The Case of the Problem Prone Bodyslammers-Part Two
by HA
"Watch it, man!" Boom Boom Kaboom shouted as Major Glory tried to cut around his fingers with a pair of barber's scissors. Boom Boom's fingers were stuck in his hair, and that was the reason why he screamed in the shower.
"Well, don't shake so much," Major Glory scolded him as he cut carefully. "Otherwise, you won't be counting up to ten anymore."
"I can't help it. It's too cold." Boom Boom Kaboom was wearing only a towel around his waist. He had not dried himself yet.
As Major Glory continued freeing Boom Boom's fingers with carefully placed snips, the other wrestlers were looking at Marvin Marvelous. "What?" Marvin Marvelous said, holding out his hands in front of him.
Captain Courageous took up the shampoo bottle Boom Boom Kaboom was using. He opened the top and sniffed. "Whoooo!" he exclaimed, taking a step back. "What is this stuff?"
The Masked Marauder took the bottle from Captain Courageous and sniffed. "Hey, this is industrial strength glue," he concluded.
"What?" Boom Boom cried out.
"Hold still!" Major Glory admonished the hapless victim.
The Masked Marauder held up the bottle. "Yep, I've used this stuff before. Looks like someone replaced your shampoo with glue, Boom Boom."
"Gee, I wonder who'd do such a thing?" one wrestler remarked, glaring at Marvin Marvelous.
"Oh sure, blame the good-looking one," Marvin Marvelous said hotly. "Guys, I didn't do it."
"That's what you said in Boise," "Breaker" Brody said dryly. "When Barry Biscone's clothes were stolen and replaced by a pink dress."
"That's what you said in Fresno," Captain Courageous said. "When you put that self-inflating blow-up girl in my locker. The thing inflated just as I opened the door."
"Excuse me," Marvin Marvelous said, holding up a finger. "You guys cracked up at those times, plus all the other times."
"This ain't funny, Marv," Major Glory said, still trying to free Boom Boom's hands from his hair. "This stuff could've seeped into his eyes and screwed up his eyesight."
"Guys, you know this isn't my style," Marvin Marvelous pleaded.
"I suppose those other accidents weren't your fault?" Captain Courageous asked.
Blake's ears peaked up. "Other accidents?"
"Look, there wasn't any proof connecting me to those," Marvin Marvelous said.
At that moment, three men entered the locker room. Blake looked at them. One was a portly man who was dressed in a business suit. Another one was a large muscular man in a security uniform. He had a buzzcut and a beard. A skinny man in a T-shirt and jeans with a serious case of the jitters was behind them.
"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" the man in the business suit bellowed, shaking his fists in the air.
The skinny man pointed nervously at Boom Boom Kaboom and Major Glory. "I think that's what's going on here, Mr. Hammond."
"Who are these guys?" Bo asked the Masked Marauder in a low voice.
"The skinny guy is Sylvester Coe, one of our ring crew. Guys here call him 'Sy Coe'. He sometimes talks to himself and looks at people funny," the Masked Marauder explained. "The guy in the uniform's Bill Turner. He's chief of security."
"And the fat loudmouth?" Bo whispered.
"That's the big boss, Arnold Hammond," the Masked Marauder whispered back. "I'd watch the name callin'. Could lose my job," he said with a wink.
Bill Turner stepped forward and studied Boom Boom Kaboom. "Okay, Sy here heard someone yelling in here, and we find Boom Boom with his hands stuck in his hair." He stepped in front of Marvin Marvelous. "Care to explain, Marvelous?"
"For the umpteenth time, I didn't do this," Marvin Marvelous said defiantly, staring down the chief of security. Blake felt that this was not the first time the two confronted each other.
"Oh really? Well, Marvin, we all know you're quite the practical joker. We also know you hate your current role with the company and want to go to the major leagues ASAP." Bill Turner pointed at Marvin Marvelous and clenched his teeth. "You may have gotten away with those other incidents, but you won't ruin this tour," he said menacingly.
"But..." Marvin Marvelous began.
Mr. Hammond approached Marvin Marvelous. Bo swore to himself that the man waddled as he walked. "Now listen here, mister!" He pointed a fat finger at the handsome wrestler. "I'm getting sick and tired of your antics. They've cost me four good men already."
