The Baker's Detective

| The Sauce and the Hunch |

Sherlock called the inn later in the day to see if Mary Gray and her mother arrived. The lady at the front desk said she would call him back when they did. Officer Davis was also going to talk to her at the inn, but Sherlock didn't tell him he needed a ride. He wanted to walk. It was nice out, and the inn wasn't far.

When the lady at the front desk calls again, Sherlock walks out of the guest room, putting his coat on. Lily is in the kitchen, ingredients surrounding her. She looks up. "Mum and Dad just left. Are you going to the inn now?"

"Mary Gray and her mother have arrived. Officer Davis is supposed to be there as well. I don't want him to start asking questions before I get there."

"Well... take your time."

"I will. I have a feeling I'm about to get closer to figuring this whole thing out." He walks out the front door and to the sidewalk, breathing in the clear air.

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Lily pulls up her recipe. She'll start with the béarnaise sauce. That's probably more difficult than the steak itself. And then she can steam the broccoli (a last minute addition at the grocery store).

First she has to mince the shallots. She can do that, probably. Anything to avoid cutting a vegetable in a remotely fancy way, she will do. But this time she gets out the cutting board and a knife — which is a good knife to mince shallots? — and recalls her dad mincing onions when she was a kid. She also thinks of Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen and Master Chef. The knife feels awkward in her hand, and she cuts slow. Chef Ramsey would be disappointed.

Once the shallots are minced, Lily moves on to the next step: reducing the vinegar, shallots, and tarragon — another thing she has to cut. Reducing has never been her strong suit. It always ends up too liquid-y or too hot.

"There should be no more than a few tablespoons of liquid left," Lily mumbles under her breath. "How much is a few? Three?" Is it okay if she has less? She takes in a deep breath, tries to convince herself that she can do this, and looks at the steaks. When should she cook those? How long will it take? How long will Sherlock be gone? Hopefully long enough for her to do the recipe at least twice; there's no way she's getting this on the first try.

She grabs her phone — no music is playing, as she needs all of her focus to not screw this up — and gets on YouTube to find a video about how to cook steak. However, the first video she clicks on makes her realize that she has no idea how Sherlock wants his steak cooked. Well? Medium-well? Rare? She clicks off the video and onto his contact. Hopefully he isn't at the inn yet.

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When Sherlock enters the inn, after a nice, brisk walk, his phone rings. He holds his finger up to the lady at the front desk, as she was about to speak to him. It's Lily calling.

"Hello?" he says.

"How do you want your steak?" she asks.

He chuckles. "I assumed you deduced that."

"No, I just forgot."

"Medium rare."

"Okay. Got it. Are you at the inn now?"