A Study in Aether: Baker City Mysteries, #1

By Éric Desmarais

Elizabeth Coderre has always known that there was something strange about her home town, Baker Ontario, but it isn't until her English teacher disappears that she starts to find out how strange. Getting through classes, killer kitten swarms, and bullies are going to be the easy parts of surviving at Sir Arthur Conan Doyle High. Elizabeth and her best friends, Jackie and Angela, are up to the challenge… they hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Renaissance Press
• Release date: Mar 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393108481

Éric Desmarais

Éric has had an eclectic career which ranges from casino dealer to canal boat captain to radio station DJ. Since 2009, he's worked as a desktop publisher for the federal government. During his off time, he works as a freelance typesetter for various Canadian-based authors and publishers, roasts gourmet flavoured coffee, runs several pen-and-paper role-playing games, writes, and helps run JenEric-Designs.ca (Home of the TravellingTARDIS.com).He lives in Ottawa, Ontario with his author wife, daughter, and son. Visit him at www.EricDesmarais.ca.

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Prologue

Blog of Francine Laval – Baker City Police Case Archive Case #1283701

Birthday Girl Yeah! July 17, 9:21am

Okay so Dad totally tried to cheap out on me and gave me a VW Bug instead of the Audi I wanted. What a total ass right?

Don’t worry. I gave him the old doe eyes and explained why he was wrong. He’s such a pushover. Even Cassy, the goodie-goodie, can get whatever she wants out of him.

So today I’m gonna spend the morning with the family. (Totally lame but necessary.) Then this afternoon I’ll take daddy’s Audi out to meet Big D. OMG! He is so hot. He says he has a picnic and a surprise for me. We’re meeting at Moriarty Point. (What’s this town’s damage? I mean everything is Sherlock Holmes. WTF?)

Hope the surprise is jewelry! That would totally piss off my mom. My Mom and Brick are totally against me and D. I keep telling them that they’re being paranoid. I mean he’s smoking hot and in second year at Baker University, which means he’s all smart too. Brick’s just jealous ‘cause he can’t keep a girlfriend. We’ve been besties since grade nine and he hasn’t been with a girl for more than a few weeks.

Talking about paranoid, I keep getting this weird feeling that I’m being followed. I keep seeing something dark in the corner of my eye but when I turn around it’s gone. It’s probably just those Sherlock Holmes freaks.

I guess I have to get out of my room and spend time with the fam; But then it’s all Big D.

On the way to D. July 17, 12:16pm

In the Audi, stuck in traffic, on my way to Big D. I can’t wait to find out what he has for me. I changed in the car. The parents were already pissed enough about me leaving. I’m wearing the cutest little jean shorts and a black tank top. I look hot.

This town is seriously too small. I mean I’m driving all the way across it and it’ll take like twenty minutes, without this stupid traffic. I’m so looking forward to moving out next year.

And even with how small this place is I’m stuck in freaking traffic. I HATE Sherlock Holmes. Those stupid freaks are totally harshing my perfect day. They blocked the road for a part of their festival. Bunch of mystery nerds from all over the world. Arg!

I’m gonna start yelling that Nancy Drew was a better detective soon.

Got a text from Brick. Apparently he got me a gift and wants to meet up tonight. I told him I’d meet him at 11. That will give me the whole afternoon to make out with D.

Traffic is finally moving.

Nancy Drew rules, Sherlock Holmes drools!

Make Outs! July 17, 1:05pm

Oh My God! Big D always looks so good. He of course met me shirtless. Those arms and abs are totally sweet. He looks like a Spanish superhero.

My gift was totally a promise ring. Dark green with diamond accents. HOT! We’ve been ignoring the picnic completely are just making out in the back seat. We’re parked at the top of the hill where we thought no one would interrupt.

Things were just getting good, Big D’s lips make me tingle everywhere and the radio was playing You’re my Dame by Memories of Faust when some old guy in a suit asked for help with a flat. D went to help; of course, D is so awesome!

Who wears a suit in this kinda heat anyway? Must be one of the Sherlock Homes freaks. Oh I wish I could have taken a pic of their faces after I screamed that Nancy Drew was better.

D is back.

Denis Thomas is a Jackass July 17, 1:22pm

Well this day sucks. When D came back I was all willing to do more make outs but as we were getting into it he started to take off his pants. Like totally not cool.

I told him I didn’t want to do that and he started calling me names and saying I was a tease. I was clear at the beginning we weren’t going past making out, and he said he was cool with that.

Was I wrong? Is making out the same as teasing? I mean we don’t know each other that well and I’m not ready for that. I’m not sure what to think.

