The Case of the Black Lion-Chapter 4
by HA
"Shirley, come down for breakfast!"
Hearing her mother's voice, Shirley stuffed her printouts into her backpack and made her way down the attic stairs. She stepped out of the bookcase entrance and into the kitchen, where her parents were eating breakfast with Watson lying underneath the table. As she sat down and helped herself to an English muffin, the TV played the morning news.
"...and police still don't understand how the message can be so well scratched into the wall," the reporter said on the screen.
The buttered muffin hovered in front of Shirley's open mouth as she watched the report continue to unfold. "Although we're in awe at how well done the message was, it doesn't change the current situation," the police detective from last night said. "This is definitely the work of the ENIGMA organization."
"How can you be sure?" the reporter asked.
"When guys in masks start shooting up places and"-he glanced down at his notepad-"messages like 'Our target is an endangered yet dangerous animal. It once existed to destroy for the sake of total control' get scratched out on motel walls, you can be sure it's ENIGMA."
Shirley stuffed the muffin into her mouth and downed some milk as the reporter said, "With ENIGMA expert Inspector Christopher Hewitt coming back to Redington this afternoon, it's expected this case will be cleared up soon. This is..."
"Shirley, smaller bites," Dr. Holmes told her daughter as a large chunk of the muffin disappeared into the teen-ager's mouth.
Mr. Holmes sighed as he looked over some papers. "Interesting," he remarked.
Shirley gulped down her food. "What's interesting, Dad?"
Mr. Holmes looked at his daughter. "Oh, it's this Genovian Republic affair," he said. "Still baffles me why they want to come here to discuss a trade treaty instead of Ottawa or Washington."
"Maybe they wanted a low-key setting," Dr. Holmes said after finishing her orange juice.
"I doubt Redington's a low-key setting thanks to those masked hooligans," Mr. Holmes said. "I told my American and Canadian counterparts that, and they agreed with me. However, they're just following orders from the top like me, so here we are helping establishing economic ties with the Genovian Republic in Redington. Apparently, the chief Genovian diplomat knew someone from here and wanted to hold the talks here."
"Considering how much help the Republic needs, it's generous for the US, Canada, and the UK to offer economic support," Dr. Holmes said. "The reports about what happened there seem worse than what happened in Rwanda, and..."
"Joanna." Mr. Holmes tilted his head towards Shirley, who was finishing her muffin while watching her parents with interest.
"Shirley, let's go, or you'll be late for school," Dr. Holmes said.
Bo sighed as he chained up his bike. Normally, it would've been another Monday, and his apprehension over his classes would've dominated his thoughts. However, he found himself thinking about someone else, and he sighed deeply.
He had called the Holmes home, and Dr. Holmes had answered the phone. He had wanted to stop by and come with Shirley to school, but her mother told him she was driving her there. His mind flashed back to the two shots he heard in the bathroom, and he thought about the other way it could've ended. The image of those blue eyes being closed for good came to him, and he tried to shake it out of his head.
"Bo."
Bo turned around and found Blake wheeling his bike to the rack. "Blake," he answered.
Blake lined up his bike into the appropriate spot. "You called Shirley too?"
Bo nodded. "Yeah."
"Mom answered?"
"Yeah."
Blake stepped away from the rack. "I called there a few seconds after you called."
"Oh." Bo looked away from Blake and put his hands in his trouser pockets.
They saw a car approaching the school parking lot. Both boys recognized it. "Let's see how she's doing," Blake said.
Bo nodded and followed Blake as he walked towards the parking lot.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Dr. Holmes asked her daughter as she pulled up to the parking lot at Sussex Academy.
"I'm fine, Mom," Shirley said as the car stopped. "Really, I am," she added as her mother frowned.
"I hope so," Dr. Holmes said. "Bo and Blake sounded worried about you."
"Yeah," Shirley said as she stepped out of the car with her backpack.
"Speaking of whom..." Dr. Holmes pointed towards the side.
