Dancing with the Devil (part one)

Chapter 15: Is It Him?

Alexa decided to stay one last night in the inn. She woke up early, packed her suitcase and made her way to the train station. She took a tube to baker street where she let herself into the apartment, not to her surprise, neither of the boys were there, so she took her suitcase to her room and began to unpack.

Just as she was finishing up, the friendly land lady popped her head around the door.

"Hello dear, have a nice night?" she said cheerfully.

"Ah yes thanks."

"The boys are in a cafe down the road, if you were wondering."

"Up bright an early I see,"

"Does my head in."

"How is that case they are working on?"

"I'm not sure really. It's dreadful though, isn't it?"

Astrid nodded.

"Well, maybe I'll go and check up on how they are doing."

"Yes, they are just two blocks away."

Astrid thanked Mrs. Hudson and once again, went out into the busy road and walked along the street to the cafe, she peered inside and saw Sherlock's familiar agitated face and smirked. She went into the building and strided across to their table.

"Looks like someone got no sleep."

"He didn't." John laughed as Astrid sat next to him.

"Who needs sleep?"

"Humans, Sherlock." the doctor replied to which Sherlock scowled and John smirked.

"Has it occurred to you-" john began to say curiously before being cut off.

"Probably." Sherlock said flatly.

"No, has it occurred to you that the bomber is playing games with you?"

Ah, this is it. John was right of course. The whole thing was just a game; a great game.

"You know" he continued  "...the envelope; the flat; the dead kids shoes- it's all for you."

"Obviously." Sherlock said tiresomely.

"So is it him, Moriarty?"

"perhaps." he replied, and Astrid felt it was a good time to but in.

"Sorry, who? Who's Moriarty?"

"He was behind a few other crimes committed earlier this year." John said and Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"As in he used a taxi driver to kill innocent people and nearly got one of John's ex-girlfriends killed."

"Ah." Astrid replied, and as if on cue, the pink phone beeped and when Sherlock switched it on, a picture of a middle age woman came on, Astrid knew who this was, not just because of Jim, but she'd been working in bars her hole life and she'd had a range of strange TV programmes put on when it was her shifts.

"That could be anyone." Sherlock sighed

"Well, lucky for the two of you, I've worked in pubs my hole life." Astrid smirked.

"Yes, and I've been more than a little unemployed." John stood up.

"What do you mean?"

"Mrs. Hudson and I watch far too much crap TV." he walked over to the TV and picked up the remote. He flicked through a few channels until the same middle aged woman's face came up.

As the programme was playing, the pink phone rang again, Sherlock picked it up and answered.

"Hello?" He said cautiously, despite the horrors that were on the other end of the phone, his facial expression didn't change at all. John sat down looking Serious. After a few seconds, Sherlock spoke again, "Why are you doing this?"

Astrid knew. Jim liked to dance, he liked to watch people dance too. He loved to be entertained.

Next thing Astrid knew, she found herself in a cab to St Bart's Hospital, where the were taken to the morgue to star at the fat unhealthy looking, dead body of Connie Prince.

"Something isn't right." Sherlock stated to a confused John Watson, "their has to be something special or the bomber wouldn't be leading us to it."

"Yeah?" John frowned.

"The cut on her hand: it's deep; would have bled a lot, right?"

"yeah."

"But the wound's clean – very clean, and fresh." he continued, thoughts steaming through his head, "How long would the bacteria have been incubating inside her?"

"'bought a week and a half." Watson answered and frowned at Sherlock's grin, realisation dawned upon him, "The cut was made later?"

"After she died?" Astrid asked.

"Must have been. The only question is, how did the tetanus enter the dead woman's system?" Sherlock considered, then looked at Astrid, "You wanna help?"

"Urm.. yeah sure." Astrid replied.

"I need back ground data."

"Sherlock," John sighed and then looked at Astrid, "I'll go with you."

"What do you need?" Astrid asked the detective enthusiastically.

"Connie Prince's background- family history, everything. Give me data." he said quickly.

"Right." John replied and nodded to Astrid, "C'mon."