Fandom Traveler (Sherlock Holmes)

The Blind Banker (Part 2)

After a taxi ride, they are outside a block of flats and Sherlock presses the door buzzer marked ‘Van Coon’. Releasing it, he looks into the security camera above the buzzers, waits a couple of seconds, then presses the buzzer again. There’s no response. 

"So what do we do now? Sit here and wait for him to come back?" John asked.

"He's dead." Vaness said.

"Wait what?" John asked.

"Well, I couldn't have done anything to prevent it, so I didn't. And telling you now won't change anything." Vaness explained.

"We need to go inside." Sherlock said.

Sherlock has looked at the number of buzzers on the wall and steps back to look up the front of the building, presumably calculating the layout of the flats inside. He comes back to the wall and looks at John triumphantly.

"Just moved in." Sherlock said, pointing to the buzzer which has a handwritten label Wintle written on paper.

"What?" John asked.

"The floor above. New label." Sherlock explained.

"Could have just replaced it." John said rationally.

Sherlock presses that buzzer, then looks at John again.

"Ask her if I'm right." Sherlock said nodding to Vaness.

"He's right." She simply said.

Sherlock grinned as a woman’s voice comes over the intercom.

"Hello?" Ms. Wintle said.

Sherlock turns to the camera and smiles, Vaness didn't like that smile, it was fake.

"Hi! Um, I live in the flat just below you. I-I don’t think we’ve met." Sherlock said.

He grins prettily into the camera.

"No, well, uh, I’ve just moved in." Ms. Wintle said.

Sherlock turns to throw a brief ‘told you so’ glance at John, and Vaness looked at John expectantly, Sherlock then turns back to the camera. John sighs and gave Vaness the 'I believe you now' look.

"Actually, I’ve just locked my keys in my flat." He grimaces and bites his lip plaintively. It was cute Vaness admitted to herself.

"D’you want me to buzz you in?" Asked Ms. Wintle.

"Yeah. And can I use your balcony?" Sherlock said abruptly and Vaness chuckled silently.

"What?" Ms. Wintle asked, thinking she heard wrong.

Not long afterwards, Sherlock has flirted his way into the lucky Ms Wintle’s flat and is standing on her balcony.

John and Vaness was left outside as Sherlock was the only one buzzed in by Ms. Wintle. They stood quietly for a minute when John spoke, "So you really are..." he trailed off.

"Yes." Vaness said smiling. "I know it's hard to think about, much less live through," she muttered the last part to herself, "but I really am."

"I have a lot of question, but for now, why hasn't Sherlock buzzed us in yet?" John asked pointing to the door that remain closed.

Vaness chuckled then said, "Told you Van Coon's dead, he's investigating there."

"Oh," John said, "how did Van Coon died?" He finally asked.

"Murdered but it will look like suicide. You know what, when Sherlock asks you if he should go on explaining here's what you'll say..." Vaness said grinning.