No. It’s not my fault! He’s a Jackass. Denis Thomas is a total ASS! I kicked him out and locked the doors.

Now I’m crying on my birthday. What a crappy day.

And now that old dude with the car trouble is back.

Help! July 17, 1:47pm – Found on Victim’s phone, unpublished

I’m not sure what’s going on but that old dude is crazy. He’s got some sort of ring that glows red, and when it touches someone they disappear.

I’m not sure what to do. I have no signal and he’s already made like three people disappear, even Denis, who came back to apologize. All there’s left of him is one of his red leather gloves.

I’m hiding in the woods but I think I can hear someone coming. I’m making a run for it.

Public Report – Case 1283701 Detective Cohen investigating – July 18th

Nothing was found at the scene but the victim’s phone. Attempts to locate Denis Thomas have been unsuccessful. All signs point towards victim running away with boyfriend. Federal and provincial police notified.

Investigation Closed.

Baker Special Council Report – Case 1283701 Detective Cohen investigating – July 18th

The final unpublished blog post on the victim’s phone along with high levels of aether residue indicate some sort of magical activity was present. Case remanded to the Gatekeepers for further investigation.

Baker Special Council Report – Case 1283701 Gatekeeper Therien investigating – August 25th

I’m starting to think this disappearance was the first in a series of kidnappings. We’ve had one or two a week since Miss Laval disappeared, all with magical traces. Still unsure who is responsible. The Gatekeepers and the local Stewards are on high alert.

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Chapter 1

The morning of her first day of high school was exciting for Elizabeth. Not as much for her father. He ran around, panicked. Are you sure you have everything? he asked for the third time that morning. He pulled out the bright purple list the school had sent.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and put her hand on her father’s, trying to be reassuring. Dad, it’s okay, we have everything and I’m going to be fine.

I know sweetie, but the first day of high school is a milestone. One more step to you being a grown woman. He hugged her and asked, Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you to school?

Dad, it’s only a block away and Jackie is waiting for me to walk with him. She hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, and put on her backpack. Bye Daddy. She didn’t call him Daddy often, and she hoped it would calm him down.

As she started opening the door to leave he yelled out, Wait! and ran into the other room, coming back with his camera. With a sigh, she took off her backpack, fixed her clothes and smiled. She did her best not to seem annoyed, but if he didn’t let her go soon she’d be late.

She knew it was a big day for him, but she didn’t understand. Sure, high school was a new step, but the way he acted was over the top.

I want to have pictures from every milestone in your life. He smiled his goofy smile. It was the one he used to hide that he was sad. Elizabeth knew he must be thinking of her mother.

At least today she felt picture worthy. She was wearing a new outfit: a long black business striped skirt with a nice burgundy top and a new pair of black dress shoes with a slight heel. She had even woken up early enough to straighten her unruly blonde curls and put on some eyeliner to accentuate her bright green eyes.

Bye Dad, love you. This time, she didn’t give him any time to say anything. She hugged him again, grabbed her backpack and ran out the door. She knew that if she hadn’t left, he would have started to tell her how much he regretted not having more pictures of her mother. He didn’t talk about her often, but the picture thing was something he loved to repeat.

Checking both ways before crossing the sleepy street, Elizabeth ran across the road to meet Jackie. She found him sitting on edge of his front porch, reading. He looked comical, all arms and legs; he’d had a major growth spurt that summer and seemed to have trouble getting used to his body.

Still on an urban fantasy kick? she asked. The book cover had a sexy girl with a staff that was glowing in front of a large crystal castle. The title said: The Heroes of Everdome. What’s this one about? Vampire, wizard or something else?

Jumping up, Jackie looked at her, confused for a second. He must have been lost in the book. She looked up at his befuddled face and stifled a giggle.

Actually this is a pure fantasy. Lots of magic, though. He smiled. They both knew how much he loved the idea of magic. I wouldn’t mind being able to cast a silence spell every once in a while. He pointed backwards at the door and the excitement in his dark blue eyes turned to worry.

He had bags under his eyes and his brown skin looked paler from lack of sleep. His parents were fighting again. Looking in the entrance window, Elizabeth could see Mr. and Mrs. Martin arguing. He was tall and lanky like Jackie but pale like a bad British stereotype. She had dark brown skin that looked almost golden, which Jackie had inherited, and a forceful nature, which he had not inherited. Jackie liked to joke that between his mother’s Spanish-Jamaican background and his father’s British-Scottish background, he should have five passports instead of one.

They started walking towards the school, and Elizabeth asked, Does this one have a mystery?

Nah these are all about traveling to another world and discovering what it holds and stopping the big bad guy. His face lit up with excitement.

