Seeing Sherlock Moriarty take the initiative and approach, Lorne hurried after him.
Following the muffled sobs, they reached the depths of an even more secluded alley. In the dim light, they made out two figures.
One was a middle-aged woman whose face was lined with wrinkles, her skin rough and peeling from years of labor. The other was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen in a shabby dress, crouching helplessly on the ground, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.
"It was me-it was all my fault-I didn't keep an eye on her-"
"I shouldn't have brought her down this alley-then Daisy wouldn't have-" The girl choked on her words, her voice full of self-reproach.
At that, the middle-aged woman put away her grief and snarled at the girl, "What are you crying for? Get back and wash the clothes!"
"Do you want to go hungry? Do you want to lose even your chance to attend the free school?!"
Only after she finished shouting did she notice the two strangers who had appeared at the mouth of the alley.
"Who are you? What do you want?!" The middle-aged woman immediately grew wary. She stepped forward, shielding her daughter behind her as she demanded an answer.
"Ma'am, we mean no harm." Before Lorne could speak, Klein stepped forward, took off his hat, and said gently, "We heard cries and thought someone might need help, so we came over to check."
"We don't need any help!" the middle-aged woman said loudly, clearly distrustful of the two men.
"Has someone gone missing?" Lorne suddenly asked, breaking the deadlock.
"How did you know?" The middle-aged woman froze, surprise flashing across her face.
"Because a lot of people have gone missing in the East Borough lately," Lorne said calmly and confidently.
He glanced at Klein