The Baker's Detective

| The League and the Fight |

It's been a week and nothing. No sign, no hint, no case, not even a whisper of one. Summer's almost over. Lily will have to go back to her job, and she won't be able to help out as much. Of course, he's half hoping for that.

Rosie's been helping her in the garden the past week. Sherlock went with them once, though Lily still seemed off. She would look at him, then look away. Endless chatter spilled from her lips, not that Sherlock minded. It was about Liam, and her parents, and her friends, and her book. She didn't say much of anything about anything, just kept talking, in between telling Rosie about the fruits and vegetables and the flowers.

She's anxious. Sherlock, for the umpteenth time, feels guilty for putting her in this situation.

The Holders were still unable to tell him Robert's last name. They didn't even have pictures, though Hayley swore she had taken some. Sherlock suspects he deleted them to get rid of the evidence. Her phone's been checked since. The information has simply been erased.

Arthur told Sherlock where he'd met Robert, but the place didn't turn up anything. People came and went there. It was a den of activity, full of smoke and noise and cards. No one could tell him anything about Robert — the Robert he was looking for. Plenty of people named Robert were mentioned, or were there, but they didn't match the description.

He then revisited Susan Cushing, now once again sharing her home with her sister Sarah, who was mostly quiet during the whole interview, though she contributed information where she could. Susan likewise could find no pictures of Ray, despite taking some. But his description matched Robert's, down to the fact that he was incredibly charming, despite numerous red flags.

"I tell you, Mr. Holmes, I've never met a man like him in my life," Susan had said. "If he came here right now and asked me to take him back, I can't tell you for certain that he wouldn't convince me."

All this information and still he feels no closer. Why the Beryl Coronet? Was that just a coincidence? Was he really after it, but then Sherlock came and ruined his plans? Or did he never want the Coronet in the first place?

What does he want?

"The million pound question," Sherlock mumbles.

"What?" John asks, in the kitchen.

"Nothing."

John sighs. "Sherlock, you've done all you can do. All we can do now is wait."

"But we need to be ready for him," Sherlock argues.

"I think we're as ready as we're going to get."

"Lock!" Rosie runs into the room, carrying toys — trains, teddy bears, crayons, dolls. They fall from her arms, leaving a trail behind her from her room.

"Yes, Ro?" he says.

"Let's play."

"There you go, good distraction," John says. "Play with Rosie for a while and get your mind off it."

Sherlock sits in the floor in front of Rosie, who hands him a teddy bear and a red steam engine. "You be Charles and James."

"Which one is which?"

Rosie rolls her eyes. "Charles is the teddy bear, James is the train."

"Oh, I see."

"I'm Thomas and Cindy." She picks up the blue train and a doll.

"What are all these other things?" Sherlock asks, gesturing to the other dolls, trains, and bears on the ground.

"I dunno." She holds the blue train towards him and speaks in a deep voice. "James! We have a big problem!"