The Great Shelby Holmes

by Elizabeth Eulberg

  This also meant that Shelby knew Zane was the lead suspect way before she trailed him. That was why she wanted me to play basketball with him. It wasn’t to get rid of me (necessarily); it was to get intel. So I was useful after all!

  John Watson: detective, truth seeker, and expert dog handler.

  “I can’t believe he did this to poor Daisy!” Tamra shouted, her grip tight around her dog’s neck. She looked over at her older sister, who still appeared to be in shock. “I’m so sorry I thought you did it, Zareen.”

  Zareen gave a little nod, seeming to be confused over the turn of events.

  See, I knew Zareen was innocent. So yeah, I totally didn’t know who did it, but at least I was right about Zareen.

  Tamra kept petting Daisy. “Can we even show her like this?”

  Emerson dug through his giant leather bag for tools to see if Daisy’s fur could be saved.

  Mrs. Lacy finally snapped out of her fog. “Thank you so much, Shelby. What can we do to repay you for helping our family?”

  Shelby’s entire demeanor perked up. “I’d appreciate a pan of Miss Eugenia’s walnut-fudge brownies.” Shelby then turned to me. “And I must acknowledge Watson’s role in all this.”

  As much as it pained me that this whole ordeal cost me Zane’s friendship, I really appreciated that Shelby was acknowledging my help. I was a huge part of her figuring everything out, even if I had no clue I was doing it.

  Shelby continued, “Would it be possible for Miss Eugenia to make him a batch of sugar-free brownies?”

  “Absolutely.” Mrs. Lacy gave me a kind smile. “I better go off …”

  A team of groomers was around Daisy, combing and prepping her for her debut as a white- and raven-haired dog.

  “Well, Watson, we did it!” Shelby declared with a slight nod in my direction.

  Did she really use the word we? Maybe the great Shelby Holmes needed a partner (not an assistant) after all.

  “Thanks for requesting brownies for me.”

  “You’re welcome. And, Watson, thanks for helping me.”

  “Well …” I looked at Shelby, who was grinning from ear to ear. “That’s what friends are for.”

  The word friends slipped out so naturally. While I was anticipating one of her patented grimaces, she perked up even further when I said it. “Really?”

  “Well, yeah. Friends help friends.”

  “But you mean we’re friends?”

  While Shelby had seemed dismissive about having friends, I had a feeling the reason she thought she didn’t need a friend was because she never really had one before.

  What would being friends with Shelby Holmes mean? While I had no doubt that I’d be talked down to, even possibly made fun of by others, I had to say that being friends with her would be anything but boring.

  “Yeah.” I went to pat her shoulder, but she shrugged it away. “Friends.”

  “Friends,” she replied with a nod.

  I laughed. I never had to declare my friendship with somebody before. Usually you hang out, keep hanging out, and you just become friends. But then again, I never had one like Shelby before.

  We began walking around the backstage area, looking at all the dogs competing. “But how did you know that the dog at Pawesome Pooches was Daisy?”

  “Well, I was aware that Zane had dyed Daisy’s fur, so I knew what to look for. Plus, the biggest clue of all: the stuffed bone was in the room with her.”

  It was right under my nose, but I didn’t know what to look for.

  At that moment, a line of hound dogs came from the stage. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Look at that.” I pointed to a brown bloodhound that was more wrinkled than my great-grandma. “He kind of looks like a detective, huh? I bet if we dressed him up in, I don’t know, an old cape and matching deerstalker cap, with a pipe, he’d look just like a detective.” I was cracking myself up, but Shelby was not amused.

  “Seriously, Watson?” she asked. “You think a real detective would wear a cap and smoke a pipe?” She shook her head and then shoved a lollipop in her mouth. “Preposterous!”

  Okay, there was a good chance the majority of my teasing would come from Shelby, but I think I can handle it.

  CHAPTER

  30

  The next afternoon, I found myself sitting back on our front stoop, writing in my journal.

  It was weird not to have a case to think about. I spent last night telling Mom all about our day. She surprised me by playing a voice mail Dad had left yesterday for me, apologizing for not calling. He promised we’d talk tonight. “I really miss you, John,” he had said before he hung up. It wasn’t the same as having him here, but it would have to be enough, for now.

  I looked back at my journal and got back to reporting on yesterday. Daisy won the Toy division, while Sir Arthur didn’t even place in the Non-Sporting group. That wasn’t Sir Arthur’s fault, but Shelby’s. She decided to give the judge a taste of her own medicine and, after looking the judge up and down, said something that made the judge take a step back and disqualify Sir Arthur.

  Poor dog.

  Daisy didn’t get Best in Show, which didn’t seem to upset the Lacys, as they were simply happy to have their dog back. I’d been informed that Zane had been grounded “indefinitely,” and since I never got any of his friends’ information, it looked like I was back to square one in the friend department.

  Well, except I’d already made one friend.

  I heard the front door open behind me, and it unnerved me how excited I was to see Shelby standing over me.

