The Science of Sentiment (BBC Sherlock x Reader)

Chapter 15: Michelle Rare

Sherlock stopped at the top of the stairs at a door. He hesitated, plastered an overly-friendly grin on his face, and pushed the doorbell.
After a minute, the door creaked open ever-so-slightly. The interior looked dark from the sliver of sight you had into the woman's flat.
"...Hello?" A small voice called out.
"Yes, Michelle? My name is Sherlock Holmes, I was hoping I could come in?" He asked all of this in a cheery, uncharacteristic tone. After a pause, he added, "I, uh, was a friend of Katherine's. I'm terribly sorry for your loss..."
At this, the door swung open to reveal a thin, pale girl with large framed glasses and short, brown hair. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked like she had barely eaten these past days.
"No, you weren't a friend of Kathy's. I know exactly who you are, Mr. Holmes."
Sherlock looked a bit taken aback. "Then, you know that I'm here to question you on the murder of your four friends."
She nodded grimly and stepped aside for us to enter. You shot Sherlock a discrete look of worry, and he simply shrugged in reply.
Michelle flipped on a few switches, as the house was completely dark besides the blinding light of a huge computer monitor in the center of the living room. Her desktop definitely took priority in the house, and the setup took a vast half of the room. Besides the desk and computer, the room had a small sofa. Large stacks of books and files covered the floor.
"Sorry there isn't much seating," she said, pulling in a few chairs from the kitchen. John and you took the dining chairs while she and Sherlock occupied the sofa.
Michelle took a seat next to Sherlock on the small sofa, tucking herself rather closely to the detective. For the second time that day, you choked down your jealousy and tried to focus on the matter at hand. What's with all these girls clinging on my boyfriend today? You smoldered the thought for a moment before quickly extinguishing it with a fake smile.
The four of you sat in silence for a few minutes before the girl finally spoke.
"Another friend of ours- she warned me that you interrogated her the other day and that you'd soon come to question me as well."
Sherlock nodded. "Daphne, was it? Were the two of you very close to the victims?"
Michelle snapped her head up to look at Sherlock with a rather shocked expression.
"Of course! They were...I mean, they meant so much to me..."
She looked a little choked up for a minute, but you could see her quickly putting her guard back up.
"They all shared a flat together- they wanted Daphne and me to come live with them, but soon...they started getting themselves into some weird shit, and I didn't want to be around it-"  Michelle suddenly hunched over to hide her face in her hands, a small sob wracking her frail body. "I should have warned them sooner-!"
Sherlock looked immensely uncomfortable with the woman crying in front of him. He opened and closed his mouth a few times in confusion, and you decided to step in.
"Michelle, what exactly were they getting into?"
She collected herself to make eye-contact with you. "At first, they were dabbling in all kinds of drugs...they were doing stupid things, trying to get a fix. Then, this one night, they came over saying that I needed to join this 'club' they were in. They were getting all kinds of free drugs and other services," she paused to wipe her nose on the sleeve of her sweater and to dab at her eyes. "I tried to just ignore it, but things started getting worse. They all got these weird tattoos and they would always go on about how their souls were going to be redeemed if they kept going to this club..."
"They were attending a cult?" You finish the thought for her.
She nods solemnly.
"Do you know why they were killed?" You ask in a softer tone.
"I-I don't know-" she collapsed into a sob once again.
John stood from his chair as did you. "We're going to get to the bottom of this, don't worry," he offered.
Sherlock nodded. "He's right, we'll solve this case, Michelle," he said with a voice filled with determination.
"T-thank you," she mumbled as she showed your small group to the door.

--

In the cab, you nestled your head onto Sherlock's chest, heaving a sigh. The day had completely worn you out- it was nearly 10:00, and you would have to meet with Mycroft soon. The thought of going anywhere besides your bed made your head spin in fatigue.
After a minute, in an attempt to erase the silence you mumble, "You sure have been friendly with other girls today, Sherly. I didn't realize you were so popular."
He chuckles a bit and wraps an affectionate arm around your shoulders.
"Jealous are we?"
You scoff. "So what if I am?" You glare at your shoes and a slight blush creeps into your cheeks.
Sherlock tilts your chin up to meet his eyes before landing a soft kiss on your mouth. Your eyes flutter close and you lean into the kiss, surprised by his outburst but eager all the same.
Across from you, John shuffles uncomfortably and clears his throat. You quickly end the kiss, giggling at the doctor.
"Sorry John," you offer through giggles.
Sherlock smirks and stares out the window while John tries his best to ignore the odd behavior of his best friend.

--

When you finally arrive at Baker Street, it's only a few minutes until 10. As the boys exited the cab, you tried your best to manage a look of realization.
"Oh, shoot!" You hiss.
"What is it?" Sherlock asks, still holding his hand out for you to take.
"I completely forgot! I was supposed to meet Lillian tonight..." You slap a hand to your forehead and give a small sigh. Your mother always told you how good your acting skills were, and you secretly enjoyed the thrill of deceiving another. However, you did feel guilty for tricking your boyfriend like this for the second time now.
"Cancel," he replied.
"Can't. I want to, but..."
He huffed a little and dropped his hand to his side. "Will you be home soon?"
You nodded quickly. "It won't take long, I would just feel terrible for ditching her."
He nods and he and John head inside. Once the boys are clearly out of sight, you turn to the waiting cab driver.
"Fifth Street, please."