Chapter 11: Explanations and some father-son tension

The gang glanced at each other as the police captain continued to glare at them, and Fred could've sworn that Shaggy's father has just cooled the room down by ten degrees with the patented glare he is subjecting them to.

"Well...so you see, Captain Rogers..." Fred began as he swallowed. "Neither of us couldn't sleep well in the manor, and we all happened to end up in the kitchen to clear our minds."

"In a manner of speaking." Velma interjected. "But anyways, knowing how the police division that has taken over the case handles cases like this, do you really expect us to stick around and do nothing in the manor and let the case go down in the direction it was heading, Captain Rogers?"

Sam and McBride shared glances with each other at Velma's questioning, then the captain turned his attention to her.

"Okay, so for the sake of argument, let's say that there are indeed ghosts involved in this mess." Sam folded his arms. "What prompted you kids to sneak out of the manor in the dead of night?"

"For one thing, Pops, Scoob was the one who felt that he could help, namely with where he had first encountered the ghosts when Mags and I walked him couple days ago." Shaggy explained.

"And so he led you kids to the cemetery." Sam interjected.

"Did you kids find anything?" McBride added.

"Scooby led us to the graves belonging to two people that are buried together, but aren't even related." Daphne said. "Both of them were victims of the flooding from the Crystal Cove Tsunami of 1906 that struck in the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake."

"However, it was then that Shaggy recalled seeing a third ghost at school while on his way to his locker." Fred continued.

"Oh, really?" McBride asked as he and Sam turned towards Shaggy. "A third ghost?"

"Yeah." Shaggy nodded. "He was the one issuing the orders to the two other ghosts and ordered them to go after me and the gang when I got caught sneezing."

"And you kids didn't spot the grave corresponding to that third ghost." Sam folded his arms.

"No, Captain." Velma shook her head. "In fact, I'm sure you know the old saying on how dogs have some sort of sixth sense that can detect the paranormal."

"And that Scooby is supposed to be able to figure out where that third ghost came from, yet while we were at the cemetery, he pointed out that he can't." Daphne said.

"Meaning that either the third ghost wasn't from the cemetery we were at, or he's a complete fake." Fred added.

Sam and McBride glanced at each other at the remark, then he urged, "Alright, so let's say that I believe your story about the ghosts and how one of them is a fake."

"That doesn't explain who killed Thomas Iverson." McBride added.

"Well, I spotted those ghosts at the entrance to the football locker room." Shaggy said. "And Velma recalled seeing that Tom was in his football uniform when we found him in the janitor's closet."

"Though I should note that we're not allowed to wear our uniforms or jerseys outside of practice and that we must change out of the jerseys in the football locker room." Fred added.

"Yes, we have already established that the victim was killed in the football locker room." Sam nodded.

"And the third ghost was saying something about catching snoopers and that the presence of the two ghosts should make any potential snooper think twice about digging into something when I passed by them and stopped to listen." Shaggy added.

"Dig into what?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever it was, like, I don't know, Pops." Shaggy shrugged. "Because it was then that I sneezed, and the third ghost caught me listening in and ordered the two ghosts to go after me, which then brought me back to the library, and eventually us to the storage room where Tom's body was found."

Sam exhaled briefly as he and McBride shared looks with each other, then the captain turned back towards the gang.

"So all that sneaking out to the cemetery, it was mainly because of that ghost sighting and trying to clear your own names, eh?" Sam frowned.

"That's exactly it, sir." Fred nodded.

"Well, I suppose your stories makes sense considering the situation you kids are in right now." Sam said. "And while I ultimately want to see to it that you kids return to your homes safe and sound while having the actual killer behind bars, I highly doubt your ghost story is gonna fly."

"Not to mention that by sneaking out of the manor, you kids are only making yourselves look more guilty and easier for the mayor to seal the case as he sees fit." McBride added.

The gang shared glances with each other, then Fred asked, "So what's going to happen next, Captain?"

"I'll tell you kids what's gonna happen next." Sam growled. "You all are gonna remain under house arrest for the duration of the investigation until my men and I have figured out a way to clear your names."

"I thought you guys were shut out of the investigation under orders from the chief, Pops." Shaggy frowned.

Sam turned his glare towards Shaggy, and the former Marine said sternly, "Now don't you play smart like this, young man. You and your friends could've gotten yourselves in bigger trouble if it wasn't for McBride here, especially if it was someone else that caught you all sneaking out the way you did."

"But Dad-" Shaggy protested, only for the captain to cut him off.

"Don't you 'But Dad' me, Norville." Sam snapped. "What part of staying put and letting the professionals figure this mess out do you not understand?"

There was some silence from the group, then McBride nodded.

"I've thought so too." The sergeant said.

"Anyways, I better be off now before one of Gosnell's men decides to rat me out." Sam said before glaring at the gang and added, "In the meantime, you kids all stay put and not try to play detective. Having to deal with you all being accused of a crime you didn't commit is already stressful enough, I don't need you kids sneaking out from house arrest to contribute more stress."

