Chapter 6: Jimmy in Disguise

Jimmy looked up at the towering building before him. Will this work? he wondered. Do I look like an adult? What if Old Man Withers sees through my disguise?

It had taken Jimmy a good hour to prepare, and he straightened his neck tie, adjusted his monocle[3], and made sure his top hat wouldn’t fall off his head. With the help of makeup, and his spare dress up kit that was kept hidden with Sally the seamstress, Jimmy had transformed himself from a child to a full adult. Emma had always called Jimmy the master of disguise, and this was the part of detective work Jimmy loved best. In the past, Jimmy had gone undercover as a circus clown, a street performer, and even once as a blind Frenchman. Every time, he had successfully fooled people; one time, he’d even tricked his mother into thinking he was a young beggar, and she put a penny in his cup when he knocked at their door.

Now, as he entered the office of the Daily Times Gazette and approached the desk of Mr. Withers, he wondered if Old Man Withers would be the first person to see through one of his disguises. Nolan had said Mr. Withers hated kids. What if he could hear something in Jimmy’s voice or see a piece of the costume that wasn’t perfect? What if he yelled and chased Jimmy out onto the street? Jimmy shuddered as he found himself standing in front of Mr. Withers’s desk.

“Excuse me, but are you Mr. Withers?” Jimmy asked the elderly white haired man, who was editing a news story.

Mr. Withers adjusted his spectacles, crossed out a few words on the paper before him, and then responded in a gruff voice, without looking up, “I am, and I am busy at the moment.”

“But, I have a story I believe will be of interest to you. One that so many people will read, it could sell a million newspapers!” Jimmy said in as deep a voice as he could manage.

Mr. Withers looked up at the person before him and frowned. Oh no! Jimmy thought. He sees through my disguise! But instead of tossing Jimmy out onto the street, the old man gave a grin, revealing a mouth with many missing teeth.

It was not a boy that Mr. Withers saw before him, but a London gentleman. Jimmy was wearing a top hat and an overcoat. A fake mustache was glued below his nose, and a monocle was held in his right eye. Jimmy looked like a millionaire.

“Now, what story would that be?” asked Mr. Withers kindly.

Jimmy paused for a moment. Then, he realized his disguise had worked. He said to Mr. Withers, “Why, yesterday I saw a most extraordinary sight. There was a giant barrel shaped object that…”

“BAH!! Not another one!” Mr. Withers snapped at Jimmy. “You fell for that airship hoax.”

“Hoax?” Jimmy asked surprised.

“Sure, it’s a scam, a fake, people do them all the time. They create fake news stories, to try and trick the public and the newspapers. Another fellow told me the same story yesterday. He’s probably the one who faked the whole thing. Trust me, it’s nothing but a candle stick tied to a balloon in the sky. That’s all you saw,” Mr. Withers concluded, and then he turned back to editing the news. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy.”

Jimmy couldn’t believe it. The newspapers were not printing the story of the airship because no one thought it was real!

“You said another man brought you the story yesterday. Can you describe him for me? If he faked this airship, then I have some rough words for him!” Jimmy said, trying to sound tough.

“Not much to describe,” Mr. Withers answered, and he gave the same description as Nolan, of the mysterious stranger. “Listen, don’t let it upset you. These hoax stories come in all the time. You know, one time in America, they even printed a story about bat people living on the moon!”

Jimmy thanked Mr. Withers for his time. He left the news office feeling disappointed. He hadn’t gotten any useful information out of Mr. Withers. The twins now only had three hours to find the mad bomber and help Sherlock Holmes..unless Sherlock Holmes was the mad bomber. But how could Sherlock Holmes be the bomber? Jimmy and Emma were with him when the airship attacked. It was impossible, yet Sherlock Holmes could often perform the impossible. But if Sherlock Holmes was behind it all, then this must be some kind of test for Jimmy and Emma. Sherlock Holmes would never hurt anyone. Was this a test? Jimmy found himself with many questions and no answers.

Just as Jimmy made it to the street in front of the newspaper office, a hansom cab pulled up in front of him. It was Steven the cab driver with Emma. She quickly opened the door to the carriage. “Get in!” she called out to Jimmy.

“What’s the hurry?” Jimmy asked, as Emma yanked him into the cab, and Steven made the cab jolt into the busy London streets.

“Look!” Emma called and pointed ahead of them. Quickly moving along the street in front of them was a reddish colored wagon, pulled along by two galloping horses.

As the carriage barreled around a corner, Jimmy made out two distinct letters on its side..S.H!

3 Fun Fact: A monocle (pronounced mon-i-kull) is an eyeglass for one eye that is held up by the muscles around the eye.