Mr. Percy E. Notch

March's character is the bumbling absent-minded professor of Sherlock Academy. He has been faithfully and effectively teaching young sleuths the art of observation since the academy opened. As a long-life friend of the headmaster and a scholar of Holmes, he would prefer to do nothing else than teach observation. Here are a few other insights into his character:

1. His initials spell PEN

2. In his younger years, he worked for Scotland Yard, and while his keen observation skills were a great asset, he was regrettably fired for being absurdly untidy.

3. He once had a wife, but involuntarily lost her, just as he does with everything

4. In his leisure time he enjoys working crossword puzzles, and his comforted by the tidiness of writing a letter in a box

5. He keeps thousands of observation notes and personal profiles on people; they are hidden somewhere safe at Sherlock Academy, but he can't remember where

6. His birthday Jan. 26 is the same as the author's father-in-law's. While they share the same day, they do not share the same absent-mindedness. However, they are both kindly souls.