Jake knocked on the door in a playful rhythm. Footsteps ran to the door and threw the door open wide. "It's about time you got back! So tell me everything! What's she like? Does she-"
Jake threw a hand over his little brother's mouth. "We are here on business. Is Dad here?"
"Come in, honey. Who are your friends?" His mom looked up from the book she was reading as his dad walked around the corner. He stopped when he saw the people filing into the room.
"You must be Fenton and Carson's kids. I can tell from the pictures." He walked up and shook all of their hands. "I'm Henry Anderson and that is my wife, Ann. What brings you down here?"
Nancy was the first to recover from the initial shock. "We were actually here to ask you if you perchance knew our fathers and worked on a case together."
"I guess we can consider that questioned answered," Alicia smiled, eyebrows raised.
Joe shook his head. "Now I just have more questions though. So much for lunch." He looked pathetically at Alicia, who shoved his head playfully aside.
Frank's cell started to vibrate. He looked at it and nodded. "That's the director. Rehearsals start in an hour. I was kind of hoping to get a look around before our schedules are swamped with practice as well."
George looked excited. "We should split up! Four of us can go down to the theater right now and check it out! I really want to take a look at the black box."
Alicia watched Joe's nervous glance. She had a feeling he knew how the groups would be split, and she bet he wasn't ready to leave his sister alone with another boy. She wasn't sure if she was ready either, and she had a lot of questions to ask. She smiled casually. "Joe and I will stay here and finish asking questions. See you in an hour?" she asked generally, specifically focused on Jake when she said it. She saw him start to protest, but as her eyes flicked from Joe and back, he stopped almost as quickly.
"Alright, an hour."
Todd ran to go with them, but with a silent glare from his mother, he slunk back into the room and sat on the foot rest at her feet.
As the four left, Joe gave an all knowing look to Alicia. "You did that for me, didn't you?"
"I'm not completely selfless. I had some questions to ask as well, and you seemed, well, over protective at the moment." She smiled, "Let's continue, shall we?"
Henry shook his head. "I can't believe you kids already found trouble. What has it been: a couple of hours?" He sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed in the small room. "Please, have a seat. What is it I can help you with?"
Joe sat in one of the unoccupied chairs and folded his hands. "Well, for starters, are there any cases, opened or closed that you worked on with our fathers that would want to target all three of you?"
Henry nodded. "There are quite a few actually. Most of them I can't disclose information, you understand, but maybe if there were more specifics-"
"Is this an interrogation? Is Dad a suspect? Is-"
Ann put a hand over her son's mouth gently, not taking her eyes off of her book. "It's called reconnaissance: the preliminary research and investigation. They are just looking for information. Now be quiet and listen. You may learn something."
Alicia couldn't help but smile at Todd as she told him the little information that they knew. "Someone pasted four of our names on a theater billboard for Shakespeare's As You Like It. Our names are also on the volunteer cast list as of today. We walked in to ask, no one seems to know who put our names on the list. The cast members, whose parts we are taking, either mysteriously disappeared or were hurt in one of the many accidents that have been happening; conveniently leaving the leads open for us."
Ann smiled again, this time looking up from her book. "Sounds very Phantom of the Opera, doesn't it?"
Henry's expression dropped at the mention of 'Phantom.' "I received a letter in the mail in October. I thought it was just some holiday prank, so I didn't pay any attention to it." He scratched his chin, trying to remember. "Something about… 'Stop thy unhallowed toil. Can vengeance be pursued further than death? Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee. Go with me, for thou must die.' I believe it was signed 'The Phantom' actually."
Alicia's eyes grew wide. "Romeo and Juliet," she barely breathed. At the glance from Joe and Henry, she explained. "It's what Paris says to Romeo when they go to see Juliet's tomb. He accuses Romeo of taking Montague revenge a step to far by disturbing Juliet's tomb and challenges him to protect her honor with a fight to the death. Romeo of course does not want to fight, but does what he has to do to see his Juliet." She looked sheepish. I'm such a nerd, she thought.
Joe shrugged. "So we are looking for a Phantom Shakespeare…" he said disbelievingly.
