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A Study in Partnership	By : LadyLaran Category: S through Z > Sherlock (BBC) > Sherlock (BBC) Views: 4967 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own "Sherlock" as that belongs to the BBC. Nor do I make money from this!

Chapter List
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Author’s Note – I am so ecstatic at the reception this tale is getting. I wasn’t sure if anyone would like it, and the response has been so overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to all my readers who have taken the time to review and let me know their thoughts!
To Dani H, your review was so very uplifting. I really hope you enjoy OleanderHoney’s female John stories; she’s really an inspiration and an incredible writer. That you like the direction Johanna is going in regards to her character development means a lot. I didn’t want an exact cookie cutter of John, and it pleases me to know everyone likes her!
Disclaimer – I do not own “Sherlock” nor do I make money from this story. I just delight in tormenting the characters.
Chapter Five – Pink!
The ride to the crime scene was quiet for the most part; Johanna knew that Sherlock was quite possibly preparing himself to face whatever it was they were going to find. She was somewhat doing the same, knowing that death was never easy for anyone to face and being a doctor had not made that any less difficult for her. The short haired blond had been a damned good surgeon who had cared very much for the patient under her hands, and Johanna had struggled with losing a life under her care. Her time in the military had not changed that about her.
The cab soon stopped and Johanna emerged from the vehicle, steadying herself while Sherlock paid the driver. She looked around, noticing the crime scene tape marking off one specific building in particular. There were quite a few people, either in uniform or in the blue suits that the forensic teams used, moving around the area.
“Ready, doctor,” the detective asked, standing beside her. His voice was calm despite the line of energy that seemed to make his frame tremble just a bit.
“You’re welcome to call me Johanna,” she told him in reply. “Yes, I’m ready. Let’s see what’s going on here.”
The two walked side by side, Sherlock pacing himself for her limp and shorter stride. She was grateful for that, knowing she did have a longer stride for someone of her height thanks to the marching she’d done during her time with the military. The limp slowed her down, much to her frustration.
“Hello, Freak,” a voice called out, dragging the physician from her thoughts. Her eyes narrowed when she heard the insult the female had used to address her flatmate.
“Good evening, Sargent Donovan,” Sherlock greeted smoothly, ignoring the word the policewoman had called him.
“Why are you here then,” Donovan asked, looking at the man with loathing in her eyes.
“I’m here to see the crime scene,” the consulting detective answered, remaining calm.
“Why?”
“I was invited,” Sherlock told her, remaining passive as he did so. “Detective Inspector Lestrade asked for me personally.”
“Why,” she asked, making Johanna seriously question the woman’s intelligence as well as her obedience to her superior officers.
“You should ask Lestrade,” Sherlock answered, somehow remaining patient.
“Freak’s here, bringing him up,” Donovan called into her radio before lifting the crime scene tape.
Sherlock ducked under it, waiting for Johanna. Once the blond haired woman attempted to cross, the Sargent frowned and stopped her.
“Who’s this then?”
“A colleague who has graciously donated her spare time to assist me on this case,” he said smoothly.
“A colleague,” she asked, sneering at him. “How does someone like you get a colleague?”
Johanna set her teeth, itching to put the woman in her place. The lack of discipline made her inner officer snarl and cry out to be allowed to ensure this so-called police sergeant treated people with respect and not question her superior officer’s decisions. She managed to keep her tongue behind her teeth, allowing Sherlock to respond for the moment. The last thing she needed was to get into a row with this horrid woman.
“Lestrade is waiting,” he reminded her sharply, and the physician was amazed he’d been able to keep his temper in check.
Donovan shook her head, gesturing both of them to enter the crime scene. Johanna ignored her, following her flatmate to the building. There was another confrontation, this time with a scrawny male, and she clenched her fist to keep herself under control. At this rate, she was beginning to wonder if anyone in Scotland Yard had any form of discipline and decorum. The answer wasn’t looking to be a positive one.
Johanna followed him into the building, blinking when a man stopped them again. This one had a younger face, though careworn, and silver touched hair. Even though he was tired, she could see the authority and confidence he carried himself with.
“Sherlock, Dr. Watson, I’m glad you’re here,” Lestrade greeted, then attempted to hand the pair of them the forensic suits.
The surgeon frowned, watching the man don one and shaking her head. With the ache in her shoulder and limited mobility of her ankle, there simply was no way for her to put that jumpsuit on without causing a flare up in either area. Instead, she followed Sherlock’s example and pulled booties over her boots and donned a pair of nitrile gloves.
The three of them moved up the staircase, and Lestrade led them into a plain room that looked to have been empty for a very long while. There were all kinds of equipment in the room, illuminating it better for the forensics team as well as the officers on duty.