Do you have to guess who the bad guy is?

No. The exciting part is guessing how the main characters will defeat the villain.

Hmm, okay. It doesn’t sound like much of a challenge if you already know the bad guy. Then all the main character has to do is find the bad guy’s weakness and use it against him. Couldn’t be easier! She smiled smugly.

He rolled his eyes. Lizzy, stop being difficult! The point is the journey, and the lessons the characters learn along the way. Not every book is a mystery waiting to be solved. Plus, I’d think you’d be bored of mysteries by now. You guess the ending of every mystery book in the first twenty pages.

She gave him a dirty look. She hated it when anyone shortened her name, and he knew it.

Between the two, it would seem more likely that Jackie would hate his nickname. Fortunately for him, he didn’t care; he’d been given it before he was old enough to protest. Elizabeth admired how he would just ignore or play along with any teasing. He was fond of quoting one of his favourite television shows when people told him Jackie was a girl’s name: he’d reply, Well Jackie isn’t a girl. Other times, he’d join in on the teasing. His best defence, in Elizabeth’s opinion, was to play dumb, and she was fairly sure that he did it on purpose. He’d pretend he didn’t understand the teasing or purposefully misinterpreted what they were saying. It seemed like a lot more effort to tease Jackie than most bullies were willing to spend.

Elizabeth shook her head and said, It’s not boring, it’s a challenge, and I have to keep my skills sharp if I want to win the Holmes title at next summer’s festival.

They walked on the cracked sidewalk, passing sleepy suburban houses. The houses were of multiple styles and colours, giving it a chaotic warmth which Elizabeth loved.

I still can’t believe you want to compete against adults from all over the world. They jumped over a large crack in the pavement that was acting as a miniature garden for weeds.

I think I could have beaten them the past five years if it wasn’t for the minimum age requirement. But after my next birthday, I’ll show them how to solve a mystery. She laughed nervously and added, I hope.

Lizzy. I have complete faith that you can win. Too bad you can’t have a sidekick, or I’d make sure you win.

It always surprised her how much faith he had in her. It made her forget his use of the shortened name. She knew her father had the same faith, but that was part of his job as a parent. Jackie had always looked up to her, even now that he was taller, and it made her happy. She stopped to hug him.

Pushing her away gently, he puffed up his chest, Hey Lizzy, come on, don’t get all mushy. We’re going into high school; the kids here are older and more sophisticated. Do you really want to be teased the first day about us being... well, you know?

They both blushed, and she shook her head and punched him in the arm. That’s for calling me Lizzy. They walked onto school grounds.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle High, or ACDH as everyone called it, was a square four-floored building which had been built in the sixties to look like an old English Brownstone style building. It could house two thousand students, but currently only held half that amount.

The school used to be called Sir Wilfred Laurier until the seventies when the local coal mines shut down. Since it wasn’t far from Toronto, Baker decided to rebrand itself as a tourist city and adopted a Sherlock Holmes theme, and started a small mystery themed festival that eventually grew into the International Sherlock Holmes Mystery Competition.

Baker City had four major sectors, each named after a cardinal direction; it had grown from North Baker and expanded south and east. Directly south of the old town hall was West Baker where Elizabeth’s house could be found, ACDH, and the hospital where her father worked.

ACDH was one of a dozen schools in town. With low enrolment, the English Public school board decided that they would close an older high school in West Baker and renovate ACDH to accommodate a total of three thousand students.

The renovations were easily seen as Elizabeth and Jackie walked onto school grounds. The fourth floor was closed and the windows were covered with heavy plastic. The baseball field had trucks and construction equipment in it and, from the front, they could just see the foundation being dug for the new wing. It gave the building a feeling of being off, like a haunted house.

To Elizabeth, the amount of students entering was already overwhelming, and the idea that there would be three times more people next year frightened her. She was thankful that she was entering high school this year. The extra room meant they each had two lockers, one regular and one closer to the gym. It also meant the only time they’d be jostled in the halls was on purpose.

They had barely walked through the large main doors before the first bell rang, telling them they had five minutes to get to homeroom. Elizabeth pulled out a printed copy of her schedule, which had the classrooms marked. When she first received her schedule, she had been upset that she didn’t get a choice of classes for the first semester and could only choose on next semester. She had been looking forward to more freedom and control in high school. She noted the classroom for their homeroom and headed towards it.

Because of the renovations, the school schedule was a little different than most schools. They had five periods of seventy minutes each, with five minutes between classes. There was an official lunch for the freshman, or niners, as they were called, in third period. The other grades had a choice, depending on what period they chose to have classes.

