The Case of Elaina

The Blind Banker [8]

Elaina and Soo Lin sat on stools on opposite sides of the table.

Sherlock stood at the end of the table.

"You saw the cipher." Soo Lin said "Then you know he is coming for me,"

"You've been clever to avoid him so far," Sherlock pointed out.

"I had to finish...to finish this work. It's only a matter of time. I know he will find me,"

"Who is he? Have you met him before?"

Soo Lin nodded "When I was a girl, living back in China. I recognize his...signature,"

"The cipher,"

"Only he would do this. Zhi Zhu,"

"The Spider," Elaina translated.

Soo Lin put her right foot up on her opposite knee, unlacing her shoe and took it off.

On the underside of her heel was a black tattoo of a lotus flower inside a circle.

"You know this mark?" Soo Lin asked.

"Yes." Sherlock admitted "It's the mark of a Tong. Ancient crime syndicate based in China,"

"Every foot soldier bears the mark everyone who hauls for them,"

"You were a smuggler?" Elaina questioned.

Soo Linn lowered her gaze and put her shoe back on "I was fifteen. My parents were dead. I had no livelihood; no way of surviving day to day except for the bosses,"

"I know the feeling,"

"Who are they?" Sherlock interrupted the moment between the two females.

"They are called the Black Lotus. By the time I was sixteen, I was taking thousands of pounds' worth of drugs across the border into Hong Kong. But I managed to leave that life behind me. I came to England." Soo Lin smiled a little "They gave me a job here. Everything was good; a new life,"

"Then he came looking for you,"

"Yes," Soo Lin swallowed before continuing tearfully "I had hoped after five years maybe they would have forgotten me, but they never really let you leave. A small community like ours-they are never very far away." she wiped tears from her face "He came to my flat. He asked me to help him to track down something that was stolen,"

"And you've no idea what it was?" Elaina wondered.

"I refused to help,"

"You knew him when you were living back in China,"

Soo Lin nodded "Oh yes. He's my brother. Two orphans. We had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus, or starve in the streets like beggars." she quickly turned to Elaina "No offense,"

Elaina shook her head "No harm done,"

"My brother has become their puppet, in the power of the one they call Shan-the Black Lotus general." Soo Lin continued "I turned my brother away. He said I had betrayed him. Next day I came to work and the cipher was waiting,"

Sherlock laid the photographs on the table "Can you decipher these?"

Soo Lin leaned forwards and pointe3d to the mark beside Sir William's portrait "These are numbers,"

Elaina rolled her eyes "Yes, we know,"

Soo Lin pointed to another photograph "Here: the line across the man's eyes-it's the Chinese number one,"

Sherlock pointed to the first photo "And this one is fifteen. But what's the code?"

"All the smugglers know it. It's based upon a book..." Just then almost all the lights went out. Soo Lin looked up in dread.

Sherlock straightened up and looked around sharply.

"He's here." Soo Lin said softly, her face full of terror "Zhi Zhu. He has found me,"

"Stay here," Sherlock ordered Elaina.

"Sherlock?!" Elaina called after the detective as he charged out of the room. She turned and grabbed Soo Lin's hand "Come on," Elaina pulled Soo Lin across the room and into a cupboard and began to close the door on the duo "Get in. Get in!" She looked up at the sound of gunfire.

Soo Lin closed her eyes in despair, she took a shaky breath and slowly began to crawl out of her and Elaina's hiding place.

"What are you doing?!" Elaina hissed "Soo Lin!"

Soo Lin crawled to the edge of the table and peered over the top of it before slowly standing up. Behind her, a Chinese man a little older than her silently walked up and stopped just behind her, staring at her intently. As if sensing him, she turned slowly around and then gazed at him with affection when she recognized him. Soo Lin softly greeted him by name. "Liang," she hesitated "Big brother." Soo Lin reached out and cupped his face with her hand "Please..."

Elaina covered her mouth when the gunshot rang out, she didn't dare move until she heard a pair of familiar running footsteps come into the room.

"Elaina?!" Sherlock called out.

Elaina came from her hiding spot-causing Sherlock to turn to face her "I'm okay..." her eyes glanced down as she saw Soo Lin lying dead on the table, her outstretched arm revealing a black origami lotus flower in her hand. "I'm okay," Elaina whispered.