It is a stormy, chilly, late September night. On the northeastern end of
Coolsville, on a particular intersection of two little streets, there is a
particular little house. In that particular little house there is a
bedroom facing the backyard. In that bedroom, there is a young woman
sleeping soundly. She is in her early twenties, chestnut brown hair,
fairly pretty, and fairly well to do.
Suddenly, there is a crack of lightning. The girl wakes up. It had been a while since Coolsville has had a storm like this one, so she decides to watch it for a while. She sits there looking at the rain and thinking back to her childhood. How she used to be afraid of thunderstorms and what her next-door neighbor used to say that the flashes of lightning are angels taking pictures and the thunder are off-duty guardian angels bowling.
Then, there is a colossal strike of lightning, and suddenly, there in the window, appears a face. This face looks neither dead nor alive; it is a ghastly, pale face with a look of terror.
The woman screams. The face then leaves.
The woman sits there terrified, then, gathering up her wits together, she reaches for the phonebook. She franticly looks through it. "Let's see...Mysterious Five... Mystery...Mysteries Five... Mystery Inc! 987- 5502...Emergency number...987-5502*." She quickly dials the latter number. A young girl picks it up on the other end.
"You have reached the headquarters of Mystery Incorporated, Velma Dinkley speaking. How may I help you?" She says in a sleepy voice.
"Ah, yes...my name is Maclbe...Sarah Maclbe...Miss Sarah Maclbe...I believe I have a new mystery for you." Comes a shaky voice on the other end.
At this, Velma became fully awake and her eyes became wide open. She instantly reaches to her bedside table for her glasses, pencil and notepad.
"Jinkies! Go on..." She says.
"Well, this may sound silly of me..." the other woman began, "but lately I have been seeing a face in my bedroom window. These appearances come to me frequently."
"Describe this face." Velma urges while she takes notes.
The Sarah describes it.
"Well, this does sound interesting." Velma finally says, "how soon do would you like us there?"
Sarah becomes very excited and answers, "Please, as soon as possible."
"What is your address?"
"35 Lakewood Ave." is the reply.
"Right then!" Velma says with a grin on her face and hangs up the phone. She looks at her clock; it's 4:30 a.m. "Now to get the gang!"
She immediately calls up Fred and Daphne. Both of them agree to come. "Good," Velma says as she hangs up the phone, "now for the guys." She quickly dials up Shaggy's house. She put her phone on speaker so she could get dressed.
Over a Shaggy's house the phone rings. Scooby and Shaggy are in the kitchen eating, as usual. "Like let it ring, Scoob." Says Shaggy with his mouth full of food. The answering machine picks it up.
"Awe nuts!" thinks Velma. She always hated it when Shaggy gave her the machine.
Like you have reached the Roger's house, If, like you would like to speak to Dad, like please press 1 If, like you would like to speak to Mom, like please press 2 If, like you would like to speak to both Mom and Dad, like please press 3 If, like you would like to speak to Norville a.k.a. Shaggy, like please press 4 If, like you would like to speak to Scoobert a.k.a. Scooby, please press 5 If, like you would like to speak to both Shaggy and Scooby, please press 6 If, like you don't care who you talk to please press 7 If, like you are a telemarketer or just getting tired of my voice, like please hang up
The message began to run again.
"Alright, alright already." Says Velma. She presses six.
Like please leave your message after the tone: Scooby-dooby-doo!
"Shaggy, pick up the phone this instant!" Velma yells on the other end.
Shaggy recognizing the voice reluctantly says, "Like hit the speaker will ya, Scoob." "Rokay," replies Scooby and does what he is told.
"Like hi, Velma." Says Shaggy, "Scoob and me are just having a midnight snack." Velma who now is fully dressed responds in disgust, "Shaggy, it's four forty in the morning!" "It is? My, like time really flies when your having fun! Huh, Scoob?" "Ruh, huh!" Replies Scooby stuffing his mouth full of food. Both Shaggy and Scooby laugh hysterically.
"Now listen you guys," Velma finally broke in, "I have received a call from a Miss Sarah Maclbe who has a new mystery for us."
"Like at this hour?"
"She called the emergency number. Freddy will be picking you guys up shortly, so get ready."
Without letting Shaggy answer back, Velma hangs up the phone.
Shaggy follows suit. He then turns to Scooby, "Like we better get ready then, boy."
A few moments later Fred, Daphne, and Velma pull up in the Mystery Machine. It is still raining. Freddy honks the horn. "Ready to go, Shaggy?" he yells. "Like be right there, Fred." A voice calls back. Scooby and Shaggy join the gang in the van.
For a while, there is absolute silence as Fred drives to Sarah's house. "So Velma," says Daphne, breaking the silence, "tell us more about what this Miss Maclbe." "Yeah," joins in Fred, "you didn't say much in your phone call." "Well, she didn't say much," starts Velma shrugging her shoulders, "she just stated that there is some sort of face outside her bedroom window."
"So?" the rest inquire in unison.
"It gives her the creeps."
When they arrive at their destination, it is four twenty and the rain has stopped.
