The Case of the Gold Thief--Part One
by HA
"As of now, speculation runs rampant at the railroad tracks near Redington as the police attempt to find out what caused a nearly fatal train crash," the desk reporter on the TV said while footage of a train wreck was being shown. "The police are calling it a miracle that no one was badly hurt."
Shirley Holmes' ears perked up as she ate her breakfast in the kitchen with her parents. Her grandmother had gone out for a morning jog around the neighborhood. While having his coffee, her father was trying to read his newspaper, which was full of holes as usual thanks to Shirley. Like Shirley, her mother was paying attention to the morning news.
"According to the police, the train was carrying a shipment of gold bars meant for the Bank of Redington last night when it was reportedly attacked and forced off the tracks," the reporter continued. "We asked the engineer, who is recovering from his injuries at a local hospital, about what happened. He declined to be shown on camera, but he did say that he heard something fly by the train and shoot out some of its wheels, causing it to steer off the tracks and crash."
Shirley rubbed her chin. Things were getting interesting for the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes.
"The police are not confirming this story, but they did confirm that nine of the train's wheels were shot by what appeared to be a laser. They also confirmed that the car carrying the gold has a hole burnt into the side, also apparently the work of a laser. As for the gold, it was shipped immediately to the Bank of Redington." The reporter stopped as he heard something being whispered to him from off-screen. "I've just been informed that the bank has confirmed nine gold bars are missing from the shipment. I repeat, nine gold bars are missing from the shipment."
Mr. Holmes shook his head upon hearing that information. "Rather dumb of the crook to just take nine out of so many bars of gold."
"It does sound strange," Dr. Holmes said. "Why make a train crash and just make off with a small amount of gold?"
Shirley thought harder. Things were really getting interesting.
* * * * *
"No offense, Shirley, but that sounds really dumb," Bo Sawchuk commented. "I mean, someone just attacked a train with a lot of gold and just made off with nine bars?"
"You sound like my father," Shirley said to her best friend.
"It's a strange crime, though," Blake Hewitt acknowledged.
The three friends were on their way to Sussex Academy, a prestigious private school that included the children of diplomats and local businesspeople. All were wearing the school uniform, which was mainly green and included a striped tie. Bo and Blake wore gray trousers while Shirley wore a skirt.
"Yes," Shirley said in agreement. "All that effort for a few measly bars of gold?"
"Boy, whoever did this has got to be the dumbest man on Earth," Bo said, laughing a little.
"Or may have a claim to being the smartest," Shirley said.
"What do you mean, Shirley?" Blake asked curiously.
"Well, if someone wanted to get my attention, he or she succeeded," Shirley said.
"Huh?" Bo said, puzzled. "Who'd want to get your attention?"
"My best bet would be the ENIGMA organization," Shirley stated.
Bo groaned. "Not again."
"Are you sure, Shirley?" Blake asked, concerned. "No riddle was found at the wreck, I think."
"True, but who else would use lasers on a train?" Shirley asked.
"Some other guys?" Bo said. "ENIGMA doesn't exactly have a monopoly on lasers, you know. There's got to be other bad guys with lasers out there."
"Maybe. Maybe not," Shirley said. "I don't want to establish a hypothesis without further proof. Still, they are at the top of my list."
Blake nodded in agreement. All three had managed to survive three encounters with the evil organization so far. They knew ENIGMA was determined to kill Shirley when it had the chance, but fortunately, success eluded it. The last encounter with ENIGMA served as a reminder to the junior detective and her friends that it would do anything to accomplish its sinister goal and hinted at its true power.
They arrived on school grounds early, much to Bo's amazement. "Hey, we're pretty much on time," he said, smiling.
Blake checked the time on his watch. "Yep. Maybe under ten minutes to spare."
Bo grinned. "We should do this more often."
Shirley spotted something parked near the administration building that got her attention. It was a long, white limousine with a logo on its side. A uniformed driver was waiting outside the car. Shirley looked at the logo from where she was standing and recognized it. "The Knight Foundation," she said, focusing on the white knight chess piece in a black circle.
Bo and Blake joined Shirley in looking at the white limousine. "What are they doing here?" Bo wondered.
"Maybe they wanted to talk with Ms. Stratmann regarding Mr. Knight's financial aid to the school," Blake said.
"Perhaps," Shirley said. A conglomerate based in Redington, the Knight Foundation had donated generously to the occasionally strapped-for-cash Sussex Academy, much to Ms. Stratmann's relief. Shirley had her suspicions about the Knight Foundation, but she had not come up with any proof of any potential wrongdoings by the company.
"Come to think of it, Bart went on a Knight Foundation Scholar trip somewhere in the northwestern United States," Blake remembered.
Bo pointed to his watch. "Um, guys, we'd better get going. I'm really not in the mood to be late for class."
Shirley was too busy paying attention to the limo. She watched as a man in a gray business suit stepped out of the administrative building. He was elderly and short, with a balding head and a white mustache and goatee. He was walking with a cane, but there was something about him that reminded Shirley of her grandmother. He walked as if he was younger despite the cane, with a light spring in his step. Shirley saw that he was speaking to himself in a jovial tone. The limo driver opened the door for him. After helping the man in, the driver went back to his seat and the limo pulled out of the driveway and left the school grounds.
