A/N: How did that last chapter get to be so short? I guess it's because I wanted to leave you in suspense-AGAIN! ELOL (which = Evilly Laughs out Loud!) Man, haven't y'all figured out by now how crazy I am? Oh, well, I made it up to ya with this chappie. And here's what happened so far: after being momentarily confused under the spell of Phasma's amulet, Bhuto finally locates Sombre and Johnny 13's lair. The Spectre easily subdue them and take Sombre with them, leaving Johnny 13 unconscious. Now, here is Chapter 37. Remember the IDNOAC thing! Now enjoy!

Shadow of a Doubt—Chapter 37—Mulling over the Clues

Johnny 13 groaned as he groggily opened his eyes. The Spectre who had shot him had given him a wicked jolt, but he had been protected from serious harm by the ring.

But the biker ghost did not know or understand that this had happened. Instead, he was trapped in his confused thoughts. Why did he feel so empty and frightened? He looked around, barely able to make out his unfamiliar surroundings. He gasped. How did he get here? He shivered, trembling as a scared child would. Suddenly, something in the lair moved threateningly toward him and he gasped again. He could not make out its face and was glad he couldn't see its eyes when its large pinkish-purple hand suddenly clawed at him. He screamed with fear.

The biker ghost sighed in slight relief when the pinkish-purple creature turned away, seemingly repelled by his yell. But then his eyes widened in terror once more when he saw the creature's hideous arm jolt back in his direction. He yelled again, but this time it ignored him and attempted to clutch at him for a second time. Johnny's eyes tried to follow the arm upwards, so he could see his attacker's face, but the single evil, bright eye that greeted him instead sent a terrified shiver down his body, and he had to look away. He didn't dare look again, as he just knew that a horrible creature would be waiting behind its bone-chilling stare.

But upon hearing a loud snap, his survival instincts took over and forced him to look up. He caught sight of the monster's arm just in time to see it move threateningly towards him as before. With a panicked cry, he frantically crawled away from his attacker this time. He focused forward; too frightened to look back and see where he was going. And he still didn't look back, even when he reached a corner of his lair and found himself unable to move further away. He just pressed himself against the corner, hoping that if he squeezed hard enough into it that that would somehow protect him from the threat nearby.

Through his blurry vision, Johnny 13 couldn't see, let alone understand, that his attacker was nothing more than an illusion produced by his confused mind. What he believed was a clawed hand reaching out to harm him was only the scarf Kitty had left on his bike after their last date, simply moving about in the wind. As for the glowing, evil eye, well, it was merely the gleam reflecting off the cycle's shiny chrome.

Still, he stayed in his hunched position, his face hidden in his hands, while his body trembled violently. He was too terrified to move, sure that his end would come at any moment.

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Danny groaned loudly as his eyes jolted open. He blinked in the darkness, momentarily wondering if he was still asleep. But then he realized how quiet it was and knew what had happened. Another nightmare!... A strange, sweet voice that barely hid its treachery had been echoing in his mind. Blood-red menacing hands reached out to him as he desperately tried to pull away…

His breathing quickly slowed as his mind cleared. He stretched his arms upward, and turned and looked at his alarm clock. It read 'five-thirty am'. He reached over and turned his nightstand light on, shielding his eyes as the light penetrated the area.

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, the boy pulled himself to a sitting position and then stood. With a yawn, he stretched again.

Now his mind was fully cleared, and his memory came into focus. The clues of the final scroll, especially the last two stanzas, pushed all thoughts of his nightmare far away. He had inadvertently memorized the entire contents after having fallen asleep, rolling them in his mind. He focused on each word again:

"Many flesh-bound shadows hither draw
within the Small Park vizard
Lays here the most important awe
Secret of the Spectre Whizard

"Flesh are weak
Need help they seek
At wellness place nigh the creek
But not at the peak
Will they seek
The secret of which the Whizard speak."

"But in darkness b'low
The wellness place
In cornerstone show
No hint, no trace
But the only true case
The secret will b'stow."

"In the dark stone
The secret name will cry
Upon the throne
The Omen of Prophesy!"