As soon as the Mystery Machine drives up, Sarah runs out crying and lands into Freddy's arms.
"Oh thank heaven you've come, it came again!" she sobbed.
"Like, what came?" asks Shaggy.
"The face!"
"Where?" asks Daphne.
'My bedroom window, it's out back." Replies the young girl. No sooner had they heard this Daphne and Velma started running to the yard. They jumped over the fence, which separates the front and the back yards, with the greatest of ease. As soon as they reached the back both girls started looking around for clues, but found nothing. "Not even a footprint." Pouts Velma. "Maybe not," responds Daphne, "but...hey I found some!" Velma takes a look at them, then states, "Those are ours!"
Freddy, Shaggy and Scooby had by this time calmed down Miss Maclbe and had come outside to help look around.
"Anything, girls?" inquires Fred.
"Nope."
"Like those are pretty nice flowers." States Shaggy as he points to a little flowerbed underneath the window.
"Yeah," says Velma, "but something seems a bit fishy."
"What's that?" asks Daphne.
"Well, it might be just me," starts Velma, "but for being in the shade, these flowers are doing very well. Better than those in the sunlight. Yet, they are not meant to grow in the shade."
"Like Velma, I didn't know you knew anything about agriculture." Says Shaggy.
"Yeah," jokes Freddie, "you can't even make a cactus last for at least two days!"
Daphne and Scooby giggle and Velma feels her face go red for a few minutes.
"I don't, actually," she finally speaks, "I just have an uncle who works in that field."
The gang go into the house to see if there are clues and to question Sarah.
"When do you think these visits with this face started?" inquires Fred.
"I don't know." Is the reply "I guess two days ago...yes! It was then that my employer disappeared!"
"Like who disappeared?" gulps Shaggy who had helped himself to Sarah's kitchen.
"Reah rho?" interrogates Scooby.
"I believe I know," explains Velma turning to Sarah, she asks, "you mean Miss Catharine Smith if Smith Household Products don't you?"
"Why yes! But how did you..."
"It was in the paper."
"I remember that article," recalls Daphne, "my father lost a huge stock investment because of that."
"Why, Daph?" asks Freddie.
"People got to thinking that the stock was no good and that the disappearance was a gag to make it go higher." The red-haired girl explains.
"I see that you guys are always up to date in the news!" exclaims Sarah.
Everyone laughs.
In the kitchen, Sarah offers the gang some breakfast. They had been there for over two hours and dawn's first light is peeping over the horizon.
Fred and Daphne are sharing a bowl of oatmeal, Velma's munching down on a bagel with way too much cream cheese and Scooby and Shaggy are chewing down on who knows what is on their plate. Sarah sits there having her morning coffee.
"So you worked for Smith Household Products?" Asks Velma swallowing down a piece of her bagel.
"No, I still work for them." Is the reply.
"Oh, sorry." apologizes Velma.
"That's okay." Sarah reassures her, "Yes, I was Miss Smith's private secretary. Now I'm just another hired hand."
"Jeepers!" exclaims Daphne.
"Yeah," sighs Sarah "but soon I'm going to be out of the job. The company's going bankrupt."
"Gosh, that's to bad," says Fred.
"Yes, but at least I won't have to worry about money" Sarah smiles.
"Like why is that?" inquires Shaggy stuffing his face full of food.
"Miss Smith has often looked to me as a daughter since she, herself, has no children." the girl explains, "So if anything happens to her that may keep her from carrying on with the company, I inherit everything."
"Row!" exclaimed Scooby, "Rat's ra rotta roney!"
"What did that dog of yours say? He wants some macaroni?" asks Sarah.
"Oh, like, don't mind Scoob," starts Shaggy stuffing his mouth, "He has, like, a speech complication. He was, like, just contemplating on how much money that is going to be."
"Rinreed!" barks out Scoob.
After breakfast, Sarah gets ready for work. "If you guys need anything you are welcome to the kitchen" she says. "Oh really, Miss Maclbe, we can't impose on you like that!" opposes Velma. "Oh really, your not imposing, and please, call me Sarah. Now feel free to search the house anytime you want. There is a key under the doormat."
"Groovy! Like thanks Miss Mac...er...Sarah!" exclaims Shaggy.
"Reah rank-rou!" barks back Scooby.
With that, both boys turn and head for the kitchen.
Sarah left for work leaving the gang alone in the house.
"Well I just we better use this time to split up and search one last time for any clues." Orders Fred. "Daphne and I will start looking around here."
"Okay, Fred." Agrees Velma, "I'll stick with Shaggy and Scooby."
Fred and Daphne left to look around the basement leaving Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby alone.
"Like with the sun just beginning to shine, this house looks a bit creepy." Whines Shaggy.
"Reah, reepy." Echoes Scooby.
"Come on you guys," starts Velma, "I want to look at the backyard again."
In the backyard Velma and Shaggy look around but find nothing.
"Like this yard is empty!" yells Shaggy.
