The Case of the Haunted House--Part Nine
by HA
Shirley and her friends followed Damian to a side exit located near the back of the restaurant. There, they saw a girl standing next to it. Her blond hair was styled into French curls and she wore a long coat.
"Halt!" the girl ordered as the small group approached, holding up her hand for emphasis. She stepped forward to get a better look. "Damian, did you bring Bart James?" she inquired.
"I have," Damian replied, motioning to the budding paranormalist. "He has no spying devices on him. I checked when I picked him up," he added thoughtfully.
The girl narrowed her eyes at Bart. "Empty your pockets," she ordered.
"Do it," Damian recommended. Bart reached into his pockets and took out their contents: his wallet, a few coins, and a tube of breath freshener.
As the girl examined the contents of Bart's pockets, Blake spotted the breath freshener. "Bart, you sly dog, you," he said with a grin.
The girl returned Bart's possessions and looked satisfied. "Okay, you two can go in," the girl said to Damian and Bart, jerking her finger towards the door. She looked at Shirley and the others. "You three must stay outside until the meeting is over," she declared.
"What?" Bo exclaimed. "Now listen here..." Bo started to march up to the girl, but Damian blocked the way with his arm.
"You do not want to take a step closer unless she approves of it," Damian warned. Bo glared at the girl, then rejoined the others.
"We were told that we were invited by the leader of the club," Shirley said to the girl. "I'm..."
"I know who you are," the girl said, cutting off Shirley's introduction. "I do not recall receiving an approval for outsiders to sit in at the meeting."
"Collette, they have been approved," Damian said.
"Susan e-mailed me and said that my friends could come and sit in at the meeting," Bart said.
"Well, I haven't been sent any approval," the girl shot back.
"Maybe that jet lag's still affecting that narrow-minded brain of yours," someone said from the door.
Everyone saw Hiroshi emerge from the door. "Yeesh, Collette, these people are okay. They're cool."
"Your opinion means little to me, Hiroshi," the girl said with a sneer. "Unless I hear from Arthur himself, I'm not letting these outsiders through."
"Oh, just call him then," Hiroshi said, exasperated.
"Fine, I will," the girl said, ready to reenter the building.
"That won't be necessary, Collette," an Asian girl emerging behind Hiroshi said. Shirley studied her closely. She had long dark hair and wore a jean jacket and matching pants with a light blue shirt.
"What do you mean by that, Rika?" the girl asked, surprised.
The Asian girl produced a piece of paper. "You left this behind at your place. I picked it up from your fax machine before we left and I put it in my pocket. I almost forgot about it until I heard you giving these guys the third degree out here."
The girl took the paper and looked at it, then at Shirley and her friends. She snorted before speaking to the young detective and her group. "According to this, you three are approved by Arthur to attend the meeting." She glared at Shirley. "I see that your infamous backpack is not with you."
"I left it in the van," Shirley answered, meeting the girl's eyes. "Damian told me to."
The girl turned to Damian. "Did you frisk her for listening devices and the like, especially that pen camera of hers?"
"I do not frisk," Damian answered. "Besides, she removed those items and anything else in her pockets and placed them in her backpack. Her friends did the same. I saw them."
The girl examined Shirley carefully. "Well, I do frisk people, and I'm not convinced that she possesses no more spying devices." She looked like she was about to frisk the young detective when Bo stepped in her way before Damian and Blake could restrain him.
"Lay one hand on her and I'll..." Bo began to threaten.
Hiroshi made a loud whistle. "Hold it! Time out! All combatants please return to your respective corners!"
The Asian girl faced the girl. "Collette, these three have been invited by Arthur. Damian has made sure Shirley has no recording devices."
"They are outsiders!" the girl said angrily. "We cannot take any chances with them."
"We're taking chances tonight, Collette," the Asian girl said calmly. "She is descended from Sherlock Holmes, who was able to keep a secret." She turned to Shirley and her friends. "I trust you won't tell anyone what happens here?"
"No," Shirley said.
"Nope," Bo answered.
