General Disclaimer

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Holmes walked across the sidewalk to the polluted lake. It was almost pitch black, without a star in the sky, except for the occasional streetlight. He thought deeply about what to do next. There had to be some way to get out of this.

Holmes walked on, not noticing the sudden chill of the weather. When he finally reached the lake, the detective glanced around him. There he was, Moriarty within a few yards of him. Holmes walked up to his sworn enemy.

"Ah, glad you could make it, Holmes." The smugness in Moriarty's voice made Holmes want to go after him then and there. But he restrained himself. All it took was a push of that button, and Lestrade would be gone.

"What do you want tonight, Moriarty?" Holmes was demanding, and for the first time in his two lives, showed his anger.

"The 'Bits and Parts' hardware store. Get these items." Moriarty handed Holmes a piece of paper. "And remember Holmes, don't mess up. Or else." He fingered the button on the controller in his hand. "All it takes is a few seconds, and Lestrade is dead."

Holmes scowled and reviewed the piece of paper. His mind was racing. He had to somehow tell Lestrade. But how? Write a note? Moriarty would see him writing it. Use Morse code? Moriarty would hear it. If he took the camera off, Moriarty would press the button, and the poison Moriarty had placed in Lestrade's body would take it's effect immediately. All there was left to do now was rob the hardware store. But somehow, Holmes would get out of this and save Lestrade. Somehow...

Holmes turned away from the grinning Moriarty and made his way to the hardware store. 'This is all for you, Lestrade. It's all for you,' Thought Holmes as he expertly snuck into the store. Of course, this time he made more obvious clues toward himself. But what would happen if Holmes' was in jail? Would Moriarty kill Lestrade anyway? Holmes gulped. He took the scraps of metal Moriarty put on the list, and made his way out the door, back to where Moriarty was standing.

"If I get caught and put in jail, what happens to Lestrade?" Holmes asked Moriarty as he came up with scrap metal in his hand.

Moriarty grinned. "Why, I don't know. Perhaps she shall die. Just don't get caught." Moriarty grabbed the scrap metal from Holmes' hand and threw it on the ground. His pretended smile faded as he pulled out an ioniser and fired a shot in Holmes' arm. "You think I'm stupid? I saw you purposefully leaving evidence behind!"

Holmes returned the shot with a perfectly aimed punch into Moriarty's face. When Holmes was about to give Moriarty another blow, Moriarty reached for the button and put his finger dangerously close to it. "Not one more move, my dear Holmes. Go home and come back tomorrow at 11. Another stunt like that will cost you Lestrade's life."

Holmes' stumbled into his flat with a sore, bleeding arm. Watson came into the room with a concerned look on his face. "My dear Holmes! What in the devil happened here??" Watson rushed to Holmes and bandaged his arm. "What happened, Holmes? Where were you just now?"

But "Thank you, Watson," was all Holmes would say to him, try as he might. When Holmes went to his bedroom, Watson sat alone thinking to himself.

"Something fishy is definitely going on here, and I'm going to find out what." Determined, Watson sat up all night pondering over all possibilities, but none that Watson thought of were likely.