The Case of the Haunted House--Part Eleven by HA

After everyone left the room, the talk Arthur requested with Shirley and her friends began. The only club members left with Arthur were Lucy and Katrina. Damian was waiting in the black van with Bart and Susan.

"Okay, Arthur, what do you want to talk about?" Shirley asked, watching as he blew soap bubbles from his pipe.

"According to my cousin, you have a lot of questions to ask," Arthur said. "I thought I'd take this time to answer any that I choose to answer."

"Cousin?" Bo looked at Lucy, then at Arthur. "You mean you're another cousin of Lucy's?"

"And another child prodigy," Lucy acknowledged. "He graduated from a university before me."

Arthur nodded. "Yes, I'm one of Lucy's cousins. I'm the son of Mr. Knight's late sister Alexandra, who married my father, Kenneth Kingston, also deceased. I'm originally from Washington state, in the Seattle area." During this retelling, Arthur closed his eyes as if in pain. Shirley wondered if the Kingstons had died in a horrible accident.

"They did," Katrina told Shirley, fixing her gaze on her.

"It was a terrorist bombing at the research facility they were working at," Arthur revealed, his eyes still closed. When he finally opened them, he looked at Shirley. "Care to start now?" he asked, seeming to have regained his steady manner.

"Very well, Arthur, or should I call you Excalibur?" Shirley said knowingly.

Arthur's mouth formed an amused smile. "Ah, you caught the reference to the little word play on my name. Congratulations."

"It was easy," Shirley said confidently. "Excalibur was the famed sword of King Arthur of Camelot. When I heard your name, it hit me."

"Wait, you mean you're the guy who kicked Blake out of the Knight Foundation's computer system?" Bo asked the Strangers' Club leader in amazement.

"I should add I did it in time, too," Arthur said. "The computers at the Knight Foundation have an extremely advanced security program. Even the most skilled hackers could've been detected within a few minutes." He fixed a gaze on Blake. "You're the one with the record time of staying within the system before being discovered, by the way. Consider it a consolation prize."

"Thanks," Blake said sincerely. "That system was a little tougher to hack than all the other systems I've been in."

Arthur blew more bubbles. "I'm afraid that as soon as you were in the system, your presence was detected. Your computer skills must be excellent since the security program didn't try to take action until a few minutes later, when you tried to hack into the files of some of our members. Still, if you had stayed longer, Mrs. LeMarche would've arrived at your house with a security team and you'd be incarcerated on computer break-in charges. I highly doubt your family, especially your father, would've been pleased by that."

"How do you know about the system's security program?" Shirley asked.

"I helped Lucy upgrade it," Arthur confessed, grinning.

"It's true," Lucy said. "The security program needed serious upgrading. Arthur and I upgraded the program a while back, especially around the Knight Foundation Scholar files."

"How did you know I was the one who broke into the system?" Blake asked. "In fact, how did you get informed about my break-in?"

"Well, you only accessed Knight Foundation Scholar files that belonged to some of our members," Arthur explained. "I suspected that Shirley was at work, but the unique techniques you were using clarified your identity. As for how I knew about your break-in, my personal computer is connected to the security system. Whenever someone tries to break into the system, an alarm goes off on my computer. So when you did, I took the usual measures and booted you off. I also erased your trail so that the official security wouldn't be able to trace it back to you."

"Thanks," Blake said appreciatively.

"No problem," Arthur said, dipping his pipe and blowing more bubbles. "Wouldn't want one of Shirley's sleuthing partners to be jailed for doing something he thought was right."

"So are all of the members of the Strangers' Club in the Knight Foundation Scholarship Program?" Shirley asked.

"Yes," Arthur admitted. "The traveling the program encourages helps to investigate cases that occur outside Redington."

"Cases?" Bo wondered. "What type of cases do you investigate?"

"Mainly things that have to do with the supernatural, paranormal, and anything else bizarre," Arthur answered. "That's why we're called the Strangers' Club. We look into the strange stuff whenever and wherever. I'm sure you've seen the other reason why we call ourselves that."

"I have a good idea," Bo muttered, glancing at Katrina's silver hair and recalling the dark, grim figure of Damian.

"So you use the Knight Foundation Scholarship program as a cover for your investigating?" Shirley asked.

"Exactly," Arthur said. "We also manage to turn in the most interesting assignments."

"You're just like the X-Files," Blake said to Arthur. "And the Redington Paranormal Society."

"Believe me, we're a little better equipped than either agency," Arthur said.

"How so?" Shirley asked.

"We 'borrow' parts from the Knight Foundation to make our various instruments," Arthur answered. "Our cases can be considered more dangerous that what you've been doing before recent times. Besides, Uncle Nathan never notices a few pieces of equipment missing here and there."

"He's sometimes too busy with business to notice," Lucy said. "That and he can be so scatter-brained also," she added with a smile.

