InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "My head's cold. I ate my hat."

claire winchester is not your typical superhero (goallbuffyonus) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2010-10-05 11:08:00

Entry tags:

claire winchester, dean winchester, jim moriarty, john watson, sherlock holmes

WHO: Claire Bennet, Dean Winchester, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Jim Moriarty ~~and a partridge in a pear tree~~.
WHAT: There's a dead body in Claire's video store and Sherlock is giddy as a school girl. Is anyone really surprised?
WHEN: Not long after this and this.
WHERE: Colligo Select Video [aka Claire's video store].
RATING: TBD.
STATUS: In Progress.

Between discovering she was pregnant, having a rather intense conversation with Gabriel about said pregnancy, Azazel still skulking around Colligo, and now the dead body in her store, Claire was seriously starting to wonder if fate really was out to get her. Or at the very least if it was conspiring to drive her absolutely insane. Or something. The point was, Claire wasn't very happy currently. Although to her credit she was at least trying to look at this latest situation from a better angle. Which is why she contacted Sherlock. Because if there was anyone in the city who would appreciate a corpse randomly appearing in a locked store, in the middle of the night, in less than fifteen minutes, it was him.

Claire really did know the oddest people.

But odd or not, Sherlock said he'd be there soon. She could only assume he would, of course, bring John with him as well. And with any luck, Dean would manage to beat them both there Because as much as Claire like Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, she was pregnant and freaked out and annoyed and really wanted the man she loved there with her while people traipsed through her store to study a corpse that she didn't even know. Which was odd in its own right, really. Why would someone murder a local man and leave him in her store?

The unanswered question was forgotten, temporarily, at the soft rap of knuckles against the door. Looking up from her paperwork (nevermind that she was still reading the same numbers repeatedly without actually comprehending a single one), Claire slid off her stool and made her way to the door. With the blinds in place she couldn't see who it was from the counter but a quick glance revealed it to be Dean. A twist of the lock and she pulled the door open, reaching over to press a button on the alarm to keep it from sounding.

"Hey baby," she said softly as she locked the door behind him. Her tone was curious flat, a feeling of numbness and general, frustrated acceptance of the situation having replaced her initial annoyance. "Thanks for coming. This is... well, I'd say it's weird but that seems to be the running theme around here, so that's really nothing new."

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reasonbackward
2010-10-09 05:01 pm UTC (link)

"You have a body. Anything more or anything less will have to wait," Sherlock said as he stepped inside. There weren't any niceties exchanged. That was what John was there for. Instead, Sherlock's attention went immediately to the body, stepping over to it and examining the remains carefully, kneeling down next to the corpse. Without any gloves, Sherlock was hesitant to touch him, but he hadn't had the forethought to bring any with him. Typically, the Yard provided them. But there was plenty that he could get without touching. Middle-aged, well dressed, likely a business man or middle management of some sort going by the wide flatness of his bum, a state indicative of sitting on it 24/7. The deep indentation on his skull was most likely the cause of death, but without the ability to examine him farther than just looking at the position that he was laying prone it, it would be difficult to tell conclusively.

Frowning, Sherlock paused as he reached out to John, "Pen," He requested rather randomly. But anyone who knew anything about Sherlock knew that he rarely did or said anything without some sort of purpose. "Our best way to start is by determining who he is and figuring out if there would be any reason to why he was placed here."

Granted, if there wasn't, their job became that much more difficult. But that was already. He loved the hard ones.

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crimeconsultant
2010-10-09 06:02 pm UTC (link)

Jim had been surprised, to put it mildly, when he'd been invited to join this little outing with Sherlock. He was grateful for a break in the tedium of course but he also had a hard time believing that the meeting was going to go smoothly. Yet he went without objection because, well, the thought of losing the remainder of his sanity wasn't nearly as appealing as one might think it would be.

Unlike the others before him, though, Jim didn't go to the front door. He instead made his way around back, to the door leading out into the alley behind the store. He knew eventually Sherlock would make his way there as well, though likely through the inside of the store. Coming in through the back offered him a viewpoint he wouldn't otherwise have. Namely who, if anyone, might spot somebody skulking about in the dark at such a late hour.

The answer was 'no one'. Not one single person glanced his way when he turned into the alley and the one vagrant who was present immediately headed back to the street once Jim made it clear he wasn't going to turn around and go back the way he'd come. Alone, with only windows to other stores that were currently empty as his witness, the criminal consultant took a moment to study the door. It was nondescript enough, save for a handful of dents and dings indicative of someone trying to pry it open.

Jim slid his fingers along the wire that led from the outside of the door, through the wall, to the alarm. His expression perked a bit and the corners of his mouth rose slightly when he felt a small snap in the line just above the door frame. A small enough break in the wiring that would prevent an alarm from sounding (as the majority of the current was still intact) but would also allow the door to be opened ever so slightly.

