It was dusk.
Red clouds filled the sky.
The restaurant door was pushed open. Anne raised her head and slowly revealed a smile. The transparent glass door opened and closed, and Shylock walked straight in.
Oh.
It seemed that she still had five minutes to get off work.
Thus, in the short span of five minutes, Annie could not see anyone else.
The colleagues in the restaurant were already used to the appearance of Mr. Holmes.
If Shylock was to them,
At first, he was a mysterious detective.
Now, he had probably mutated into a "wife slave".
After saying goodbye to his colleagues, the two of them walked out of the restaurant together.
Anne was still lowering her head and carefully tying her scarf.
However, she saw that Shylock's tall figure had already stepped to the side of the road and used that familiar gesture to wave for a taxi.
Anne pulled down his raised arm and asked in confusion, "Where are we going?" They usually walked back to Baker Street.
Shylock lowered his head and glanced at her. "Don't you have a piano lesson in the afternoon?"
That's right.
But today, she had already told Angelo, the introducer, that she could not be Nick Benson's piano teacher for the time being.
Although she did not know if her suspicions were true, Anne was very self-aware.
She felt that it was best to take the initiative to stay away from those potential troubles. After all.
Even if her not-so-ideal physical fitness had improved recently,
But compared to Shylock or Watson,
It was still very bad.
A taxi stopped in front of them.
"Okay, Miss Deboer.
Your limited brain capacity is not suitable for thinking about such a complicated problem. So let's go directly to meet this interesting Nick Benson.
Maybe we can find something even more interesting. "
Shylock finished speaking.
His tall body bent down slightly. He practically half-carried Anne and stuffed her into the back seat of the taxi. Then, he squeezed in.
Anne moved to the other side of the car door and sat obediently. After Shylock got into the car, the spacious backseat instantly became crowded.
Shylock sat down beside her and gave the driver the address. After the car started, his slightly bent long legs brushed against hers from time to time.
The last rays of the setting sun shone in through the car window, casting a thick stroke of color on the two of them.
Anne suddenly remembered the time when they were in the Hôtel de Boer and sat on the swing together.
At that time, the only worry in her ordinary life was that she liked the man sitting beside her, but she couldn't tell him.
Now, the person she liked finally liked her, but she had a new problem that she didn't know how to solve.
Life was mostly like this. It was impossible to be perfect.
Anne was in a daze when she felt a slight weight on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw a fair and slender hand resting on her left shoulder.
With a gentle tug of this arm, she fell into a familiar embrace. However, the owner of the arm had an indifferent expression. He maintained the posture of hugging her. His head was slightly lowered and he was still staring at the phone screen intently.
"Do you know what your problem is?" Shylock was talking to her at the same time.
Our problem?
Anne leaned on his shoulder and moved slightly. She adjusted her gaze and glanced at his calm and perfect side profile.
Well, it was probably referring to us mortals — or rather, the "goldfish" with empty heads.
"What is it?" Anne asked in a soft voice.
Mr. Holmes quickly answered without looking up, "Your heads are simple and empty. Basically, they don't work. The few times they work, they often like to waste it on meaningless things. "
Anne: "…"
Sure enough.
Why was she in such a hurry to be abused?
She didn't want to talk anymore.
The taxi quietly passed through the streets of London. The rosy red fog at the end of the sky seemed to spread all the way to her eyelids. Anne smelled Shylock's familiar and pleasant scent. She slowly closed her eyes and ignored him.
Shylock's gaze was still focused on the phone. After a few seconds, the corners of his lips gently curved upwards.
It seemed that being simple was not without its benefits. For example, running away after being led by someone.
…
They soon arrived at their destination. Although Shylock did not feel that this was a problem at all, Anne still felt that it was rude to suddenly bring a stranger to visit. Moreover, she had only met Benson and his wife once.
Finally, after much deliberation, two boxes of pretty cakes were packed up at the nearest bake-shop, and Mr. Holmes was taken away as a porter.
When they arrived at Benson's house, Anne composed herself and raised her hand to press the doorbell.
In the quiet evening, the faint sound of the doorbell sounded hollow, making people feel a little uneasy for no reason.
Originally, it was just a suspicion, but since Shylock insisted on coming here, there must be a problem.
Anne turned to look at him. Detective Holmes's face was calm and composed. Well, she couldn't expect to see nervousness on his face, could she?
Mrs. Benson quickly opened the door and was surprised to see Anne.
"Miss Deboer, Angelo said that you can't continue to teach Nick piano. You are … "
"Well, yes, Mrs. Benson. I'm really sorry, I …" Anne was really not good at lying. She could only take the packed pastries from Shylock's hands and pass them to Mrs. Benson.
Mrs. Benson's expression softened. She paused for a moment, then opened the door and invited Anne and Shylock in.
Anne was originally worried that Benson and his wife would quickly recognize Shylock's handsome face that had appeared in all the major media outlets. But she was completely overthinking, because the detective directly introduced himself as soon as he came in.
