Sherlock Sam and the Cloaked Classmate in MacRitchie

by A. J. Low

  As interesting as Nazhar’s history lesson was, I was more intrigued by a folded piece of paper I saw near the base of the tombstone. I picked it up and realized it was a tourist map of the MacRitchie Reservoir trails. I had seen maps like these before. They were usually found at the airport or the two Visitors Centres on Orchard Road and in Chinatown.

  I opened it up and saw that someone had circled an area in the interior of the reservoir park area, away from the main trails. There were two arrows pointing away from the circled area, deeper into the forest. The words “hard to find” were also scribbled there. It also had notes on how to find some shrine. But what shrine were they referring to?

  “What’s that?” Eliza asked, walking over to stand next to me.

  “A possible clue,” I said. We all looked at the map and the scribbled notes.

  “That-is-where-the-Japanese-Shinto-shrine-is-located,” Watson said.

  “That’s right, Watson!” Nazhar exclaimed. “How did you know that?”

  “I-have-downloaded-several-texts-on-regional-history.”

  “What?” I asked. I did not know that Watson could download information without my password permissions. I needed to talk to him about it once this case was over. Who knows what other information he had stored in his memory banks? Maybe he’s even downloaded homemade ice cream recipes or Batman comics!

  “It was a Japanese shrine that was built during the Occupation and then destroyed by the British immediately after the Japanese surrender,” Nazhar explained. “It was made a historic site by the National Heritage Board in 2002.”

  “Wow, Nazhar,” Jimmy said. “You’re like a history dictionary.”

  “Encyclopaedia,” Watson corrected.

  “So ‘hard to find’ could just mean the shrine is hard to find?” I asked. I was also impressed by Nazhar’s knowledge. It was really an area I needed to improve. Maybe I could get Dad to borrow more history books and comics from the library.

  “Yep,” Nazhar said. “People have to trek through fairly rough terrain to get to it as it’s not on any of the marked trails.”

  “So the area around it could be used to hide a kidnapped boy for that same reason…” I said.

  “You really think it could be a clue?” Wendy asked. “It’s probably just a map some litterbug tourist left behind.”

  “That’s certainly more probable,” I said, “but it’s too early to discount any possibility this early in the investigation.”

  “And what possibilities have you thought of so far, Samuel?” Eliza asked.

  “Scenario one: James ran away,” I said. “As Auntie Emma and his parents said, he’s been missing London badly and maybe he thinks he can make his parents move back if he acts up, but I don’t think this is too likely.”

  “Why-not?” Watson asked.

  “He’d have had to plan ahead to stay missing for this long, and taking advantage of an escaped dog is way too random a time to run away,” I said. “No, that isn’t very likely at all.”

  I looked into the forested areas nearby and across the reservoir. Most of what was known as MacRitchie Reservoir was untamed forest and jungle.

  “Scenario two: James got lost. When Auntie Emma ran off after the dog, James wandered off by himself and somehow ended up in the forest and got lost. However, this is also unlikely.”

  “But people have been lost here before,” Nazhar said. “A Japanese doctor got lost for eighteen hours while he was jogging in 2008 and a local uncle got lost for eight hours while hiking in 2011.”

  “They-should-have-brought-their-robots-with-G-P-S,” Watson said.

  “Yes, but they were both already on trails that run through the forested areas,” I said, ignoring my robot. Did he think robots grew on trees?

  “James was here in the park, where there are lots of people, including his nanny just down the hill from where he was last seen. Why would he walk into the forest with no supervision?”

  “That’s a good point,” Nazhar said.

  “Which is why scenario three is by far the most likely: kidnapping,” I said.

  The Supper Club looked uneasily at one another.

  “James comes from a very wealthy family,” I said. “‘Old money’, I once heard him say. And Auntie Emma said they came often to MacRitchie to walk their dog, so someone could have been watching them for weeks.”

  “But-taking-advantage-of-an-escaped-dog-is-also-too-random-a-time-to-kidnap-a-child,” Watson said. “Unless-the-kidnappers-were-in-cahoots-with-the-monkey-that-the-dog-chased-after.”

