The Case of the Mysterious Man-Part Six
by HA Senidal
"So, how did you figure out that the Mona Lisa was at the Redington Community Theater?" Blake asked Shirley. The young detective and her friends were on their way there on their bikes.
"Do you recall the list of places affected by that mysterious smell?" Shirley asked Blake.
"Yeah," Blake answered. "Definitely too weird."
"Exactly why it got my attention," Shirley said. "After conducting a little field research, I concluded that ENIGMA spread some sort of chemical that emitted a strong odor."
"Why?" Bo asked.
"To pretty much keep the police on the wrong track," Shirley said. "To cover their true intent."
"Which is?" Bo asked.
"Selling the Mona Lisa," Blake said. "But how did you know what the place was?" he asked Shirley.
"Simple. I solved the riddle." Shirley began to explain. "I looked at the list of places and the only place that matched the answer was the Redington Community Theater."
"Come again?" Bo stared at her with a blank expression.
"Of course!" Blake said. "'Playing is easy and fun, but the clothing is murder.'"
Bo looked at Blake with the same blank expression. "'Playing,' as in performing in a play or acting," he said. "Plays are usually done in theaters."
"What about 'clothing is murder?'" Bo asked.
"Ever experienced getting fitted for a costume and then wearing it for a few hours?" Shirley said, remembering when she had performed in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. "It was quite bothersome and it took a while to get used to. Apparently Mr. E shares the same opinion."
"Okay, so the Mona Lisa is being hidden in the Redington Community Theater," Bo said. "So why haven't we called the cops? Why are we out here right now?"
"I tried earlier," Shirley said. "They didn't believe me."
"So, we're the only ones who can stop ENIGMA," Bo said. "How do we know that they're still here with the Mona Lisa?"
Shirley, Bo, and Blake were now approaching the Redington Community Theater. "Because I saw something that proves they're still here. Also, hardly anyone this area at this time of night," she whispered to her friends. "The perfect time to proceed with any illegal operation."
"Why are we whispering?" Bo asked in a low voice as he and Blake followed Shirley.
"We don't want to alert anyone to our presence," Shirley whispered back. She looked around and saw two cars parked across the street from the theater. She noted that both were rentals. "Looks like your dad's here already," she told Blake.
"But where is he?" Blake asked with concern.
"Let's take the back way." Shirley motioned her friends to follow her to the back. Once there, they leaned their bikes against the back wall. Finding the back door locked, Shirley took out her Swiss Army knife, crouched down, and began to work on the lock. Bo and Blake watched as she tried to unlock the door.
"Is there anything you can't do?" Blake asked Shirley.
"Have fun," Bo said.
Shirley ignored Bo's remark and kept working on the lock until she heard a click. "Yes," she said, keeping her voice down. She got up and was about to open the door when she heard another click behind her. She also smelled a foul odor. She froze, keeping her gaze forward. "Oh, no."
Bo and Blake also froze. "Whew, that stinks," Bo said. "Reminds me of..."
"Bo, don't say another word," Shirley said.
"Better follow your little friend's advice, boy," a male voice said from behind them. "Otherwise, I'll have to shoot you."
Shirley knew who was behind them. She turned her head and confirmed her suspicions. Standing behind her and her friends was the homeless man they met yesterday, still in his ragged clothes and now pointing a gun at them.
"Well, well, well," the homeless man said with a smile. "Looks like I caught three more snoops." He chuckled a little. "Okay, kids. Raise your hands and march on inside. You might as well see history in the making before I shoot you."
Shirley, Bo, and Blake raised their hands. The homeless man kept his gun on them as he sprayed himself with a small blue aerosol can. "Don't want the others to complain about the smell," he muttered to himself as he opened the door. As they walked into the theater, he turned to Blake. "Thanks for your generous donation yesterday," he told him. "For that, I'll shoot you last."
The homeless man brought Shirley, Bo, and Blake to the stage, where they saw a huge wooden crate sitting in the middle of it. Standing next to it was a tall man in a gray trenchcoat and business suit. He was wearing a jackal mask and was patting the top of the crate with one of his gloved hands, talking to himself. Two muscular men in ski masks, sweaters, and jeans were near the right edge of the stage guarding a man. They had long blue-colored metal canisters strapped to their backs. Each man held a spray gun with a rubber hose connected to his canister. Shirley recognized the man as Inspector Hewitt. His wig had been removed. Blake saw his father, and to Shirley it was clear he was trying to control himself.
The man in the jackal mask looked at Inspector Hewitt. "I'm surprised you managed to hide from us after all these years, Inspector," he said to him. "Mr. E genuinely believed that you were killed in the bombing."
Inspector Hewitt glared at the man in the jackal mask. "You can tell your boss that he got my friend instead," he said.