Then, with an authoritative tone in his voice, he added, "Is that understood?"

The gang shared glances with each other before they all nodded.

"Yes, Captain." Fred said.

"Good." Sam nodded before turning to Shaggy and added, "And Norville, once we have this all cleared up later, remind me to speak with you about this."

Shaggy only nodded back at his father, and the captain took his leave without another word.


The gang spent the rest of the night and into the mid morning in police custody without further incident, and by the time lunchtime arrived, the officers have decided to release them back to the Manor on the promise that they behave themselves.

They were also allowed to roam around town, though they can only do so under the close supervision of a police detail assigned to keep watch on them.

While they are barred from using any electronic devices with Internet connection or to make phone calls, nowhere in the house arrest package did it mention any form of restrictions in using the city public library.

And that's where Velma decided to head to that afternoon while everyone else decided to stay put at the manor.

Given that they are all currently suspended from school for the time being, it leaves the gang free to further explore the manor.

While the sunlight from outside does make the manor less haunted-looking, there were a few areas in the manor that looks quite sketchy in broad daylight and can give one the chills.

"Like, I don't honestly understand why would Beauregard Sanders hate anyone else to the point of literally transforming the basement into a torture chamber?" Shaggy remarked as he and Scooby explored the basement.

"Ri don't reither, Raggy." Scooby agreed.

Meanwhile, Daphne was less than impressed as she explored the attic of the manor.

"With all these cobwebs, this place can sure use some serious dusting for a historical landmark." Daphne remarked as she touched the nearby wall and rubbed her fingers.

"Not to mention throwing out a lot of junk." Fred added as he examined several of the discarded mannequins. "This place sure has a lot of mannequins, even for a manor designated as a historical landmark."

It was almost 16:30 when Velma returned from the public library, and the gang looked on as she entered with a thick book in hand.

"Anything, Velma?" Fred asked in greeting as they all seated in the manor's kitchen.

"As a matter a fact, I have found something." Velma nodded. "Namely the information on Ezekial Gallows and Prudence Prufrock, our two ghosts."

"Ah, so what are they doing floating around here and scaring the wits out of us?" Shaggy asked as Velma placed the book on the table and flipped through the pages.

Fred and Daphne both chuckled at Shaggy's remark while Velma deadpanned. "Very amusing, Shaggy."

The blonde and the redhead both returned to seriousness as Velma reached a page and continued, "But anyways, here's what we've got here."

Pointing onto the articles on the page she has flipped to, Velma said, "Ezekial Gallows and Prudence Prufrock were the co-founders of the Crystal Cove Institute of Education, which was the only place of education in the whole of Crystal Cove County at the time of Coolsville's incorporation as a city in 1872."

Then, flipping the page, Velma continued, "At that time, the Institute of Education was housed in where Iwao Takamoto Middle School is housed today, then as attendance grew, the institute outgrew its existing facility, and so they were tasked with finding a new campus site for the school."

Velma then pulled out a map attached to the book and pointed at a red rectangle before she continued, "This site was eventually chosen for the site of the new campus of the Institute of Education."

Daphne leaned forward to take a closer look at the map, then she turned towards the others.

"Jeepers, that's where Coolsville Central High School is at today." Daphne declared.

"Precisely." Velma nodded. "They broke ground for the school in 1904, and two years later, they were to open the new building when the San Francisco Earthquake struck that fateful day."

"And the resulting shockwaves contributed to the Crystal Cove Tsunami that flooded the town and destroyed a lot of the buildings and took away a lot of lives that day." Fred said. "Including that of Gallows and Prufrock as they were opening up the new school building."

"Zoinks!" Shaggy remarked. "What happened after the tsunami?"

"Interestingly enough, the new city was built above the ruins of the old city." Velma said as she flipped a page. "In fact, Coolsville Central High School was built directly above the ruins of the Crystal Cove Institute of Education."

"Hmmm..." Fred frowned as he thought of something.

"Something bothering you, Freddie?" Velma asked as they turned towards the blonde.

"All this time, we were chasing ghosts literally." Fred frowned. "Yet we haven't been able to find a single clue that can prove our innocence."

"Even though the ghosts are key to our innocence?" Daphne placed a hand on her hip.

"They are, but who's gonna believe our ghost story?" Fred countered.

A pause went by before Velma nodded. "He's got a point. If we really wanna clear our names, the only way we can do that is if we return to school and get to the bottom of this ourselves."

"Even after Shaggy's father warned us about the dangers earlier?" Daphne asked.

"I'm afraid it's the only way forward." Fred sighed. "You really think they're really gonna let Shaggy's father and his men take over the case this easily?"

"In a town like this, I highly doubt it." Daphne nodded and sighed. "Sounds to me that we might have to go fishing tonight."

At Daphne's remark, Shaggy and Scooby shared glances with each other and they both swallowed.

"I really got a bad feeling about this, Scoob." Shaggy said.


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