Chapter 11: The arrest and the end

A short while later, the police were at the scene with the gang of racketeers handcuffed. Among the handcuffed men were Scheer and Kenny, who were each restrained by two constables.

In addition to the gang and Garfield, Flight Lieutenant Nash was also at the scene not long after returning from the General Hospital.

"We have to hand it to you kids for helping us capture one of the most elusive gambling racketeers in Canada." Lenny said to the gang after the police searched through the stands and confiscated the money Jimmy's gang were making from their racket, with the gang also providing their resumes on the events that just occurred.

"I take it that these men are all wanted criminals, eh?" Fred asked Lenny.

"That's right." Lenny nodded. "Angus Scheer and James Kenny, both of whom went by many aliases and has managed to elude capture, are the actual masterminds behind the whole plot."

"So Jimmy is their second-in-command?" Velma asked as she gestured towards Jimmy.

"That's right, along with Bob James here." Lenny said as he gestured towards the second-story burglar wanted in Toronto. "James 'Jimmy' Jean here, like Kenny, is also subjected to an Alberta arrest warrant for extortion."

"These racketeers also happened to be acquainted with the notorious con man Robert 'Big Bob' Oakley, who is a master of disguise that was wanted in seven states down in the States for burglary, fraud and extortion." The police inspector added with Lenny nodding in agreement.

"Like, you don't say." Shaggy said as they gang recognized the con man's name.

Seeing the look of recognition on their faces, Lenny turned to Fred.

"You know that con man?" Lenny raised an eyebrow.

"As a matter a fact, we do, Flying Officer." Fred said. "In fact, we were the ones responsible for the capture of him and his three henchmen this past November."

The police inspector and Lenny both arched their eyebrows at the remark.

"He has the alias of 'The Actor'." Velma added. "We were planning to have a picnic one late afternoon before coming upon this fortune teller along the way, and she told us about the haunted castle. So naturally, being the people curious about haunting sights and strange going-ons, we decided to investigate."

"Which then brought us onto collision courses with Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster." Daphne said.

"Who were actually henchmen Oakley has positioned in the castle to scare away suspicious people so they can search around the castle for treasure." Shaggy said. "Like, and I thought that they did a great job scaring others."

"Anyways, as it turned out, that fortune teller was in fact Oakley in disguise." Fred added. "No doubt he disguised himself as the fortune teller to keep people away, in addition to signalling his henchmen at the castle to do their work in scaring us off."

"In the end, it was Scooby who managed to give chase before causing Oakley to trip over, which was when the sheriff's arrived after receiving a phone call from the castle's caretaker."

"Wow." The inspector remarked. "You kids sure know your stuff on detective work and wanted criminals."

"Just like Mr. Wu here." Lenny added. "He's been pretty useful in providing input on police cases in his volunteering at the police force."

"Anyways, if it weren't for you kids, then these elusive racketeers would've caused more trouble and succeeded in scamming the Central Canada Exhibition Association out of its profits." The inspector said.

"Ah, there's no need to thank us, Inspector." Garfield waved his hand. "We're just doing what is supposed to be done. And speaking of which, how's Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson?"

"His condition is stable." Nash said. "The doctors at the General Hospital are monitoring his condition, but last I heard, I don't think there are going to be complications."

"Ah, that's good to hear." Fred nodded.

"Anyways, I suppose we should get moving in getting these men booked." The inspector said. "Based on what they did at the fair and your testimonies, in addition to a handful of them the subject of arrest warrants from other parts of Canada, it is very likely that they'll be locked away for a long period of time."

"Indeed they should." Lenny nodded as the police mobilized.

As the criminals were hauled away, some can be heard muttering or grumbling under their breaths.

"And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling..." Scheer can be heard saying before his voice was cut off by the police cruiser door closing.

After the police had left, the group decided to head out of the fair.

"It's almost 6:30." Garfield said as he checked his watch. "There's a good restaurant further up Bank Street and just a few blocks away from here."

"Oh, goodie." Daphne said. "I'm starving from all of our moving around."

"Like, you don't say, Daph." Shaggy agreed as they followed Garfield.

It didn't take long for the gang to reach Bank Street and turn right, heading into the Glebe neighbourhood. Along the way, a Bank Street Interurban streetcar passed by them.

"Interurbans." Velma remarked when they spotted the streetcar. "I didn't think these were common after the 1950s with the rise in highways and automobiles."

"Yeah." Garfield replied. "I suppose Ottawa has been a slow adapter in adapting automobile-centred mode of transport in comparison to other North American cities."

"Anyways, what's this Upper Canada Village that this streetcar is heading for?" Fred asked as he gestured towards the southbound interurban.

"Oh, it's a heritage park over in Morrisburg, which is about an hour south of Ottawa right on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway." Garfield explained. "It consists of live exhibitions that depicts life in Upper Canada in the early 19th century before Confederation in 1867."

