I Can't Stand You, Sherlock

Chapter 26: Paper Trail

Three more days until my time was up and I was wasting my time at a firing range. I could be doing better things besides this. I hated guns and when it came down to it, I would never use one. Both Sherlock and John knew that, but yet here we were because John thought it would be a good idea.

"You know why I don' like guns?" I asked John as I fired the gun. The target on the other side of the room showed that I hit it on the very left side of it. I frowned as I got frustrated. That was the closest I had gotten to the center all hour. I hadn't fired a gun in more than two years and you tell.

"Why?" John asked as he pushed my shoulder back to fix my posture for the 20th time. "Try it now."

I sighed and fired again this time getting only about 3 inches away from the center. Not too bad. I was improving. Maybe I just needed practice. "It's because I had a friend killed by one and I believe it gives you an unfair advantage."

"But if everyone else has one then why not you?"

I frowned, he did have a point but I wasn't about to admit it. I fired again getting it right in the middle of the target. I smiled, that made me feel accomplished no matter how much I hated it. I fired again and got the middle again. I heard the gun click, we were out of shots. With that, I put my gun down on the table then looked at John. "If I can read the time correctly, I see that our time is up and we are out of bullets. I am ready to go."

"I think Sherlock is at the hospital working with Molly over something. He said to bring you over when we're done. I have to go to work so I'll just drop you off." With that we left the rang and got a cab to the hospital.

I looked at John in the car and frowned. I knew what he was thinking. I wasn't ready for what was coming next. He may be right but I didn't have a choice. My time was up and I had to move before a body dropped. "Stop looking at me like that." I said to him as I looked away.

"Rori, what is coming next is going to be dangerous. I think you need more time."

I shook my head as I looked out the window. "We have no more time."

John sighed but remained silent. A minute later we were at the hospital. As I opened the door to get out John said, "Just be careful with what you do next."

I nodded at him and closed the door behind me. I walked into the hospital, careful to avoid all camera's, praying that Lestrade wouldn't find me again. I walked up to the second floor and into Mollies office to see her and Sherlock talking about something.

Sherlock stopped in mid conversation with a frown as he looked at me. "John doesn't think you're ready but I know your running out of time. We need a plan and that's why I wanted you here with me and Molly." Sherlock said to me.

I nodded at him. I knew he thought that. "So what's the plan." I asked as I walked over to the table they were at. I rested my head in my hands as I looked at him. I was to the point where I was ok with doing anything, as long as it was something. It was getting too close to the time limit and it was making me uncomfortable.

"We were thinking about leaving a paper trail. It will be if you were running way. She already knows you're here in London so why not make it think you're leaving again?" Molly chirped. Her shoulders were straight back and her enthusiasm in her voice showed that she came up with the idea on her own.

"That's good but what happens when she finds out I'm not there?" I asked.

"We can lure her to a designated spot and capture her." Sherlock said.

"No, not capture." I shook my head at him. "This ends with me. I'm the last one she will ever try to take. This ends now." I said as I sat upright, getting more into the conversation. I was on edge but excited at the same time. I was ready for this to end.

"Do you really...." Molly started to say in a disapproving tone until Sherlock cut her off. Oh bless her heart, always saintly, just like John. Actually, more than John.

"If that is what you want to do then so be it." Sherlock said, not willing to fight me.

"How can we lure her in?" Molly asked.

"Give her hell." I said bluntly. "We'll give her trouble with her business here in London and put out some red flags. It wouldn't be hard. I can ask round and I'm sure I'll be able to find some of her clients and then do damage."

Sherlock nodded at me. "Right, We also need a spot to lure her to. It will have to be outside of the eyes of the police, far from London."

I knew he was going to ask about this. I already had a perfect spot. My Nan gave me this large house in the highlands. There was nothing around it for kilometers. "At my Nan's old house. Well it's not really hers, it was her late husband's. She gave it to me when I was only 15. It's about five hours away from here on the seaside by Ireland. It has over 100 acres of land so no one would be able to see or hear anything going on there."

"The house might get destroyed. Are you sure you want to do that?" Sherlock asked me.

I shrugged. I already knew that was a possibility and I was ok with it. What was I going to do with a old castle anyhow? "I'm not going to use it." I then looked around the room and added, "this is my home now." I wasn't really referring to this hospital room but London was where I belonged and I wasn't going to leave anytime soon.

"So be it. We need a paper trail then." Sherlock said as he pulled out his computer.

"Wait, is that John's?" I asked as I looked at it, referring to the computer.

He just merely shrugged and turned it on. If only John knew. If only John knew a lot of things Sherlock did behind his back. I nodded at him. This is where the real planning began.

The next day I woke up early, anxious to get started with the plans we made last night. The plan would not be complicated, it would be a slow trail that would show me leaving London but not before I caused some trouble in London first. To start the plan, today was the day that I would give her trouble.

I changed into a white lace top with blue jeans and pulled my hair into a loose bun as I walked out my room. I did not see Sherlock anywhere and figured he was sleeping still, we did go to bed late last night after all.

