Stranger (A Study In Pink)

Strange 'Date'

Not long afterwards, John and I catch up to Sherlock in the street and we continue down the road.
"Where are we going?" Asked John.
"Northumberland Street’s a five-minute walk from here."
"You think he’s stupid enough to go there?"
"No – I think he’s brilliant enough. I love the brilliant ones. They’re always so desperate to get caught."
"Why?"
"Appreciation! Applause! At long last the spotlight. That’s the frailty of genius, John: it needs an audience."
" Yeah."
Oblivious to the implication, Sherlock spins around to indicate the entire area as he continues down the road.
"This is his hunting ground, right here in the heart of the city. Now that we know his victims were abducted, that changes everything. Because all of his victims disappeared from busy streets, crowded places, but nobody saw them go. Think! Who do we trust, even though we don’t know them? Who passes unnoticed wherever they go? Who hunts in the middle of a crowd?"
"Dunno. Who?"
"Haven’t the faintest. Hungry?"
"Possibly a cab driver?" I mumbled behind the two. They mustn't heard me as Sherlock leads John and I onwards and into a small restaurant. The waiter near the door clearly knows him and gestures to a reserved table at the front window.
" Thank you, Billy." Sherlock thanked him.
Taking his coat off, he sits down on the bench seat at the side of the table and immediately turns sideways so that he can see clearly out of the window. As Billy takes the ‘Reserved’ sign off the table, John and I sit down on the other bench seat with our backs to the window, and takes off his jacket.
"Twenty-two Northumberland Street. Keep your eyes on it."
"He isn’t just gonna ring the doorbell, though, is he? He’d need to be mad."
" He has killed four people."
"... Okay."
"Sherlock." A man spoke as be approached us.
They shake hands.
" Anything on the menu, whatever you want, free.On the house, for you, for your date and the beautiful lady." I smiled at the man as he passed me a menu.
"Do you want to eat?" Sherlock asked the both of us.
"I’m not his date." John spoke clearly frustrated that people think that him and Sherlock are an item.
"I wouldn't mind having something light." I responded to Sherlock.
"This man got me off a murder charge."
"This is Angelo." Sherlock introduced us to him.
Angelo offers his hand to John, who shakes it. I go to do the same, but he holds my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles.
" Three years ago I successfully proved to Lestrade at the time of a particularly vicious triple murder that Angelo was in a completely different part of town, house-breaking."
" He cleared my name." He spoke looking at both of us.
"I cleared it a bit. Anything happening opposite?"
"Nothing. (He looks at John and I again.) But not for this man, I’d have gone to prison."
"You did go to prison."
"I’ll get a candle for the table. It’s more romantic for the date and gives the beautiful lady better lighting."
" I’m not his date!" John called after Angelo as he walked away.
" You may as well eat. We might have a long wait."
Angelo comes back with a small glass bowl containing a lit tea-light. He puts it onto the table and gives John a thumbs-up before turning and walking away again.
"Thanks." John responded with which caused me to laugh quietly to myself.

