[Curtis] I'm so confused. Why would Mason Briggs pick us to solve his mystery?
Who cares? This is a huge honor.
[Ruben] What? To find his unpublished manuscript
then give it to a publisher and be like, "Hey, publish this"?
Ruben's right. I don't even know what we should do next.
Or why.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm done with this mystery.
We can't just give up. The ghost wants us to help him.
Or what? He'll haunt us forever?
I don't wanna be looking for messages every time I pass a chalkboard.
Come on. We've come this far. We can't give up now.
Is someone having a costume party?
[groans] Not another old-timey book character.
Couldn't it have been like a comic book or something?
Um... ma'am?
Oh. Hello, children.
Pardon me, I got so absorbed in reading this book here.
Marvelous work of fiction. Such an imagination this author has.
Fiction?
Guess she's pre-rockets.
Yeah, I don't think that's fiction.
Um, do you mind if I ask your name?
Oh. Joan Watson, MD. Pleased to meet you.
She's a doctor from the 1800s. This is so cool.
I didn't even know there were women doctors back then.
Hold on. You're Dr. Watson?
Yes. That is what most people call me.
If you don't mind, I'm at a very exciting part.
They're about to go to the moon. What malarkey. [chuckles]
[Ruben] I thought Dr. Watson was a man.
You know who she is?
I don't know who she is, but Dr. Watson is a friend of Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes, the detective?
Yeah. The famous detective from the Arthur Conan Doyle books.
Elementary, my dear Watson.
But Watson is a man. That can't be who she is.
There's only one way to find out.
Sorry to interrupt, Doctor, but do you know Sherlock Holmes?
Ah. My friend's fame never ceases to amaze me.
Even now, great tales of Shirl's life travel across the continents.
Shirl?
She didn't like to be called "Sherlock."
She?
It occurs to me, my young friends, you have not heard of her passing.
Sherlock Holmes is dead?
It's been some three years now.
An utter tragedy.
I miss my friend every day.
What is happening?
So, the famous detective, the one that can help us figure this all out, is dead?
[Ruben] Hope you like it.
I've never made tea before.
Earl Grey with a slice of lemon. Perfect.
So, as I was saying,
as much as Shirl was revered, she also had many enemies.
The biggest among them was Moriarty.
Shirl put her in jail so many times, Moriarty vowed to do away with her.
Hence, now they're both dead.
Wow. That's dark.
So then, what did you do?
I've been grieving the loss of my dear friend this whole time.
I decided it would be best if I set sail, see new things.
But, my, how the world has changed in just three years.
[Ruben] In the books--
I mean, I was wondering, did you ever help Sherlock solve cases?
Oh, sometimes we would puzzle things out together, but she was the real brains.
'Cause it turns out we kinda need help solving a case.
I'm no Shirl Holmes but I spent enough time around her to pick up a thing or two.
Yeah, it's getting late. We'll set you up downstairs for the night.
Much appreciated.
My father put in an insurance claim and never heard back.
Our store was ransacked and now we're in the middle of a big renovation
and everything is on hold until your company
pays us the insurance money we are owed.
[scoffs] No. It is not okay for you to look into it and call me back.
Fine. I will wait.
-Who are you so mad at? -[sighs] The insurance company.
They put me on hold, again. They still haven't paid us.
They say they're looking into it, but I'm telling you,
someone over there messed up and didn't find--
[Grandpa] Hang it up.
What? No. I've been on with them for an hour. I just got a manager.
I know why they haven't paid the claim.
Because I haven't paid the bill.
-What happened? -[sighs]
Guess I missed a couple payments. I meant to tell you.
Ah. Dad.
Your mom used to take care of all this stuff.
[sighs]
What's going on?
Nothing, other than we don't have money for the renovations.
I'm sorry, Amy.
It's fine.
We'll figure something out.
I will call the insurance company back.
The person you were just rude to?
Yeah. I'll start with an apology.
Thanks to Logan, we're now gonna have more people on the yearbook committee.
Sounds good.
You know how you have your finger on the pulse of the student body?
Yep.
What do you think my chances are at winning this student council election?
