Face the Odds

Chapter 5: Bust

"Charlie's family are pretty cut up about it, as you'd expect," Lestrade told Sherlock as they walked up the Welsborough driveway, "so go easy on them, yeah?"

John's phones rang just as Sherlock answered Lestrade "You know me."

At the same time, John had answered Mary's video called on John's phone, and she called as she carried Rosie on her hip: "Hey, hello."

"Yeah. Got them, don't worry." John informed Mary. "Pampers, the cream you can't get from Boots."

"Yeah, never mind about that." Mary answered impatiently. "Where are you now? At the dead boy's house?"

"Yeah." John said, while Sherlock glanced over with disinterest.

"And what does he think?" Mary asked curiously, nodding on screen to where she could just see Sherlock's outline. "Any theories?"

"Well, I texted you the details." John replied, and Mary answered impatiently: "Yeah, two different types of vinyl."

Sherlock abruptly took the phone from her, ignoring as John protested, to ask: "How do you know about that?"

"What, the different types of vinyl?" Mary laughed. "Oh you'd be amazed at what a receptionist picks up." She stage-whispered: "They know everything!"

"Solved it, then?" Sherlock questioned as Mary cooed at Rosie, and Mary answered with a smile: "I'm working on it."

"Oh, Mary, motherhood's slowing you down." Sherlock commented, and Mary sniped back teasingly: "Pig!"

"Keep trying, Marie's already worked it out." Sherlock replied, ignoring both Lestrade and John's shocked expressions as he handed John's phone back to him.

Lestrade hurried after him as they stepped through the Welsborough's front doorway, and Mary asked John as he caught up as well: "So, what about it, then? What, an empty car that suddenly has a week-old corpse in it? And what are you going to call this one?"

"Oh, the, uh, 'the Ghost Driver'." John answered, and Sherlock turned in exasperation.

"Don't give it a title." He complained, and John countered: "People like the titles."

"I hate the titles." Sherlock retorted, and John hissed back: "Give the people what they want."

"No, never do that - people are stupid." Sherlock answered flatly, and Mary objected over John's phone: "Uh, some people."

"All people are stupid." Sherlock retorted, and Mary pointed out: "Marie?"

"She's not people." He replied, and Mary raised a brow as she indicated herself.

"...Most people are stupid." Sherlock conceded, and Lestrade asked: "What did you mean, Marie's figured this out already? It's bizarre enough, isn't it?

He gestured to the closed living room door, and Sherlock just gave Lestrade a look, before he turned and headed towards the living room door. The other two followed, John hanging up on Mary, and Sherlock managed to school his features into professional sympathy as he walked into the living room, greeting: "Mr. and Mrs. Welsborough."

The couple stood from their sofa at his arrival, and John and Lestrade followed Sherlock inside as the Detective continued: "I really am most terribly sorry to hear about your daughter-"

"Son." John quickly interjected under his breath, and Sherlock swiftly corrected: "Son."

Lestrade introduced to the couple: "Mr. and Mrs. Welsborough, this is Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

"Thank you very much for coming." Mr. Welsborough said hoarsely. "We've heard a great deal about you. If anyone can throw any light into this darkness, surely it will be you."