Elizabeth Eulberg - The Great Shelby Holmes and the Haunted Hound

Also by Elizabeth Eulberg

The Great Shelby Holmes

The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match

The Great Shelby Holmes and the Coldest Case

BLOOMSBURY CHILDRENS BOOKS

Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018

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First published in the United States of America in September 2019 by Bloomsbury Childrens Books

Text copyright 2019 by Elizabeth Eulberg

This electronic edition published in 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Illustrations copyright 2019 by Erwin Madrid

All rights reserved
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Eulberg, Elizabeth, author.

Title: The great Shelby Holmes and the haunted hound / by Elizabeth Eulberg.

Description: New York : Bloomsbury, 2019.

Summary: Super sleuths Shelby Holmes and John Watson must survive an overnight Halloween stakeout while investigating a local apartment building, where residents hear an unearthly dogs howl at night.

ISBN: 978-1-5476-0147-9 (HB)
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0148-6 (eBook)
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0149-3 (XML)

Subjects: | CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Haunted placesFiction. | FriendshipFiction. | Harlem (New York, N.Y.)Fiction.

Classification: LCC PZ7.E8685 Gsh 2019 (print) | LCC PZ7.E8685 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019003806

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For all the librarians, especially my mother, who have helped raise readers (and detectives)

CHAPTER

There were many things Id learned about Shelby Holmes in the time Id known her. Besides that she was prickly and abrupt and short-tempered.

One: she was never late. Two: she liked her routines. Three: she never missed a day of school for anything, not even if she got sick.

Because of those three things, I found myself walking upstairs to Shelbys apartment on Monday morning. She always stopped by my place on her way to school, but so far nothing. And I didnt want to be late because of her.

I knocked on the door to 221B.

Come in, Watson, Shelby called out.

When I opened the door, I was relieved to find Shelby dressed and ready for school. Although she was frozen in an armchair in the living room next to the fireplace. She sat face-to-face with her nemesis. Well, one of them.

She had a lot of adversaries, because of, well, the exact qualities I listed above.

But perhaps her biggest foe stared right back at her.

Her brother, Michael.

Yep. It was a sibling standoff.

Neither of them made a sound. It was so quiet you could hear the cars driving all the way over on Lenox. I began playing with the strap of my backpack. Honestly, being around the two of them generally unsettled me. But this was another level. They glared intensely at each other. Eyes were slit and everything.

What now? Usually they were at odds over some random science fact. Or having to live in the same space.

Um, Shelby, I began, but Shelby held her hand up to silence me.

She then jumped up.

Aha! she exclaimed. Well done, Watson!

Well done? What did I do? Not like I wasnt going to take a compliment from her, since they were pretty rare.

Your interruption gave me the exact clue I required, Shelby said. Granted, stronger minds wouldnt be so easily distracted. Yet Im dealing with a lesser opponent.

Okaaaaay.

Shelby walked over to the giant bookshelf near the door. She ran a finger over the books. Yes, yes... , she said while Michael shifted in his seat.

She faced her brother with a grin as she pulled a large red leather book off the shelf. She opened it and flipped through the pages.

Hello, whats this? she remarked before pulling out a tiny piece of paper, about the size of a thumbnail.

Michael folded his arms. Lucky break, he replied in his monotone voice.

Ah, see, dear brother, luck has nothing to do with it. But it is quite easy if you know what to look for. Right, Watson?

Yeah, I replied. I wanted to get moving so we wouldnt be late for school. Although Shelby was correct. Working on cases with her has taught me not to simply see but to observe. Whatever she found had to do with deductive reasoning.

Shelby turned her back to me and explained to a not-amused Michael, When Watson spoke, it distracted you enough to glance at the bookshelf. That led me to deduce you hid the note there. Thanks to our parents assigning you to clean the living room this weekend, the dusting was subpar. A quick examination of the bookshelf showed which book had been removed recently. She dragged her finger along the bookshelf and showed us her dirty finger.

Michael yawned in response. I glanced at my watch.

We have ample time to get to school, Watson, Shelby stated.

How did she? Shelby wasnt even facing me. I swear she has eyes in the back of her head.

The glass on the picture above the fireplace, Shelby said, looking over her shoulder.

What?

I could see your reflection in the glass. That was how I knew you were getting antsy.

Unbelievable. Although it wasnt really. It was just Shelby Holmes.

She grabbed her oversized purple backpack. Okay, Watson. Were quickly arriving at the minimum time we should allot for walking to school.

Ah, duh. Thats why I was up there in the first place.

Shelby continued, Be advised that I have a treat for you this afternoon when we get back home. Im going to teach you how to examine knife wounds on a carcass to determine the height of an assailant.

I stopped dead in my tracks. What?

Oh relax. My parents bought a pot roast for dinner. Im going to use that.

Shelby and I really, really needed to talk about what I would consider a treat. Because it would never have to do with a carcass. Gross. Besides, we would never work with a stab victim. (At least I hoped. Oh, how I hoped.)

Michael yawned again as he brushed a hand against his light blond, nearly white hair. Youre still pretending to be a detective? How charming.

Charming?

What Shelby and I did was anything but cutesy. We dealt with real cases. Since Id begun working with Shelby, wed caught a dognapper, helped out a teacher, vanquished a nemesis worthy of Shelbys talents, and saved a figure skater from injury.