"Is that Confederation event you speak of similar to the Declaration of Independence down in the States in 1776, Garfield?" Daphne asked.

"Well, not exactly." Garfield said. "It's more like that the United Province of Canada, which is the British colony consisting of modern-day Quebec and Ontario, in addition to the separate British colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, joining together to form a federal, national union that is semi-independent from Britain but sharing the monarch. We gradually gained more independence from Britain in the past few decades, though as of now, any changes to our constitution still requires approval from the British Parliament."

"Ah, I see." The gang all nodded understandingly. It was then that they arrived at the restaurant Garfield was heading for.

As they entered the restaurant and took their seats at a table, Garfield spotted several familiar-looking figures having dinner.

"Miss Stephenson!" Garfield said when he spotted Margaret.

Margaret looked up and saw Garfield and the gang and smiled.

"Ah, Garfield!" Margaret said as the others accompanying her paused their eating and spotted Garfield. "I take it that you have finished your job in putting a stop to those trouble-making racketeers, eh?"

"Sure did." Garfield said before gesturing towards the gang and added, "With help from my new friends who were visiting from the States."

"Wonderful." Janet spoke as the Murdoch twins rushed over to give Garfield a hug.

The gang all awed at the sight as Garfield rubbed Nicole's hair.

"Is everything alright, Nicole?" Garfield asked.

"Yes, thanks to you." Nicole nodded. "Auntie Margaret and Auntie Jessica both got us new toys and good-looking clothes. Like my dress?"

"You sure look cute in the dress." Garfield smiled.

"Who are those people, Garfield?" Fred asked.

"Ah, allow me to introduce the Stevenson family to you guys." Garfield said as he motioned the family and friends to stand up.

Gesturing at the Stevenson brothers, he said, "Gang, this is George Stevenson and his brother Henry Stevenson. They're second cousins of the late-Bruce Strevenson, whose estate I helped settle two years ago."

Then, moving to the Stephenson sisters and the twins, he continued, "This is Margaret and Jessica Stephenson, who are the Bruce's cousins, and their grandniece Nicole Murdoch and grandnephew Nicolas Murdoch."

Moving to Janet, he then continued, "This is Mrs. Janet Wagner, who's the first cousin of Bruce's late wife."

And finally, at the Brook sisters, he added, "And this is Anita and Barbara Brooks, who were great friends to the Stevenson family."

Garfield then turned to the gang and continued, "And everyone, my new friends will introduce themselves to you."

"Hi, my name is Fred Jones." Fred said as he walked towards the Stevenson brothers.

"Nice meeting you." George said as he shook Fred's hand.

"And my name is Velma Dinkley." Velma added.

"A pleasure meeting you." Anita nodded as she shook her hand.

"Daphne Blake." Daphne introduced herself to the twins. "I like your hair, by the way."

"Thank you." Nicole smiled as Daphne picked her up.

"The name's Rogers." Shaggy said. "Norville Rogers, but please call me Shaggy."

"Will do." Margaret smiled as she shook hands with Shaggy.

"And this is Scooby Doo." Shaggy added as he gestured towards Scooby.

"My, he must've been a cute puppy." Janet said as Nicolas went to pet Scooby.

"Rawww..." Scooby awed as Nicolas petted him.

"So anyways, what's this Bruce Stevenson case you spoke of, Garfield." Daphne asked Garfield.

"Like, you mentioned earlier that you were going to explain the case to us." Shaggy added.

"Oh, it's a long story." Garfield said before proceeding to tell the story.

He told them about how a string of thefts at his school led him to a secret storage room in the school library and how his peers' talking to him about Bruce Stevenson got him interested in the estate settlement case.

He also talked about how a school mate's crucial discovery in the school's grandfather clock led to the unearthing of Bruce Stevenson's last will and testament, which awarded his estate to his more-deserving relatives and friends as opposed to the selfish Ewells, who were disliked by many in town and at school.

(For more information, please check out my FictionPress story D4 Garfield and the Secret of the School Library!)

"Wow." Fred remarked after Garfield related the tale. "Sounds like one interesting mystery."

"Indeed." Velma agreed. "And you really deserve a reward for your kindness, Garfield."

"Oh yes." Janet said. "We never did reward Garfield for his kindness and in thanks to his help in the estate settlement."

"Ah, there's no need to reward me." Garfield smiled with a wave of his hand as his cheeks burned. "Being able to help other people out in their problems is already a reward for me, especially when the situation ends with a happy ending."

"True." Daphne nodded. "There's a reason why we never charged for our services after we solved a mystery."

"Indeed." Shaggy said. "And speaking of rewards, like, I think we should reward ourselves to some tasty dinner after all that running around in the fair."