"Number Two will be so disappointed that his bomb missed the intended target," the man in the jackal mask said. He paused for a moment. "You know what, Inspector? I'll tell Mr. E what you told me, in addition to the report of your confirmed demise."
The fake homeless man showed Shirley, Bo, and Blake in. "Right this way, kids," he said, escorting them to where Inspector Hewitt was.
"What are you three doing here?" the inspector asked the kids in a whisper.
"I've been wondering the same thing," Bo muttered.
"We wanted to help you," Blake said to his father.
"You kids are crazy! These men are dangerous! Cold-blooded killers! Once the Mona Lisa is given to their client, they'll shoot us."
The man in the jackal mask saw the homeless man, then his prisoners. "Ah, Number Seven-Five-Two," he addressed the bum. "I see you've caught more snoops."
"Caught 'em in the back, Number Four-Four-Zero," the fake homeless man said, putting his gun in his pocket. "The girl here was trying to pick the lock," he said, pointing to Shirley.
"Well, I was, like, trying to get my book," Shirley said in her best airhead voice.
"Your...book?" Number Four-Four-Zero stared at Shirley.
"Yeah," Shirley said. "I like, totally left it in here after rehearsals about a week ago, maybe two."
"And you just decided to break in here, in the middle of the night, to get your book?" Number Four-Four-Zero asked Shirley.
Shirley shrugged and gave a dumb-girl smile. "I just remembered tonight."
Number Four-Four-Zero shook his head.
"Number Four-Four-Zero," a voice from the back addressed the head ENIGMA agent. Another man in a ski mask, sweater, and jeans entered the stage.
"Ah, Number Seven-Zero-One," Number Four-Four-Zero said to the newcomer. "I take it our client is well?"
"He is, Number Four-Four-Zero," the other ENIGMA agent said. "He's with three of his pilots, and they have the rest of the payment."
"Good. Tell them to come in."
Number Seven-Zero-One motioned to someone off-stage. A large-framed balding man with gray hair in a business suit and coat entered the stage, followed by three man in airplane pilot uniforms. He wore glasses on his large, beak-like nose. Behind them, his eyes were full of anticipation. Each of his men carried a large suitcase and dragged a roller bag.
"Ah, Mr. Malkin. Good of you to finally join us," Number Four-Four-Zero said to the fat man.
"Sorry for my tardiness, but I had to deal with some business." Mr. Malkin was about to say more to Number Four-Four-Zero when he saw Shirley, Bo, Blake, and Inspector Hewitt. "What are they doing here?" he said, pointing to the prisoners.
Number Four-Four-Zero looked at the prisoners. "Don't worry about them," he told Mr. Malkin. "We'll get rid of them after the transfer."
Mr. Malkin wiped his brow with a red handkerchief. "Good, good." He calmed down. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can leave," he said to Number Four-Four-Zero. "You have the painting?"
Number Four-Four-Zero waved to the crate. "Right there. You have the rest of our little fee?"
Mr. Malkin pointed to his men and to the suitcases they were carrying. "I always pay full price for my purchases." He grinned. "Now," he said, rubbing his fat hands together, "to see my latest purchase."
Shirley watched as Number Four-Four-Zero led Mr. Malkin and his men to the crate. He motioned to the fake homeless man and Number Seven-Zero-One, who walked up to the crate. They lifted the top of the crate off carefully and placed it on the floor. Grinning, Mr. Malkin walked up to the crate and looked in it. His face fell when he saw the crate's contents. "Is this some sort of joke?" he said angrily. He reached into the crate and pulled out a handful of straw and some small objects. He showed what he found to Number Four-Four-Zero. Shirley saw that Mr. Malkin was holding a handful of what seemed to be ball bearings. Bo tried not to laugh.
"What are you trying to pull here?" Mr. Malkin asked.
Number Four-Four-Zero chuckled a little. "Don't lose your temper, Mr. Malkin." He nodded at the fake homeless man and Number Seven-Zero-One. "You just saw what we reported to customs when we sent the crate."
"What are they doing?" Bo asked his fellow captives as the two ENIGMA agents bent down and lifted the top of the crate off the floor. Shirley watched as they flipped it over carefully and placed it on top of the crate. While they were flipping over the top of the crate, she saw a glimpse of what was in it.
"It's the Mona Lisa," Shirley said in a low voice.
"What?" Bo did not get a good look.
"The Mona Lisa," Shirley answered. "It's hidden in the crate's lid."
Blake looked at Shirley. "Are you sure it was the Mona Lisa?"
"Positive." Shirley looked at Mr. Malkin, who was looking at what was hidden in the top of the crate. The mixture of surprise and amazement that appeared on his face after a period of careful examination confirmed her findings.
