Play the Game - Sherlock fanfic (Sequel to Painting Murders)

Hydra

Everly has waited her turn and now she is back! I am so sorry that you guys have had to wait so long and it's not been easy for you as readers or me as an author! I'm so sorry.

And without any further delay, we will proceed . . .

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The house was a wreck. Shoes and coats were thrown down around the door and at the bottom of the staircase. The whole place looked like it had never seen daylight, never mind a vacuum cleaner.

"Students." Sherlock grumbled as the guy who had welcomed us into his humble dwelling forced a second door open and disappeared into a dark living room.

"Ugh, sorry about the mess. There was a small party here last night." He scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed, after opening the curtains which had coated the room in sunlight, illuminating the pizza boxes, beer bottles and cans and basically a trashed room.

Sherlock kicked a crumpled t-shirt out of the way before taking a seat.

"So, what can I help you with?" The guy shuffled awkwardly when we all just stood in silence.

Lestrade looked over at me as if asking me the same question. I bit down on my lip and looked at the floor. This wasn't at all what I was expecting.

Lestrade shuffled, pulled out a note book and then poised his pen, "We just have a few questions to ask you Mr – ugh?"

The guy looked up, "Nick, sorry, Nick Cringdale."

Sherlock banged his palms against the arms of the seat, "Twenty years of age, studies Computer Science and Programming at Kings Collage. Enjoys the parties although, guessing from the general mess here, there were no girls." He sighed at the ceiling as if this whole process was boring him to death.

I couldn't sit for any longer.

"Mr Cringdale I'd like to ask you a few things about your computing and programming, if that would be okay?" I stretched my legs out and pulled out the paper from my jeans pocket upon which I'd scribbled some notes.

"Okay. But it's nothing bad is it?" Nick moved back cautiously and flopped onto the sofa, a laptop bouncing on the other side from him.

Sherlock looked up, "That depends on how much you've stolen."

"Stolen?!" Nick sat bolt upright and looked pasty, "I – what- wait! I haven't stolen anything!"

Sherlock nodded from side to side then scrunched up his face, "Only a few hundred personal details, maybe a few security programs-," He was watching Nick's face carefully.

Nick was frowning so deeply that his whole face was contorted, "I have no idea-,"

"Right!" I moved closer to him and held the piece of paper in front of his face so he could see what I'd written there, "Let's not pretend that you don't know what's really going on here. You posted this comment on an online blog a few weeks ago and then suddenly there's a new virus in cyber space welcoming people to the 'Playground'! So let's play your game Nick! How on Earth did you manage to bring all this back onto the scene? Because it's only going to get worse and we have people's documents and personal details at stake!" I crumpled the sheet of paper up and dropped it on the floor, my heart in my throat and my fingers twitching in anger.

Nick, wide eyed, moved his gaze from my face to Lestrade who was stood looking slightly taken aback.

John whistled slightly, "Okay then ... well ...where do we go-?"

"I'll talk," Nick raised his hands up in surrender, "But honestly I have no idea what you're talking about and I have definitely not stolen anything!"