No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe Read Free Book Online Page A

uncle. His quick mind was already working its way around the new mystery. He knew he should be thinking about the Loch Ness monster case, but the fireworks burglary was just too curious.
    How strange , he thought, that a man attacked by a monster and a robbery that makes no sense happened so close together .
    It was today’s paper, so Griffin assumed that the robbery might have been conducted as recently as yesterday. Was it possible that the two mysteries were related? If his uncle would really allow him to be a part of the investigation, Griffin was certain he could find out.
    â€œMr. Snodgrass?” Griffin said.
    â€œWhat is it now?” his uncle replied in an irritated voice.
    Knowing he needed to state his case very carefully, Griffin took a deep breath and launched into his argument. “I was thinking. Perhaps I could be kind of like . . . like your Dr. Watson.” Griffin was careful not to include the name Holmes. “I could help you with your cases and be your assistant. I’m very interested in investigative work, and I’m sure I could learn a great deal from your extensive experience. Perhaps I was sent here to help you.”
    If his uncle heard him, Griffin couldn’t tell. His face was hidden behind the paper. But after a long moment, Snodgrass spoke. “What do you mean by ‘sent,’ boy?”
    Griffin fidgeted awkwardly, then said, “You know, sent. By God .”
    It was a long time before Griffin’s uncle replied. When he did, it was with a tight, restrained voice. “I do not believe in gods, nor do I believe in destiny. All I believe in are hard facts and scientific evidence. Besides, the very idea of your being my assistant is completely out of the question. In my opinion, the only reason you were sent was because your mother wished to have the summer to herself. Nothing else.”
    â€œBut what about love?”
    â€œPardon me?”
    Griffin leaned forward in his seat. “Love, Uncle. How can you truly say that there isn’t a God when love is in the world?”
    Snodgrass snorted. “‘Love,’ as you put it, is nothing more than a survival instinct. There are leading academics who believe it is simply chemical stimuli within the brain. We ‘love’ so that we can get what we want. It has nothing to do with any deity. The sooner you realize that, the better you’ll understand the world we live in.”
    The rest of the cab ride down to the River Thames continued in silence. Griffin was having a hard time liking, much less loving his uncle. Snodgrass was mean, selfish, arrogant, and inhospitable. But Griffin believed in God and the power of His love, even if his uncle didn’t. So he decided that he would extend kindness and understanding toward his uncle rather than judge him too harshly. And he wouldn’t give up praying that someday they could even become friends.
    As they bounced along the rain-drenched streets, Griffin noticed that the clouds had parted and a bright ray of sunshine illuminated the road ahead. Gazing into the distance, he could see the great River Thames sparkling and hear the faint cries of birds. The more he thought about it, the more it didn’t really matter to him if his uncle thought his ideas were ridiculous. Somehow, deep inside, the conviction that he had been sent there for a purpose was growing. And, believing that, Griffin felt like he could face anything.

10

THE ANGLER’S CLUB
    T he hansom cab pulled up next to a low, flat building positioned near the banks of the river. The words Angler’s Club, Members Only were written in elegant script on a sign mounted over the doorway, but the M in “Members” had been painted slightly crooked. The building’s gray paint was chipped, revealing that it had once been painted brown underneath, and Griffin noticed that cats had made their home in the cellar. He observed this last part because some kind person had left a