Why Sherlock?

The Great Game {5}

ST BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL

I completely understand Sherlock, going through this game with the bomber, but for me? Why'd she mention me? Why was my name on the letter?

Sherlock is sitting at a bench looking into a microscope while, beside him, a computer screen shows that a scanner running tests. It's only been saying "NO MATCH". John is wandering up and down on the other side of the bench worriedly.

"Who do you think it was?" I ask Sherlock, drumming my fingers away on the table, sitting next to him.

A phone makes text alert noise.

"Hmm?" He responds absently, not reacting to the alert.

"The woman on the phone – the crying woman." John answers loudly for me.

"Oh, she doesn’t matter. She’s just a hostage. No lead there."

John replied, exasperated. "For God’s sake, we weren't thinking about leads."

"You’re not going to be much use to her."

He glances across to the scanner as it continues with “NO MATCH” results, then looks back into the microscope.

"Are-are they trying to trace it, trace the call?" John asks.

"The bomber’s too smart for that." He replies, his attention still brought to the microscope. The same phone as before trills another text alert.

"Pass me my phone." He says, not looking away.

"You...." I sigh and reach into his jacket pocket, trying not to disturb his work. I pull out the phone and look at it. "Text from your brother."

"Delete it."

"Delete it?" John asks, now moving to our side of the table.

"Missile plans are out of the country now. Nothing we can do about it."

John looks at the message over my shoulder.

RE: BRUCE-PARTINGTON PLANS
Any progress on Andrew
West’s death?
- Mycroft

"Well, Mycroft thinks there is. He’s texted you eight times. Must be important."

Sherlock raises his head in exasperation. "Then why didn’t he cancel his dental appointment?"

I laugh at his commentary. "His what?"

"Mycroft never texts if he can talk. Look, Andrew West stole the missile plans, tried to sell them, got his head smashed in for his pains. End of story. The only mystery is this: why is my brother so determined to bore me when somebody else is being so delightfully interesting?" He looks back into the microscope again.

"Try and remember there’s a woman here who might die." John said, sighing tiredly.

"What for?" He says, looking up at John. "This hospital’s full of people dying, Doctor. Why don’t you go and cry by their bedside and see what good it does them?"

John looks away in disbelief. Unmoved, Sherlock looks back into the microscope but just then the computer beeps a result.

"Ah!" Sherlock says delightedly as the screen flashes, "SEARCH COMPLETE" At the same moment Molly Hooper comes in the door.

"Any luck?" She asks, walking in.

"Oh, yes!" He says, triumphantly.

As Molly comes over to look at the screen, a man in his thirties, wearing slacks and a T-shirt, comes in the door and then stops, realizing it wasn't just Molly here in the lab.