Mummy Trouble pt 3
Pt 1: https://katerbees.tumblr.com/post/166628564690/mummy-trouble-sherlolly-halloween Pt 2: https://katerbees.tumblr.com/post/166662829240/mummy-trouble-ch-2
Sherlock and Molly go to the Tomb to investigate the break in, or was it in fact a break out?
This one goes fluff, plot, fluff.
Ch 3
Molly sat her weekend bag down on the bed and grabbed a loose flowing long skirt, white blouse, and sensible shoes. She couldn’t believe they were going to enter a Tomb that was thousands of years old. And it had only recently been discovered. She and Sherlock were going to be some of the first people to be allowed in.
Molly beamed as she took her outfit to the bathroom to change. As she did so she noticed Sherlock had already stripped into his boxer briefs. Molly tried not to stare. The man had no shame. Such good shape. How. He doesn’t even work out. Genetics? No. Mycroft was prone to weight gain. Stop staring.“
Molly,” Sherlock looked up at her, fiddling with his pants and belt.
I’ve been caught. So much for playing it cool.
“Could you please check to see if there’s a coffee maker in the bathroom.” He put the slacks on; a cotton blend.
“Of course.” Molly forced out. Nope. He didn’t even notice. Of course he didn’t. Bollocks. Get it together Molly. You are a grown woman. A doctor. You have seen Sherlock indisposed before. She walked into the bathroom, found a coffee maker and prepped it. She changed into her warm weather clothing and exited, “Coffee’s ready Sherlock.”
“Thank you.” Sherlock, still shirtless, brushed past her and into the bathroom. Molly’s cheeks flared. He had to be doing this on purpose. Prat.
“Coffee, Molly?” his smooth voice called from behind her, holding a take-away cup and holding the small carafe.
“No thanks. Hurry up and put a shirt on, we haven’t got all day.” Molly quipped as she began to pack her backpack.
“Coffee is important Molly. Unless you’d rather I track down some cocaine. It would work much faster.”
“Nope. Drink that coffee Sherlock, but put a damn shirt on.” Molly put her backpack over her shoulders.
“I don’t want to spill coffee on it. I only packed two shirts.”
“I’ll be in the lobby.”
Had she turned around she would have seen a huge grin on Sherlock’s face.
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A taxi took them across the Nile to the Valley of the Kings. Dr. Najjar was waiting for them. A security checkpoint with two armed guards had been placed 25 feet in front of the tomb. The entrance to the tomb was guarded by another security officer.
“Dr. Najjar.” Sherlock greeted. “was this security in place during the incident?”
“Prior to the break in, there was only a guard at the entrance. Now we have additional security out here, badge checks here and at the door. Only authorized museum staff and Antiquities staff are allowed in. So far only 6 people. Myself, Dr. Rahal, and our support staff.” Dr. Najjar walked up to the checkpoint, handed his badge to the guard, then handed him two more and spoke to the guard in Arabic. The guard looked at Sherlock and Molly, looked at the two badges and nodded at them to continue.
“Here you go, security badges for the two of you to have access to the tomb while the investigation is underway.”
“How many guards were assigned to the door of the tomb?” Sherlock asked as they covered the expanse between the checkpoint and the entrance.
“Two. The one who was on duty that night swears he only left his post once to relieve himself and was only gone for two minutes. He didn’t hear anything unusual from out here. And there is no way someone could have done what was done in two minutes.”
“Indeed.” Sherlock responded raising his eyebrows.They reached the last security guard and their badges were investigated. The guard took his time, studying each pass, surely showing off since the project director was here, Sherlock thought. He returned their badges to them.
Dr. Najjar distributed headlamps to Sherlock and Molly and they entered the tomb.What first struck Molly was how cold it felt all of a sudden. The air outside had been at least 100 degrees, yet in the Tomb she was downright chilly. The air was musty and smelled old. It also had a smell that she recognized yet couldn’t quite put her finger on for now. It also smelled like old paper.
Sherlock was making mental notes on how much time it took them to reach the inner chamber from the front door and how much noise their footfalls were making.As they approached the inner part of the tomb, they noticed a light coming from inside.
“Ah, Dr. Rahal must already be here.” Dr. Najjar said to them.The three of them entered the chamber. It was 15 feet by 12 feet. The walls were covered in hieroglyphics. Many pictures still had coloring to them since they had been so well preserved from the elements. Looking away from the walls, Sherlock observed there was crime tape surrounding certain parts of it, tables had been set up for preserving evidence and sorting artifacts, and in the middle of the room was the sarcophagus with a square cordoned off in front of it. Markings were drawn in the dirt on the ground.
Sherlock moved his gaze to a woman sitting at one of the tables, cataloging evidence. She was in her early 40’s, well dressed, and comfortable in this environment. She had not seemed disturbed at all when they entered the room, nor did she seem ill at ease even though a crime had been committed here a few nights ago.Dr. Najjar cleared his throat. “Dr. Rahal, the investigators have arrived.”
