Sure enough, Sherlock simply…dropped to his knees. Dropped to his knees and put his head in his hands. He would not choose either track.
Thus, neither death, or groups of deaths, would be his fault.
He would be a witness to horror. Nothing more. By not playing the game, he would be able to wash his conscience of it. Even if he could save fifteen lives—in theory—by dooming one. Or save his friend by dooming the others.
God, she hated philosophy.
Vile let out a wistful, happy sigh. “Of course, Moriarty would not give up such a wonderful opportunity to watch his greatest foe suffer.” The man with the gun reached forward and pulled the lever. The train track screeched loud enough that she could hear it from the tower as it clicked into place in front of the roaring steam engine.
The train swung toward the right.
And straight toward an unfinished station stop. With no brake, and nothing to slow the train down…Sidney would be crushed as the train smashed into the building.
“No—no—” She squirmed in his grasp. “I have to stop this, I have to save her!” Panic welled in her. Sidney was going to die. “I have to?—”
“It’s too late, Sasha darling. And this isyourdesign. Enjoy it! Revelin it!” He held her tight. “And you would never make it down there in time except to throw yourself upon the burning wreckage.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Though, youmightbe able to stop the hired hands from shooting all the hostages.”
“What?”She stared up at him in horror.
“What?” He repeated down at her blankly. “You expected Moriarty to let anyone live?” Snickering, he shook his head. “Come now. Don’t be silly.”
She was going to cry. “Please, don’t let this happen—please.Pleasedon’t let Sidney die—I’ll do anything?—”
“Music to my ears.” With a contented exhale, he rested his cheek atop her head, ignoring her struggles as they watched the scene unfold before them. “Sherlock escapes with his morality intact. Yes, Watson dies, but Sherlock is hardly the firsthero in fiction to suffer the tragic death of his companion. But look on the bright side. You gave Moriarty a tiny bit of a love life. As much as that sociopath will ever have. A marriage that will end with him murdering his wife when she becomes a liability—an ending thatactuallymakes sense for him. Good for you.”
Gripping the railing tight in both hands, she wished she could set him on fire with her mind. “I hate you. Ifuckinghate you.”
She could hear the smile in his voice when he kissed the top of her head. “I know.”
Sidney knewit was over when she became aware of herself suddenly, but not with enough time to be saved. No, no. She wasn’t lucky enough for that. No, she snapped into the scene in time to see aDanger—Construction—No Entry!the second it turned into splinters by smashing into her body.
Her ribs were broken from the impact. She assumed. She didn’t really know. But she had felt somethingcrunchinside of her when thesign had splintered on her. And she knew it was only going to get worse. Far, far worse.
For the train wasn’t slowing down.
And the end of the tracks in front of her was a brick wall.
She felt the first few seconds as her legs began to shatter, shattering more like the wood sign than crumpling like the metal of the train.
It was the sound, though, that she thought might stay with her the longest.
The sound of that much metal bending.
Mixing with the sound of her screams.
EPILOGUE
Mrs. Irene Moriarty remembered the listing in the paper that followed news of her wedding the following morning.
A simple message. But an unmistakable one. “I shall never pardon you of your crimes.” It wasn’t signed. But it was obvious who it was from.
Eight years passed quickly. And she would have said they were a happy eight. And, perhaps, she would have liked to think that James would have said so, too. For he certainly said he smiled and laughed more in that time than he ever had before.
And as he held her hand while the poison he had slipped into her dinner put her to a painless and endless sleep, he wept, saying he would never smile or laugh quite like that ever again.
She believed him.
And kissed him one last time as she died.
