“Follow my lead,” she commanded as we crossed the street and entered the shop.
I’d never been in a pet store before. There hadn’t been a need since Dad was allergic to dogs and cats. But I was very certain that even if I’d been to a million pet stores in every single state I’d lived in, nothing would’ve compared to this.
Sure, there were leashes, bones, and toys, but there was also a section for designer “pet couture,” where I picked up a furry jacket, but immediately put it back when I saw it was over seven hundred dollars because it was a mink coat. For a dog.
Let me repeat myself: a mink coat. For a dog.
There was also a dog perfume counter, a spa for dogs, and a dog bakery.
I should’ve known the glass case was filled with delicious-looking cookies, biscuits, and cakes that were not for humans, or Shelby would’ve been over there slobbering just like the black Lab whose paws were currently on the case.
“Can I help you?” An older woman wearing a T-shirt with a fluffy dog on it approached us.
“Yes.” Shelby turned around, and I hardly recognized her. I mean, it was definitely Shelby, but she’d also put on a pink cardigan over her baggy black shirt, which was now tucked into her shorts. Her posture was as straight as a pole and her voice seemed to be dripping with honey. She looked like a … girl. “I’m Petunia Cumberbatch, from the Greenwich Cumberbatches.”
Petunia Cumberbatch? Really? And she had made fun of the names I had come up with?
“Daddy is waiting outside in his town car—you know how those Wall Street hedge-fund managers are—but I told him I’d pop in and see if this would be an appropriate place for us to store our beloved pooch, Peaches, while we vacation in Saint Bart’s. Usually we can take him on our private jet, but it seems that the new chef at our beach house is allergic to dogs, so here we are.”
Ah, what?
Shelby had done a complete turnaround of character. She had a new accent that I couldn’t quite place, but it screamed money.
There was no way anybody could buy such a grand story, but the clerk was eating it up.
“Well, of course,” the woman said as she leaned in like she understood the perils of private planes. “We have the city’s best dog hotel, with daily spa treatments, exercise classes, and all-organic food, which is prepared in-house by our chef de cuisine.”
You have got to be kidding me.
“We’re very particular about the kind of food Peaches eats. Would we be able to bring in our own food?”
“But of course.”
“Excellent.” Shelby gave the woman the most innocent of smiles. “I’d love a tour.”
“It would be my pleasure. Please follow me.” The woman held out her hand for Shelby to follow.
“Oh, and this is my basketball tutor, Sherlock.” Shelby turned to face me and stuck out her tongue, which was completely out of character for both Shelby Holmes and Petunia Cumberbatch.
I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t start laughing and blow our cover.
The woman opened a set of double doors, and I did my best not to cry out in protest. The hallway had rooms on either side that were about as big as my bedroom back home. Each one was for a dog.
Again. FOR. A. DOG.
Every room was brightly decorated with paint, photos of dogs, a bed, and toys. There were waist-high gates attached to each entry. The hallway then led to a play area, which looked more like a playground from when I was a kid, with slides, swings, and a running lane on the outside.
“This floor is for the smaller breeds. What kind of dog is Peaches?” the woman asked Shelby.
“She’s a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Do you have any of those here at the moment?”
“We indeed have two King Charles dogs currently boarding with us,” the woman replied as she led us down another hallway with rooms.
Bingo!
Maybe one of the dogs was Daisy? Imagine how foolish Zane would end up feeling when he discovered that he was so close to Daisy when he was in here.
I felt my pulse begin to race as we were led to the first dog, who was called Lucky. While I’d never met Daisy, I knew that she had some brown fur on her face. This dog only had black-and-white fur.
I turned around to where the other King Charles dog was sleeping. All my hope was dashed when I noticed it was an older dog named Buzz. He lifted his head off the pillow he was resting on long enough to consider me, but then went back to sleep.
Daisy wasn’t there.
I was waiting for Shelby to put this charade abruptly to an end, but she was on her knees petting Lucky and asking about boarding options.
I zoned out after I heard the woman excitedly describe their doggy pool, which was shaped like a bone.
The dog show was tomorrow. Each time it felt like we had a lead, we always seemed to take a step back.
We were being guided back to the front of the store. Shelby took a brochure and patiently listened to the woman’s final pitch.
“Sounds wonderful,” Shelby said in her affected accent. “Daddy’s personal attaché will be in touch to reserve a suite soon.”
I was getting ready to head out the door, but Shelby wasn’t done yet.
“Do you have any dogs competing in the Manhattan Kennel Club competition tomorrow? I hear that you’re the preferred pet store for Daisy from the Upper West Side Lacys.”
Was this something that I was going to have to do? Start referring to myself as John Watson from the Harlem Watsons?
“Oh yes,” the woman chimed in excitedly. “We simply love Tamra and Zareen. It’s a shame Daisy has gone missing.” She gestured to the flyer that was up behind the counter.
“Oh, that is horrible!” Shelby held her hand up to her chest, like she was in shock.
Even though I knew Shelby was more than aware of Daisy’s predicament, I almost believed how upset she was acting. She really was a good actress (as long as she didn’t have to play the role of a friend … or a basketball player).
