Despite the Odds

Chapter 3: Try

Sherlock waited patiently, standing at the windows of 221B Baker Street. He stared unseeingly at the normal people who wandered around the London streets, so absorbed in their petty lives- how boring it must be.

He briefly thought of Marie; she would have either laughed or scolded him for such thoughts. Sherlock was brought out of his thoughts as he heard a step behind him, and he looked back out of the corner of his eye as his expected visitor arrived.

"You wanted to see me?" Molly Hooper asked, and Sherlock turned around to face the woman.

"Yes." He declared, walking over to the woman as he questioned: "Molly?"

"Yes?" She asked expectantly.

Sherlock struggled to ask, pausing in his question as he pondered whether this would actually be a good idea. Somehow, it felt like he was betraying John and Marie as he asked slowly: "Would you ..."

He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing: "Would you like to ..."

"Have dinner?" Molly asked at the same time Sherlock finished: ".. solve crimes?"

Sherlock winced a little while Molly's face became a mixture of embarrassed and thoughtful.

"Oh..." The woman paused a little, having heard the slight loneliness in the detective's voice. She thought about Sherlock's disappearance, those years ago, and noticed John's absence right now. Rose-Marie was also still missing, from what Molly understood, and she assumed the woman was most likely still grieving Sherlock's 'death' and not having heard about his return.

"Um..." Molly began, and Sherlock raised a brow questioningly.

*********

"Monkey glands." Sherlock announced, facing the wall.

"But enough about Professor Presbury. Tell us more about your case, Mr Harcourt." He demanded, walking back to the centre of the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt were. The woman sat in John's chair while the man stood stiffly beside his wife, and Molly sat across the pair in the desk chair.

"Are you sure about this?" Molly asked in a whisper as Sherlock paced before her and Sherlock replied reassuringly: "Absolutely."

Molly didn't look convinced but was determined to do the best she could, so she asked: "Should I be making notes?"

"If it makes you feel better." Sherlock replied lightly, taking a seat in his armchair, but he paused just fractionally as Molly admitted: "It's just that that's what John says he does, so if I'm being John..."

"You're not being John, you're being yourself." Sherlock corrected.

Molly paused, cocking her head a little but they returned to the case at hand as Mr. Harcourt said: "Well, absolutely no one should have been able to empty that bank account other than myself and Helen."

The man indicated his wife, and Sherlock glanced over the man, quickly scanning him. Sherlock asked curtly, standing quickly: "Why didn't you assume it was your wife?"

"Because I've always had total faith in her." Mr. Harcourt replied testily and Sherlock stood before the man as he corrected: "No, it's because you emptied it."

Sherlock listed quickly, vaguely indicating each observation: "Weight loss, hair dye, Botox; affair." Sherlock thrust a card before Mrs. Harcourt, finishing dismissively: "Lawyer."

He turned away from the pair as Mrs. Harcourt took the card numbly while Mr Harcourt and Molly stared in shock.

"Next!" Sherlock called.