"What do you use this stuff you take from the Knight Foundation for?" Blake asked.

"To build our equipment," Lucy answered. "It's specialized for what we investigate."

"Why do you have to build special equipment?" Shirley asked. "Can't you just get your equipment from the Redington Paranormal Society?"

"Because of the bizarre, and please believe me when I say the Redington Paranormal Society is ill-equipped for paranormal investigations," Arthur said. "We've encountered things that will convince even the most skeptical people. Sometimes we run into a situation that requires special equipment."

"Like forest spirits abducting people and ghosts of murder victims avenging their deaths?" Shirley said.

"Ah, you were paying attention when Sara was reading the last meeting's minutes," Arthur said, nodding with approval. "Your friend's mind there was wandering off during that." His gaze was on Bo.

"What?" Bo said. "It all sounded ridiculous."

"You're responsible for all those people reappearing and the Kersey girl's murderer revealing himself," Shirley declared to Arthur.

"Shirley, what are you talking about?" Blake asked.

"Although I wasn't able to get the newspaper before my dad in the mornings recently, I was able to get it later," Shirley explained. "During my afternoon clipping, I found two stories in the States. One involved a group of missing people, including the daughter of a local developer, who just came out of the local forest. Some of them had been missing for years and claimed to have been trapped in the trees by a ghost. The other involved a man who confessed to the rape-murder of the daughter of a local politician. He kept babbling about the ghost of the girl killing his friends."

Arthur nodded. "That's what we do."

"So why are you telling us all this?" Shirley asked, curious about Arthur's openness about his club's activities.

"Because I feel it's fair for you for me to do so, what with all the spying we've done on you and your crime-solving," Arthur said, smiling. "We know about you. Now you know a little about us. Also, we're so alike. We both investigate unusual situations and we both manage to solve them without letting anyone know we are responsible. We both feel that our reward is that we did some good in this seemingly bleak world." He blew more bubbles from his pipe. "Now, anything else you want to know?"

"Well, everyone in this club calls you and the other founders the 'Big Ten,'" Blake said.

"It's a little name they gave us. One that we've accepted," Arthur said, sounding a little annoyed. "Eventually."

"So where are the other two members of this Big Ten?" Shirley asked. "From what I saw, besides you, there's Lucy, Katrina, Damian, Rika, Marcus, Collette, and Sara."

"One of them is investigating a case somewhere in Pennsylvania," Lucy answered. "He's on his own," she added. Shirley noted that Lucy looked worried when she said that.

"The other founder never comes to the meetings," Arthur stated. "We keep him posted on a regular basis."

"Why doesn't he come to the meetings?" Blake asked.

"I'm afraid that's a secret," Arthur answered firmly, then he changed the subject. "I presume that you're curious on why your friend is being considered by us for membership."

"Yeah," Bo said, looking at Arthur suspiciously. "Why Bart?"

Arthur shrugged. "Why not? He fits the bill as a potential member of the Strangers' Club."

"How did you learn about Bart?" Shirley asked. "He's not exactly someone who's normally in the public eye a lot."

"We first learned about him when we read that article in the Redington Paranormal Society's official newsletter," Lucy revealed. "The one about his encounter with the poltergeist."

"We eventually found out that he was one of your friends, so we launched our own investigation into the poltergeist." Arthur shook his head, disappointed. "We weren't exactly pleased initially when we found out it was a hoax."

"What? You knew that the whole poltergeist thing was fake?" Bo said.

"Set up by Bart's grandfather with some help," Arthur said with a nod.

"If you knew, why didn't you tell him?" Shirley inquired curiously.

"The same reason you didn't tell him," Arthur said, smiling. "We didn't want to crush his spirit."

"Wouldn't something like that ruin his chances of joining the Strangers' Club?" Blake asked.

"No, actually," Lucy answered.

"Why not?" Shirley asked.

Arthur blew more bubbles before answering. "You see, we don't view actual experiences with the extremely bizarre as a prerequisite for membership. Just a positive dedication to investigating it will do for us. Bart is a striking example of this. It's his dedication that attracted our attention, not his actual feats."

"I presume that the alien child made him more legitimate in the eyes in some of your doubtful members," Shirley said.

"It did," Arthur said.

Bo was still suspicious. "Okay, here's something that's been on my mind. Did you use Susan to lure Bart so that he'd actually want to join this club?"

Arthur laughed a little and did not seem offended at this accusation. "No, no, no. Susan was assigned to look into Bart and study him, but I think as she did, she became genuinely enamored with him. So all the affection she was showing him is real, I assure you. In fact, that's why I assigned Hiroshi to go with them. To make sure they stick to business." This was said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Shirley saw how Lucy and Katrina were staring at the leader of the Strangers' Club. Apparently Arthur Kingston was not someone you expected to be lighthearted. Bo was still suspicious, however.