"No," Blake replied.
The girl studied Shirley and her friends. "Very well," she said, giving in. "But I will be watching them very closely." With a final snort, she headed for the door. As she walked by Hiroshi, she said with a snarl, "The next time something witty comes out of your mouth, I'll cut off your tongue."
"Okay, that makes maybe the thousandth time you've said that to me," Hiroshi said mockingly. The girl snarled and shook her fist at him, then reentered the building.
"What a charming girl," Bo remarked dryly.
"Yes, she is definitely security guard material," Shirley observed.
"I will wait for Arthur," Damian said before walking back to the front.
The Asian girl and Hiroshi approached the group. "If you don't mind me asking, but what's up with the evil grownup version of Shirley Temple?" Bo asked.
"Please excuse Collette," the Asian girl said. "She has a good heart, but she's like her mom in many aspects, I'm afraid. She's tough, overcautious, and tactless at times."
"Who's her mom?" Bart asked.
"Mrs. LeMarche, chief of security for the Knight Foundation," Hiroshi answered. "Like mother, like daughter. Collette's sorta nominated herself as our chief of security."
"We've seen Mrs. LeMarche," Bo said with a groan.
"She's rather good at her job," Blake said, trying to sound nice.
"Indeed," Shirley said in agreement, wondering what type of people she was dealing with.
The Asian girl stood before Shirley and bowed. "Konnichiwa, Shirley Holmes. I am Rika Tamura. It is an honor to have you and your friends here."
"Thank you, but why is it an honor for us to be here?" Shirley asked.
"Why, because of all the good you've done," Rika answered.
"Hold on here," Bo said, raising his pointer finger. "Does everyone here know what Shirley does in her spare time?"
"In a nutshell, yes," Hiroshi answered. "You're quite the popular person around the Strangers' Club, Shirley."
"The Strangers' Club?" Blake said.
"That's the name of our little group," Hiroshi said with a grin. "Bart James, welcome to the Strangers' Club!" he declared in a game show announcer's voice.
Bo thought to himself that the name "Strangers' Club" suited the group well. *Well, they've got a guy who might be Dracula's long lost son and a girl training to be a drill sergeant on their team,* he mused to himself.
"Thanks. Is Susan here?" Bart asked nervously.
"Waiting for you to come in," Hiroshi answered with a mischievous gleam in his eye and a smile to match it. "You sure made an impression on her when she first heard about you, Bartman. It was big enough to make her recommend you to join us."
"Well, I..." Bart began, his face slowly turning crimson red.
"Um, are we going to get in anytime soon?" Bo asked impatiently.
Rika laughed a little. "Of course. We can talk inside. Follow us."
With Rika and Hiroshi in the lead, they entered the restaurant. They got a brief glimpse of the main eating area. People were eating at tables and in booths while waiters wandered around, ready to take orders from those who preferred not to dine buffet style. Other people were walking up to a large buffet set-up filled with various Chinese and Filipino dishes. As some people left, more came in. The place was almost packed.
"Whoa. Look at all that food," Bo remarked.
"This place is pretty popular in this area," Rika said. "Good food and a friendly atmosphere."
"Plus the owner lets us have free food," Hiroshi revealed with a grin.
Shirley and the others were led to a door marked "PARTY ROOM." A sign on the door read "PRIVATE PARTY. INVITED GUESTS ONLY." Rika opened the door and motioned Shirley and her friends to enter. "After you," she said.
"This is where the meeting is?" Bart asked, pointing to the door.
"That is correct," Rika answered. "We use this place instead of our main clubhouse when we have pledges present."
"Where is this main clubhouse?" Shirley asked, curious.
Rika looked at Shirley. "Sore wa himitsu desu," she answered sharply.
"Huh?" Bo said, staring wide-eyed at Rika.
"It's a secret," Hiroshi translated.
"Why am I not surprised?" Bo said.