You really wanna know?
They're not good.
You're blunt.
Look, people see you as smart, but your anti-athlete stance isn't popular.
"Anti-athlete"?
You alienated yourself from the basketball team, baseball team,
football team, and even the girls' volleyball team.
That's an exaggeration.
Okay, so what do I do?
I don't know, but you don't have much time.
The election's in a few days.
You really don't sugarcoat things, do you?
I just call 'em like I see 'em, and I see you losing. Sorry.
So, I have an idea about Dr. Watson.
I think she's from an adaptation.
So, you think some author changed the original Sherlock Holmes story
-and made Watson female? -Makes sense.
Yeah, it's just so random that G.W. wouldn't just send us
the actual detective to help with the mystery.
Maybe there's a reason.
[thump]
[Donna sighs] That's the new girl. She's in my English class.
Ellie told me she got kicked out of her last school
for doing something really bad.
Those are just rumors. I'm sure she's fine.
Hey.
Or not.
[Mr. Mendoza] Everybody, turn your books to page 124, please.
No textbook yet, Sloane?
Donna, would you please share?
Hey. I'm Donna.
Donna, since Sloane is new here, I'm assigning you to show her the ropes.
[Ms. Reyna chuckles]
Your friends are upstairs.
I know. Big assignment on, um... whale biology.
Whale biology? In middle school?
[laughs]
What's so funny?
-[Ms. Reyna] Look at this. -That's you?
Yep. That's me and Gregg.
This is right after the homecoming game.
Mr. Saunders had cool hair.
Yeah. I loved it.
[cell phone chimes]
Ha, I just won a bet. He didn't remember that he went for Halloween as a hot dog.
So, you guys are still talking?
Just the occasional text here and there.
Sounds like you like him.
We've talked about this. He's your teacher.
I'm not gonna go out with him. It might be kinda awkward.
I don't know. He's cool.
It really wouldn't bother you?
Just as long as I don't have to hang out with him.
[both chuckle]
Hey.
I think my mom is gonna go out with Mr. Saunders.
Really? That's awesome.
Yeah, I like him.
Can we not talk about Mr. Saunders?
We have more important things to talk about. Like this mystery.
Right. So, any luck?
Okay. We found out that Shirl and Joan
are from an adaptation of an original Sherlock Holmes story.
Here are the collections of the stories.
It's called The Great Mysteries of Sherlock:
The Adventures of Shirl and Watson.
The story they're from is "Adventures of the Empty House."
Blank.
-Where'd you get that? -At a non-haunted bookstore.
So, get this.
At the end, Sherlock and Moriarty both go over a waterfall
and everyone thinks they're dead.
But then, it turns out Shirl is just faking her death.
Wait, Sherlock is alive?
She's looking for this guy named Moran, one of Moriarty's henchmen.
In the book, she hides out as a vegetable seller
and even Watson doesn't know she's alive.
Does the story say how we can find Sherlock-- uh, sorry, Shirl?
She deliberately sells rotten fruit to Watson.
When Watson comes back to return it, Shirl comes clean.
Juicy.
So, we should go to the farmer's market?
Tomorrow after school?
Perfect. And as it turns out, I'm out of plums.
What's with you and plums?
I knew G.W. wouldn't let us down.
I can't believe Mr. Mendoza's making me show Sloane around.
I'm supposed to have lunch with her today, but I just can't figure her out.
Careful. She might eat you alive.
What's her opinion on the student council election?
-Can I get her vote? -I vote no.
So, I read the story last night.
The mystery's intense, and I like them being women.
As a feminist, I think it's great to reinvent historical characters as women.
That's great, Donna, but the real question is where is Sherlock?
I don't know what just happened.
I do. Remember how Ghost Writer wrote to us in juice?
Oh, wait. Uh, don't clean it up yet.
We're just, uh...
Yeah, I got nothing.
Thanks.
Happens all the time. Children and spills go hand in hand.
You're new here?
Yeah, we haven't seen you around before.
But...
I think we know who you are.
You're Sherlock Holmes, but you go by Shirl.
