Jazz and Ronald watched Sam, Tucker, Maddie and Jack walk off towards the village square. Ronald spotted a ghost walking by and called the ghost over.
"Sorry to distract you, but is there anywhere I could use to have a private word with a couple of people? Preferably close by," the detective inquired hopefully.
"Yes, of course. That hut is unused right now. You're welcome to utilise it," the ghost answered and gestured to a hut a little way up the snowy street. Ronald stepped inside, calling a quick thanks to the ghost. Inside it was a lot smaller than the other rooms the humans and Danny were currently using but it was perfect for Ronald's needs. Small. A small stack of five chairs in a corner and two tables, one stacked upside down on the other.
Together Jazz and Ronald turned over the table and set it on the ground a short distance away, near the centre of the room. They also placed three chairs, two on one side and one on the other, around the table.
"Alright, I'm going to tell them that I'm looking into the Speeder crash. It is suspicious and I believe the culprit for Danny's condition used the crash as an opportunity to poison him. It's a starting point. So try not to give away the game," Ronald informed her. Jazz nodded.
"How are we doing this?" she inquired nervously. It was one thing to psychoanalyse her brother, his friends and a few classmates, it was another to try and figure out who wanted her brother dead.
"I'll question them, you'll pose as a Fenton representative. Feel free to throw in some tech speak if you know it. And if you notice something, point it out for me. But before we start, I need to ask you a couple of questions," Ronald replied.
Jazz blinked in surprise. Ronald pulled out his notebook and pencil.
"Do you have any enemies that would want to hurt you by targeting your brother?" Ronald asked. Jazz gasped.
"You really think that's a possibility!? No, I-I don't think so," Jazz retorted. Ronald shrugged.
"I can't be sure of motive until I find who's responsible. Now, since the others aren't here. Do you know if your parents have any enemies?" Ronald resumed. Jazz shook her head slowly.
"People see them as a nuisance, I know that. Sam's parents don't like them. But I can't think of anyone that would want to hurt them like that. Well… there was one person. Vlad Masters. But as you know, he's lost in space right now," Jazz answered thoughtfully. Ronald nodded.
"Is it possible that Masters could have returned?" Ronald wondered. Jazz bit her lip.
"You're better off asking Danny. But… I wouldn't rule it out. Although Danny has a ghost sense. If a ghost gets anywhere near him, it goes off," Jazz admitted.
"Now, what about Mayor Tucker Foley? Does he have any enemies?" Ronald asked. Jazz shrugged.
"Not that I know of. He's unpopular, well he was unpopular. Made a nuisance of himself with girls. But generally I don't think he's disliked," Jazz replied.
"And Miss Manson?" Ronald prompted, jotting down notes before glancing up at the red head. She shrugged again.
"I guess people might be jealous of her. You know, being my brother's girlfriend. She does get on people's nerves with her protests and campaigns. But I think most people ignore her. Everyone's used to it. I really don't know of anyone that would want to harm them. And I don't understand anyone wanting to hurt Danny," Jazz answered, tugging on her hair worriedly.
Ronald put a hand on Jazz's shoulder. She looked up at him sadly.
"I know it's hard. If you don't want to do this, I understand," Ronald muttered reassuringly. Jazz shook her head stubbornly.
"No. I want to do this. It's my fault. I'm the one that suggested this tour. Danny didn't want to do this in the first place. I mentioned it and my parents ran with it," Jazz confessed. Ronald blinked in surprise.
"He didn't? Then why did he go through with it?" Ronald inquired.
"He didn't really get a choice. Especially when dad blabbed about the tour to his friends and anyone else who listened. Then the press got involved publicising it. That's why we had to organise the lucky dip. There was too much interest. And Danny couldn't back out without looking bad," Jazz explained. Ronald nodded thoughtfully.
"Was it possible that someone could rig that lucky dip?" Ronald wondered. Jazz shrugged.
"We didn't limit entries. So I guess if someone really wanted to get on this tour they could have sent in hundreds of entries. I never realised that people wanting to hurt Danny might take advantage of this," Jazz answered. Ronald gave Jazz a sympathetic smile.
"Maybe we should start questioning the others. Do you want to wait here or come with me?" Ronald decided. Jazz took a deep breath before nodding.
"I'll come with. Whoever did this might give themselves away. Until now they've gotten away with everything. Tucker got blamed for the map getting lost. The crash was written off as bad luck. And we all thought Danny was sick, not poisoned," Jazz remarked. Ronald nodded. They left the icy hut, Jazz glancing worriedly at the medical facility entrance before they entered the cave where the humans were staying.
"Any news?" Kyle asked instantly as they all rushed to the duo. Jazz sighed and shook her head.
