Sherlock Sam and the Cloaked Classmate in MacRitchie

by A. J. Low

  “I’m curious, why didn’t you tell Corporal Boey when you found the shoe?” The shock must have registered on my face because he then said, “Yes, I was watching you from nearby.”

  “That’s when I began suspecting something was going on, but I didn’t really know what,” I said. “I don’t like to tell people I have suspicions. I prefer to tell them I have answers, and the proof to back them up.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, it wouldn’t have mattered one way or the other,” James said. “There are many people who bring kids to the shrine and many kids who have the initials ‘JM’. You wouldn’t have been able to prove I had been at the shrine, especially when my parents confirmed I didn’t wear that kind of shoe.”

  “But you did mess up,” I said. “You didn’t expect us back on Monday evening.”

  “I confess I was caught completely unawares,” he said.

  “It’s why Watson and I saw your camp site, and why you tried to lead us away from it with your shouting.”

  “That was actually my minion, but yes, I didn’t think you had it in you to sneak out of your homes and completely ignore Deputy Superintendent Siva’s instructions.” He stopped smiling and looked straight at Jimmy. “Even in Penang, you made sure you had your father’s, his mother’s, and Sergeant Huda’s permissions during the entire investigation, so I assumed you would continue that pattern.”

  “How do you know what happened in Penang?” I asked. “And what minion?”

  He waved his hand dismissively, ignoring my questions. “I will not make that mistake again,” he said. “But very good detective work, Samuel. You did a fine job. Unfortunately for you, you can’t prove it at all. What little evidence you do have is all circumstantial. You do know what that word means, right?” His smile returned.

  “It’s the edge of a circle,” Jimmy said.

  “Why do you keep him around?” James asked me. “Is he a pet?”

  “We’re friends,” I said. “Do you know what that word means?”

  “You keep saying ‘friend’. I prefer subordinates to friends,” he said. “Friends can be so…unreliable.”

  I exhaled and looked at Jimmy. He looked as defeated as I felt.

  I looked at James again and asked, “Why? Why do all this? To win the science fair? To discredit me? Why?”

  “Finally,” James said, his eyes glinting. “You were so busy figuring out the how, you’ve only just asked the why. It wasn’t to win or discredit you. Those were just bonuses. I admit I helped a little by whispering about your outburst after I was ‘found’ in some choice ears here at school, but honestly, I think you discredited yourself quite nicely all on your own, don’t you think?”

  He smoothed his hair out, and I saw his parents’ Rolls Royce pull into the school car park. He turned and saw it as well. “I think I’ll let you stew on the why a little longer.”

  The rest of the Supper Club joined Jimmy and me as James walked away.

  “What happened?” Nazhar asked.

  “He totally admitted it,” Jimmy said. “But we can’t prove it because our evidence is a circumference.”

  “Circumstantial,” I said. “He planned this out perfectly, and he knows things about us that he shouldn’t.”

  “Like what?” Eliza asked. She seemed to hover over my sister, even though Wendy could stand on her own.

  “Like things that happened in Penang,” I said.

  I saw James walking back towards us with something behind him. When he got closer, I realized it was a robot! It was humanoid shaped and the same size as James. He had a moulded moustache over his lips. He wore a butler’s uniform.

  “I would like you all to meet Moran, my robot butler—and my minion,” James said. “I named him after a character in those books you idolise, Samuel.”

  “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” Moran said with a British accent. “May I offer you a spot of tea and some scones?”

  A panel opened up in his chest and out came a tray with a tea kettle, two teacups, a few scones and some clotted cream.

  “Oh, dear me,” Moran said. “I do apologise for only bringing two teacups. I did not realise there would be so many of you.”

  “It’s okay, Moran,” James said. “They don’t have time to drink any tea right now. But you should show them the trick I taught you.”

  The tray slid back inside Moran, and the panel slid closed. Then he shouted “HELP ME!” in a perfect imitation of James’ voice.

  Our jaws collectively dropped.

  “That was brilliant, Moran,” James said. “Good job.”

  “Very well, Sir,” Moran said. “Shall we rejoin your parents?”

  “Yes, we shall.”

  They walked away and got into James’ parents’ car. James even waved goodbye.

  “He’s kind of a creep,” Nazhar said.

  “But his robot was so polite,” Wendy said.

  “Watson, did you hear how Moran spoke to us?” I said. “Did you hear how polite he was? So agreeable and so nice. Did you pay attention, Watson?”

  “My-listening-systems-must-have-failed,” Watson replied.

  “Unbelievable,” I said. “The evil genius has a robot more polite than mine. He offered us tea and scones, for goodness’ sake. You’re always trying to keep food away from me.”

  “Clearly-I-am-more-interested-in-your-health-than-Moran,” Watson said. “Clotted-cream-is-very-high-in-fat-and-sugar.”

  “That’s why it’s so delicious,” I replied.

  “Also, Moran sounds like us!” Jimmy added. “Like a human bean, almost!”

  “Human being, Jimmy,” Eliza said, shaking her head.

  “That’s not so important,” I said. “Watson has more personality.”

  “Didn’t you tell me that Watson has too much personality, Sherlock?” Nazhar asked.

