We arrived at the museum and sought out a guy named 'Andy', who Sherlock and John had met the day before. I went to introduce myself but Sherlock cut over me, straight to the point. "Two men died after visiting China. The killer left them messages."

"Soo Lin Yao was left the same message. She is in danger, he's out to kill her too." John continued. Andy explained that he'd tried everywhere, he's asked her friends and colleagues, for all he knew, she could be a thousand miles away. However, it was obvious that Sherlock wasn't paying attention to what Andy was saying. Instead, he was staring off into the distance.

"Sherlock? What's the matter? What are you looking at?" I asked, nudging him in the side causing him to turn his head and look at me, before he looked back at Andy.

"Tell me more about those tea pots." He started heading over towards a case which held some clay tea pots.

"Oh, those where her obsession. They need constant care, if the clay dries out, they start to crumble." Andy explained when we had reached the case.

"Yesterday, only one pot was shining, but today there are two." Sherlock stated. He then requested to see the staff logs and we were soon led to the security desk. The log said that she hadn't been back in the museum. After a moment of thinking, Sherlock stated aloud to us all, "Maybe she never left."

*****

Night fell at the museum and Andy had left long ago, but we hadn't. Soon enough, a woman entered the room and padded straight over to the case of tea pots. Picking a dull one out, she headed back over to the table and began to make the tea in it. "Want a biscuit with that tea?" Sherlock asked as he stepped out of the shadows. His sudden appearance startled her, causing her to loose her grip on the tea pot. I jumped forward and caught it, just as it fell off the table.

"Wouldn't want this to break, it's a piece of history after all." I stated, carefully placing the tea pot back on the table as Sherlock turned on the light and John stepped forward. Soo Lin and Sherlock began discussing the killer and the cipher. Apparently the message referred to Zhi Zhu, who was the killer, and meant 'The Spider'.

Soo Lin shows us that she had the mark of a Tong, an ancient Chinese crime syndicate, and that everyone who was part of the smuggling ring wore the sign on the base of their heel. The smuggling group was called 'The Black Lotus' and it traded in drugs, alcohol, cheap cigarettes and the likes. Soo Lin got out of it, but the guy tracked her down and asked for her help, when she refused, she was threatened, like Van Coon and Lukis. Except, she had a much deeper connection with the murderer, he was her brother.

She went on to explain further when Sherlock pulled out the photographs he had collected of the various ciphers over the last few days and asked her if she could decipher them. "These are numbers." She pointed out. "The line through the mans eyes is '1'" She explained.

"And this one is '15'?" Sherlock asked, Soo Lin quickly confirming that he was correct. "So '1' and '15'. What's the code?" He questioned.

"All the smugglers know it. It's based upon a book-" Soo Lin began to tell us when the lights went out. "He's here. He's found me." She stated as John pulled her down and Sherlock ran off.

"Sherlock, wait!" John exclaimed.

"You stay here with Soo Lin, keep her safe, I'll find Sherlock." I told him, running after Sherlock before John could stop me.

*****

"Sherlock!" I called out as I ran into the main foyer of the museum. I looked around for him frantically when a gunshot rang out. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from the side, pulling me into them and behind a pillar. I spun around in their arms to see that it had been Sherlock who had grabbed me. "Sherlock, wha-" I began when he put his finger to his lips, rendering me silent and, with his arms still around me, he peaked around the pillar to look for the gunman, quickly ducking back behind it when the sound of the gun being fired came again.

Another couple gunshots sound before Sherlock darts after the person. I follow behind him and he chases the footsteps ahead of him. We enter a section that held many skulls and fossils along the walls and in the display cases. We crossed the room when the sound of gunshots once again rung out, louder this time. I ducked behind one case, while Sherlock ducked behind another one to the side of me. "Some of these skulls are over two hundred thousand years old. Have a bit of respect!" He demanded. Somehow, it seemed to work as the gunfire ceased. "Thank you." Sherlock called out to the killer.

We simultaneously peaked out from behind the cases to see that the killer was gone. I looked around, there was no bullet holes in any of the displays or walls. Turning to Sherlock, I saw that he had noticed the same thing. Everything went eerily quiet as Sherlock looked at me and, grabbing my hand, ran back towards where we had left Soo Lin, when a shot rang out.

*****

We met John in the main foyer, the look on his face telling us all we needed to know. Soo Lin was dead. John brought out his phone and rang the police as Sherlock went into the room we had left her in. Meanwhile I slid down the wall, bringing my knees to my chest and holding my head in my hands. The adrenaline wore off and I was shaking from the shock of it all, being shot at, running after a serial killer and a girl, who I had been talking to not even ten minutes before, was dead.

John hung up the phone and scanned the room for me. His eyes fell upon my trembling body and he rushed over to me. "Chloe." He said as he grabbed my hands into his. "Look at me." I raised my head to look at him, well aware of the tears that were streaming down my face. He began reassuring me that everything was okay when Sherlock came out of the room. He came over as well and we waited for the police to arrive.

They soon turned up, and Sherlock got one of them to take us to the police station, as he needed to talk to Dimmock. Sherlock and John were angrily talking to Dimmock in his office, where I also sat, albeit silently, curled up in a chair in the corner of the room with a shock blanket wrapped around me. "...Three people have been killed in three days. You're supposed to be finding this manic." John rambled furiously at Dimmock. Sherlock raised a hand to silence him, knowing it wouldn't help. John took the message and came to sit by me, wrapping an arm around me and letting me lean into him.

"Eddie Van Coon and Brian Lukis were part of an international smuggling gang, based in China, called 'The Black Lotus', operating here, in London, right under your nose."Sherlock stated, looking Dimmock dead in the eye.

"Can you prove it?" Dimmock asked, obviously not expecting him to be able to, but the way Sherlock's eyes lit up, he knew exactly how to prove his accusation. Sherlock got up and led us out of the building, explaining we were going to St Bart's.

"I think I'm just going to take Chloe to ours Sherlock, if you don't mind, I don't think she should be alone tonight." John proposed to Sherlock who turned back to us and looked straight at me. He took in my appearance, bloodshot eyes, tear tracks staining my cheeks, still trembling like a leaf even with a shock blanket wrapped around my shoulders. He nodded his approval, taking one last glance at me and sending a small, but comforting, smile my way before turning back to Dimmock and leaving with him. I looked up at John, who smiled sadly down at me before leading me to a cab back to Baker Street.
*****
Hey guys! How are you all? I hope good but if not don't hesitate to message me because I will answer as I have no social life. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Byeeeeeee x