The Trio's Everyday Case-Solving

"The bomber's clues to you wouldn't be pointless distractions. Since both victims were astronomy enthusiasts, the clue in this painting should also lie somewhere in the field of astronomy."

Sitangna tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"I only have a rough guess. In fact, I have no idea what's suspicious about this painting. Sherlock is the key."

"I think you'd already deduced how the whole case unfolded, but you hadn't connected the pieces right away. I merely spotted the link between them from an outsider's perspective."

Sherlock got into the back of a police car. Sitangna pulled open the door, only to find an officer already sitting in the front. Uh-oh. She had no choice but to sit beside Sherlock in the back.

"You're clever. This is the second time you've given me a crucial hint."

Sherlock was speaking to her without turning to face her. Looking at his striking profile, Sitangna was instantly spellbound.

She didn't know if it was her imagination, but the detective seemed to know what she wanted and often used his charm to seduce her...

"Thank you for the compliment. Maybe it's because I love mystery novels. I tend to look at things using classic detective reasoning."

Sherlock smiled but said nothing, and Sitangna obediently folded her hands in her lap.

She had noticed that whenever Watson wasn't around, the atmosphere between her and Sherlock grew strange.

The girl was falling in love without realizing it, thinking herself merely obsessed with solving cases.

Sirens wailed outside, and the police cordon was already in place. With a major forgery and theft case involved, police cars soon took their group of relevant parties to the station.

Watson received a text before getting into the car. He then said he had other matters to attend to and left on his own instead of going with them.

Sitangna had no choice but to follow Sherlock to the station. Things had already come this far; she couldn't very well ask them to take her home.

After they arrived, the officers took the suspected director into an office to await Inspector Lestrade's instructions. Sitangna wasn't interested in the interrogation, so she sat in the office outside, watching the busy officers come and go as they worked.

"Hey, pretty girl, if you need a drink, there's a self-service water dispenser over there, and disposable paper cups too."

A chocolate-skinned policewoman passing by pointed it out to her. Perhaps she had seen Sitangna sitting there alone in a daze and come over to check on her.

"All right, thank you for your concern."

Sitangna happened to be a little thirsty, so she went over and poured herself a cup of hot water. She had just taken a couple of sips when someone knocked on the glass wall beside her. The muffled voice sounded a little familiar.

"Nana, pour me a cup too. Ice water."

Damn, it was Sherlock. This guy really ordered people around anytime, anywhere. Quite a while later, Sitangna brought him a cup of ice water. By the look of it, the interrogation was nearing its end.

"But we never actually contacted each other."

The director's earlier confidence had deflated. After entering the station, she had wiped off her bright lipstick and taken off her extravagant necklace. Unable to accept the inspector's accusations, she could only reveal everything she knew, hoping to lessen her guilt.

"We only passed messages to each other."

Sherlock withdrew the hand he had reached out for the water before taking it. He sensed that what the director was about to say would bring something out, likely the part that interested him most.

Seeing his expression grow serious and his posture straighten, Sitangna knew he had gone into investigation mode. She sighed softly and dutifully set the water on the table beside him, then stood to one side, leaning lightly against it.