"Hello, I am Sherlock Holmes." Before Anne could respond to Mrs. Benson's question, Shylock had already completed his self-introduction very quickly. He didn't forget to kindly remind them, "Maybe you've seen a description of me in the newspaper or on TV."
Anne: "…"
The originally harmonious atmosphere suddenly became tense.
In the end, Shylock successfully kicked him and Anne out.
Annie's face was completely red. In her two lifetimes, this was the first time she was treated so rudely by someone. She looked at Mr. Holmes again. His calm expression didn't change at all.
Really … admirable.
Shylock glanced at her blushing face and said seriously, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a few more tries."
Anne: "…" Why did she have to get used to it?
After leaving Benson and his wife's house, Shylock didn't leave immediately. Instead, he turned around the porch and walked to the back of the house.
"There's no doubt that this Nick Benson is an impostor," Shylock said as he walked.
Although they hadn't seen Nick this time, Anne had basically confirmed her guess based on Benson and his wife's reaction. But what shocked her was what Shylock said next.
He said calmly, "The real Nick Benson died three years ago."
What?!
Anne looked at him in shock.
Shylock said calmly, "The truth is right in front of you, Anne. But your emotions are obstructing your rationality. "
Anne was stunned.
Detective Holmes said quickly, "You've already noticed that it's strange that Benson and his wife didn't show Nick's photo. But that only leads you to Nick Benson. But in fact, the Benson couple are more suspicious, aren't they? "
Annie had already vaguely guessed something. However, she had treated Benson and his wife as the victims from the beginning, so …
Shylock waited for her to finish thinking before he continued, "Even you can see that Nick Benson is suspicious. How can his parents not see it? Since they know it's fake, they still insist on not exposing it. Why? " Shylock looked at her with his beautiful eyes. "Unless they want to use this lie to cover up an even bigger lie."
Anne did have this doubt. If she could see through it so easily, there was no reason why the child's biological parents couldn't see through it. But she just thought that Benson and his wife would rather deceive themselves and hold on to the last bit of hope because they were in too much pain to let go of the child.
Just as Shylock said, Anne was affected by her emotions because she couldn't help but think of her mother.
She had also suddenly lost her child. Anne didn't dare to imagine what would happen if one day, someone told her mother that they had found Anne. But when she thought that she was finally reunited with her mother, she would be faced with another blow and disappointment.
That was too cruel.
So Anne didn't think that there might be a bigger conspiracy hidden in this.
But —
Anne stopped. "It's Benson and his wife."
Shylock followed her and answered her question. "It's not them."
It wasn't them. But someone killed their child, and as parents, not only did they not pursue the matter, they even helped the murderer hide it. There were only two possibilities. One was that they were coerced by the murderer. But even if they were coerced, there was no need for them to take the initiative to find someone to pretend to be Nick three years later.
There was only one other possibility — they hid it to protect the murderer.
Anne frowned slightly. But who could be more important than her own child?
A thought suddenly flashed through Anne's mind like lightning. Maybe they didn't need to be more important than her own child, as long as … they were as important as her own child.
Anne remembered that Angelo had said that Benson had another child, Nick's brother.
Seeing that she understood, Mr. Holmes smiled with satisfaction. He took out his phone and called Lestrade.
After hanging up the phone, Shylock continued to walk to the backyard of the house. Anne didn't know what he was going to do, so she just followed him.
When they walked to the backyard, they saw a person jumping out of the window on the first floor.
It was the boy who pretended to be Nick Benson.
The boy changed his previous timid and taciturn behavior. When he saw Anne, he smiled and waved enthusiastically. "Hello, my piano teacher!"
Anne didn't say anything. Mr. Holmes's cool eyes narrowed dangerously.
After the police officers from Scotland Yard arrived, they took the fake Nick and the Benson couple away.
Soon, Nick Benson's brother, Tyron, was also brought into the interrogation room.
It was a simple case. The cause of everything was because Tyron Benson was addicted to drugs. When his drug addiction kicked in, he accidentally pushed little Nick down the stairs.
Benson and his wife were heartbroken, but they couldn't punish the murderer. They even disguised their son's death as a missing person.
They had been worried that the case would be exposed one day, until the Spanish police suddenly called and said that the missing Nick had been found.
Benson and his wife immediately thought that if Nick had been "alive," then the accident three years ago could be completely covered up. But they didn't expect that it was their attempt to cover up that made the truth come out.
As for the imposter, he was a habitual offender who roamed around Europe pretending to be a missing person. He had repeatedly used his superb acting skills and harmless appearance to win the trust of the police and the missing person's relatives.
He was the one who was most directly aware of the strange atmosphere in Benson's family. When he was stopped by Anne and Shylock, the imposter was about to jump out of the window to escape.
The police dug up little Nick's body in the garden of Jason's house.
A long police line isolated Benson's house. The warning lights on the police cars parked around the house flashed in the silent night.
Anne and Shylock stood to the side. Two police officers carried a black body bag and walked past them quietly.
Anne subconsciously closed her eyes.
…
Shylock lowered his eyes and looked at her indifferently. He then pulled her away from the crime scene.
