SCENE 3: HARRISON'S OFFICE-MOMENTS LATER
WE SEE BILLY SITTING AT HIS MESSY DESK WITH HALF-CLOSED EYES. HE LOOKS EXHUSTED. HE IS HOLDING A RED SHARPIE IN HIS HAND, AND HIS OPPOSITE SLEEVE IS PUSHED UP ALL THE WAY TO REVEAL TWO WORDS WRITTEN ON HIS FOREARM, "I BURN," IN ALL CAPS. AT THIS POINT, WE CANNOT NECESSARILY READ THEM, AND HE SLOWLY WRITES OVER THEM TO MAKE THEM DARKER AND MORE PRONOUNCED.
There is a knock on the door, and he seems to wake up. He hurriedly drops the Sharpie into a desk drawer and pulls down his sleeve to hide the marks.
BILLY:
Come in.
SHERLOCK and JOHN open the door and walk in.
SHERLOCK:
Professor, I'm Sherlock Holmes. I'm here about something that happened late last night. In London, there was an explosion in the industrial district. Would you know anything about that?
BILLY sort of mouths the words as he runs them through his head a few times before answering.
BILLY: (hesitantly)
Yes, I would.
JOHN:
So it was you, then, who warned me last night?
BILLY:
Were you in a black coat last night and stopped to ask a coughing man if he was alright?
JOHN: (nodding)
Yeah.
BILLY sighs through his nose.
BILLY:
Yes, that was me.
He pulls on his shirt cuff nervously.
JOHN:
Do you know what caused the explosion?
BILLY thinks it over.
BILLY: (hesitantly)
Yes, I do.
SHERLOCK steps closer to BILLY.
SHERLOCK: (abruptly)
Who was it?
BILLY:
Who was who?
SHERLOCK:
The lover who died.
BILLY reacts-jumping up and slamming his chair back from the desk, and he is already starting to breakdown.
BILLY: (voice weakening as he goes along)
How-? How-?
SHERLOCK: (calmly)
Simple. You are wearing long sleeves, but it is nearly 80 outside, so you're hiding something on your arms. Probably a form of self-harm, or your burns. Then there's your emotional instability. Something shattered you and drove you to self-harm. You're American, but you haven't lost your accent after the three years you've been in the UK, so you've been hiding. You emigrated, so you are not close to your family or friends. Only someone close to you dying could have caused you such pain, so it must have been a lover.
BILLY becomes more and more shocked as SHERLOCK goes along. He tugs on his sleeve harder, and finally breaks down as SHERLOCK finishes. He sits down limply and covers his face with his hands.
BILLY: (from around his hands)
Yes, alright, but she wasn't my lover. She was the love of my life, and it's my fault she isn't here today!
JOHN gives SHERLOCK a severe look and pulls him aside.
JOHN: (almost furious)
That isn't why we're here!
SHERLOCK:
But this is so much more fun!
JOHN: (incredulous)
Fun? Sherlock! Look at him!
He gestures at BILLY.
JOHN: (continuing)
He's a wreak! We'll be lucky if he manages to tell us anything about last night!
SHERLOCK: (after consideration)
Fine.
He turns back to BILLY, who looks up at him with tortured eyes.
SHERLOCK: (stiffly)
I'm sorry if my comments upset you.
BILLY: (quietly)
There's no way for you to have known.
He traces the two words on his arm through his sleeve with his finger.
JOHN: (mouthing the words as he watches)
"I burn..."
BILLY suddenly seems to realize what he's doing, and he hurriedly stuffs his hands into his pockets.
BILLY: (recovered)
Now, you said you wanted to know about the explosion?
SHERLOCK:
Yes.
BILLY:
Well, if you want the short answer, it was the result of-
He is suddenly cut off by two things: SHERLOCK's phone going off and a knock on the door. SUDENT walks in, and SHERLOCK answers his cell when he sees it is LESTRADE.
SHERLOCK: (into cell)
Lestrade, what do you want now?
STUDENT:
Professor, oh, sorry...
BILLY: (waving him in)
No, it's alright.
STUDENT:
Could I talk to you about yesterday's lecture? I don't know if I really understand it.
SHERLOCK: (hanging up)
John, we are needed back in London. Matt has found something very interesting.
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