  “Yes, this is true, which is why Auntie Emma herself is a suspect,” I said.

  The Supper Club gasped collectively. Well, most of them did. Eliza just raised an eyebrow.

  “But she’s so nice!” Jimmy said. “It must have been the cahooting monkey!”

  “In cahoots, Jimmy,” Wendy said. “Watson meant that the kidnappers were working with the monkey.” She paused when she realised what she had said and glared at Nazhar who happened to grin at the wrong time.

  “Everybody’s nice until we find out they’ve done something wrong, Jimmy,” I said.

  “There are other possibilities that might explain his disappearance,” Wendy said, glancing behind her. We looked out at the wide reservoir that held much of Singapore’s drinking water. I recalled Jimmy’s question to Mr Lim about James going swimming and our teacher’s discomfort.

  “We’ll let the police worry about any other scenarios,” I said. “If this map is a clue, then our next move is to go to this shrine and see if there any other clues there.”

  “Sherlock, you’re forgetting Officer Siva has said we can’t wander off on our own,” Wendy said.

  “And I’m pretty sure your parents won’t let us go by ourselves either,” Nazhar said.

  “So we won’t,” I said, grinning. “I’m sure Corporal Boey would love to hike for a bit.”

  “I suppose there’s no harm,” Officer Siva said, looking down at me. “But you can’t go there alone.”

  I immediately put on my I-am-a-good-student-face. It had an impressive track record of success.

  “I know you’re busy so maybe the nice policewoman can come with us.”

  “That’s a good idea, Sherlock,” Officer Siva replied. “Corporal Boey will accompany you.”

  Corporal Boey’s head snapped up from her notebook so hard her ponytail bounced. She gave Officer Siva one of the deadliest glares I had ever seen. It was fortunate that he wasn’t looking in her direction.

  “But I don’t think this map is a clue, Sherlock,” Officer Siva said. “Anyone could have dropped this map. This is a very popular spot for tourists.”

  “That is true. But, like you said, there’s no harm in taking a look, right?” I said.

  “Okay,” Officer Siva said. “But remember what I said about not interfering. Anything you find, immediately notify Corporal Boey, agreed?”

  “Agreed,” I said as I shook Officer Siva’s hand. “C’mon, Corporal Boey! Watson, Supper Club! Let’s go investigate!”

  “This is punishment because I forgot that you wanted your kopi extra thick this morning, right?” Corporal Boey shouted back at Officer Siva as Jimmy dragged her off.

  Based on the scribbled notes on the map, we knew that the Japanese shrine could be reached by trekking along a hidden forest trail that split off from the main trail. The start of the hidden trail was marked by three large boulders.

  “Who do you think left the boulders?” Jimmy asked in a hushed tone.

  “Don’t know,” Nazhar replied. “When my dad and I were reading up about it online last time, we couldn’t find any information on it.”

  “Be careful, children,” Corporal Boey warned. “It’s really slippery from last night’s rain.”

  Wendy had already slipped once and her pinafore skirt was covered in mud stains.

  “You really should change your shoes,” Eliza said as she helped Wendy up. “There’s almost no traction left on your soles. That’s danger
ous even just walking home in the rain.”

  “Not all of us are obsessed with our shoes, Eliza,” Wendy snapped back. She stalked ahead and promptly slipped again. Fortunately for her, this time Watson managed to grab her before she fell once more.

  “Why are we here, Samuel?” Corporal Boey asked. Strands of her hair had escaped from her ponytail and looked like they were uncomfortably plastered to her forehead. She repeatedly tried to push them aside but they kept falling back down.

  “We’re looking for clues,” I replied.

  “Officer Siva already said that the map wasn’t a real clue,” Corporal Boey said. “And I’m being eaten alive by mosquitoes.”

  “They-are-drawn-by-the-remnants-of-the-soda-Jimmy-spilled-on-you,” Watson said.

  “It was an accident!” Jimmy exclaimed. “I was tying my shoelace! I didn’t mean to spill the drink on Auntie Boey!”

  “Please don’t call me Auntie,” Corporal Boey said, looking horrified. Eliza snorted.

