A/N

Hmmmm what to say... it's been a while hasn't it. Sorry about that. I could give loads of excuses but to be honest, I just haven't felt like writing for a while. With covid, I've gotten back into reading again and It was frustrating me that I had stopped midway through an episode and I wanted to give you guys closure. I'm not sure if i'm going to continue and finish writing the last few episodes of the season so I guess it partly depends on the responce from this chapter, do people even read this anymore? I hope everyone is doing ok during this time, staying safe and healthy.

I would put a recap but i don't think I remember myself, go back and read the previous chapter if you are unsure... it sure has been a while


xxx

xxx

The boys stared at the badge and allowed the two detectives to guide them outside the building of the convention centre, away from prying eyes.

"Are we in some sort of trouble" Rob asked with false bravery.

"Our mum's gonna kill us" Don murmured. Rob looked over to him and nodded. They were totally screwed.

"Malone Breyfogle" Juliet started, "Where is he?"

"Malone?" Rob looked over at Don worried, "Is he in trouble?"

"His mother has issued a missing persons report" Juliet told them, watching their faces portray a mixture of emotions from confusion to shock.

"When we investigated his home we found a substantial amount of money hidden and we believe that he may have been involved in something bigger. What can you tell us?" she demanded impatiently.

Don suddenly lit up with understanding, "In our defence, we couldn't miss out on comic-con. We all told our mom's that we were at computer camp. You won't... tell them will you?"

"What can you tell us about the money?" She asked, deliberately avoiding the question.

"He gets it from his blog. The Malcontente. The reps from Red Phantom bribed him to write good review for the movie"

"He's the Malcontente?" Juliet asked astonished, "He writes the fortress of attitude "

"Yeah, we watched a thirty minute presentation about the movie. It's definitely gonna bomb. Malcom was paid to write a good review but we convinced him to change it after we saw how bad it looked"

"Where is Malone now?" Juliet asked, getting over her shock at this young boy being the Malcontente.

" He was writing in his blog when we left him, he said he would come down later" Don explained.

"Where?"

"Room 428 at the hotel just opposite"

"Thanks" Buzz said as he followed the impatient detective.

Leaving the boys at the centre, both detectives set off across the car park to the hotel. Juliet used her badge to get access to the room from the reception and the bounded up the stairs two at a time.

They both stopped when they reached room 428. The door had been left slightly ajar. Juliet nodded to Buzz and they both withdrew their weapons and after a deep breath, Juliet kicked the door open with her foot and walked through the threshold.

"SBPD" Buzz yelled.

There was no use in such a declaration for anyone that had been there was long gone. The room was an absolute mess. He beds were unmade; the duvets were strewn on the floor. Clothes were tumbling out from their suitcases and the chest of draws had been knocked over on its side. While Buzz was distracted by the bombshell it seemed they had just walked into, Juliet walked calmly walked into the centre of the room and put her gun back in its holster. A sickening sense of dread filled her stomach as she crouched down to the floor and retrieved a note she had spotted, laying absently on top of a broken draw.

She read the note aloud, "One down, two to go"


xxx

xxx

Gus was still enthusiastically leading Shawn around all the different stands. Gus was in his element and thoroughly enjoying himself. Shawn smiled to himself, glad to have made his best friend happy but his concern drifted to Juliet, wondering what she was doing now. He hadn't seen her in a while and Shawn had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Just as he was thinking this, he spotted the lovely detective speaking to one of the guards on the door.

"Shawn, there's Juliet" Gus announced before walking over to her.

"Hey Jules" Shawn greeted.

" So guess who's been invited to karaoke with George Takai" Gus said smugly, not bothering to greet the detective.

For two seconds Juliet completely forgot about the case. "No way!"

Gus brushed his finger to his nose, " I just happened to bring him his favourite blueberries this morning"

" You're going as well Shawn?" Buzz asked.

Shawn looked down at the ground, "No, he doesn't like psychics"

Buzz and Juliet both frowned, "Gift from the devil... and what happened in San Antonio didn't help either" Shawn explained though it was obvious that it bothered him somewhat.

They both glanced at each other with confusion before Juliet reverted back to detective mode.

"You can explain later but for now, we just found this" Juliet thrust the note into Shawn's hands and Gus read the note over his shoulder.

"One down, two to go"

Shawn stared at the paper and looked up to see Juliet's face.

"So it's not a missing persons case anymore. It's kidnapping" Shawn stated blandly. Buzz nodded, going from fetching coffee to assisting Ina kidnapping case was a bug jump and he wasn't sure how to best make himself useful.

"One down two to go... that seems familiar, where have I heard that before...?" Gus pondered aloud.

Juliet's eyes narrowed down on him but Gus was drawing a blank and shrugged helplessly.

"It says two to go, who would be the other targets? " Gus pondered aloud.

"I'm not sure. I'm thinking it has something to do with the bribe that Malone received. Whoever paid him might want their money back"

"Isn't Dent the head of promotions for the film, works for Parastone with his assistant Talia" Shawn frowned remembering, "We spoke to them earlier"

Gus nodded.

"We need to find them" Juliet said with urgency.

