by A. J. Low
“Is something wrong, Auntie?” I asked, my Spidey-sense tingling.
"Well... it's just that..." She finally threw up her hands. “I’m very sorry, but your poster has gone missing.”
“What?!” Sivesh said. “I’m sorry, Auntie, but what do you mean it’s gone missing?”
“I mean, I was away from the shop for just a little while, and when I got back, the poster was gone!” Auntie Audrey said, wringing her hands. She looked very upset, and understandably so.
“Was it stolen?” Nazhar asked.
“It must have been!” Jimmy said. “Posters don’t just grow legs and walk out, Nazhar. Don’t be silly!”
Nazhar pointed at himself, looking confused since he clearly wasn’t the silly one.
“Where was Uncle Fique when you were out, Auntie?” I asked. Surely, the auntie wouldn’t have left her shop with all the expensive merchandise unattended.
“That’s the weird thing,” Auntie Audrey said. “He was here, but Fique says that he didn’t see anything!”
I turned to look at Uncle Fique, who was talking to a customer holding a set of photographs. He glanced over at me and gulped before turning back to the lady in front of him. Curious. How was a thief able to get behind the counter and into the back room without Auntie Audrey’s assistant noticing? Unless…
“It might be him, Samuel,” Eliza whispered. "Remember how much he knew about Sivesh's poster? He clearly knew how much it was worth. Who else could have had access to it?”
“Jacuzzi!” Jimmy suddenly shouted, pointing at Uncle Fique, who jumped and dropped the photographs he was holding. He quickly apologised to the customer and bent to pick them up.
“You mean ‘j’accuse’, Jimmy,” Wendy said. "Remember? Inspector Lestrade has corrected you about 15 times already."
“But-his-T-shirt-had-a-different-GreenLantern-from-the-one-on-the-poster,” Watson said.
“Watson is right,” I said before stopping abruptly. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d said those exact words. I was too stunned to continue.
“Well, the Green Lantern on my poster was Hal Jordan. The uncle was wearing a T-shirt with Guy Gardner on it. But I’m not sure that means anything,” Sivesh said, looking at me.
“Sivesh is right,” I said and immediately felt better. “Just because Uncle Fique was wearing a geeky Green Lantern T-shirt and knows about comics doesn’t necessarily make him the thief. If not, I would be a prime suspect.”
"Perhaps he was FRAMED," Jimmy said, holding up a photo frame that had been on the countertop.
I blinked. Nazhar looked at me and shook his head.
“Where were you when the poster went missing, Auntie?” I asked, turning away from Punny Jimmy. “Were you away for long?”
“No, no, I just went to buy lunch. I was only away for about 15 minutes," Auntie Audrey replied. “And I knew Fique was around. We take turns to get lunch and eat in when it’s busy.”
I noticed a plastic container of mee hoon kway sitting behind the counter. The lid was still on. I walked over and placed my hand above the container. It was warm. It appeared that Auntie Audrey was telling the truth.
Once I saw that Uncle Fique was done with his customer, I immediately walked over to him with Sivesh right behind me. I knew my friend had to be super anxious about his missing poster.
“Uncle Fique, you didn’t see anyone who could have taken Sivesh’s poster?” I asked.
“No! I’m very confused too! It suddenly got busy when Auntie Audrey went to get lunch," he said, scratching his head. "One man wanted his wedding photo framed, and then an uncle wanted his holiday photos done in a collage but his thumb drive wouldn’t work, and another lady wanted her graduation photos framed. Plus, she had her little sister with her who kept trying to touch the buttons of the cash register. Luckily, Kelvin was able to help. It was very busy, but even then, I don’t see how anyone would have been able to steal the poster!”
Sivesh frowned.
“Do you guys have CCTV?” he asked.
Uncle Fique looked at Auntie Audrey, who shook her head.
“It doesn’t make any sense, Sherlock,” Sivesh said. “And I don’t think Uncle Fique did it either. It’s not smart to steal something from your own workplace when you’re the only suspect.”
I had to agree with Sivesh. But without any security footage and with no other possible suspects, I was at a loss to explain the mystery of the pilfered poster.