"Maybe not," replies Velma, "but that flower bed is still bugging me. Scooby sniff around, see if you can find anything." She says turning to Scooby.
"Rokay" barks Scooby and he begins to sniff.
He first goes around the fence, then, around the trees, he begins to bark.
"What did you find Scooby?" asks Velma.
"Rassie!" Scooby calls back.
"Like Scooby," scolds Shaggy, "were here to look for clues not your girl friends!"
"Rorry." apologizes Scooby and he starts sniffing again.
He then goes by the flowerbed under the bedroom window. Suddenly, he pulls up his head with a face of disgust.
"Re-ru!" he yelps.
"Like what is it, boy?" asks Shaggy.
"Romething rinky!" answers Scooby holding his nose and pointing down to the bed.
"Something stinky?!" repeats Shaggy.
"Reah"
Velma is investigating the strange spot.
"And the stench is just right here Scooby?" she finally speaks.
"Ruh-huh." Scooby reassures her.
Velma then takes a sniff of the air. Instantly she feels the urge in her stomach to throw up. She gags and sweat beads began to form on her forehead.
"It smells like a decaying organism." Says she.
She began to disturb the dirt. The stench became stronger.
"Awe, Velma! Like, did you really have to do that?" whines Shaggy.
"I was just curious!" Velma gags back.
"Well, like, if your curiosity is satisfied," Shaggy yells back, "maybe we can get out of here!"
"Reah! Reah!" agrees Scooby.
"Well," starts Velma, "what the heck are you waiting for?"
The three of them quickly leave the scene.
Once they are inside, they run into the bathroom just incase they need to...well...
"I guess we should start looking around." Advises Velma.
"But, like where do we start?" Shaggy asks.
"The attic"
"Gulp! Like sorry I asked"
"Come on Shaggy," Velma urges, "It's not like we're in a haunted house or anything"
"Yeah," says Shaggy as they start to head up the stairs, "but in every attic there is dust, cobwebs, darkness, and old things and when there is a combination like that, there is usually a ghost of some sort."
"I wonder if the others have found anything." Fred says to Daphne.
They had been looking around the basement and first floor but found nothing.
"Well usually they tend to have better luck than we do." Daphne reassures him.
"I guess your right." Fred sighs, "One things for sure, our client loves mystery stories. I mean, well look at the bookshelf in the den, it's full of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Margery Allingham novels. To top it all of, they're all murder stories!"
"So?" demands Daphne, "she loves murder stories and mystery authors. What's the big deal?"
"I don't quite know, but I have seen other stories by these authors that are not murders all the time in Velma's book shop. And that's the biggest mystery bookshop in town"
"It's also the only mystery bookshop in town." Daphne corrects him, "Anyway, what does that prove?"
"I don't know, Daph. I just don't know"
"Like, nothing!" exclaims Shaggy.
He had been looking through a huge trunk for a long time and he was getting fed up. Even Scooby with his keen sense of smell had found nothing.
"Maybe not," Velma encourages him, "look what I found!"
She holds up a box of bullets. It is a new box with nicely packed lead bullets. They too are new and only four or five are missing.
"Made for a small pistol judging by their size." She says as she examines them.
"Like that's funny," contemplates Shaggy, "what is that new box doing up here amongst an old, dusty box?"
Velma starts to dig frantically through the box.
"Like, Vel, what are you looking for?"
Velma perks up her head with a look of discouragement. She thinks for a moment then answers, "Well, I was hoping that I would have found the gun."
"Like why?" Shaggy inquires.
"Reah, rhy?" parrots Scooby.
"Well, usually you will find a gun and bullets stored together." Velma explains. "I mean, there is no reason not to. Sarah didn't say anything about small children hanging around the house."
"Rmmm...rood roint." Agrees Scooby.
Shaggy's stomach begins to grumble.
"Like, can we take up this conversation in some place better, like in a kitchen?" he asks.
The three of them head down to the kitchen where Fred and Daphne were waiting for them.
"Hi, guys." Sighs Fred. "Did you find anything?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, we did!" Velma quickly replies.
The five of them then go over what they have found.
"Jeepers!" says Daphne, "what would Sarah be doing with bullets?"
"I don't know, yet" replies Velma.
"Hmm..." hums Fred, "that's a good question. Although, I want to take a look around that flowerbed."
"Like, must we?" whines Shaggy, "Like it's nearly time for lunch!"
Velma looks at her watch. It says ten thirty
"I have my uncle Fritz coming over to visit and I promised Mother that I would help her with lunch." She finally says.
"Fine then," Freddy pouts, "Daphne and I will go."
"Sorry, Freddie." Daphne calls back, "I don't think that I will be able to stand the stench. I'll ask the neighbors questions."
"All right, all right! I can take a hint!" yells Fred, "I'll go alone"
The gang went their separate ways. Scooby and Shaggy run to the nearest pizza shop, Daphne makes her way from house to house asking questions, Velma frantically makes her way back home, and Fred, all alone, walks to the backyard.
As soon as she closed the door, Velma receives a verbal beating from her mom.