I took the Tube that morning with the rush hour crowd. It was busy and bustling but I liked it. It had been a while since I road with this kind of people. I watched all the people talked to one another or just pretend that they weren't there.

I got off at Piccadilly circus and started to walked quickly to my first stop. I did some looking last night and I found out that one of her clients lived here. I didn't have enough information to bring them down the legal way but I was sure I would be able to find something else do to them.

I walked into the small building off a side street and walked over to a man behind a desk on a computer. "Can I speak to Lilly Topp please?"

"Do you have a meeting?" The man asked me with irritation.

"Well you see, this was last minute." I said as I pulled out a 50 from my wallet and gave it to him. "I was just going to pop in and out for a unofficial stuff, you know the deal." I said with a wink.

He took the money and nodded at me, understanding what I was hinting at. "Oh yeah, go in." He said as he gestured to the door in the corner of the room.

I flashed a smile a him and walked off to the door. "Too easy" I said under my breath as I walked into her office. As many people wanted to argue, the world did revolve around money.

"What can I do you for?" Lilly asked as she sat behind her office. She was thin with thick eye brows and long brown hair that was pulled into a pony tail.

"It's not what you can do for me, it's what I can do for you." I said and smiled at her.

"Oh what is this then." She said and smiled. She was clearly liking this conversation. Just wait a minute, you won't like it anymore.

"I know you work for Alice Parish and I have a deal for you. Stop working for her or I will make your life a living hell." I said firmly to her to show Lilly that I meant what I said.

"You can't touch me. I'm best friends with the law." She smiled at me sweetly.

She did have a point, I saw her file myself. She was spotless. But lucky for me I had some contacts in low places still. "Yeah but I'm sure Scotland Yard would love to see these charming photos of you talking to some local drug dealers. And I thought you guys where openly fighting against opioids, why would you be talking to these guys?" I asked as I held up photos so she could see them clearly.

She looked at the photos with a frown. "That's not saying much." She said calmly even though her eyes where darting from me to the door. I hit a nerve. Just one more thing and I would have her under my finger.

"I have at least 3 more of these so you can keep these. I have a nice friend down the street that helped me out from time to time. You see, he doesn't like that you have been stepping on his turf for the past year. He has been watching you and thanks to him, I have enough information to being this all down." I said and tossed a couple more incriminating photos on her desk just to tease her.

"What do you want?" She spat.

"I want you to stop doing what you're doing for Alice. That meeting that you will have to do on her behalf today, skip it. Skip town for all I care."

"I can't. She'll kill my son if I do." With panic in her voice.

This disgusted me. Alice was forcing countless poor people to work for her through black mail and other threats. I needed to stop this. "You see, I'm going to fix that. I'm going to make it all better so you won't have to fear your sons life." I said honestly to her.

She stared at me, as if making sure I was telling the truth. Finally she sighed and said, "ok I'll stop. You win."

"I promise you, in a week, this will all go away and you will be finally free." I said just before I turned and left the room.

After I got out of the building, I called Sherlock on my burner phone that I had picked up the night before. "It's done. Who's the next one?" I asked into the phone.

"On the other side of town in Stratford she has thugs that do her bidding. However I got enough information that I don't need you to go over there. I already called Lestrade and he will bring them down the legal way."

I nodded, happy that there was one last place I needed to visit. "Ok." I said and hung up. I had one more job and then I would done for the day. Walking with my head held high I headed to the Tube, knowing where to go next.

After a delay in the Tube, I finally got to a huge empty warehouse when the sun was high in the sky. I didn't want to do what was next but I knew I needed extra help. Kales brother Zane stayed at this building when he was in London. I bounced on my toes in worry. He was always so unpredictable and that scared me. I didn't know what he would do when I walked in. I hope he wouldn't do anything. I hope he would help me. He always had hard to find answers and I wanted him to spill. I expected him to spill because I was sure he wanted Alice out of the picture as well.

"ZANE!" I yelled loud enough that it echoed through the building. He should have heard me. I waited for a minute or two until I heard some steps behind me. I spun on my heals and pulled out a knife, ready to attack if needed.

I was face to face with one person I feared the most, Zane. I frowned as I looked at his rough appearance. He got into a fight, he's nose was broken and he clearly had a black eye. By the color of it, I was guessing the fight happened sometime 2 or 3 days ago.

"Why this is a surprise, little Rori, coming to see me." Zane said and smiled at me.

"What were you talking about when you said you weren't the only scary thing out there?" I asked him, my knife still out and pointed at him. This question had been gnawing at me for some time. "Who are you afraid of?"

He frowned at me, debating whether or not to tell me. "It's a company."

"Run by a lady by the name of Alice Parish?"

He just merely nodded his head.

"Did she do this to you?" I said and I looked at him all beat up.

He nodded again.

As much as I hated this, I need to make a deal with the devil to finish my plan. "Will you help me? I'm bringing her down."

"What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to cause trouble. I only know two of her people here, I am sure you know more of them. Take them down, all of them."

His smile made my skin crawl. "I will be happy to oblige."