Long Time, No See

Breadcrumbs

Done with Finals! After today Christmas break!
-Wildflower

221B.........

Sally Donovan and Lestrade were in the living room of 221B when John came home. "Sherlock something weird......" He paused when he saw Lestrade and Donovan, "What's going on?"

"Kidnapping." Sher told him.

"Rufus Bruhl, the ambassador to the U.S." Lestrade told John.

"He’s in Washington, isn’t he?" John asked.

"His children were kidnapped." I told him.

"Max and Claudette, age seven and nine." Lestrade told John and Donovan showed him a picture. I had a very bad feeling about this case, James's next move on the board. "They’re at St Aldate’s."

"Posh boarding place down in Surrey." Donovan told us.

"The school broke up; all the other boarders went home – just a few kids remained, including those two." Lestrade told Sher who was typing in a laptop.

"The kids have vanished." She told us.

"The ambassador’s asked for you personally." Greg told him as Sherlock was halfway out the door and I was following him.

"The Reichenbach Hero." Donovan says sarcastically.

"Isn’t it great to be working with a celebrity." Greg said as we all left.

St. Aldate's school.........

Greg’s car drives into the grounds of the boarding school and pulls up outside the front entrance. Two police cars are already there and a woman is standing in front of one of them, leaning against the bonnet wearing a shock blanket around her shoulders and crying while a uniformed female police officer talks reassuringly to her. A man, probably a plain clothed police officer, is also talking to her but walks away as Greg, Donovan, the boys and I get out of the car and approach. The woman blows her nose on her handkerchief. "It's all right." The female officer comforts presumably the House Mistress.

"Miss Mackenzie, House Mistress. Go easy." Lestrade says quietly the Sherlock. We stay back as Sherlock goes and talks to Miss Mackenzie.

"Miss Mackenzie, you’re in charge of pupil welfare, yet you left this place wide open last night." Sherlock then raises his voice anrgily, "What are you: an idiot, a drunk or a criminal?" He grabs the blanket and pulls it from around her shoulders. She gasps in fear as he glares furiously at her, "Now quickly, tell me!"

"All the doors and windows were properly bolted. No-one – not even me – went into their room last night. You have to believe me!" Miss Mackenzie said in fear.

"I do. I just wanted you to speak quickly." Sher told her gently then turning around, "Miss Mackenzie will need to breathe into a bag now." I then walked up to him.

"What the hell was that, William?" I asked him anrgily, "You scared the hell out of that woman." I heard him gulp.

"I don't have the patience for her." He told me.

"Don't make me call your mother." I warned before walking inside. We were led into the dormitories, where the crime scene was.

"Six grand a term, you’d expect them to keep the kids safe for you. You said the other kids had all left on their holidays?" John said out loud as Sherlock and I began looking around the room.

"The intruder must have been hidden inside some place." Lestrade guessed.

"Show me where the brother slept." Sher said as we finished looking around the girl's dormitory, we were instantly led there, "The boy sleeps there every night, gazing at the only light source outside in the corridor. He’d recognise every shape, every outline, the silhouette of everyone who came to the door." Leaving us the room, Sher goes outside the door and pulls it almost closed, then raises his hand and points his fingers as if they’re a gun, showing the others how it would be seen through the frosted glass. He pushes the door open and comes back into the room, "What would he do in the precious few seconds before they came into the room? How would he use them if not to cry out?"