"What is the big idea of leaving the house in the middle of the night without leaving a note? Not even calling us?" demands Mrs. Dinkley, "Velma Dace Dinkley, I hope you have a good explanation for your immature actions!"
Velma feels herself pinned to the wall, her temperature goes up, and sweat begins pour down her cheeks.
"I...I...I..." she begins but words do not come out, "The gang, that is, and I have stumbled unto another mystery." She finally stammers out.
"I see," her mother began, "well it was decent of you to come home to help around the house. But you better hurry, your uncle will be here any minute."
Velma quickly runs toward the kitchen wiping the sweat off her face. She puts on an apron and starts peeling potatoes. She feels bad about running off on her parents like that. Ever since that incident on Spooky Island her folks became very conscientious about her safety. As a matter of fact, so did Mr. and Mrs. Blake, Jones, Rogers, and Doo. If the gang thought this was bad enough, after that affair in the Coolsonion, the parents became even stricter about leaving the house during the night.
"Well," she smiles, "at least I can ask Uncle Fritz about that flowerbed!"
Fred walks through the backyard of the house. He first looks around the huge oak tree, the fence, the compost box, then, gathering up his courage, he looks around the flowerbed.
"That's strange," he thinks, "there is nothing here. Is it possible that it was their imagination playing tricks on them? Neh. Scooby and Shaggy yes, but Velma? Never!"
He continues to look around, yet finds nothing. He goes out to join Daphne.
"Well, thank-you for you time ma'am." Smiles Daphne as she leaves the house. It has been the twenty-first house she had visited.
"Hey, Daph!" calls a voice from behind her. It is Freddie. He is running up the street like a rocket. "Have you found anything?" he asks as he finally catches up with her.
"Nope." She sighs, "Most of them don't even know Sarah."
"Really?" he inquires.
"Well, despite the fact that she had moved into the neighborhood a month ago and keeps mainly to herself?" his girl friend asks, "Nothing."
"Interesting."
"Can you make any sense of this whole ordeal, Fred?"
"No, Daph." The blond man replies, "I can't."
Daphne looks at her watch.
"It's noon, Fred." she announces, "Maybe we should discuss this over lunch."
"Okay."
The two make their way to join Shaggy and Scooby at Pete's Pizza Parlor.
"Like, pass the hot sauce will ya, old buddy." Shaggy says as he and Scooby chow down on their 400th pizza.
"Rear rou ro!" Barks the Great Dane passing it to Shaggy. He, himself drowning his slice in it.
Shaggy takes the bottle, smears it allover his pizza; puts a thick layer of Parmesan cheese; three scoops of butterscotch ice cream; and to top it off: a pickle, cherry, and hot peppers. He stares at it for a while. "Like I think it's missing something, Scoob." He finally says, "What do you suppose it is?" "Rolive Roil!" Scoobert barks back holding up a bottle. "Of coarse!" jumps Shaggy, "That's it!" He takes it and pours it over his entire pizza with it until the oil began to drip onto the floor.
Shaggy, proud of his creation, then holds up his pizza to show to Scooby. "Well, Scoob," he exclaims beaming with pride, "is this a pizza or is this a pizza!" Scooby just snickers. Shaggy then proceeds the task of folding his pizza so it is bite size. He then eats it with one gulp. He sits back in his seat. "Like that was a pizza!" he exclaims smacking his lips.
It this time, Fred and Daphne appear on the scene. Daphne looks at the two boys sitting in a booth. She and Freddie join them. Fred notices the mess those two have made. "How many pizzas have you guys eaten?" he finally asks. "Oh, like, four hundred ten...I think." is the reply. Daphne leans over to Fred and whispers to him "If he says I think, it usually means that he has eaten either so fast or too many that he can't remember." Freddie smiles to that remark. He then orders a pepperoni pizza and cokes for both him and Daphne.
Once they get their drinks the four of them begin to talk and joke among themselves unknowing the torture Velma is going through back home.
"And there is the white shark, mouth open and ready to gobble me in." says Harold Dinkley. "Well," asks Uncle Fritz peering wide-eyed through his thin wire frame glasses, "what did you do?" "Well," continues Harold sitting up straight, "I swim my ground, making sure that it clear to him that I didn't want him to come anywhere close to the dolphins." Marilyn Dinkley looks at her husband like he was a supernatural being. Velma, on the other hand, sits slumping in her chair pushing her food around. She had heard the story so many times. Ever since she was a small girl. Even though it actually occurred long before she was born, in fact long before her parents were even married, her father always brought it up as if it had recently happened. And every time it seems to get better and better. "If I don't get out of here," thinks Velma, "I'll go crazy! How am I going to ask Uncle Fritz about the flowerbed?"
Marilyn notices that something is wrong. "Velma, are you feeling okay?" she asks pulling her daughter aside.
"Yeah, Mom." Velma responds.
"You haven't eaten any of your lunch." Her mother points out, "Are you sure your feeling all right?" she asks feeling her daughter's forehead.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Mrs. Dinkley is still unsatisfied. She takes Velma's temperature.