"That's not why we're here. I'm here as I'm investigating the crash. I've spoken with the Fentons and there's reason to believe that the crash wasn't an accident," Ronald revealed and paused to scan everyone's face. Everyone had varying degrees of surprise on their faces. Unfortunately it was impossible to tell whether they were surprised at being suspected or that the crash was an act of sabotage.
"So, I'm going to call you out to a private room to question you all to find out what happened. Jazz will be present as a Fenton representative," Ronald continued. Jazz nodded in agreement. Ronald scanned the room for anyone looking particularly worried. He decided to question Paulina first because she had opportunity.
"Paulina Sanchez? Would you mind following me please? Nothing to worry about, but I need to start somewhere," Ronald requested. Paulina nodded nervously and followed Ronald and Jazz out of the cave and into the hut they'd been given.
"Take a seat Paulina," Ronald prompted. Paulina anxiously sat down.
"Now, in your own words, tell me what happened during the crash. I need to understand everything that happened from as many angles as possible," Ronald inquired gently. Paulina fiddled nervously with her long, glossy black hair and nodded.
"Okay, I was sitting in front of Danny. I didn't wear a seatbelt because I had turned around to talk to him. He wasn't really talking that much, just had his eyes shut, relaxing. Suddenly the Speeder jerked and Danny got up to help fix the problem. Danny went back to the storage cupboard but the Speeder tossed him on Samuel. The door opened next and then I fell out of the Speeder. Danny caught me but we fell and then Danny passed out. I was trapped under him. He woke up maybe fifteen minutes later and found the toolbox, he said it hit his head. He started flying us back to the Speeder but decided to land and we walked the rest, looking for stuff that fell out of the Speeder," Paulina recalled. Ronald made a note of what Paulina said.
"You said you were trapped under Danny. Were you hurt or unconscious at all?" Ronald asked. Paulina shook her head.
"No. Thanks to Danny, I was fine. It took me a few minutes to realise that Danny was knocked out. I tried to roll out from under him, but he was too heavy for me and I was pinned with my arms around his neck. I tried to wake him up but it didn't work, so I had to wait for him to come around," Paulina admitted. Jazz frowned.
"So you just laid there waiting?" Jazz inquired sceptically. Paulina huffed.
"No. I hugged him. What?! He's going to be my boyfriend," Paulina retorted. Jazz rolled her eyes. Now she understood why Danny blushed.
"Paulina, Danny doesn't have a split personality. And even if he did, Sam is his girlfriend. That's not about to change," Jazz commented sternly.
"Back to the matter at hand. Did you see anything unusual during the crash? Did you perhaps see anyone around the Speeder when they shouldn't have been?" Ronald interjected before an argument could start, spotting that Paulina was going to retort. Paulina frowned in thought before shaking her head.
"I didn't see anything, sorry," Paulina answered. Ronald stood and walked Paulina back to the underground cave and called Dash to the hut.
"Dash, take a seat and tell us what happened during the crash," Ronald began the interrogation. Dash nodded, rapping his knuckles nervously on the table.
"Look, I hardly saw anything. I-I had my eyes shut. I was scared! Alright. You watch the movies and you see those plane crashes. That's all that kept racing through my head. I didn't open my eyes until like five minutes after we hit the ground. Kyle had to help me to my feet 'cause I was shaking so bad," Dash exclaimed, before burying his face in his hands.
"Please don't tell anyone. I have a reputation," he mumbled through his fingers. Jazz blinked in surprise and glanced at Ronald. He shrugged.
"It's alright Dash that crash was pretty frightening. Everything said in here, stays in here. I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Did you see anyone acting suspicious around the Speeder? Was there anyone around the Speeder when they shouldn't have been?" Ronald inquired. Dash blinked and lowered his hands. He frowned.
"I didn't see anyone around the Speeder. But… at that restaurant. Lance and Samuel disappeared for a bit. They were gone for a long time. They didn't go to the bathroom 'cause I was facing the door and never saw either of them going in," Dash recalled. Ronald jotted down the oddity.
"Thanks Dash," Ronald concluded and led the teen out.
Next they questioned Lance. Lance sat down in front of them and neatly folded his hands in front of himself.
"Can you tell us what happened in the crash?" Ronald began.
"Sure, but there's not much to tell. I was filming when the Speeder tilted suddenly. At first I thought it was just a bump. Nothing to worry about, so I kept recording. Then, as you know, the Speeder tilted again. I nearly dropped the camera so I turned it off and tried to protect it. It's worth more than my job to let that get broken. I was at the front too, so I didn't really see much else than the control console going haywire and that we were spiralling to the ground. I have to say, I'm surprised no one got hurt," Lance answered. Ronald nodded.
"Did you ever see anyone suspicious by the Speeder, or by it when they weren't meant to be?" Ronald inquired. Lance hummed in thought.
