Deductions

CHAPTER II

"Any baggage?"

"Left them at home. Mary locked me out of the room. I had no choice."

"I didn't ask anything about that yet."

"I thought you needed to know."

Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"You're such a Filipino."

John shrugged in response.

"Where they live is quite quaint, really."

A snort came from the detective.

"Then you haven't actually been there."

Just then Sherlock's cellphone chimed. He picked it up and read through the message while effortlessly keeping the device away from John's reach.

"Who is it from?"

No answer.

"Let me see!"

Sherlock walked over a pile of books that John tripped over shortly afterwards.

"Sherlock Holmes you will show me right now!" He half shouted when he picked himself up.

"To hell with this accursed height!" He said while tiptoeing behind the taller man with no avail.

"I demand that you let me see!" Sherlock changed the direction of his pacing as John tried to grab the phone.

"At least tell me if it's a client!" England's favorite sociopath refused to let the resigned army doctor get his way, mostly because he found it quite amusing to see the shorter man hopping around the room in such utter madness that would put the March Hare to shame.

"Sherlock Holmes you will let me see that message this instant!"

He returned the phone into his pocket and swaggered his way to the coat stand.

"Keep your coat on, we're heading to the sewage plant."

There was no arguing. John shut the door with a bang and followed.

*********

"What happened here?" John looked around surprised. Instead of round the clock purifying machinery, the place was covered in evidence markers and police tape. The English Police were overseeing the apparent investigation. From the sea of forensics came Greg Lestrade hunched in frustration.

"You finally made it." He said flatly.

"If he can't solve it, I don't think anybody can." He said to a passing investigator who scurried away with samples for testing.

"You raided my crime scene?" Sherlock spat at Greg. It was then they heard glass shatter.

"That would be the evidence." Said John.

"You don't say!"

"I do say!"

The trio turned around to see where the voice came from.

"Why brother, I always look forward to seeing you."

Sherlock turned to Greg,

"What is the queen of England doing here?"

"Very funny Sherlock. Still trying to impress your friends I see."

Said Mycroft with detectable mockery. Greg walked over to where Mycroft was standing and explained.

"Approximately twelve hours ago, a murder was committed here. I do hope that you haven't been drinking tap water because it so happened that the bodies were dunked into the purification chamber.

"We called you because there were several police reports talking about some severe case of food poisoning. We examined the water and found a very alarming amount of an unclassified variety of fungi we have proven to be very poisonous and easily transmitted. There is no known source of such."

"Oh really?" Mycroft murmured just enough for the other three to hear. Greg stiffened in annoyance.

"Sir Mycroft here says otherwise."

"Oh does he now!" Sherlock sarcastically intervened.

"Yes actually, I do."

"When have you ever so willingly given up government secrets?"

"Never, and I'm no starting now."

"Why are you here then?"

"This investigation is under the Government's supervision. I will not leave my own little brother and his monkeys to toy with it!"

"I don't toy with evidence!"

"What was the last thing you stuffed in Mrs. Hudson's fridge? An eyeball stew?"

"It was liver casserole!"

"Can't you be a near decent person, for once?"

"Where's the fun in that?!"

Greg scurried away to check the test results leaving John with the two brothers.

He shook his head in frustration as he took out his watch.

"This day will not end well."

He looked back at Sherlock and Mycroft who were conversing at a pace one would think that they weren't breathing.

"It won't end well at all."