TBST-Case 1: Study in Pink Prologue

Case 1: A Study in Pink Prologue

It all started when I signed up to be a colleague for a Detective for “The International Colleague Program” I was supposed to wait for three days for a reply but last night I got an email from a Consulting Detective that lives in London England who must have seen my  mail in the program and it said :

“Miss Elessan,
 I have seen your registration for The International Colleague Program and I have invited you to be one of my colleagues in London, England I’ve already had some of your stuff shipped to my apartment (which is a three bedroom apartment), and some clothes ready for you once you come to London. I’ll have someone pick you up to meet me at St. Bartholomew Hospital. Your flight to London has been booked by me. Please get your laptop ready.  I’m looking forward to meeting you.
-SH”
I was confused of what “SH” means but I got my laptop ready, packed up the clothes I need and rested for my long flight to London. I told my parents and silbings (younger fraternal twins (one boy, one girl), two younger brothers and younger sister(who's the youngest)) that I’ll be in London for a couple of Months and probably a couple of years. As I went to bed to rest myself up for my early flight to London a lot of thoughts were running through my head “Who is SH, why did he pick me? Who or what does he look like? Is he older or younger than me?” As those thoughts rain into my head as I went to sleep.

The very next day I was at the airport ready to board my flight to London, but I had to say good bye to my friends and family before I go.

“Don’t worry I’ll Skype you guys whenever I have free time” I said as I hugged all of them.  

All of my friends and Family yelled “Good luck being in London!” I was I went off to the terminal to board my plane. But I had to go through security check and wait for my plane to London.

After sitting in the terminal for 40 minutes my plane was ready to board, I took my suitcase with me and headed in the plane with the other passengers, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy your flight to London and remember to fasten your seatbelts on” the flight attendant said. “London here I come” I thought when I buckled seatbelt as the plane started to fly to London.

*the Opening Titles plays as it shows a montage of the plane flying to London, me arriving in London, getting my passport stamped, transitioning from dollars to pounds, a young woman introducing herself as Molly Hopper picking me up from the airport by using the cab to take us to St. Bartholomew Hospital as I looked at the sites of London through the window. The intro ends with the cab driver dropping me and Molly dropping us off at the hospital*

After I tipped the driver before he went away, I walked inside the hospital with Molly.

“Do you need anything to drink?” Molly asked.

“Umm no thanks Molly, I’m not thirsty.” I replied.

“Okay let me know if you need anything.” Molly said as she left to go somewhere which left me all alone to explore the hospital.

As I explored the hospital I went into a room that looked like a chemistry lab and decided to see some chemicals and maybe wait for someone to show me how to use them.

All of a sudden a man with curly black hair, grayish blue eyes wearing a white shirt with black buttons under a nice black blazer jacket, black pants and black shoes walked in looking at me as if he was observing me, I looked at the man as well we stared at each other for quite a long time.

“Can I help you?” The man asked after staring at me for a while in a low baritone English accent.

“Yes I was sent here to meet up with a detective here in this hospital to be his colleague for

“The International Colleague Program”, I’m Amy Elesson one of the people who signed up for the program and I’m here to meet a certain SH.” I replied to the man as I showed him my application for the program.  He looked at my application and looked at me again.

“Oh you must the colleague that I replied to yesterday well the detective you’ve being partnered up with is me,” The man replied.

“So where do I stay exactly?” I asked. “At my place, but you’ll have your own room,” the man replied as he was doing an experiment.

All of a sudden two men came in the room; one had brown hair wearing glasses, nice business suit with a tie that had different colors, the second man came in with casual everyday clothes but he was holding a cane.

“Bit different from my day.” The Man with the cane said.

“You have no idea” The man with the tie replied.

“Mike can I borrow your phone? There's no signal on mine.” SH said the man with the tie.

“And what's wrong with the landline?” Mike asked.  

“I prefer to text.” SH replied. I looked at him with confusion when he said that.

“Sorry, it's in my coat.” Mike said. “Er, here... Use mine.” The man with the cane replied.

“Oh... thank you.” SH replied to the man with the cane.

“This is an old friend of mine, John Watson.” Mike said. So that man with the cane is called John Watson, but I still don’t know about this SH man as he went to John to use his phone.

“Afghanistan or Iraq?” SH asked as he was using John’s Phone.

“Sorry?” John asked all confused.

“Which was it, Afghanistan or Iraq?” SH asked.

“Afghanistan. Sorry, how did you...?” But John’s question was interrupted when Molly came in with a cup of coffee.

“Ah, Molly, coffee, thank you. What happened to the lipstick?” Sherlock asked as he took the coffee.

“It wasn't working for me.” Molly replied.

“Really? I thought it was a big improvement. Your mouth's too small now.” SH replied.

“OK.” Molly said as she left the room.