Dr. Rahal turned her head. “Hello.” She leaned heavily onto the table as she got up, reaching for a solid black cane that had been blending in with the dark tomb. She walked over to greet them. “I am Dr. Heba Rahal. Forensic archaeologist and Senior Director of Excavation on this project.” She stuck her hand out to greet Molly.
“Dr. Molly Hooper, Forensic Pathologist” Molly shook her hand, “And of course, this Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective.” Molly gestured to the man at her side.
“Dr. Rahal.” Sherlock gave a small nod and shook her hand.
“I am cataloging the small pieces we found on chest #4 at the moment. I look forward to you all getting to the bottom of this so I can move on to more exciting things than cataloging a deceased person’s rock collection.” She gave them a smile. “Everything that I really can’t wait to get my hand on is currently considered evidence.” Dr. Rahal gestured to the center of the room.
Sherlock moved over to the edge of the police tape. Mollly Followed.“Doctors. What language is this?” Sherlock inquired.
“Coptic.” Dr. Rahal responded. “Clearly it wasn’t there when we discovered the Tomb, we found it the morning of the suspected break in. Or if you believe the local gossip, the break out, “She rolled her eyes.
“What does it say?” Molly asked.
“Beloved. Renew. Rise.” Dr. Najjar responded, standing in the doorway. “It’s quite unsettling. And disrespectful. They vandalized a tomb and a location of extreme historical significance.”
Sherlock was studying the writing with a magnifying glass.
“Right well the writing itself is an issue. But has anyone else inspected the body yet? I’ve seen the report on the tissue samples but I would like to investigate them for myself.” Molly asserted.“
Not yet, we wanted to leave everything as close to how we found it once we realized the scope of what had happened.” Dr. Rahal responded, moving back to sit down. “I took the tissue samples myself, however it was my husband who did the labwork on them. We frequently collaborate on projects such as this.”
Molly chewed on her lip. She would need to see the samples herself to really believe it, and even then there was a potential chain of custody issue that would need to be investigated.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Dr. Najjar’s voice cut through Molly’s thought pattern. She looked around in confusion. Sherlock was wiping away the Coptic writing, tearing down the police tape.
“I’ve seen all I need to. In order to make any progress I need Molly to examine the body and I need to interview the guards. Everything else is a waste of time and a distraction.” He quickly said as he erased the remnants of the last word.
“That could have been a message!” Dr. Najjar yelled without thinking.
“From a mummy?” Sherlock gestured to the sarcophagus. “A 3000 year old Mummy. It got up and wrote us a note. How thoughtful. Come now Doctor. You are a man of science. There is no way you believe that this corpse has actually come to life. That some writing on the floor raised it from the dead. No.” Sherlock moved to be closer to the body. “This is the work of a person . The writing is a ruse. The mummy is a distraction. We just need to figure out what from.” Sherlock was eye to eye with the sarcophagus now, fingers steepled and eyeing it intently.
“Of course Mr. Holmes. However, the tissue samples don’t lie.” Dr. Rahal responded from her cataloging station.Sherlock didn’t respond to that. He wasn’t sure how someone had slipped living samples into the hospital, and he wasn’t about to accuse her husband yet without even meeting the man.
“Indeed.”He turned back to Dr. Najjar. “When can Molly see the body?”
“We can have our team assemble here tomorrow morning and move the body to the morgue at the hospital.”
“Really? It can’t be any sooner?” Sherlock questioned.
“Well Mr. Holmes, as you have so illustriously pointed out, It’s not like it’s going anywhere any time soon is it?” Dr. Najjar responded. Proud of his witty comeback, he turned and moved to leave. “I’ll be outside when you are ready to leave.” Sherlock took one last sweeping look around the tomb and followed him.
Molly was still studying the sarcophagus when Dr. Rahal spoke.“It’s so wonderful meeting another female scientist. And another forensic specialist.” She smiled at Molly,.
Molly turned and returned the gesture.“Yes. It’s definitely a male-dominated field. This is all so interesting. How often do you find new tombs?”
“Complete intact ones are rare. This is only my third tomb, and the first one I’ve been the director of. Of course with my luck, it’s got the haunted Mummy that we’ve heard all about from Hollywood.” She gave a small laugh.
“Well, I’m sure Sherlock will figure it out quickly. Honestly, he’s probably already got it figured out and just needs to confirm one or two things. He’s the best at these sorts of things.” Molly reassured her.
“I hope so. I want to get back to cataloging and get to the exciting parts of the tomb.”
“I’m sure we will have you elbow deep in tomb in no time! I’m going to go ahead and head on out. It was great to meet you.Always a pleasure to meet another lady who hangs out with dead bodies all day.” The women smiled at each other and returned to their respective jobs.