"We have to be right! The answer's hidden in Amity Park. And, just as Tucker said, it's gotta be in the old hospital!" he thought. "But Sam could be right, too… Maybe what we're looking for is in the cornerstone… So then… what does, 'no hint, no trace, but the only true case' mean?"

He went into his bathroom and brushed his teeth, the words of the riddle still echoing in his mind, " '…no hint, no trace, but the only true case…in the dark stone…'" He absent-mindedly got into the shower, and just like the water which drummed against his face, the riddle's words drummed against his mind. " '…The name will cry upon the throne, the Omen of the Prophesy!'…Definitely this is the answer to this entire mystery…But what dark stone?" He kept questioning himself even as he got dressed. He quickly combed his hair with his fingers and uttered, "Well, the only way we're going to find out is to get to the hospital soon!"

He quietly went downstairs, knowing that everyone else was asleep. He entered the kitchen and after a quick breakfast, opened a nearby drawer and drew out a pen and some paper. He scribbled out a quick note and then after placing it on the clean table, whipped out his cell phone and called Tucker.

"Hello?" his friend sleepily said.

"I guess you're not ready yet, Tuck?" Danny chuckled a little.

"No, sorry, dude. Just give me five minutes, OK?" he asked with a yawn.

"Hey, take twenty. You need to eat, after all. And I still haven't called Sam yet."

"Thanks, Danny. I'll be ready as soon as I can," Tucker said with another yawn.

Danny's phone rang just as soon as he hung up on his friend. Bewildered, he answered, "Uh, hello?"

"Danny! It's Sam!" the familiar voice on the other end said. "I'm ready whenever you are!"

"Wow, Sam, it's getting a little creepy to think that you might be becoming a 'morning person'!"

"Now, don't get stuck on that! As if! I think I've just used up my last trick in fooling my body to get up this early!" she answered with a slight laugh.

"OK, Sam, I'll be there shortly and then we can head over to Tucker's. He's still not quite ready."

"OK, I'll be waiting for you," she said and quickly hung up.

Even though she had made that comment casually, Danny smiled at her response. He knew that she would always be willing to wait for him! He quickly transformed into his ghostly alter ego, turned intangible, phased out of his house, and soared toward Sam's house.

In no time, Danny picked up Sam, and then they were both flying toward Tucker's home. They landed near his front door, and Sam softly knocked on it just as Danny changed back into his human form. This time, Tucker answered it.

"Thanks for giving me more time, guys. You know my stomach would not have survived the angst if it had to wait to be fed later."

His friends chuckled and then Danny said, "Oh, by the way, Tuck, I brought something for you."

"You did?" His friend smiled.

Danny stretched out his fisted hand and Tucker reached toward it with an outstretched one. Danny then dropped the Fenton phones into his friend's hand.

"Huh?" Tucker blurted out, confused.

"Well, you'll need these, since you'll be waiting for us on the outside of the hospital, right?"

Tucker smiled weakly and nodded. After all, his friend was right!

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Before too long, they arrived at an outside isolated part of the hospital. The sun was just waking itself up, its pink and yellow fingers stretching outwards from it in a yawn, while its welcoming warmth greeted the trio below.

"But I really want to go!" Tucker objected, not aware that his breathing had quickened and he was already perspiring with the anticipation. "I mean, I was the one who showed you the map of the original hospital and was able to figure out that the old foundation was right under here!"

Danny sympathetically placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. He gently said, "After what happened the last time you were here, do you think you could handle it, Tuck? I can see that you're almost in 'full blown phobic' shock right now. Why don't you just stay here and we can relay to you through the Fenton phones what's happening?"

Tucker moaned in disappointment. All those months he had tried to overcome his fear by delving into the subject had actually made him worse! He frowned with determination this time, and stepped forward, penetrating that "invisible" perimeter of phobia closest to the hospital. He shivered and broke out in even more sweat. His shoulders drooped in his admitted defeat. But then he righted them again, and pointing at his friends to stress his point, he insisted, "OK, but if there's anything I can do or if anything happens, you call me right away, you promise?" He put his Fenton phones in his ears.

"We promise!" Danny and Sam both said, just as they put their Fenton phones in their ears. Danny then grabbed Sam by the waist and made them both intangible and invisible. They phased right into the ground, and then headed to the deepest and oldest part of the hospital.