Another look around, only to confirm that no one had taken notice yet rather than out of any real worry of being caught, and Jim pulled the door open just enough to squeeze through. Anything larger than himself would have found it difficult. Anyone with a corpse would have found it even trickier than that.

The request for a pen reached his ears just as he stepped silently into the room. Pulling one from his pocket, he calmly placed it in Sherlock's hand all presumably without the detective realizing it wasn't John handing the device over.

Amused at how utterly predictable the man really was, Jim spoke up with a simply put, "As convenience would hardly be the motive, I would state with relative certainty that the body was left here for a very, if yet undetermined, reason." Casually, he also held out some gloves for Sherlock to take before glancing to Claire with a vague smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I also would hire another security company at your earliest opportunity as the wiring offered by the one currently in your employ is hardly what one might consider... adequate."

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righteousman
2010-10-09 08:52 pm UTC (link)

It probably said a lot about Dean's issues trusting people that he had a gun out and pointed at Moriarty's head almost before he started speaking. Maybe it was slightly paranoid and overprotective, but he felt like he had a right to be protective, considering there was a psychopath a few feet from his wife-type-person. "Not that I'm not all for team spirit," he said, "but who the hell invited Hannibal Lector to the party?"

John sighed, already seeing that this was going to be an interesting evening. Interesting, in this instance, being just another way of saying incredibly frustrating and annoying. "That would be Sherlock," he supplied helpfully. "And Jim doesn't eat people...I think." He glanced over at Sherlock as if to say Remind me again why you thought that this would be a good idea but held his tongue. "If we could all focus on the dead body?" he said calmly. "Jim is here to help. So no shooting him." Dean grumbled but put his gun away.

"Your friends are batshit, Claire," he told the blonde with a sigh.

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reasonbackward
2010-10-09 09:03 pm UTC (link)

"Quite. Jim is more of an Adam Worth than a Hannibal Lector. Or any other potentially fictionialized murderer or well publicized criminal," Sherlock said, taking the pen and having surmised that it wasn't John that handed it to him upon hearing the click of Dean readying his weapon to fire, glanced over his shoulder towards the other genius in the room.

"The smart ones rarely get caught. Back entrance, I'm guessing? Good. You've just cut my work in half," He said, taking the gloves with only a hint of surprise and a touch of gratitude as he pulled them on and carefully maneuverer the corpse, prying back his pocket with the dull end of the pen so that he could extract the man's wallet. Flipping through the folds of the wallet, Sherlock quirked an eyebrow. "Full and intact. Hardly a robbery gone wrong, but," He said, flipping the wallet back for Jim and John to see. All of the card slots were well worn and yet, empty at the same time. "Whoever placed him here was intelligent enough to remove any means of identification the police would normally use."

Tossing the wallet aside as if it didn't matter (it didn't anymore, there wasn't anything else that could be gotten from it), Sherlock summoned both of his colleagues (it was weird, thinking of Moriarty in those terms) before turning his attention to John first. Possibly to irk Jim over having to wait his turn when his deductions would obviously be more brilliant. Possibly to reassure John that he wasn't going to be forgotten in all of this. More likely a little of both. "Opinions, doctor?"

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goallbuffyonus
2010-10-16 10:27 pm UTC (link)

Jim Moriarty was standing in her store.

Of all of the things Claire had half-expected to happen in what was already a pretty crazy night, a sociopathic serial killer showing up and discussing the murder with Sherlock was not one of them. Hell, part of her had half-expected him to be the killer. Or responsible for the killing, at the very least. Yet if he was here, she had a hard time believing that was the case. Not when he felt compelled to tell the truth, at least.

Blinking once, Claire glanced to Dean first. She opened her mouth to argue but, really, what was she going to say? They were pretty crazy. This whole thing was crazy. Closing her mouth, she settled for sighing and a shrug. "As long as they figure out why there's a dead body in my storage room, I'm past caring," she finally stated.

And with that, she stood back to watch while doing her best to stay out of the way.

Jim, for his part, seem wholly unaffected by the conversation taking place around him. He'd barely paid Dean's gun more than a cursory glance, his expression one that all but screamed 'You really are a simpleton, aren't you?', then took a step toward the body.

He had expected Sherlock to ask for John's opinion first. It was one way of ensuring the man knew he wouldn't be overlooked. It was also completely pointless, and a very emotional thing to do, but he managed to keep his thoughts on the matter to himself. It wasn't easy and involved biting his cheek until he tasted blood, but he was able to somewhat distract himself by doing his own once-over of the corpse before turning his attention to the room itself.

One door leading in and out, presumably locked at the time yet with no clear signs of forced entry. One dead body, blunt trauma to the skull being the likely cause of death. With gloves already on, Jim crouched on the other side of the dead man. Glancing once to John, waiting for the doctor to speak, Jim's gaze slowly fell back to the corpse. Bruising could be seen on the surface of the skin in various spots that weren't covered by clothing. All caused after the death itself.

