Consulting Pineapples (Psychlock)

Chapter Seventeen--Again

“Still got that thumb drive?” Shawn asked Sherlock, sitting on a bench across the street from the courthouse and trying to look inconspicuous.

    Sherlock touched his coat pocket and nodded. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to get in again, they’ll recognise you.”

    The American sighed and reluctantly admitted, “You have a point. Anything I can do?”

    Sherlock shrugged. “If there’s some way to make sure I don’t have to jump off the roof again, it would be highly appreciated.”

    “Any suggestions?” Shawn’s voice had just the slightest hint of sarcasm underneath the layers of nervousness and impatience.

    The consulting detective shrugged again unhelpfully and stood. “I’ll figure it out.”

    Shawn raised his left eyebrow slightly. “I’m sure you will. Now go break in and--do me this favor--don’t jump off the roof again.”

    Sherlock almost smiled. “I’ll manage not to die, that’s all I can promise.”

    “Please do.” Shawn paused and seemed to realise that his statement was awfully unspecific. “Promise not to die, that is. Don’t die.”

    Sherlock nodded and turned, walking towards the building without another word. Through the back door again? No, much too obvious. If the workers at the courthouse had learned anything from the episode the day before, it would be to lock the maintenance door. Sure enough, when he tried the handle, it didn’t budge.

    Looking around, he finally spotted the fire escape. Would it be too cliché to use it? Sherlock decided it probably was but hurried up it quickly. Which floor? First. He remembered to dismantle the alarm on the door before slipping inside.

    He knew that he’d have to get back into the main office block again, which would most likely end with him having to jump off the roof yet another time. There must be a better way to get everyone out without pulling the fire alarm.

    Quietly, he walked down the hall, not bringing any attention to himself, then checked his watch. Of course he had picked the busiest time of the day to break in.

    After about ten minutes of sneaking around, he got bored. Nothing, absolutely nothing was being accomplished with the Batman approach, so Sherlock just decided to wing it.

    Standing up taller, he strode into the main office area, continuing to walk as if there was nothing conspicuous going on, such as a vigilante sort-of police officer breaking into a courthouse and stealing the employee records.

    No one even spared a glance in his direction. He was almost completely to the main office when the fire door he’d used as an entrance began to chirp. Sherlock almost sighed out loud, quickly pulling up his coat collar and shoving open the door to the separate office.

    Sherlock shoved the thumb drive into the port in the computer, guessing the password on the second try. Employee files… he thought, slightly desperate and opening random folders of documents.

    Finally, he found the list, hidden in some mislabelled folder of maintenance budgets. It was downloading; he could hear the people outside the office confusedly trying to locate the source of the fire.

    Then, of course, someone noticed the open door of the office and pointed straight at Sherlock, calling to her coworkers. “It’s him! Same man as last time!”

    Sherlock drummed his fingers on the desk impatiently as the file transferred, glancing up at the people, who were beginning to take notice of him. There was a small beep from the computer, and Sherlock hurriedly ejected the thumb drive and shoved it into his pocket, glancing at the window even as someone stepped in front of it.