Later, John and I have a plate of food in front of us. Sherlock’s attention is fixed out of the window, quietly drumming his fingers on the table.
"People don’t have arch-enemies." John spoke from out of nowhere.
" I’m sorry?"
" In real life. There are no arch-enemies in real life. Doesn’t happen."
"Doesn’t it? Sounds a bit dull."
"So who did we meet?"
"What do real people have, then, in their ‘real lives’?"
" Friends; people they know; people they like; people they don’t like ... Girlfriends, boyfriends ..."
"Yes, well, as I was saying – dull."
"You don’t have a girlfriend, then?" I asked intrigued about what Sherlock Holmes thinks about.
"Girlfriend? No, not really my area." 
"Mm. Oh, right. D’you have a boyfriend?" John asked.
Sherlock looks round at him sharply.
"Which is fine, by the way." John defended.
" I know it’s fine."
"So you’ve got a boyfriend then?"
" No."
" Right. Okay. You’re unattached. Like me. (He looks down at his plate, apparently rapidly running out of things to say.) Fine. (He clears his throat.) Good."
"John, Zoe, um ... I think you should know that I consider myself married to my work, and while I’m flattered by your interests, I’m really not looking for any ..."
" No. " John and I spoke together, interrupting him. 
" No, I’m not asking. No."
"Same here. I barely know you." I added.
"I’m just saying, it’s all fine."
"Good. Thank you."
He turns his attention back to the street.
"Look across the street. Taxi." Sherlock nodded towards the taxi outside. 
John twists in his seat to look out of the window where a taxi has parked at the side of the road with its back end towards the restaurant.
"Stopped. Nobody getting in, and nobody getting out. Why a taxi? Oh, that’s clever. Is it clever? Why is it clever?"
"Possibly because it's the cabbie who's the killer?" I mumbled again, but not loud enough to be heard. 
I caught Sherlock looking at me. But he quickly looked away again focusing back onto the taxi.
"That’s him?"
"Don’t stare."
"You’re staring."
"We can’t both stare."
Getting to his feet, he grabs his coat and scarf and heads for the door. John picks up his own jacket and follows ... completely forgetting to take his walking cane with him. I slowly followed.
"Keep my food there. I'm coming back." I spoke to Angelo.
He nodded with a smile.
Outside the door, Sherlock shrugs himself into his coat while keeping his eyes fixed on the taxi. The passenger continues to look around him, then turns and looks out the back window. His gaze falls on the restaurant and he looks at it for a few moments while Sherlock stares back at him, then the man turns towards the front of the vehicle and the taxi begins to pull away from the kerb. Sherlock immediately heads towards it without bothering to check the road that he’s running into and is almost run over by a car coming from his left. The driver slams on the brakes and stops the car but Sherlock, always keen to take the quickest route, allows his forward impetus to carry him onto the top of the bonnet. He rolls over the bonnet, lands on his feet on the other side and then runs after the taxi. As the driver of the car angrily sounds his horn, John puts one hand on the bonnet and vaults over the front of the car, apologising to the driver as he goes.
"Sorry." John motioned to the car driver. 
I still taking my time coming out of the restaurant. 
He chases after Sherlock, who runs a few yards up the road before realising that he’s not going to catch the taxi and slows to a halt. John catches up and stops beside him.
"I’ve got the cab number."
"Good for you."
They were about to set of. John looked back at me.
"You two go on ahead. I won't be able to keep up with you two. Don't worry I'll make my own way back home. It is only a five minute walk."
John nodded and gave me a quick embrace and receiving a curt nod from Sherlock. They then began to run off after the taxi.
I sighed and made my way back into the restaurant to finish my food.
As I walked in, I noticed that there was someone else at the table. 
As I got closer, I noticed it was the man who abducted John and I. 
"Hello again Miss Watson."
"Hello?"
"I can tell you are quite surprised to see me again yes?"
"Well it's not everyday you get a visit from your personal stalker." I smiled at him, which earned me a slight frown from the man.
"Trust me. I'm no stalker. As I mentioned before, I just care about Sherlock Holmes and I want to keep updated in everything he does."
"What? Are you his brother or something?"
He shuffled in his seat as a response.
"Oh my God. You two are siblings. Wow. I think I can see the resemblance now. You are both distant from people."
"Miss Watson, please refrain from mentioning that we are related in public. You never know who might be listening."
"Okay. Okay. So you two have a history. Why do you want to keep updates on him. I mean he is a grown man."
"A grown man he is. But, he has the mindset of a child at times. He requires someone to look out for him."
"So you decided to take that role?" 
"I'm the head of the British Government. If he were to do something that got into the British interest, I would be able to hide it away quite easily without having anyone notice."
"Hmmm. Am I supposed to be impressed? "
"If you wish. But, for now I am here to negotiate with you. I want you to keep me updated with everything my little brother does. I will pay you handsomely."
He put a box on the table and slides it over to me.
I look at the box and take the lid of. In the box is a brand new phone.
"You will need a device to contact me with. Everything is set up. I just need a yes."
He then places an envelope on the table and slid it over.
"£27,000 in cash. Keep an eye out on him and I will keep paying you."
I raised a brow at him.
"How long?" I asked him.
"Every month keep an eye on him and I will give you £1000. Think of this payment as a hiring bonus."
"And if I chose to stop?"
"Then I stop paying you. You can keep the money that you previously received and you can keep the phone."
"That's very generous." I noted.
"I like to do my part for charity." He did not just say that.
"Alright listen here Mr Holmes. I do not care who you think you are and I don't care what you are capable of. I will not hesitate to slap that expression of your face. Do you understand me? I will do as you have asked only because deep down in your heartless cold vessel of a body I can tell you care for your brother, but I will not batter an eye to decline on your offer at any time."
He nodded.
"I understand you loud and clear Miss Watson. Now do we have a deal?" 
"I believe we do."
"Nice doing business with you. I expect an update when he does something next."
"We'll see. Depends on if I can remember. "
I got up completely forgetting about my food. I grabbed the box and envelope and made my way down to Baker Street.
When I was half way there I realised that I had forgotten about John's walking stick. 
"Shoot." I turned back around and made my way to the restaurant.
As I got there I saw Angelo come out with the stick.
"Ah Miss Zoe. Sherlock has just texted me to return this walking stick."
"Did he? I was on my way to retrieve it."
"Will you do me the honour of joining me on this request?" Angelo asked.
"Off course."
We walked in silence for most of the journey with bits of chatter here and there. 
Angelo was about to knock on the front door and I was going to join him, but I saw some head lights of a cab down the road. 
"You go ahead Angelo. I just need to check something."
I made my way to the Cab as I heard John answer the door.
"Hello?" I knocked on the window of the driver.
The window lowered down.
"Hello Miss. I have a taxi for Sherlock Holmes could you go inform him?"
"Sure...wait how do you know I live with Sherlock Holmes?"
"I know more than you think Miss. In fact I have a request to take you for a drive as well. Care for a drive?"
"Let me go get Sherlock. "
I spoke wearily
"Okay. I'll be waiting Zoe Watson. "
I walked back 221 B and opened the door to see John and Sherlock walking up the stairs.