They all entered and found a large room with tables on the side and twenty-seven chairs set up into three rows, with the first two rows having ten seats. The walls were covered with Chinese and Filipino designs, prominent among them renditions of Chinese dragons. A wall clock was located in the corner of the room. A podium was located in the front of the room. Six kids were sitting in the chairs talking with each other in low voices. When Shirley and the others came in, the talking stopped and all eyes were on them.
"Okay," Bo said, noticing how everyone was staring at them.
Collette was standing near the door. She eyed Shirley suspiciously. "Don't try anything funny," she warned the junior detective.
Bart saw Susan waving to him from the second row. She got out of her seat and walked up to him. "You made it!" she said happily.
Bart blushed. "Well, it wasn't easy, considering the security," he said, eyeing the ever-vigilant Collette.
"Good point. Collette can be a little overzealous," Susan said in agreement.
"'A little' doesn't quite cover her," Shirley said. She looked around the room. "I take it this is where private parties are held in the restaurant?"
"That is correct," Rika answered. "We use it whenever its available. Thanks to Marcus, we don't even have to pay."
"Marcus?" Shirley asked. "Who's Marcus?"
"Marcus Chang, the son of the proprietors of this restaurant," Rika replied. "He's also a member of the Strangers' Club."
"And the guy responsible for the free eats, no matter where we hold our meetings," Hiroshi added with a smile. He heard a knock on the door. "Speaking of which..."
Collette opened the door, and an Asian boy carrying a large covered tray of food entered the room. "Marcus, you are my savior!" Hiroshi declared happily as he approached the boy.
"Touch anything on this tray and I'll break your arms," Marcus said half-jokingly. "You know the rules. No eating until after the meeting."
Susan laughed and looked at Bart. "That's Hiroshi for you. Always going after the food."
Hiroshi backed off. "Okay, okay," he said, waving his hands in front of him. "Geez, Marcus, you don't have to be so hostile. I can only take one Collette or Damian."
Collette snarled from her position at the door. Shirley watched as Marcus placed the tray on a nearby table. Marcus was tall with short black hair that spiked out and the sides of his head were shaved. His skin was brown on the pale side.
"You are part Chinese, part Filipino," Shirley told Marcus as he joined them. "Your father is Chinese and your mother is Filipino. Both are excellent cooks and have passed on their recipes to their assistant chefs."
Marcus nodded and laughed. "Well, I guess you're Shirley Holmes," he said in a friendly manner. "It's an honor to meet you. Like your famous ancestor, you're correct."
"A lucky guess," Collette scoffed from the door. "How did you figure it out?"
"Like Sherlock, I never guess," Shirley told the self-appointed security chief. "I noticed how Marcus' skin was brown, yet it's almost white. Therefore, he has mixed genes. Your last name is Chang, so your father is the Chinese parent, leaving your mother to be the Filipina. Also, why would a Chinese restaurant owner serve both Chinese and Filipino cuisine? From that, I deduced that both your father and mother like to cook and decided to go into business together."
"How did you know about the assistant chefs?" Susan asked the young sleuth.
"Well, in order to keep up with orders from so many patrons, Mr. and Mrs. Chang would have to hire more chefs," Shirley explained. "They would also have to teach their recipes to their employees so that they capture the taste correctly."
When Shirley was finished with her explanations, all the kids gathered in the room applauded her loudly. Even Collette begrudgingly clapped a little.
"That's our Shirley," Blake said proudly, grinning at her.
"Definitely," Bart said in agreement.
"Whoa," Bo said as the applause died down. "You are popular around here."
"Yes." Shirley turned to Rika. "How does the Strangers' Club know about me and my mysteries?"
"We've been monitoring your activities for some time," Rika admitted. "In the news, we always noticed crimes that have baffled the police, yet they were solved within a few days."
"We knew that there was a Holmes family living in Redington," Marcus said. "Although Sherlock had no children, the other members of the Holmes clan did. Since you were the only Holmeses in the area, we concluded that you were the one behind the solving of these crimes."
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Shirley inquired.
"Well, your father is too busy with his position at the British Embassy, so he was ruled out. Your grandmother has other interests. You were the only person left who could've solved these crimes," Rika said. "However, we are not Sherlock, so we essentially guessed you're the one and monitored your activities."