"Ah yes." Garfield said before turning to the Stevensons and added. "I suppose we should let you guys finish your meals."

"No worries." Anita said. "It's good to be able to meet with and chat with someone who's been of great help to us."

"Indeed." Margaret agreed.

Later, as the gang began digging into their dinner, with Shaggy and Scooby surprising nearby restaurant users and Garfield with their large order of food, the Stevenson family made their leaves after paying the bill.

"It's nice meeting with you again, Garfield." George said.

"Hope we see you around." Barbara added.

"Sure thing." Garfield nodded as he shared a hug with Margaret and Janet. "Take care of yourselves."

After the gang waved their goodbyes, they continued eating.

"You guys sure must be really hungry." Garfield said to Shaggy and Scooby when they were waiting for the cheque.

"They're always hungry, Garfield." Velma explained. "I suppose you might be interested in seeing what their monthly grocery bill is like."

"Oh, I can imagine." Garfield said with a shrug. "Though it's also a sign that the restaurant's food is really good."

"It is indeed." Daphne said.

"And I've got a hunch I might have to describe those two the same way George Rector said of Diamond Jim Brady." The restaurant owner, who was by their table, added. "'The best 40 costumers I ever had.'"

"It sure is an accurate way to describe those two, Mr. Sinclair." Garfield nodded as he spoke to the restaurant owner.

After paying the bill, the gang walked back to Lansdowne Park to retrieve the Mystery Machine.

"It's getting late, gang." Fred said as he checked his watch. "We should head back to our hotel."

"So where are you guys staying at and how long are you staying in Ottawa?" Garfield asked.

"The Lord Elgin Hotel." Daphne said. "And we're staying for the week."

"Ah." Garfield nodded understandingly. "I suppose you guys flew in, or did you take the train from New York?"

"Actually, we took the Canadian from Vancouver." Fred said. "And we brought our van with us throughout the trip."

"Oh." Garfield arched his eyebrows. "I'm assuming you all live in the West Coast, eh?"

"Yes." Velma nodded. "We live in Coolsville, which is around the Los Angeles area."

"I see." Garfield nodded thoughtfully before he, too, checked his watch. "Anyways, I better head home now. As Fred said, it's getting late."

"Like, it was nice meeting you, Garfield." Shaggy said as he offered his hand. "We sure had a lot of fun, eh?"

"Oh yes indeed." Garfield nodded as he shook Shaggy's offered hand. "Checking out all those rides while chasing those crooks, that was sure some unexpected fun we had while at the fair."

"It will be nice if we can get together again and, perhaps, solve more mysteries." Fred said as he shook hands with Garfield.

"Indeed." Garfield agreed. "One thing for sure is that we don't want the fun to diminish if we were to end up at the wrong end of a firearm."

"Of course." Velma nodded as she shook hands with Garfield. "Or getting into some fine mess like Danger-Prone Daphne does usually."

Garfield paused his lips at the remark before saying, "I suppose, though that's a risk one may have to take during adventures like this."

"True." Daphne nodded as she gave Garfield a hug.

"I suppose we should exchange phone numbers if we want to get together again sometime." Fred suggested.

"Ah, yes." Garfield nodded. "That will be a good idea."

Soon, the group were in front of the Mystery Machine, where Fred and Garfield exchanged telephone numbers. It was also during this time that Garfield took a good look at the van.

"Mystery Machine." Garfield remarked. "Interesting colours, by the way."

"Thanks." Velma smiled. "We painted the van together after a group of friends gave it to us as a gift."

"I see." Garfield nodded. "Anyways, off I go."

"Rice meeting rou." Scooby said as he shook hands (Or rather, paws) with Garfield.

"Likewise, Scooby Doo." Garfield said. "You know, you sure make good company and can make a fierce guard dog who is always loyal to his friends."

"Scooby can be a ham at times." Velma said.

"So I've heard." Garfield said. "But anyways, off I go."

"Hope we see you again sometime, Garfield!" Daphne said as they all waved their goodbyes at Garfield.

"I sure hope so." Garfield nodded as he waved back at them. "In fact, I've got a sneaking suspicion that we might end up crossing paths again with trouble following us wherever we go."

The gang all nodded as they watched Garfield cross Bank Street and reached the streetcar stop, in time for a Route 7 streetcar to arrive.

Watching the PCC streetcar departing from the stop, en route to Carleton University, the gang then proceeded to climb onto the Mystery Machine.

A short while later, the Mystery Machine was driving down Queen Elizabeth Driveway along the west coast of the Rideau Canal.

As the van drives further along towards the horizon, the scene shifts upwards to reveal the setting sun in the background and the red-orange sky colours reflecting in the waters of the Rideau Canal.

And so ends the gang's first adventure in Canada, folks!

The adventures of the gang continues in D4 SDWAY: Jeepers, it's the Creeper!

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