  “What else do we know about how to get to the Japanese shrine, Nazhar?” I said.

  “Well, from what my dad and I found, we should look out for ribbons tied to tree branches,” Nazhar said. “They were left by other explorers to mark the trail.”

  “I see the three boulders!” Jimmy said, scampering off.

  We dashed after him, with Corporal Boey once again yelling at us to be careful. I also heard her mutter something about strangling senior officers.

  Sure enough, to our right were the three large boulders.

  “Everyone, look out for other ribbon markers,” I said. Turning to Watson, I whispered, “Watson, mark these coordinates using your GPS program.”

  “I-really-do-not-like-damp-places. I-cannot guarantee-all-my-programs-will-function-properly,” my robot replied. I was beginning to tell when he used his grumpier tone. It was slightly more robotically miffed.

  Corporal Boey instructed us to pair up: Wendy with Jimmy, Nazhar with Eliza and Watson with me.

  “Make sure that your buddy is always with you and that you can always see the group,” Corporal Boey said.

  Slowly we made our way deeper into the hidden forest trail. The vegetation was very thick and dense. We could barely see ahead of us. The rain also made our surroundings very humid and uncomfortable. Nazhar’s and my glasses kept fogging up. Corporal Boey repeatedly turned in circles, slapping mosquitoes that landed on her.

  “I’m super glad you came with us,” Wendy said to Corporal Boey.

  “Don’t worry, Wendy,” Corporal Boey replied, looking a little touched. “I’m here to protect you. Nothing bad will happen.”

  “No, I mean, I’m glad you’re around because the mosquitoes usually bite me instead. You must have warmer blood.”

  Even Eliza snickered.

  Corporal Boey stared at Wendy for a few seconds before stalking off ahead of us and walking right into a low hanging branch. She bravely fought it off.

  “I think the rain caused even more branches to fall last night,” Nazhar said as he carefully stepped over a fallen branch.

  “What’s that?” Eliza asked, flicking her braids behind her. She stood with one hand on her hip and pointed at something that was partially hidden under the fallen branch that Nazhar had just crossed.

  I bent down for a closer look, then immediately straightened and turned to Jimmy.

  “Jimmy, go tell Corporal Boey about how we solved the Case of the Missing Hamster,” I whispered.

  Jimmy grinned and dashed off, agilely leaping over several fallen branches and ducking beneath the low lying ones. He skidded to a stop right in front of Corporal Boey, splashing her with muddy water from the puddle at his feet.

  “Why did you do that?” Wendy asked. “Officer Siva said—”

  “Because we don’t know her,” I said, crouching down. “We don’t know if we can trust her. I only asked if she could come along because I knew Officer Siva wouldn’t allow us to come here alone.”

  Very carefully, I pulled out the object that was squished under the wet branch.

  “What is it?” Nazhar asked.

  “It-is-a-dirty-old-shoe,” Watson replied.

  “No, it’s a clue,” I said. “Look at this.”

  Nazhar, Wendy, Eliza and Watson quickly gathered around me.

  “No, don’t look so obviously,” I said, taking a step away from the Supper Club, and shooing them away.

  “How do we not look obviously?” Eliza asked. Wendy and Nazhar were doing their best to look nonchalant. For Nazhar, this involved sticking his hands into his pockets and staring hard at a leaf.

  “Look one at a time,” I snapped.

  Eliza made a show of sighing deeply and was the first to walk towards me. Then Watson, Wendy and the last one to look was Nazhar.

  “Should I whistle?” Nazhar asked nervously. He kept turning to glance at Corporal Boey, who appeared exasperated at the still-chattering Jimmy. It looked like Jimmy was imitating his pet hamster, Benjamin, at this point.

  “You look extremely guilty, Nazhar,” Eliza said. “Are you sure you’re not the kidnapper?”

  Wendy turned and glared at Eliza but remained silent.

  “It’s quite smudged but it looks like it has ‘J’ and ‘M’ written on it!” Nazhar exclaimed. “James Mok! It has to be his shoe!”

  “Shush,” I said turning the shoe around in my hands. I then looked up and observed Corporal Boey trying to dodge the hamster-Jimmy and rushing towards us. I immediately hid the shoe behind my back.

