The Case of the Haunted House--Part Seven
by HA
"You actually have a landing spot for aliens in your backyard?" Susan asked Bart.
"That's right," Bart said, beaming.
"Well, what does it look like?" Susan asked excitedly. "Does it look like a crop circle?"
Lucy watched Bart and Susan from the table she was sharing with Shirley inside the Quazar Cafe. Katrina was not there; she had gone to the bathroom before Alicia took their order. "Well, those two have certainly hit it off," she said with a smile.
"Indeed," Shirley said.
At the neighboring table, Bo, Blake, Parker, and Hiroshi watched Bart and Susan. Damian did not join them; instead he stood near them. "I'm amazed that Bart's actually interested in a girl that's alive and human," Bo said, grinning.
"The same can be said for Susan," Hiroshi said, laughing a little. "She's never really taken interest in a live boy before ever since I've know her."
"You two attend the same school?" Blake asked.
"Yep," Hiroshi answered. "We're in the same classes, actually."
"You know, Hiroshi," Bo said, recalling something, "I thought you'd be pursuing fame and fortune like your friend Madelyn."
"Yeah, well, my parents pretty much killed that idea," Hiroshi said with a smile. "They want me to finish my education, including going to a good university, before I try the fame game."
"With that prize money, you have a good start," Blake said. "Of course, you could also get the things you want."
"Sorry, no can do," Hiroshi said, shaking his head. "All the money went into a savings account. I can't touch the money until I'm college age. My parents feel that along with the money I'm getting from the Knight Foundation, I'll have a pretty good nest egg when I start my higher education."
"Money from the Knight Foundation?" Bo wondered.
"You're a Knight Foundation Scholar?" Blake asked.
"Yep," Hiroshi said proudly. "Great program. Most of the time, I don't have to sit in some boring class. Instead, I get to have adventures and learn at the same time."
Damian looked at Hiroshi sternly. "Hey, lighten up, D-Man, I wasn't going to say anything that's confidential," Hiroshi told him.
"Confidential?" Bo asked.
Hiroshi looked alarmed. "Um, forget I said that, okay?" he said, grinning.
Katrina emerged from the bathroom and sat by Lucy. "So, is everything okay?" she asked.
"Yes. All is well," Katrina answered.
Alicia came by with everyone's orders and started passing them out. She served Bart and Susan first, giving them vanilla milkshakes. "Enjoy, you guys," she told them with a grin.
Alicia moved to the girls' table and gave them their sandwiches. "Your usual, Shirley," she said as she handed the junior detective her sandwich after serving Lucy and Katrina.
"Peanut butter and blue cheese," Katrina observed as Alicia went to the boys' table. Shirley nodded silently. "Blake ordered the same thing," Katrina said.
"Yes, he did." Shirley bit into her sandwich and tried not to stare at Katrina.
Alicia handed the boys their orders. "Thank you, Alicia," Parker said with a grin as he received his order. "You look great."
"Uh, thanks, Parker." After serving the boys, Alicia looked at Damian. "You didn't order anything."
"I am not hungry nor thirsty," Damian replied simply.
Alicia gulped nervously. "Uh, well, I was wondering if you could leave. Some of the customers have been looking at you funny." She paused as Damian gazed at her. "No offense, but I think you're scaring people. I think they think that you're going to suck their blood or something like that."
Shirley heard this and looked around. Almost everyone was staring at Damian. Some of them looked absolutely frightened, and Shirley did not blame them. Damian Thorne gave her the creeps, but she kept this feeling to herself.
Damian nodded to Alicia. "I understand." He walked up to Lucy as she was eating her sandwich. "I will be waiting in the van," he told her.
"Okay, Damian," Lucy said. Damian exited the Quazar Cafe, and some of the customers breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their meals.
"If I remember correctly, everyone kept looking at you strangely when you came in," Shirley said, addressing Katrina. "Now they're rather calm about it."
"Katrina just doesn't have that threatening aura like Damian does," Lucy said with a grin. "People get used to Katrina. It's not the same thing with Damian."
"Why's that?" Shirley asked.
"I can't say," Lucy said, which piqued Shirley's curiosity even more.
At their table, Bart and Susan were now talking about the Knight Foundation Scholarship Program. "So you're a Knight Foundation Scholar?" Bart asked.
Susan nodded. "That's right."
"Tell me. What's it like?" Bart asked.