  “That was something yesterday,” I remarked to her. “Although …” I hated that I went online this morning to see if anything had been written up about how we solved the case. “Did you see the article about the dog show and how Daisy was missing until right before showtime?”

  “I don’t bother with old news,” Shelby said with a sniff as she continued down the stairs.

  “But you didn’t get mentioned.” (Neither did I.) “It made it seem like she simply materialized out of thin air. You deserve more than baked goods for what you did. You should’ve gotten credit.”

  “What do you want me to do, Watson? Hire a publicist? Nobody will ever believe that a ‘little girl’ could do all that.”

  “Yeah, but …” I said as I looked down at my hands. I held up my journal. “I’ve begun writing everything down here. I’ll tell your story.”

  Shelby tilted her head as she studied me. I knew her ego couldn’t resist being written about. “Suit yourself.”

  She skipped down the steps.

  “Or ”—Shelby turned around with a crooked smile—“there’s a case I’ve been called in on that may require your expertise.”

  “Like a partner?” I asked. While I knew that I couldn’t hold a candle to Shelby’s sleuthing, I could help her with dealing with normal people and things she didn’t find to be “essential” enough to be in her brain attic.

  “Yes, Watson. As my partner.”

  I quickly stashed my journal away. There’d be plenty of time for me to record our adventures. As Mom kept reminding me, I wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Hurry up, Watson!” Shelby called behind her back as she started walking down the street. “We’ve got another case to solve.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Unlike Shelby, I have no trouble asking for help. I’m fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life who offered endless advice and encouragement while I was writing this book.

  Everybody at Bloomsbury has been welcoming and supportive of Watson, Shelby, and me since day one. Huge thanks to my editor, Catherine Onder, and Hali Baumstein for their thoughtful notes; Diane Aronson and Nancy Seitz for reigning in the Queen of Split Infinitives; and the whole Bloosmbury crew, especially Cindy Loh, Cristina Gilbert, Lizzy Mason, Melissa Kavonic, Jessie Gang, Erica Barmash, Beth Eller, Emily Klopfer, and the sales department.

  I’ve never had character illustrations before, and I’m so honored to have
Erwin Madrid bring Watson and Shelby to life.

  I can’t begin to express how lucky I am to have such a fabulous team at WME represent me. I could never thank Erin Malone enough for encouraging me to write this book solely from a one-sentence description. Also, I’m grateful to Laura Bonner for helping Watson and Shelby take over the world!

  Jen Calonita is not only my author-tour bestie, she took time off from working on her own books to read a rough draft and offered such wonderful advice. Our next round of cupcakes is on me!

  Fun fact: I am nowhere near as smart as Shelby. So I had to do a lot of research for this book. Colonel Erica Nelson, U.S. Army, spent time answering my questions about army-post living (special shout-out to my brother-in-law, Mark Vodak, for the hookup, and Erica’s daughter Briana for being such a great reader!). I’m also grateful to Tiffani Diggs for letting me harass her on Facebook with questions about army posts. Julia Thorpe was so sweet to help a stranger with questions about having diabetes as a kid.

  I don’t think there’s an author I have crossed paths with in the last two years whom I haven’t talked to about this book and sought advice from. Thank you to Coe Booth, Sarah Rees Brennan, Ally Carter, Julia Devillers, Varian Johnson, David Levithan, Sarah Mlynowski, Marie Rutkoski, Carrie Ryan, Kieran Scott, Jennifer E. Smith, and (honorary author) Rose Brock.

  Kirk Benshoff not only does a killer Kermit the Frog impression while singing “Rainbow Connection,” he keeps my website in running order (and doesn’t get mad when I go in and mess something up).

  I’d be nothing without my family. They give me so much support and don’t mind that I bring my laptop everywhere. Another fun fact: my brother, W.J., played Sherlock Holmes in a middle-school musical, while I was relegated to the chorus. May Shelby Holmes prove girls can solve crimes as well as the boys!

  Of course, Shelby and Watson wouldn’t exist without the original Sir Arthur. For decades, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has inspired many with his stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, including yours truly (as if it weren’t obvious!). Believe me, as someone who is a huge fan of English bulldogs, naming a dog after him is a compliment!

  Text copyright © 2016 by Elizabeth Eulberg

  Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Erwin Madrid

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  First published in the United States of America in September 2016

  by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

  This electronic edition first published in 2016

  www.bloomsbury.com

  Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Eulberg, Elizabeth, author.

  Title: The Great Shelby Holmes / by Elizabeth Eulberg.

  Description: New York : Bloomsbury, 2016.

  Summary: Nine-year-old Shelby Holmes, the best detective in her Harlem neighborhood, and her new easy-going friend from downstairs, eleven-year-old John Watson, become partners in a dog-napping case.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2015040010

  ISBN 978-1-68119-051-8 (hardcover) • ISBN 978-1-68119-052-5 (e-book)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Friendship—Fiction. | Harlem (New York, N.Y.)—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.E8685 Gr 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2015040010

  Book design by Jessie Gang

  To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com. Here you will find extracts, author interviews, details of forthcoming events and the option to sign up for our newsletters.