Early the next morning,
Shylock and Watson set off for Dartmoor.
In the afternoon, Anne sat alone in the living room of 221B for a long time.
If you know in advance that something bad is going to happen, how can you avoid it? What can you do to avoid it?
Murphy's Law says,
Things that can go wrong will always go wrong; if you worry that something will happen, it is more likely to happen.
Sometimes, perhaps it is because we try to intervene to change the outcome,
That ultimately leads to the disaster.
Anne didn't have a moment,
Like now, when she wished she could be smarter..
The curtains in the living room were open,
It was dusk outside the window, and the floor was covered with a red carpet,
It was embroidered with dark patterns. The fire in the fireplace burned quietly.
For a moment,
Anne felt as if she was watching all this from a considerable distance. Warm, familiar,
Intimate, but not enough ability to interfere.
She sat on the sofa where Shylock usually sat, her legs crossed,
Their fingers touched and placed on their lips. It was his posture.
She didn't know how much time had passed,
When the living room gradually darkened,
Anne finally dialed the number.
After the bell rang three times,
A steady and calm voice sounded from the other side of the receiver, "Miss Deboer..."
.
Located in Pall, London,
The Diogenes Club at 100 Mall Street was a small white building with only three floors. From the outside,
It was hard to believe,
Most of England's foreign affairs department and half of the government's key members of parliament,
Were all members of this club.
Mcauliffe Holmes was the founder of this club.
As the strangest club in London, in Diogenes, except for the reception room, no conversation was allowed in other places.
Fortunately, Mcauliffe received Anne in the reception room. After all, neither of them wanted to play riddles.
Anne used to be very curious about this famous club, but now she was not in the mood to watch it. But it was really quiet here. As soon as she appeared, two people came up to her and led her to the entrance of a reception room without saying a word.
Fortunately, Anne knew some of the weird traditions of this club in advance. She was not dragged away rudely like Watson was when he first came.
Anne felt that Mcauliffe should be able to guess why she was looking for him, but this big Mr. Holmes was still as elegant and calm as ever, unhurried and unhurried.
The three-piece tailored smoky gray suit, the spotless white shirt, and the dark blue polka dot tie all revealed the nobility and wisdom of the "Government of Great Britain".
Anne sat on one of the sofas and suddenly said, "If Shylock knows that I came to find you, he probably won't be happy."
Mcauliffe poured himself a glass of wine from the wine rack in the corner of the reception room. He walked slowly to Anne and said, "Anne, can I call you Anne?"
Anne nodded. "Of course, Mr. Holmes."
Mcauliffe put one hand in his pocket and elegantly took a sip of the English whiskey in the glass. "Do you think Shylock's mood is more important, or his safety is more important?"
Anne thought for a moment and said greedily, "Both are important."
Mcauliffe: "… Miss Deboer, allow me to remind you that you made the right decision to come to see me."
This time it was Anne's turn to be speechless. Sure enough, the people of the Holmes family were all the same when they were arrogant.
The exquisite retro wall lamps on the wall emitted a dim yellow halo. Anne calmed herself down and took a deep breath.
She really did not know whether the decision she made was right or wrong.
"Mr. Holmes," Anne said softly, "I want to talk to you … Moriarty …"
Winter was almost over, but the weather was still cold. Spring was stubbornly held back by the cold and could not be replaced. The cold wind blew on the withered trees that had lost all their green leaves. This gorgeous city of the 21st century seemed to have a primitive desolation at some point.
.
Anne received a call from Shylock after she returned to 221B.
The considerate Mrs. Hudson left dinner for her. Anne did not have much of an appetite, but she still sat at the table and ate a little.
Seeing the flashing name on the phone screen, Anne smiled gently and pressed the answer button. The words that came out of her mouth were unconsciously filled with warmth.
"Shylock."
However, there was no response from the other end of the phone for a long time.
"Shylock?" Anne's voice was filled with confusion as she called his name again.
The living room was very quiet. It was so quiet that Anne could clearly hear his slightly unstable breathing.
After a long time, his voice slowly came from the phone.
"Once you eliminate all the impossibilities, the rest, no matter how unbelievable it is, must be the truth." The low voice was fast and smooth, as cold as the night.
"Yes?" Anne responded softly.
Of course, she was familiar with Holmes' famous words. She just did not understand why Shylock suddenly mentioned this sentence.
"So, I really shouldn't be so surprised. I personally experienced time travel. Oh, and you, my dear Anne, a soul with memories of the past. An alien from the 19th century. "
Shylock's voice was very calm, but Anne still heard a trace of abnormality. He seemed to have lost control of his emotions.
Moreover, he would never mention these things in front of her before.
"Shylock," Anne asked as softly as possible, "Tell me, what happened?"
"Hmph!" He snorted sarcastically, "It's just a hound! A huge hound! "In the end, he was almost suppressing his low growl.
Hound?
Hearing Shylock's slightly rapid breathing on the other side of the phone, Anne suddenly felt very guilty.
Because she had been thinking about other things recently, she ignored what was happening in front of her. It was not until now that she realized which case Shylock and Watson were taking on this time.
Although he would eventually solve all the mysteries, Anne really wished that she could be by his side at this moment. Instead of just saying a few words of comfort from the other end of the phone, which had no effect at all.
"Do you believe it? I'm scared, Anne, I'm actually scared! "
Even if he said such words, Shylock's voice was still calm and cold, but in an instant, it stabbed Anne's heart.
