I Can't Stand You Sherlock

Chapter 32: Picture This

Song is for the start of the chapter!

"Rori! Are you ready?" Sherlock asked from the other side of the door of my bedroom.

I frowned, I did only just woke up ten minutes ago. "Just give me a second!" I said as I slipped my shoes on then quickly pinned my hair up and walked out of my room to face Sherlock.

"Ready then?"

"Sure am." 

It had been almost four months since that night with Alice Parish and her henchmen. Even though that was just a small moment in time, it changed me forever.  With what she told me that night I realized that Sherlock was not the one to blame for sending me to prison. It was her fault all along. He was just trying to protect me from the beginning.

As soon as I dropped that grudge against him, I began to see him in a different light. I realized that I had more in common with him than a lot of people that I have worked with in the past. I started to understand him and he was understanding me. We worked well together.

There are so many criminals out in London and Sherlock was going to need help getting them all. He needed a partner, and I was amazed to say that I would be jealous if he picked anyone other than me.

Today we were going to figure out how a museum security guard died and why only one piece of art on display was stolen.  I was excited for this case because this would be the first case, I worked on that combined White collar crimes with a murder.

"I'll take the tube. I'll see you at the national gallery." I said to him as I walked out the door to the flat. For the past few weeks we had been arguing about what mode of transportation was faster. I always said tube, but he believed otherwise. So we had been putting it to the test.

"Ok," I heard Sherlock say from behind me.

The Tube was working faster today and so I was at the museum in no time.

"Ah so where is Sherlock?" Lestrade greeted me at the door of the museum.

"Nice to see you too," I said sarcastically when he didn't give me a formal greeting. "I don't know, is he not here?" One more point for Rori. So far tube was faster for trips across town.

"No."

"That's odd; well he should be here soon."

At that moment Sherlock came running up to us. He looked out of breath, and it caused me to raise my eyebrows in questioning, although I didn't bother to ask. "Got held up." Sherlock said.

I smiled, Tube was faster. There was no arguing any longer about it.

"Ah well ok. It's fine. Shall we?" Lestrade asked as he walked into the museum. We took a few turns down some large white halls until we walked into a large gallery room. I followed Lestrade even though I knew this place like the back of my hand. I had robbed it of a few paintings before. But I wasn't going to tell them that because they never found out who the thief was. It felt odd not coming back as a thief but as one of the good guys.

"Anyhow this is it," Lestrade said as he moved out of the way for us to get a better look at a fat man who was in an officer suit on the ground right in front of a spot on the wall that held no photo. It looked like a classic crime.

"Mmmm..." I got on my knees for a better look. By his receding hair line, I could tell he was about, 45. The bags under his eyes, he had a young child, maybe two? My eyes scanned down his legs where I saw that his pants where pressed and were cared for, but as I took a closer look I saw a short fine fur. Must have a cat.  Married, less than ten years by the looks of the banged-up gold ring around his finger. Hard worker but not getting paid enough for his family, he was stressed by the look of this bitten fingernails. "Looks like a normal bloke with a family."