Chapter 3 – Too Late
Shaggy and Scooby walked through the nearly-deserted parking lot to the gates of Creepy Spooky Terror Land.
"I know what we'll do, Scoob," Shaggy said. "We can't start on the nachos, but they didn't tell us not to start on other food. What do you say we, like, look for clues in the cotton candy?"
"Yummy," said Scooby.
They arrived at the gates only to find Winslow Fleach chaining and padlocking them shut.
"Like wait, let us in!" said Shaggy.
"I'm sorry, you're too late," said Fleach. "We've had another attack and I've decided to close down for good. Nothing, not the Mayor's son or the Mayor himself could change my mind."
"But..." said Scooby.
"The young man who ran my Nauseator ride was carried off. I can't risk any more innocents. If you had arrived sooner you might have prevented it, or more likely, become victims yourself. My daughter told me that your monster-catching is over-rated, more luck than skill."
"Is not," said Scooby.
"Just because we sometimes trip and make something fall on the monster is no reason to say that," said Shaggy. "It's karma."
"Your karma has failed in this case," Winslow Fleach said. "That's what happens when you show up without your whole team. Where are they, anyway?"
"Like, we split up to look for clues. They went to ask the Mayor who suggested he look at that website where he bought the temple."
"I could have told you that. He told me that he was planning to search on 'haunted attractions' to pep up the park – he told me that a few months ago. I told my daughter I didn't think it was a hot idea, and I was right."
"Like, you can't shut out our investigation. People disappeared in here, maybe... ulp... got eaten. You have to let us in to look for clues," said Shaggy.
"You're not the police and you have no warrant. I'm not required to let you onto my private property."
A voice called, "Father, guess what? I was shutting down the Haunted Persian Temple ride when I discovered a secret room. Look, all the people who disappeared were just locked up in there."
Hot Dog Water led the way as a small group straggled along behind her. Shaggy recognized a couple of them from an earlier case, a young man with his foot in a cast limping along and leaning his weight on the young woman beside him.
"Hey, Brenda and Dylan! Like, I remember you from when we got you out of the Man-Crab's cage."
"Hi, Soggy," said Dylan. "We're not in the best of shape for talking right now."
"Shaggy."
Brenda said, "Speaking of soggy, I'm dying of thirst. Please, do you have any Trickell's Trickquid?"
Hot Dog Water said, "We have plenty in the concession stands. Follow me."
The freed kidnap victims followed. One teenager bringing up the rear droned, in shock, "Hey, hey. Ride the Nauseator. No waiting, ever."
"That closes the last loose end," said Fleach. "With the park shut down, there will be no further danger to the public. We'll dismantle the Haunted Temple and that will be that. Case closed."
"But, like, it can't be case closed. We didn't get to unmask anyone," said Shaggy.
"I can't help that," said Fleach. "Any more questions?"
"You got any leftover nachos?" Scooby asked.
Fleach could only spare them a batch of churros, but they turned out to have gone bad, too spoiled for even the cast-iron stomachs of the boy and his dog. They dumped them into the trash.
When the others arrived they found Shaggy and Scooby sitting unhappily by the locked gates.
"What happened?" Fred asked.
Shaggy explained how they had been too late.
"They can't do that to us!" said Fred. "And of all cases, one where I was going to bond with my Dad."
Hog Dog Water came out, wheeling a fortune-telling machine on a dolly. "Here, try this machine. Maybe it can give you clueless detectives something to go on."
"Like, it's worth a try," said Shaggy.
He put in a coin and a fortune came out, "MEDDLING KIDS AND THEIR DOG WILL FAIL TO FOIL A PLAN."
The laughter of Hog Dog Water rang in their ears as she walked away.
"This has not been a good day," said Velma. "If we hadn't had to dispose of that bug, our timing wouldn't have been thrown off."
"It's all Angel's fault," said Daphne. "I hate her. Imagine, she abused your trust and planted that bug on you while pretending to talk to you as a friend."
Velma said, "I'm just glad I spoke to you guys first and you watched my back around her. She would have played me for a fool and bugged me without my suspecting a thing."
"She'll pay, once we catch her trying to steal our puzzle-wedge," said Fred.
Sure enough, later that night Angel came to raid Fred's room and was caught by the super-sticky stuff coating his upper-bunk mattress. The gang was hidden in the next room, ready for her.
When they turned on the light and came in, they saw a different Angel. Black-clad like a ninja, no fancy makeup, and no "jive" talk.
"Let me go," said Angel. "You have no idea what you're up against. The best thing you can do to save yourselves is to give Mr. E your piece and forget about this mystery."
"Give up what you tried to steal? I don't think so," said Velma.
"This mystery isn't over until we say it is," said Fred.
"I'm only trying to protect you. There are bad things out there, and bad people, after that piece."
"Yes, and we've caught one of them," said Fred. "Now, are you going to tell us everything?"
"This is not a safe time or place. I know my rights. I'm not saying another word without a lawyer."
She did say one more thing. As she was led her out the door in handcuffs past the Mayor, she said "Fred," in a flat voice.
"Cassidy," he responded, equally flat.
"You know her, Sir?" asked Daphne.
"An old school acquaintance, nothing more," said the Mayor.