Susan thought for a moment. "Well, it is interesting. You get to go to other places and meet interesting people. It's much better than sitting in a classroom."
"I'll say. Do you have to deal with teachers who won't accept your beliefs in the supernatural and paranormal?" Bart asked, remembering how Mr. Howie and his peers treated him.
"When I have my normal classes, I do," Susan admitted. "Especially my science teacher. She hates it when I mention ghosts and aliens." She went into an impression and as she spoke, she wagged her finger. "Ghosts and aliens do not exist, young lady. There has not been conclusive proof that they do exist. Now return to studying your periodic table, Miss March."
Bart laughed, much to the surprise of his friends. "That's good," he told Susan.
"Well, not really," Susan admitted.
"I sound more like this, Miss March," a woman's voice declared. "How dare you talk about me behind my back!"
Frightened, Susan looked around, then saw the boys at the other table chuckling and laughing. She stared at Hiroshi. "Hiroshi!"
Hiroshi laughed. "Sorry about that, Susan, but I couldn't help myself. Besides, you didn't do it right," he said with a big grin.
"That wasn't bad," Bo said.
"Actually, that was excellent," Blake complemented. "So you're a mimic, too?"
"Yeah, that's me. Hiroshi Fujiyama, ventriloquist and voice mimic," Hiroshi said, beaming. "My special talents. It makes up for my lacking in other areas."
"Like math?" Susan said from her table. "I recall you getting a C- on our last test."
"Oh sure, rub that in," Hiroshi said, pretending to be hurt. "All Asians aren't good in math, you know."
Shirley looked at Lucy and was about to ask Lucy a question concerning the Harrison House when Katrina interrupted her. "You wish to know what's going on with the Harrison house."
"Yes," Shirley said, wishing that Katrina would stop doing that.
Bart joined the girls at their table. "Do you mind if I hear this story?"
"Not at all," Lucy said.
Susan sat down besides Bart. "I know this story, but I thought I'd listen to it again," she said, looking at Bart.
"Guys, you might want to hear this," Hiroshi recommended to Bo, Blake, and Parker. They got ready to listen.
Smiling at Bart and Susan, Lucy put down her sandwich and began her explanation. "Well, during the nineteenth century, a Mr. and Mrs. Harrison lived there, hence the name. They had one young daughter by the name of Clarissa. She was their only child at the time. Mr. Harrison was a well-known corn merchant, and he and his family were well-off. Mrs. Harrison was known to host numerous parties on the estate. One day, such a party was being held. It was a nice sunny day, so everyone was outside. The guests' children played with Clarissa while the men discussed local matters and the women gossiped among themselves. Mrs. Harrison went back inside the house now and then to check on things in the kitchen and helped the servants bring out the food and drinks. After a while, she stayed inside.
"Well, the kids decided to play hide-and-go-seek. While one of the boys started counting by a tree, the other kids looked for places to hide, including Clarissa. She decided to hide in the basement, and so she snuck into the house. Eventually, the boy had found everyone except Clarissa, and all the kids started looking for her. A man said that he saw Clarissa sneak into the house. Everyone was about to go into the house when Mrs. Harrison came out of the house with tears running down her face. When Mr. Harrison asked her what was the matter, his wife told him that she found Clarissa in the basement at the bottom of the stairs. She was dead due to a broken neck.
"An official police investigation was launched and everyone was questioned, but they all had good alibis, including Mr. and Mrs. Harrison. Eventually, it was concluded that the poor girl had fallen to her death. They would have two other kids, twins actually, but they never got over the death of their firstborn. The children, named Oscar and Olivia, grew up and eventually left Redington. Their parents stayed in their house. Oscar became an architect and Olivia married a preacher. Years later, they returned to see their mother, who was on her deathbed. Her health had declined over the years despite her husband's best efforts. The doctor told her family that he could do nothing further and that soon she would be in heaven. He told them that she wanted to see her husband and her two children. They went in to see her, and during their talk, she shocked them all with the tearful confession that she was responsible for Clarissa's death. Apparently, she had found Clarissa in the basement and became angry since it was forbidden for Clarissa to play down there. Mrs. Harrison was dragging her up the stairs to put her in her room, but Clarissa was struggling to break free. She succeeded, but by then, they were at the door leading to the basement. The poor girl tumbled down the stairs and broke her neck. Mrs. Harrison, realizing that her daughter was dead, started to weep and blamed herself despite the fact that it was an accident. She kept this knowledge to herself as her own punishment. The day after this confession, she died.
