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brings us the case,” laughed Jimmy. “Tonight, let’s just enjoy the show.”
    With all of the excitement in their lives, Jimmy and Emma were looking forward to a night at the theatre. Sherlock Holmes had invited the MacDougall family as his special guests. He knew the family, especially Mrs. MacDougall, would love a grand night out.
    Mrs. MacDougall jumped for joy when they received the invitation. She wore her best dress that evening, a blue silk dress. She also wore the MacDougall diamond ring. This ring had been in the MacDougall family for over 1,000 years. At one time, it was worn by the Queen of Scotland! Mrs. MacDougall rarely wore the ring. She was afraid it might get lost or stolen.
    The landau carriage pulled up in front of the Adelphi theatre. The four horses whinnied, and the driver got down to open the door. Mrs. MacDougall and Emma were the first ones out of the carriage, followed by Mr. MacDougall, and then Jimmy.
    â€œOww,” yelped Jimmy. He had bonked his head on the top of the carriage door. Jimmy was very tall for his age. He often went in disguise as an adult.
    â€œAre you all right?” asked Mrs. MacDougall.
    â€œOf course,” answered Jimmy, rubbing the back of his head. “Now, let’s go see Sherlock Holmes. I’m looking forward to a fun night.”
    Little did Jimmy know that far above him, on the theatre roof, a dark form, with glowing red eyes, watched the MacDougall family. The shadowy figure smiled, revealing its sharp fangs. It chuckled in a deep, scary tone. The creature unfolded its massive wings, and prepared to attack.

    1 Fun Fact: A landau is a type of carriage that was convertible, which means that the top could be removed, just like a convertible car today. The landau was driven by four horses. It was very expensive to own a landau, or even to ride in one. That is why it is such a treat for the Macdougall family.

Special Thanks
    Derrick Belanger would like to thank all of the people who offered feedback and advice while he wrote this exceptional story: Harrison and Chris Cramer; Jennifer Viers; Leigh Meinig; Karen Cohn, your advice was invaluable; Neely and Juliana Hanski; Tina and Maxine Gosselin; Beth Mason and her family; Griffon Garcon; Mike Hogan; Mark Wayne McGinnis; Stephen Seitz; Steve Emecz; Lynn Gale; Dr. Watson’s Neglected Patients; The Undershaw Preservation Trust; Stepping Stones School; Century Middle School and the Adams 12 Five Star School District; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; and, of course, the world’s two biggest kids, Chuck and Claudia Davis. Without your valuable insights, I don’t think I could have made this delightful adventure.
    The author would also like to thank his parents, Dennis and Ellen Belanger, and grandmother, Barbara Rousseau, for their support; Brian Belanger, the best big brother he could ask for; Traci Belanger, for letting Brian out to play; Abigail Gosselin, his wife, for not minding too much the time the writing took away from family and chores; and Phoebe Belanger for patiently waiting for the second book to be dedicated to her.
    Brian Belanger would like to thank: my brother Derrick for writing this book and collaborating with me on all the other stories I hope we get to tell; my wife Traci for providing a sounding board and understanding that sometimes I’ve just got to draw; Steve Emecz for being a publisher extraordinaire; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for creating Sherlock Holmes and his supporting cast, and Godzilla, for proving that monsters can be heroes, too.

    Author Derrick Belanger is the editor of the bestselling two volume anthology, A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural , which may be too scary for readers of this book. He is a middle school Language Arts teacher, and he loves young adult literature as well as anything and everything to do with Sherlock Holmes. Derrick lives in Broomfield, Colorado with his wife, Abigail