The Assistants/Pets

One Phone Call

Lucy paced up and down in her room, trying to think.

"Just because you take my laptop, doesn't mean I don't get to talk." She walked over to her clothing drawer, and pulled out a phone. It was relatively old, but mostly unused. She quickly put in a number that she memorised, and waited impatiently for them to pick up.

Back in the flat, after some sleep, Sherlock was playing the violin and John was reading the paper, drinking a cup of tea. He looked up when Sherlock stopped playing.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm going out. There's somewhere I would like to have a look at." He put his coat on and started readying his scarf. When he saw that John was still sitting there, he stopped. "Well, are you coming?"

"What? I thought you were going by yourself today." John replied, a little confused.

"You know I can always use your help. Remember my skull?" He pointed to the mantle. "And what would I do without my blogger?" John sighed.

"Fine." He stood up, and Sherlock walked out the door. Grabbing his jacket, he asked, "Where are we going, anyway?"

It wasn't until they were in the cab, that Sherlock explained their destination.

"We are going to Lucy's father's house. Whether she still lives there or not, is another question entirely."

It took them roughly half an hour to reach their destination. Or, from John's view, two blocks away from their destination. He never understood why Sherlock always did that. It was a relatively big house, and it was located in the outer layers of London.

"So, I'm assuming this is the house that you want to investigate?" Sherlock nodded as he walked up the front path. "I am also assuming that you have no permission to be here, at all, so we are breaking and entering again?'

"Exactly." Sherlock jimmied the lock on the front door, and then stepped inside.

"Are we ever going to stop doing this?" John asked, hesitantly walking inside.

"Stop doing what? Investigating? Never!" Sherlock called back. John started looking around the house. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and hadn't been touched in years. There was a lot of books on shelves about all sorts of things, and a few paintings on some of the walls. The place was fully furnished, and looked like it had just been upped and left.

"John, I think I found Lucy's father's office." John walked through and found where Sherlock had begun looking. There was a very old computer sitting on the desk, and there was a name plaque as well, that read John Ferrier. "He even shares the same name as you." Sherlock turned and grinned at John, who just gave him the 'look' back. There was books all over these walls as well, except for one spot that was easily seen from the desk. They looked like drawings done by a child.

"It looks like she grew up here." John said, looking at the pictures on the wall. Sherlock was looking around the rest of the room as well. Then, John got a phone call.

"Who is it?" Sherlock asked, still preoccupied. John looked at his phone. It wasn't a number he recognised.

"I have no idea. Hello?" He answered.

"Hi John it's me..." There was a pause.

"Lucy?"

"Hang on, what are you doing in my house!?" She exclaimed in his ear. John moved the phone to talk to Sherlock.

"I told you this was a bad idea! Lucy just yelled in my ear!" Sherlock just shrugged, and moved out of the room.

"John, now where is he going?"

"Sherlock. Lucy wants to know where you're going."

"To find her room of course. Although, I'm sure she can hear what I'm saying already anyway." Sherlock looked up at a corner in the roof, smiled and waved, before continuing on walking.

"Well, at least get him to dance along the floor. Jumping works best." Lucy chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's what supposed to mean?" Sherlock turned in the doorway of another room, blocking John's view. He sighed.

"She said, that I should get you, to," he was trying hard not to laugh. "Dance across the floor. Apparently jumping works best?"

"Well, I'll certainly have the space." Sherlock moved to reveal the only completely bare room in the house. John stood in the doorway with the phone to his ear, while Sherlock walked around the room a few times experimentally. He went around in circles, until he stopped in one spot.

"Here?" Sherlock asked.

"Yes." Lucy said through John. Sherlock bent down and felt the wooden panels on the floor, until he found a hole.

"Ah. Thank you Lucy." He pulled them up to find a hidden compartment in the floor, full of a couple of books and pieces of paper. At a closer look, they were letters and diary entries.

"Are you sure you're comfortable for us to be going through your stuff?" John asked Lucy.

"No. It could potentially get you killed. But I can't stop Sherlock, so I might as well hurry along his information hunting." That stopped John completely. Sherlock looked up at the sudden silence.

"What?"

"According to Lucy, looking through her stuff could potentially get us killed."

"Well then, we'd better look quickly and not get killed."

"Or maybe you should just leave now! There are people coming, he's knows you're there, and he's knows I've helped you. There's just one last thing I want to say. You have to remember this, ok John?!"

"Lucy, what is it? Who's coming?"

"Daddy's friends." She croaked. "Get moving. Here's the number: 66742789. And there's one more thing. I- I... I'm sorry." There was a gasp, and the sound of a phone dropping, before it cut out.

"Her phone died. Come on Sherlock, we need to get moving!" They heard the front door echo loudly as it was slammed open.

"Window."

"What?"

"Out the window. Now!" John slid it open after quickly putting his phone in his pocket. There was an overhang. John put one leg out, and looked back at Sherlock.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes! Now hurry up, they'll be here in two minutes!" He closed the trapdoor containing Lucy's private papers again. John slid his other leg out the window, and hoped for the best. He landed on the overhang, and nearly lost his balance. Then, seeing nowhere else to go, he jumped to the ground. He landed, and rolled because his knees buckled underneath him. Sherlock followed him after making sure he closed the window.

"Now what?" John looked at Sherlock after standing up again.

"We can't go out the front, they'll be watching it. That leaves the back." Sherlock headed off to the right, and with a quick glance behind him to make sure no one was there, John followed him.

There was a hedge running around the property as a kind of fence, and there was a gate up in the back. However, there was someone searching the yard.

"What do we do?" John whispered. 

"I'll distract him, you take him."

"Why me?"

"You're the one who was in the army." Bending over carefully, he picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could at the fence. The searcher went over to look at what could have made the sound, and John rushed him as soon as he stopped. He put him in a choke hold, and then, after the man relaxed, he laid him carefully on the ground. Sherlock went over to the fence, and opened it with a creak.

"Come on." John went through the gate, and Sherlock slipped through behind him, closing the gate without another squeak.