"Now, eventually Mr. Harrison died at a ripe old age, leaving the house to Oscar. Already established in New York, Oscar rented out the house to tenants, but they left after a few days. When he asked them about what was wrong, they told him that they kept seeing a little girl dressed in white roaming the house.
"After Oscar's death, the house was left to Olivia, but by then the Great Depression affected the entire world. She had to sell the old family estate to a young businessman named Aldernook. Aldernook installed electrical lines and tried living there, but he left, citing the ghost of a little girl for the reason. Still, the house was used as a place for children to runaway to when they had problems at home. Usually, they came right back home. They did admit seeing a ghost of a little girl, but they weren't scared. They said that the ghost talked to them and eventually convinced them to go home. Paranormal experts have claimed to see the ghost and have produced pictures, but skeptics didn't accept their proof."
"So what does this George Maxson have to do with the Harrison house?" Shirley asked out of curiosity.
Lucy continued. "Well, a few years back, Aldernook's daughter married George Maxson, a man in the mall business, so to speak. When Aldernook kicked the bucket recently, he left everything, including the house, to his daughter. Maxson then came up with the idea of tearing the house down and building a new mall on the land. He managed to get the building permits from City Hall. After all, the house was old, and no one wanted to claim it or live there."
"Until the Redington Paranormal Society expressed an interest in it," Shirley said.
"Exactly," Lucy said. "Now Maxson's all bent out of shape that someone's actually trying to save the house. The temporary reprieve isn't exactly a good thing, either, and now that the Redington Historical Society is involved, his chances of building the mall are close to zero. He stands to lose a lot if the mall isn't built, about ten million or more."
"How do you know that?" Shirley asked.
"I estimated," Lucy answered quickly.
"I see." Shirley's suspicions were aroused further even more.
* * * * *
Once all of the kids were done with their food, they exited the Quazar Cafe. Lucy kept her word and paid for everything. After exchanging goodbyes with Shirley and her friends, Lucy and her friends left in their van to keep their promise to Mrs. March. Parker hurried out of there because he promised to be home before a certain time. The only ones left outside the Quazar Cafe were Shirley, Bo, Blake, and Bart.
"Very interesting people," Bart remarked as he watched the black van Lucy and her friends were using leave.
"Are you sure you're not just thinking about Susan?" Bo said teasingly.
Bart bowed his head and blushed. "You know, I've been thinking of applying for the Knight Foundation Scholarship Program if Sussex Academy accepts it."
"They were voting for it today after school, if I recall," Shirley said.
"Gee, I wonder why Bart would be interested in it now?" Blake said, flashing a grin.
"Well, Susan did say some great stuff about the program," Bart said as he went to his bike. "I'll see you guys tomorrow at school," he said before he took off on his bike.
Bo shook his head. "Looks like our resident ghost-and-UFO expert is growing up."
Blake noticed the intense, thoughtful look on Shirley's face as they waved goodbye to Bart. "Still suspicious of Lucy Knight?" he asked her.
"Very," Shirley admitted. "There's something strange about her and her friends."
"Definitely with the friends," Bo said. "One of them has silver hair and the other one dresses like Dracula Jr. and can incapacitate grown men with his fingers. Oh, and let's not forget that they are both in serious need of a tan."
"Katrina and Damian are indeed strange characters," Shirley acknowledged. "Katrina seemed to be able to read what was on my mind."
"Like a psychic?" Blake asked.
"Perhaps," Shirley said. "Still, the only link connecting all of them is the Knight Foundation Scholarship program. Blake, don't you think you...?"
Blake knew what Shirley was going to ask him. "Say no more, Shirley. Sherlock's on the case."
"Thanks, Blake," Shirley said as she got on her bike. "I'll see you guys later." As she rode her bike towards home, she wondered what was going on now in her life.
* * * * *
That night, Shirley watched the TV news with her family. The report about the protest rally at the Harrison house was going to be on the broadcast, and she did not want to miss it.
"As of now, the Redington Police Department hasn't figured out the riddle allegedly sent to them by the ENIGMA crime organization," the TV desk reporter said. A picture of the toy Chinese dragon was shown. "The riddle was spoken by--yes, this is true--a toy dragon that was delivered to the Police Department. When it was activated, it scratched the policeman who was holding it."
