Secrets (Sherlock)

Great Game Part 2

Quinn locked the door behind her, dropping the bag on the floor. She kneeled down next to it, and gently took hold of the phone. Wiping it of any finger prints, she placed it into the lock box, locked it, and slid it under her couch.

She stretched out, and decided she would take a shower. Quinn slipped out of her damp clothes, and wrapped the warm, fluffy towel around her cold torso. She started the water, giving it time to warm up. For some reason, the heating in her apartment had been acting up lately. Both the hot water, that takes ten minutes to get hot, and the radiator have been slow. She decided she would investigate later.

After brushing through her hair, Quinn put a hand under the water, and found that it was a decent temperature now.

Stepping into the warm shower, Quinn started to think about what Jim said.

Lock box

Pink phone

Bath

Noon

What could all that possibly mean? She opened her eyes, and looked at the tub she stood in for her shower. It was made of average materials, ran six inches thick, and went up her her knees. It was a rather big bathtub, especially for an attached shower, but she liked that. She could be completely submerged.

Submerged.

Quinn slapped her forehead. She could be submerged in the water, and she could be safe. From an explosion. The lockbox would protect the phone, and the door and bathtub would protect her from the blast.

Quickly, Quinn switched off the water, and ran out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around her torso, she looked at the clock on the wall.

11:57

Quinn could smell the faint odor of gas and gunpowder. Swearing, she grabbed her phone and pea coat, and ran back into the bathroom. As the door slammed and she landed in the tub, a boom erupted from the rest of the flat. Quinn shimmied out of the towel, and shrugged the coat onto her body. Her phone was laying still in her right pocket, but soon started buzzing violently.

Weakly, Quinn pulled the phone from her pocket, recognising the caller ID as her favorite consulting detective, and raised it to her ear.

"H-hello?" she panted.

"I heard a loud explosion coming from near your building."

"No shit. It was in my building," she corrected.

"Where are you?"

"In my bath tub."

She heard a faint chuckle from the other side if the line. "You know it's going to be extremely unstable in that building."

"Yeah, i figured. I'm just sitting here because my bath is so comfortable, and great to sit in when the building around me could crumble and fall at any moment."

"Well, by now the police should be coming, so you should probably try to get out."

"Yeah," she said. "And, thanks. I dont know anyone who would have called to see if I was okay. I appreciate it."

Dial tone.

She managed to get herself perched up on the ledge of her tub. Wincing slightly as pain erupted through her wrist, she stood on her feet, only to fall to the floor. She screamed as she landed on the hand, and soon felt the familiar burning pain rocket up her arm and fizzle in her hand.

"Dammit," she cursed. She rolled onto her back, and panted. It wasn't like she didn't know how bad it was to breathe in the smoke in the air, no she knew. But the explosion was tiring and her hand really. She felt around the palm with her other hand, and quickly came to the conclusion that is was broken.

She hobbled out of the apartment, and down the extremely unstable stairs, before reaching the street. In that moment, Quinn was very grateful of the black coat wrapped around her torso, because dozens of people were gathered around the apartment, most on the phone.

She walked her over to her car, which was parked in front of her house, and perched herself against the front. Ash and dust lined her jacket and face as she panted in the street, cursing Jim for being so bloody annoying.

About twenty minutes later, Quinn was dressed in a tank top and sweatpants that were supplied by one of the nice police women here, and her wrist was currently being bandaged. Again. It hurt quite a bit, even for her standards.

Using her unbandaged hand, she held an oxygen mask up to her mouth, her breath starting to regulate, and she could focus on her surrounding properly now.

Her windows were shattered, due to the release of presuure that the explosion made. The building was previously in flames, but they managed to put it out, and were now searching the apartment for any more explosives. They wouldn't find any.

A few minutes later, after she had gotten rid of the oxygen mask, she sat with an ugly orange blanket draped over her shoulders, Staring at the horrendous thing like it would eat her. "What the hell are you supposed to help with?" she murmured to herself, shoving it off her shoulders, and jumping from the ambulance ledge. Before she could make it two feet, a paramedic, who looked about 19, grabbed her shoulder, and started saying that she couldn't leave yet.

She sighed. "Look, I have been shot, stabbed, poisoned, beaten, drugged, cut, and, now, blown up. I think I'll survive."

The paramedic sighed, and let go of her shoulder. Thanking him, she started to make her way towards the building. A police officer stopped her as she reached the small gate infront of the steps leading to the door. "Miss, you can't go in there. They have to check for any more explosives."

"There aren't."

Quinn started to walk into her building, but he stopped her again.

"Miss, you really can't go in there."

Quinn squirmed from his grip and got real close. "How's the affair?"

"W-what?"

"You heard me."

The officer looked baffled, then turned his gaze towards another officer, with dark curly hair and tanned skin. He looked back at Quinn, slightly baffled. "Go ahead."

She smiled, and went back into her apartment. Walking up the slightly unstable but useful steps, she found herself in the remains of her apartment. Sighing, she pushed the door farther open, and walked through the frame. All her furniture was charred, and her walls were covered in ash.

Looking towards the living room, she let out a sigh. "My piano," she murmured.

Quinn took a look at every one around her, and started rummaging through ash. "If anyone finds my grandmothers ring, tell me!" she yelled out.