221B

Chapter 2 - A Study in Pink

Kate:

At around 10:00 when there’s one drunk fool nodding off at the counter and I’m wiping the other side of the counter with a damp cloth, the man with dark hair and John come back inside, sitting in the same seats they were in earlier today.

“Told you we’d be back.” The man with dark hair says with a smirk.

The drunk awakens with a start, and then hobbles off through the door and onto the street. I start cleaning the rest of the counter.

The man with dark hair sits down in front of me.

“Do I look like a serial killer to you?"

“Excuse me?” I ask, a little bit startled. 

John sighs as if his companion asks this all the time to random people who he barely knew.

“How would I answer that?” I ask. “We know nothing about each other. I don't even know your name.”

“Well, I don’t know how much you know me, but I know…something about you.” He says, staring into my eyes. However he seems hesitant on the last part of the sentence, as if he's not sure he can prove what he states.

“Not now...” John says exhaustively.

“I’m sorry?” I ask.

“Your name is Katherine Harrison. You wish to do something else with your life; therefore, you’re currently looking for a job while holding your position here. But you’re finding nothing that you want to do except detective work…investigating crimes. Which is why you asked about who was murdered.” The man with dark hair says.

How could he possibly know all that? Did he use the strategy that I used to tell whether or not people were to be trusted? And how would me wanting to know who was murdered tell him I wanted to do detective work? A friend of mine (though I’m not social enough to have many of those) could have been murdered.

“Did I miss anything?” He asks me.

“How could you possibly know about the detective work?” I ask.

“May I borrow your phone?” He asks.

“Why?”

“To look at it, to prove my point.”

“Fine.” I say, reluctantly sliding my phone out of my pocket and handing it to him.

He examines it, then appears to find something.

“These job searches on your phone! All related to detective work!” He says triumphantly, and hands the phone back to me.

“Was that all?”

“Were you expecting anything else?” He asks.

“Not particularly. Just curious.” I say to him.  “And I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?” I address both of them.

“John Watson.” John says, sticking out a hand. I shake it.

“Erik Brown.” The man with dark hair says, also sticking out a hand, I shake it as well. When Erik introduces himself, John appears to look a bit startled. He looks at Erik as if he was crazy.