"Sholmes", his voice said the name sternly, as it had done so more than a thousand times before.
Hazlenut eyes stared innocently at the disgruntled man.
"Yes Whystat? Is there anything you need before you leave?"
Whystat had just put on his hat and was about to leave Basker Street for home when something caught his eye on the shelf by the fireplace.
How the deuce had he not notice that during his visit?
Whystat used his cane to point at it.
"What is that thing?" he asked.
Herlock turned his head in order to look at the object in question.
"Why that would be a vase, my dear fellow. It's a miraculous invention used for the sole purpose of decorating"
"No not that," Whystat's patience was wearing thin, "What is beside it? To the left?"
A slight twinge on Sholmes' lips, yet the dark haired man hoped his friend didn't notice. By the darkening look on Whystat's face, it was safe to assume that he did.
"That is a doll."
Whystat took a few steps closer, the idea of leaving forgotten momentarily. Sholmes chewed on his pipe as the doctor inspected the doll.
After a long pause, Whystat looked back at Sholmes.
"Where the devil did you get this?"
"Do you know of the toy shop down close to the docks?"
Whystat nodded that he did. Sholmes continued.
"It just so happens that I've come to personally know the owner. She had stepped in one day, hoping I could help her find whoever had been mailing threatening letters.
When she told me that she feared for her life, I agreed to help her"
"That case sounded like it could've been serious," Whystat commented.
Sholmes didn't seem to mind the interruption. He set his waterpipe on the table close to him.
"From what was written in the letters, the thought wasn't out of the question."
The doctor didn't want to feel hurt but, "Why didn't you contact me about this? I would've helped with the case."
Sholmes turned away, trying to mask the bitterness he felt.
"It's just as you said. Those days are behind us. Besides, I couldn't possibly suffer the guilt of taking you away from your quiet, normal life to assist me on a case."
Whystat frowned. He grabbed the doll from the shelf to get a better look at it. It felt like it had been stuffed with cotton.
The button eyes seemed to be staring back at Whystat.
"And how did the case turn out?" he asked still looking at the doll.
Sholmes turned back around to face him. He noticed the doll in his friend's hands but said nothing about it.
"It was the store owner's stepson that wanted to killed the owner, as a matter of fact."
"He broke into the house that night with the intent on killing his stepmother."
The confused look on Whystat's face asked Sholmes the question for him. Why was her stepson so intent on killing her?
"It was out of revenge, doctor. John Jr. wanted his stepmother dead because she refused to pay for his outrageous gambling debt,
something you would know a lot about I'm sure."
The detective smiled at Whystat, who glared back. That just wasn't fair.
True Whystat has gone back to gambling but he wasn't nearly as addicted as he had been. At least not in his opinion.
"This particular case was resolved in it's own manner."
"After breaking into the house and an attempt to strangle her, he had to flee the scene."
"He must have been in an awful hurry, as he found himself in a fatal car accident while driving on the way home."
"They found his remains at the bottom of the ravine where he missed the turn."
"The good news is that his plan ultimately failed. The owner survived the ordeal, as I was just in time to save her".
Whystat held up the doll.
"So about this then."
Sholmes was only too glad to explain.
"In addition to a fair amount of wage, Miss Marple wanted to know if there was another way she could repay me.
At first nothing came to mind, then I decided that I wanted her to design a doll for me. So I described how I wanted it to look and she made it for me."
"And you wanted the doll to look," Whystat breathed out a sigh, "exactly like me."
Sholmes couldn't prevent the smirk forming on his face. It annoyed Whystat to think that Sholmes would do something so perverse and frankly, creepy.
Before the doctor could say anything else, Sholmes snatched the doll from his hands, holding it dearly like it would run away from him and he would die without it.
Whystat's face was grim, a stark contrast to the plastered smile on the Whystat doll's face.
Whystat crossed his arms, his eyes narrow.
"Now see here. If you think having a doll like that is flattering to me, you're sadly mistaken."
"Well I didn't want it because I thought that it would flatter you," Sholmes pointed out, looking at the doll endearingly.
The expression Sholmes had on when he petted the doll's fake hair made the real Whystat's blood boil. He didn't know why it had that effect on him.
All he knew was that that doll had to go. End of story.
"Throw that away," he ordered darkly.
Sholmes seemed to be having the time of his life annoying Whystat like this for his smile only broadened. His eyes gleamed as he held up the doll in front of Whystat's face.
Ever since Sholmes came back from the dead and found out Whystat had been living alone, he had been trying to coax him into selling his practice and moving back in with him.
Even though Whystat missed Sholmes dearly, he didn't want to admit he would prefer to move back in with him, least of all to himself.
The night was drawing nearer and Whystat wanted to return home before it got dark. Without another word, he stormed out of the flat.
Sholmes watched his retreating figure until the door slammed shut. He looked at the doll, still smiling.
"We'll get him back," he promised confidently.
True colours always shine brighter within darkness. ~ WonderDrow ~
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