"But..."
"No buts, Marvelous!" Mr. Hammond roared. He wagged his finger at his employee. "This company's been growing and we've been expanding out of our region in recent months. This is our first tour outside the States, and I won't have you ruining it with your little jokes and accidents, especially with the big charity show on Sunday. Be thankful I haven't canned you out of the kindness of my heart, but one more little incident, and you're fired!"
Marvin Marvelous apparently had enough. "Now listen here...!"
Bo and Blake watched as the whole locker room exploded into one big argument. Marvin Marvelous was on one side, proclaiming his innocence. Everyone else was on the other, yelling at him to stop his jokes.
Both boys felt a tap on the shoulder. They turned around and saw the Masked Marauder. "I think you guys better go now," he told them.
* * * * *
"Well, that was interesting," Blake remarked as he and Bo headed home.
"Yeah. What a mystery," Bo commented. "I bet Shirley would be interested in that." He knew his friend well. Shirley Holmes, the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes, had never met a mystery that did not intrigue her.
"Maybe she would," Blake said.
* * * * *
The next day, a Saturday, the boys went to Shirley's house to bring up the matter with her. Shirley's grandmother, Peggy, or Gran as she was affectionately called by her granddaughter, was the one who answered the door. She was dressed in a golden silk kimono.
"She's in her usual place," Gran told Bo and Blake. "In fact, except for breakfast, she hasn't been out of there all day."
Bo and Blake understood what Gran meant by "her usual place". Through the secret passage behind the bookcase, they made their way up the stairs to the Holmes' attic, which served as Shirley's laboratory.
They found Shirley at the table sorting through some newspaper clippings. They watched as she put some into a nearby scrapbook.
"Hi, Shirley," Bo greeted.
"Hi, Shirley," Blake greeted.
"Hi, Bo. Hi, Blake," Shirley responded without lifting her head from her work.
Bo and Blake watched as Shirley continued to sort out her newspaper clippings and place them in the scrapbook. "Uh..." Blake started to ask.
"I'm organizing some news stories I've clipped out," Shirley answered, raising her head. "You might want to look at the pile next to you. It includes what I clipped out this morning."
The two boys looked through the pile. Each clipping had the date it appeared on written in black marker in the right-hand corner. "'Local girl starts music career'," Blake read one headline. He recognized the face in the accompanying photo and smiled. "Mrs. Clifton's gotta be proud of her," he said.
"Actually, she's Madelyn's manager," Shirley pointed out.
Blake skimmed the article. "Oh, you're right."
Bo had picked up an article titled "Computer crisis unresolved." "'Authorities still have not found the cause of a city-wide epidemic of computers overheating and shutting down. Police have found one link connecting the affected computers: All have been used to view a popular web site maintained by someone called Y.'" Bo put down the article. "Molly still out of commission?" he asked Shirley.
"Last time I checked," Shirley answered. "She won't be manipulating anyone as Y for now."
Blake was reading another article. "'One of the richest men in Germany was found dead this morning, apparently of a heart attack.'"
"Why did you cut that one out?" Bo asked Shirley.
"He was only thirty and he had no reported heart problems," Shirley answered.
Blake checked the article. "Yep. It says so in here."
"I suppose you think the guy was murdered," Bo said to Shirley.
"That and I know who's responsible," Shirley said confidently. "The same party is also responsible for Redington's recent computer problems."
"You mean...?" Blake started.
"Don't say the 'E' word," Bo interrupted. "Please don't mention them. In the two times we met up with them, they nearly killed us."
"Actually, I've been trying to find more information on ENIGMA." Shirley saw Bo wince when she mentioned "ENIGMA". "Sadly, there is little information on them."
"So you're sure they killed that guy in Germany and messed up the computers here?" Blake asked.
"I have no positive proof, but I have a feeling," Shirley answered. "Sadly, I can't rely solely on a feeling." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Other than the computer crisis, there hasn't been anything big happening in our vicinity. I fear that ennui is closing in on me."
Bo brightened up. "I think me and Blake have something that'll put your skills to good use."
Shirley looked at her two friends curiously. "Oh?" She got up from her seat. "Would you care to elaborate on the situation?"
Bo and Blake smiled at each other. Then they explained what had happened yesterday.
