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stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote2025-06-25 02:43 pm
stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote2025-06-25 02:43 pm
Entry tags:
Yahtzee Roll #6: Fill 4: Too many clocks, not enough time
Title: Too many clocks, not enough time
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Pairing: Stella Hopkins/Sally Donovan
Rating: Gen
Length: 400
Prompt:
Summary: A death at a nursing home leaves Sally with more questions than answers.
Sally’s heart sank when she saw the empty wheelchair.
“She went peacefully in the night,” said Ella Zielinksy. “Heart.”
“I’m sorry to heart that,” said Sally and meant it. “I understand she has a surviving twin sister.”
“Yes.” Ms. Zielinksy seemed startled that Sally knew this.
“I’d like to offer my condolences if I may.”
Ms. Zielinsky opened her mouth as if to protest or offer an excuse but said,
“Of course.”
--
Sally knocked softly on the open door, aware that Ms. Zielinsky was directly behind her, watching and
listening.
“Hello?”
The old lady was facing away from Sally, and she had a woolly scarf round her head.
“My name is Sally Donovan. I’m sorry for your loss. I spoke with your sister last week. She was a smart lady.”
“Not smart enough to fool death!” There was a high-pitched cackle. “What has a beating heart, a face and two hands but no fingers?”
Sally looked round the room. The old lady collected…
“Clocks.”
“Yes, that’s right. How clever you are!”
Sally stepped to the left. She was feigning interest in a neat cross-stitch sampler which was framed and hung on the wall, but she was actually looking into the reflection of the well-polished glass and noting the face framed in the woolly scarf, a face which bore absolutely no resemblance to that of the person she had been told was Heather Badcock.
--
“Five clocks,” said Sally into her telephone. “And they all told different times, and none of them was the correct time. Eight fifteen. Ten ten. Nine fifteen. Six. Six five. And there was a wristwatch propped up on a dresser. I couldn’t read the time on it.”
“Were they analog clocks?” asked Stella.
“Yes.”
“You mentioned something about sailors, didn’t you?”
“Did I?”
“If they were semaphoric code, they’d spell out M-U-R-D-E—oh, Sally, it’s my Aunt Dolly. I’d better take this.”
“Stella!”
--
“Stella?”
“Are you okay, Aunt Dolly?”
“I’m fine. I’m just letting you know you left your diary here, silly girl.”
“Oh.” Stella was drawing a blank. Diary?
“I’m surprised. You usually aren’t so careless. You usually keep your valuables under lock and key, but I think you’ll want to pick it up as soon as possible.”
The penny dropped. “I’m on my way, Aunt Dolly. Are you in danger?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. Time is on my side. And a few other things.”
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Pairing: Stella Hopkins/Sally Donovan
Rating: Gen
Length: 400
Prompt:
Summary: A death at a nursing home leaves Sally with more questions than answers.
Sally’s heart sank when she saw the empty wheelchair.
“She went peacefully in the night,” said Ella Zielinksy. “Heart.”
“I’m sorry to heart that,” said Sally and meant it. “I understand she has a surviving twin sister.”
“Yes.” Ms. Zielinksy seemed startled that Sally knew this.
“I’d like to offer my condolences if I may.”
Ms. Zielinsky opened her mouth as if to protest or offer an excuse but said,
“Of course.”
--
Sally knocked softly on the open door, aware that Ms. Zielinsky was directly behind her, watching and
listening.
“Hello?”
The old lady was facing away from Sally, and she had a woolly scarf round her head.
“My name is Sally Donovan. I’m sorry for your loss. I spoke with your sister last week. She was a smart lady.”
“Not smart enough to fool death!” There was a high-pitched cackle. “What has a beating heart, a face and two hands but no fingers?”
Sally looked round the room. The old lady collected…
“Clocks.”
“Yes, that’s right. How clever you are!”
Sally stepped to the left. She was feigning interest in a neat cross-stitch sampler which was framed and hung on the wall, but she was actually looking into the reflection of the well-polished glass and noting the face framed in the woolly scarf, a face which bore absolutely no resemblance to that of the person she had been told was Heather Badcock.
--
“Five clocks,” said Sally into her telephone. “And they all told different times, and none of them was the correct time. Eight fifteen. Ten ten. Nine fifteen. Six. Six five. And there was a wristwatch propped up on a dresser. I couldn’t read the time on it.”
“Were they analog clocks?” asked Stella.
“Yes.”
“You mentioned something about sailors, didn’t you?”
“Did I?”
“If they were semaphoric code, they’d spell out M-U-R-D-E—oh, Sally, it’s my Aunt Dolly. I’d better take this.”
“Stella!”
--
“Stella?”
“Are you okay, Aunt Dolly?”
“I’m fine. I’m just letting you know you left your diary here, silly girl.”
“Oh.” Stella was drawing a blank. Diary?
“I’m surprised. You usually aren’t so careless. You usually keep your valuables under lock and key, but I think you’ll want to pick it up as soon as possible.”
The penny dropped. “I’m on my way, Aunt Dolly. Are you in danger?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. Time is on my side. And a few other things.”