“Did any of your customers come behind the counter at all? What about the little girl who wanted to touch the cash register?” I asked. Maybe it wasn’t a theft, and she had accidentally taken the poster?
“We never let our customers behind the counter,” Auntie Audrey quickly replied, giving Uncle Fique a look.
“Yes. We don’t. And the little girl was reaching over the counter,” Uncle Fique immediately replied.
“Hang on,” Sivesh said. He turned to look at me. Just then, something clicked for me as well.
“To the spectacle shop!” I yelled, dashing away with Sivesh hot on my heels. “Uncle Fique, please come with us!”
The shop assistant looked confused, but Auntie Audrey shooed him after us.
Uncle Kelvin was sitting at the counter when we arrived at the shop. There were no customers in the shop and he was polishing a pair of glasses with a cloth. When he saw us he frowned, then quickly smiled.
“Did you decide to take up my offer for new glasses after all?” he asked, standing up.
“Actually, we need your help with a case that fell into our laps,” I replied.
"A case where someone was FRAMED," Jimmy added, making a square with his fingers and holding it right up at his face.
Wendy, Eliza and Nazhar groaned. Watson’s circuits crackled.
“Sherlock, do you see what I see?” Sivesh asked me quietly, gesturing at the optician.
I nodded.
“Uncle Fique, you said that Uncle Kelvin came to your store when it was really busy?” I asked the framing shop assistant.
“He did?” Wendy asked. “When did he say that?”
“He said that Uncle Kelvin helped him with the little girl who wanted to play with the cash register, remember, Wendy?” Sivesh replied.
"Oh! I totally didn't hear that part," Wendy replied, looking sheepish.
“Yep. He needed change,” Uncle Fique replied. “But I was busy so I asked him to help himself. Auntie Audrey does it all the time. Lucky for me, he was there to help with the little girl.”
“You seem to have a stain on your white coat, Uncle,” Sivesh said, narrowing his eyes.
“What?” the optician asked, looking down at his lab coat.
“It-is-on-your-sleeve,” Watson pointed out. My robot only had one eye, but he seldom missed anything.
“Uncle Fique, what did Auntie Audrey ask you to do with the mahogany frame she was painting when we first arrived?" I asked.
“The what? The mahogany frame?” Uncle Fique replied.
“Yes. The mahogany frame that’s the exact same colour as the stain on Uncle Kelvin’s sleeve.”
Uncle Fique looked confused and turned to look at the optician, who was growing paler by the second.
“I must have touched it by accident when I made—made, er, change, er, at the cash register,” Uncle Kelvin stuttered. He quickly put his arms behind his back.
“But the frame was in the back room. Auntie asked me to put it there,” Uncle Fique said softly, almost to himself. I could almost see his brain working, but not really, because his head wasn’t transparent.
“Yes, you took it to the back room together with my poster, Uncle,” Sivesh replied. “I saw you do it. Sherlock did too.”
“Jacuzzi!” Jimmy yelped, pointing at the optician.
“It’s—never mind,” Wendy sighed.
“At-least-it-is-the-right-person-this-time,” Watson added.
"I believe if you check in the back office, Sivesh you might find your missing poster," I said.
Sivesh grinned and dashed behind the counter, dodging Uncle Kelvin, who tried to grab at him as he whizzed past. Uncle Fique quickly grasped the optician’s arm, earning himself a glare. Uncle Kelvin was loudly sputtering with indignation and threatening to call our parents if we didn’t stop. However, a couple of moments later, Sivesh dashed out of the back office, holding his previously missing poster.
“He hid it behind a shelf and I probably wouldn’t have seen it, but he didn’t notice that he had left reddish paint on the wall right next to his hiding place! It must have come off his sleeve. That’s how I found my poster!” Sivesh said.
“You-have-very-sharp-eyes-for-a-humanSivesh,” Watson said.
Wow. Was that an actual compliment from my robot? Sivesh must have really impressed him. The best I had ever received from Watson was “Congratulations for not falling down”.