Anne followed him slowly and suddenly asked, "Is this how you and John investigate every case every time?"
In fact, she already knew about it, but she asked it very naturally.
For Shylock, this was a case that was too simple. His brain hadn't even started working yet.
But looking at her pale face, Shylock nodded and said, "More or less."
Anne looked up at him, her eyes quiet and gentle.
The night had already revealed a slightly cold shadow. The red and blue police lights flashed on his face, and his fair and cold face looked a little gentler.
Anne smiled gently and hugged him slightly. As if it wasn't enough, she rubbed her smooth cheeks against his chest and said softly but firmly, "You're great, Shylock. You're very, very great! "
You've seen so much darkness and death, but you still have a heart that's purer than anyone else's. You're really great.
Even if the whole world might question him in the near future, his inner standards and bottom line had never wavered.
Moriarty felt that Shylock was the same as him. However, in Anne's opinion, they were completely different. Because after seeing through the shallowness, selfishness, and ugliness of ordinary people, one of them chose to ignore and destroy, while the other chose to use his wisdom to help and save.
Although Shylock would never admit it and always claimed that he was a "high-functioning sociopath", those who really knew him would see the shining humanity under his rationality and coldness.
He was an extremely warm person.
Anne had never doubted that. He deserved the gentleness of the world.
But the world was always disappointing.
However, Shylock didn't care. Anne also tried her best not to care. She would always be with him. And John, Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade …
He didn't have many friends, but they were as precious as gold.
.
Shylock called for a taxi. Anne thought that they were going back to Baker Street, but the taxi drove them all the way to the entrance of a movie theater.
Mr. Holmes magically took out two movie tickets from his coat pocket and said calmly, "Let's go."
Anne was stunned. When did he book the movie tickets?
Although Shylock said that he could accompany her to go shopping or watch a movie, Anne wasn't really prepared to do so. She knew that he didn't like these. There were many ways for two people to get along. It wasn't necessary for the other party to do things that they didn't like to prove something.
But … Well, Anne couldn't help but admit that there was still a secret happiness and softness in her heart.
Anne hadn't been to a movie theater for a long time. If she had to calculate carefully, it would be 23 years.
Since she fell ill in her previous life, she had never been to a movie theater again.
But … Anne's gaze fell on the tall and straight man beside her — was it really okay to come to a movie theater to watch a movie with a relaxed expression after just solving a murder case?
But obviously, these insignificant factors were not within the consideration of the detective at all. He had promised to accompany her to watch a movie, so of course, he had to fulfill his promise.
Anne followed behind Shylock and suddenly stopped. Looking at his tall figure moving slowly in the narrow aisle, her heart instantly felt very warm.
She reached out and grabbed the corner of his coat. How could he be so nice?
They found a seat and sat down. Soon, the lights dimmed and the movie started to play.
It was actually a romance movie.
Anne turned her head and looked to her side. Shylock sat quietly in the chair, looking straight at the screen in front of him. There was a serious expression on his face.
Annie's lips curled up.
A few minutes later.
"Do you want to watch me or the movie?" A deep voice sounded leisurely.
After Anne had looked over for the umpteenth time, Shylock finally turned his head indifferently and met her gaze.
The dim light in the movie theater was hazy like the shadow of the moon. His handsome features were hidden behind the shadows, and he was unbelievably beautiful.
… To be honest, Anne wanted to look at him.
But …
She couldn't say such words, so she could only look away in embarrassment and look back at the screen.
Shylock stared at her gentle side profile for a few seconds, then looked away indifferently.
Mr. Holmes sat upright and still. After a moment, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, and a trace of a smile flashed past his eyes. The meaningless conversation between a man and a woman on the screen didn't seem so boring anymore.
…
Another ten minutes passed, and in the seats in front of them, there were a few couples kissing each other passionately.
Shylock looked up and said in a low voice, "If people come to the movie theater for intimate contact, obviously it's more convenient to go to a hotel or at home."
Anne coughed and whispered, "I think they're also here to watch a movie, but … you know … sometimes people can't help themselves …"
Shylock turned his head and looked at her, then suddenly smiled.
Anne looked at him and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Mr. Holmes said in a pleasant voice, "Miss Deboer, it seems that you're extremely inexperienced in love. Obviously, it's not that they can't help themselves, but that they're deliberate. Look at those men with raging hormones sitting in the front row. From the time they chose this boring and stupid romantic film, to the choice of seats, the control of the sitting posture and the topic of conversation, and those with ulterior motives … Everything is deliberate. "
Anne: "…"
Are you including yourself, Mr. Holmes?
"Of course I don't need it." Shylock saw what she was thinking and said arrogantly, "You're already mine."
Anne was dumbfounded.
Sherlock paused for a moment after he finished speaking.
"What's wrong?" Anne turned her head and asked him.
The light on the screen shone from afar and fell on Anne's face. Sherlock's expression was still indifferent, but the pair of slightly lowered eyes gazing at her appeared dark and deep.
He just suddenly remembered that from a biological point of view, she didn't belong to him yet.
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