The Mikaelson of Baker Street

Chapter 20: The Blind Banker: pt 4

Sebastian: Not usually. 'Scuse me.

(He gets out his phone and looks at the message.)

Sebastian: It's my Chairman. The police have been on to him. Apparently, they're telling him it was a suicide.

Sherlock: Well, they've got it wrong, Sebastian. He was murdered.

Sebastian: Well, I'm afraid they don't see it like that.

Sherlock (sternly): Seb.

Sebastian: ... and neither does my boss. I hired you to do a job. Don't get side-tracked.

(He walks away. John waits until he has left the room, then turns to Sherlock.)

John: I thought bankers were all supposed to be heartless bastards!

(EARL'S COURT. NIGHT TIME. An overweight bald man in his early forties is running frantically down the street, a hard-backed book clasped in one hand. He looks repeatedly behind him as he runs. Reaching his front door, he whimpers as he fumbles with his door keys and finally gets the door open. Running upstairs, he unlocks the door to his flat and hurries inside, slamming the door and pushing a bolt across. He scurries up the flight of stairs leading to the main flat, throwing his book onto a pile of other books strewn all the way up the stairs, and runs into his living room. He stops in the middle of the room and then turns around, his face covered with sweat and his face full of terror at the sight which greets him.)

(NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM. The museum's Director walks across to Andy, who is sitting at a table cleaning an ancient pot.)

Director: I need you to get over to Crispians.

(She shows him a catalog.)

Director: Two Ming vases up for auction - Chenghua. Will you appraise them?

Andy: Er, er, Soo Lin should go. She's the expert.

Director: Soo Lin has resigned from her job. I need you.

(She walks away. Andy turns and looks sadly at Soo Lin's table behind him.)

(Later, he is standing outside the front door to Soo Lin's flat. Her doorbell has a handwritten name tag above it, showing her name - Soo Lin Yao - with a flower drawn in place of the dot over the 'i' and a couple of other flowers in the right-hand corners. Andy presses the doorbell, then steps back and looks up to the first-floor windows of the flat which is above a shop called The Lucky Cat. The shop and flat are clearly located in London's Chinatown. When nobody answers his ring, he rummages in his pockets, takes out an envelope and pen and scribbles a note on the envelope before bending down to the letterbox and pushing it through. He walks away.)

(In a doctor's surgery, Doctor Sarah Sawyer is reading John's printed Curriculum Vitae. She looks up at John sitting opposite her.)

Sarah: Just locum work.

John: No, that's fine.

Sarah: You're, um ... well, you're a bit over-qualified.

John (smiling): Er, I could always do with the money.

Sarah: Well, we've got two away on holiday this week, and one's just left to have a baby. Might be a bit mundane for you.

John: Er, no; mundane is good sometimes. Mundane works.

Sarah (softly): It says here you were a soldier.

John: And a doctor.

(He smiles at her again. Sarah looks down. She clearly fancies him.)