“What do you have to say for yourself now?” I asked the optician, who had fallen silent.
“Argh. I would have gotten away with it if not for your friend and his sharp eyes!” Uncle Kelvin seethed. Uncle Fique continued to hold on tightly to his arm so that he wouldn’t try to make a break for it. Auntie Audrey, who had rushed over from her shop when she heard the commotion, was already calling the police.
“Sherlock is Singapore’s Greatest Kid Detective!” Jimmy yelled.
"Only-if-he-is-not-faced-with-too-many-food-choices-that-would-distract-him,” Watson added.
“I couldn’t have done it without Sivesh’s help,” I said, grinning.
THE END
GLOSSARY
Ayam Penyet—Literally “smashed chicken”, this dish consists of white rice, a smashed piece of fried chicken, fried tofu, slices of cucumber, and a delicious sambal chili sauce. The chicken is smashed with a pestle in a mortar to make it softer.
Barbara Gordon—In the DC comic book universe, she is the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon of Gotham City, where Batman resides. Initially fighting crime as Batgirl, a heinous injury at the hands of the Joker left her in a wheelchair. She then took on the mantle of Oracle, a computer expert and hacker, who assisted other superheroes by feeding them valuable information.
Beefeaters—The nickname of the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London. The origin of the term Beefeater is uncertain, but might have come about because of a Duke of Tuscany who mentioned that the guards daily consumed very large portions of beef.
“Blow the Man Down”—A very popular English sea shanty with at least 23 verses.
Borough Market—One of the largest and oldest food markets in London, and currently located at Southwark. It has a lot of delicious gourmet food sold at more than 100 stalls and stands.
British Museum—First opened in 1759, the public museum dedicated to culture, art and history does not charge an admission fee (except for special exhibits that are on loan) and houses a staggering eight million or more works in its permanent collection. One of the best museums in the world.
Cass Art—A chain of art stores owned by Mark Cass. His first store was opened at 13 Charing Cross Road in 1984—that’s the store that the Supper Club visits in the story.
Charing Cross Road—A book lover’s paradise that is very well known for housing general, specialist and second-hand bookstores. It was also the inspiration for the book 84, Charing Cross Road, written by Helene Hanff.
Ddakji—A traditional South Korean game that is played using tiles made out of folded paper. The tiles are then placed on the ground. The aim is to use your paper tile to flip your opponent’s tile by throwing it at just the right angle, with just the right amount of force, at the other tile. If you succeed, you get to keep your opponent’s tile.
Doctor Who—The long-running British Broadcasting Corporation television series that features the Doctor, an alien time lord, and his human companions. The Doctor travels through time and space using his TARDIS, a British police box-shaped time machine. In an episode titled “Vincent and the Doctor”, the Dutch-impressionist painter meets the Eleventh Doctor and ends up painting the TARDIS into an alternate reality version of his famous The Starry Night.
Ethan Van Sciver—An American comic book artist who has worked for Marvel and DC. He has drawn such characters as Green Lantern, the X-Men, Superman, the Flash and the Batman.
Hobbits—A fictional humanoid race who inhabit J.R.R. Tolkien’s MiddleEarth fiction, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They are shorter than humans and elves, but taller than dwarves. They eat seven meals per day, including breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. But not a second lunch.
Horizon: Zero Dawn—An open-world action RPG video game that takes place in a post-cataclysmic earth in which the player takes control of Aloy, a female warrior discovering the secrets of her world and fighting off many robots that resemble animals.
Hyde Park—Established by Henry VIII in 1536 as a hunting ground, Hyde Park is the largest park in Greater London. It contains the Serpentine and the Long Water, as well as Speaker’s Corner. Many concerts have been held in the park, as well as the triathlon competition during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Ivan Reis—A Brazilian comic book artist who has worked for Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. He has drawn such characters as Ghost, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Green Lantern and the Justice League.
LEGO Dimensions—A toys-to-life platforming video game featuring various LEGO-ized characters from various franchises across pop culture. To play with the various characters, players must purchase the LEGO toys that feature them, and then place the characters on a gamepad in real life to play as the characters in the video game. Some of the franchises featured in the game include DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Adventure Time, Harry Potter, Sonic the Hedgehog and Ghostbusters (both modern and original).
