The Great Shelby Holmes (8 page)

“What?” Tamra put the photo down so hard she knocked a few other frames over. “Why would you say that?”

“Because Roxy didn't bark when Daisy was taken.”

Tamra's mouth was practically on the floor. “You're right! I didn't think about that.”

“Of course
you
didn't,” Shelby stated bluntly.

It seemed like such a simple piece of evidence: Roxy, the dog that barks incessantly, didn't bark when Daisy was taken from downstairs. Yet everybody overlooked it. Except Shelby.

Tamra's hands were trembling as she put the picture frames back in place. “Wait a second.” She began picking up the different pictures and examining them. “One of the pictures is missing.”

“Really?” Shelby asked excitedly.

“Are you sure?” Zane asked as he came over to inspect the photos. “Mom probably rotated them or something. It's not like she can leave a room alone for too long without redecorating it.”

“No, it was here yesterday. I remember showing Shayla the photo of us in London when she was over. It was right here.” Tamra pointed to the left corner.

“What kind of frame was it?” Shelby inquired. “Crystal? Antique?”

“None of these frames are expensive,” Zane stated. “We don't have a lot of antiques on this floor.”

“Ah, because Zareen sleepwalks,” Shelby stated to the shock of the group. “It was pretty evident from the extra locks on her windows, heavy curtains, bell at her bedroom door, and prescription on her dresser. You should've been concerned if I hadn't noticed that. After all, I'm the one who's going to find your dog.”

So much for our cover.

Zane scratched his head. “Ah,
that's
what you're doing here? Mom said Tamra had friends over, not some
detectives
.” He said
detectives
with a sneer. I remembered what Shelby said earlier about being underestimated. I would've also doubted her had I not witnessed her in action.

Tamra crossed her arms. “Listen, Zane, Shelby's the smartest person in the entire school. She was the one who figured out who had stolen the money from the dance department's fund-raiser. The principal didn't even bother with the police, she's
that
good. Nobody knows that Zareen
sleepwalks, but she figured that out simply by being in her room for a couple minutes.”

I looked over at Shelby, who smirked back at Zane, clearly annoyed that she'd have to prove herself to anybody.

Zane laughed. “Yeah, okay. Call me crazy, but that doesn't really instill a ton of faith in me. Anybody can read a prescription bottle. Congratulations.”

Shelby ignored Zane's dig. “Do we know if she had an episode last night?”

“No.” Zane put his hands in his pockets. “Zareen hardly sleepwalks anymore.”

“I
KNEW
IT
!” Zareen's voice boomed as she stomped up the stairs, her curls bouncing with every step. “I
KNEW
you were going to find a way to blame me. I didn't do it! But, of course, perfect Tamra couldn't be held accountable for losing her own dog.”

“It's not my fault you're jealous of me,” Tamra spit back at her older sister.

“Don't listen to her, Zareen.” Zane placed his arm around his twin.

“Oh, what a surprise. Zane's taking Zareen's side,” Tamra replied sarcastically.

“Tamra,” Zane scolded his sister, “don't pick on Zareen. We're all doing everything we can to find Daisy. And, Zareen, nobody thinks you did it.”

Tamra stepped forward so she was only inches away from Zareen. “That's not true.
I
think you did it.”

With those words, an eruption of accusations overcame the two sisters as they each tried to blame the other for Daisy's disappearance.

“Why would I want my dog to disappear?” Tamra exclaimed as Zane stepped in between his sisters.

“Because all you want is attention!” Zareen tugged on her brother's arm. “You have to admit that Tamra could've totally taken Daisy last night and given her to a friend so she can have Mom and Dad fuss over her even more. As if that were humanly possible.”

Shelby leaned toward me and said in a low voice, “Well, Watson, we've arrived at the finger-pointing stage of the investigation where everybody thinks they're a detective.”

“Guys!” I tried to get the shouting to stop. Not only was this really uncomfortable, but I also hated watching a family fight. Believe me, I've seen my share of family fighting, and no good could ever come from it. “Can we all just calm down? Please?”

Nothing. It was like I was talking to the walls.

“Let the professional handle this.” Shelby rolled her eyes as she approached the siblings in an attempt to restore order. “Would it be possible to display some decorum during these proceedings?”

Shockingly, that did nothing. Mostly because there wasn't a dictionary handy to decipher whatever Shelby was trying to say.

The girls did finally quiet, only because Mrs. Lacy began shouting as she climbed the stairs. “I will not tolerate this behavior in our house! We're all upset Daisy's missing, but that doesn't mean you can blame each other.”

“You wouldn't be this upset if Roxy were missing.” Zareen glared at her mother.

“Mommy,” Tamra cooed sweetly, “did you take the photo of us in London?”