“And wasn’t that Zane Lacy I saw on my way in?” Shelby batted her eyelashes.
The woman returned a blank stare. “I don’t believe so. At least I didn’t see him.”
I did another sweep of the store. It was an open space and she would’ve definitely seen him when he was here. There was only one other customer when we walked in, and the guy behind the bakery counter was helping him and his black lab.
She had to have seen Zane.
Why would the woman lie about Zane being there?
Maybe she was the one who’d taken Daisy?
(I realized that I was grasping at straws, but time was ticking. The show was tomorrow and we had no other leads.)
She continued, “Then again, I haven’t had the privilege of meeting Zane, but I’ve had the utter delight of getting to know his sisters and their fabulous dogs.”
“Why, thank you so much,” Shelby purred. “I do declare that you’ve been ever so helpful.”
I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more confused than when we left the store. But Shelby was elated.
“Watson!” she exclaimed. “We did it! Or rather, I should say, I did it. Oh, Tamra will be so pleased. Now I must determine the best way to do my reveal. I do think a little theatrics would be fun, don’t you agree?”
“What?” I scratched my head, hoping that would get some blood flowing, because I had no idea what Shelby was talking about. What did she do? Daisy wasn’t there.
“Oh, Watson.” Shelby hit my arm, and it stung. She really was stronger than she looked. “The answer was literally right under your nose.”
It was?
“What did I tell you?” Shelby wagged her finger at me like a teacher scolding a student (which was basically what she was doing). “Don’t just see? You need to observe.”
What had I missed?
CHAPTER
26
I was hopeless. And utterly clueless.
I kept trying to put all the pieces together, but I c
ouldn’t. Shelby, in an attempt to either be as dramatic as possible or make me feel as stupid as possible (it was a toss-up), wouldn’t tell me what exactly was under my nose.
I saw the two dogs that were Daisy’s breed—one was too old, the other the wrong color.
What didn’t I see?
“What should we do this weekend?” Mom asked expectantly as she dished out salad for dinner. “We can go downtown and see the Statue of Liberty or go to the Museum of Natural History. The city is ours.”
I felt bad because I should spend Mom’s first free day with her, but I’d been given explicit orders from Shelby that I was to report to the dog show with Sir Arthur at precisely nine o’clock tomorrow morning. She even gave me a map and detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to get there (for which I was grateful but would never tell her that). As much as I was confused about my role in the case, and with Shelby in general, I had to find out who took Daisy.
“I wanted to check out that dog show tomorrow.” I said it so casually, hoping she wouldn’t be able to see through it.
“Really? I didn’t think you were into dogs.”
“Well, it’s something different, and I thought …” I didn’t want to lie to Mom, but I also knew she didn’t want me to get involved in Shelby’s cases.
“Maybe I should join you?” she offered. When I could only respond by stabbing a piece of kale, she arched her eyebrow. “John?”
“Shelby asked me to help her with Sir Arthur tomorrow. I need to take him to the show.”
“Why?”
If only I knew the answer to that question.
“Does this have to do with a case?” She leaned back in her chair, a serious look on her face.
“No. I don’t think so. Maybe.” Although taking Sir Arthur to the dog show was all about the case. Everything about Shelby was about the case. “I guess.”
“What did I say about getting involved in other people’s business?”
“I know. It’s just that I’m learning a lot from Shelby. You’ve seen what she does and she’s so close to cracking this case. I want to see how it all plays out. Plus, I met Zane and all those other guys I played ball with today through her. So I feel like I owe her this one favor.” I spoke so fast, hoping she wouldn’t have a chance to argue.
“Does it really mean that much to you?”
“Yes.” It did. It might have seemed like a silly thing, but I liked doing something so completely different from anything I’d ever done before. So much had already changed for me. It was nice there was something that hadn’t reminded me of how much I’d lost. “All I’m doing is taking Sir Arthur to the hotel. That’s it.” At least that was what I thought was it. I had no idea what tomorrow held. And it really excited me. It was a new adventure. “Please.” The desperation in my voice was clear.
Mom studied me for a few more minutes before she finally spoke. “You can go to the dog show tomorrow, on two conditions.”
“Okay,” I replied hesitantly, wondering what her conditions could be.
“One, you have to do the dishes tonight and all next week.” I nodded. I always had to rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher back at our old house, so this wasn’t anything different. “And two, you have to spend Sunday with me.”
“Deal!” I replied happily.
Mom laughed while she shook her head. “Please be careful. Shelby may be smart, but I’m not sure if she’s a good influence on you.”
Well, I couldn’t really argue with her about that. Although I had a feeling if I ever talked to Mom the way Shelby seemed to talk to, oh, everybody, she’d quickly straighten me out.
“Oh, and, John,” she said as she took her plate over to the sink. “We don’t have a dishwasher in this apartment. Enjoy scrubbing!”
Aw man! I’d forgotten that. I looked over at the pile of dishes that were waiting for me.
First Shelby, and now my mom. Was there anybody who couldn’t outsmart me?
CHAPTER
27
If there was one thing I was good at, it was following instructions.