"Go upstairs and lie down for a while." She instructs her child.
Velma has no choice but to do as she is told. She slowly climbs the stairs, walks into her room, plops down on her bed and falls asleep.
Suddenly, there is a crack of lightning. The girl wakes up. It had been a while since Coolsville has had a storm like this one, so she decides to watch it for a while. She sits there looking at the rain and thinking back to her childhood. How she used to be afraid of thunderstorms and what her next-door neighbor used to say that the flashes of lightning are angels taking pictures and the thunder are off-duty guardian angels bowling.
Then, there is a colossal strike of lightning, and suddenly, there in the window, appears a face. This face looks neither dead nor alive; it is a ghastly, pale face with a look of terror.
The woman screams. The face then leaves.
The woman sits there terrified, then, gathering up her wits together, she reaches for the phonebook. She franticly looks through it. "Let's see...Mysterious Five... Mystery...Mysteries Five... Mystery Inc! 987- 5502...Emergency number...987-5502*." She quickly dials the latter number. A young girl picks it up on the other end.
"You have reached the headquarters of Mystery Incorporated, Velma Dinkley speaking. How may I help you?" She says in a sleepy voice.
"Ah, yes...my name is Maclbe...Sarah Maclbe...Miss Sarah Maclbe...I believe I have a new mystery for you." Comes a shaky voice on the other end.
At this, Velma became fully awake and her eyes became wide open. She instantly reaches to her bedside table for her glasses, pencil and notepad.
"Jinkies! Go on..." She says.
"Well, this may sound silly of me..." the other woman began, "but lately I have been seeing a face in my bedroom window. These appearances come to me frequently."
"Describe this face." Velma urges while she takes notes.
The Sarah describes it.
"Well, this does sound interesting." Velma finally says, "how soon do would you like us there?"
Sarah becomes very excited and answers, "Please, as soon as possible."
"What is your address?"
"35 Lakewood Ave." is the reply.
"Right then!" Velma says with a grin on her face and hangs up the phone. She looks at her clock; it's 4:30 a.m. "Now to get the gang!"
She immediately calls up Fred and Daphne. Both of them agree to come. "Good," Velma says as she hangs up the phone, "now for the guys." She quickly dials up Shaggy's house. She put her phone on speaker so she could get dressed.
Over a Shaggy's house the phone rings. Scooby and Shaggy are in the kitchen eating, as usual. "Like let it ring, Scoob." Says Shaggy with his mouth full of food. The answering machine picks it up.
"Awe nuts!" thinks Velma. She always hated it when Shaggy gave her the machine.
Like you have reached the Roger's house, If, like you would like to speak to Dad, like please press 1 If, like you would like to speak to Mom, like please press 2 If, like you would like to speak to both Mom and Dad, like please press 3 If, like you would like to speak to Norville a.k.a. Shaggy, like please press 4 If, like you would like to speak to Scoobert a.k.a. Scooby, please press 5 If, like you would like to speak to both Shaggy and Scooby, please press 6 If, like you don't care who you talk to please press 7 If, like you are a telemarketer or just getting tired of my voice, like please hang up
The message began to run again.
"Alright, alright already." Says Velma. She presses six.
Like please leave your message after the tone: Scooby-dooby-doo!
"Shaggy, pick up the phone this instant!" Velma yells on the other end.
Shaggy recognizing the voice reluctantly says, "Like hit the speaker will ya, Scoob." "Rokay," replies Scooby and does what he is told.
"Like hi, Velma." Says Shaggy, "Scoob and me are just having a midnight snack." Velma who now is fully dressed responds in disgust, "Shaggy, it's four forty in the morning!" "It is? My, like time really flies when your having fun! Huh, Scoob?" "Ruh, huh!" Replies Scooby stuffing his mouth full of food. Both Shaggy and Scooby laugh hysterically.
"Now listen you guys," Velma finally broke in, "I have received a call from a Miss Sarah Maclbe who has a new mystery for us."
"Like at this hour?"
"She called the emergency number. Freddy will be picking you guys up shortly, so get ready."
Without letting Shaggy answer back, Velma hangs up the phone.
Shaggy follows suit. He then turns to Scooby, "Like we better get ready then, boy."
A few moments later Fred, Daphne, and Velma pull up in the Mystery Machine. It is still raining. Freddy honks the horn. "Ready to go, Shaggy?" he yells. "Like be right there, Fred." A voice calls back. Scooby and Shaggy join the gang in the van.
For a while, there is absolute silence as Fred drives to Sarah's house. "So Velma," says Daphne, breaking the silence, "tell us more about what this Miss Maclbe." "Yeah," joins in Fred, "you didn't say much in your phone call." "Well, she didn't say much," starts Velma shrugging her shoulders, "she just stated that there is some sort of face outside her bedroom window."
"So?" the rest inquire in unison.
"It gives her the creeps."
When they arrive at their destination, it is four twenty and the rain has stopped.
As soon as the Mystery Machine drives up, Sarah runs out crying and lands into Freddy's arms.
"Oh thank heaven you've come, it came again!" she sobbed.
