A Study in Emerald

“I wanted to find myself a place to live. That’s how I met him. I needed a roommate with whom I could share an apartment and expenses. We were introduced by a mutual acquaintance in a chemical laboratory at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.

— I see you’ve been to Afghanistan, he said at once.
My jaw dropped, and I stared at him with wide-open eyes.
— Incredible, I mumbled.
— Oh, it’s nothing, said the stranger in a white lab coat—he was destined to become my friend.”