Despite the Odds

Chapter 10: Mysteries

Back in the present:

Sherlock explained to the wedding guests: "Private Bainbridge had just come off guard duty. He'd stood there for hours, plenty of people watching, nothing apparently wrong. He came off duty and within minutes was nearly dead from a wound in his stomach, but there was no weapon."

He paused for dramatic effect before asking mysteriously: "Where did it go?"

John looked up, confused, as Sherlock continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to consider this: a murderer who can walk through walls, a weapon that can vanish. But in all of this there is only one element, which can be said to be truly remarkable."

He paused once more.

"Would anyone like to make a guess?" Sherlock questioned, before adding: "Not you, Marie."

John, Mary and Marie all chuckled while the rest of the crowd looked thoughtful, all of them trying to work out the mystery. But they all avoided Sherlock's gaze as no-one felt confident in a guess.

Sherlock sighed: "Come on, come on, there is actually an element of Q and A to all of this."

When no-one answered, Sherlock cleared his throat before calling: "Scotland Yard. Have you got a theory?"

When Lestrade looked surprised, Sherlock added: "Yeah, you. You're a detective, broadly speaking. Got a theory?"

"Er, um..." Lestrade began thoughtfully, "if the, uh, if the, if-if-if, if the blade was, er, propelled through the, um... grating in the air vent..." he continued haphazardly, "maybe a-a ballista or a – or a – or a catapult. Erm, somebody tiny could-could crawl in there."

Even he didn't sound like he believed his words as he declared: "So, yeah, we're loo... we're looking for a-a-a-a dwarf."

Sherlock stared.

"Brilliant." He blurted out and Lestrade asked in surprise: "Really?"

Marie snorted when Sherlock replied flatly: "No."

Lestrade rolled his eyes while Marie smiled, patting his arm as he leaned back in irritation and Sherlock called: "Next!"

"He stabbed himself." Tom whispered to Molly as though it was obvious and Sherlock asked quickly: "Hello? Who was that?"

He looked over to see the other tall man looking a little guilty and he called on him: "Tom."

Molly looked mortified as Tom slowly stood up, and Marie shot the man a surprised look.

"Got a theory?" Sherlock questioned and Tom began: "Um ... attempted suicide, with a blade made of compacted blood and bone; broke after piercing his abdomen, like a meat... dagger."

Molly's mouth had fallen slack, her face clearly asking for the heavens to save her from this embarrassment. Marie winced and glanced at her sympathetically while Sherlock asked flatly: "A meat dagger."

"Yes." Tom replied, looking a little awkward while a few people from the crowd chuckled.

"Sit. Down." Molly whispered angrily.

"No." Sherlock added flatly, and Tom sat down in disappointment. Marie glanced at Molly, who just looked back at her tiredly.

"Sorry." Marie mouthed to her and Molly shook her head.

Sherlock had continued: "There was one feature, and only one feature, of interest in the whole of this baffling case, and quite frankly it was the usual. John Watson."

Sherlock declared. Mary looked up quickly, before looking at John proudly as Sherlock explained: "Who, while I was trying to solve the murder, instead saved a life."