Free Doctor Who by Kate Orman Page B

Holmes had Irene Adler show him where the letters were hidden by making her think her house was on fire.’
    The stickers on the locker said HAZCHEM BIOHAZARD EXPLOSIVE CORROSIVE OXIDIZER CONTAINMENT ONE. Peri tugged gingerly on the cabinet’s handle, but it was securely locked. ‘You’d better see if you can open it.’
    Bob stared at the lock in embarrassment. ‘I can only do doors,’ he said.
    â€˜Well, what are we going to do?’ hissed Peri.
    Bob put his hands on either side of the squat locker and tried shaking it. Peri jumped back. There was a distinct rattle as something slid around inside the metal box.
    â€˜Hey, it’s light,’ said Bob. ‘Give me a hand here.’
    Peri got her hands under one end of the cabinet while Bob hefted the other. Awkwardly, they stood, balancing the near-empty locker between them.
    â€˜Let’s go,’ said Bob.
    They half-ran across the concrete floor, trying not to lose their grip on the box, and scuttled up the stairs like a pair of crabs.
    Moments later they were outside, behind the building. ‘Wait!’ hissed Peri. ‘There’s no way we can lug this thing three blocks without somebody noticing!’
    â€˜You’re right,’ said Bob. They carefully lowered the box to the ground. ‘You stay here, I’ll get the car.’
    He jogged off, leaving her standing behind their stolen goods.Peri looked around. There was nowhere in particular to hide. She settled for squatting down beside the cabinet, her head sweeping from side to side as she checked again and again for cameras or guards or an axe-wielding hacker.
    They stuffed the cabinet into the back seat of Bob’s car and slowly, calmly drove behind the buildings until they got out onto the main road.
    â€˜I’m pretty sure no-one’s following us,’ said Bob, five minutes later. ‘And no sirens. We’ve got away with it, scot-free.’
    Peri burst into tears.
----
    1 I have omitted the details of some of the Doctor’s methods to avoid encouraging would-be hackers – although this information is readily available if you know where to look.

40
One
    PERI APOLOGISED TO Bob about fifteen times for her brief session of sobbing in his car. He reassured her about fifteen times that it was no big deal, they were all under a lot of stress. Bob was acutely aware that he didn’t know what to do with a weeping woman. He concentrated on driving back to his house.
    The Doctor was waiting for them on Bob’s sofa with a copy of Kliban’s
Cat
in his lap and a pair of bifocals perched on his nose. (I was sitting on a wooden chair, watching TV.) ‘What have we here?’ he asked, standing up.
    â€˜Oh, Doctor,’ said Peri, enormously relieved. They exchanged a hug. She’s about chest height on him, seems tiny standing beside him. So do I, really. He takes up a lot of space, not just because he’s a big man: he moves around a lot, he fills the air with words and gestures. He’s the focal point of any room he’s in.
    Bob stared at him for about thirty seconds. Before he could say anything, the Doctor said, ‘Do you remember that thing I told you could happen?’ Bob nodded mutely. ‘Well, it happened.’
    â€˜No, man,’ said Bob. ‘I mean, your
suit
.’
    Peri exploded. ‘Where have you been all this time? Why all the secrecy? Why’d you rush off like that? I didn’t know if you were alive or dead!’
    â€˜Desperate expediency, I’m afraid.’
    â€˜Oh, what’s that supposed to mean?’
    The Doctor said, ‘I’m sure that even you noticed therestaurant we visited was more than it seemed to be. It acts as a meeting place and message drop for . . . unusual people.’
    â€˜You could’ve at least left me a note,’ whinged Peri.
    â€˜The people I’m working with barely gave me enough time to catch my breath!’