"You've been watching me?" Shirley asked, hiding her astonishment.
"When we find the time," Rika said. "We're usually busy with our own cases, but we do attribute every unsolvable crime in Redington that is solved mysteriously to you."
"Your own cases?" Blake said.
"Wait, don't you guys look into weird stuff like ghosts and aliens?" Bo asked, recalling what Bart told them earlier in the day.
"That's correct," Susan said proudly. "And more."
"More?" Bart said, sounding surprised and intrigued at the same time.
"More?" Shirley said, wondering what that meant.
Hiroshi eyed Collette, who was watching everything. "I think we'd better stop telling Shirley our secrets. Collette might blow a vein if we don't," he half-joked.
Collette growled as everyone laughed at Hiroshi's joke. "Seriously, I think he's right," Rika said. "It's best not to anger Collette."
"Why's that?" Bo asked, glancing at Collette. He felt he could take her on in a fight, bad attitude or not.
"You remember that threat she gave me about cutting of my tongue?" Hiroshi asked.
"Yeah. So?" Bo responded.
"Well, she's got a French saber hidden Highlander-style in that coat of hers," Hiroshi revealed. "Believe me, she's very good at wielding that thing. She can carry out that threat if she wished, plus so much more."
"Where did she get a French saber?" Shirley asked, surprised that a girl so young was carrying a lethal sword in her coat.
"It's a family heirloom," Hiroshi answered. "Her ancestors served in the French army, I think."
Bo eyed Collette a little more seriously. "Guess I'd better not tick her off then."
"Good idea," Hiroshi said with a nod, then he looked at Bart. "If you make it into the club, keep that in mind, Bartman."
"Got it," Bart said. "Never tick off Collette."
Hiroshi patted Bart on the shoulder. "Good boy."
"Besides, I think Arthur will explain everything to you after the meeting," Marcus said.
"Arthur? You and Collette have mentioned that name a few times," Shirley recalled.
"Yeah, who is this Arthur?" Bo asked.
"Arthur Kingston," Susan answered. "He's the president of the Strangers' Club."
"Arthur Kingston?" Shirley said, thinking over the name.
"That's right. He's the big boss, the big cheese, the main man, the head honcho, El Supremo..." Hiroshi began.
"I believe our guests have gotten the picture, Hiroshi," Rika said, rolling her eyes.
Bart looked around the room. "You know, there aren't as many members here as I thought there were."
"Some of them are still working on cases," a girl with a blue bow in her blond hair answered. She got up from her seat and walked over to Shirley and the others. "I'm Sara Stanley, club secretary," she introduced herself to Shirley and her friends, then she looked at Bart. "Hi, Bart. Welcome to the Strangers' Club. I hope you'll be joining us soon."
"Thanks, Sara," Bart said.
"This girl's the one who keeps track of who comes and who doesn't come to the meeting," Hiroshi said, standing next to Sara and pointing at her head.
"As of now, only fourteen members will be here for this meeting," Sara calculated.
"Out of how many members?" Bart asked.
"As of today, twenty-seven," Sara answered.
"Twenty-seven?" Bart said, amazed.
Bo let out a whistle. "Whoa. That's a lot of members."
"Yes," Shirley said, wondering how many of those twenty-seven members were keeping tabs on her when she was not paying attention.
"Tell me about it," Sara said. "I have to keep track of all of them," she added with a grin.
"So when does the meeting start?" Blake asked.
"When Arthur gets here," Sara answered. The door opened. "In fact, this could be him now."
Damian entered the room, and Lucy and Katrina followed him in. "Okay, this isn't a surprise," Bo said. He had a feeling Lucy and Katrina would show up.
"Hi, Shirley," Lucy greeted cheerfully. "I'm glad you and your friends could make it."
"Well, I am looking for answers," Shirley admitted. "I'm hoping this meeting will give me some."
"Perhaps," someone spoke from behind Damian, Lucy, and Katrina.