Sherlock began investigating the body, and Johanna turned her gaze to the next man that entered the room. She didn’t like this one, knowing he’d copped an attitude with her flatmate earlier.
“Rache, it’s German and means revenge. So she had to be German,” he said, sounding superior and rather snide.
“Actually, she isn’t German,” she informed him as the consulting detective turned to look at her for a moment. She caught Lestrade staring too and turned her attention to Sherlock as he closed the door in the other man’s face.
“Dr. Watson, what can you tell me about our victim,” the tall man asked and she turned to Lestrade for permission, moving only when he gestured that it was all right.
Johanna slipped into professional mode as she knelt on the floor and laid her cane to the side. She checked the woman’s hands, leaning down to see her eyes and sniff her mouth. Carefully, she pulled the sleeves of the obnoxious pink jacket up, investigating the forearms before setting the limbs down.
“What does she tell you, doctor?”
“Quite a bit actually,” the former soldier answered, reporting her findings in a clear, professional tone. “No defensive wounds so whoever brought her here and forced her into this room was controlling her through other means beyond a sharp object. Our victim shows signs of poisoning, potentially cyanide due to the faint scent of almonds present around her mouth and in the vomit beside her. Which really opens up more questions regarding these suicides.”
“What do you mean,” Lestrade asked her, ignoring the smirk on the curly haired male’s face.
“Again, there’s no sign of defensive wounds so whoever forced her into this room possibly used a firearm to control her. Knowing what I do of poison, I’d have forced the killer to shoot me over taking the poison. It takes a while to shut the body down, causing seizures as oxygen fails to reach the internal organs and the seizures are part of what asphyxiates the victim. That she was able to leave us a message while all of this happened to her speaks of her determination, which is how I know she’s not German because if it’d been me, I would have left something of note to help catch my killer.”
“Exactly,” Sherlock jumped in, sounding and looking more energetic than Lestrade had ever seen from him. He listened to the consulting detective’s deductions, scrawling the notes across the pages of his notebook. Dr. Watson’s insight had also been noted down, and the policeman had to admit that he was impressed by the woman’s observations.
Within moments, Johanna realized she’d been left in the building by her now manic flatmate and shook her head. She headed down the stairs, being careful, and disposed of the booties and gloves after emerging onto the street. A quick look around showed that Sherlock was long gone, and she knew she’d have to pay for another taxi.
“You’d be better off staying away from him,” the sergeant informed her.
“Why would that be,” the doctor asked the other woman, eyes sharp while she questioned Donovan’s comment.
“He’s a psychopath, that one. He gets off on this kind of thing, doesn’t get paid or anything. One of these days, we’re going to find Sherlock Holmes standing over a body that he’ll have put there himself.”
Johanna’s voice went crisp and authoritative, hiding the anger she felt on behalf of her flatmate.
“Have you a degree in psychology then, sergeant? A medical degree perhaps?”
“No,” she answered, sounding bewildered by the question.
“I see,” the former captain answered. “I happen to have a medical degree, sergeant, and I am very much aware of the symptoms displayed by someone with the diagnosis you’ve accused Mr. Holmes of having. In the time I’ve spent with him, he’s displayed none of them. Now I have to wonder at you being able to submit such a diagnosis without any sort of medical training in your background at all. If you jump to these kinds of conclusions, then what does that say for your police work?”
The dark skinned woman stared at her, mouth open for a moment as she tried to pull her thoughts together. The tiny female in front of her had just derailed everything, and Donovan wasn’t able to put much together to try to form a rebuttal.
“Well, now I know why he wants you around because it certainly isn’t for your looks,” she sneered. “Surprised he’d want an ugly little thing like you around.”
Johanna wasn’t thin skinned at all, having heard comments like this quite often over the years. She simply tilted her head, giving the woman a pitying look.
“At least the brains are there to be used and admired,” she said with a soft smirk. “Beauty fades but intelligence? That lasts a lifetime because respect always follows alongside that. A woman who gets by on beauty alone finds she’s alone with a lot of regrets because she’s not respected. Have a good evening, sergeant.”
Johanna strolled away, leaning lightly on her cane as she did so. It wasn’t often when she could rebut someone’s harsh comments about her looks, and it felt good to do that tonight. Her mood was high, and not even Sherlock’s disappearing act could dim that.
She hummed to herself, going to the main street to try and catch a taxi back to Baker Street. So far, it was turning out to be a fairly decent evening and the physician was interested to see if anything else would turn up by the time she made it home.
Author’s End Note – I hope the scene between Johanna and Donovan met expectations; expect more between the pair as this series goes on. Let me know what you think, ok? I’ll see everyone next chapter! ~ Laran
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A Study in Partnership