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Sherlock and Molly were sitting at one of the restaurant’s hotels. Molly was enjoying her curry while Sherlock had only ordered tea.
“Are you sure you don’t want any? This is delicious.” Molly asked while scarfing down her food.
“I never eat while I’m on a case.” Sherlock reminded her.
“I think you’re secretly just a picky eater and won’t eat because they don’t have any chips.” Molly replied.
“Hmm. Well, the mystery will remain alive for another night I suppose.“ He responded dryly.
“Any theories?” Molly asked between bites
“5. However none can be confirmed until you perform your autopsy tomorrow. Start with tissue samples to confirm they match the ones that were submitted with the report and then go from there.”
“Got it. Are one of those theories that a mummy has been brought back from the dead by some cryptic Coptic writing and a spell?” Molly asked, giving him a teasing smile.
“Oh Molly. If I thought it was that, would I let you examine the crazed mummy’s body?” Sherlock winked at her.
Was he flirting? What. What was that.
“Huh. I suppose not. A dead pathologist isn’t very useful” Molly replied.
“Not at all.” Sherlock responded.
Maybe not.
They returned to their room on the thirteenth floor.
“Alright, so I think it would be much more comfortable for the two of us if you slept on the couch.” Molly said, trying to really sell it to him.
Sherlock screwed up his face, “How the hell would a couch be more comfortable than that?” he gestured to the beautiful fluffy bed, covered in bamboo linens.
“I didn’t mean physically.” Molly responded, carrying pillows and a blanket over to the couch.
“No. No one is sleeping on that abomination.” Sherlock responded, unpacking his toiletries.
“I don’t want to sleep in bed with you!” Molly yelled across the room as Sherlock walked into the bathroom.
“Oh Molly.” Sherlock responded with an almost wicked grin, “lying does not suit you.”
She felt her face catching on fire. This man. Why. Why did I think this was a good idea.
She marched into the bathroom. “It’s one night, just sleep on the damn couch.” Sherlock was brushing his teeth. He rolled his eyes at her. Molly found herself struck at how human Sherlock Holmes looked. In the bathroom. Brushing his teeth. Molly started to swoon a bit. She used to have daydreams that she and Sherlock lived together and would do fun things together, but also the nice normal boring things about a relationship. Things like brushing your teeth together at night and falling asleep next to each other. She snapped out of it. Brat. Brat brat brat.
He rinsed his mouth out. “You feel free to sleep on that torture decide masquerading as a sleeper, however I will not feel sorry for you one bit when you spend the rest of the trip complaining about how your back and shoulders hurt.” He dried his face on the towel and took off his shirt.
Molly shoved him out the bathroom , shut the door, and began to get ready for bed. She dressed in one of her old Uni t-shirts and some cotton shorts. She took out her contacts, brushed her teeth, and headed to the occupied bed. Sherlock was thumbing through his phone, paying her no attention.She grabbed a book and her glasses on her way to bed, got under the covers, and turned on her reading light. Don’t look at him. Maintain your eyes on this book.“
Molly” Sherlock said softly in that deep smooth voice.
Oh God.“Hmm?”
“Read to me.” He asked. He had put his phone away and was laying facing her. His curls spilling into his face, his mouth relaxed.
Shit.“It’s not exactly high literature Sherlock.” Molly responded. “It’s a beach book. An easy read for vacations.”
“We’re kind of on vacation”
Molly laughed. He could be so normal sometimes.“I guess we are.”
“Please.” He asked again.
“Why would you want me to read this to you?” Molly asked, daring herself to look at him.
“My mind races all day long. Sometimes I don’t sleep for days because it won’t let me. If I have something to focus on, like your voice, it helps me to calm down.”
Molly smiled. She had never noticed that, but now that she remembered, on occasion she had audio books playing while she was at Sherlock’s flat while he was detoxing. He would always fall asleep whenever she played them. She thought it was because he hated the books she listened to. But now it made more sense.
“Ok.” Molly began to read the book out loud, Sherlock fell asleep within minutes and it took every ounce of control for her to not run her fingers through his hair so she could just once know what it would feel like. Don’t be a creep Molly. Go to sleep. But there was no one there to help her take her mind off the fact that she was in fact lying in bed with a man that she had been in love with for years.
She tossed and turned. She rolled over onto her side to check the time on her phone. She sighed and put it face down. At that moment, she felt Sherlock’s arm flail over her. Molly felt her face getting warm. And the rest of her. She could feel the heat of Sherlock’s body very near to her. He was like a human furnace. Calm down Molly! Oh well. Might as well enjoy it. She wasn’t a creep if she wasn’t the one going around touching a sleeping person. Molly fell asleep at last, savoring the weight of Sherlock’s arm on her body. Little did she know that Sherlock had been waiting the entire time for her to roll over.
@holidaysat221b