"Like, what came?" asks Shaggy.
"The face!"
"Where?" asks Daphne.
'My bedroom window, it's out back." Replies the young girl. No sooner had they heard this Daphne and Velma started running to the yard. They jumped over the fence, which separates the front and the back yards, with the greatest of ease. As soon as they reached the back both girls started looking around for clues, but found nothing. "Not even a footprint." Pouts Velma. "Maybe not," responds Daphne, "but...hey I found some!" Velma takes a look at them, then states, "Those are ours!"
Freddy, Shaggy and Scooby had by this time calmed down Miss Maclbe and had come outside to help look around.
"Anything, girls?" inquires Fred.
"Nope."
"Like those are pretty nice flowers." States Shaggy as he points to a little flowerbed underneath the window.
"Yeah," says Velma, "but something seems a bit fishy."
"What's that?" asks Daphne.
"Well, it might be just me," starts Velma, "but for being in the shade, these flowers are doing very well. Better than those in the sunlight. Yet, they are not meant to grow in the shade."
"Like Velma, I didn't know you knew anything about agriculture." Says Shaggy.
"Yeah," jokes Freddie, "you can't even make a cactus last for at least two days!"
Daphne and Scooby giggle and Velma feels her face go red for a few minutes.
"I don't, actually," she finally speaks, "I just have an uncle who works in that field."
The gang go into the house to see if there are clues and to question Sarah.
"When do you think these visits with this face started?" inquires Fred.
"I don't know." Is the reply "I guess two days ago...yes! It was then that my employer disappeared!"
"Like who disappeared?" gulps Shaggy who had helped himself to Sarah's kitchen.
"Reah rho?" interrogates Scooby.
"I believe I know," explains Velma turning to Sarah, she asks, "you mean Miss Catharine Smith if Smith Household Products don't you?"
"Why yes! But how did you..."
"It was in the paper."
"I remember that article," recalls Daphne, "my father lost a huge stock investment because of that."
"Why, Daph?" asks Freddie.
"People got to thinking that the stock was no good and that the disappearance was a gag to make it go higher." The red-haired girl explains.
"I see that you guys are always up to date in the news!" exclaims Sarah.
Everyone laughs.
In the kitchen, Sarah offers the gang some breakfast. They had been there for over two hours and dawn's first light is peeping over the horizon.
Fred and Daphne are sharing a bowl of oatmeal, Velma's munching down on a bagel with way too much cream cheese and Scooby and Shaggy are chewing down on who knows what is on their plate. Sarah sits there having her morning coffee.
"So you worked for Smith Household Products?" Asks Velma swallowing down a piece of her bagel.
"No, I still work for them." Is the reply.
"Oh, sorry." apologizes Velma.
"That's okay." Sarah reassures her, "Yes, I was Miss Smith's private secretary. Now I'm just another hired hand."
"Jeepers!" exclaims Daphne.
"Yeah," sighs Sarah "but soon I'm going to be out of the job. The company's going bankrupt."
"Gosh, that's to bad," says Fred.
"Yes, but at least I won't have to worry about money" Sarah smiles.
"Like why is that?" inquires Shaggy stuffing his face full of food.
"Miss Smith has often looked to me as a daughter since she, herself, has no children." the girl explains, "So if anything happens to her that may keep her from carrying on with the company, I inherit everything."
"Row!" exclaimed Scooby, "Rat's ra rotta roney!"
"What did that dog of yours say? He wants some macaroni?" asks Sarah.
"Oh, like, don't mind Scoob," starts Shaggy stuffing his mouth, "He has, like, a speech complication. He was, like, just contemplating on how much money that is going to be."
"Rinreed!" barks out Scoob.
After breakfast, Sarah gets ready for work. "If you guys need anything you are welcome to the kitchen" she says. "Oh really, Miss Maclbe, we can't impose on you like that!" opposes Velma. "Oh really, your not imposing, and please, call me Sarah. Now feel free to search the house anytime you want. There is a key under the doormat."
"Groovy! Like thanks Miss Mac...er...Sarah!" exclaims Shaggy.
"Reah rank-rou!" barks back Scooby.
With that, both boys turn and head for the kitchen.
Sarah left for work leaving the gang alone in the house.
"Well I just we better use this time to split up and search one last time for any clues." Orders Fred. "Daphne and I will start looking around here."
"Okay, Fred." Agrees Velma, "I'll stick with Shaggy and Scooby."
Fred and Daphne left to look around the basement leaving Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby alone.
"Like with the sun just beginning to shine, this house looks a bit creepy." Whines Shaggy.
"Reah, reepy." Echoes Scooby.
"Come on you guys," starts Velma, "I want to look at the backyard again."
In the backyard Velma and Shaggy look around but find nothing.
"Like this yard is empty!" yells Shaggy.
"Maybe not," replies Velma, "but that flower bed is still bugging me. Scooby sniff around, see if you can find anything." She says turning to Scooby.
"Rokay" barks Scooby and he begins to sniff.
He first goes around the fence, then, around the trees, he begins to bark.
