beyond the gravestones (sherlock/johnlock fanfic)

Chapter 4

John frowned. "What, the dead one?"

Mr Oliver nodded. "Yes. She snuffed out the candle then. I was paralyzed with fear, but she just turned around and left - that too through the front door. She must've painted the 5. I think I fainted then. When I eventually came to my senses, I hurried upstairs to check on James. And then I found - I found -" He broke into renewed sobs.

Sherlock leaned forward. "What did you find? I need you to tell me exactly what you saw."

"He was in bed, but I realized that his bedside lamp was broken. So I went to wake him up and then I noticed that his eyes were open, but he- he wasn't breathing. I called the police then, and they said - they said - " He broke down completely.

John awkwardly patted his shoulder. "There, there. It's alright...." A policeman stepped forward and kindly led Mr Oliver to his bedroom. Lestrade motioned for John and Sherlock to follow him.

"Mycroft Holmes told me to leave the murder scene exactly as it was." he informed them, as they climbed up the stairs, "The body's still lying there, but you need to be quick. We have to remove it. It's not good for the old man's nerves."

The stairs led to a small room - or a landing, rather - with two doors leading off on each side, one of which had yellow tape covering it. It was this one that John, Sherlock and Lestrade entered. The room was small, with a single bed pushed against one wall, a dresser next to it. A few pictures and posters adorned the faded walls, all of which Sherlock ignored as he made his way to the dead boy lying on the bed. He looked expectantly at John.

John stepped over and carefully examined the corpse. "Early teens, I'd say. Been dead for a day, yes...looks like asphyxiation. Oh." He suddenly went very quiet. "Sherlock, look at this."

"What? What is it?"

For a moment, John found himself distracted by the small scar on Sherlock's lip, and a fresh wave of guilt hit him. Just how badly had he hurt Sherlock in Culverton Smith's morgue? He snapped back to the present and showed Sherlock the boy's throat. "Isn't that how the Golem kills his victims?"

Sherlock's eyes widened slightly in recognition, and John knew that he was thinking about their brief encounter with the Golem. They'd come so close to catching him, but he got away at the last moment.

Lestrade shuddered, turned around and put a hand on his forehead. "My god." he whispered, "The Golem's back. Well, I'm heading downstairs to inform everyone else about this. Let me know when you're ready to leave."

When Lestrade left, Sherlock walked out of the room, heading for the door opposite. On opening it, they discovered that it was mostly a storeroom; there was a dusty old chest of drawers and a cupboard. However, just above a pile of boxes, there was a window. "So that's how he got in." Sherlock muttered.

John peered out. Sure enough, right below the window, a pipe led down to the backyard. "Well, what d'you reckon?" he asked Sherlock, "Why did the Golem do this?"

"Why would anyone want to murder a teenager?" Sherlock muttered. "John, you're the doctor. Does he look like he had any history of drug abuse?"

"None of the tell-tale signs." John said, and headed back to the dead boy's room. Sherlock remained in the store-room, examining it for any clues he might have missed.

As John leant over the corpse again, someone thundered up the stairs, and the door to the room was flung open. There was an exclamation of surprise, and a strangely familiar female voice said, "Well. I didn't think I'd find you here."

John turned around to discover a very breathless Irene Adler.

He stared at her in disbelief. He'd known she was alive since Sherlock's birthday, but to actually see her in the flesh...well, it brought back old memories, to say the least.