Hello Detective

The Great Game Part 7

"It's a fake. It has to be." Sherlock said, standing in front of the painting, surrounded by Lestrade, John, the gallery owner Mrs. Wenceslas, and myself.

"That painting has been subjected to every test known to science." She argued.

"It's a very good fake then. You know about this, don't you? This is you, isn't it?" Sherlock retorted, turning to face the owner. She rolled her eyes and turned to Lestrade.

"Inspector, my time is being wasted." She said, neither confirming or denying Sherlock's statement. The pink phone rang suddenly.

"The painting is a fake." Sherlock said into the phone, no voice followed.

"It's a fake, that's why Woodbridge and Cairns were killed." Sherlock spoke again. Still no answer.

"Oh, come on, proving it's just a detail. The painting is a fake. I've solved it, I've figured it out. It's a fake, that's the answer, that's why they were killed. Okay, I'll prove it. Give me time. Will you give me time?" Sherlock asked.

"Ten." A chilling voice came from the phone that gave you goose bumps. It was the voice of a small child.

"It's a kid. Oh, God, it's a kid." I muttered to Lestrade.

"Nine."

"It's a countdown. He's giving me time." Sherlock said, bending down to look at the painting. He was muttering to himself as his eyes scanned the painting.

"Eight."

I placed my hand over my mouth in shock. If Sherlock didn't prove it in the next 7 seconds this kid was going to be killed, along with anyone in a one block radius of him.

"Seven, Six, Five." The boy said, speeding up.

"Oh, at the Planetarium, you heard it too." Sherlock said, his mouth forming an 'O'.

"Four."

"Oh, that's brilliant, I love this." Sherlock said, stepping back and typing something into his phone.

"Three, Two."

"The VanBuren Supernova." Sherlock said into the phone.

"Please, is somebody there? Somebody help me." The kid spoke, and the countdown stopped. I let out the breath that I didn't realize I was holding in.

"Go find him and pick him up." Sherlock said, handing the pink phone to Lestrade.

"VanBuren Supernova, so-called. Exploding star. Only appeared in the sky in 1858." Sherlock said pointing to the painting, cockily. He then stalked off to follow Greg.

"So how could it have been painted in the 1640s" John smiled, looking at the painting, relieved that Sherlock had solved it.

After Lestrade picked up the boy I took the gallery owner down to the station. Lestrade met me there and Sherlock joined along.

"You know, it's interesting. Bohemian stationery, an assassin named after a Praque legend, and you Miss Wenceslas. This whole case has a distinctly Czech feeling about it. Is that where this leads? What are we looking at, Sergeant?" Sherlock asked me.

"Criminal conspiracy, fraud, accessory after the fact, at the very least. The murder of the old woman, all of the people in the flat." I spoke confidently.

"I didn't know anything about that. All those things, please, believe me. I just wanted my share. The 30 million." She pleaded as Lestrade entered the room and sat down next to me. Miss Wenceslas sighed before she began to speak again.