"What did you find Scooby?" asks Velma.
"Rassie!" Scooby calls back.
"Like Scooby," scolds Shaggy, "were here to look for clues not your girl friends!"
"Rorry." apologizes Scooby and he starts sniffing again.
He then goes by the flowerbed under the bedroom window. Suddenly, he pulls up his head with a face of disgust.
"Re-ru!" he yelps.
"Like what is it, boy?" asks Shaggy.
"Romething rinky!" answers Scooby holding his nose and pointing down to the bed.
"Something stinky?!" repeats Shaggy.
"Reah"
Velma is investigating the strange spot.
"And the stench is just right here Scooby?" she finally speaks.
"Ruh-huh." Scooby reassures her.
Velma then takes a sniff of the air. Instantly she feels the urge in her stomach to throw up. She gags and sweat beads began to form on her forehead.
"It smells like a decaying organism." Says she.
She began to disturb the dirt. The stench became stronger.
"Awe, Velma! Like, did you really have to do that?" whines Shaggy.
"I was just curious!" Velma gags back.
"Well, like, if your curiosity is satisfied," Shaggy yells back, "maybe we can get out of here!"
"Reah! Reah!" agrees Scooby.
"Well," starts Velma, "what the heck are you waiting for?"
The three of them quickly leave the scene.
Once they are inside, they run into the bathroom just incase they need to...well...
"I guess we should start looking around." Advises Velma.
"But, like where do we start?" Shaggy asks.
"The attic"
"Gulp! Like sorry I asked"
"Come on Shaggy," Velma urges, "It's not like we're in a haunted house or anything"
"Yeah," says Shaggy as they start to head up the stairs, "but in every attic there is dust, cobwebs, darkness, and old things and when there is a combination like that, there is usually a ghost of some sort."
"I wonder if the others have found anything." Fred says to Daphne.
They had been looking around the basement and first floor but found nothing.
"Well usually they tend to have better luck than we do." Daphne reassures him.
"I guess your right." Fred sighs, "One things for sure, our client loves mystery stories. I mean, well look at the bookshelf in the den, it's full of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Margery Allingham novels. To top it all of, they're all murder stories!"
"So?" demands Daphne, "she loves murder stories and mystery authors. What's the big deal?"
"I don't quite know, but I have seen other stories by these authors that are not murders all the time in Velma's book shop. And that's the biggest mystery bookshop in town"
"It's also the only mystery bookshop in town." Daphne corrects him, "Anyway, what does that prove?"
"I don't know, Daph. I just don't know"
"Like, nothing!" exclaims Shaggy.
He had been looking through a huge trunk for a long time and he was getting fed up. Even Scooby with his keen sense of smell had found nothing.
"Maybe not," Velma encourages him, "look what I found!"
She holds up a box of bullets. It is a new box with nicely packed lead bullets. They too are new and only four or five are missing.
"Made for a small pistol judging by their size." She says as she examines them.
"Like that's funny," contemplates Shaggy, "what is that new box doing up here amongst an old, dusty box?"
Velma starts to dig frantically through the box.
"Like, Vel, what are you looking for?"
Velma perks up her head with a look of discouragement. She thinks for a moment then answers, "Well, I was hoping that I would have found the gun."
"Like why?" Shaggy inquires.
"Reah, rhy?" parrots Scooby.
"Well, usually you will find a gun and bullets stored together." Velma explains. "I mean, there is no reason not to. Sarah didn't say anything about small children hanging around the house."
"Rmmm...rood roint." Agrees Scooby.
Shaggy's stomach begins to grumble.
"Like, can we take up this conversation in some place better, like in a kitchen?" he asks.
The three of them head down to the kitchen where Fred and Daphne were waiting for them.
"Hi, guys." Sighs Fred. "Did you find anything?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, we did!" Velma quickly replies.
The five of them then go over what they have found.
"Jeepers!" says Daphne, "what would Sarah be doing with bullets?"
"I don't know, yet" replies Velma.
"Hmm..." hums Fred, "that's a good question. Although, I want to take a look around that flowerbed."
"Like, must we?" whines Shaggy, "Like it's nearly time for lunch!"
Velma looks at her watch. It says ten thirty
"I have my uncle Fritz coming over to visit and I promised Mother that I would help her with lunch." She finally says.
"Fine then," Freddy pouts, "Daphne and I will go."
"Sorry, Freddie." Daphne calls back, "I don't think that I will be able to stand the stench. I'll ask the neighbors questions."
"All right, all right! I can take a hint!" yells Fred, "I'll go alone"
The gang went their separate ways. Scooby and Shaggy run to the nearest pizza shop, Daphne makes her way from house to house asking questions, Velma frantically makes her way back home, and Fred, all alone, walks to the backyard.
As soon as she closed the door, Velma receives a verbal beating from her mom.
"What is the big idea of leaving the house in the middle of the night without leaving a note? Not even calling us?" demands Mrs. Dinkley, "Velma Dace Dinkley, I hope you have a good explanation for your immature actions!"