"It's mine," Mr. Malkin said gleefully with his eyes wide open. "One of the greatest masterpieces in the world, and it's mine. All mine."
Number Four-Four-Zero looked at the prisoners. Shirley felt that behind his jackal mask, he was grinning. "Care to take a look, Inspector?" he asked. "You and your little friends will have the distinct honor of seeing her before her new owner takes her away."
The fake homeless man and Number Seven-Zero-One lifted the top of the crate and held it up so that Shirley and the other prisoners could view its underside. They saw the Mona Lisa, with its famous smile, behind a glass panel. It was amazingly intact.
"So, do you want to let us in on how you smuggled the Mona Lisa out of France?" Inspector Hewitt asked Number Four-Four-Zero.
Number Four-Four-Zero laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, Inspector, but that's a trade secret."
Mr. Malkin walked up to the Mona Lisa and looked at it. He spoke as he touched the glass panel. "Soon, my darling, you will be the centerpiece of my vast art collection. In my vault, only I, a true art lover, will be allowed to partake in your beauty."
Bo looked at Shirley and Blake. "Definite wacko," he said, keeping his voice low.
The Mona Lisa was put down so that it leaned against one side of the crate. "Well, my friend," Mr. Malkin addressed Number Four-Four-Zero as they walked away from the crate and toward stage left, "you have kept your end of the deal, so I will keep mine." He waved to his men, who brought the suitcases over to him and Number Four-Four-Zero. "570 million dollars, I believe, was the rest of the payment I negotiated with your leader. Quite the large sum, but for the Mona Lisa, it's worth it," he said. "Pardon me for being old-fashioned, but like I've told your leader, I never got used to electronic transfers and whatnot."
The men opened the suitcases and roller bags and held them out for inspection. "Check the money," Number Four-Four-Zero said to the fake homeless man and Number Seven-Zero-One. They started inspecting the money by flipping through each stack of bills. Number Four-Four-Zero took out a cell phone and pressed a button. "I'm going to report to Mr. E on our successful business arrangement," he told Mr. Malkin.
Mr. Malkin looked at Shirley, her friends, and Inspector Hewitt. "What will you do with them?" he asked Number Four-Four-Zero.
"Arrange a little 'accident' for them."
As the ENIGMA agents and their client were preoccupied, Shirley looked at Bo, Blake, and Inspector Hewitt. "Get ready to move," she whispered. The guards weren't watching their prisoners; their attention was instead on their fellow ENIGMA agents.
"What?" Bo tried not to raise his voice. "What exactly are we going to do?"
"Do you have a plan, Shirley?" Inspector Hewitt asked.
Shirley reached into her pocket. "Just try not to breathe in too deeply."
"Huh?" Blake did not understand.
Shirley pulled out a test tube. "Cover your noses and mouths," she told the others. She uncorked it and quickly covered her nose and mouth with one hand. Bo, Blake, and Inspector Hewitt, although not understanding what was going on, followed suit. Shirley bent down and placed the open tube on the floor, then kicked it lightly. The tube rolled behind the stage curtain.
One of the guards noticed the foul smell from the tube. He sniffed the air, then started to gag. Soon, everyone noticed the strong smell. Still on his cell phone, Number Four-Four-Zero started to cough. Mr. Malkin covered his nose and mouth with his handkerchief. Mr. Malkin's men tried to hold up the suitcases, but dropped them to the floor, making a large mess of money. The fake homeless man and Number Seven-Zero-One covered their faces.
"Hey, did you spray yourself before you came in?" Number Seven-Zero-One asked the fake homeless man.
"Yes, I did!" the fake homeless man said while coughing. He looked at the two men guarding Shirley and the others. "You two idiots must've missed a spot!"
Before any of the guards could answer, Number Four-Four-Zero broke in. "What are you two waiting for? Start spraying!"
The two guards held up their spray guns. They were about to fire when Blake suddenly grabbed one of the guards by the wrist. He snatched the spray gun out of the guard's hand and sprayed him in the face strongly with a blue gas. The guard stumbled back and fell to the floor, blinded.
The second guard saw what had happened and went for Blake. Inspector Hewitt grabbed the guard and punched him hard in the face. The second guard fell to the floor, unconscious.
Number Four-Four-Zero realized what was happening. Thanks to the brief discharge of the spray gun, the smell had a minimal effect on everyone. He quickly hung up on ENIGMA headquarters. "Get them!" he shouted.
The fake homeless man pulled out his gun. Number Seven-Zero-One rushed the freed prisoners, but was knocked down by Blake, who delivered a kick to his stomach. Number Seven-Zero-One fell hard to the floor, moaning and clutching his stomach.
"Guess I've still got it," Blake said.
Seeing the fake homeless man with his gun, Bo bent down near the unconscious guard and grabbed his spray gun. Before the ENIGMA agent could fire, Bo aimed for him and pulled the trigger of the spray gun, hitting him in the face.
