The Return of Sherlock James

by Gary D. Snyder

Chapter 3:

After lunch Jimmy's thoughts were not really on class. He was going over the facts of the situation and trying to sort out what information was significant, what was irrelevant, and what was simply coincidental. With only two objects missing and almost thirty possible suspects he quickly decided that he would need to collect more information before he could draw any definite conclusions. It disturbed him to think that anyone in his class could be a potential thief, and the possibility that it might actually be one of his friends distressed him even more. While Sherlock Holmes might not have concurred with Jimmy's logic, he decided that investigating his friends first would be the best course of action. Jimmy was certain – almost certain – that they were innocent, but knowing that for sure would remove a great weight from his mind.

The only problem confronting him was the fact that there were four of them and only one of him. It would be impossible for him to keep an eye Carl, Cindy, Libby, and Sheen simultaneously. Cindy was the last person that he observed examining his specimen of quasi-gold, and he decided that she was the most logical choice to investigate first. When the bell rang, dismissing the class, Jimmy moved to follow her from a discreet distance but was intercepted by Carl.

"What is it, Carl?" Jimmy asked impatiently, trying to keep an eye on Cindy as she headed to the door.

"Umm…about that story with the fire and the giraffes…" Carl began hesitantly.

"What about it?"

Carl opened his Omnipedia Beige book and studied it closely. "Could you give me a hint about who did it? I mean, was it something about the snow on Mr. McDuff's boots?"

Cindy was almost out of the room, and in desperation Jimmy fired the low-level laser from his wrist-comp to harmlessly irradiate her just as she exited. It would not last long and would not tell him what she was doing, but it would allow him to find her again once he had managed to shake Carl. "Carl, this is really not a good time. I've got a real-life mystery to solve, remember?"

Sheen chose that moment to join in. "What's the big deal with helping Carl, Jimmy?" He gave Jimmy a searching look. "Or is it possible that you don't know the answer yourself?" His attention was diverted by Libby, who was passing by. "Hey, Libs. Care to join me at the Candy Bar for a sundae built for two?"

"Thanks," Libby replied, "but I'm meeting Cindy at the mall to do some shopping. Maybe some other time." She gave an indifferent wave as she move off.

"Please, Jimmy?" Carl wheedled.

Jimmy didn't answer immediately. It was actually good news to know where Cindy and Libby were going and that they would be together, because it would let him observe both of them at the same time and could greatly simplify his investigation. "Okay, Carl," he conceded. "The hint is that the giraffes couldn't have woken McDuff with their screams." He dashed off, calling back, "Gotta blast!"

Carl nodded in vague comprehension. "Oh, I get it. McDuff must have been wearing with those earplug things when he was sleeping." He studied the book again. "That's funny. You think the author would have mentioned that in the story."

"Well, you know those writers," Sheen reassured Carl. "They can't remember to put everything in. Heck, half of the questions Miss Fowl asks about reading assignments aren't even in the stories. It's something called…" He made quote marks in the air. "…interpreting the story."

"Oh, right," Carl said. "I guess Omnipedia would have to interpret Mr. McDuff since he's from Scotland. Or did Jimmy say he was from Ireland? " A thought struck him. "No, wait a minute. The giraffes couldn't wake Mr. McDuff because they didn't speak any Scottish or Irish. That meant someone else had to put out the fire. But who?"

Sheen shrugged. "Maybe it was the guy in the shabby clothes," he suggested. "No, wait! If Mr. McDuff couldn't speak English, then how did he tell the others about the fire and tell his story to Police Chief Brown?"

Carl looked surprised. "Oh, was that English? It didn't sound like it. What does 'begorrah' mean, anyway?"

Sheen pondered that before replying. "Maybe that's what people in Scotland call that stuff in their noses."

Jimmy, to his good fortune, was well out of earshot of this exchange between Carl and Sheen. He was using the tracking feature of his wrist-comp to monitor Cindy's movements, and as Libby had suggested they – or at least Cindy – seemed to be headed towards the Retroville Mall. Jimmy hurried along while maintaining a careful distance, and used the telltale dot on the tiny screen to time his arrival just in time to see Libby and Cindy entering the mall together. When he had given them time to move away from the entrance, he entered as well and mingled with the crowd of after-school mall-hoppers to continue his surveillance.