Shirley saw Bo and Blake walking towards the car. She slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Hi," she said to both boys.
"Er, hi," Bo said with a little wave, and his cheeks started to redden.
"Hi," Blake said at the same time as the blush crept up slowly on his face.
Dr. Holmes smiled. "I'll pick you up later?"
Shirley looked at her mother. "Don't worry about it, Mom. We have something to do for school later." She paused. "Research project."
Dr. Holmes met her daughter's gaze. "Shirley..."
"Mom, I'll be fine," Shirley said. "I know things have been busy at the lab, and I don't want to make you fall behind."
Dr. Holmes sighed. "You're so headstrong."
Shirley smiled. "I got it from you."
Dr. Holmes shook her head while wearing her grin. "Call me if you need anything. Your father will be very busy at the British Consulate."
"I will." Shirley closed the door. "Bye, Mom."
As Dr. Holmes drove off, Bo and Blake looked at Shirley. "So, are you okay?" they asked at the same time. They stared at each other, then at Shirley.
"I'm fine, really," Shirley answered. "I conducted some interesting research last night..."
"So did I," Blake blurted out. He straightened himself out and looked away from her. "I thought I'd help out a little. You know, help out a friend."
"I see." Shirley looked over Blake, and Bo frowned. "Well, let's go to class."
The three walked back onto the campus. As they headed towards the main building to start another school week, they saw Alicia walking with a red-haired boy tagging along.
"For the last time, Parker, I'm fine!" she yelled to the red-haired boy without looking at him.
"But there was a gun, and there was shooting, and..."
Shirley sighed as Parker continued to follow Alicia. "It's interesting how people can become attracted to people who don't want to be with them."
Bo looked at Shirley, then at Blake. He sighed behind their backs and kept his head down as he followed them to school.
Alicia looked behind her, then returned to taking her textbooks out of her locker. She stopped when she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. Letting out a frustrated snarl, she turned around quickly. "For the last time, Parker, I'm...!"
"Whoa there!"
Alicia found herself glaring at Stink Patterson, who had backed off with his arms shielding his face and chest. She took a deep breath. "What do you want?"
Stink lowered his arms. "I just wanted to see how you're doing."
Alicia slammed her locker door, and the loud clang echoed through the hallway. "You and everyone else." She bent down and picked up her books. "Honestly!"
Stink stood in front of her. "Hey, can you blame me for worrying about you?" he said, sticking his face in front of hers.
Alicia frowned, then stared at Stink. "Wait, you were worried about me?"
"Uh..." Stink looked towards his right. "Well, some maniac did shoot up the Quazar Cafe, you know. Like you said, everyone was worried about you. Besides..." He looked at her and grinned. "Who am I going to poke fun at when I'm bored?"
Alicia rolled her eyes as she relocked her locker. "Gee, thanks." However, her mouth formed a small smile, and she walked off. Stink watched her as she went and smiled as he looked her over, then he froze as he started feeling too good.
"Stink! Stink!"
As Parker rushed up to him, Stink turned towards the locker and willed his current problem to go away. "What is it?" he said, still trying to calm himself down.
"Have you seen Alicia?" the little redhead said. "I lost her on the way here."
Stink faced his short friend while keeping his books in front of his lower region. "No, I haven't seen her," he said with a straight face.
Parker frowned and lightly hit his side. "I wasn't even there for her," he said. "If I had been..."
"...you would've been shot, okay?" Stink said, feeling himself return to normal. "Now let's get to class, or we'll be late."
Before Parker could lament further about his inability to be there for Alicia, Stink left. His books remained where they were, for when he thought of Alicia again, he was starting to feel good again. He groaned in frustration.
For Shirley, the day passed by without any strange incidents. That was a good thing considering that the last ENIGMA agents who had stopped by Redington almost destroyed the Sussex Academy gym. Thankfully, the Knight Foundation helped repair the damage, and indoor classes resumed as if nothing happened.
