New Scotland Yard
Chief Inspector Grayson's Office

"What do you mean, gone? How can a crate of guns and ammunition just disappear?" screamed Grayson at the Curator of the Armory.

"We're not sure. And because we have been closed for renovations for the past few days we are not at all certain as to when in those days the thefts occurred."

Chief Inspector Grayson was fuming. The curator had never seen anyone that angry before. "Well, it was bloody well long enough for all DNA traces to disappear. ZED!!!"

The embarrassed curator nodded in agreement. There was a lapse in security and he would almost surely be blamed for it, maybe even fired, especially once the Board of Directors caught wind of the theft.

"Where do we start then, Chief Inspector?"

"You? Nowhere. You leave the investigation to the professionals."

And with that the curator stood up to leave.

"And Paul. Get me a complete manifest of every firearm that was to have been destroyed."

"I will, Charles. And you make sure to tell your inspectors and constables to be careful. There are now deadly firearms on the streets of New London and an ionizer will not protect them."

Grayson nodded in agreement. As the curator left the office, Grayson was staring down at the travel information that Inspector Lestrade had given him before she left on her much needed vacation. She had even taken that dead detective and that compudroid with her. Grayson knew Lestrade would be the perfect inspector to investigate these thefts but he decided to see if another inspector could do as good a job as Lestrade. She need to relax. As far as Chief Inspector Grayson was concerned, Lestrade needed the time and only in an extreme emergency would he call her in.

At 4 o'clock in the morning it became an extreme emergency when one of the stolen firearms, a Colt .45 was used in a corner store robbery where the store clerk was shot. Grayson went to his video screen.

 

Lestrade's Cottage

Buzz.

Lestrade heard the noise but tried to ignore it.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The noise was becoming more insistent, and that was when Lestrade clued in that the noise was coming from her portable video screen and not part of her dream.

"Oh, well. There goes my vacation," said Lestrade as she turned on the picture and sound.

On the screen came the image of Chief Inspector Grayson, looking more grim than ever. "Inspector Lestrade -- Beth. I do apologize for interrupting your vacation but we have a situation developing and we need your brand of investigation techniques. Yours and the dead detective's."

"What's happening, Chief?" asked a confused and still half-asleep Lestrade.

"I would rather go over it in every detail with you and Holmes here at the Yard ASA-mmediately. How quickly can you and the dead detective make it back to New London?"

"We'll be back by nine or nine-thirty. Do you want us to come directly to the Yard?"

Grayson thought for a moment.

"Yes. Directly here."

"Will do, Chief."

Lestrade turned off the screen. Grayson was nervous. There was something about the situation that bothered her. Grayson never explained what the case was or why he needed her and Holmes when there were other inspectors just as qualified and as skilled as she was.

"Well, there is nothing I can do about it from here. Better get moving."

She quickly dressed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a blouse. After packing what she would need back in New London she made her way to the bedroom where Holmes was sleeping. Her mind went back to the last night and the conversation that they had. There as no judgment from Holmes, just acceptance, and once she had finished her story, they sat there and naturally cuddled. She and Holmes just sat there quietly and cuddled. She smiled at the memory. Now the real world beckoned them back and she really didn't want to go back. She gently knocked on the door.

"Sherlock, are you awake?" she asked.

There was a rustling of blankets behind the door. "Yes, Beth, I am now. Come in."

She opened the door. "I am sorry for waking you, Sherlock. Grayson called. There is a situation developing and he wants all of us back at the Yard as soon as we can get there."

He sat up in the bed. Holmes motioned for Beth to come into the room. He indicated to her to sit down on the bed's edge. She sat down and put her hand in her lap. Holmes reached and took her hand in his as he sat up.

"Beth. Coming here has forced us to face a few important things," remarked Holmes.

"I know."

Holmes reached over and gently tipped her chin up so he could look directly into her eyes. "And Inspector Lestrade, when we have solved whatever case the Chief Inspector has for us, we are going to investigate these developments further." he stated matter-of-factly.

"I would like that."

Holmes smiled. "Good. Now you get Watson while I get dressed and we'll get on our way back to the city."

Before Lestrade could leave, Holmes, showing uncharacteristic emotion, pulled her close. He gave her a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Things are different now. Very different."