" We saw Talia on the phone outside a few minutes ago" Shawn remembered suddenly pointing to the nearest exit.

Juliet and Buzz set off in a run and Gus and Shawn hurriedly followed. Talia was nowhere to be seen.

It was Buzz who spotted the phone first, lying absently on the floor near the raised pavement, laying with the screen facing the ground he picked up to see the first two digits staring up at him.

91

Buzz raised the phone to the others.

"We were too late" Juliet sighed, silently berating herself and looking to the ground when she then spotted the piece of paper wedged on the girls shoe as she walked past.

"Excuse me" she told the woman as she grabbed the note from her show.

"Two down, one to go" Juliet read.

"Let's not panic" Shawn assured her, "We need to find Dent"

"His office is on the second floor" Gus remembered, he had been in this building many times and knew the layout from top to bottom.

They all raced to the office and they felt a sense of relief. The office had not been turned upside down and nothing seemed out of place.

"He's not here" Juliet spoke relieved.

"What'd that smell?" Gus wondered and Juliet filled with dread.

Shawn raised his eyebrows, "What's the super smeller detecting today?"

"Super smeller?"

"Smells like... chloroform" Gus realised.

It was then Shawn spotted the note, stuck inconspicuously on the computer, disguised on a post it note to look like a work memo.

"Judgement Day" he read out loud and then paused, "Looks like Dent has joined Malone and Talia is missing-persons land"

Juliet's phone buzzed and she retrieved it from her pocket, glanced at it and put it away.

"We need to do a full search of the entire convention centre" she instructed to Buzz, "the rest of the officers have just arrived. Head down and fill them in on who we are looking for"

"Ok, I got this" Buzz insisted and ran out of the room, leaving Shawn, Gus and Juliet in Dent's office alone.

"Whatever this guy has planned, he is going to do it soon. He has all of his victims. We just need to figure out who stands to gain from the disappearance of those three and who would want the Red Phantom movie to tank this badly" Juliet murmured to herself.

Shawn's eyes glazed over and Gus steadied him against the nearest desk, moving a comic out the way.

Gus picked up the comic with wide eyes, "I knew it sounded familiar" he announced and he turned to a page that showed the exact same note as the one left on the table.

Juliet gasped, "Someone is recreating the crime from the comic book, what happens in this comic?"

"A supervillain named Fear Career kidnaps three people that locked him up years ago" Gus explained.

"Then what happens?" Juliet asked, dreading the response.

"He sets them on fire"

"Whose comic is that?" Juliet asked, "Hiltz Kooler?"

Gus nodded.

"Well, he's just become my number one suspect. I bet we could match his handwriting to the notes"

Shawn gasped loudly, "I could see them, and they were tied up. Somewhere dark with not much light with what looked liked explosives….no they were fireworks"

"Fireworks are part of the promotion for the screening of the Red Phantom tonight" Juliet remembered.

At once the three of them raced down to the convention centre. Police officers were spaced around the centre evenly and covering all the exits making it impossible to escape unnoticed.

"Hiltz Kooler's stand is over here" Gus instructed and they all arrived at his table a little out of breath.

Hiltz Kooler seemed to be unconcerned about their arrival and continued reading his comic book.

""Hiltz Kooler, creator of The Green Spirit?" the detective confirmed.

"Always nice to meet a fan" he replied unconvincingly, his body language saying that he would rather be anywhere but here.

Juliet slammed her hands on his table dramatically causing Shawn to raise his eyebrows and smirk. He loved watching Juliet be passionate.

"Where are they?" she demanded, " Dent, Talia and Malone"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about" he replied smugly.

"Those studio execs bastardised your beloved Green Spirit and turned him into a pop culture punch line and the Malconte set off the tidal wave of bad buzz that sunk your flick" Shawn spat at him. "You were driven mad by revenge and turned into your own supervillain, Fear Career"

"We can match your handwriting to the notes left after each kidnapping" Juliet dealt the final blow.

Hiltz Kooler slowly stood up behind his desk and he gave a smug successful grin, "My plan is already set in motion, there is nothing you can do to stop it"

Juliet took that as a confession and unhooked her handcuffs from her belt, cuffing Kooler straight away. Two nearby officers escorted him out of the building.

"The pyrotechnics display" Shawn realised, "under the stage"

They took off running towards the stage but they were too late. They tried to push through but were stopped by the massive bang and the blinding lights that lit up the stage.

"No…" Juliet whispered, "This can't be happening"

The audience were smiling and clapping along as the next firework was set off and exploded above their heads.

Juliet continued to push ahead and raced round the back of the display, what she found almost made her cry with relief. Two uniformed officers and her very own Buzz McNabb was untying the hostages who looked safe and unharmed.

Buzz looked up and saw the detective, "I remembered why it sounded familiar. This entire kidnapping has been someone telling the story of Fear Career"

Juliet grinned, "I know, I just got a confession, Good job partner"

Buzz beamed back at her. Partner, the word meant the world.

A/N

Well there is is... arrest made, confession given, case solved.

Let me know if you think I should continue by hitting the review button below. If not, I'm happy to have left you with some closure

Gembomz x