And then there was three; a Sherlock Fanfiction

Ten

Inspector Gregory Lestrade bounded up the stairs to the apartment of the only consulting detective. He was panting heavily when he finally reached the top; he made a mental note to lay off the coffee and the subs he'd been practically living off of lately.

Lestrade hesitated momentarily before pushing the door open. John, Mary, and Lilly all looked up at his arrival, but Sherlock spared him only a glance. The four were still planning the wedding, and Sherlock seemed to be the only one really putting in any effort anymore.

John got up quickly and met Lestrade at the door, "Lestrade, have you got something?"

John was feeling hopeful: a new case would finally get Sherlock outside, and it would be much more effective at lifting his spirits than shopping was. John was definitely never trying that again.

Lestrade sighed heavily. It had been almost a month since Lestrade had seen Sherlock last, but lately a couple cases had proven to be too much for the Scotland Yard alone, so he came for help.

"There's been- who are you?" Lestrade's eyes landed on Lilly, distracted by the new face: Sherlock didn't tend to make new friends very often.

The other three looked over at Lilly as well, "oh, that's Lilly, Lilly Harper. We were childhood friends," John answered, glancing back at Greg.

Lestrade put his hand out for Lilly to shake, introducing himself, "Detective Inspector Lestrade,"

Lilly smiled and shook his hand. She sat back on the couch and regarded him with curious eyes, almost like she was telling him to continue with his story.

Lestrade cleared his throat and glanced at Sherlock, who was focusing on the layout of the reception intently, before speaking, "There's been a number of bodies found. Five, to be exact. They were all brutally murdered: bashed in the head, stabbed multiple times, complete overkill. They're beyond recognition, but they've been identified by DNA. We have a number of bodies and serial killer, but other than that, we've got nothing. No motive, no suspects, no leads..." Lestrade shook his head defeatedly.

Lilly's eyes flicked to Sherlock, examining him. He looked to be ignoring the conversation entirely, but Lilly could see in his eyes that his mind was racing. He was focusing completely on every word that left Lestrade's mouth.

John started to reach for his jacket, ready to go, "And where were the bodies found?"

The inspector looked at him, "uh, four in their homes, and the last one was found this morning in her car,"

John stood up, "where is the most recent crime scene?"

"Almost an hour away," Lestrade looked around curiously, sensing a sudden buzz in the air.

Lilly stood up from the couch and snatched her phone from the coffee table, slipping it in her jacket pocket. 

Mary was the next to stand up, "well I think that's enough planning today, don't you? Sherlock, why don't you go out, get some fresh air, solve a murder or two," she winked at him.

Sherlock looked at her, then at the turned back of John, who was facing Inspector Lestrade, asking questions about the case. Sherlock gave Mary a tight lipped smile and jumped out of the chair, practically running past John and Lestrade and down the stairs.

"I guess that means he'll help," John patted Greg on the back and followed Sherlock's suit. Greg sighed and trailed behind.