"You know, now that you mention it. I saw Rebecca hanging around the Speeder a few times and I saw Samuel inside the Speeder when we were in the restaurant. Said he had to get something from his bag," Lance recalled.
"Why were you near the Speeder when everyone else was in the restaurant?" Ronald asked, glad for the opening to ask the question.
"I was filming. Getting a few extra outside shots. Got a few inside too," Lance replied easily.
"Could I see the footage? Might see something important," Ronald requested.
"Ah, you see… this isn't going to look good, but I can't do that," Lance muttered.
"Lance that footage could tell us who caused that crash!" Jazz exclaimed angrily almost slipping up and mentioning Danny's situation. Lance nodded and held up appeasing hands.
"I know. Honestly, I understand. This isn't some confidential video for the news stuff. The camera died. And I can't charge it without a plug," Lance confessed. Ronald hummed thoughtfully.
"Jazz, would the Far Frozen have charge points?" Ronald inquired. She shrugged.
"I could ask Frostbite. He's probably still with Danny," Jazz answered.
"Get us the camera and its charger and we'll see what we can do," Ronald decided. Lance agreed and left to do just that.
"We'll take a break so that you can check to see if we can charge that camera. Then I'll call in Samuel. His name keeps popping up," Ronald planned. Jazz nodded. Ronald glanced at the teen.
"How are you holding up?" he asked. Jazz glanced at him before shrugging.
"Dunno. I'm just trying to not think about how much time has gone by already. Hoping that the others will find that ghost and get back in time. I feel like I need to be in two places. Being here I'm helping Danny by finding who's responsible. But by not being with him, I feel guilty. But if it were reversed and I was with him, I'd feel terrible for not doing something!" Jazz explained with a despairing sigh. Ronald nodded slowly.
"I understand Jazz. But… it will be fine. Everything will work out," Ronald assured her. Jazz nodded sadly before collecting herself and training her features when she heard the crunch of snow outside into something sterner and less helpless. Lance popped his head back in and gave them the camera and charger.
"Please don't let that get broken. There'll be hell to pay at work if I don't come back with it intact," Lance implored. Jazz nodded and got to her feet.
"No problem. It'll be returned to you perfectly fine, and hopefully charged," Jazz assured with a warm smile as she took the electronics. Lance nodded and left.
Jazz left the hut and returned to the medical facility. She faltered when she heard her brother coughing before entering the room he was in. Frostbite was frowning worriedly at the halfa as he helped the teen sit up. Danny fell gently back on to the pillows, wheezing for breath and dropped a stained tissue in to the bucket beside him. Jazz walked closer and Frostbite looked up to give her a welcoming smile. Danny turned his head to see Jazz approaching.
"Hey," he croaked.
"Hey, how are you doing little brother?" Jazz greeted softly.
"You probably heard. Not great. But, all things considered, I'm okay," Danny answered croakily. Jazz sat down beside him and took his hand in her free one.
She glanced over her shoulder at the three ghosts working on a cure. She sighed softly and turned back to her brother.
"Any luck on a cure?" she asked. Danny shook his head.
"No, not yet. What's with the camera?" Danny answered. Jazz blinked and turned to Frostbite.
"It's dead. We were hoping to get it charged. Ronald's hoping to get some clues or evidence from the footage," Jazz explained, giving the ghostly leader a hopeful look.
"We do have electricity in the Ghost Zone but it's a different type to the electricity humans have. I can't be sure that our electricity will be compatible," Frostbite warned.
"Will it damage the camera?" Jazz inquired with concern. Frostbite shook his head.
"It shouldn't. But it may charge quicker or lose its charge faster than usual. And it may damage the battery if charged with ghost electricity repeatedly, if compatible," Frostbite replied. Jazz nodded.
"So once is fine. Go ahead Frostbite. Thanks," Jazz decided and handed the device and charger to the ghost.
"Any luck?" Danny asked, giving his sister's hand a weak squeeze.
"We haven't spoken to everyone yet. Only Lance, Paulina and Dash so far. We're gonna talk to Samuel next. He's been mentioned a couple of times," Jazz answered. Danny nodded tiredly.
"What have you and Frostbite been talking about?" Jazz inquired curiously.
"Just stuff. What I've been up to since we last talked. A bit about what I thought of the places Frostbite sent us to. Some pointers on my ice powers. I only really know the basics. Obviously I can't practice them now but it's interesting," Danny told her. Jazz smiled gently and decided to spend some time with her brother while she waited for the camera to charge.
Any guesses on the culprit behind everything? And why?
So Danny's coping fairly well but will a cure be found before it's too late?
Let me know what you guys think.
Remember to check out my website and cast your vote in the poll. There's a link in my bio.
Until the next chapter.