END OF PART NINE
by HA
Shirley and her friends followed Damian to a side exit located near the back of the restaurant. There, they saw a girl standing next to it. Her blond hair was styled into French curls and she wore a long coat.
"Halt!" the girl ordered as the small group approached, holding up her hand for emphasis. She stepped forward to get a better look. "Damian, did you bring Bart James?" she inquired.
"I have," Damian replied, motioning to the budding paranormalist. "He has no spying devices on him. I checked when I picked him up," he added thoughtfully.
The girl narrowed her eyes at Bart. "Empty your pockets," she ordered.
"Do it," Damian recommended. Bart reached into his pockets and took out their contents: his wallet, a few coins, and a tube of breath freshener.
As the girl examined the contents of Bart's pockets, Blake spotted the breath freshener. "Bart, you sly dog, you," he said with a grin.
The girl returned Bart's possessions and looked satisfied. "Okay, you two can go in," the girl said to Damian and Bart, jerking her finger towards the door. She looked at Shirley and the others. "You three must stay outside until the meeting is over," she declared.
"What?" Bo exclaimed. "Now listen here..." Bo started to march up to the girl, but Damian blocked the way with his arm.
"You do not want to take a step closer unless she approves of it," Damian warned. Bo glared at the girl, then rejoined the others.
"We were told that we were invited by the leader of the club," Shirley said to the girl. "I'm..."
"I know who you are," the girl said, cutting off Shirley's introduction. "I do not recall receiving an approval for outsiders to sit in at the meeting."
"Collette, they have been approved," Damian said.
"Susan e-mailed me and said that my friends could come and sit in at the meeting," Bart said.
"Well, I haven't been sent any approval," the girl shot back.
"Maybe that jet lag's still affecting that narrow-minded brain of yours," someone said from the door.
Everyone saw Hiroshi emerge from the door. "Yeesh, Collette, these people are okay. They're cool."
"Your opinion means little to me, Hiroshi," the girl said with a sneer. "Unless I hear from Arthur himself, I'm not letting these outsiders through."
"Oh, just call him then," Hiroshi said, exasperated.
"Fine, I will," the girl said, ready to reenter the building.
"That won't be necessary, Collette," an Asian girl emerging behind Hiroshi said. Shirley studied her closely. She had long dark hair and wore a jean jacket and matching pants with a light blue shirt.
"What do you mean by that, Rika?" the girl asked, surprised.
The Asian girl produced a piece of paper. "You left this behind at your place. I picked it up from your fax machine before we left and I put it in my pocket. I almost forgot about it until I heard you giving these guys the third degree out here."
The girl took the paper and looked at it, then at Shirley and her friends. She snorted before speaking to the young detective and her group. "According to this, you three are approved by Arthur to attend the meeting." She glared at Shirley. "I see that your infamous backpack is not with you."
"I left it in the van," Shirley answered, meeting the girl's eyes. "Damian told me to."
The girl turned to Damian. "Did you frisk her for listening devices and the like, especially that pen camera of hers?"
"I do not frisk," Damian answered. "Besides, she removed those items and anything else in her pockets and placed them in her backpack. Her friends did the same. I saw them."
The girl examined Shirley carefully. "Well, I do frisk people, and I'm not convinced that she possesses no more spying devices." She looked like she was about to frisk the young detective when Bo stepped in her way before Damian and Blake could restrain him.
"Lay one hand on her and I'll..." Bo began to threaten.
Hiroshi made a loud whistle. "Hold it! Time out! All combatants please return to your respective corners!"
The Asian girl faced the girl. "Collette, these three have been invited by Arthur. Damian has made sure Shirley has no recording devices."
"They are outsiders!" the girl said angrily. "We cannot take any chances with them."
"We're taking chances tonight, Collette," the Asian girl said calmly. "She is descended from Sherlock Holmes, who was able to keep a secret." She turned to Shirley and her friends. "I trust you won't tell anyone what happens here?"
"No," Shirley said.
"Nope," Bo answered.
"No," Blake replied.