  Wendy chuckled.

  “You-can-never-have-too-much-of-a-good-thing,” Watson replied.

  I turned to the Supper Club. “I’m very sorry for getting you guys in trouble,” I said.

  “It’s okay,” Nazhar said. “We all made the decision to come out that night. You didn’t force us or anything.”

  “Thanks, Nazhar, but I was still the one who asked you to come out.” I took a deep breath and then said, “I’m not sure how your parents punished you, but my parents said I can no longer take any cases.”

  “What does that mean, Sherlock?” Jimmy asked. “Are you no longer Singapore’s Greatest Kid Detective?”

  “It means that, for now, the Supper Club has been disbanded.”

  “But what about James?” Eliza asked. “Are you going to let him get away with what he’s done? Wendy broke her ankle because of him.”

  I looked at Eliza. Wendy was surprised as well. Had she really started caring about us?

  “Elementary, my dear Eliza. I now have an arch-nemesis, and I will expose him as the fraud he is. Somehow.”

  “As-long-as-his-robot-does-not-bribe-you-with-high-tea,” Watson said.

  AUTHORS’ NOTE ON THE JAPANESE SHINTO SHRINE

  Syonan Jinja is a former Shinto shrine north of MacRitchie Reservoir, in the middle of dense jungle. It was built by the Japanese Imperial Army and British POWs during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore during World War II.

  When British forces liberated Singapore, the Shrine was destroyed either by British soldiers or by the Japanese army themselves. Ruins of the shrine still remain and are quite difficult to find due to their obscure location.

  The National Heritage Board declared the shrine a Historic Site in 2002. The word Syonan means “Light of the South Island” in Japanese, while jinja means Shinto shrine.

  As previously mentioned, it is actually very difficult to find the shrine, and hikers need to take an unmarked trail found near the ranger station on the Terentang Trail, on the north side of MacRitchie Reservoir. This unmarked trail begins near a set of three large boulders, and then continues through thick underbrush. It has, however, been marked wi
th red ribbons tied around trees left by some helpful hikers. The whole trek to and from the shrine can take upwards of five hours.

  In this story, we took many liberties with the location of the shrine to shorten the time it would take the characters to walk to and from the shrine. We have placed the shrine south of MacRitchie Reservoir and very close to MacRitchie Reservoir Park off Lornie Road so that the characters get to and from the shrine in a matter of minutes, instead of hours.

  We hope you will forgive the changes we’ve made to some real facts, and encourage you to learn more about Syonan Jinja from the National Heritage Board, the National Library Board’s Infopedia websource and your own research on and off the Internet.

  GLOSSARY

  Apiary—A structure containing many honey bee hives. They are often found on farms or other areas where flowering plants are plentiful. Sherlock Holmes was famously a beekeeper after he retired from being a consulting detective.

  Batman—A DC Comics superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. Batman is the superhero identity of billionaire Bruce Wayne. He saw his parents murdered when he was a child, and decided to fight crime as an adult. He operates mostly in Gotham City with various partners and protégés and fights against many strange villains like the Joker.

  Café Wok Inn Fish & Chips—A western food stall currently located at Block 21 Toa Payoh Lorong 7, near the Epigram Books’ offices. It is owned and operated by Michael, Drewscape’s uncle, and serves quite possibly the best fish and chips in all of Singapore.

  Casuarina Curry—A prata restaurant located on Casuarina Road near the Upper Pierce Reservoir, it also serves other delicious Indian food like murtabak, thosai, and utappam.

  Circumstantial evidence—Evidence that does not prove something outright, but only suggests it. For example, finding a stolen object in someone’s house does not prove that the person stole the object; it only suggests it.

  Comfort-Toe—Felicia struck upon the idea of a Comfort-Toe during her University years. She is currently looking for investors.

  Echolocation—A method of locating physical objects by making a sound and determining its location from the amount of time taken for that sound to return. Many animals in nature use this to navigate, including bats, dolphins, and some birds. Some blind people have learned to use echolocation, and technology uses a form of it in RADAR and SONAR. Daredevil’s “radar sense” is a super-powered version of echolocation.

  Lateral malleolus fracture—The most common type of ankle fracture, it does not require surgery and at most needs a walking cast to help it heal.

  MacRitchie monkeys—Do not feed the monkeys!

  MacRitchie Reservoir—Singapore’s oldest reservoir, it was built in 1868. Today, the area around the reservoir is known as the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and gives ample opportunity for people to walk trails, play water sports and learn about nature.

  Mission: Impossible—Originally an American television show that aired from 1967 to 1973 and from 1988 to 1990, it is now a series of action-adventure movies starring Tom Cruise. The shows and the movies all chronicle the adventures of the Impossible Mission Force, a group of super spies.

  Mushroom Café—A small restaurant located at MacRitchie Reservoir that serves many local dishes with a mushroom twist, including Mushroom Chicken Feet Noodles.

  My Little Pony—Created in 1983 by toy company Hasbro, the property was turned into an animated TV series. Its most recent version, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, has become very popular..