The screen switched to a policeman showing off his bandaged hand. "It hurt like hell, but I'll live," the policeman said.
"Any idea what the riddle means?" a reporter off-screen asked.
"Nope," the policeman answered. "We're still trying to figure it out."
As the report on the ENIGMA riddle concluded and the report on the protest rally was about to begin, the phone rang. "I'll get it," Shirley said, getting up from her seat. She went to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hi, Shirley. It's me, Blake," the person on the other line said.
"Hi, Blake. What did you find out?"
"Actually, I just confirmed that Hiroshi, Susan, and Damian are Knight Foundation Scholars," Blake reported. "I wasn't able to get more info on them, however."
"Why's that?" Shirley asked.
"Because I couldn't get through the security protocols for those files," Blake answered. "I tried every trick I knew, and I couldn't get any access. That's not even the weirdest part."
Now Shirley was really curious. "What was?"
"After trying probably for the umpteenth time to access the files, my screen went blank, and a message showed up," Blake revealed. "It said, 'Please don't pry, Sherlock, a.k.a. Blake Hewitt. Don't worry. I'll cover up your trail and charges won't be filed, but don't do this ever again. After all, we're on the same side. Excalibur.'"
"Excalibur?"
"Excalibur. That was the handle used. After that, I lost my connection and I was left staring at my desktop," Blake said.
Shirley started thinking over this new development, then checked the TV. She heard that the report on the protest rally was about to start. "Okay, thanks, Blake. I've got to go. I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"Okay, Shirley. Take care." Blake hung up.
Hanging up the phone, Shirley returned to her seat and saw that the news had moved on to sports. "Did I miss anything?" she asked her parents and Gran.
"I'm afraid you did," Gran said. "It was rather interesting about the Harrison house. Too bad some of the footage was ruined."
"What?" Shirley asked.
"Well, at certain parts of the footage, the images were too blurry or nonexistent," Mr. Holmes said. "Strangely, this happened when the alleged fight happened."
"Yes, although lots of people do complain about too much violence on TV," Dr. Holmes said with a little laugh.
"Good point, Mom," Shirley said, but her mind was on Lucy Knight and her friends. Things were getting even more interesting to the young sleuth.
END OF PART SEVEN
by HA
"You actually have a landing spot for aliens in your backyard?" Susan asked Bart.
"That's right," Bart said, beaming.
"Well, what does it look like?" Susan asked excitedly. "Does it look like a crop circle?"
Lucy watched Bart and Susan from the table she was sharing with Shirley inside the Quazar Cafe. Katrina was not there; she had gone to the bathroom before Alicia took their order. "Well, those two have certainly hit it off," she said with a smile.
"Indeed," Shirley said.
At the neighboring table, Bo, Blake, Parker, and Hiroshi watched Bart and Susan. Damian did not join them; instead he stood near them. "I'm amazed that Bart's actually interested in a girl that's alive and human," Bo said, grinning.
"The same can be said for Susan," Hiroshi said, laughing a little. "She's never really taken interest in a live boy before ever since I've know her."
"You two attend the same school?" Blake asked.
"Yep," Hiroshi answered. "We're in the same classes, actually."
"You know, Hiroshi," Bo said, recalling something, "I thought you'd be pursuing fame and fortune like your friend Madelyn."
"Yeah, well, my parents pretty much killed that idea," Hiroshi said with a smile. "They want me to finish my education, including going to a good university, before I try the fame game."
"With that prize money, you have a good start," Blake said. "Of course, you could also get the things you want."
"Sorry, no can do," Hiroshi said, shaking his head. "All the money went into a savings account. I can't touch the money until I'm college age. My parents feel that along with the money I'm getting from the Knight Foundation, I'll have a pretty good nest egg when I start my higher education."
"Money from the Knight Foundation?" Bo wondered.
"You're a Knight Foundation Scholar?" Blake asked.
"Yep," Hiroshi said proudly. "Great program. Most of the time, I don't have to sit in some boring class. Instead, I get to have adventures and learn at the same time."
Damian looked at Hiroshi sternly. "Hey, lighten up, D-Man, I wasn't going to say anything that's confidential," Hiroshi told him.
"Confidential?" Bo asked.
Hiroshi looked alarmed. "Um, forget I said that, okay?" he said, grinning.
Katrina emerged from the bathroom and sat by Lucy. "So, is everything okay?" she asked.
