Team Seven of Heroes Chapter 7

7.

The streets of London then was ever breath taking even from the inside of the wheelers with hustle and bustle of the people in the city going about their lives. The ones which you can’t missed are the daily chores with the groceries delivery or the papers being delivered or the mother pushing the pram to the park. Those are the ones many could see but none saw the homeless picking the trash for his meal or the boys chasing the cats from the alley to street and back. Or the flower girl that was trying to sell the flowers while she wanted was to have breakfast with her beau in the house.

“I wondered if there were bagels served at where we are going.” Sherlock sat there with the legs crossed. He was in the huge wheeler which accommodated the seven of them butts to butts with reeking smell from beneath the bench seats.

“Mycroft, do you think the ….lady could have arranged a better …wagon?” It was Van Helsing who fretted then. “In my country, I will have the use of the four horse carriage served with champagne and probably a book on ancient pagans to read too.”

“Well, you are not there now and here we try to be more inconspicuous. You see we have the nosy papers that have hundreds of staff who get a scent of us and then a molehill will be made into a mountain.” Mycroft gave his analogy of what he perceived then.

“You read too much secrets that everything you see is one.” Lady Jane concurred for Mycroft. “I think we need not argued anymore for we are there.”

The so named vault was located in a row of brick layered two levels buildings that counted to ten units in the row. The street in the front of the units was a narrow cobbled one with the trees planted on every second unit. The wagon rear doors opened and the seven guests stepped off. They were like all others who were new to any place; they commented on the neighbourhood. Mycroft was buttoned up in his overcoat over his tailor made suit and holding the walking cane as if he was the batsman. The Greystoke couple also in overcoats and knee nigh boots alongside Mr Harkness in similar dressing and a wide brimmed hat to shield from the sunlight. Van Helsing was in the animal fur coat and fur lined boots with the shoulder bag slung across the chest. Sherlock an Watson was with their overcoat unbuttoned to reveal the off the shelf tweed suit and dark leather shoes.

“Nice place. I like the flowers.” Lady Jane admired the flowers there. “Daffodils? I wondered if we are short of choices. In Africa, I had seen more that are displayed at Chelsea. There is the gardener there. I will ask him myself.”

Lady Jane paraded over to meet the gardener while the others took the steps towards the then opened door at the units but it was stated as Five and a quarter.

“Five and a quarter? Someday someone will find it magically fun to use that address.” Watson sighed. “Why can’t they call it Six when that was the next number.”

“In the Bible, the number six symbolizes man and human weakness. Man was created on the sixth day, and a Hebrew slave was to serve six years. It also marks the sign of the beast if you bring three six’s together. When ‘six six six’ multiplied by seven it equals ‘four thousand ‘six hundred and sixty two’, which depicts man’s imperfection under Lucifer. The Minister was a Man of God and in his mind, the quarter was to signify this butchering of the devil.” The gardener smiled. “His father and father of the father were butchers and with them every things was quartered.”

The group laughed while the gardener stepped over to greet the six other guests with Lady Jane holding his arm. The disguised gardener was tall in his frame with the fake moustache but his giveaway was the lighted pipe held in his hand.

“You may not assume or presume for I am the real Sherlock Holmes. It took the lady here to detect me out.” The gardener removed his cap and then smiled at the other lady standing there. “Lady Harkness, I am sure you would have known with the scent of my tobacco.”

“I knew but I was not here to reveal your identity.” Lady Harkness smiled. “We have a mutual past and understanding. The last you tried to have me place on the stake.”

“True”, Sherlock replied. “It was elementary, my ….”

Sherlock stopped then and looked to the others. “Shall we go in?”

Sherlock however stopped the other one who was dressed like him.

“Basil Ratty, you may return to your stage now. I am back in my role.” Sherlock told the actor who sat for him. The other smiled and then reached for Watson’s hand. “My apology,old chap. We had our moments.”

Watson sighed then for he had to cover up for the actor when the original was well, more original and creative. Soon the assembled seven were in the building and was ushered into a steel cage and then lowered to the basement. The gates opened wide and they found themselves in a huge chamber with the gold bullions stacked high and the piles of currencies. Each stack of god bullion was rimmed with the tall pots of daffodils which then were in heavy blooms.

“No guards?” Lord Greystoke sniggered. “Even a chimp could sneak in.”

“Well, close to that.” The gardener aka Sherlock Holmes remarked. “For this pile here, it’s not real. It was made up to appease the Treasury staff. The real bullions were taken away. I had verified that when I was here for over a week looking for clues. I finally did and was to call M but she told me you were coming here.”

“My friends, and once foe,” Sherlock singled out Lady Harkness. “What M told you was true. We have been robbed. I concurred that some time back and told M I needed a team for its unique qualities that may win over the enemy. M agreed and here you are. Thank you.”

Sherlock then looked at Mycroft who was standing at the side looking uneasy. Sherlock knew then that will need fixing for Mycroft looked dejected.

“As to the case of the missing gold, please allow me to walk you through the burglary. The real bullions were stolen by a crafty crime lord named Fu Manchu.” Sherlock smiled then and then continued with his take on the evidence. “Fu Manchu or better known as Doctor Fu Manchu was an immaculate planner of his tasks but in this case, he left me clues. Pardon me, let me give you the tour de force of the theft.”

 “The burglary was done by the front door or the roof or any windows favoured by the experts but the crime lords have to do it with more finesse. They did not dig through the walls or the flooring. They left with the garden waste.” Sherlock looked at the assembled there at the doorway of the main lobby which they had come in earlier. “They switch the bullions and then carted it out daily in the flower pots hidden inside were the bullions under the soil. Those fakes here have huge compartment inside where the fake bullions were stacked outside to form a skin over it.”

There was no applause then and Sherlock continued on.

“I found minute traces of dirt on the bullions. They were wiped clean but the trace was there if one were to look. I also found here something extra.” Sherlock frown then when there was no applause even from his associate. He took from his side pocket a metallic item.

“This is a canister I took from the block behind this one. I found this in the garden. For your information, it was also owned by the Minister but he did not use it to stock bullions but it was a testing facility. The facility was cleaned out after the theft too by the same criminals.” Sherlock handed the canister to the assembled. “I have searched the place thoroughly and with every inch of the place searched.”

“However nothing could elude me…..before.” Sherlock smiled. “I found that in the flower pot. It was left behind by someone for me to find. That was the part that eluded me.”

It was then Sherlock sighed before Watson rushed up to hold his friend’s hand. He then turned to look at the assembled.

“Sherlock needs his rest now.” Watson took Sherlock’s hand before he handed him the bottle with the syringe.