Just as his friends left, Tucker kicked the ground in disappointment before he plopped right down onto the grass. He pulled out his PDA in a huff and brought up the last part of the clue. He read it over but was still so upset that the words did not sink in right away:

"But in darkness b'low
The wellness place
In cornerstone show
No hint, no trace
But the only true case
The secret will b'stow."

"In the dark stone
The secret name will cry
Upon the throne
The Omen of Prophesy!"

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Meanwhile, Bhuto sat with his head bowed on a bench in his holding cell. He was unaware that within a nearby and similar holding cell, Sombre was beginning to recover from the Spectre attack. There was no light in this dank room and the walls which encased Bhuto were solid except for a small slit in the bottom of the bolted door. He did not try to fight off the depression as it crept over him. Though he had helped Phasma find Sombre—even if it were by accident-he still had broken many of the Spectre laws. He had spoken out-of-turn to the Prophesy, had been out wondering alone outside the Spectre Realm, and had left the Prophesy's presence without permission. He would have to pay for his transgressions. He knew he would not be treated with the least bit of leniency at his hearing before the Elders and Phasma.

Suddenly, in the utter darkness and silence, Bhuto heard a slight scratching sound. He looked up and scanned his cell but he could see nothing. He dropped his head again, but then he heard an even louder scratching sound. He looked around again and then the wall suddenly had a crack in it.

"Help me, Bhuto, I cannot open it alone!" the muffled voice from the crack commanded. He instantly recognized that it was the princess!

Bhuto immediately jumped up and yanked on the partially-stuck door, grunting and struggling until he finally pulled it open. Jiva glided through the opening.

"Highness, you are here?" he gulped, completely shocked.

"And all because of your foolishness!" she hissed, as she wiped off with disgust the dust that had gotten on her. "Do not look so surprised. I often come here to taunt my prisoners. But in your case, I want more!"

The male shadow ghost swallowed hard and lowered his eyes, "Your command, Highness?"

"The same as it always has been. I desire the Phantom-of-the-flesh and the Book. My path to him is finally very strong and I know where he is!" She paused and concentrated. "He is in the flesh-town that is his home. The name of it…is…Amity Park!"

Bhuto listened intensely to her and dared not utter a word.

"I did not wish for you to find this Sombre, whatever pathetic creature he may be. The past of my father does not interest me. But it seems your rash capture of this Spectre has pleased my father. He will judge you lightly…I will see to that. Therefore, you have to repay me now that you foolishly involved me in this matter."

"But, Highness, I had planned to do as you commanded but I stumbled upon the renegade, and…"

"I already told you that I did not care about that!" she shrieked.

He gulped and fell silent.

She smiled at his submission. "But no matter. Nothing will come of it. You can still do as I desire!"

"But, Highness, Spectro…"

"Spectro? What does he have to do with it?"

Bhuto tried to squelch his trembling at the hatred he felt when she spat out her words just now. He stammered, "H-He told Phasma that you forbade him to speak about our matter."

"He did now, did he?" she hissed. Her eyes narrowed in hatred but then she laughed confidently. "Nothing will come of it as well. I will see to that. And do not worry that they discover you missing from your 'palatial' quarters here! I have taken care of everything!"

Bhuto looked at her, but even though he was uncertain as to how she could do that, he was afraid to say anything.

She continued, "Return to my chambers within the next two days with the Phantom and the Book and all will go well with you, Bhuto. Fail me, and you will wish that you had never existed." She smiled, but it was a very serious and menacing one. "Now, before you go…" She pulled out several strands of her flaming red hair and gave them to him. "Wrap these around your amulet as before. They will make you more powerful. You will be able to strike with your black seal rays—which will be intertwined with red—more than once. But remember, do not kill or injure the Phantom. Use what power is necessary only to subdue him. And beware of the Book. You should also be able to render it helpless with this same power. And as before, you will know where to find him because of me. Now, let us go!"

"Highness!" he said with a low bow, gesturing for her to enter the opening in the wall first.

She swept past him and he followed her, and he sealed the door in the wall shut as they left the cell.