Lewis Chessmen—A medieval chess set from the 12th century that was discovered in 1831 on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. 82 pieces of the set are displayed at the British Museum and 11 pieces are at the National Museum of Scotland. They are carved out of walrus ivory and whale teeth, and have never been stolen.
Liu Huimin—A fictional Singaporean painter who painted the equally fictitious artwork titled Hé Píng.
Mee Siam—A Malay and Peranakan dish made with thin rice vermicelli. Usually served with spicy, sweet and sour gravy, but can also be served dry. Felicia’s mother makes the best dry mee siam in all the multiverses.
Metropolitan Police Service—Informally known as “The Met” or “Scotland Yard”, they are in-charge of law enforcement for Greater London, as well as nation-wide counter-terrorism matters and protecting the British Royal Family. Their headquarters is at the New Scotland Yard on Victoria Embankment.
Mok’s Eleven / Sherlock’s Sixteen / Watson’s Watch—James, Sherlock, and Watson were referencing a famous American heist movie known as Ocean’s 11, which starred Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Peter Lawford. The 2001 remake, titled Ocean’s Eleven, starred George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, and spawned two sequels of lesser quality. Adan and Felicia watched these and other heist movies while writing this story.
Nasi Briyani—A Malaysian Indian rice dish consisting of briyani rice and a curried meat, usually chicken or mutton.
Nasi Padang—A hawker centre stall offering white rice and various pre-made Malay and/or Indonesian meat and vegetable dishes. This style of eating originates in Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra, Indonesia.
Popiah—A soft, thin paper-like crepe or pancake made from wheat flour that is then filled with a variety of ingredients: turnip, bean sprouts, lettuce leaves, grated carrots, slices of Chinese sausage, thinly sliced fried tofu, chopped peanuts or peanut powder, fried shallots, and shredded omelette, shrimp and/ or crab meat.
Raclette Cheese—A semi-hard cow’s milk cheese that is usually fashioned into a wheel. It’s often used for melting, especially onto gherkin pickles and stea
med potatoes. The cheese is heated and then scraped off the wheel. The French word racler means “to scrape”.
River Thames—The longest river in England, and the second longest in the United Kingdom. 33 bridges cross it in the Greater London area alone. The last time the River Thames froze over in London was in 1814, and it supported the weight of a full-grown elephant, which was led across the river.
Rocket League—An online video game in which players control rocketpowered cars and play football. As with regular football, you win a match by scoring more goals into the opponent’s net than they score into yours.
Salt Beef—Also known as corned beef, salt beef is a meat cured by large grain rock salt. It is incredibly tasty in sandwiches with pickles and grain mustard.
Scotland Yard—Officially New Scotland Yard, this is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, the force responsible for policing most of London. The original police building was located at 4 Whitehall Place, and had a rear entrance at Great Scotland Yard. This rear entrance became the public entrance to the police station, and eventually became synonymous with the station and the police force. New Scotland Yard is located on the Victoria Embankment.
Sherlock Holmes Museum—Located at the great detective’s address, 221B Baker Street, this house is protected by the government due to its “special architectural and historical interest”, and the ground floor study is kept as it was in Victorian Times. The museum is run by the Sherlock Holmes Society of England, a non-profit organisation, and contains the rooms of Holmes himself, Dr Watson, and Mrs Hudson, their landlord, as well as Holmes’ laboratory and the sitting room where Holmes and Watson did most of their thinking.
Sinigang—A Filipino stew known for its tamarind sour and savoury taste. It’s related to the Malaysian dish singgang. The meat in the dish, which can be fish, pork, beef, shrimp or chicken, is stewed together with the tamarinds, as well as tomatoes, garlic and onions. Other vegetables commonly used in the stew include okra, taro, white radish, kangkong, yardlong beans and eggplant. It can also be cooked with green long peppers to add a little spice, or locally-made miso, to add an umami flavour.