You See But Do Not Observe

FOUND

CHAPTER NINETEEN : FOUND

(Serena's POV)

Serena let Sherlock lead her up the stairs to 221B. She was cursing herself for agreeing. She never should have done that.

Sherlock sat her down on a chair in front of a little table and grabbed a map. There was an X on each murder site.

He left Serena staring at it blindly. She didn't know what the pattern was. The three sites were scattered over London. The time restraint didn't help her nerves.

Minutes passed quickly, too quickly. She couldn't stand the ticking clock inside her head.

"Any progress?" John asked her, and she snapped.

"No, I haven't made any progress! Sandy is going to die, and it's all my fault!" She let her head fall into her hands.

"He isn't going to die." John set down a cup near Serena's elbow.

"How much time do we have?" Serena asked Sherlock, who sat with his hands pressed to his forehead.

"It's been an hour." Sherlock said, and Serena sighed.

"There isn't a pattern."

"There has to be. This killer is clever. He would have implanted a pattern, one that only you can figure out." Sherlock said.

Serena stretched her arm out and her hand hit the mug. It fell to the floor with a crash, and tea spilled out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She said quickly as John turned. He smiled.

"It's fine, it's fine. I always hated that cup. So cheesy. To see the ocean once is to learn how to miss it." John reads from the side of the cup. Serena's ears pricked up.

"What did you say?"

"That I hated this cup."

"No, no, after that."

John paused. "To see the ocean once is to learn how to miss it."

Serena looked back at the map. Ocean Street. Another word for ocean was sea and...

She picked up a pencil and a scrap of paper. Thee Road, Heaven Tree Close, and Ocean Street. Ocean was another word for sea, and a homonym for sea was see.

"Oh no, no, no." She grabbed her hair, nearly ripping it out.

"What?" Sherlock shot up faster than she would think possible.

See you in heaven, my angel.

Serena scribbled on the piece of paper. She wrote the six words out. Heaven Tree Close was pretty obvious. Ocean Street went to the word see. And Thee Road matched the word you. That left in, my, and angel.

"You did it." Sherlock said, and Serena collapsed back into the chair.

"Serena?" John asked her, but her insides were trembling, and she couldn't bring herself to move.

"Serena, look at me." John said.

"No, no, no." She moaned, her eyes shut tightly. But a face appeared in her head, and she wanted to scream.

"Serena, what is it?" John asked.

"He found me, he found me. I thought I ran far enough, but he found me." Serena gasped through her suddenly thick throat.

"Serena, remember. Sandy. He's in danger. We have to save him." John said, and Serena met his eyes through her fingertips.

"I'll text Lestrade." Sherlock said.