The Ballad of Mona Lisa

Chapter 5- Falling

Two months later, there was another art theft.

Sherlock smiled to himself when he got the call from Lestrade.

He was sitting in his living room, playing his violin. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He answered his phone with a bored tone in his voice.

"What?"

"There's been another one, but this time they left a little message," Lestrade's exasperated voice sounded on the other end of the call.

Sherlock smirked to himself, his nose scrunching a bit and his eyes twinkling.

"On my way," he told Lestrade, promptly hanging up.

He set down his violin and quickly headed over to the crime scene. Once he got there, Lestrade met him at the front door. He led him upstairs and into the master bedroom. There, on the wall opposite the door, four words were scrawled in thick black marker.

See you soon, Sherlock.

Sherlock smiled mischievously, quickly hiding it behind a façade of indifference. He recognized that slanting cursive.

So she's finally inviting me to the party... Excellent.

"I need everyone out," Sherlock ordered.

"Alright, everyone downstairs-" Lestrade started.

"No. Everyone out of the house," Sherlock corrected.

"But-"

"I need to think."

Lestrade sighed heavily and complied, ordering everyone out. Once Sherlock heard the front door close, he let his smirk return. He quickly began examining the marker on the wall, taking pictures of the message, and checking the room for other clues. It didn't take him long to discover the vase of flowers that didn't belong. Sitting on the dresser, they definitely weren't there before the crime went down. They were too... too... fresh.

Sherlock stared at the flowers- daffodils, as it turned out- for several moments before approaching them slowly. Tucked between the stems was a folded slip of paper the size of a computer key. He carefully pulled it out and unfolded it, revealing a phone number scrawled in that same cursive Sherlock had become so familiar with in the last several months.

Immediately he pulled out his phone and dialed the number. She picked up on the second ring.

"Took you a bit long to call, Darling," she tried to sound disappointed.

"Too many ordinary people in the way. I had to get rid of them," Sherlock said.

"They're always getting in the way, aren't they? Was Lestrade there too?" She asked.

"You didn't leave me your number so that we could 'chat'. You're planning something. What?" Sherlock asked.

"Be warned, Sherlock, what I'm about to ask of you will be difficult."

He didn't respond, waiting impatiently for her to continue.

"It's the one requirement I have for us to work together," she paused.

So she wants to work together...

"What is it?" Sherlock asked curtly.

"Don't fall."