The Blind Banker (Sherlock x Female!Reader)

Chapter 4: Trying to Decipher the Code

Shortly afterwards, the three of you are staking out the tourists shop, The Lucky Cat, in a restaurant opposite if it. Sitting at a table in the window, with John sitting on one side and you and Sherlock sitting on the other, Sherlock writing the two Hangzhou numbers and their English equivalents onto a paper napkin.

You and John were also writing notes. "Two men travel back from China. Both head straight for the Lucky Cat emporium. What did they see?" John asked, looking up from his notes at the two of you. "It's not what they saw; it's what they both brought back in those suitcases." You replied. "And you don't mean duty free." John said, as the waitresses brings over plates of food for you and John. "Thank you." You and John said to the lady.

"Think about what Sebastian told us; about Van Coon--about how he stayed afloat in the market." Sherlock told John. "Lost five million..."John tailed off.
"Made it back in a week. That's how he made such easy money." Sherlock said.
"He was a smuggler." You said as you and John start to eat your food.
"A guy like him--it would have been perfect." Sherlock said to you. "Business man making frequent trips to Asia. And Lukis was the same a journalist writing about China." Sherlock stated as you and John hummed in agreement.
"Both of them smuggled stuff out, and the Lucky Cat was their drop-off." You stated.

"But why did they die? I mean, it doesn't make sense. If they both turn up at the shop and deliver the goods, why would someone threaten them and kill them after the event, after they'd finished the job?" John asked. You look up from your plate and think about what John asked, then you felt like you were being watch and look over to see Sherlock staring at you, finally it comes to you and you smile at him and the two of you nod in agreement.

"What if one of them was light fingered?" Sherlock asked John.

"How d'you mean?" John asked.

"Stole something; something from the hoard." You said.

"And the killer doesn't know which of them took it, so he threatens them both. Right." said John as it finally dawns on him.
Sherlock looks out of the window towards the shop, then raises his eyes to the windows above it.

Looking down to the ground floor level again, Sherlock says "Remind me, when was the last time that it rained?" He focuses on a Yellow Page phone directory sealed in a plastic wrapper which has been left outside the door to the flat beside the Lucky Cat.

Without waiting for a reply from you or John, Sherlock stands up and leaves the restaurant. John sits back in exasperation while you smile and shake your head, placing the money on the table as you and John get up and follow Sherlock.

Across the road, Sherlock bends down to the Yellow Pages. The plastic wrapper still has drops of water on it, and the top of it has broken a little. He runs his fingers over the top of the wet exposed pages of the directory. "It's been here since Monday." Sherlock stated as you and John come up behind him. He straightens up and presses the doorbell to the flat. He only waits a couple of seconds, then looks to his right and heads off in the direction.

There's an alleyway beside the flat and you and the boys walk down in it. "No one's been in that flat for at least three days." Sherlock stated.
"Could've gone on holiday." said John. You point up at an open window and ask. "D'you leave your windows open when you go on holiday?"
You and the boys reached the rear of the building; you and Sherlock look up to see a cantilevered metal fire escape above your heads.

Taking a short run at it, Sherlock jumps up and grabs the end, pulling it down towards him until it touches the ground, then he runs up the steps towards the window of the flat. As he reaches the top, the ladder swings back to the horizontal position before you could grab it. "Sherlock!" You shouted. You and John are too short to grab the ladder so the two of you turn and run back along the alley to the front of the building.