Curiouser and curiouser.

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hisbestman
2010-10-16 10:49 pm UTC (link)

John hadn't expected Sherlock to ask his opinions. With Jim along, he'd assumed his role would be mainly to play audience to Sherlock's genius. It wasn't that he thought he was unimportant, or that Sherlock underestimated his intelligence, but he hardly thought they actually needed his input to figure the case out. Still, it was oddly gratifying for Sherlock to ask him, and he gave his friend a small, pleased smile as he pulled on his gloves.

"The cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma to the skull," he told Sherlock as he looked over the body. He said 'appears', because he'd learned not to take things at face value with Sherlock. While the head wound was certainly severe enough to be fatal, there was always the possibility that something else had actually killed him. "The source of the head trauma is...hard to say...the damage is consistent with a fall rather than contact with a blunt instrument...but it doesn't seem quite...right." He was quiet a moment. "The majority of the other bruising seems to be post-mortem, likely from whenever the individual who placed him here moved him."

"That's really all I have," he said. "I'll leave the clever deductions to the pair of you." He was much better with living patients than dead ones.

Dean, meanwhile, kept his focus mainly on Jim. He didn't care if the guy had turned over a new leaf and was saving puppies and helping old ladies across the street. He'd put his wife-type-person in danger and had shot his son's girlfriend. He'd be happy to shoot him and be done with it.

"Fine, fine," he told Claire, just quiet enough for her to hear. "But if he goes all fava beans and a nice chianti on us, I'm reserving the right to say I told you so...just so you know." He tightened his arm a little around her, feeling his protective instincts kicking up. Between this and Azazel, he was pretty convinced the city was trying to give him a heart attack.

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reasonbackward
2010-10-18 04:30 am UTC (link)

"Hmmm," Was Sherlock's response to John's deductions. He was getting better, certainly. He had noticed, at least, the inconsistencies in all of it even though he had kept his thoughts vague like many people did for fear of making an incorrect assumption. But no matter. They would have that worked out of him eventually. "Some of the bruises, yes. But as there are no discernible markings to show how he was brought in," Sherlock said mostly to himself, twisting up the man's sleeve to make note of the various and sundry specks of dust and dirt that littered the garment from simple everyday wear.

"What do you think?" Sherlock asked, glancing across the body at Jim. It was good to get feedback from others, and while he usually only enlisted advice when he was out of his own depths, at the moment, Sherlock felt that he could make an exception in the matter. Right now, he just really wanted to know if Jim was as good at dissecting crimes as he was at constructing them.

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crimeconsultant
2010-10-25 03:34 am UTC (link)

Discernible markings on the body? No. There weren't any of those. However there were markings to be found. You simply had to know where to look. So as John began to offer his very professional, very medical, very mundane opinion, Jim rose back to his feet and began to turn slowly in a circle as his gaze darted about the room. Silently, systematically, he began to take inventory.

Bent shelf edging. Scuff marks along the opposite wall. A handful of cracked film covers lying scattered on the floor diagonally from the scuffs. And finally, a section of paint that was nearly rubbed away along the last wall - nearly the entire length of it, in fact. Lips quirking upward and hands resting in the pockets of his suit, Jim moved toward the last clue. He side-stepped around Dean and Claire, head tilting a bit to the side as he drew closer to the markings.

"I think," he spoke slowly, drawing out the words as he glanced over his shoulder at Sherlock. "We're in need of a ladder."

"A ladder?" Claire spoke up, confusion evident on her face. She frowned at Dean and John, then to Sherlock, before looking to Jim.

"Yes," Jim replied with a mild shrug of his shoulders. "However else are we to reach that?" He pointed to the small skylight above them, hands once more returning to his pockets. His body language was casual but his eyes shone brightly with obvious enjoyment at the situation.

"It is the way the body was placed in this room. I imagine it might hold a bit of interest for us."

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reasonbackward
2010-10-25 06:51 am UTC (link)

"Yes," Sherlock said, catching Jim's gaze. He'd noticed all of the things that looked out of place, that, to anyone else, probably would have just seemed to be normal wear and tear on the shop or just the matter of customer clumsiness. But he saw more, a pattern that Jim had clearly picked up on as well. Tightening his scarf around his neck, Sherlock spared a glance back towards John and over at Dean.

"I do believe we are. If you two of you could go and fetch one," Sherlock said, turning his attention back to Jim to catch his attention. A ladder was all well and good for investigating, but the murderer had to have gotten to the roof some other way, outside the shop, and they needed to find that path as well. "I'll be back."

Stepping over the body, Sherlock didn't spare anyone else a glance has he headed towards the back of the store and out the back door, closing it behind him and casting his gaze upwards. The answer was out here somewhere, and he was going to find it.

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