Chapter 6: Old School Chums At The Harry Potter
The Manhasset Public Library, a stately building overlooking Beau Folsom Park. It had the exterior appearance of an ancient Greek or Roman temple, and it's been said that within the library's walls, every book in human history can be found. Gene had been to the library many times before, mainly for school-related matters, but he had been going to the library almost every day to check his e-mail ever since his computer was confiscated. When he came to the library after the Diet Club meeting, he noticed something very different about it.
Its name was changed. To "Harry Potter Public Library."
Not only that, but there were cast-bronze statues of Harry and his pet owl at the center of the fountain in front of the entrance. Gene walked closer to the fountain, and saw a plaque at the base of the statue. It read, "Dedicated To Harry Potter, For Making Kids Put Down Their Joysticks And Start Reading Frikkin' Books Again. And Because Every Great Fanfic Must Involve Harry Potter In One Way Or Another."
Gene entered the library, and found Harry Potter-related posters all over the walls and bookcases. All bearing cheesy slogans and catch phrases, like "Reading Is Magical" and "A Great Book Is More Satisfying Than A Well-Played Game of Quidditch, Especially If J. K. Rowling Happened To Write It." Gene looked for the Internet terminals, muttering something about a man named Pitcairn who always took jokes too far.
Gene heard a familiar voice calling. "Hey, Gene! It's been a while!"
It was Gene's old friend from school, Colin Faden, studying at one of the tables with two more of his friends, Leslie Feldheim and Ceryle Vanderpool. They were all taking notes and reading books with pictures of exotic-looking plants.
"Colin! Ceryle! Leslie! Doing something for school?"
"Yeah, we're doing research for a group presentation in our Botany class," said Colin.
"It's about the poisonous plants of Alberia," said Ceryle.
"We're all taking summer classes at Manhasset University, so we can get all the required credits out of the way as soon as possible," said Leslie.
Ceryle stood up to get a closer look at Gene. She was a year younger and slightly shorter than Colin and Leslie, but she graduated the same year as them because she skipped a grade when she was in elementary school. She knew Gene ever since they were children, and she always had a crush on him, although he never really got her signals. Once, a long time ago, she even saved his life when he was attacked by a street gang.
"You look like you've lost some weight, Gene. What happened?" Ceryle asked, her eyes on his progressively shrinking belly.
"Well, you know that new weight loss center called 'Diet Club' that opened about a month ago?"
Leslie filled in the blank. "Let me guess, your parents forced you to join?"
"Yeah, and I've been hating every minute of it. The whole operation's run by this one nurse, who made me completely change my diet. Now I can't eat anything but salads, with this nasty dressing. It's made me need to go to the bathroom a lot more often, if you know what I mean."
"So you're saying that there might be something in the salad dressing that's causing this?" Colin asked.
"There has to be. Who knows, maybe it's some kind of poisonous plant extract. Or maybe it's made in a factory with a bunch of people throwing up in jars, packaging it, and labeling it as salad dressing."
"Unlikely!" Leslie interrupted. "You've never really had salad before you started this diet, have you?"
"No, not to my knowledge. Unless you count macaroni and potato salad. Which, unfortunately, despite their names, are strictly forbidden."
"Well then, maybe you're just not used to the taste of it. Maybe it's just balsamic vinegar or something."
"That doesn't explain the severe reaction I'm getting, though."
Ceryle made a suggestion. "You could always look at the bottle of the salad dressing, find out where it's made, and break into that place so you could investigate. I'm sure it's somewhere in Manhasset."
"You know, Ceryle, that's a great idea!" Gene ran off.
Three more pills, one more salad, one more agonizing bathroom session. It was both physically and mentally draining for Gene. But he knew something was up, so he checked the address on the bottle of salad dressing. It read, "Diet Club Supply House, 8030 E 46th St." Although the thoroughfares in Manhasset were all named for "Secret of Evermore" staff members, they were referred to by their numbers in official and business-related cases, so people from outside the city would have an easier time finding them.
The supply house was only a short distance from the Rothmans' apartment, so Gene decided to walk there. He noticed he had been doing a lot more walking these past few days; perhaps it was because his new, thinner body made it possible for him to exercise more without getting tired.
It was a gray warehouse with metallic outer walls. Guards, wearing gray and red suits and carrying guns were watching the front entrance, so Gene had to circle around the building to find an alternate entrance. He eventually found a ramp leading up to a huge door, with a sign reading "Supply Dock" above it. Gene inconspicuously entered the warehouse, watching for guards at every corner.
The "Supply Dock" entrance led to a room which had cardboard boxes piled to the ceiling. The boxes read "Warning" and "Danger," and some boxes were open. Gene opened one of the cardboard boxes and took out a couple of giant glass bottles full of liquid that was almost exactly the same color as the salad dressing, except much clearer. The labels on these bottles read "Poison." Gene gasped.
In the next room, Gene saw what looked like little puddles of vomit and excrement moving across a conveyor belt. There was a pipe connected to a machine at the opposite end of the room, and Gene noticed the puddles were coming out of the pipe. He then saw a door on the side of the machine which led into it. Gene's heart raced when the door opened, and Rachel walked out! She was wearing the same gray and red uniform of the guards, so Gene ran out of the factory as fast as he could. Before he left, he took one of the bottles of poison as his evidence. He had always suspected that the three ladies in the waiting room were somehow in on Diet Club's evil scheme, and now he had undeniable proof.
