Chapter 5

"Meeting Inspector DiNucci"

So, we left the American Embassy and proceeded towards the Rome Police Station located at the end of a narrow corner of a Rome street. As we left, I couldn't help but think that Admiral McCroskey was possibly involved in this whole charade. Like, his anxieties weren't on our anxiety levels, right? Of course, right! Anyways, getting out of the van, we made our way inside the police station. Naturally, the receptionist didn't speak our language.

"Excuse me," Beau asked. "We're from the FBI investigating the Pleasure Island case. Can we speak to your supervisor?"

The receptionist said nothing, but seemed more focused on Scooby. Like, Beau was already starting to lose his patience.

"I said, can we please speak to your supervisor or whoever is running the station at this time?"

"Beau, getting irritated isn't going to solve anything," Agent Gordon said, just as a large heavyset man with a brown beard came in the front door and saw us. Immediately, he seemed to know who we were.

"Look, I'm going to ask you one more time," Beau seethed, making the receptionist nervous and ignoring Agent Gordon. "Where is your…?"

"He's right behind you, signor," he said, catching all of our attention. "Are you with the American Authorities?"

"Like, we are!" I said, jumping back slightly in shock. "And you are…"

"Inspector Dinucci, of the Italian Police Department," the man replied, displaying his badge to us. "I trust you are here because of that missing American boy who disappeared."

He then gestured us to follow him and we did, but I gotta admit that being amongst people that didn't speak very good English was nerve wracking in it's own right.

…

"Ah, it's such a shame, really," Inspector DiNucci said as he poured himself some strong black coffee, while we all sat at a long table. "These boys and girls, they have been disappearing left and right. You seem to solve one mystery, another comes up out of the blue."

"Inspector," Fred said. "The boy we are looking for, he's the son of an American Admiral that lives on a base here. His name is William McCroskey."

"McCroskey? Doesn't seem to ring a bell, signor."

"He's American," Daphne answered. "He was reportedly snatched by a ghost coach and taken to a place called Pleasure Island that's just off the coast."

"Pleasure Island," remarked Inspector DiNucci, taking another sip of coffee. "For the longest time, we have been trying to find out the whole truth about what goes on that island. Seemingly from what we have heard about the island, it's an island that may seem bright on the outside, but inside is anything but."

Daphne then reached into her purse and pulled out her copy of the Pinocchio book, turning to the page where the section on Pleasure Island took place.

"Where did you get that copy?" he asked.

"It was given to us by Agent Barrows here," Daphne explained, handing the book to the Inspector and acknowledging Clarice's presence. "We've been focusing, or at least I have been focusing on the parts involving the Land of Toys."

The inspector studied the book briefly and then handed it back to Daphne.

"The Land of Toys," he sighed, sitting down and taking another sip of coffee. "Mamma Mia, that's just the name Signor Carlodi used to hide the real truth about Pleasure Island, but the message was the same. A place where no one ever came back as they are."

"Inspector, we think that maybe the island is haunted by ghosts that may be behind the disappearances. Do you know of a character by the name of the Coachman?"

"The Coachman…" the inspector sighed, briefly turning away from us. "Even in death, his spirit still lingers. No one believes that he exists living on Pleasure Island, but he does exist, at least, according to the ones who managed to escape."

"Like," I asked. "Mr. Inspector, sir. Do they escape as whole or what?"

"Most of them do, but some we have managed to save already take the forms of jackasses to the point where nothing can be done to save them. It's a dire situation, but we have to put an end to this once and for all."

Just then, an Italian police officer came forward and handed a memo to the inspector. Like, what exactly was on the memo?

…

"A boy has been found in the waters off of Pleasure Island," he said, immediately getting to his feet. "Excuse me, signors."

"Wait!" Clarice cried. "We're going with you! It could be Admiral McCroskey's son!"

Although it was against his better judgment, the Inspector allowed us to come with him. But what we would find out remained to be seen if this dude was a guy or an ass.

…

Racing as fast we could, we arrived at a small beach just off the coast and like, there were some Italian fisherman standing by the body of a half human half jackass, seemingly unconcisous.

"Signor DiNucci," said an Italian Policeman who spoke some English. "They found him about a mile offshore."

Looking down, the Inspector forced him to turn the dude on his back and already he had brown donkey ears and a tail sticking out of his rear end. The Inspector bent down and attempted to feel a pulse, but found nothing. He was dead.

"Does he have next of kin?"

"I don't know sir."

Looking down in dismay, we couldn't help but wonder like what was going through this dude's mind trying to escape from that strange island.

"Well, we can find out more from the medical examiner," sighed Inspector DiNucci. "Prepare him to be moved."

So the authorities prepared to move the body, but Clarice wanted to do her own investigation into how the poor dude ended up the way he did end up. She could sense that there were spirits inside the corpse and she would find them by any means.

…