"Hmmmmmm..." Shirley said, going into deep thought. Her trance-like state was broken by Bo tapping her on the shoulder.
"Hello," Bo said, pointing to his watch. "Almost time for class."
Shirley blinked, then watched as the limousine drove away. Answering Bo with a brief nod, she followed her friends into the school building.
* * * * *
Shirley and her friends settled down in their seats, ready to start the day. "Another day of school," Bo lamented. "Why?"
"Because we need to learn," Blake said.
"No, because our parents make us come here," Bo quipped. "And it's such a beautiful day. We shouldn't be cooped up in here."
"Ah, so you would prefer working at your parents' fish store than come here," Shirley said to her best friend.
"I stand corrected," Bo said with a grin, knowing how pungent the smell was over there. Blake laughed in a low voice. Shirley smiled a little.
The class was about to begin when Sussex Academy's headmistress, Ms. Stratmann, appeared in the doorway. "If I may have your attention, everyone," she declared.
All eyes were on the school headmistress. Dressed in conservative attire, Ms. Stratmann had that type of authoritative voice that demanded attention to its speaker. Her authority weas symbolized by the medal on her chest. Shirley noticed two girls standing behind the school headmistress. They were wearing the Sussex Academy uniform. Her blue eyes widened when she recognized them.
Bo and Blake also recognized them. One was Asian, with long black hair. A backpack was slung over one shoulder. She was normal-looking; her companion was the one getting the most attention. To be more specific, stares. Shirley saw the teacher's mouth almost agape. Deathly pale and with silver hair done in large, long pigtails, she looked at the class through half-opened eyes.
"Is that...?" Bo whispered to his friends.
"It is," Blake whispered back.
"Indeed," Shirley said, looking at the newcomers, especially the silver-haired girl.
"Everyone, please welcome the latest additions to the Sussex Academy student body, Rika Tamura and Katrina Mansfield," the headmistress announced, motioning to the girls. She seemed not to notice the color of Katrina's hair. "I'm sure you'll all make them feel welcome here."
Rika bowed to the class. "I'm happy to be part of this well-known institution," she said.
"As am I," Katrina said emotionlessly. She seemed to ignore the intense stares from her new classmates and teacher.
"Hoo boy," Bo remarked.
Shirley watched as the newcomers took empty seats next to her. *Things are really, really getting interesting,* the amateur sleuth thought.
END OF PART ONE
by HA
"As of now, speculation runs rampant at the railroad tracks near Redington as the police attempt to find out what caused a nearly fatal train crash," the desk reporter on the TV said while footage of a train wreck was being shown. "The police are calling it a miracle that no one was badly hurt."
Shirley Holmes' ears perked up as she ate her breakfast in the kitchen with her parents. Her grandmother had gone out for a morning jog around the neighborhood. While having his coffee, her father was trying to read his newspaper, which was full of holes as usual thanks to Shirley. Like Shirley, her mother was paying attention to the morning news.
"According to the police, the train was carrying a shipment of gold bars meant for the Bank of Redington last night when it was reportedly attacked and forced off the tracks," the reporter continued. "We asked the engineer, who is recovering from his injuries at a local hospital, about what happened. He declined to be shown on camera, but he did say that he heard something fly by the train and shoot out some of its wheels, causing it to steer off the tracks and crash."
Shirley rubbed her chin. Things were getting interesting for the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes.
"The police are not confirming this story, but they did confirm that nine of the train's wheels were shot by what appeared to be a laser. They also confirmed that the car carrying the gold has a hole burnt into the side, also apparently the work of a laser. As for the gold, it was shipped immediately to the Bank of Redington." The reporter stopped as he heard something being whispered to him from off-screen. "I've just been informed that the bank has confirmed nine gold bars are missing from the shipment. I repeat, nine gold bars are missing from the shipment."
Mr. Holmes shook his head upon hearing that information. "Rather dumb of the crook to just take nine out of so many bars of gold."
"It does sound strange," Dr. Holmes said. "Why make a train crash and just make off with a small amount of gold?"
Shirley thought harder. Things were really getting interesting.
* * * * *
"No offense, Shirley, but that sounds really dumb," Bo Sawchuk commented. "I mean, someone just attacked a train with a lot of gold and just made off with nine bars?"
"You sound like my father," Shirley said to her best friend.
"It's a strange crime, though," Blake Hewitt acknowledged.
The three friends were on their way to Sussex Academy, a prestigious private school that included the children of diplomats and local businesspeople. All were wearing the school uniform, which was mainly green and included a striped tie. Bo and Blake wore gray trousers while Shirley wore a skirt.
"Yes," Shirley said in agreement. "All that effort for a few measly bars of gold?"
"Boy, whoever did this has got to be the dumbest man on Earth," Bo said, laughing a little.
"Or may have a claim to being the smartest," Shirley said.
"What do you mean, Shirley?" Blake asked curiously.
