The Death Game

Chapter 27

 -Day time-

Sherlock walked back through the small village but suddenly stopped his actions as he saw Juliet in the church graveyard. She was sitting on the steps of a war memorial and looked quietly through the notes she had taken in her notebook. Sherlock went through the gates and walked along the path towards his friend, who looked up as she heard him approach. Her expression had become uncomfortable and alert as she tucked her small notebook back into her pocket. The man stopped in front of her, also looking slightly awkward.

''Did you get anywhere with that hound theory?'' Sherlock asked awkwardly.

''Hound.'' Juliet repeated as she stepped down the small steps.

''What?'' the man asked back in confusion.

''Why call it a hound? Why a hound?'' she wondered with a small sigh, ''It's odd, isn't it? Strange choice of words, archaic. It's why you took the case isn't it, Oh great Mr Holmes.'' she continued as she rolled her eyes, walking away, ''And no, I didn't.''

''Too bad.'' the detective sighed as he tried to catch up with his friend, ''Did you get any information?''

''No.'' she simply replied stopping before immediately walking away again.

''Juliet, wait. What happened last night...'' Sherlock explained, ''Something happened to me; something I've not really experienced before...''

''Yes, you said it: fear.'' she mocked, ''Sherlock Holmes got scared.''

''No no no, it was more than that, Juliet.'' he exclaimed as he took hold of her arm and pulled her round to face him, ''It was doubt. I felt doubt. I've always been able to trust my sense, the evidence of my own eyes, until last night.''

''You can't actually believe that you saw some kind of monster.'' she remarked with an eyebrow arched.

''No, I can't believe that.'' he grinned bitterly, ''But I did see it, so the question is: how? How?'''

''Yes. Yeah, right, good.'' she stated, ''So you've got something to go on, then? Good luck with that.''

She turned her back away from him and started to walk away again, the man turned and called after his friend. As he realised that she wasn't going to turn around and listen to him any second now, he started to loudly call after her, running after her. In a sudden move, he stopped running. He looked back down, then instantly raised his head again as his eyes began to flicker in realization of something.

''Juliet? Juliet!'' he exclaimed as he started to chase after her, ''You are amazing! You are fantastic!''

''Yes, all right.'' she smirked still walking, ''You don't have to overdo it.''

''You've always been one of the most luminous of people, you are unbeatable.'' her friend smirked as he caught up to her.

''Don't spoil it, will you...'' the brunette mocked, ''Go on. What have I done that's so bloody stimulating?''

Sherlock suddenly stopped just outside the pub door and turned back to his friend in front of him, showing what he had just written in his notebook, the word 'HOUND'. Juliet looked at him in confusion as he wrote something else on it. He showed her the page of the notebook again, which now read 'H.O.UN.D'.

''But what if it's not a word?'' Sherlock smirked, ''What if it is individual letters?''

''You think it's an acronym?'' Juliet asked with a small smirk.

''Absolutely no idea but...'' Sherlock had begun as he put his notebook away.

The detective turned his head towards the pub and trailed off as he spotted a familiar figure inside the bar. Wearing grey trousers and a grey shirt with a light jacket over the top, heavily suntanned and with sunglasses on, Detective Inspector Lestrade had his hands in his trouser pockets and was looking directly at Sherlock with a wide child-like grin. Confused and angered, Sherlock stormed into the pub.