"For the better, I hope," stated Beth.

He hugged her and whispered into her ear, making her shiver from his breath on her neck. "Yes. Definitely for the better." he answered.

Watson had finished loading up Lestrade's and Holmes' hovercars. He noticed there was something different between them. They were quiet. Watson could not put a computer chip on what had changed in the overnight. He did notice that it was 'Beth' instead of 'Lestrade' and 'Sherlock' instead of 'Holmes'. It made his power source soar at the prospect that Holmes had finally found something, make that someone, special.

Lestrade locked the front door to the cottage. They were ready to head back to the city. "All right. Grayson is expecting us at the Yard as soon as we get back to New London, but I think we should take a quick detour back to Baker Street."

Holmes was a little surprised. "Why the detour?" he asked.

"Sherlock. You need to look like Sherlock Holmes. I mean, you in your inverness and deerstalker. Don't get me wrong. I love the jeans, but...." she joked.

Holmes looked down at his jeans that he had pulled on and he laughed. "Good idea, and quick thinking. A quick detour to Baker Street it is, then."

Beth nodded in agreement. Before he climbed in beside Watson, Sherlock went over to her. "You are worried about something?"

"How did...or never mind. Yes. Grayson is holding something back."

"You'll find out soon enough. Now get going. We'll meet you at the Yard."

She smiled. Holmes reached out and touched her hair. He leaned over and gave Beth a quick kiss on her cheek. "Don't forget what we talked about this morning."

Beth gently touched Sherlock's face. "I won't... I couldn't."

She climbed in her hovercar and left. Sherlock and Watson soon followed suit and headed back to Baker Street so Holmes could look like the detective and they would meet up at New Scotland Yard.

 

Scotland Yard
Chief Inspector Grayson's Office

Grayson looked up at the noise of someone entering his office. It was Inspector Lestrade. There was something different in the way she carried herself, with more confidence. It was like a woman in love. Grayson hid the smile that threatened to cross his face. A smile was not in his nature and with the developing situation, it was not appropriate.

"Inspector Lestrade, you made good time."

"Well, sir, you made it sound like time was of the essence," responded Lestrade as she took the chair opposite the Chief Inspector's desk.

Grayson handed Lestrade a file.

"Oh my... Zed... How many are missing?"

"The curator is not entirely sure."

Lestrade was getting visibly upset. "How come these were not destroyed?"

Grayson was shaken to the core by the question. Lestrade was right on point. "Believe me, Lestrade. We are pushing for an explanation. These weapons are extremely dangerous."

Lestrade looked over the inventory in the file. "Zed. Are they kidding? A Sig Sauer 9mm with a full clip and extra ammunition? Chief, we are in no way prepared to defend ourselves against this type of weaponry. When these weapons were on the street originally, the police had to wear bulletproof vests as part of their uniform. We don't make them anymore."

At that piece of information and inflection by Lestrade, Grayson looked over at his best inspector and saw something in her eyes that he had never witnessed before. Pure fear looked back at him. Just before Grayson could respond, Sherlock Holmes and Watson entered the office.

Grayson saw how quickly the fear left Lestrade's eyes. It was not that she was not afraid anymore. Grayson knew it was so a perceptive Holmes would not see it.

"Holmes. Good of you to join us."

"Chief Inspector, the Yard seems to be on edge."

Lestrade handed Holmes the case file. Holmes was taken aback. He glanced up at Lestrade. There was worry there in her eyes, and fear. The fear was there, although it would seem that Lestrade was trying to hide that from him.

"Now, Lestrade, the curator is expecting you and Holmes over at the museum," stated Grayson.

Grayson noticed a change in the dynamic of the Lestrade and Holmes relationship. The way he looked at her, with concern and love. He wondered if he should have them working together on such a dangerous case. Would their new relationship impede their ability to solve it?

Grayson quickly put aside his concerns and doubts, because it was Lestrade and Holmes. They were professionals and besides that, Holmes would not stop in finding out everything. He was persistent that way. Grayson dismissed them.

"Inspector Lestrade. Be careful. You will not have anything to protect yourself with," said Grayson as they left his office.

Holmes followed Lestrade out of the office. "Lestrade. How many of these weapons are on the street?"