The girl studied Shirley and her friends. "Very well," she said, giving in. "But I will be watching them very closely." With a final snort, she headed for the door. As she walked by Hiroshi, she said with a snarl, "The next time something witty comes out of your mouth, I'll cut off your tongue."
"Okay, that makes maybe the thousandth time you've said that to me," Hiroshi said mockingly. The girl snarled and shook her fist at him, then reentered the building.
"What a charming girl," Bo remarked dryly.
"Yes, she is definitely security guard material," Shirley observed.
"I will wait for Arthur," Damian said before walking back to the front.
The Asian girl and Hiroshi approached the group. "If you don't mind me asking, but what's up with the evil grownup version of Shirley Temple?" Bo asked.
"Please excuse Collette," the Asian girl said. "She has a good heart, but she's like her mom in many aspects, I'm afraid. She's tough, overcautious, and tactless at times."
"Who's her mom?" Bart asked.
"Mrs. LeMarche, chief of security for the Knight Foundation," Hiroshi answered. "Like mother, like daughter. Collette's sorta nominated herself as our chief of security."
"We've seen Mrs. LeMarche," Bo said with a groan.
"She's rather good at her job," Blake said, trying to sound nice.
"Indeed," Shirley said in agreement, wondering what type of people she was dealing with.
The Asian girl stood before Shirley and bowed. "Konnichiwa, Shirley Holmes. I am Rika Tamura. It is an honor to have you and your friends here."
"Thank you, but why is it an honor for us to be here?" Shirley asked.
"Why, because of all the good you've done," Rika answered.
"Hold on here," Bo said, raising his pointer finger. "Does everyone here know what Shirley does in her spare time?"
"In a nutshell, yes," Hiroshi answered. "You're quite the popular person around the Strangers' Club, Shirley."
"The Strangers' Club?" Blake said.
"That's the name of our little group," Hiroshi said with a grin. "Bart James, welcome to the Strangers' Club!" he declared in a game show announcer's voice.
Bo thought to himself that the name "Strangers' Club" suited the group well. *Well, they've got a guy who might be Dracula's long lost son and a girl training to be a drill sergeant on their team,* he mused to himself.
"Thanks. Is Susan here?" Bart asked nervously.
"Waiting for you to come in," Hiroshi answered with a mischievous gleam in his eye and a smile to match it. "You sure made an impression on her when she first heard about you, Bartman. It was big enough to make her recommend you to join us."
"Well, I..." Bart began, his face slowly turning crimson red.
"Um, are we going to get in anytime soon?" Bo asked impatiently.
Rika laughed a little. "Of course. We can talk inside. Follow us."
With Rika and Hiroshi in the lead, they entered the restaurant. They got a brief glimpse of the main eating area. People were eating at tables and in booths while waiters wandered around, ready to take orders from those who preferred not to dine buffet style. Other people were walking up to a large buffet set-up filled with various Chinese and Filipino dishes. As some people left, more came in. The place was almost packed.
"Whoa. Look at all that food," Bo remarked.
"This place is pretty popular in this area," Rika said. "Good food and a friendly atmosphere."
"Plus the owner lets us have free food," Hiroshi revealed with a grin.
Shirley and the others were led to a door marked "PARTY ROOM." A sign on the door read "PRIVATE PARTY. INVITED GUESTS ONLY." Rika opened the door and motioned Shirley and her friends to enter. "After you," she said.
"This is where the meeting is?" Bart asked, pointing to the door.
"That is correct," Rika answered. "We use this place instead of our main clubhouse when we have pledges present."
"Where is this main clubhouse?" Shirley asked, curious.
Rika looked at Shirley. "Sore wa himitsu desu," she answered sharply.
"Huh?" Bo said, staring wide-eyed at Rika.
"It's a secret," Hiroshi translated.
"Why am I not surprised?" Bo said.
