Chapter 7 A New Threat Introduced
All of Mystery, Inc. was huddled in the cheif of police's office. Barbara Kessler, the cheif, was standing before them with sympathetic eyes, realizing that this was just a group of teenagers. The news she had to share with them had been urgent, she she had sent a few of her best detectives to bring them in.
"Have you ever heard of Mr. Morte?" she asked, receiving confused looks from all. "He's a local...maniac, for lack of a better word, who enjoys terrorizing people. Morte, as he calls himself, chooses a person or a group of people that he feels are worthy of his 'test.' Many who have been victims of Morte's 'test' are permanently traumatized."
"What does this have to do with us?" Fred questioned.
"He's chosen you," Kessler told them gravely. She hated to tell such dire news to such young kids. "We received this note a few hours ago."
She handed them a piece of paper that read:
It's been a while since I've come out to play
But don't think I've gone away.
I've found new subjects in Mystery, Inc.
They're a lot tougher than you think.
Soon I shall put them through the test.
Let's see if they can do better than the rest.
-Mr. Morte
Shaggy gulped loudly. "Like, zoinks, that's creepy," he said.
Fred was beginning to fear for his friends. If this man was as crazy as Kessler made him out to be, then what terrible things would he "test" them with? He looked around and noticed that the rest of the gang seemed to be undergoing the same thought process. Daphne rested her head on his shoulder, clutching his arm. Velma and Shaggy were huddled together, enjoying this last bit of peaceful time that they had.
"What does 'Morte' mean?" Velma asked suddenly, as if it were of great importance.
Cheif Kessler sighed. She had been hoping that they wouldn't ask that. "It's Italian for 'death.'"
So this new adversary they were facing called himself Mr. Death? This caused one thought to flow through the minds of every member of Mystery, Inc.: What could this "test" possibly be?