The Manhasset Public Library, a stately building overlooking Beau Folsom Park. It had the exterior appearance of an ancient Greek or Roman temple, and it's been said that within the library's walls, every book in human history can be found. Gene had been to the library many times before, mainly for school-related matters, but he had been going to the library almost every day to check his e-mail ever since his computer was confiscated. When he came to the library after the Diet Club meeting, he noticed something very different about it.
Its name was changed. To "Harry Potter Public Library."
Not only that, but there were cast-bronze statues of Harry and his pet owl at the center of the fountain in front of the entrance. Gene walked closer to the fountain, and saw a plaque at the base of the statue. It read, "Dedicated To Harry Potter, For Making Kids Put Down Their Joysticks And Start Reading Frikkin' Books Again. And Because Every Great Fanfic Must Involve Harry Potter In One Way Or Another."
Gene entered the library, and found Harry Potter-related posters all over the walls and bookcases. All bearing cheesy slogans and catch phrases, like "Reading Is Magical" and "A Great Book Is More Satisfying Than A Well-Played Game of Quidditch, Especially If J. K. Rowling Happened To Write It." Gene looked for the Internet terminals, muttering something about a man named Pitcairn who always took jokes too far.
Gene heard a familiar voice calling. "Hey, Gene! It's been a while!"
It was Gene's old friend from school, Colin Faden, studying at one of the tables with two more of his friends, Leslie Feldheim and Ceryle Vanderpool. They were all taking notes and reading books with pictures of exotic-looking plants.
"Colin! Ceryle! Leslie! Doing something for school?"
"Yeah, we're doing research for a group presentation in our Botany class," said Colin.
"It's about the poisonous plants of Alberia," said Ceryle.
"We're all taking summer classes at Manhasset University, so we can get all the required credits out of the way as soon as possible," said Leslie.
Ceryle stood up to get a closer look at Gene. She was a year younger and slightly shorter than Colin and Leslie, but she graduated the same year as them because she skipped a grade when she was in elementary school. She knew Gene ever since they were children, and she always had a crush on him, although he never really got her signals. Once, a long time ago, she even saved his life when he was attacked by a street gang.
"You look like you've lost some weight, Gene. What happened?" Ceryle asked, her eyes on his progressively shrinking belly.
"Well, you know that new weight loss center called 'Diet Club' that opened about a month ago?"
Leslie filled in the blank. "Let me guess, your parents forced you to join?"
"Yeah, and I've been hating every minute of it. The whole operation's run by this one nurse, who made me completely change my diet. Now I can't eat anything but salads, with this nasty dressing. It's made me need to go to the bathroom a lot more often, if you know what I mean."
"So you're saying that there might be something in the salad dressing that's causing this?" Colin asked.
"There has to be. Who knows, maybe it's some kind of poisonous plant extract. Or maybe it's made in a factory with a bunch of people throwing up in jars, packaging it, and labeling it as salad dressing."
"Unlikely!" Leslie interrupted. "You've never really had salad before you started this diet, have you?"
"No, not to my knowledge. Unless you count macaroni and potato salad. Which, unfortunately, despite their names, are strictly forbidden."
"Well then, maybe you're just not used to the taste of it. Maybe it's just balsamic vinegar or something."
"That doesn't explain the severe reaction I'm getting, though."
Ceryle made a suggestion. "You could always look at the bottle of the salad dressing, find out where it's made, and break into that place so you could investigate. I'm sure it's somewhere in Manhasset."
"You know, Ceryle, that's a great idea!" Gene ran off.
Three more pills, one more salad, one more agonizing bathroom session. It was both physically and mentally draining for Gene. But he knew something was up, so he checked the address on the bottle of salad dressing. It read, "Diet Club Supply House, 8030 E 46th St." Although the thoroughfares in Manhasset were all named for "Secret of Evermore" staff members, they were referred to by their numbers in official and business-related cases, so people from outside the city would have an easier time finding them.
The supply house was only a short distance from the Rothmans' apartment, so Gene decided to walk there. He noticed he had been doing a lot more walking these past few days; perhaps it was because his new, thinner body made it possible for him to exercise more without getting tired.
It was a gray warehouse with metallic outer walls. Guards, wearing gray and red suits and carrying guns were watching the front entrance, so Gene had to circle around the building to find an alternate entrance. He eventually found a ramp leading up to a huge door, with a sign reading "Supply Dock" above it. Gene inconspicuously entered the warehouse, watching for guards at every corner.
The "Supply Dock" entrance led to a room which had cardboard boxes piled to the ceiling. The boxes read "Warning" and "Danger," and some boxes were open. Gene opened one of the cardboard boxes and took out a couple of giant glass bottles full of liquid that was almost exactly the same color as the salad dressing, except much clearer. The labels on these bottles read "Poison." Gene gasped.
In the next room, Gene saw what looked like little puddles of vomit and excrement moving across a conveyor belt. There was a pipe connected to a machine at the opposite end of the room, and Gene noticed the puddles were coming out of the pipe. He then saw a door on the side of the machine which led into it. Gene's heart raced when the door opened, and Rachel walked out! She was wearing the same gray and red uniform of the guards, so Gene ran out of the factory as fast as he could. Before he left, he took one of the bottles of poison as his evidence. He had always suspected that the three ladies in the waiting room were somehow in on Diet Club's evil scheme, and now he had undeniable proof.
