The Adventure Began at Holmes

I'm With You

We are getting closer. I can feel it. Mrs. Hudson is close by and soon we will be out of here I hope. It has been two more hours, leaving us with three hours remaining before Moriarty comes after us.

As we were searching for the correct room, the one that Mrs. Hudson was contained in, Sherlock suddenly stopped short.

"In here...she's in here." he said with a shaky voice.

"Sherlock, what's...."

"Oh my God, no. Oh, Jesus..." I heard John say sadly.

When I approached where the two of them were standing, I saw it. There was a metal door, and from underneath it, you could see a small trickle of blood moving to where we were standing.

"No." Sherlock said harshly. "No. NO." he started getting panicky and tried to open the door with no luck. He suddenly stared coldly above the door handle. There was a lock. A heavy-duty lock with a five-digit number code that none of us knew. There was also a note attached that read:

"WELL HELLO THERE SHERLOCK. I SEE YOU HAVE WEASELED YOUR WAY THROUGH TO THE END. IF YOU GENUINELY CARE ABOUT YOUR SO-CALLED "HOUSEKEEPER", LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU KNOW HER. HERE IS YOUR ONE AND ONLY CLUE.

I took a good man and forced him to kill

He took two boys on vacation against his will

With my planning and threats, he took their life

While alone at home was his unsuspecting wife

When he returned, was the moment she knew

But she needed help to convict him and phoned you

Her sons, killed by their father, it broke her heart

She consulted you to do your part

But what was the day that I made this all start?

-JM

P.S: Have fun, I know you hate riddles ;)"

I felt really bad for my uncle but I knew he could do this if he just thought about it for a bit. We have three hours, but nobody knew how long Mrs. Hudson had...

"Sherlock...the day we first went to look at our flat, when we first looked at 221B, you said that her husband was supposed to be executed and that you ensured it. Isn't that what he's talking about? It must be. Oh my God. It was him, Sherlock. He made her husband kill her sons...Jesus. The poor man died for it, Sherlock. He died with his guilt..." John ranted.

"John. I didn't know... I couldn't have possibly known about Moriarty. All the evidence was there. It was his fingerprints on the gun. He HAD killed his boys." Sherlock stammered.

"Hey, guys! What's past is past and it doesn't matter anymore. All that matters right now is the riddle and how to solve it in order to save Mrs. Hudson. Now, Moriarty is trying to throw you off with the beginning. All that matters is the last line. It is a question that we have to find the answer to. Now, it says "What was the day that he made it all start?" Well, wouldn't that mean the day that Moriarty forced her husband to kill her sons?" I asked interrupted.

"Yes, yes that must be it, Sherlock. Do you remember the date? Did he ever tell you? Or Mrs. Hudson?" John frantically asked him.

"I...I can't quite remember, but I know it was sometime in June...the trial was a bit later and he was executed the following February. I knew the date once but I can't recall. I would have to look in my mind palace..."

"Ugh fine if it is the only way, but please, for her safety HURRY!" John said to him. He looked scared and uneasy.

John and I waited for a full half-hour before Sherlock snapped back into awareness.

"Well!?" John and I asked eagerly.

"The only date I could remember from the trial is June 17th, 2003. Let's hope that this works.."

Sherlock then set the lock to say 17603. With that, the door clicked open an inch. The second it opened, Sherlock slowly squeezed into the room when he noticed that Mrs. Hudson was on the ground in front of the door. John and I followed.

Once in the depressingly grey room, as Sherlock's was, we all saw her. Poor Mrs. Hudson was lying on the ground, decked out in handcuffs around her hands and ankles, and gagged. She was laying on the floor and bleeding a bit from the side of her head where she had fallen.

"Sherlock and John quickly rushed over to check her pulse and vitals and John gently took the gag off of her.

"She's okay. She must have fainted from the ordeal." Sherlock told us.

"We have to get these cuffs off Sherlock...and tend to her cuts."

"Yes."

Sherlock then ripped off a small piece of his shirt and held it to where she had cut her head.

"Damn it. How the bloody hell are we supposed to get these off her!?"

"I know how. The same way I got out of his first trap." I blurted out.

I quickly ran over to where they were and used my hairpin to pick the locks on the handcuffs, which worked.

Sherlock was trying to wake her up gently.

"Mrs. Hudson? Are you alright? Come on...Mrs. Hudson!? It's alright. I'm here. I'm with you. It's fine now. You'll be okay" he coaxed her.

John watched with a sad smile, then started to help.

A moment later I heard a gasp come from their fragile landlady.