Welcome to Baker Street

78. Matters of the heart

As a cab pulls over next to them, Sherlock instructs the cabbie, "221B Baker Street, please." He opens the door for Giulia, and she flashes him a grateful smile, impressed by his uncommonly courteous manners. He slides on the seat next to her while John takes the front seat and turns backwards, gaping at Sherlock.

"You think it's Moriarty?"

"He fits the profile: a murderous psychopath killing random people and sending me clues only to get my attention. Does it ring a bell?" he asks sarcastically as the taxi takes off.

From the front seat, John glances at Sherlock over his shoulder, wondering, is he concerned? He knows that Sherlock Holmes doesn't get scared—the detective would find that mere idea ludicrous. However, he must certainly be on alert. After all, the infamous criminal mastermind, the very one who attempted at both their lives (after blowing up people and buildings), has dragged them once again in one of his disturbing games with a twist. And with Moriarty, the 'twist' usually comprises violent death.

Sherlock keeps gazing upon vacancy out of the window. Unbeknownst to the occupants of the car, he is indeed terrified. He hates that feeling; he never had to deal with fear before. Nothing can scare a man who isn't even afraid of dying. Yet, something bugs him; a looming sense of uneasiness has been nesting in the pit of his stomach ever since he deciphered the anagram hidden in the name of the invented neurologist. Moriarty is back; he doesn't doubt it. But he never feared that criminal and is still untouched by the prospect of his own death. So why does the reappearance of the Napoleon of crime shake him to his very core?

A delicate touch on his skin suddenly snapped him out of the dark spiral of his thoughts. He realises his hand was trembling only when Giulia places her fingers on the back of his hand to steady it. He lifts his eyes to meet her warm smile. Her lips are bent in a graceful curve, though her eyes are veiled with concern.

"Are you alright?" she whispers.

He doesn't reply but keeps staring into her hazel eyes. This is the most enticing characteristic about her: the way her eyes scrutinise him as if they were plumbing the depths of his most secluded self. He is used to reading a person's life, job, and backstory in little details scattered around their bodies, clothes, and behaviour. But she is not like him. She approaches people with the emotional intelligence that he has never possessed; something he struggles to understand. She reads him in a way no one else has ever done. It's not the science of deduction; it's a study in humanity—which is even more surprising to him considering that sometimes he doesn't feel human at all. Yet, she has a strange effect on him: she humanises him. Not a genius, not a consulting detective, not a freak show; with her, he is allowed to be just a person, with all the fears and flaws and feelings and complicated emotions that always come with flesh and bone. She makes him vulnerable, but the intriguing part is he likes it.

"When have I ever been alright?" he eventually jokes to break the awkward silence and defuse the tension. She rolls up her eyes. He always slips away whenever things threaten to get real.

John suppresses a shiver, trying to grasp the deep meaning of Moriarty's comeback in their lives.

"Sherlock, what's your plan? What do we do now?"

Holmes is still gazing at Giulia: his eyes follow the sinuous line of her braided hair. He interrupts his contemplation and realises the gravity of the situation.

"First things first: we're stopping by at the flat. I need to pick something up and drop off something else," he simply states, shooting one last glance at her before focusing on the roads rushing around the cab.

They stay silent for a few minutes, then Giulia intervenes. "Wait. Does it mean that you know who the killer is?"

"Not exactly. I know who planned and set up that crime scene for me. We have already crossed paths in the past; he is extremely dangerous and highly unpredictable."