They all entered and found a large room with tables on the side and twenty-seven chairs set up into three rows, with the first two rows having ten seats. The walls were covered with Chinese and Filipino designs, prominent among them renditions of Chinese dragons. A wall clock was located in the corner of the room. A podium was located in the front of the room. Six kids were sitting in the chairs talking with each other in low voices. When Shirley and the others came in, the talking stopped and all eyes were on them.
"Okay," Bo said, noticing how everyone was staring at them.
Collette was standing near the door. She eyed Shirley suspiciously. "Don't try anything funny," she warned the junior detective.
Bart saw Susan waving to him from the second row. She got out of her seat and walked up to him. "You made it!" she said happily.
Bart blushed. "Well, it wasn't easy, considering the security," he said, eyeing the ever-vigilant Collette.
"Good point. Collette can be a little overzealous," Susan said in agreement.
"'A little' doesn't quite cover her," Shirley said. She looked around the room. "I take it this is where private parties are held in the restaurant?"
"That is correct," Rika answered. "We use it whenever its available. Thanks to Marcus, we don't even have to pay."
"Marcus?" Shirley asked. "Who's Marcus?"
"Marcus Chang, the son of the proprietors of this restaurant," Rika replied. "He's also a member of the Strangers' Club."
"And the guy responsible for the free eats, no matter where we hold our meetings," Hiroshi added with a smile. He heard a knock on the door. "Speaking of which..."
Collette opened the door, and an Asian boy carrying a large covered tray of food entered the room. "Marcus, you are my savior!" Hiroshi declared happily as he approached the boy.
"Touch anything on this tray and I'll break your arms," Marcus said half-jokingly. "You know the rules. No eating until after the meeting."
Susan laughed and looked at Bart. "That's Hiroshi for you. Always going after the food."
Hiroshi backed off. "Okay, okay," he said, waving his hands in front of him. "Geez, Marcus, you don't have to be so hostile. I can only take one Collette or Damian."
Collette snarled from her position at the door. Shirley watched as Marcus placed the tray on a nearby table. Marcus was tall with short black hair that spiked out and the sides of his head were shaved. His skin was brown on the pale side.
"You are part Chinese, part Filipino," Shirley told Marcus as he joined them. "Your father is Chinese and your mother is Filipino. Both are excellent cooks and have passed on their recipes to their assistant chefs."
Marcus nodded and laughed. "Well, I guess you're Shirley Holmes," he said in a friendly manner. "It's an honor to meet you. Like your famous ancestor, you're correct."
"A lucky guess," Collette scoffed from the door. "How did you figure it out?"
"Like Sherlock, I never guess," Shirley told the self-appointed security chief. "I noticed how Marcus' skin was brown, yet it's almost white. Therefore, he has mixed genes. Your last name is Chang, so your father is the Chinese parent, leaving your mother to be the Filipina. Also, why would a Chinese restaurant owner serve both Chinese and Filipino cuisine? From that, I deduced that both your father and mother like to cook and decided to go into business together."
"How did you know about the assistant chefs?" Susan asked the young sleuth.
"Well, in order to keep up with orders from so many patrons, Mr. and Mrs. Chang would have to hire more chefs," Shirley explained. "They would also have to teach their recipes to their employees so that they capture the taste correctly."
When Shirley was finished with her explanations, all the kids gathered in the room applauded her loudly. Even Collette begrudgingly clapped a little.
"That's our Shirley," Blake said proudly, grinning at her.
"Definitely," Bart said in agreement.
"Whoa," Bo said as the applause died down. "You are popular around here."
"Yes." Shirley turned to Rika. "How does the Strangers' Club know about me and my mysteries?"
"We've been monitoring your activities for some time," Rika admitted. "In the news, we always noticed crimes that have baffled the police, yet they were solved within a few days."
"We knew that there was a Holmes family living in Redington," Marcus said. "Although Sherlock had no children, the other members of the Holmes clan did. Since you were the only Holmeses in the area, we concluded that you were the one behind the solving of these crimes."
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Shirley inquired.
"Well, your father is too busy with his position at the British Embassy, so he was ruled out. Your grandmother has other interests. You were the only person left who could've solved these crimes," Rika said. "However, we are not Sherlock, so we essentially guessed you're the one and monitored your activities."
