Pond & Holmes

Chapter 13

Some time later, Sherlock has finally dressed and is sitting on the sofa again with Amy and John. Mycroft and Harry was sitting opposite them, the coffee table in between. Mycroft had just finished pouring tea for all five of them. He set the teapot down.

Harry looked at Sherlock and said, "My employer has a problem." Mycroft spoke up, "A matter has come to light of an extremely delicate and potentially criminal nature, and in this hour of need, dear brother, your name has arisen."

Sherlock scoffed and replied, "Why come to me? You have the police force." Harry continued, "People do come to you for help, don't they Mr Holmes?"

Sherlock said, "Not, to date, anyone with the Navy." Mycroft repiled immediately, "This is a matter of highest sercurity, and therefore of trust." 

John suddenly spoke, "Don't you trust your own Secret Service?" 

"Nautrally not. They all spy for money."

Amy watched as John bit back a smile. Mycroft opened his briefcase and took out a glossy and handed it to Sherlock. He looked at the photo.

Mycroft said, "What do you know about this woman?"

Sherlock shrugged and replied, "Nothing whatsoever.

"Then you should be paying more attention. She’s been at the centre of two political scandals in the last year, and recently ended the marriage of a prominent novelist by having an affair with both participants separately."

Amy frowned. She was absent for most of last year because she was with the Doctor, but she remembered some of the gossip her friends had fed to her. Amy suddenly thought of her name. She said excitably, "Is she Irene Alder? I heard of her from my friends." 

Mycroft nodded and said, "Yes. Irene Alder, professionally known as The Woman." 

John blinked a few times, before asking in a confused tone, "Professionally?"

Mycroft turned to him and replied, "There are many names for what she does. She prefers ‘dominatrix’."

Amy giggled, but quickly covered it up with a cough. Sherlock glanced down and said thoughtfully to himself, "Dominatrix."

Mycroft said, with scorn laced in his voice, "Don't be alarmed. It has to do with sex."

Sherlock stared at his older brother as if he was shocked, "Sex doesn't alarm me."

Mycroft smiled snidely at him, "How would you know?" Sherlock raised his head and glanced at Mycroft. John coughed.

Mycroft continued, "She provides – shall we say – recreational scolding for those who enjoy that sort of thing and are prepared to pay for it. These are all from her website." He took some more glossy photos out of his briefcase and passed them to Sherlock.

Sherlock took the photographs and leafed through them as Amy peered over his shoulder. They were professional looking shots for her - well - services which showed Irene at her apparently best.

Sherlock said ,"And I assume this Irene woman has some very compromising photographs."

Harry suddenly spoke up, "You're very quick, Mr Holmes."

Sherlock replied curtly, "Hardly a difficult deduction. Photographs of whom?"

Harry said, while crossing his hands over each other, "A person of significance to my employer. We’d prefer not to say any more at this time." Sherlock, hearing his reply, glared at him angrily and placed the photos on the coffee table.

Amy said, "You can't tell us anything?"

Mycroft smiled, "I can tell you it's a young person." John drank from his teacup.