"Well, if someone wanted to get my attention, he or she succeeded," Shirley said.
"Huh?" Bo said, puzzled. "Who'd want to get your attention?"
"My best bet would be the ENIGMA organization," Shirley stated.
Bo groaned. "Not again."
"Are you sure, Shirley?" Blake asked, concerned. "No riddle was found at the wreck, I think."
"True, but who else would use lasers on a train?" Shirley asked.
"Some other guys?" Bo said. "ENIGMA doesn't exactly have a monopoly on lasers, you know. There's got to be other bad guys with lasers out there."
"Maybe. Maybe not," Shirley said. "I don't want to establish a hypothesis without further proof. Still, they are at the top of my list."
Blake nodded in agreement. All three had managed to survive three encounters with the evil organization so far. They knew ENIGMA was determined to kill Shirley when it had the chance, but fortunately, success eluded it. The last encounter with ENIGMA served as a reminder to the junior detective and her friends that it would do anything to accomplish its sinister goal and hinted at its true power.
They arrived on school grounds early, much to Bo's amazement. "Hey, we're pretty much on time," he said, smiling.
Blake checked the time on his watch. "Yep. Maybe under ten minutes to spare."
Bo grinned. "We should do this more often."
Shirley spotted something parked near the administration building that got her attention. It was a long, white limousine with a logo on its side. A uniformed driver was waiting outside the car. Shirley looked at the logo from where she was standing and recognized it. "The Knight Foundation," she said, focusing on the white knight chess piece in a black circle.
Bo and Blake joined Shirley in looking at the white limousine. "What are they doing here?" Bo wondered.
"Maybe they wanted to talk with Ms. Stratmann regarding Mr. Knight's financial aid to the school," Blake said.
"Perhaps," Shirley said. A conglomerate based in Redington, the Knight Foundation had donated generously to the occasionally strapped-for-cash Sussex Academy, much to Ms. Stratmann's relief. Shirley had her suspicions about the Knight Foundation, but she had not come up with any proof of any potential wrongdoings by the company.
"Come to think of it, Bart went on a Knight Foundation Scholar trip somewhere in the northwestern United States," Blake remembered.
Bo pointed to his watch. "Um, guys, we'd better get going. I'm really not in the mood to be late for class."
Shirley was too busy paying attention to the limo. She watched as a man in a gray business suit stepped out of the administrative building. He was elderly and short, with a balding head and a white mustache and goatee. He was walking with a cane, but there was something about him that reminded Shirley of her grandmother. He walked as if he was younger despite the cane, with a light spring in his step. Shirley saw that he was speaking to himself in a jovial tone. The limo driver opened the door for him. After helping the man in, the driver went back to his seat and the limo pulled out of the driveway and left the school grounds.
"Hmmmmmm..." Shirley said, going into deep thought. Her trance-like state was broken by Bo tapping her on the shoulder.
"Hello," Bo said, pointing to his watch. "Almost time for class."
Shirley blinked, then watched as the limousine drove away. Answering Bo with a brief nod, she followed her friends into the school building.
* * * * *
Shirley and her friends settled down in their seats, ready to start the day. "Another day of school," Bo lamented. "Why?"
"Because we need to learn," Blake said.
"No, because our parents make us come here," Bo quipped. "And it's such a beautiful day. We shouldn't be cooped up in here."
"Ah, so you would prefer working at your parents' fish store than come here," Shirley said to her best friend.
"I stand corrected," Bo said with a grin, knowing how pungent the smell was over there. Blake laughed in a low voice. Shirley smiled a little.
The class was about to begin when Sussex Academy's headmistress, Ms. Stratmann, appeared in the doorway. "If I may have your attention, everyone," she declared.
All eyes were on the school headmistress. Dressed in conservative attire, Ms. Stratmann had that type of authoritative voice that demanded attention to its speaker. Her authority weas symbolized by the medal on her chest. Shirley noticed two girls standing behind the school headmistress. They were wearing the Sussex Academy uniform. Her blue eyes widened when she recognized them.
Bo and Blake also recognized them. One was Asian, with long black hair. A backpack was slung over one shoulder. She was normal-looking; her companion was the one getting the most attention. To be more specific, stares. Shirley saw the teacher's mouth almost agape. Deathly pale and with silver hair done in large, long pigtails, she looked at the class through half-opened eyes.
"Is that...?" Bo whispered to his friends.
"It is," Blake whispered back.
"Indeed," Shirley said, looking at the newcomers, especially the silver-haired girl.
"Everyone, please welcome the latest additions to the Sussex Academy student body, Rika Tamura and Katrina Mansfield," the headmistress announced, motioning to the girls. She seemed not to notice the color of Katrina's hair. "I'm sure you'll all make them feel welcome here."
Rika bowed to the class. "I'm happy to be part of this well-known institution," she said.
"As am I," Katrina said emotionlessly. She seemed to ignore the intense stares from her new classmates and teacher.
"Hoo boy," Bo remarked.
Shirley watched as the newcomers took empty seats next to her. *Things are really, really getting interesting,* the amateur sleuth thought.
END OF PART ONE