Even as far back as kindergarten, I’d been praised for being a good listener and direction follower. Maybe that’s from growing up in a military family, where discipline was a daily practice. Every post had different rules, so I’d become accustomed to reading lists and following them to a T.
So at precisely eight the following morning, I knocked on Mrs. Hudson’s door so she could let me into the Holmes’s apartment to get Sir Arthur.
“How’s everything going so far?” Mrs. Hudson asked as she began unlocking the top lock.
“Pretty good,” I replied, because how today played out was going to be a huge factor in how the rest of my week (if not my life here) was going to go. Depending on how Shelby handled the revelation of who took Daisy (along with the when, where, how, and why), either I’d have Zane as a friend or I wouldn’t. Shelby didn’t concern herself with people’s feelings, so I was a nervous wreck that she was going to say something to make Zareen, Tamra, and/or Zane mad. Although it was pretty clear whoever did it was involved with the pet store, since Shelby had figured everything out when we were there. Or the Lacys could be so grateful to Shelby that I’d get bonus points for being involved.
Sir Arthur was waiting by the door. I attached his leash, grabbed the oversized canvas tote, and went back into the hallway.
Mrs. Hudson gave me a hopeful smile. “It’s so lovely to see Shelby making a friend.”
I wanted to ask her if Shelby made her “friends” schlep her dog downtown with an errand list in hand.
“Good luck with your case!” she called after me as I opened the front door.
Yeah, I had a feeling we were going to need all the luck in the world.
Sir Arthur and I made our way down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. I had studied the street map so closely that I was happy that we made it to the subway entrance ahead of Shelby’s painfully detailed schedule.
Shelby told me dogs were only allowed on the subway if they were contained, which was why she gave me a huge canvas bag. I kept Sir Arthur to my outside as we went down the stairs. Luckily, the attendant in the booth wasn’t paying attention, so I was able to slip Sir Arthur through undetected until we got to the platform. I laid out the canvas bag for him to crawl into. He’ll know what to do, Shelby had told me.
Sir Arthur simply stared up at me, his tongue hanging out on one side.
“You’re supposed to go in here!” I spread out the bag even wider.
He sat, his droopy eyes cast down at the bag, then up to me.
“What?” I asked him. I looked at Shelby’s list, which explicitly stated that if I spread out the bag, he’d climb in and then I could get him on the train.
I heard rumbling up ahead and knew our train was approaching. There was a chance I could get away with bringing him onto the train without the bag, but I didn’t want to risk it. I was already going to have to pretend to be Sheldon Holmes when I arrived, and I wasn’t in the mood to tempt fate further by breaking any more laws.
Sir Arthur put his nose down on the bag and moved the strap out of the way, then used his teeth to pull the bag out farther. After he was happy with the bag placement, he crawled in.
I picked up the straps as the train arrived in the station. The bag wouldn’t budge. Sir Arthur probably weighed fifty pounds. How exactly was I supposed to pick him up and carry him? Although I had a feeling that Shelby would’ve managed just fine.
The doors to the train opened, and a few people sidestepped us to exit. I dragged the bag a couple inches before Sir Arthur managed to free himself. He picked up the bag in his teeth and marched into the subway car. He then placed the bag down on the floor and crawled back in.
Smart dog.
Like I should’ve expected anything else.
I checked the subway map at every station, not wanting to miss the stop. I debated what to do once we got to our destination but had a feeling Sir Arthur would help me out.
br /> The train pulled into our stop, which was on the corner of the hotel where the dog show was being held. Sir Arthur hopped back out of the bag. Once he was safely on the platform, he paused for me to put on his leash.
Two young women approached as I fumbled with the leash. I was certain they were going to get me in trouble for not having Sir Arthur contained in his bag.
“Your dog is so cute! Can I pet him?” One girl kneeled down beside Sir Arthur, who happily slumped onto his back so he could get a belly rub.
I checked the time to make sure we were going to be okay. Luckily, Shelby had anticipated this. Her timeline “took into account unforeseen factors, including you getting lost despite my clear instructions and the more likely case of having to deal with Sir Arthur’s many admirers.”
The girls helped me hide Sir Arthur from the attendant as we made our way up into the already humid Saturday morning.
While I was turned around, it didn’t take long for me to figure out which hotel I was looking for. All I had to do was follow the line of dogs and owners streaming into a hotel high-rise.
Once I entered the hotel lobby, it was chaos. Dogs jumping and barking at each other, while their owners stood in line getting agitated. I was on my way to the registration desk when I heard my name called out.
“John!”
The voice came from the Lacy clan—all of them, including their trainer, were looking very worried as they sat in the lobby, without a dog.
“Have you seen Shelby?” Tamra asked as she nervously twisted her hair.
“She’ll be here, with Daisy,” I assured her. Even though I didn’t know the how or where she was retrieving Daisy, I knew better than to doubt Shelby.
“This is ridiculous,” Zane said as he threw his hands up in the air. “How dare she get your hopes up!”
“Classic Holmes, overconfident as ever,” a voice replied.
I turned around to see Detective Lestrade, wearing a casual blue dress without her badge in sight.