Page 78 - SHERLOCK transcripts

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SHERLOCK: It was a threat. That’s what the graffiti meant.
SEBASTIAN: I’m kind of in a meeting. Can you make an appointment with my secretary?
SHERLOCK: I don’t think this can wait. Sorry, Sebastian. One of your traders – someone who
worked in your office – was killed.
SEBASTIAN: What?
JOHN: Van Coon. The police are at his flat.
SEBASTIAN (shocked): Killed?
SHERLOCK (sarcastically): Sorry to interfere with everyone’s digestion. Still wanna make an
appointment? Would, maybe, nine o’clock at Scotland Yard suit?
(Sebastian puts down his glass of water and nervously runs his finger inside his shirt collar.)

Shortly afterwards, Sebastian and the boys have relocated to the toilets in the restaurant.
Sebastian is washing his hands.
SEBASTIAN: Harrow; Oxford. Very bright guy. Worked in Asia for a while, so ...
JOHN: ... you gave him the Hong Kong accounts.
SEBASTIAN (drying his hands on a towel): Lost five mill in a single morning; made it all back a
week later. Nerves of steel, Eddie had.
JOHN: Who’d wanna kill him?
SEBASTIAN: We all make enemies.
JOHN: You don’t all end up with a bullet through your temple.
(Sebastian’s phone beeps a text alert.)
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.
[Transcriber’s note: those who’ve read the early draft script of this episode which was released
online some time ago may know that it was intended that the frenetic drumbeat which we hear
as the man turns around was actually meant to be heard by the man. In this finished version of
the episode I don’t think that’s clear, and certainly I assumed until I read the draft script that it
was simply dramatic backing music. Also, unless the killer was carrying a drum around with
him, or had a boombox strapped to his back, I’m not sure how it could have happened anyway
...]

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 catalogue.)
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 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

Transcripts by Ariane DeVere (arianedevere@livejournal.com)