“Wait she was wearing lipstick?” I asked, but SH ignored me as he asked me and John

“How do you two feel about the violin?”

“I'm sorry, what?” John replied.

“It’s a nice instrument with a lovely sound, one of the instruments I play.” I replied as well.

“Play the violin when I'm thinking and sometimes I don't talk for days on end. Would that bother you? Potential flatmates should know the worst about each other.” SH said as he smiled.

“Wait so we’re staying in the same flat together?” I asked and again SH ignored me.

“You told him about me?” John asked Mike.

“Not a word.” Mike replied.

“Then who said anything about flatmates?” John asked.

“I did. Told Mike this morning I must be a difficult man to find a flatmate for and I just found a young lady that is a fine musician and student from the US on a program she signed up last night. Now here he is, just after lunch with an old friend clearly just home from military service in Afghanistan. Wasn't a difficult leap. Miss Elesson come with me and please take your luggage with you as well.” SH said as he put on his black trench coat and blue scarf. I picked up my luggage and went over with him.  

John stopped us and asked SH “How did you know about Afghanistan?”

“Got my eye on a nice little place in central London. We ought to be able to afford it. We'll meet there tomorrow evening, seven o'clock. Sorry, got to dash. I think I left my riding crop in the mortuary. And Miss Elesson has to come with me.” SH replied.

“Is that it?” John asked.

“Is that what?” SH asked.

“We've only just met and we're going to go and look at a flat?” John said.

“Problem?” SH asked.

“We don't know a thing about each other. I don't know where we're meeting. I don't even know your name. I only know this young lady’s name.” John replied as he was referring to me.

“I know you're an Army doctor and you've been invalided home from Afghanistan. You've got a brother worried about you but you won't go to him for help because you don't approve of him, possibly because he's an alcoholic more likely because he recently walked out on his wife. And I know your therapist thinks your limp's psychosomatic quite correctly, I'm afraid. That's enough to be going on with, don't you think? Come along Miss Elesson.” SH said as we went out of the room.

I stopped to see SH going to back to the room peeking through the door saying “The name is Sherlock Holmes, and the address is 221B Baker Street. Afternoon.” He then closed the door as I followed him. “So this SH man is called Sherlock Holmes, I barely know him but how does he know about me?” I thought as I continued walking with him while holding my suitcase.

“Excuse me for a second I need to get my riding crop in the mortuary.” Sherlock said.

“Wait what were you doing with that riding crop in the mortuary.” I asked.

“I was doing an experiment on a corpse seeing what natural causes it has.” Sherlock replied. We reached the mortuary as Sherlock went inside grabbed his riding crop and walked outside with me.
We then took a cab to his flat. We were sitting across from each other on the way, it was quiet until Sherlock spoke “So let’s see how good your observation skills are”

“Okay so you look like you’re around your late 20’s or early 30’s. Your hair is dark and curly, your skin is a little pale, your eyes are greyish blue. You like to wear a scarf a nice suit with shoes and a nice trench coat with gloves, you like to solve some good cases, and you want to have one good case to solve while you have someone to help you.” I replied, once I said my observations I saw that smile on Sherlock’s face again.

“Not bad, now they are some things I know about you. You’re form the Pacific side of the US judging by the raincoat you were wearing. Also your vision is near sighted, you clothes size is adult size X-small through Small. Also you have a liking to your studies and music, have the potential of being one of my colleagues and blogger” Sherlock replied as I looked at him with awe.

“Wow you’re not so bad yourself,” I said. The cab stopped in front of his apartment 221b. Sherlock tipped the driver as the cab went away I went inside the flat with him to see that a lot of stuff needs to be unpacked.

“Well then Amy you have a large room that includes a bathroom all to yourself upstairs. You will meet the land lady Mrs. Hudson tomorrow morning,” Sherlock said.

“Wait I don’t have that many things but my luggage”. I replied.

“Don’t worry take a look for yourself, if you excuse me I have to do something important, I’ll see you in the morning Amy,” Sherlock said, when he said that he left somewhere while I went up to my room that is located above two other rooms.

When I got to my room, it was big just like what Sherlock said. My room had a queen sized bed that was in the corner facing left near the window, next to the bed was a night table with a LED light lamp.   a desk to put my laptop on (the plugs are different from where I live so I brought three plugs that had the same inputs; one for my laptop charger, one for my hair straightener and one for my iPhone), a closet with two sliding doors to put my clothes in, a dresser for my pjs, bras and underwear **cough cough* I have a flat chest and I sleep with a bra, but I think that’s too much information**. A window with a nice view of Baker Street, I took a look at the bathroom, it was a little big with a shower, sink and toilet. Once I got settled in my room, I took a shower, straightened my hair, brushed my teeth changed into my PJs, hoped on the bed took off my glasses off placed them on the night table and fell fast asleep. My first day in London was off to a strange start.