Basketball was the day's activity, although only the boys actually played. The girls took the time to dribble their balls and talk about more immediate matters like the latest fashions and who was on the current hottest boy list. Shirley kept to herself as she dribbled around a corner. The rhythmic bouncing of rubber against hardwood didn't interrupt the young detective's thoughts. They seemed to help her focus on her current train of thought. "Our target is an endangered yet dangerous animal. It once existed to destroy for the sake of total control," she muttered to herself for the umpteenth time as the ball hit the floor with each second word. She knew the riddle's meaning before she had arrived at school, but it gave her something to pace her dribbling. She caught the ball and paused to watch a nearby game.
"I'm open!" Blake yelled as he waved his arms. The boys in front of Shirley were playing a game with shirts and skins, and Blake was on the skins team. Bo, who was on Blake's team, had the ball, and he quickly bounce-passed it past a defender towards his teammate, who leapt up and shot the ball. Shirley watched as it arched perfectly into the basket and bounced towards a nearby shirt.
Shirley took in Blake's sweaty figure. She took in especially his firm chest and arms, which glistened with sweat. She was reminded of Michelangelo's David. She wondered how firm he felt. She blushed as she watched Blake knock the ball out of a shirt's hand.
"Bo!" he yelled as he held the ball away from a shirt.
Bo got ready, and Shirley noticed his figure. She recalled when a gang of karate girls stole his clothes. Back then, it was amusing, but now, she had to admit he looked good, too. Oh, not as good as Blake, but good nonetheless. Her face got hotter, especially when he appeared to be looking at her.
"Bo!"
Blake's yell came too late as the basketball hit Bo in the head. He fell back, and the game stopped since the players gathered around him. Blake was immediately at his side, and the gym teacher was running towards him.
"Bo, you okay?" he asked.
"Uuuuuhhhhh," Bo moaned.
"Can you believe how hot Blake looks?"
"Oh yeah. He's so dreamy."
Shirley looked to her side and saw she wasn't the only girl watching the game. A group of them were doing more drooling than dribbling. Their sole focus was on the boys, who were helping Bo to his feet.
"So, what do you think, Molly?"
Shirley's eyes darted over to a girl with long blond hair who was dribbling and looking at the wall. She frowned as she recognized Molly Hardy.
"Hmph," Molly said, her eyes still locked onto the wall. Shirley noticed the scowl on her face, but she wondered about the faint blush on the blonde's cheeks. She had her fist against her stomach.
"Easy now," the gym teacher said as Bo got to his feet. "Better see the school nurse, Sawchuk."
Bo nodded weakly.
"Sorry about that," Blake said to Bo.
"Don't worry about it," Bo said as he tried to eat lunch with one hand and keep the cold pack pressed to the sore spot on his head with the other. He looked around the school science lab. "Why are we here again?" he asked Shirley as he watched the lab rats in a nearby glass cage run around.
"To let you know about the Black Lions without anyone listening in," Shirley answered as she yanked something out of her backpack.
"The Black Lions?" Bo said, holding the cold pack closer to his head as he looked over his lunch.
"The Black Lions." Shirley paced around the lab table with a stack of papers in her hands. "A terrorist group formed to reestablish the old regime of Genovia."
"Genovia?" Bo said.
"A small country close to the old Eastern Bloc," Shirley said. "It had a military government before a civilian revolution overthrew it four years ago." She changed pages. "A republic was established, but the remnants of the old regime gathered together, formed the Black Lions, and challenged it. While they were active, they were responsible for numerous violent acts."
"Sounds like a real group of sweethearts," Bo said as he took a bite out of his food.
"Tell me about it," Blake said, looking at a printout as he chewed softly. "Bombings, kidnappings, torture, assassinations...these guys did everything."
Shirley stopped pacing. "You did your own research," she said to Blake.
"Thought I'd help out." Blake looked at her, then back at his printout.
