6. Flight Risk

Complete story — includes the ending

A small plane crashed on a beach, killing all four aboard. Sherlock deduces that one of them was murdered beforehand by the lack of bleeding. Sand was put into the fuel tank to disable the plane's engine, and the murder victim walked in on the perpetrator at work. His corpse was then stuffed in the cargo hold, which caused a weight imbalance and the subsequent premature crash, on land instead of water. Evidence points to another pilot at the same company who is smuggling cocaine, but the real murderer is the company's owner, who is also involved in the smuggling. Joan is invited to dinner by Sherlock's father. However, Sherlock warns her his father will not show up, based on his own experience. Joan meets a man claiming to be Sherlock's father, but realizes he is an impostor when he asks her how sex is with Sherlock. She later tracks down Alistair Moore, an actor and friend of Sherlock named Alistair, to learn more about Sherlock's past, as Sherlock refuses to divulge anything. Alistair knows little, but Sherlock once visited him while high, barely able to speak, and muttered the name Irene. Joan asks Sherlock about her.