  Overhead Projector (OHP)—A large box with a very bright lamp and a fan to cool it inside. Transparencies are placed on top of the box. A mirror and lens above the box focuses and redirects the light forward—instead of up—usually onto a screen to show the transparencies to a large audience. This is what people used before computer projection systems were invented. The first overhead projectors were used for police identification work and later on by the U.S. military for training purposes after World War II.

  Portkey—In the Harry Potter series, a portkey is a magical artifact that will instantaneously transport those who hold on to it to another place. It was introduced and used extensively in the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

  Red herring—A clue that can lead detectives to make false conclusions. They are often employed in mystery fiction to keep a reader guessing.

  Sì, shí, and shì—Chinese words that sound very similar, but mean “four”, “ten” and “is”, respectively. When learning Chinese, the following counting rhyme and tongue-twister has been known to make grown men cry:

  Sì shì sì,

  Four is four,

  shí shì shí,

  Ten is ten,

  shísì shì shísì,

  Fourteen is fourteen,

  sìshí shì sìshí,

  Forty is forty,

  sìshísì shì sìshísì,

  Forty-four is forty-four,

  Yìbai shì y líng líng, shì búshì?

  One hundred is one-zero-zero, isn’t it?

  Star Trek—A long-running TV series and movie franchise, it has also spun off into other mediums, including books, comics and radio. The property was recently revamped for the big screen using the characters from the original series, including Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Dr McCoy.

  ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

  SAMUEL TAN CHER LOCK a.k.a. SHERLOCK SAM

  A 10-year-old detective who tends to bite off more than he can chew, Sherlock Sam loves superheroes and comics. His heroes are Sherlock Holmes, Batman, Agent Coulson and his dad. Exceptionally curious and intelligent, Sherlock cannot resist a perplexing mystery, not even when it can get him in trouble.

  WATSON

  Less than two years old, Watson behaves more like a grumpy old man though he has remarkable similarities to a sulky toddler. He is often reluctantly drawn into Sherlock’s misadventures. Watson secretly wants to join S.H.I.E.L.D’s Science division and create an army of like-minded robots.

  WENDY

  Wendy, Sherlock’s 11-year-old-sister, can be a tomboy. Her arch-nemeses are mosquitoes and snooty, spoilt classmates. She is a talented artist and her favourite colour is green. Her Chinese is terrible.

  JIMMY

  Sherlock’s classmate, Jimmy, seems to have the super power to fall down without injuring himself. His enthusiasm for everything is infectious and no one can stay mad at him for long (that might be his other super power).

  NAZHAR

  Nazhar is a bookish boy who loves reading about history and is the big brother of the group. He is trying to learn more about the outdoors from Eliza but, unfortunately, Nazhar has a horrible sense of direction.

  ELIZA

  Eliza is an only child. Her parents are often away on business, leaving her to her own devices. Though sometimes sarcastic and mean, Eliza secretly enjoys going on adventures with Sherlock Sam and his friends. She really loves My Little Pony and neat hair.

  DAD

  A brilliant engineer, Sherlock’s dad is constantly working on top-secret experiments. He cannot concentrate unless he is chewing on Red Vines, a twisty licorice candy. He has never stopped reading superhero comics because he thinks that everyone needs heroes, no matter how old they are.

  MOM

  Sherlock’s mom is half-Peranakan and a genius in the kitchen. She loves reading books by Jane Austen and enjoys watching superhero movies more than she lets on—especially those featuring Black Widow.

  OFFICER SIVA

  Officer Siva is an experienced and insightful police officer with the Singapore Police Force, but he cannot work without his morning kopi. A trusted ally of Sherlock Sam, Officer Siva is studying Spanish because he’s addicted to telenovelas. He hopes they’ll be the new Korean dramas in Singapore.

  JAMES MOK

  Born and raised in London, James has only recently moved to Singapore with his parents. James’ intellect rivals Sherlock Sam’s genius, but he cannot be distracted by delicious food. He enjoys cream wi
th his scones and Earl Grey tea, hot.

  MORAN

  Not much is known about Moran other than the fact that he is very polite and obeys orders without question. Unlike Watson’s robotic voice, Moran sounds almost human. He also has an amazing moustache.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  The writers behind the pseudonym A. J. Low are the husband-and-wife team, Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez.

  Born in California to Mexican immigrant parents, Adan became an immigrant himself when he moved to Singapore after graduating from New York University with a Literature degree. He previously co-wrote a children’s book, Twisted Journeys #22: Hero City. He loves comics, games (analog and video), LEGO®, books, movies, Doctor Who and sandwiches and one day hopes to own a store that sells all these things.

  Felicia was born and raised in Singapore. She spent most of her childhood with her head in the clouds and her nose buried in a book, and now daydreams of owning her own bookstore. She has a graduate degree in Literary Theory, and the Sherlock Sam series is Felicia’s debut writing effort, after accumulating years of experience buying, selling and marketing books.

  Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong won the International School Libraries Network’s Red Dot Award 2013-2014 in the Younger Readers’ Category. Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning took third place in the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards 2013 in the English Children’s Books category.

  You can contact the authors at sherlock.sam.sg@gmail.com or by visiting sherlocksam.wordpress.com and facebook.com/SherlockSamSeries.