221B

Chapter 17 - A Study in Pink

"Sherlock, dear, this taxi driver..." Mrs. Hudson says, now back upstairs and standing in the doorway again.

He stands up and crosses over to her.

"Mrs. Hudson, isn't it time for your evening soother?" He says quickly.

John sits down where Sherlock was before and we both stare at the screen as a small clock spins round as the website says that the phone will be located in under three minutes.

"We need to get vehicles, get a helicopter." Sherlock says to Lestrade, turning to him. "We're gonna have to move fast. This phone battery won't last forever."

"We'll just have a map reference. Not a name." Lestrade points out.

"It's a start!"

I look back at the computer screen, and at that exact moment, a map of London has appeared and is now zooming in on the location of the phone.

"Um, Sherlock..." John says.

"It narrows it down to just anyone in London." Sherlock says to Lestrade, not hearing John. "It's the first proper lead we've had."

"Sherlock." I say, louder this time.

"What is it?" Sherlock says, crossing the room quickly to look over John's shoulder. "Quickly, where?"

The map then shows the exact location of the phone-221 Baker Street.

"It's here..." John answers a second later. "It's in two-two-one Baker Street..."

"How can it be here?" Sherlock says, straightening up. "How?"

"Well, maybe it was in the case when you brought it back and it fell out somewhere." Lestrade suggests.

"What, and I didn't notice it? Me? I didn't notice? Neither did Katherine?" Sherlock turns to me. "You didn't notice, did you?"

I shake my head.

"Anyway, we texted him and he called back." John points out to Lestrade.

Lestrade heaves a sigh, turns, and announces to everyone else. "Guys, we're also looking for a mobile somewhere here...belonged to the victim..."

I look at Sherlock, who's scanning the room, his eyes darting around. I can tell he's piecing facts together. I look back behind Mrs. Hudson and see a man standing there in the shadows. In the dim light, I manage to see a badge in a leather holder on a cord around his neck. I notice that the badge is for a licensed cab driver.

So this is the taxi driver Mrs. Hudson was talking about.

Why is he here? Wouldn't he be waiting in the ca-?

It's then I see him take out a pink smartphone from one of his pockets and press the screen, he's most likely sent a text.

The one thing that stands out about the smartphone is that it's pink.

Pink.

Is that...?

I look back at Sherlock, who doesn't notice me looking back and forth between them. Sherlock appears to recieve a text, because he pulls out his phone from his jacket pocket and scans through the text.

That's definitely the murderer.

Sherlock and I look towards the door at the same time and see the taxi driver turn around and quietly head down the stairs. I start towards the driver but Sherlock grabs my arm and stops me. It's a small movement so no one else notices.

I turn towards Sherlock and give him a questioning look.

"Don't." He mutters to me.

"But-!"