Chapter 2

"Secrets of Pleasure Island"

Arriving at one of Clarice's many offices, we were met by her, Beau and Agent Gordon to discuss our latest mystery. It was unfortunate that Fred and I didn't get to share a private moment together, but work comes first, I'm afraid.

"I hope you enjoyed your workout," Beau chuckled. "But, let's get down to business."

Looking over to Clarice, he gave her the floor. Inside one of her many manilla envelopes, she pulled out what appeared to be a copy of Carlo Colodi's "The Adventures of Pinocchio."

"Who here has read this book?" Clarice asked in a curious voice and like a bunch of schoolkids who didn't do their homework, none of us raised our hands. "Good."

She then threw the book over her shoulder and onto the floor behind her.

"Because there is a mystery that has the inspirations of this book. Who here knows of a place called Pleasure Island?"

"I know it from the Disney version of Pinocchio, Clarice," I answered, raising my hand. "That's where the stupid little boys go and end up becoming donkeys sold to salt mines and circuses."

"Again, that's what Disney wants you to believe," Agent Gordon said, rolling her wheelchair over to us. "For the past few years, we have been trying to solve several disappearances involving the offspring of several American military officers."

"Like, why do I get the feeling we are going to this island?" Shaggy whispered to Scooby, who became nervous like Shaggy.

"I do remember hearing about these disappearances," Fred said. "But, they stopped talking about not too long ago."

"Because the cases went cold, Fred," replied Beau. "But one of the US Naval officers stationed at Joint Base Naples reached out to us because he believes one of his children went to Pleasure Island and never returned."

The more I listened, the more I begun to suspect that there was more to Pleasure Island than met the eye. Ever since watching the Disney version as a child, I had always come to suspect that Pleasure Island was real and as it turned out it was.

"Something you want to say, Daph?" asked Fred.

"I think that everything that Disney showed about Pleasure Island is real," I answered. "I should know, I can sense some strange activity from over there."

"Like, how can you feel it?" Shaggy asked.

"Never underestimate the power of a devout Catholic," I retorted, taking one of my many rosary beads out of my suit jacket pocket. "The reason why Pleasure Island doesn't exist to many people is because they think it's nothing but a fairy tale, a fictitious land that exists in the imagination."

Beau, Clarice and Agent Gordon all smiled at me, delighted to hear that I was on the side of believability.

"Also, I think that Reverend Kane may be on the island waiting for us," I said, leaning on Clarice's desk. "I can feel it."

"Are you sure?" Beau asked me. "Are you certain?"

Rather than answering Beau's question, I walked around and picked up the book of "Pinocchio." It was clear to me that whoever this Naval Officer is, he believed in Pleasure Island just as much as me.

"I am certain, Beau. Tell me, what do people view Pleasure Island as otherwise?"

"They view it as like an abandoned island off the Italian coast, kind of like a cove," he answered.

He took the book from me and searched for the section where it talked more about Pleasure Island.

"It says here that Pleasure Island is where boys who defy the orders of education and responsibility are brought here to have fun and be free. But, they soon become cursed by a spell that transforms them into a jackass."

"Like, who places a spell on little boys?" wondered Shaggy. "Certainly not me."

"Re Reither," added Scooby.

"Some people will go out of their way to make a living," I cautioned. "You think I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth and make money the easy way? No, I had to do it the hard way and whoever is running Pleasure Island…is making a living by destroying the lives of others by stripping them of their humanity and making money that way."

Little did any of us know at the time that Pleasure Island was more than what was described by Carlo Colodi or even Walt Disney himself.

…

In fact, at that moment, on the rock that was Pleasure Island, Reverend Kane materialized on the island and floated down to the island's pool hall where a man in a large red coat and brown hat was waiting for him.

"Master," he said in a cockney accent, acknowledging the Reverend's presence. "To whom I owe the pleasure of?"

"Spare me your subtlety, you twit!" Reverend Kane hissed, pointing his walking stick at the Coachman. "You know why I am here…to ensure you capture the souls of Daphne Blake and her medelsome friends."

"Yes, I am aware of it, but…who are they?"

Reaching into his coat pocket, Reverend Kane handed the Coachman a picture of us taken from around the time we met Ben Ravencroft during the Witch's Ghost case.

"These are the souls I want," Reverend Kane demanded. "You can do whatever you wish with their transformed mortal bodies, but their human spirits are mine."

"And as for the others I am sometimes forced to kill?" the Coachman asked. "The ones who defy me."

"I can always use more spirits to give me strength," Reverend Kane answered as the sounds of loud screaming of little children were heard. "Of course, the ones who submit to you are sent to wherever you wish to send them to…but the defiant ones are killed and brought to me."

"Well, I'm leaving tomorrow to collect another coachload at midnight. I can assure you that these targets might be among them. Of course, you give a bad boy or a bad girl enough rope and they'll soon make a jackass of themselves."

Sinisterly chuckling, Reverend Kane disappeared to leave the Coachman to do his work.

Once he was alone, the Coachman retreated over to the island's loading dock where the sounds of screaming were turned into the sounds of donkey's braying.

"Listen up!" he called, cracking his whip and catching the attention of his ape-like minions. "The Reverend has arrived with a special request from us!"

Heeding their master's call, they all gathered around.

"He has asked us to extract the human souls of these 4 fools. When they arrive, we must harvest their spirits for him. Understood?"

The assistants nodded in acknowledgement.

"And furthermore, whoever brings them to me shall receive a raise in their payment."

At that moment, the coachman heard the sounds of crying from one of the stalls holding donkeys that could still talk.

"QUIET!" he yelled at the donkeys, cracking his whip. "YOU BOYS AND GIRLS HAVE HAD YOUR FUN, NOW YOU MUST PAY FOR IT!"

Having silenced the donkeys who could still talk, he turned his attention back to his assistants.

"If they continue talking, kill them," he ordered, walking back to the entrance of Pleasure Island. "I'm heading back to the mainland to ensure that my collectors know who they are looking for. I'll be back at midnight with another coachload."

Having said his peace, the Coachman boarded the ferry back to the mainland. But as he boarded the ferry, just off shore, an Italian Police boat was watching him closely under orders of the American and Italian governments.

Of course, they weren't doing anything until we arrived in Italy as soon as possible.

…

…