You're in Sherlock (Sherlock × Reader)

The Blind Banker: Chapter 9

You, Sherlock, and John headed back to 221B to analyze the evidence you'd found thus far. You needed to piece everything together if you were going to get anywhere with the case. You were sure you could get somewhere by now with the new evidence you'd collected.

"So, the killer goes to the bank, leaves a threatening cipher. Van Coon panics, returns to his apartment, locks himself in his flat. Hours later, he dies." Sherlock stated, studying the images he'd taped to the mirror. You nodded, continuing.

"Then there's Lukis... John want to tell us what you know about Lukis' death?" You asked, looking to John, who stood in between you and Sherlock in front of the mirror. He nodded.

"The killer finds Lukis at the library, he writes the cipher on the shelf where he knows it will be seen. Lukis goes home." John bobbed his head, thinking back to the evidence and holding up a finger in thought.

"Later that night he dies too." Sherlock finished, still looking over the photos. You pressed your fingers against some of the photos, thinking.

"Why do they die?" John asked, shaking his head at you and Sherlock. You shrugged, you had no answer to this.

"Only the cipher can tell us." Sherlock told John. Sherlock ran his fingers along the photo he took at the bank of the cipher. He tapped it slightly before he turned on his heels and began to pull his coat and scarf on.

"Where are we going now?" You asked, pulling on your coat along with him.

"To see an expert." Sherlock replied before walking out of the flat. John groaned, following behind you as you exited the flat.

***

"The world's run on codes and ciphers, John." Sherlock explained to John as the three of you swiftly walked down the street. "From the million pound security system at the bank to the pin machine you took exception to."

"Cryptography inhabits our every waking moment." You nodded, glancing at Sherlock before you scaled around a group of people that stood chatting to one another.

"Yes, okay, but... " John began but Sherlock cut him off.

"But it's all computer-generated, electronic codes, electronic ciphering methods." Sherlock stated as the three of you began to climb up a set of grand stone steps that lead up to a museum.

"But this is different, it's an ancient device." You said, seeing what Sherlock was getting at.

"Exactly, modern code-breaking methods won't unravel it." Sherlock finished.

"Where are we headed?" John asked, hurriedly climbing the stairs to keep up with you and Sherlock.

"I need to ask for some advice." Sherlock stated and John looked at him, a shocked smile on his face. You gazed at John, thinking as you climbed steps.

"What? Sorry?" He asked as if he didn't hear Sherlock correctly.

"You heard me perfectly, I'm not saying it again." Sherlock looked away, out at the people milling around.

"You need advice?" John asked, grinning.

"On a painting, yes. I need to talk to an expert." He explained, veering off to the left of the museum.

"I don't know what the code means either, John." You said to try and make it seem like it wasn't the most dramatic thing ever that Sherlock didn't know what it meant. There was so much information in the world, every once in a while, you were bound to not know something.

"Yes, but you can easily admit that. He can't." John told you, earning a glare from Sherlock. He led the three of you behind the museum and into an alleyway where a young man was spray painting a door. The painting resembled a police officer, holding a gun over his chest. Instead of a human nose, the man had a pig's nose. Underneath the painting held the artist's signature, RAZ.

"Part of my new exhibition." Raz told the three of you, shaking his spray can before adding more detail to the painting.

"Interesting..." Sherlock said, not sounding interested at all.

"I call it..." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Urban Bloodlust Frenzy." He chuckled, focusing on touching up his painting.

"Catchy." John told him, nodding. Although, you didn't think he was necessarily being sincere.

"I've got two minutes before a Community Support Officer comes around the corner. Can we do this while I'm working?" He asked, turning to look at Sherlock, who was holding his phone out to Raz. Raz tossed one of his paint cans at John, who easily caught it, but looked extremely offended. Raz looked through the pictures of the ciphers you'd found at the crime scene.

"Know the author?" Sherlock asked as he looked through the pictures.

"I recognize the paint. Looks like Michigan, hardcore propellant. I'd say Zinc."

"What about the symbols? Do you recognize them?" You asked, crossing your arms to look over Raz.

"I'm not even sure it's a proper language." He told you, still studying Sherlock's phone. Sherlock looked annoyed before he stepped closer to Raz.

"Two men have been murdered, Raz. Deciphering this is the key to finding out who killed them." Sherlock said, quickly.

"And this is all you've got to go on? It's hardly much now is it?" He asked, shaking his head. You tightened your jaw, stepping towards him. He was wasting your time, and you didn't enjoy people wasting your time.

"Are you going to help us or not?" You asked, stepping beside Sherlock. Raz looked over you awhile, his eyes scanning over you before he nodded slightly.

"I'll ask around." He told you.

"Somebody must know something about it." Sherlock said. Before Raz had the chance to answer, two officers were entering the alleyway in a full sprint.

"Oi!" One of them called, starting to run towards the four of you. Sherlock quickly grabbed his phone from Raz before he started sprinting away. You and Raz followed quickly, leaving John behind, who looked shocked at the three of you as you ran.