"Aaargh!" The fake homeless man was blinded. Before he could recover, Bo tackled him to the floor. In the process, the fake homeless man's gun dropped out of his hand. While the fallen ENIGMA agent groaned, Bo picked up his gun.
Shirley sneaked up to the crate while Mr. Malkin's men charged Inspector Hewitt and Blake. Blake ducked a punch by one of them and took him down with a quick sweep kick. Inspector Hewitt took another one out with a judo throw. The last one tried to sneak up on Inspector Hewitt, but Blake knocked him down with a kick to the back.
Inspector Hewitt looked at his son. "Nice moves, son."
Blake simply grinned.
Number Four-Four-Zero and Mr. Malkin watched as their men laid on the floor while groaning in pain. "I think it's time we departed," Number Four-Four-Zero said to Mr. Malkin.
"Not without the Mona Lisa!" Mr. Malkin ran for the stolen painting. Number Four-Four-Zero followed him.
Shirley saw Mr. Malkin and Number Four-Four-Zero go for the Mona Lisa. Blake also saw them and ran to the crate. "Hurry!" Shirley told him as she began to scoop out ball bearings and toss them in the two men's path. Blake helped out, and soon the floor in front of them was covered with ball bearings.
Unable to stop themselves quickly, Mr. Malkin and Number Four-Four-Zero ran onto the ball bearings. Immediately they slipped and lost their balance. Unfortunately for Number Four-Four-Zero, Mr. Malkin fell on him as they both crashed to the floor.
Bo gave the gun to Inspector Hewitt. Once he had it, he shouted, "Nobody move! You're all under arrest!"
Shirley looked around her. The three men in ski masks were out of action. The fake homeless man was not moving after Bo's tackle. Mr. Malkin's men were in no shape for another fight. Mr. Malkin was trying to get up, and Number Four-Four-Zero was struggling to get out from underneath him. They weren't having any luck.
"I don't think you have to worry about that," Shirley told the inspector. She looked at Blake. "Nice moves."
"Thanks," Blake said, smiling at Shirley.
Bo rolled his eyes. "Now can we call the police?"
Shirley took out her cell phone and handed it to Inspector Hewitt. "Your arrest," she said. "Besides, I think they'll believe you."
"Move it," a police officer said to the captured criminals, now handcuffed. They marched into the large police van, still nursing minor injuries. The Mona Lisa was being carried to another police car by two other officers.
Mr. Malkin got a glimpse of the Mona Lisa. "I was so close. So close..."
He sat next to Number Four-Four-Zero, who still had his jackal mask on. The van doors slammed shut.
Next to a police car in front of the theater, Inspector Hewitt was with Inspector Markie. Unlike with Shirley, the police took Inspector Hewitt seriously. Also present was a TV news van. One of the local TV news shows was doing an update on the police investigation into the mysterious smell when Inspector Hewitt called.
A male reporter with a cameraman was questioning both inspectors. "So this ENIGMA organization, which tried to kill you years ago, was behind the theft of the Mona Lisa?" he asked Inspector Hewitt.
"That's correct," Inspector Hewitt answered. "They were in the process of selling it when some concerned citizens and I stopped them."
"Who are these concerned citizens?" the reporter asked. Behind him, a newspaper photographer was taking pictures of the "dead" policeman.
"I really don't know," Inspector Hewitt said. "They left before I could thank them."
From behind the side of the Redington Community Theater, the "concerned citizens" were watching everything. Shirley, Bo, and Blake watched as Inspector Hewitt explained his situation to the reporter.
"Looks like your dad's back from the grave," Bo said to Blake.
"And back on the job," Blake said with a smile.
"You know, Blake. Your dad's taking a big risk revealing himself to the world," Shirley pointed out.
"I don't think he's afraid anymore," Blake said. "He's done what he's promised himself and Frederickson. He's exposed ENIGMA and stopped them."
Shirley watched as the reporter questioned Inspector Hewitt further. "So what proof do you have that ENIGMA exists?"
Inspector Hewitt gestured to Inspector Markie, who produced a plastic bag holding Number Four-Four-Zero's cell phone. "Notice the snake shaped like a question mark," Inspector Markie said, pointing to the back of the phone. "We've also found that same symbol on some red and blue gas canisters and other items we confiscated from the thieves."
"So what will you do now, Inspector?" the reporter asked Inspector Hewitt.
"I'll continue my work until Mr. E is caught," Inspector Hewitt announced with determination. "I won't rest until he stands trial for his crimes."
From her hiding place, Shirley smiled. "I believe it's time we left." She pushed her bike toward the back. Bo and Blake followed her lead, and soon all three were riding their bikes out of there.
END OF PART SIX