You faked your death.
How could you possibly know that?
We're, um...
-Allies. -Mm-hmm.
Your friend Watson's gonna be so happy to see you.
Oh, my dear Watson.
I will be happy to see her again,
though I fear she might be a bit cross with me for disappearing for so long.
I think she'll understand.
I don't understand.
You're alive?
-[swoons] -[Chevon] Watson!
Oh, come now. She'll be all right. She has a sensitive disposition.
Now, where was I? Ah, yes.
Now, the one thing I can't quite figure out is how I got to this place.
One minute, I was hiding out as a vegetable seller in London.
The next minute, I'm in your strange world.
We can just tell you but it might blow your mind.
No, don't tell me. Where's the fun in that?
I shall solve this mystery myself.
So, it wasn't a dream after all.
You really are alive.
I am, my dear Watson. And I do apologize for my disappearance,
but I could not let my enemies know that I was alive.
But you could have trusted me.
Of course I could have,
but I was hesitant to leave behind any trail until I had a plan.
It gives me such great happiness to see you again.
Oh! Oh. Right, well. Now that's out of the way.
Um, come and take a look at this book of clues this child has made.
They're in the middle of a very puzzling case.
So, there's a ghost who's been sending us messages.
At first, we thought it was my grandma.
But now we know that it's a mystery writer named Mason Briggs.
We think he has an unpublished manuscript
that he wants us to find and get published.
But we don't know where to start, and it's been a while since he's given us a clue.
Quite intriguing. Show us everything.
So, a strange man gave your grandmother this book with a check inside?
Yeah, and we're pretty sure
that my grandma's connected to all of this somehow.
But we don't know how.
And don't forget about the letter.
The ghost led us to this letter.
It's from someone named "S," but we don't know who that is.
I suppose your next move is to find everything on this Mason Briggs chap.
I'll go straightaway to the courthouse and find everything I can on this man.
You can't go.
But we should. Come on.
You shall find no information on Mason Briggs.
Why not?
It is elementary, my dear Curtis. But if I just spelled it out,
I wouldn't be making very good detectives out of you now, would I?
You're gonna teach us how to be detectives? That's so cool.
[Holmes] I am amazed by your skills.
And with some more training, there won't be a mystery you can't solve.
Now, take a close look and tell me what you see.
[Curtis] That's the plaza.
And that's the diner.
How about this?
[Curtis] The bridge.
And?
There are some words on the bridge.
Something "steel."
[Chevon] "Mason Family Steel."
Like Mason? I don't get it.
What about this one?
[Chevon] It's a statue of a lion.
There's words written on it.
[Curtis] "In Memoriam General James Briggs."
James Briggs?
Is he related to Mason Briggs? What a coincidence.
If I have learned anything from dear Shirl here,
is that in life there are no coincidences. Only clues.
So, it's not a coincidence that this bridge says "Mason Family Steel"
and the statue was in memory of James Briggs.
Wait. I think I got it.
Mason Briggs is a made-up name.
You are correct. Mason Briggs is a pseudonym.
[Chevon] I wish we could see his face better.
It's like his face is hidden on purpose.
So now, Mason Briggs isn't even real?
How are we supposed to find his manuscript?
Oh, don't be discouraged.
These obstacles are the most exciting parts of a mystery.
I think I know how to get a closer look at his face.
The art class at school has photo software.
You're right. We use it for posters and stuff.
I think we can get rid of some of the shadows.
It's kinda working, I guess.
I do say, if these inventions had been around in our day,
-you'd be out of a job, Shirl. -[scoffs] Impossible, Joan.
This takes all the fun out of it.
Walking in the cold streets in the rain, looking for clues.
Oh, those were the days.
You hate the rain. You complain it washes away all the clues.
I don't know. It's still hard to see.
This is like playing the cloud game where you find shapes in clouds.
Ooh, I love that game.
This is pointless.
-Well, that didn't work. -No kidding, Sherlock.
[school bell rings]
Hey, Jake. Wait up.
Hi, Chevon. What's up?
I'll cut straight to the chase. Do you see me as anti-athlete?
