Against the Odds

Chapter 8: The Game Continues

They were back in Lestrade's office. Sherlock stood looking out at the office with his hands before his mouth, his fingers stippled while John and Rose sat before the DI as he told them: "She lives in Cornwall. Two men broke in wearing masks, forced her to drive to the car park and decked her out in enough explosives to take down a house."

Sherlock walked back towards them and Lestrade looked at him as he added: "Told her to phone you. She had to read out from this pager." He placed a pager on the desk, and John took it to look at it while Sherlock murmured: "And if she deviated by one word, the sniper would set her off."

"Or if you hadn't solved the case." John added. Sherlock walked back to the window as he murmured: "Oh... Elegant." Rose closed her eyes, annoyed while John lifted his head and sighed as he asked in exasperation: "'Elegant'?"

Lestrade interrupted, asking bewildered: "But what was the point? Why would anyone do this?" Sherlock muttered as he looked out at the office: "Oh... I can't be the only person in the world that gets bored." Rose's face darkened at that but the pink phone beeped as Sherlock got a message.

John turned to him as Sherlock activated the message. The voice alert said: "You have one new message." Sherlock walked back towards Lestrade's desk as the message blipped again with the Greenwich pips, but this time only four.

John picked up on it as well and he said: "Four pips." Sherlock replied: "First test passed, it would seem. Here's the second." He showed the phone to the DI, and John and Rose got up to see. It was a close up of a car with the number plate clearly visible. The driver's door was open.

Sherlock murmured: "It's abandoned, wouldn't you say?" Lestrade grabbed his desk phone as he said: "I'll see if it's been reported." He began to ring when Donovan popped in to say: "Freak, it's for you." She held up a phone.

Sherlock walked over and took it from her. John sat down again while Rose followed Sherlock as he walked out, asking: "Hello?" A frightened young man's voice said: "It's okay that you've gone to the police. And that you've enlisted another genius to help." Sherlock's eyes narrowed as he asked: "Who is this? Is this you again?"

The man just continued: "But don't rely on them. And don't pass the cases over to her." John turned to look and sat up straighter at the looks on Sherlock and Rose's faces. The young man was saying: "Clever you, guessing about Carl Powers. I never liked him."

Sherlock's eyes narrowed at that, and both he and Rose frowned as they hear cars and the sound of outside noise in the background. The young man continued: "Carl laughed at me, so I stopped him laughing." John had come out, looking concerned and he stood closer as Sherlock asked: "And you've stolen another voice, I presume."

The man replied: "This is about you and me." Rose's eyes narrowed but Sherlock didn't question the man on that. He asked instead: "Who are you?" They heard another car whiz by. "What's that noise?"

The man replied shakily: "The sounds of life, Sherlock. But don't worry ..." The man's voice broke a little as he said: "I can soon fix that." He sobbed a little but then he continued shakily: "You solved my last puzzle in nine hours. This time you have eight."

The call disconnected and Sherlock lowered the phone slowly. He looked at Rose and she looked back at him silently. Behind them Lestrade was saying: "Okay ... Great." He called to them as he walked out: "We've found it."

They followed him out, Rose's brows furrowed in thought while Sherlock was also thinking deeply about what had been said by their mystery bomber.

*******

They walked into the area near the Thames river where the car had been found, already sectioned off by the police. Lestrade told them as he consulted his notes: "The car was hired yesterday morning by an Ian Monkford. Banker of some kind; City boy. Paid in cash."