  “We need to go, kids,” Corporal Boey said. Jimmy slammed into her back. She sighed and turned to scowl at him. Jimmy grinned back. “It’s starting to rain again and I don’t want any of you getting wet and falling sick. Officer Siva would have my head.”

  “But—” I said.

  “No arguments,” she said, walking ahead of us. “Let’s go.”

  I pulled out an evidence bag (Ziploc bags are very handy for sandwiches too) and put the shoe in. The water in the shoe started to pool at the bottom of the bag. I then put the Ziploc bag into my backpack. Nazhar blocked me from Corporal Boey’s view. Sometimes it pays to be short.

  Leading the way, Corporal Boey brought us back to where Mom and Dad were waiting with James Mok’s parents and Auntie Emma. It was starting to rain pretty hard by now and we were drenched. Luckily for the adults, the park rangers had given them umbrellas.

  “There you are,” Mom said when she saw us. “Time to go. You’re all going to catch a cold!”

  Officer Siva was too busy to talk to us before we left, but Mom and Dad said goodbye to Uncle Henry and Auntie Jane. My parents said that they were sure Officer Siva’s team and the park rangers would find James very soon.

  “Actually—” I started to say.

  “Let’s run for it, kids,” Dad said. “Last one to the car is a fart monster!”

  “That-means-Sherlock-wins-already,” Watson said, taking big strides with his elongated legs.

  “That’s cheating, Watson!” Wendy said, running faster.

  As we reached the car, I saw someone in a cap dashing away in the opposite direction. He was probably trying to get to the bus stop. It was raining extremely hard now. We piled into our car.

  “I wish I had a baseball cap too,” Jimmy said. “At least my head would be dry.” He looked like a drowned rat.

  “I can’t imagine being James right now,” Wendy said, turning back to look at the forested area. “I hope he’s okay.” Mom reached back from the front seat and squeezed Wendy’s hand. Eliza stonily stared out the window.

  I couldn’t wait to tell the Supper Club what I had deduced!

  When we got home, I locked myself in my room with Watson and tried to think the situation through. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but it was the only thing that made any sense.

  As lightning ripped the sky and the rain pounded on my window, I made a decision. And I had to convince the rest of the Supper Club to follow my lead.

  I stepped out of my roo
m and called for Wendy. “Hey Wendy, can you come here for a bit? I’ve finished my homework and have some time to help you with your Chinese. Bring your laptop.”

  “Really?” Wendy said. “Thank you very much. I’m having a lot of trouble with my homework.”

  She grabbed her Chinese textbook and laptop and came into my room. “Okay, I’m really not getting the pronunciation between sì, shì and shí.”

  “Put your book away,” I said. “That’s not why I called you in here. Also, everything you said sounded exactly the same.”

  “But you said—”

  “Something really weird is going on,” I said. “We have to go back to MacRitchie Reservoir.”

  “What?!” Watson and Wendy said at the same time.

  “There is absolutely no way Mom and Dad will let us out in this weather,” Wendy said.

  “Yah,” I said. “We’ll have to sneak out.”

  “There-is-no-way-I-will-survive-this-weather,” Watson said.

  “Don’t bluff. I built you a lot more waterproof than you let on, Watson,” I said, poking my robot. “But we’ll bring four umbrellas for you to hold if it makes you feel better.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Wendy said. “You want to sneak out? Just the three of us?”

  “No, of course not,” I said. “That would be ridiculous.”

  “Oh, phew.” Wendy exhaled. “For a second there I thought you really wanted to go out there without permission.”

  “You’ll have to help me convince the rest of the Supper Club to meet us there.”

  “What?!”

  “C’mon, open your chat program and let’s see who’s online,” I said. I didn’t have much of an online presence beyond the email address I used for consultation work and the Internet for research, but Wendy loved social media. She chatted with Nazhar regularly about school. Eliza didn’t seem like a girl who would pass up an opportunity to show off, so I was pretty sure she’d have an online presence as well. I wasn’t sure if Jimmy would, but maybe it was better if he sat this one out anyway.