Chapter 11

"How do we do this again?" Fred asked.

"The same as the Ruby Slippers. Think of where you want to go, rub the jewel and tap the Ruby Slippers together and make sure you're holding hands." The man explained.

"Ok, let's go home then guys." Velma said.

The gang all took each other's hands; Shaggy and Velma holding Scooby's paws.

"Tap the slippers together and repeat, 'There's no place like home'." The man explained.

Daphne rubbed the jewel as Shaggy tapped the Ruby Slippers together, and they all repeated 'there's no place like home', until the familiar bright light overtook them.

They were not sure what to expect, whether it would work or not, but the gang were surprised when they realised, they were back in the library in Coolsville. And even more surprised to see the jewel thief standing in front of them, "Oh shit!" He exclaimed, and he realised there was nowhere to run.

Daphne snatched the jewel from him, and Fred and Shaggy tackled him before he could send them off to another dimension.

Fred pulled back the man's hood and pulled off his mask.

"Jeepers!"

"Zoinks!"

"Mr Dinkley?"

"Dad? You're the jewel thief?" Velma asked.

"Hello Velma, kids." Mr Dinkley said as he struggled free from Shaggy and Fred.

"What are you doing?" Velma asked. "It's a long story." Mr Dinkley replied. "Start talking!" Velma snapped.

"I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for someone else." Mr Dinkley replied innocently. "Why? Who?" Velma asked.

"You, I'm trying to protect all of you." He replied. "Protect us how? Why? How could that have helped us?" Daphne asked.

"When I was a little younger than all of you, something happened…it's a long story." Mr Dinkley said. "Explain what you were doing Dad!" Velma exclaimed.

"I was working on this book." Mr Dinkley explained, as he pulled it out of his jacket pocket, "I figured out a way to send you there and keep you safe whilst things happened. But I also left little clues for you, so you someone knew about things that had happened to you."

"The things in the houses in Munchkin Land?" Daphne asked, and Mr Dinkley nodded. "How could you have known about those though?" Fred asked.

"I don't work a simple office job. I work for an agency who are dedicated to helping victims of violent and unsolved crimes. Like the raid on your family's home." Mr Dinkley explained, nodding to Daphne. "What?" Velma asked. "Doesn't matter." Daphne muttered.

"Anyway, we believed that all the acts were carried out by people who knew you and your families. Like the theft of Shaggy's trophy for example, someone knew you'd won it and wanted to steal it." Mr Dinkley explained.

"Do you know who stole it?" Shaggy asked, Mr Dinkley shook his head, "No, but I do know that it was not a large group of people but a small group. Daphne's uncle Bradley Blake was the reason Fred's dad was sent to jail."

"No, that's not true, my father was-"

"A bank robber, who worked for Bradley Blake." Mr Dinkley finished, "But Blake was working for someone else."

"What do you mean?" Shaggy asked. "Does it have anything to do with the characters from the book?" Daphne asked, but Mr Dinkley shook his head, "Unfortunately not, I simply changed the characters so you would be in their places."

Fred quickly remembered the kiss he and Daphne shared a few chapters into the book, he glanced at Daphne who quickly looked away from him, her cheeks pink.

"I will tell you who it is, not your father Fred, but your uncle."

"My uncle? Uncle George?" Fred asked, unsure whether to believe the information, but Mr Dinkley shook is head, and Fred was slightly relieved; his uncle George was more of a father than his own father was.

Fred was nine when his father was arrested, and he was jailed a year later. His uncle took him camping, fishing and he taught him how to drive.

Fred did not believe that his uncle George was behind all of this.

"If not him, then who?" Fred asked.

"Your uncle Peter."

"I don't have an uncle Peter."

"You do, and he was kept a secret. His name was Peter Jones." Mr Dinkley explained.

"I never neared of him." Fred said. "You wouldn't have. He was declared legally dead before you were born." Mr Dinkley said. "I don't believe you." Fred replied.

"Your father told you he was a twin, yes? He and George, but he was a triplet." Mr Dinkley said.

Fred and the gang simply stared at Mr Dinkley, so he continued with his story, "Henry, George, Peter and I were friends when we were kids, along with Harriet May and Katie Goldman."

"Harriet May? My mother Harriet May?" Shaggy asked, Mr Dinkley nodded, "And Katie Goldman was her cousin."

"Katie died when she was fifteen." Shaggy replied, Mr Dinkley nodded, "My mom never told me how though." Shaggy added, "I know." Mr Dinkley replied.

"It's a long story, but you need to hear it." Mr Dinkley said, they gang stared at him, waiting for him to begin.

"Henry, George and Peter Jones, Harriet May, Katie Goldman and I grew up together. I met Henry on the playground in second grade and he introduced me to his brothers Peter and George. Then in third grade we were in class with Harriet May and her cousin Katie Goldman. We were friends ever since then."

"Harriet and I always thought Peter Jones was different from his brothers, he seemed to have more of a temper than the others, he was intolerant and impatient. He talked back to the teachers at school, landing most of his time in detention. But when we turned twelve, Peter started to change a little bit, he was still stubborn with a little bit of a temper, but he was different from when he was a boy."

"How do you mean?" Fred asked. "Henry and I realised that Peter might have a little crush on Katie Goldman." Mr Dinkley replied, "As far as I'm aware, Katie didn't know until she was thirteen, and she noticed Peter acting differently around her, you know he was shy, blushed when she spoke to him or stood close to him. Peter had a soft spot for Katie."

"Did they ever date?" Daphne asked, Mr Dinkley shook his head, "No, but it was clear that he liked her, and I think she even liked him a little bit. He made her laugh." Mr Dinkley gave a small smile, "At that time, I had just started dating Angela Coleman, your mother, Velma. My Angie."

Velma felt a small smile, she knew her parents had been together since they were young, but they were in fact younger than she was now.

"On July 20th, 1988, we all decided to take a weekend trip to the beach. We decided it was such nice weather we would take Harriet's campervan. There was only one bed, but we all took our sleeping bags and decided to have a little campfire." Mr Dinkley explained.