"Yes. All is well," Katrina answered.
Alicia came by with everyone's orders and started passing them out. She served Bart and Susan first, giving them vanilla milkshakes. "Enjoy, you guys," she told them with a grin.
Alicia moved to the girls' table and gave them their sandwiches. "Your usual, Shirley," she said as she handed the junior detective her sandwich after serving Lucy and Katrina.
"Peanut butter and blue cheese," Katrina observed as Alicia went to the boys' table. Shirley nodded silently. "Blake ordered the same thing," Katrina said.
"Yes, he did." Shirley bit into her sandwich and tried not to stare at Katrina.
Alicia handed the boys their orders. "Thank you, Alicia," Parker said with a grin as he received his order. "You look great."
"Uh, thanks, Parker." After serving the boys, Alicia looked at Damian. "You didn't order anything."
"I am not hungry nor thirsty," Damian replied simply.
Alicia gulped nervously. "Uh, well, I was wondering if you could leave. Some of the customers have been looking at you funny." She paused as Damian gazed at her. "No offense, but I think you're scaring people. I think they think that you're going to suck their blood or something like that."
Shirley heard this and looked around. Almost everyone was staring at Damian. Some of them looked absolutely frightened, and Shirley did not blame them. Damian Thorne gave her the creeps, but she kept this feeling to herself.
Damian nodded to Alicia. "I understand." He walked up to Lucy as she was eating her sandwich. "I will be waiting in the van," he told her.
"Okay, Damian," Lucy said. Damian exited the Quazar Cafe, and some of the customers breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their meals.
"If I remember correctly, everyone kept looking at you strangely when you came in," Shirley said, addressing Katrina. "Now they're rather calm about it."
"Katrina just doesn't have that threatening aura like Damian does," Lucy said with a grin. "People get used to Katrina. It's not the same thing with Damian."
"Why's that?" Shirley asked.
"I can't say," Lucy said, which piqued Shirley's curiosity even more.
At their table, Bart and Susan were now talking about the Knight Foundation Scholarship Program. "So you're a Knight Foundation Scholar?" Bart asked.
Susan nodded. "That's right."
"Tell me. What's it like?" Bart asked.
Susan thought for a moment. "Well, it is interesting. You get to go to other places and meet interesting people. It's much better than sitting in a classroom."
"I'll say. Do you have to deal with teachers who won't accept your beliefs in the supernatural and paranormal?" Bart asked, remembering how Mr. Howie and his peers treated him.
"When I have my normal classes, I do," Susan admitted. "Especially my science teacher. She hates it when I mention ghosts and aliens." She went into an impression and as she spoke, she wagged her finger. "Ghosts and aliens do not exist, young lady. There has not been conclusive proof that they do exist. Now return to studying your periodic table, Miss March."
Bart laughed, much to the surprise of his friends. "That's good," he told Susan.
"Well, not really," Susan admitted.
"I sound more like this, Miss March," a woman's voice declared. "How dare you talk about me behind my back!"
Frightened, Susan looked around, then saw the boys at the other table chuckling and laughing. She stared at Hiroshi. "Hiroshi!"
Hiroshi laughed. "Sorry about that, Susan, but I couldn't help myself. Besides, you didn't do it right," he said with a big grin.
"That wasn't bad," Bo said.
"Actually, that was excellent," Blake complemented. "So you're a mimic, too?"
"Yeah, that's me. Hiroshi Fujiyama, ventriloquist and voice mimic," Hiroshi said, beaming. "My special talents. It makes up for my lacking in other areas."
"Like math?" Susan said from her table. "I recall you getting a C- on our last test."
"Oh sure, rub that in," Hiroshi said, pretending to be hurt. "All Asians aren't good in math, you know."
Shirley looked at Lucy and was about to ask Lucy a question concerning the Harrison House when Katrina interrupted her. "You wish to know what's going on with the Harrison house."
"Yes," Shirley said, wishing that Katrina would stop doing that.
Bart joined the girls at their table. "Do you mind if I hear this story?"
"Not at all," Lucy said.
Susan sat down besides Bart. "I know this story, but I thought I'd listen to it again," she said, looking at Bart.
"Guys, you might want to hear this," Hiroshi recommended to Bo, Blake, and Parker. They got ready to listen.
