TO BE FOUND : Book One

TO FIND ANOTHER DEAD{Revised AGAIN}

Victoria walked out of the restaurant, pulling her phone out of her back pocket and seeing she had a few notifications. It had already been a long day and she was far too distracted to check her mobile. 

She noticed a missed call from her sister and smiled faintly, calling the number back instantly. Victoria heard the dial tone, then eventually heard as her older sister picked up, "Hey Chrissy! I saw I had a missed call from you. How is everything?" Victoria said enthusiastically.

"Hey Vicky. It's all good here, just finished eating dinner. Still getting settled in. How's London?" Chrissy asked in a cheery voice.

"It's nice, it's been a long, long day. I'm enjoying myself though. How are you? How's Dartmoor?" The red head looked down at the pavement.

"Dartmoor is interesting. You know  there's some kind of Hound of Hell thing up here. It brings all sorts to these parts. It's an adorable place, but there is an eerie base not too far from here called Baskerville."

"Baskerville? What's that? I've never heard of it." Victoria questioned, attempting to recall the name.

"It's a military base where they conduct experiments apparently." Christine replied.

"Sounds strange. Since I'm back in England I'll have to pay you a visit." Victoria said, sitting down at a bench that faced the entrance of the restaurant.

Chrissy laughed, "Damn right you do. I've missed you. And you know how hard it is to get mum to come back here since-"

"Yeah, yeah I know." The red head cut off her sister's words and shook her head briefly, "How is she doing in New York? I haven't spoken to her in awhile." 

"Not sure, I'll give her a call though." The conversation is quiet for moment,"So did you find him? Your bloke?"

"I did actually, yeah. I found him." Victoria's smiled returned.

"That is so exciting! Did you two kiss? Have a shag?" 

"I am seriously fighting the urge to hang up on you. No, it was a friendly, G-Rated, reunion." The red head's cheeks grew warm as she blushed and she cleared her throat, "Now moving along too much more appropriate news, he has a job as a detective and I'm helping him with a case. "

Chrissy laughed softly, "So you're happy I presume?" 

"Of course! Sherlock, John, and I are on a case right now." Victoria explains, watching the two men walk out.

"Oh! Awesome. Who's John?" She asked.

"Sherlock's flatmate."

"Are you going to live with him?" Chrissy replied cheekily.

"Oh hush you, I don't know. Listen, I love you, but I gotta go." 

Chrissy laughs,"I love you! Be careful!"

The young woman slips her phone back into her pocket and looks up to Sherlock and John,"So what's next?"

~

They had returned to the flat and Sherlock was sitting in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face.

Victoria  listened to an audiobook that was coming from her earbuds and glanced up at the detective that had his hands in a prayer position under his chin observing the pictures from the crime scene.

John walks in and drops his  jacket onto his chair.

"I said 'Could you pass me a pen?'" Sherlock said without looking around.

John looked over to Victoria and saw she was not capable of hearing Sherlock's demand, "What? When? Me?"

"'Bout an hour ago." Sherlock replied.

John sighed, "Didn't notice I had gone then." John goes to pick up a pen and tosses a pen to the detective.

Victoria looked back to where John stood and paused the story she had been listening to, "Hello John, where did you go off to? If you don't mind me asking."

"I went to see about a job at that surgery."

"How was it?" Sherlock asked.

"It's great. She's great." John said absently. Victoria smirked up at the military doctor, rising from her seat on the couch.

"Who?" Sherlock asked.

"The job." looking back at him.

"She?" Victoria giggled.

"It." John corrected himself, causing the young woman to laugh.

Sherlock and Victoria exchanged suspicious looks to each other for a moment, then Sherlock jerked his head to his right, "Here have a look."

"Hmm?" John walks over to the table and looks at the web page on the open computer. The lead article on the 'Online News' page is titled, "Ghostly killer leaves a mystery for police".

At this point they were all three standing around the laptop, reading the article.

"The intruder can walk through walls." John whispered.

"Happened last night. Journalist shot dead in his flat; doors locked, windows bolted from the inside- exactly the same as Van Coon." Sherlock stated matter-of-factually. 

"Oh my god, Sherlock, you think?" Victoria said.

"He's killed another one."

~

The trio took a cab to the police station to meet with D. I. Dimmock. They find him sitting at his desk with folded arms in exasperation as he watches Sherlock stand on the other side of the desk, then types into the laptop.

"Brian Lukis, freelance journalist. Murdered in his flat..." he then turned the laptop around to show Dimmock the web page which John and I were looking at earlier.

"....doors locked from the inside." he continued.

"You've got to admit they're similar." John added.

But Dimmock only scowled at the computer.

"Both of these men were killed by someone who can....someone who can walk through walls." Victoria said hesitantly, knowing just how silly it sounded as soon as she said it.

"Inspector, do you seriously believe that Eddie Van Coon was just another city suicide?" Sherlock asked.

Dimmock only squirmed not meeting Sherlock's gaze. Sherlock then looked up, exasperated, and sighs pointedly.

"You have seen the ballistics report I suppose?" Sherlock asked. The D.I. nodded his head.

"And the shot that killed him: was it fired from his own gun?"

Dimmock then reluctantly said, "No.'

"No. So this investigation might move a bit quicker if you were to take my word as gospel." Sherlock sneered.

He looked back up to Sherlock, silently. Sherlock leaned in forward over the desk and speaks quietly but intensely into his face, "I've just handed you a murder inquiry."

"5 minutes in his flat." He said louder, nodding towards the picture of Lukis on the computer.