[Sherlolly fanfiction] Silhouettes

Chapter 19-- The diminutive things

(THE NEXT WEEK)

"Yes, we'd had some....issues recently. He had been having numerous affairs, but I thought we'd sorted all of that out...." The woman shrugs. "All until now, all until that note and his disappearance, I thought we were alright."
"Could we see the note?" Molly asks.
"Sure," She clears her throat and stands up, retrieving a letter from her kitchen drawer.

The case was the abrupt disappearance of a man and he'd left a note. Molly was convinced this would get Sherlock back to his usual self, despite the sadness of the situation.
The note was written in black pen. It read:

My Dearest Harriet,

I'm sorry that I've left in such a cowardly manner, but I did it so it won't hurt you anymore. What has happened is not down to you, it is down to myself. It's my fault.
Forever my love and gratitude,
Farewell,

Jeremy Stanley Jones

And he'd obviously slipped their wedding ring into the envelope too as Molly could see a small, circular indent on the page. But she didn't ask about it, she knew this was difficult enough for Harriet.
The woman's eyes are downcast on the piece of paper. "He never used his full name, he was very serious about it. The only time he's addressed himself with it is the day he leaves me." She swallows, trying not to get too emotional in front of others' eyes. "Even though he did what he did, God, I hope that he's alright." She shakes her head.
After a moment, Sherlock begins his next question, "Could you tell me a little bit more about these affairs?"
She shrugs, "What is there to tell? You see, we own a canal boat and we'd go there on holiday or for a break every now and then. He took them there and...." She sighs, "He wouldn't have gone there though, Mr Holmes. That's where I found this, you see. That was the first place I checked for him and there was nothing but that." She explains, gesturing to the paper in Molly's hands.
"Where is this boat is situated?"
"It's just outside London, a canal comes out the west of the city, if you follow it you'll soon see our boat."

Sherlock thanks her as she writes down the details around the location and she passes it to him. He gives the information to Molly and she puts it in her pocket.
Sherlock continues, "If you're comfortable with it, could we take a brief look around? It may help us in the search."
She nods, "Of course, that's fine. Would either of you like something to drink like tea or....?" Harriet offers.
They decline politely and begin to wander around the house.

They go upstairs and search the couple's bedroom.
Molly's eyes shift from photo frame, to photo frame. It confuses her why this man would want to throw away what he has.
Sherlock sticks to searching for the hard evidence such as DNA samples and bank statements. He's sticking to what he knows, not what he theorises.
"Passport is still present, as is mobile phone charger. I can't see the phone itself though." He announces.
"Forcibly left?" She suggests.
"It's a possibility."
"But what about the letter?"
"Pre-written and the names were filled in a little later. There's a vague varying in the ink colour, though the hand-writing was forged --if it even was-- at a high standard."

He receives a text from Lestrade ten minutes into the search. He skim-reads it and a realisation hits him.
"What is it?"
"They've found Jeremy Stanley Jones."
"Wait, how did they know about this?"
"They didn't. All they knew was that there's a body of a man tied to the bottom of a canal boat just outside the west of London."
She doesn't know how to reply. This disappearance just became a murder, a brutal one at that.
**
They stand on the edge of the canal, looking out to where a boat was being swamped by police officers and investigators. The water was mouldy green and the wind bit at the surface, stirring the gunk that had settled on the water. Altogether, it looked rather uninviting.
"Do we have to go....in there?" She frets.
"I hope not. Water has never been my forte." Sherlock admits as Lestrade approaches them.
"It suggests drowning, possibly self inflicted, but murder isn't totally off the board." Lestrade says.
Molly directs her original question towards him now. "Do we have to....go in there?"
"No, no, I've sent down a team and we had see what they see via laptop. That's probably a little more within Sherlock's comfort zone."
Sherlock exhales, obviously understanding his reference.
Molly frowns. "Is there something I don't know...?" She guesses.
Lestrade begins to explain, "There was a case a couple of year back which involved fishing a body out of a lake. Let's just say Sherlock isn't keen on water."
Molly can't help but find herself surprised. "You can't swim?"
"Of course I learned how to swim." He defends, not making eye intact with either of them.
"But can you swim?"
"I can highlight the technique." he mutters, purposely vague on the subject, "Now you've finished, Lestrade, may you elaborate on the laptop."
Lestrade smiles slightly and nods, "Laptop. The water is pretty dirty so it may not be that easy to see."
"I'll take the risk."