This helped avoid crowding the temporary cafeteria until the new one was built. It was really just a row of large classrooms with the walls between them knocked down. The old cafeteria had been under renovation for longer than the rest of the building and no one seemed to know why. Elizabeth had asked when she registered. The only answers she got were that it was being renovated. She was convinced something more than renovations was going on. It was the first mystery in her new school and she looked forward to solving it.

After a few wrong turns and asking for directions, they arrived at their homeroom. It was filled with students. When Elizabeth looked at the schedule: it said there were forty one students in the homeroom, and that they were group A. She guessed this meant there was a group B somewhere. They chose seats on the far side of the room, in the back.

The majority of students had been in their elementary school. Groups of friends got together and chatted while others looked around meekly. Looking around, Elizabeth wished high school was more like the movies, where everyone could easily be labelled into a group. It unfortunately wasn’t, and everyone looked pretty much the same.

The last few students started to arrive. A short girl with long black hair, wide eyes, and bronze skin, sat down beside Elizabeth. She was wearing a pink dress, with a thick black belt, and matching heels; the whole ensemble screamed stylish in a way that Elizabeth wished she understood. In contrast, the girl looked a little intimidated. She turned to Elizabeth and started saying, Hi, I’m Angela—

I’m sorry, Suzy Sweets, a tiny, perky girl whom Elizabeth had always assumed would be the perfect cheerleader, cut Angela off. but since you don’t know what you’re doing I’ll save your social life and tell you to avoid those two. They are total freaks and totally gay for each other. The crow and the pig.

The girls who always followed Suzy started to giggle and made oinking noises, despite the nonsensical nature of the comment. Angela looked back and forth a few times between Suzy and Elizabeth. Her lower lip quivered and it looked like she was either trying to say something or trying not to cry.

The second bell rang and a tall, wide, redheaded man with a serious face walked into the room. When the class suddenly became quiet, the man seemed to notice that there were other people in the room. His hair was short but a little curly, giving it a messy look only accentuated by its bright orange colour.

He looked at Elizabeth and his eyes grew large. He looked away and shook his head before taking a long drink from a travel coffee mug.

He looked familiar, but Elizabeth was distracted by Jackie leaning over to Angela and whispering, Don’t worry about the hive mind. They just think they’re cool. I’m Jackie, and this is Elizabeth. Angela took a deep breath and smiled back at them just as the teacher started to talk.

Speaking with a deep and, Elizabeth thought, sad voice he told them that his name was Mr. Mortar. He was their principal and he’d also be the boys’ Gym teacher. She wondered if it was normal for a principal to teach.

He took attendance quickly, barely looking at his class list. Elizabeth wondered if he had memorized it. As he took attendance, some people talked and others looked like they were going to sleep. Jackie took out his book and started reading.

Elizabeth looked at each person who was being named and tried to memorize their name and face. It was easier than she expected: there were a lot of them that she already knew, like Suzy and her two sidekicks Halley Vanier and Holley Matheson. Holley was pronounced like Halley but with an O. Elizabeth always wondered if their parents had planned the names together, knowing the two would be practically twins.

She was surprised to see Cassy Laval sitting quietly in the back. Cassy was the third oldest in a family of six girls; she was normally the class clown. She could make everyone laugh without insulting anyone. She was one of those people who could talk to anyone and put them at ease. She always knew everything that was going on. Jackie called her a social butterfly. Today, Cassy wasn’t joking or talking to anyone. She just sat in her corner looking unhappy.

Finishing his attendance, Mr. Mortar sat down and sipped his coffee. Elizabeth asked Jackie if he knew what was going on with Cassy.

You didn’t hear about it? He asked her, surprised. Her older sister Francine disappeared this summer. Everyone says she ran away with her boyfriend, but Cassy thinks that she was kidnapped or killed. The bell rang, telling them to go to their first class.

Continuing his explanation as they walked to Math class, Jackie added, Not only that, but since Francine ran away, Mr. Laval has become extremely strict and gets really mad if anyone mentions her. That was everything he knew about it. Elizabeth wondered why anyone would run away from home at only seventeen. She then wondered what could have happened to her. High school was already filled with mysteries.

The halls were wide, but the rowdy seniors patrolled them like bloodhounds, knocking down books and occasionally body checking someone into a locker. The hall monitors only did anything if someone got hurt. Jackie and Elizabeth were able to avoid getting hit or pushed.

Math was mostly review, but their teacher seemed nice. Miss Raven was a large, smiling woman whose face lit up when she was explaining a concept. Elizabeth always preferred teachers who loved teaching. They didn’t have any time