Deducing Tragedy Part Two: Speak No Lies

John sat at the kitchen table a frustrated man. Mary had been taken and he was bubbling with anxiety and rage. He wanted to do something, anything. But every time he tried to help he was brushed off and told to “let the professionals handle it.” Even now Hanna’s team was working to make it into the club and get Mary without being seen or heard. Jordan, Tate, and Eva M. were all crouched around a blue print with their backs to him as they mapped out their path.

Hanna was gone. She climbed out the bathroom window and Sherlock went after her. John wondered what was taking him so long to return with her. Perhaps they were working out whatever rift had formed between them the night before. They weren’t hiding it, or if they were they were doing a really bad job, it was obvious from the moment John walked out of his room this morning. Hanna was still staring out at the snow but this time she was standing in the middle of the room rather than in the window. Sherlock was seated at the head of the kitchen table, in Hanna’s usual spot, deep in his mind palace. As her team began to arrive and set up their system neither paid them any mind. Hanna never glanced behind her and Sherlock never paused to take notice of what was around him. John wondered what could have caused the ice between them but he couldn’t focus too much on it. Mary was at the forefront of his mind, he didn’t have time to worry about those two. They would work it out, whatever it was. Hanna and Sherlock would find their way past the ice.

“You look like hell,” Jeremy said drawing John out of his daze as he handed him a cup of tea.

“My girlfriend has been kidnapped by one of my best friends’ evil twin sister on the orders of her evil birth mother,” he said pinching the bridge of his nose. “On top of that she gave birth to a stillborn and is now having problems with the father of that child.” He paused, leaning forward as he gazed into the tea cup in his hands, “I am concerned for her, for them, but at the same time I am very worried- no, I'm terrified for Mary. Fear breeds hate and my hate is being misdirected at Hanna. I know she didn’t do it now, that she didn’t kidnap Mary, but… my distrust, my hate… hasn’t changed.”

Jeremy sat across from him and took a sip of his tea, “I didn’t know Ann had a baby.”

John turned his head to look at the other man, “that’s what you heard?”

He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his dark hair, “I heard everything,” he shrugged. “And most of it is stuff you have to work out on your own. I’m an outsider; I can’t do anything about that.”

“You can’t do anything about Hanna’s child either,” John pointed out.

“That’s true,” he said tilting his head to the side, “but it does help me gain perspective on a woman I thought I knew. I thought Ann was just straight forward get the job done, no time for funny business kind of woman. Since we got here she’s changed so much it almost gave me whiplash. I’ve been searching my brain for a reason she changed from Hanna into Ann and the loss of a child would do it.”

John nodded slowly, “She’d already been through so much and then that…”

“She’s strong,” Jeremy said taking a sip of his tea, “I'm getting the sense that you surround yourself with strong people, John. Mary will be okay. You have the best team in the world working to get her back. As for Ann and Sherlock-“

“Hanna,” John corrected.

He smirked, nodding as he continued, “Something tells me they have a habit of finding a way back to each other.” He stood up and walked over to the group giving his two cents on their plan. John sat back in his seat and sighed. Jeremy was right; Mary was strong, and they were all the best. Hanna and Sherlock would figure things out. If this were a story he’d say they would all have happy endings. Even though he knew that it was unlikely he choose to believe this; because he needed too.

Sherlock walked into the living room and everyone turned to face him. he paused raising an eyebrow as he surveyed the room. “Mycroft left?”

John nodded slowly, “Yeah, shortly after you…”

“And Miss Hooper is in her room sulking, how dull of her,” he rolled his eyes as he took off his coat and tossed it on the couch.

“Sherlock,” John stood up, “Hanna’s not here.”

Sherlock stopped, mid stride on his way over to the table where they blue prints were laid out, and looked at John through narrow eyes, “What?”

“She’s not here,” Jeremy stood straight and crossed his arms over his chest.

“She should have been,” Sherlock said grabbing his coat again. “Even with her vision going she should have been here by now.”

“Vision going?” John questioned but was ignored, “Sherlock wait! You all stay here and figure this out.” he told them as he grabbed his coat and raced after his best friend. He found Sherlock standing outside the front door. His cold eyes locked on the snow.

“Sherlock,” John frowned looking from him to the snow and back again. “Sherlock what the hell is going on?”

“I caught up with Miss Hooper about a half block from the club,” Sherlock said walking carefully through the snow, looking at something that John couldn’t see. “We spoke and she ran back in this direction-“

“Ran?” John frowned, “why did she run-”

“She crotched down here before two men walked up behind her and grabbed her,” he said looking up at the street now, “They dragged her into a vehicle and drove away.”

“Hanna was kidnapped?” John asked taking a step forward, “Sherlock, are you sure?”

“Of course I am,” he said pulling out his phone to take photos.

“But it’s barely noon,” John said looking around, “Hundreds of people go by every day-”

“You’re going to ask how no one saw her being taken,” Sherlock said standing up. “Because she let them take her. She assisted in her abduction by pretending to be drunk and they were the helpful mates taking her home.”

“Why would-”

“Why indeed,” Sherlock said looking around before nodding up the street, “This way.”

“Sherlock, why wasn’t Hanna with you?” John asked as he followed the other man up the street. “Why didn’t you two come back to the flat together?”

“We had an argument,” Sherlock said simply, his eyes locked forward. “Things were said and she ran from me. Quite a bold move considering her failing vision.”

“What do you mean?” John asked.

“The poison that blinded her is still in her system,” he sighed, clearly bored with this subject. “She is losing her vision again. Miss Hooper couldn’t have seen more than a few feet in front of her at a time. Running like she did was risking serious injury or even death should she have gotten hit by a car going fast enough.”

John stopped grabbing Sherlock’s arm to stop him as well, “What did you say?”

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, “Are you deaf? I said-“

“No,” john shook his head before looking up into Sherlock’s silver eyes, “Not, what did you say to me; what did you say to Hanna that made her run?” Sherlock raised his head. “Come on, tell me. You said so yourself she risked death to get away from you so what did you say?”

Sherlock paused a moment longer before he spoke and when he did John saw a side of his best friend that he never wanted to see again. There was menace in Sherlock’s voice and ice in his eyes. His presence suddenly took a dark turn and John felt a chill race up his spine. “I questioned whether the child buried in my family tomb was actually mine. Whether she was completely faithful to me.” John was shocked. He stood there frozen, looking at Sherlock like he was nightmare come to life.

“W-why would you do that?” his voice trembled as the happy endings he needed to believe in came burning down.

“Because it’s preposterous,” he hissed taking a step back. “It’s just not possible-”

“Why would she lie?” John demanded.

“I don’t know,” he said cocking his head to the side. “Nor is it my problem right now. There is a bigger puzzle at hand, one that involves the life of your girlfriend. Do try and stay focused, John. Someone might think you don’t care.” He turned to cross the street and John stayed planted on the pavement.

“You’re wrong, Sherlock,” he called after him. “Mary would never accuse me of not caring. She knows that she’s my world and I would fight to the death for her. And Hanna isn’t lying to you. If things had worked out differently and the baby had lived you would have been the father. You would have been a great father. Hanna would have been a great mother and together you would have been a great little family.” John didn’t know if Sherlock heard any of that because the Consulting Detective just kept walking. He would never know how his words affected his best friend. And he would never see the tears Sherlock was fighting back as he forced himself to keep moving.