Before she could answer, she noticed that she was back to being Lestrade. It must be for work, she thought.

"Holmes, the curator of the museum is not entirely sure. We have a partial inventory list. Not all of the weapons have ammunition or their firing pins."

"But?"

"But the most powerful of them has a full clip and extra ammunition. A Sig Sauer 9mm, Holmes, and the ammo used to be known as copkillers. They are hollowpoint bullets designed to do as much damage as they can. Even the bulletproof vests that police officers in the past used to wear couldn't stop these bullets," Lestrade informed Holmes.

Holmes was visibly shaken by the name of the ammunition. As Lestrade moved to go by him to look over some of the recovered evidence Holmes leaned over and said in a voice only she could hear, "Be very careful, Beth," and he gently squeezed her hand.

 

In the taskforce room, Lestrade and Holmes were going over the video of the crime scene. The first question that came up was how did the thief or thieves know the guns and ammunition were there? There was something on the last video that caught Lestrade's eye.

Holmes heard her gasp. Just as he turned to question her about what she saw, Lestrade was grabbing an ionizer and hanging her badge around her neck. There was something wrong in the way Lestrade was reacting to the video but before Holmes could question her, "Holmes. Are you coming? I am heading over to the museum."

Holmes nodded and he and Watson accompanied her to her cruiser. During the ride over, he noticed a change in Lestrade's demeanor. She looked nervous about something but she would not discuss it, and Holmes wasn't about to push the issue. Lestrade was in inspector mode and Holmes put her change in mood down to the case they were on. A few minutes later, Lestrade landed her cruiser in front of the museum.

"I am going in to have a look around," stated Lestrade.

"Right. Watson and I are going to look around out here."

Holmes watched as Lestrade entered the museum. Holmes sensed there was something more than the case bothering her. But he put it aside to gather evidence outside, so they could solve this caper for Chief Inspector Grayson quickly and get back to happier and more enjoyable things.

In the museum, Lestrade went directly to the crime scene. Recalling the crime scene video, Lestrade found what she was looking for. She had really hoped against hope that she would not find it but she did, and she recognized it right away. It was a signet ring with a coat of arms and a large stone set in it. She swallowed hard as she contacted Grayson with her newfound evidence.

"Chief Inspector Grayson."

"Inspector Lestrade, what have you found?" he asked, noticing how shaken his inspector was.

"A signet ring with a family coat of arms."

"Good work, Lestrade. Now all we have to do is match the coat of arms with the coats of arms in the database."

"No need, Chief, I know whose coat of arms this is."

"Whose?" asked the surprised Chief Inspector.

"It's the Webber family coat of arms."

"How?"

"It was my engagement ring," stated a deflated Lestrade.

While they were discussing the evidence, neither Lestrade or Grayson saw the shadow come up from behind Lestrade.

"I'm coming in, sir. I'll bring the evidence in but due to conflict of interest I will have to be taken off of the investigation."

Grayson was about to respond when he say something move up from behind Lestrade. "Lestrade, look out!!" he yelled.

But it was too late. The video screen went black in Grayson's office. Something had happened to Inspector Lestrade.

 

Outside the museum, Watson and Holmes were finishing analyzing a hovercraft trail and getting ready to enter the museum to assist Lestrade when they heard a woman scream.

"Lestrade!!" panicked Holmes.

They made their way into the museum. All they found was her inspector's badge. Lestrade was gone. There was signs of a struggle which meant she was taken against her will and she fought back. The badge had been pulled from her neck as the frayed cord showed. Holmes picked up the badge and gripped it tightly in his hand. There was also some blood on the floor and a flash light with a dent, indicating she was probably hit over the head, hard.

"Beth," he whispered under his breath.

Holmes could smell a setup. He found the signet ring. Knowing it was important, he picked it up carefully and placed it in an evidence tube.

"Holmes, my internal communicator has just received a message from Chief Inspector Grayson. He wants up back at the Yard immediately," stated Watson.

Watson looked at his friend. Holmes looked lost as he acknowledged the message. Before they left, Watson scanned for the DNA of the person who had abducted the Inspector. Holmes, looking somber, did not speak a work through the ride back to New Scotland Yard.