Walking with the Dead [Sherlock Holmes]

[1]

From a young age, Velma Hill had the gift of second sight. She could sense the presence of ghosts in the air, and sometimes they would inexplicably drag her along to experience events from their own point of view.

At first, all she saw were bits of gossip and secrets, or scenery invisible to the naked eye. Velma treated it as free sightseeing, and figured it was no big deal as long as it did not interfere with her life.

But her peaceful life was completely changed when she began hearing screams and sounds of struggle.

At the end of the twentieth century, crime rates in Britain soared, and murders became commonplace. The Times was filled with horrifying reports of cases and safety warnings. Scotland Yard was severely understaffed, and many investigations made no progress at all.

After three female corpses turned up in succession with no clues to be found, they gained the case's first eyewitness:

And... a private detective?

[2]

The first time Sherlock Holmes met Velma Hill, he knew she was lying.

The pale-faced lady claimed a murder had taken place somewhere, but Sherlock could deduce through elementary deduction that she had never been there.

So how had she "witnessed" it?

As a somewhat famous private detective who had solved quite a few cases in America, Sherlock returned to his hometown only to be reprimanded by the local police for obstructing their work. How was that fair?

With a stern expression, he pointed to a muddy patch at the crime scene. "I'm afraid it is your men who are obstructing the investigation, Inspector."

Lestrade looked at the jumble of footprints in the mud, and his face immediately darkened.

[3]

After officially becoming a consulting detective for the British police, Velma Hill no longer had to work three jobs a day. She was granted a special exemption from inheritance tax and returned to the old Hill family home.

Just as she thought she would be spending her time helping solve crimes, a childhood friend came back to London, travel-weary, and knocked on the door of the Hill home.

James Moriarty was dressed in ragged clothes. The moment he saw Velma open the door, he fainted right there on the doorstep.

"Oh, thank goodness it's you! I've been framed by a scoundrel. I'm penniless, and someone's trying to kill me. Velma, can you help me?"

Sherlock Holmes is the romantic pairing.

The story is set after 1975, not in the original canon setting. I've already written a story with the canon setting, haha, so I wanted to try another era!

The ages of the canon characters have been changed considerably. Sherlock and Moriarty are the same age.

There may be holes and bugs in the mysteries. I'm not a professional, but I really did my best! Any OOC is on me! Just have fun reading.

Theme: Grow through adversity and protect the people you want to protect.