That's a very strange question. But, yeah. Most of us are voting for Asher.
Any chance I could change your mind? And your vote?
To be honest, everyone's worried that if you win,
you'll make sure the basketball team loses funding.
Why would I do that? I'm all for sports.
In fact, I'm thinking about signing up for volleyball myself.
Nice try. I would see right through it and so would every other athlete.
Chevon.
I'm never gonna win this election.
It's like I need to become an athlete overnight.
Stop trying so hard to be something you're not.
You're right. I can't be someone else.
-But I can run with someone else. -That could work.
Will you do it? Will you run with me?
For student council? Are you kidding?
Do I look like I'm kidding?
I can never tell.
Curtis, please.
Everyone loves you.
If we run together, we'll definitely win.
Sorry, Chevon, but politics isn't my thing.
It's about taking sides and I hate taking sides. Later.
I think I'm one step closer to solving this mystery.
Great, because I don't have a clue.
I believe Watson and I may only be visible to you and your three friends.
[sighs] That mystery. You know I can just tell you.
No, I won't have it. There isn't a case I haven't solved.
There is one thing I don't understand.
There's more than one thing you can't understand, Joan.
You can't understand German or French. [chuckles]
No. I don't understand how you procured your disguise.
Someone must have helped you.
-Um... -[knocking]
Oh. Hi, Ruben.
Hi. My mom's just getting ready. Come on in.
Okay, thanks.
Remember, you're only visible to me and my friends.
Being an invisible detective is truly the best.
One can observe without being observed.
Don't change the subject. I'm very upset about this.
-Shirl, I'm trying to talk to you. -Not now, Joan. Something's afoot.
Just so you know, I finished my homework.
I'm not here as your teacher, Ruben. But good.
Gregg. Shall we?
Let's.
Bye, Ruben.
Bye, Mr. Saunders.
Bye, honey. I'll see you later.
-Bye, Mom. Love you. -Love you too.
She seems really happy.
I would keep my eyes peeled. I don't trust that man.
What? Why not?
Don't listen to her, Ruben.
She's just doing this to avoid talking to me.
[Holmes] Everything on a person tells a story.
From their shoelaces to the tips of their nails.
In the case of your instructor, he had small burns on his fingers
and when he sat down, he did so with the posture of someone with back pain.
I didn't notice any of that.
Well, you must begin to observe these things.
A little detail can tell an entire story.
So he has back pain. What's the big deal?
I'm saying that man has a secret.
And he isn't the only one.
[scoffs]
Hey, Sloane. Did you get all your textbooks yet?
Uh-huh.
So, there's free yogurt in the cafeteria today.
I don't do dairy.
Of course you don't.
Okay then. Bye.
I don't get it. I've tried to be nice to her.
Maybe don't try so hard.
Mr. Mendoza wants me to show her around,
but how can I if she won't even talk to me?
[Holmes] I've figured it out.
I'm a fictional character from a book written by an obscure writer
and I've been brought here by your ghost friend.
That's a first.
But I must admit, I'm a little bit disappointed that I am fictitious.
You'll always be real to us.
-Thank you. -But how'd you figure it out?
Well, first I found a collection of Sherlock Holmes books
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
It was most peculiar to learn that I shared a name with that character.
Then it occurred to me that I was sent here by your ghost friend.
Ergo, I am also a character. Then I found the book in Chevon's bag.
That's incredible.
Curtis wants us to meet in the art room.
-Why? -I don't know, but let's go.
Your friend here has had the most brilliant idea.
What is it?
You know how only half his face is in shadow?
Uh-huh.
What if we make a copy of that side of his face and flip it?
You're saying we should reconstruct his face.
It's genius.
This technology's fantastic.
Weren't you just going on about how marvelous it was
looking for clues on rainy nights in London?
Now it's actually a face.
And a face we've seen before.
[Ernie] Spread some very good vibes over this bookstore.
[Ruben] Remember in the sparkle?
That's the guy who gave Grandma the check for the bookstore.
I don't believe this.
The person that gave your grandma the money for the bookstore was...
Mason Briggs.