Velma feels herself pinned to the wall, her temperature goes up, and sweat begins pour down her cheeks.
"I...I...I..." she begins but words do not come out, "The gang, that is, and I have stumbled unto another mystery." She finally stammers out.
"I see," her mother began, "well it was decent of you to come home to help around the house. But you better hurry, your uncle will be here any minute."
Velma quickly runs toward the kitchen wiping the sweat off her face. She puts on an apron and starts peeling potatoes. She feels bad about running off on her parents like that. Ever since that incident on Spooky Island her folks became very conscientious about her safety. As a matter of fact, so did Mr. and Mrs. Blake, Jones, Rogers, and Doo. If the gang thought this was bad enough, after that affair in the Coolsonion, the parents became even stricter about leaving the house during the night.
"Well," she smiles, "at least I can ask Uncle Fritz about that flowerbed!"
Fred walks through the backyard of the house. He first looks around the huge oak tree, the fence, the compost box, then, gathering up his courage, he looks around the flowerbed.
"That's strange," he thinks, "there is nothing here. Is it possible that it was their imagination playing tricks on them? Neh. Scooby and Shaggy yes, but Velma? Never!"
He continues to look around, yet finds nothing. He goes out to join Daphne.
"Well, thank-you for you time ma'am." Smiles Daphne as she leaves the house. It has been the twenty-first house she had visited.
"Hey, Daph!" calls a voice from behind her. It is Freddie. He is running up the street like a rocket. "Have you found anything?" he asks as he finally catches up with her.
"Nope." She sighs, "Most of them don't even know Sarah."
"Really?" he inquires.
"Well, despite the fact that she had moved into the neighborhood a month ago and keeps mainly to herself?" his girl friend asks, "Nothing."
"Interesting."
"Can you make any sense of this whole ordeal, Fred?"
"No, Daph." The blond man replies, "I can't."
Daphne looks at her watch.
"It's noon, Fred." she announces, "Maybe we should discuss this over lunch."
"Okay."
The two make their way to join Shaggy and Scooby at Pete's Pizza Parlor.
"Like, pass the hot sauce will ya, old buddy." Shaggy says as he and Scooby chow down on their 400th pizza.
"Rear rou ro!" Barks the Great Dane passing it to Shaggy. He, himself drowning his slice in it.
Shaggy takes the bottle, smears it allover his pizza; puts a thick layer of Parmesan cheese; three scoops of butterscotch ice cream; and to top it off: a pickle, cherry, and hot peppers. He stares at it for a while. "Like I think it's missing something, Scoob." He finally says, "What do you suppose it is?" "Rolive Roil!" Scoobert barks back holding up a bottle. "Of coarse!" jumps Shaggy, "That's it!" He takes it and pours it over his entire pizza with it until the oil began to drip onto the floor.
Shaggy, proud of his creation, then holds up his pizza to show to Scooby. "Well, Scoob," he exclaims beaming with pride, "is this a pizza or is this a pizza!" Scooby just snickers. Shaggy then proceeds the task of folding his pizza so it is bite size. He then eats it with one gulp. He sits back in his seat. "Like that was a pizza!" he exclaims smacking his lips.
It this time, Fred and Daphne appear on the scene. Daphne looks at the two boys sitting in a booth. She and Freddie join them. Fred notices the mess those two have made. "How many pizzas have you guys eaten?" he finally asks. "Oh, like, four hundred ten...I think." is the reply. Daphne leans over to Fred and whispers to him "If he says I think, it usually means that he has eaten either so fast or too many that he can't remember." Freddie smiles to that remark. He then orders a pepperoni pizza and cokes for both him and Daphne.
Once they get their drinks the four of them begin to talk and joke among themselves unknowing the torture Velma is going through back home.
"And there is the white shark, mouth open and ready to gobble me in." says Harold Dinkley. "Well," asks Uncle Fritz peering wide-eyed through his thin wire frame glasses, "what did you do?" "Well," continues Harold sitting up straight, "I swim my ground, making sure that it clear to him that I didn't want him to come anywhere close to the dolphins." Marilyn Dinkley looks at her husband like he was a supernatural being. Velma, on the other hand, sits slumping in her chair pushing her food around. She had heard the story so many times. Ever since she was a small girl. Even though it actually occurred long before she was born, in fact long before her parents were even married, her father always brought it up as if it had recently happened. And every time it seems to get better and better. "If I don't get out of here," thinks Velma, "I'll go crazy! How am I going to ask Uncle Fritz about the flowerbed?"
Marilyn notices that something is wrong. "Velma, are you feeling okay?" she asks pulling her daughter aside.
"Yeah, Mom." Velma responds.
"You haven't eaten any of your lunch." Her mother points out, "Are you sure your feeling all right?" she asks feeling her daughter's forehead.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Mrs. Dinkley is still unsatisfied. She takes Velma's temperature.
"Go upstairs and lie down for a while." She instructs her child.
Velma has no choice but to do as she is told. She slowly climbs the stairs, walks into her room, plops down on her bed and falls asleep.