Smiling at Bart and Susan, Lucy put down her sandwich and began her explanation. "Well, during the nineteenth century, a Mr. and Mrs. Harrison lived there, hence the name. They had one young daughter by the name of Clarissa. She was their only child at the time. Mr. Harrison was a well-known corn merchant, and he and his family were well-off. Mrs. Harrison was known to host numerous parties on the estate. One day, such a party was being held. It was a nice sunny day, so everyone was outside. The guests' children played with Clarissa while the men discussed local matters and the women gossiped among themselves. Mrs. Harrison went back inside the house now and then to check on things in the kitchen and helped the servants bring out the food and drinks. After a while, she stayed inside.
"Well, the kids decided to play hide-and-go-seek. While one of the boys started counting by a tree, the other kids looked for places to hide, including Clarissa. She decided to hide in the basement, and so she snuck into the house. Eventually, the boy had found everyone except Clarissa, and all the kids started looking for her. A man said that he saw Clarissa sneak into the house. Everyone was about to go into the house when Mrs. Harrison came out of the house with tears running down her face. When Mr. Harrison asked her what was the matter, his wife told him that she found Clarissa in the basement at the bottom of the stairs. She was dead due to a broken neck.
"An official police investigation was launched and everyone was questioned, but they all had good alibis, including Mr. and Mrs. Harrison. Eventually, it was concluded that the poor girl had fallen to her death. They would have two other kids, twins actually, but they never got over the death of their firstborn. The children, named Oscar and Olivia, grew up and eventually left Redington. Their parents stayed in their house. Oscar became an architect and Olivia married a preacher. Years later, they returned to see their mother, who was on her deathbed. Her health had declined over the years despite her husband's best efforts. The doctor told her family that he could do nothing further and that soon she would be in heaven. He told them that she wanted to see her husband and her two children. They went in to see her, and during their talk, she shocked them all with the tearful confession that she was responsible for Clarissa's death. Apparently, she had found Clarissa in the basement and became angry since it was forbidden for Clarissa to play down there. Mrs. Harrison was dragging her up the stairs to put her in her room, but Clarissa was struggling to break free. She succeeded, but by then, they were at the door leading to the basement. The poor girl tumbled down the stairs and broke her neck. Mrs. Harrison, realizing that her daughter was dead, started to weep and blamed herself despite the fact that it was an accident. She kept this knowledge to herself as her own punishment. The day after this confession, she died.
"Now, eventually Mr. Harrison died at a ripe old age, leaving the house to Oscar. Already established in New York, Oscar rented out the house to tenants, but they left after a few days. When he asked them about what was wrong, they told him that they kept seeing a little girl dressed in white roaming the house.
"After Oscar's death, the house was left to Olivia, but by then the Great Depression affected the entire world. She had to sell the old family estate to a young businessman named Aldernook. Aldernook installed electrical lines and tried living there, but he left, citing the ghost of a little girl for the reason. Still, the house was used as a place for children to runaway to when they had problems at home. Usually, they came right back home. They did admit seeing a ghost of a little girl, but they weren't scared. They said that the ghost talked to them and eventually convinced them to go home. Paranormal experts have claimed to see the ghost and have produced pictures, but skeptics didn't accept their proof."
"So what does this George Maxson have to do with the Harrison house?" Shirley asked out of curiosity.
Lucy continued. "Well, a few years back, Aldernook's daughter married George Maxson, a man in the mall business, so to speak. When Aldernook kicked the bucket recently, he left everything, including the house, to his daughter. Maxson then came up with the idea of tearing the house down and building a new mall on the land. He managed to get the building permits from City Hall. After all, the house was old, and no one wanted to claim it or live there."
"Until the Redington Paranormal Society expressed an interest in it," Shirley said.
"Exactly," Lucy said. "Now Maxson's all bent out of shape that someone's actually trying to save the house. The temporary reprieve isn't exactly a good thing, either, and now that the Redington Historical Society is involved, his chances of building the mall are close to zero. He stands to lose a lot if the mall isn't built, about ten million or more."
"How do you know that?" Shirley asked.
"I estimated," Lucy answered quickly.
"I see." Shirley's suspicions were aroused further even more.
* * * * *
Once all of the kids were done with their food, they exited the Quazar Cafe. Lucy kept her word and paid for everything. After exchanging goodbyes with Shirley and her friends, Lucy and her friends left in their van to keep their promise to Mrs. March. Parker hurried out of there because he promised to be home before a certain time. The only ones left outside the Quazar Cafe were Shirley, Bo, Blake, and Bart.