Jimmy had never bothered to analyze the shopping habits of pre-teen girls, although he assumed that it centered mostly on clothes, make-up, music, jewelry, and unicorns. With the possible exception of unicorns a number of the mall stores and outlets featured merchandise along these lines and Jimmy expected the girls to spend quite some time window-shopping. To his surprise they headed directly to an upscale jewelry store, ignoring several fashion stores along the way. His curiosity piqued, he took a roundabout route to the store and lounged outside the entrance, hoping to overhear something of interest. The store was not very crowded and he could faintly make out Cindy's and Libby's voices. Even so, Jimmy wished that he had an audio amplification unit with him. From the snatches of conversation he could hear, it appeared that they were examining something.

"What do you think, Libs?"

"It's not bad. You say that it's 14-karat?"

"Yes, ma'am." The third voice was that of a young man and must have been that of the store clerk waiting on Cindy and Libby. "It's really an excellent value for $50.00, if I may say so. Usually it's $75.00, but we've discounted it until Saturday."

Cindy's voice was wavering. "Well...it's nice, but…I don't know…" Jimmy had heard that tone of voice before and could tell from personal experience that Cindy was maneuvering for a better deal rather than undecided about the purchase. The sales clerk took the bait.

"You know, I usually don't do this, but…" The clerk paused as though checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "But for two lovely young ladies with such impeccable taste, I think that I'll take a chance." Jimmy heard Cindy and Libby giggling and he felt like retching. "Usually we charge twenty-five cents a letter for engraving, but purchase this for $50.00 and I'll forget my commission and include the engraving at no additional charge."

"Well…that is tempting…" That was Cindy again, but Jimmy could tell that she was now flirting by playing coy rather than bargaining. His face grew warm and he seethed as a warmly inviting tone came into Cindy's voice. "I don't suppose you could hold it for us until tomorrow, could you? I'll have the money by then."

"For you, anything," the clerk assured them. Or maybe the remark was just directed towards Cindy. A quick glance through the transparent display window showed Jimmy that the clerk, a personable young college-aged man, was holding one of Cindy's hands with both of his and that Cindy was smiling up at the clerk with half-closed eyes.

Jimmy realized that he was in danger of breaking a tooth and quickly unclenched his jaw. He was investigating two possible thefts and he knew that he had to remain impartially objective. If she wants to make a spectacle of herself over some bauble, he told himself, then let her. He regained control of his emotions just in time to turn away as Cindy and Libby re-emerged from the jewelry store.

"Such as nice guy," Cindy remarked as they walked away. "It's too bad guys have to be that old before they know how to treat a lady."

"Nice guy? Girl, he's a world-class hottie," Libby replied. "You don't suppose he'd be willing to wait for six or seven years before settling down, do you?"

Their voices faded and Jimmy decided to first find out what he could from the sales clerk rather than immediately following the two girls. He was fairly sure that Libby and Cindy would be staying together for a while, and he could monitor Cindy's location with his wrist-comp. He entered the store and quickly spotted the young man who had waited on the two girls. The clerk looked up as Jimmy approached and smiled pleasantly. "Yes, sir. May I help you?"

"Yes, um…" Jimmy read the clerk's badge. "Rafael, if that is your real name. I was trying to find a gift for someone. Something 14-karat, in the $50.00 range, and preferably marked down from $75.00."

Rafael smiled. "Well, we have any number of items that would fit that description. If I knew something about the recipient I could perhaps narrow it down somewhat. Is it for a family member? A friend? Or perhaps a girlfriend? You must be a terror with the ladies."

Jimmy thought about Cindy's and Libby's reactions to some of his experiments and decided that wasn't really what the clerk meant. "I wouldn't exactly say that," Jimmy fumbled. "Umm…I happen to know those two girls who just left. Maybe what they were shopping for would be appropriate. What was it they were shopping for?"

The clerk gave another smile and nodded. "Oh, yes. Very attractive young ladies, I must confess."

"Very," Jimmy grunted, his teeth clenched.

"Unfortunately, all our customer transactions are confidential, and this was supposed to be a surprise as well, so I'm not at liberty to reveal any details. Since they are acquaintances of yours, you could speak with them directly."

Jimmy nodded, stumped. "I guess so," he said. "Many thanks."

"Any time, sir, any time. Please, take my card and feel free to stop by at any time."

Rafael bowed and smilingly proferred a gilt-edge business card to Jimmy, who pocketed the card and exited with a mumbled reply. Outside the store he consulted his wrist-comp and saw that the dot representing Cindy was on its way back to Cindy's house. Apparently the trip to the jewelry store was the only purpose for Cindy and Libby's visit to the mall visit. But the investigation had thus far answered nothing, and only raised some additional questions. Why had they come to the jewelry store? What were they planning to purchase, and why?

And, most disturbing to Jimmy, how was it that Cindy would have $50.00 for the purchase tomorrow?

End of Chapter 3