of course she's not. She's from out of town, though. Planned on staying in London for only one night..." His smirk deepened as he turned the phone toward them, displaying the information. "...before returning to Cardiff."
Ivy raised an eyebrow, finally intrigued. The Cardiff bit was new. Everything else? She'd pieced it together while Sherlock had been toying with his deductions.
Lestrade's brow furrowed. "Cardiff? What about the message?"
Ivy straightened up, stepping away from the wall. "You're really fixated on the message, aren't you? Typical. It's not even the most interesting part of all this."
Sherlock threw her a sidelong glance, smirking. "Well, you would say that, Ivy, wouldn't you? Always so quick to dismiss anything that isn't staring you directly in the face."
She shot him a sardonic look, the corner of her lips quirking. "Oh, trust me, Sherlock. The message is only too obvious. But if you want to play the game, be my guest."
Before Sherlock could snap back, Lestrade intervened, looking increasingly bewildered. "The message, Sherlock. Ivy. What is it?"
Sherlock didn't even bother to answer directly. Instead, he turned to John. "Doctor Watson, care to make a medical assessment?"
John blinked, taken aback. "Of the message?"
Sherlock's eyes gleamed with mischief. "No. Of the body. You're a doctor. Do what doctors do."
John was momentarily confused, while Lestrade stepped in with an edge of exasperation. "Sherlock, I've got a whole team outside. People who are actually supposed to be here."
"Of course," Sherlock said dismissively. "But you need me."
Lestrade sighed heavily. "God help me, yes, I do. But legally speaking, the only person I'm even allowed to have in this room right now is Ivy." He cast an apologetic look at John, then turned to Ivy. "You're the only one with clearance to even be here. Which means I've broken more than a few rules by letting them in."
Ivy flashed Sherlock a teasing smile. "Look at that, Sherlock. Seems I'm the only one here that's actually supposed to be solving crimes."
Sherlock's expression tightened just a fraction before his lips curled into a derisive smirk. "Ah, yes. Because following rules is what truly solves cases, isn't it? Well done, Ivy, you've cracked it. Let's all just leave it to the law-abiding citizen."