“No.” Mrs. Lacy came over to the bureau and searched through the photos. She turned to Zareen. “Did you knock it over in your sleep?”

“
WHY
DOES
EVERYBODY
BLAME
ME
FOR
EVERYTHING
!” Zareen ran into her room and slammed the door shut.

Once again, the hallway became a battlefield of yelling and accusations, with the added tension of Mrs. Lacy banging on Zareen's door.

It was pure chaos.

Here I always thought having money would make life easier. But apparently money couldn't cure crazy.

Shelby hung her head. “This case is suffering from too many cooks in the kitchen.”

“The cook!” I stated again, not being able to shake my suspicion of the antidog chef.

Shelby moaned. “As I explained in the kitchen, it wasn't the chef.”

“I'm just saying—”

She cut me off. “What did you notice when we entered the kitchen?”

“What?” It was difficult to concentrate with all the noise the Lacys were making.

Shelby was as focused as ever. “When we entered the kitchen, please tell me everything that you had observed.”

My mind went back to our rushing into the kitchen. “Besides the huge kitchen that looked like it belonged on the cover of some cooking magazine? I saw the little dog barking and Zareen trying to control her. Mr. Lacy was yelling at her.”

“And that's it?”

“Yeah.” What else was there to see?

“This was what I had observed: upon entering the kitchen, I took a sweep of the room. Miss Eugenia was pressed up against the counter with a tissue in her hand. Once Zareen picked up Roxy, Miss Eugenia went into a drawer and pulled out an inhaler, which she quickly used, and then blew her nose. She is extremely allergic to dogs, which is why they aren't allowed in the kitchen. I also noticed that there was a bag of walnuts on the counter and a dish that was drying that could be used to make brownies. I had once observed Tamra eating a delicious walnut-fudge brownie a couple years ago, so that's how I knew what Miss Eugenia baked this morning.”

“Wait.” I stopped her. “You remember a brownie that someone who isn't even your friend was eating a couple years ago?”

“I never forget a good dessert.” Shelby looked wistful as the memory of the brownie no doubt entered her mind. “But I digress. The reason Miss Eugenia couldn't have taken
Daisy is twofold: one, Roxy certainly would've barked at her, as we witnessed earlier, and two, she wouldn't have gotten more than ten feet without having an allergic reaction.”

“Oh.” Maybe being a detective wasn't as easy as I thought.

Well, at least we now had one less suspect to worry about.

Shelby stepped forward. I could barely hear her over the arguing Lacys—who were only getting louder. “There's a difference between seeing and observing, Watson. You must learn not simply to see, but observe the whole scene that is placed before you. Usually, the answer is right in front of you,
if
you know how to look.”

I was so distracted by a little dog that was making a ton of noise I didn't take in anything else. I vowed that I was going to be more observant.

My focus went back to the Lacys as Zareen finally opened her door, but only to continue her heated argument with her mother.

I couldn't believe some of the things Zareen was saying to her mother. If I even raised—

My heart stopped.
My mother.
Who I was supposed to meet this afternoon.

“What time is it?” My voice was near a shrill.

Shelby casually looked at her watch. “Three twenty-two.”

“I have to be at the Columbia University Medical Center
at four to meet my mom. She's going to kill me if I'm late.”

Shelby didn't look concerned. “Well, you should probably move along, then.”

Move along?
I had no idea where I was or how to get anywhere. Mom gave me money for a taxi, but that was from our apartment. I didn't know if I had enough money or enough time. “Will a taxi get me there in time?”

Shelby snorted. “In New York City traffic? Good luck.”

My panic wasn't being helped by the Lacys constantly bickering.

“Take the one.”

“What?”

Shelby threw her head back in exasperation. “Take the one train uptown to 168th Street. You can get it at 86th Street. The ride should be around twenty minutes—you'll make it in time, but you have to leave now.”

I remained frozen.

“
GAH
!” Shelby cried out, which finally quieted everybody down. “Fine, I'll take you. The Lacys are no good to me in this condition anyway.” She turned toward the family. “I'll be back first thing tomorrow to look around the apartment and the building. Try not to move anything until then. I'd also appreciate it if you could all calm down and
remember everything that has happened since Daisy went on her walk last night. Do we think everybody can handle all that?”

Mrs. Lacy's eyes were wide. “What? What's going on?”

Zane laughed. “She's apparently some detective from school.”

Shelby ignored Zane and turned her attention toward Tamra. “I think you need to fill everybody in. We have no time for games and hissy fits.”

Tamra nodded while Zareen and Mrs. Lacy looked absolutely flummoxed.

“Come along, Watson,” Shelby said over her shoulder.

I obediently followed. I felt foolish that I needed her to escort me, but above all, I felt grateful.

CHAPTER

9