Chapter 10
"Foulfellow and Gideon Interrogated"
Having thwarted a kidnapping attempt, we brought the fox and the cat back to the Police station and removing the masks we forced them to wear, they found themselves in the interrogation room of the police station.
"Where…where are we? What is this place, Giddy?" the fox asked his cat friend, who said nothing. Just then, we entered the interrogation room and sat down at the table, giving the two scoundrels a death glare. "Who are you people?"
"We'll ask the questions, signor," said Inspector DiNucci as he sat down with us. "You are here on the charge of attempting kidnapping and being accomplices."
"To who?" the Fox asked and Inspector DiNucci gestured for a police officer to tie a tourniquet on the fox's forehead, causing him to groan in pain. "We…we weren't kidnapping her."
"Oh really?" Beau asked, eyeballing the fox. "What does forcing a child into a car against her will mean anything?"
"Honest we weren't," the fox answered in protest as the tourniquet was tightened further. "We were just talking."
"About what, signor Foulfellow?" asked Inspector DiNucci, revealing the fox's name to us. "Speak up! What were you really planning to do?"
"We were just following orders," gasped Foulfellow, the tourniquet tightening further on his forehead. "Honest, we were!"
"Are you in league with the Coachman?" Inspector DiNucci asked again. "Answer me!"
"No, why would we?"
"Because you forcefully kidnapped an 8 year old girl from her home just before her first communion," answered Beau crossly. "Or at least you spied on her."
"She was…she was pure of heart!" wailed Foulfellow, the pain from the tourniquet becoming too much for him. "The Coachman…needed someone for the guests to have fun with. He wanted us to double his quota!"
"What quota?"
"The jackass quota!" screamed Foulfellow. "Please, stop!"
Fred then turned to the cat, his face filled with terror.
"And what do you have to say for yourself, cat?" he asked.
"He doesn't talk any!"
"And why not?" Beau asked, grabbing the cat by the scruff of his neck. "He doesn't know?"
"He never tried!" screamed Foulfellow, as blood started to trickle down his face. "Stop it! Please!"
Inspector DiNucci then stopped the tactic on Foulfellow and motioned for the police officers to leave. Gasping for air, Foulfellow tried to get the vision of his head being tied out of him.
"We've been watching the both of you, signor," he said. "We know you are working for the Coachman, rounding up children of both genders, stealing them away from their families so they can do as they please. But they end up being asses, don't they?"
It was then that I stepped into the interrogation room as I suddenly felt that I needed to say something to the un dynamic duo.
"Maybe it would help you if you cooperate with us and give us what we need to know," I said, only the sounds of my heels being heard in the room. "Did you or did you not kidnap a little girl named Sabina on the morning of her first communion?"
Like a pair of idiots, they said nothing.
"Well, did you or did you not?" I asked again.
I then reached down and pulled off one of my heels and sharply stuck down on Foulfellow's paw, causing him to yelp in pain.
"Answer me!" I snapped.
"Yes, but not what you think!" Foulfellow whimpered. "We spied on her, but we were instructed not to take her! The Coachman wanted to take her!"
"Why?"
"He needed a cherished soul to break down and give it to the Reverend!"
This caused me to back away in shock. Even though I wasn't surprised, Reverend Kane was at it again and he was using pawns to get to us.
"Take them back to their cells," I heard Inspector DiNucci say to the police officers. "We'll hold them on possible accomplice charges."
Once Foulfellow and Gideon were taken away from the interrogation room, we were left alone to ponder what would happen next.
"So now what?" Shaggy asked, who had been standing outside and listening along with Scooby. "The Reverend is responsible?"
"Afraid so," Fred sighed. "Although it may seem to me like the Coachman could possibly be working for Reverend Kane…or someone disguised as the Coachman?"
Someone disguised as the Coachman? Now where have we heard that before?
…
Meanwhile, back on Pleasure Island, the Coachman was waiting for Foulfellow and Gideon to return, but they failed to show up. He felt that something was amiss and went to the front gates.
"You there!" he called to the helmsman of the ferry that had brought the latest shipment of boys and girls to the island. "Was Foulfellow and Gideon on your route?"
The hulking helmsman said nothing, but merely shook his head from side to side.
"Then where are they?"
Again the helmsman didn't answer and the Coachman stepped aboard the ferry feeling that he needed to address the disappearance of his servants as quickly as possible. But he then stopped and sighed deeply.
"No, that would be foolish of me," he said. "If I were to show myself in the light of day, I would lose everything I ever worked for."
He kicked down a bucket of water and stormed over to the port side. He then reached into his coat and pulled out a small whistle that he blew like a sailor's whistle. Just then, the water underneath the ferry started to pull under and a few moments later, a hideous sea creature peeked out from under the water. Seeing the creature delighted the Coachman and he became further delighted when he splashed his tail behind him.
"I need you for an important task," he said to the creature. "I need you to find Foulfellow and Gideon's location. Bring me word when you find anything. Now go!"
Heeding the coachman's order, the sea creature dove under the sea and left the island to carry out the task given to him.
…