END OF PART TWO
by HA
"Watch it, man!" Boom Boom Kaboom shouted as Major Glory tried to cut around his fingers with a pair of barber's scissors. Boom Boom's fingers were stuck in his hair, and that was the reason why he screamed in the shower.
"Well, don't shake so much," Major Glory scolded him as he cut carefully. "Otherwise, you won't be counting up to ten anymore."
"I can't help it. It's too cold." Boom Boom Kaboom was wearing only a towel around his waist. He had not dried himself yet.
As Major Glory continued freeing Boom Boom's fingers with carefully placed snips, the other wrestlers were looking at Marvin Marvelous. "What?" Marvin Marvelous said, holding out his hands in front of him.
Captain Courageous took up the shampoo bottle Boom Boom Kaboom was using. He opened the top and sniffed. "Whoooo!" he exclaimed, taking a step back. "What is this stuff?"
The Masked Marauder took the bottle from Captain Courageous and sniffed. "Hey, this is industrial strength glue," he concluded.
"What?" Boom Boom cried out.
"Hold still!" Major Glory admonished the hapless victim.
The Masked Marauder held up the bottle. "Yep, I've used this stuff before. Looks like someone replaced your shampoo with glue, Boom Boom."
"Gee, I wonder who'd do such a thing?" one wrestler remarked, glaring at Marvin Marvelous.
"Oh sure, blame the good-looking one," Marvin Marvelous said hotly. "Guys, I didn't do it."
"That's what you said in Boise," "Breaker" Brody said dryly. "When Barry Biscone's clothes were stolen and replaced by a pink dress."
"That's what you said in Fresno," Captain Courageous said. "When you put that self-inflating blow-up girl in my locker. The thing inflated just as I opened the door."
"Excuse me," Marvin Marvelous said, holding up a finger. "You guys cracked up at those times, plus all the other times."
"This ain't funny, Marv," Major Glory said, still trying to free Boom Boom's hands from his hair. "This stuff could've seeped into his eyes and screwed up his eyesight."
"Guys, you know this isn't my style," Marvin Marvelous pleaded.
"I suppose those other accidents weren't your fault?" Captain Courageous asked.
Blake's ears peaked up. "Other accidents?"
"Look, there wasn't any proof connecting me to those," Marvin Marvelous said.
At that moment, three men entered the locker room. Blake looked at them. One was a portly man who was dressed in a business suit. Another one was a large muscular man in a security uniform. He had a buzzcut and a beard. A skinny man in a T-shirt and jeans with a serious case of the jitters was behind them.
"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" the man in the business suit bellowed, shaking his fists in the air.
The skinny man pointed nervously at Boom Boom Kaboom and Major Glory. "I think that's what's going on here, Mr. Hammond."
"Who are these guys?" Bo asked the Masked Marauder in a low voice.
"The skinny guy is Sylvester Coe, one of our ring crew. Guys here call him 'Sy Coe'. He sometimes talks to himself and looks at people funny," the Masked Marauder explained. "The guy in the uniform's Bill Turner. He's chief of security."
"And the fat loudmouth?" Bo whispered.
"That's the big boss, Arnold Hammond," the Masked Marauder whispered back. "I'd watch the name callin'. Could lose my job," he said with a wink.
Bill Turner stepped forward and studied Boom Boom Kaboom. "Okay, Sy here heard someone yelling in here, and we find Boom Boom with his hands stuck in his hair." He stepped in front of Marvin Marvelous. "Care to explain, Marvelous?"
"For the umpteenth time, I didn't do this," Marvin Marvelous said defiantly, staring down the chief of security. Blake felt that this was not the first time the two confronted each other.
"Oh really? Well, Marvin, we all know you're quite the practical joker. We also know you hate your current role with the company and want to go to the major leagues ASAP." Bill Turner pointed at Marvin Marvelous and clenched his teeth. "You may have gotten away with those other incidents, but you won't ruin this tour," he said menacingly.
"But..." Marvin Marvelous began.
Mr. Hammond approached Marvin Marvelous. Bo swore to himself that the man waddled as he walked. "Now listen here, mister!" He pointed a fat finger at the handsome wrestler. "I'm getting sick and tired of your antics. They've cost me four good men already."
"But..."
