Shadows of the Past (BBC Sherlock) -1-

13. Out and About

It didn't feel the same, eating alone at a place I barely knew. The only way I knew of it was because the taxi driver took me here.

It was a nice little café, which was all I could have asked for. I wasn't really hungry; I just wanted to be away from Baker Street for a little bit.

The outdoor seating was semi packed when I got there, so I ended up sitting outdoors by myself. Let me tell you, I got some stares by some guys. Most of them were sitting alone. A few of them even made gestures for me to go over and talk to them. I also knew a few were trying to be sneaky and slip over to where I was, but I caught onto them first. I'd put my feet up in the chair opposite me just as they were about to pass me.

In the end, I decided eating lunch wouldn't hurt. While I waited for my sandwich and salad to be delivered, my mind wandered to the current case John and Sherlock were on. The U.S. ambassador's two children missing from their boarding school, swept off to who-knew-where. My stomach churned uneasily. Moriarty was definitely behind their kidnapping. Where had he taken them? Why had he? This had to be a part of a bigger scheme of his. The children were innocent beings, for Christ's sake!

Every victim—whether living or dead—of Moriarty's had been innocent. I could speak from experience, as I was one, and I had met some of his victims.

I clutched the fabric of my shirt tighter as I thought back to what transpired in the apartment. How Moriarty just let himself in, like he had the day he was found not guilty by the jury. Unlike Sherlock—because I was probably sure he hadn't been afraid of Moriarty—I had been petrified.

I blinked back tears, remembering how close I had been to my almost-killer. Jim Moriarty was a monster, the Devil. He was cunning, dodgy, and manipulative—those were just a few adjectives that could describe that man. He was a lot more than that.

I kept checking my phone, half the time because I wanted John to keep me updated about the case, and the other half of the time I checked because I thought I felt my phone vibrate. Moriarty made me paranoid.

Well, wouldn't you be if you got visited by the Devil himself?

I shuddered. I really needed to think about other things. Yeah, okay, because that will be so easy to do. What else could there possibly be to think about besides Moriarty and those kidnapped children? I had a bad case of London on the brain, such a bad case I was considering deeming it a London fever.

I was happy to stop thinking temporarily as my food arrived. I thanked the waiter kindly and began munching lightly, taking my precious time. I was in no rush to head back to 221B, especially not if Moriarty felt the need to pop in again or greet me when I came back.

I managed to keep my food down. But after some time, I felt like I was going to puke it back up. I was thinking too much again, I knew, about everything currently going on in London.

I stared at my barely-touched salad, remembering that a while ago, I would have never been out here by myself, with no one keeping tabs on me like they were my babysitter.

~*~

I felt like the life was being sucked out of me, being in this room. I was groomed into a rut. I couldn't go anywhere, and even if I could, I wouldn't get far. Not without him sending one of his minions to spy on me.

I scoffed. He should have known by now that I wasn't going to run. How could I? In addition to goons, he strapped an ankle monitor to me, tracking me via GPS. If I could find a way to destroy the thing and escape, I would have found a way by now. I would have freed myself and hopped on the first plane back to America.