Henry laughed. "I've heard worse. Trust me," he said with a hand up to Joe's curious glance, "you don't want to know."
Alicia was lost in thought, and didn't realize the conversation had gone on without her. "Yoohoo! Earth to Alicia, is there anyone up there? Over." Joe poked her in the side and she jumped. He laughed, "That must have been some thought. What are you thinking?"
Alicia shook her head. "Didn't Dad get a prank note the other day?"
Joe thought for a moment and nodded. "I think you're right. Maybe we should give him a call and see if it said something similar." Joe's stomach growled loudly, and gave a pathetic look towards Alicia as she snickered quietly.
"We should probably feed him, if you will excuse us. He hasn't had anything since the peanuts on the plane."
"Thank you so much for your help, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson," Joe said as he stood quickly.
Henry smiled. "Anytime. Feel free to come back if you need anything, and don't get into trouble. I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news."
"Don't worry, no trouble here!" Joe said, with a mock salute.
"We'll see you around." Alicia pulled Joe out into the hall as she waved. "Come on," she said with another tug. "I forgot my cell phone in the room. Let's go pick it up then call Dad while we eat lunch."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Joe said with an eager grin. "I'm starving!"
Alicia just shook her head as she opened the door to their room, then over to the door that divided the backroom from everywhere else and stopped. When she heard the soft thud of the window closing, she threw open the door and gasped. The room had been decorated to look like a nursery straight out of a haunted house. "Joe!" Alicia called. As he ran into the room, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"This… is horrifying," he said, looking over at a small fake crib covered in drips of red paint, and a creepy clown doll stashed in the corner.
"Tell me about it," Alicia said with a shiver. "I think I'm stealing the couch tonight." She walked over to the night stand and picked up the note. "Take a look at this," she said, handing it to him.
"All the world's a stage," Joe read aloud, "And all the men and women merely players; They have their entrances and their exits, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms." Below, in small print, it said, "Act 1: Scene 1. Baby's Entrance. Scene 2. Nurse's Discovery. Scene 3. Baby's Exit. End of Act 1."
Alicia scoffed. "Apparently, our villain hasn't taken Evil Notes 101, or Shakespeare 101 for that matter, considering the common mix up of the entrance/exit line. And I resent the mewling and puking comment."
"You are the baby of the family," Joe said, thinking. "I don't like this, Alicia. You could be in serious danger, and we don't know what we are dealing with."
She just shook her head. "This happens every case. There isn't anything different about this one from the last ten thousand."
"Except the direct life threat left with a creepy clown doll and knife." Joe looked completely serious as Alicia shrugged it off.
"The clown has a knife? Good for him. He can stand watch and make sure no one else breaks in."
Joe grabbed her shoulder as she started to walk away, and turned her to face him. "Alicia, I'm serious, and if I'm serious, then this is serious. Not to mention, you are acting really carefree, and I have a feeling you are about to do something reckless, so don't."
Alicia sighed. "Alright, I'll be careful." Joe nodded his approval, then grabbed her cell phone, steering her out into the hall back towards Jake's family's room.
"Now, I'm going to call the police, then Dad, then grab us some grub." He knocked on their door.
"And I'm going to…" She asked as the door opened.
"Joe, Alicia, you haven't been gone long," Mr. Anderson said with raised eyebrows.
Joe nodded. "Sorry to intrude, but I thought maybe you and Mrs. Anderson would like some time alone, and I need to keep Alicia here out of trouble. She'd be happy to babysit, no fee necessary."
"What?!" both Alicia and Todd cried.
At Joe's insistent look, he smiled and nodded. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea. Come on, dear. There is this great Brazilian restaurant downtown I actually wanted to take you to, but I didn't want to pay for the four of us."
"Come on, Joe! This is a low blow!"
"Yeah, Joe!" Todd added, "Really low!"
"You two can go to the rehearsal, still," Todd's mother said, patting him on the back. "Just don't get into any trouble."
As the adults hurried from the room, Alicia and Todd sighed.
AN: Long time no see! Sorry, I'll try and start posting until I finish all my in progress stories :) I'll be back for a little while!