My Clever Girl

The Great Game (Part 4)

Iris' POV

"It's a kid. Oh, God, it's a kid." I said softly and covered my mouth as John wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Ten." Sherlock said as the kid counted down to nine. "It's a countdown. He's giving me time." He said as he was quickly examining the painting. "Jesus." I said and turned away then turned back as I watched nervously. "That painting's a fake, but how can I prove it? How? How?!" Sherlock asked as he seemed nervous for the child as well as the boy counted down to eight. "This kid will die! Tell me why the painting is a fake! Tell me!" Sherlock shouted at Wenceslas as he glared at her as she jumped a bit while the boy counted to seven. 

"No, shut up. Don't say anything. It only works if I figure it out or...Iris." He said and looked at me then gently pulled me over as I looked at the painting with him. "It must be possible. It must be staring us in the face." He whispered nervously as the boy counted to six. "How? Woodbridge knew, but how?!" He asked as I grabbed his hand as the boy counted down to five. "Speed it up!" John said as I felt Sherlock squeeze my hand in stress. "Sherlock!" Lestrade shouted as my eyes scanned the painting. "Sherlock!" I said and pointed to a piece of the art that stood out. "Oh!" He shouted as the boy counted down to four. "In the Planetarium, you heard it too. Oh, that is brilliant, my clever girl! That is gorgeous!" He said happily and handed John the pink phone as the boy counted down to three. 

"What's brilliant? What is?" Lestrade asked as Sherlock pulled out his phone. "This is beautiful. Love this!" He said as he walked back over. "Sherlock!" Lestrade angrily yelled at him as he grabbed the phone while the boy counted to two. "The Van Buren Supernova!" He said into the phone as I watched nervously and looked at the painting. "Please, is somebody there? Somebody help me." The boy said as I sighed in relief and head my head. "There you go. Go and find out where he is and pick him up." Sherlock said and handed Lestrade the pink phone. 

"Van Buren Supernova, so-called. Well, done, my clever girl." Sherlock said and pulled me into a hug as I hugged back. He pulled away and showed a photo on his phone. "Exploding star. Only appeared in the sky in 1858." Sherlock said and started walking out. "So how could it have been painted in the 1640s?" John asked with a smile as I smiled a bit. I heard my phone go off and looked to see that the message was for John and handed it to him before walking out with Sherlock. 

Time Skip

"You know, it's interesting. Bohemian stationery, an assassin named after a Prague legend, and you, Miss Wenceslas." Sherlock said as he looked at her as we sat in Lestrade's office while John was busy on Mycroft's case. "This whole case has a distinctly Czech feeling about it. Is that where this leads?" He asked as he didn't get an answer. "What are we looking at, Inspector?" He asked as I crossed my arms. "Well, criminal conspiracy, fraud, accessory after the fact, at the very least. The murder of the old woman, all the people in the flat-" "I didn't know anything about that. All those things, please, believe me." She said as Sherlock folded his hands. 

"I just wanted my share. The thirty million." She said as I crossed my legs. "I knew I had a feeling about you." I said softly as Sherlock gave me a lopsided smile as Wenceslas looked at me. She sighed softly as we looked at her. "I found a little old man in Argentina. A genius...I mean, really. Brushwork, immaculate. Could fool anyone." She said as me and Sherlock hummed, causing her to look at us. "Well, nearly anyone. But I didn't know how to go about convincing the world the picture was genuine. It was just an idea. A spark which he blew into a flame." She said as Sherlock and I looked at each other than her. 

"Who?" He asked as I uncrossed my legs and leaned forward. "I don't know." She said as Lestrade scoffed. "It's true! It took a long time, but eventually I was put in touch with people. His people. Well, there was never any real contact. Just messages...Whispers." She said as Sherlock turned to her and leaned forward. "And did those whispers have a name?" He asked as I glanced at him then her. "Moriarty." She said as me and Sherlock looked at each other with a smile. Just like the cabbie had said.