"Very interesting people," Bart remarked as he watched the black van Lucy and her friends were using leave.
"Are you sure you're not just thinking about Susan?" Bo said teasingly.
Bart bowed his head and blushed. "You know, I've been thinking of applying for the Knight Foundation Scholarship Program if Sussex Academy accepts it."
"They were voting for it today after school, if I recall," Shirley said.
"Gee, I wonder why Bart would be interested in it now?" Blake said, flashing a grin.
"Well, Susan did say some great stuff about the program," Bart said as he went to his bike. "I'll see you guys tomorrow at school," he said before he took off on his bike.
Bo shook his head. "Looks like our resident ghost-and-UFO expert is growing up."
Blake noticed the intense, thoughtful look on Shirley's face as they waved goodbye to Bart. "Still suspicious of Lucy Knight?" he asked her.
"Very," Shirley admitted. "There's something strange about her and her friends."
"Definitely with the friends," Bo said. "One of them has silver hair and the other one dresses like Dracula Jr. and can incapacitate grown men with his fingers. Oh, and let's not forget that they are both in serious need of a tan."
"Katrina and Damian are indeed strange characters," Shirley acknowledged. "Katrina seemed to be able to read what was on my mind."
"Like a psychic?" Blake asked.
"Perhaps," Shirley said. "Still, the only link connecting all of them is the Knight Foundation Scholarship program. Blake, don't you think you...?"
Blake knew what Shirley was going to ask him. "Say no more, Shirley. Sherlock's on the case."
"Thanks, Blake," Shirley said as she got on her bike. "I'll see you guys later." As she rode her bike towards home, she wondered what was going on now in her life.
* * * * *
That night, Shirley watched the TV news with her family. The report about the protest rally at the Harrison house was going to be on the broadcast, and she did not want to miss it.
"As of now, the Redington Police Department hasn't figured out the riddle allegedly sent to them by the ENIGMA crime organization," the TV desk reporter said. A picture of the toy Chinese dragon was shown. "The riddle was spoken by--yes, this is true--a toy dragon that was delivered to the Police Department. When it was activated, it scratched the policeman who was holding it."
The screen switched to a policeman showing off his bandaged hand. "It hurt like hell, but I'll live," the policeman said.
"Any idea what the riddle means?" a reporter off-screen asked.
"Nope," the policeman answered. "We're still trying to figure it out."
As the report on the ENIGMA riddle concluded and the report on the protest rally was about to begin, the phone rang. "I'll get it," Shirley said, getting up from her seat. She went to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hi, Shirley. It's me, Blake," the person on the other line said.
"Hi, Blake. What did you find out?"
"Actually, I just confirmed that Hiroshi, Susan, and Damian are Knight Foundation Scholars," Blake reported. "I wasn't able to get more info on them, however."
"Why's that?" Shirley asked.
"Because I couldn't get through the security protocols for those files," Blake answered. "I tried every trick I knew, and I couldn't get any access. That's not even the weirdest part."
Now Shirley was really curious. "What was?"
"After trying probably for the umpteenth time to access the files, my screen went blank, and a message showed up," Blake revealed. "It said, 'Please don't pry, Sherlock, a.k.a. Blake Hewitt. Don't worry. I'll cover up your trail and charges won't be filed, but don't do this ever again. After all, we're on the same side. Excalibur.'"
"Excalibur?"
"Excalibur. That was the handle used. After that, I lost my connection and I was left staring at my desktop," Blake said.
Shirley started thinking over this new development, then checked the TV. She heard that the report on the protest rally was about to start. "Okay, thanks, Blake. I've got to go. I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"Okay, Shirley. Take care." Blake hung up.
Hanging up the phone, Shirley returned to her seat and saw that the news had moved on to sports. "Did I miss anything?" she asked her parents and Gran.
"I'm afraid you did," Gran said. "It was rather interesting about the Harrison house. Too bad some of the footage was ruined."
"What?" Shirley asked.
"Well, at certain parts of the footage, the images were too blurry or nonexistent," Mr. Holmes said. "Strangely, this happened when the alleged fight happened."
"Yes, although lots of people do complain about too much violence on TV," Dr. Holmes said with a little laugh.
"Good point, Mom," Shirley said, but her mind was on Lucy Knight and her friends. Things were getting even more interesting to the young sleuth.
END OF PART SEVEN
