You're in Sherlock (Sherlock × Reader)

The Blind Banker: Chapter 11

You and Sherlock quickly made your way to the town VanCoon had stopped to eat. You knew that somewhere in the area had to be where VanCoon dropped off whatever he'd been carrying in his suitcase. The question was, where? You and Sherlock walked the busy streets, looking around for anything that stood out. So far, there was nothing that seemed to be a connection to VanCoon. Still, you went on thinking deeply, turning in circles as you walked to make sure you weren't missing anything. Sherlock muttered his thoughts aloud as you made your way down the street.

"So you bought your lunch from here en route to the station, but where were you headed from? Where did the taxi drop you-" Sherlock grunted as he ran smack dab into someone. This broke you from your thoughts and you stopped to see that Sherlock had run into John, who wasn't paying attention because he'd been reading some sort of journal. You knew it was Lukis' since that's where you'd sent John. Sherlock looked delighted to see John and began hurriedly explaining what the two of you had found out.

"Eddie Van Coon brought a package here the day he died. Whatever was hidden inside that case... We've managed to piece together a picture using scraps of information. Credit card bills, receipts. He flew back from China, then came here." John nodded seeming to already understand what Sherlock was explaining. You studied him curiously, especially eyeing the journal in his hands.

"Sherlock." John stated, trying to get Sherlock's attention. You walked around to John, glancing over his shoulder at the journal he was carrying. You raised your eyebrows seeing Lukis' name scrawled across the top of the page, just as you had thought. Interested, you began scanning the page John had it open to as Sherlock continued.

"Somewhere in this street, somewhere near. I don't know where, but..." You looked up quickly, having just finished reading Lukis' most recent entry in his journal. You glanced around before you found the shop he had written about in his diary.

"Sherlock, it's that shop there." You pointed and Sherlock stopped to look at you.

"How could you tell?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at you. You rolled your eyes before you motioned towards the journal in John's hands.

"It's in Lukis' dairy that John's holding. Lukis wrote down the address." You stated simply. John nodded at you, relieved Sherlock had shut up long enough for you to tell him. You hurried off into the street, towards the shop, John close behind.

"Oh." Sherlock stated before he followed you and John towards the shop.

The three of you bustled your way through the crowded street as you walked towards the shop. Across the top of the building there were big, golden letters that read, 'The Lucky Cat'.

You glanced at the Chinese lanterns that hung, blowing slightly from the wind above the shop's entrance. You pushed the door open, a bell jingling overhead.

John entered behind you, then Sherlock. You stepped inside, glancing around the small shop. It was overflowing with merchandise, more than what seemed could fit in the small shop. John and Sherlock walked around you, both making their way to the right side of the shop. You sighed, gliding over towards a small display of little cats. They were painted a sparkling golden colour and had little arms that all waved rhythmically. These must be the 'lucky cats', you thought moving over towards some other stone statues and paintings.

"You want lucky cat?" You heard a soft voice ask. You turned your head back slightly to see a small, Chinese woman holding a lucky cat out towards John.

"No. Thanks, no." He smiled politely, shaking his head slightly as he turned in front of a shelf of small tea cups.

"£10! £10!" She offered, desperately trying to sell one to John, who she apparently determined an eager buyer. You turned back to the displays, studying them. Why had Lukis and VanCoon come to this shop? What were they doing here? It didn't seem to be of any importance.

"Ooh!" John chuckled, shaking his head. You studied the woman and realized that she didn't seem to get much business these days. That must be it. You decided as you brushed some dust off of your fingers from the displays.

"I think your wife, she will like!" The woman nodded, still holding the cat out to John. You turned back around, looking over some paintings.

"Um, no thanks." John muttered quietly. You sighed, not really getting much from this shop, other than the fact it would probably go out of business in the next year or so. Probably sooner going by the heavy coat of dust on a majority of the displays.

"Sherlock? Y/n?" You heard John utter after he took a sharp intake of breath. You turned seeing he had a decorated teacup in his hand. You walked over to him, seeing that a label on the bottom of the cup held a symbol identical to the cipher.

"The label there." John nodded towards it a bit shocked.

"Yeah, we see it." Sherlock nodded locking eyes with you. You wondered how you didn't notice this sooner. You should've noticed it sooner.

"Exactly the same as the cipher." John pointed out, then cleared his throat.

Sherlock was quick to exit the store, glancing around at all the other shops. You hurried next to him, groaning as you started to see the symbol like the cipher everywhere.

"How did I miss this?!" You exclaimed in frustration, throwing your hands into the air.

"I missed it too." Sherlock whispered softly to you. You might've been crazy but it almost seemed like he was trying to comfort you.

"Anyway, It's an ancient number system: Hangzhou." Sherlock started, heading towards a small food display that had the Chinese numbers all over it. "These days, only street traders use it. Those were numbers written on the wall at the bank and at the library. Numbers written in an ancient Chinese dialect." Sherlock finished, stopping at the food stand to rummage through the price tags.

"It's a fifteen! What we thought was the artist's tag – it's a number fifteen." John exclaimed looking at a tag between Sherlock's gloved hands.

"And the blindfold – the horizontal line? That was a number as well?" You asked, crossing your arms as Sherlock looked through more price tags.

"The Chinese number one." Sherlock showed you a tag and you nodded, starting to get a bit pumped up.

"We've found it!" John exclaimed, excitedly.

"I just can't believe we missed it, it's everywhere, Sherlock!" You turned to Sherlock, eyebrows raised.

"Anyone would have, hungry?" Sherlock asked as he placed his hand on the small of your back to lead you across the street, John followed close behind.

"But we're not anyone." You told him, the excitement you had started to feel quickly faded and you felt numb again.

"No. We're not everyone else." Sherlock corrected you softly, stopping to scan your eyes, inching closer to your face. The corner of his mouth drew up in a small grin and you couldn't help but return the favor as his arm wrapped through yours and you began to walk down the street. Your stomach twisted in knots... but you didn't mind it. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. You couldn't help but wonder if this is why people did drugs, to get this rush of... Well whatever it was you felt. You crammed the feeling away, memorizing it's every detail, before you told it to go away, and it did.