"You've been watching me?" Shirley asked, hiding her astonishment.
"When we find the time," Rika said. "We're usually busy with our own cases, but we do attribute every unsolvable crime in Redington that is solved mysteriously to you."
"Your own cases?" Blake said.
"Wait, don't you guys look into weird stuff like ghosts and aliens?" Bo asked, recalling what Bart told them earlier in the day.
"That's correct," Susan said proudly. "And more."
"More?" Bart said, sounding surprised and intrigued at the same time.
"More?" Shirley said, wondering what that meant.
Hiroshi eyed Collette, who was watching everything. "I think we'd better stop telling Shirley our secrets. Collette might blow a vein if we don't," he half-joked.
Collette growled as everyone laughed at Hiroshi's joke. "Seriously, I think he's right," Rika said. "It's best not to anger Collette."
"Why's that?" Bo asked, glancing at Collette. He felt he could take her on in a fight, bad attitude or not.
"You remember that threat she gave me about cutting of my tongue?" Hiroshi asked.
"Yeah. So?" Bo responded.
"Well, she's got a French saber hidden Highlander-style in that coat of hers," Hiroshi revealed. "Believe me, she's very good at wielding that thing. She can carry out that threat if she wished, plus so much more."
"Where did she get a French saber?" Shirley asked, surprised that a girl so young was carrying a lethal sword in her coat.
"It's a family heirloom," Hiroshi answered. "Her ancestors served in the French army, I think."
Bo eyed Collette a little more seriously. "Guess I'd better not tick her off then."
"Good idea," Hiroshi said with a nod, then he looked at Bart. "If you make it into the club, keep that in mind, Bartman."
"Got it," Bart said. "Never tick off Collette."
Hiroshi patted Bart on the shoulder. "Good boy."
"Besides, I think Arthur will explain everything to you after the meeting," Marcus said.
"Arthur? You and Collette have mentioned that name a few times," Shirley recalled.
"Yeah, who is this Arthur?" Bo asked.
"Arthur Kingston," Susan answered. "He's the president of the Strangers' Club."
"Arthur Kingston?" Shirley said, thinking over the name.
"That's right. He's the big boss, the big cheese, the main man, the head honcho, El Supremo..." Hiroshi began.
"I believe our guests have gotten the picture, Hiroshi," Rika said, rolling her eyes.
Bart looked around the room. "You know, there aren't as many members here as I thought there were."
"Some of them are still working on cases," a girl with a blue bow in her blond hair answered. She got up from her seat and walked over to Shirley and the others. "I'm Sara Stanley, club secretary," she introduced herself to Shirley and her friends, then she looked at Bart. "Hi, Bart. Welcome to the Strangers' Club. I hope you'll be joining us soon."
"Thanks, Sara," Bart said.
"This girl's the one who keeps track of who comes and who doesn't come to the meeting," Hiroshi said, standing next to Sara and pointing at her head.
"As of now, only fourteen members will be here for this meeting," Sara calculated.
"Out of how many members?" Bart asked.
"As of today, twenty-seven," Sara answered.
"Twenty-seven?" Bart said, amazed.
Bo let out a whistle. "Whoa. That's a lot of members."
"Yes," Shirley said, wondering how many of those twenty-seven members were keeping tabs on her when she was not paying attention.
"Tell me about it," Sara said. "I have to keep track of all of them," she added with a grin.
"So when does the meeting start?" Blake asked.
"When Arthur gets here," Sara answered. The door opened. "In fact, this could be him now."
Damian entered the room, and Lucy and Katrina followed him in. "Okay, this isn't a surprise," Bo said. He had a feeling Lucy and Katrina would show up.
"Hi, Shirley," Lucy greeted cheerfully. "I'm glad you and your friends could make it."
"Well, I am looking for answers," Shirley admitted. "I'm hoping this meeting will give me some."
"Perhaps," someone spoke from behind Damian, Lucy, and Katrina.
END OF PART NINE