Arthur blew more bubbles from his pipe, then his voice took a more serious tone. "Now, you and your two friends here have gotten yourselves in serious trouble with a certain organization." He looked thoughtful. "The full name is the Establishment for Nefarious, Insidious, Global, and Malevolent Acts, but it's better known as ENIGMA."

Shirley's interest increased upon hearing the name of the criminal organization that recently became a part of her life. "What do you know about ENIGMA?"

"A little more than what the public knows," Arthur said. "We do have our sources."

"What are these sources?" Shirley asked.

"I can't say," Arthur said, shaking his head. "I do know that there's more to them than meets the eye."

"Why do you say that?" Bo asked.

"Consider this," Arthur said. "Why would a worldwide group of mercenaries focus their efforts on a young girl in a relatively small city in Canada?"

"I think ENIGMA's still a little bitter about us with that thing with the Mona Lisa that exposed them to the world," Bo pointed out.

"True, but think about this. Why would ENIGMA go to such lengths to kidnap your archrival to acquire a ruby ring that could've been easily stolen with their fantastic equipment?" Arthur said, pointing his pipe at Shirley.

"They wanted to meet me, so to speak," Shirley said, recalling that the ENIGMA leader was coordinating the operation through a specially-fitted dummy.

"Yes, and that means that the group's taken an interest in you," Arthur said gravely. "A dangerous interest. I felt you needed to know about us."

"Why?" Blake asked.

Arthur dipped his pipe into the glass and blew more bubbles. "Believe me, you'll need all the help you can get."

"Oh really?" Bo said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Why would we need your help?"

Arthur fixed his eyes on Bo. "You'll find out."

"So, have you figured out the dragon's riddle yet?" Lucy asked Shirley.

"She's still working on it," Blake revealed.

"You were trying to warn me about ENIGMA," Shirley said, looking at Katrina, who nodded silently in response.

"That is correct," Arthur said. "Sorry for the way we've bothered your sleep and nearly ruined your permanent record, but we needed a way to communicate our message with you."

"Ever try the phone, a letter, or e-mail?" Bo said dryly.

"Well, I wanted to send our message in a way that would've been worthy of the attention of someone carrying on Sherlock Holmes' legacy," Arthur said. "Something bizarre and interesting. So, I had Katrina go into your dreams with certain symbols."

"I see," Shirley said. "One thing still eludes me, though."

"What would that be?" Arthur asked.

"What did the question mark man mean?" Shirley asked. That was the only part of her dreams that still baffled her.

Arthur smiled mysteriously. "Oh, that. I consider that a type of advertising. Katrina did that on my order also." He reached into his pants pocket and took out a card. "This will explain all," he said as he handed the card to Shirley. "It's our symbol. We leave it when we solve our cases. Curiously, it never shows up in the newspapers. Perhaps the authorities have enough to digest as it is, what with all the other weird stuff they have to sort through."

Shirley studied the card. "Look at this," she told her friends.

Bo and Blake looked over Shirley's shoulder and saw what she saw. The card had a white face with a black bowler and a black bowtie. A black question mark covered the entire face.

"Exactly like the man in my dream," Shirley said softly.

As Shirley and her friends looked at the card, Arthur looked at the clock on the wall. "I'm afraid we must depart," he told Shirley. "Mr. Chang has a reservation for this room coming in about five minutes. Damian will take you and your friends home."

* * * * *

After Damian dropped him off at the Sussex Academy dormitory, Bart got ready for bed, excited about tomorrow night. He could not believe his good luck. He was given the chance to take the picture of one of the city's most famous ghosts. If he succeeded and the picture was of perfect quality, he would more likely be accepted into a group that appreciated and shared his beliefs in the supernatural and paranormal.

Bart climbed into his bed and sighed when Susan came into his thoughts. He admitted to himself that she was not the most beautiful girl in Redington. He wondered if all the boys at her school found her an easy target for insults. His blood boiled at that thought, for she had a bright mind and that was the thing that attracted him to her. When he talked with her at the Quazar Cafe, he found her to be a kindred spirit. When he mentioned aliens, ghosts, and the like, she did not ridicule them like his friends would. Instead, she offered her own insights on them, and sometimes her ideas coincided with his. He never thought that he would find a girl who shared the same beliefs he did, but during that moment at the protest rally when their hands touched and they looked into each other's eyes and when they talked at the Quazar Cafe, he knew that he found someone he could consider his soulmate.

Bart started to doze off when he heard a little girl's voice whisper to him. "Please save my home, Bart. Please save my home, Bart."

Bart opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw. Standing at the foot of his bed was the girl he saw on the porch of the Harrison house.

"Please save my home, Bart," the little girl pleaded.

Bart wanted to say "How did you get in here?", but he had a good answer to that question. Instead, he asked, "How? How can I save your home?"

Before he could get an answer, the little girl faded away, leaving Bart alone in his dorm room.

END OF PART ELEVEN