"No buts, Marvelous!" Mr. Hammond roared. He wagged his finger at his employee. "This company's been growing and we've been expanding out of our region in recent months. This is our first tour outside the States, and I won't have you ruining it with your little jokes and accidents, especially with the big charity show on Sunday. Be thankful I haven't canned you out of the kindness of my heart, but one more little incident, and you're fired!"
Marvin Marvelous apparently had enough. "Now listen here...!"
Bo and Blake watched as the whole locker room exploded into one big argument. Marvin Marvelous was on one side, proclaiming his innocence. Everyone else was on the other, yelling at him to stop his jokes.
Both boys felt a tap on the shoulder. They turned around and saw the Masked Marauder. "I think you guys better go now," he told them.
* * * * *
"Well, that was interesting," Blake remarked as he and Bo headed home.
"Yeah. What a mystery," Bo commented. "I bet Shirley would be interested in that." He knew his friend well. Shirley Holmes, the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes, had never met a mystery that did not intrigue her.
"Maybe she would," Blake said.
* * * * *
The next day, a Saturday, the boys went to Shirley's house to bring up the matter with her. Shirley's grandmother, Peggy, or Gran as she was affectionately called by her granddaughter, was the one who answered the door. She was dressed in a golden silk kimono.
"She's in her usual place," Gran told Bo and Blake. "In fact, except for breakfast, she hasn't been out of there all day."
Bo and Blake understood what Gran meant by "her usual place". Through the secret passage behind the bookcase, they made their way up the stairs to the Holmes' attic, which served as Shirley's laboratory.
They found Shirley at the table sorting through some newspaper clippings. They watched as she put some into a nearby scrapbook.
"Hi, Shirley," Bo greeted.
"Hi, Shirley," Blake greeted.
"Hi, Bo. Hi, Blake," Shirley responded without lifting her head from her work.
Bo and Blake watched as Shirley continued to sort out her newspaper clippings and place them in the scrapbook. "Uh..." Blake started to ask.
"I'm organizing some news stories I've clipped out," Shirley answered, raising her head. "You might want to look at the pile next to you. It includes what I clipped out this morning."
The two boys looked through the pile. Each clipping had the date it appeared on written in black marker in the right-hand corner. "'Local girl starts music career'," Blake read one headline. He recognized the face in the accompanying photo and smiled. "Mrs. Clifton's gotta be proud of her," he said.
"Actually, she's Madelyn's manager," Shirley pointed out.
Blake skimmed the article. "Oh, you're right."
Bo had picked up an article titled "Computer crisis unresolved." "'Authorities still have not found the cause of a city-wide epidemic of computers overheating and shutting down. Police have found one link connecting the affected computers: All have been used to view a popular web site maintained by someone called Y.'" Bo put down the article. "Molly still out of commission?" he asked Shirley.
"Last time I checked," Shirley answered. "She won't be manipulating anyone as Y for now."
Blake was reading another article. "'One of the richest men in Germany was found dead this morning, apparently of a heart attack.'"
"Why did you cut that one out?" Bo asked Shirley.
"He was only thirty and he had no reported heart problems," Shirley answered.
Blake checked the article. "Yep. It says so in here."
"I suppose you think the guy was murdered," Bo said to Shirley.
"That and I know who's responsible," Shirley said confidently. "The same party is also responsible for Redington's recent computer problems."
"You mean...?" Blake started.
"Don't say the 'E' word," Bo interrupted. "Please don't mention them. In the two times we met up with them, they nearly killed us."
"Actually, I've been trying to find more information on ENIGMA." Shirley saw Bo wince when she mentioned "ENIGMA". "Sadly, there is little information on them."
"So you're sure they killed that guy in Germany and messed up the computers here?" Blake asked.
"I have no positive proof, but I have a feeling," Shirley answered. "Sadly, I can't rely solely on a feeling." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Other than the computer crisis, there hasn't been anything big happening in our vicinity. I fear that ennui is closing in on me."
Bo brightened up. "I think me and Blake have something that'll put your skills to good use."
Shirley looked at her two friends curiously. "Oh?" She got up from her seat. "Would you care to elaborate on the situation?"
Bo and Blake smiled at each other. Then they explained what had happened yesterday.
END OF PART TWO