"Their activities weren't limited to Genovia," Shirley said. "They struck out at anyone who helped the legitimate government, especially the United States. They provided a significant amount of military aid." She changed pages again. "Two incidents in the States made the news. One was the kidnapping of the daughter of the commander of the American forces in Genovia." She skimmed the page. "Zoey Westing was kidnapped by a Black Lion cell in order to force a withdrawal of American forces. If the Black Lions didn't get what they wanted, they were going to execute her."
"How'd that turn out?" Bo said as he stared at Shirley. When his eyes began wandering all over her body, he recalled how she looked during gym class. During the shirts-and-skins game, he occasionally looked at her while she dribbled in place. He thought she looked nice in her gym uniform, especially since it showed off her curves. When he began thinking about how soft her curves were, he stopped himself and tried to focus on what his best friend was trying to say.
"Zoey was rescued by a Black Lion who had a change of heart." Shirley skimmed the page. "The rest of the cell died in an explosion at their hideout."
"An explosion?" Bo said.
"An explosion," Blake confirmed as he looked through his printout.
"What was the other incident?" Bo said, trying to look into her eyes while controlling himself when he realized how beautiful they were.
"The other was the hijacking of a school bus from a prominent upstate school," Shirley answered. "It happened on a bridge, and it took a SWAT team to end it." She bowed her head before continuing. "Although the children were rescued and the terrorists taken down, the bus driver, Katie Forrester, was found dead." She paused. "Bullet in the chest. She was a senior in high school who was doing her father a favor."
No one said anything. Bo stopped chewing, and the taste of half-solid breaded chicken breast lingered in his mouth.
"It's sad, really."
Bo and Blake almost jumped in place. Bo spat out his food onto his tray. Shirley looked towards the nearby lab table and found a dark-haired girl with wide chestnut-shaped eyes sitting on the edge with her legs crossed. "When did you come in, Yume?"
Yume smiled at her. "Oh, I always wondered where you went for lunch when you weren't in the cafeteria or outside," she said.
"What do you want?" Bo said, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer.
Yume flashed Bo a big smile, revealing rows of shiny white teeth. "I just wanted to let you know Lucy wants to see you at Chang's later."
"I see," Shirley said with a nod. "Why didn't she call me?"
"Thought you were busy, I guess," Yume said with a smile and a shrug, and she dismounted from the table. "Oooooo, the Black Lions," she remarked as she looked over Shirley's shoulder. "Nice drawing."
"You know about them?" Shirley asked the Stranger.
"You could say that." Yume appeared in front of the detective. "Know what happened to them?"
Shirley and Blake flipped through their printouts. "The Genovian government found their base, and after a big fight, all the Lions were rounded up. From there, the rest of the group was brought down," they read loudly at the same time. They looked up from their papers, and when their eyes met, they looked back down. Their cheeks were bright red. Bo frowned.
"Did they ever catch their leader?" Yume asked.
"If by 'catch,' you mean they found his body parts spread across a minefield..." Blake said as he skimmed his printout.
"Ah," Yume said, and she leaned towards Shirley. "It was a pretty explosion," she whispered, hiding her grin with her hand.
Shirley said nothing as she stared at the Stranger. She expected Yume's eyes to turn yellow at any moment, but they stayed brown.
"Well, got to go," Yume said as she stepped back. "See you at Chang's," she said cheerfully, smiling and waving at them before exiting the lab. Everyone heard her hum an obscure tune as her footsteps hit the hallway floor.
"She creeps me out," Bo said. He tried to forget Yume's smile as he looked at Shirley. "All right, so what does a defunct terrorist group have to do with ENIGMA trying to shoot a guy?"
"My father's engaged in delicate upcoming economic negotiations with Genovia," Shirley said. She stepped up to Bo, who found himself staring at his lunch tray. "Most importantly, I saw this on the waiter's arm," she said as she showed Bo a page. "All the Black Lions had this on their arms."
Bo found himself staring at the picture of a lion's head done in black ink.