"It's okay, Shylock … It's okay …" Anne comforted gently.
"It's okay?" He laughed sarcastically through the phone, piercing Anne's eardrums. "This is really interesting. My rationality was actually defeated by my emotions. I forgot my principles all along, to be a bystander and not be emotional, so now my body betrayed me — I'm actually trembling in fear! "He almost gritted his teeth." Emotions! Sure enough, it's the most useless thing in the world … "
"Shylock!"
Anne suddenly raised her voice to interrupt him.
There was a moment of silence on both sides of the phone.
Anne's mind went blank for a moment, and even her eyes seemed to be covered by a thick fog, turning into a vast expanse of white. When the warm fire in the living room reappeared in her sight, Anne realized that she was holding a table knife tightly in her hand.
She was too sensitive. Shylock was just a little excited now, but that was not what he really wanted to express.
Anne took a deep breath and gently put down the table knife. Just as he was about to say something, the phone suddenly hung up.
He hung up the phone.
…
.
Dartmoor was located in the central area of Devon, and it was a protected national forest in England. Tourists from all over the country flocked here in an endless stream. In addition to the beautiful and unique local scenery, there was also a secret government base in Dartmoor for more than 200 years — Baskerville.
Legend had it that a genetically mutated giant hound ran out of the biochemical weapons research base and wandered somewhere in the wilderness of Dartmoor.
The hotel that Shylock and Watson stayed in was in Grimpen Village, which was closest to Baskerville.
A sleepless night did not seem to have any effect on Shylock, but his usually white cheeks looked paler than usual, and the expression on his face was more solemn.
He walked out of the hotel, still wearing the black windbreaker with his hands in the pockets on both sides of his body. His gloomy eyes glanced around casually, and then suddenly paused.
A familiar thin figure was sitting on an outdoor dining chair at the entrance of the hotel.
After a few hours of train and car travel, plus a lack of sleep last night, Anne was a little tired, so she looked quieter.
She sat on the chair and did not immediately notice him, which gave Shylock the opportunity to look at her silently for a long time.
Shylock knew little about painting, but at this moment, Mr. Holmes suddenly felt that this scene in front of him could be painted.
The morning sun was thin and clear. Her soft blonde hair was casually tied behind her head, and the fluffy and slightly curly hair on her forehead looked fresh and childish. There were no decorations on her small earlobes, and they were almost transparent in the sun.
When she looked up, the morning light fell into her eyes, and her originally light green eyes were dyed with gold, as clean and flawless as when he first saw her.
In Shylock's 27 years of life, he only allowed two people to enter his life. One was John Watson, and the other was Anne. Or it could be said the other way around. In his 27 years of life, only Watson and Anne tried to enter his life and finally succeeded.
Perhaps it was because he was Sherlock Holmes, who had extraordinary intelligence and ability. He could always see through everything in the first place. Most of the people he met, he saw selfishness, greed, hypocrisy, falsehood, trickery, weakness …
If he allowed Watson to enter his life, it was because of the noble and strong qualities of a doctor. Except for the incomprehensible emotions of an ordinary person, Shylock could almost see no flaws in Watson.
But Anne was completely different. After he saw some of her flaws, he still allowed her to get close.
Shylock pursed his lips tightly, and his throat moved up and down a little because it was blocked.
Anne turned her head slightly and saw him. Her eyes lit up slightly, and then she showed a smile that was softer than the morning sun.
She sat still, and Shylock walked towards her step by step. The hem of his long coat brought a gust of wind in the cold morning air.
He stopped in front of her, and Anne looked up at him. "Shylock …"
Just as she opened her mouth, she was interrupted.
He suddenly leaned over without warning, and his hands held her face a little forcefully. His slightly cold lips pressed down, blocking all the words she had yet to say.
Anne was caught off guard by his kiss. After a short moment of surprise, her tired and sore heart seemed to have suddenly been soaked in warm spring water, slowly returning to normal and beating steadily again.
The smell of his body was so familiar, and his cold fingertips and lips gradually warmed up to the same temperature as hers.
When Shylock finally let go of her, Anne gently leaned on him, blushing. She thought for a moment and asked softly, "Is this your apology, Mr. Holmes?"
"No." Shylock was silent for a moment, then he held her shoulders with both hands and pushed her away a little. He gently raised her chin with one finger, and looked at her seriously with his deep eyes. He said in a low voice, "What I said before was serious, Anne. For me, all emotions, especially love, are against the rationality I have always upheld. "
He paused, pursed his lips, and then said, "But you are different. Only you are different, Anne. "
Anne was stunned for a moment, and then she smiled slightly. "Are you confessing, Shylock?"
Mr. Holmes frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Well, Anne smiled and shook her head. "Nothing." She reached out and gently hugged his waist. "This is very good, Shylock. I am very happy. "
Shylock's tense mood also eased, and the corners of his lips slightly raised in a gentle arc.
Anne felt one of his hands reach out, and his warm palm gently covered the back of her hand.
After a few seconds, Mr. Holmes said in a rare gloomy tone, "I think I made John angry yesterday."
Anne chuckled. "It's okay. You know I will always forgive you, no matter when or what. John is the same. "
He was Sherlock Holmes, with extraordinary IQ, strong rationality, and a sometimes headache-inducing low EQ. But this was the Shylock she loved!
He was perfect and didn't need any change.
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