"Maureen?!" Joey cried, helping her up. "What the heck are you doin' here?!"
The brunette woman pushed Joey away and dusted herself off, her eyes narrowing. "I'm an FBI agent," she announced finally.
"FBI agent?" Seto wasn't about to believe it.
"Maureen, I had no idea," Tea exclaimed. "Are you investigating Mr. Byrnes?" she asked.
"Well . . ." Maureen stood, arms akimbo. "I don't know why I should tell you kids anything, unless you tell me why you're snooping around in here."
"Fair enough," Yami Yugi smiled, appearing on the scene along with Yugi, Bakura, and Tristan. He explained about the picture Byrnes had stolen and that they'd come to ask why he'd taken it. "Somehow we were locked in and we've been trying to find our way out ever since."
"Who would lock you in?" Maureen demanded.
"We don't know," Seto said, crossing his arms. "But now we've told why we're here, so you should keep your end of the bargain."
Tea glared at Seto, thinking that that was no way to talk to an FBI agent.
Maureen, however, seemed unruffled. "Fair is fair," she said. "I *am* investigating Byrnes. And these pictures here prove that he's the criminal I've been looking for."
"What's the guy done?" Joey asked.
"That's classified," Maureen replied.
"We've been fooled by people sayin' they're FBI agents before," Joey stated.
Seto nodded in agreement. "I don't think we'll believe you that easily. If you're investigating Byrnes, why are you working for Thorton? Your story doesn't really make sense."
Maureen heaved a huge sigh. "Okay, you got me. I'm not very good at making up stories. I should've known better than to try fooling Seto Kaiba."
"Why would you need to make one up at all?" Yugi asked, concerned. "Couldn't you just tell us the truth?"
Maureen ran a hand through her hair, seeming to be considering how to answer. Finally she smiled weakly and seemed to relent. "You seem like trustworthy kids," she said slowly. "I know Tea is, at least, having worked with her the last few weeks. I guess I could tell you my story, but let's not stay in here." She turned to the door.
Seto took the folder with the pictures and replaced it in the filing cabinet.
"Hey, good thinkin'," Joey grinned. "We'll get everything back the way it was so's Byrnes won't know we was in here!"
"He'll know we were anyway if there's a hidden camera anywhere around," Seto remarked.
Joey messed up his hair in frustration. "Man, do you havta always be so negative?!"
"I'm being realistic." Seto turned to walk away.
****
Maureen, it turned out, had used a remote control on the alarm system, and once everyone was safely out she used the remote to turn it back on again. "There," she said, and shrugged. "Now, everyone back to Toys, Etc." She led the way down the deserted corridors. The teens occasionally would pass a janitor hard at work, but otherwise met no one else.
When they got back inside the store, Maureen shut the glass door tightly and locked it, then walked over to the counter and leaned against it.
"Alright," Joey said impatiently, "what's the scoop?!"
Maureen sighed. "Okay. Well, a few weeks ago I was waiting for a train after visiting with my grandparents. I happened to notice this guy taking pictures of this woman and little girl boarding another train and I couldn't figure out why he was doing it. Then suddenly my train arrived and as I boarded, I turned around for one last look—but the man was gone."
"Kinda freaky," Joey remarked.
"What's the rest of the story?" Seto asked.
Maureen pushed herself up onto the countertop and let her legs dangle over the edge. "Well, I never could forget that incident. The mother had seemed so frantic, so anxious to get her daughter on the train. . . . I knew something strange was going on, but I didn't know what to do about it. I was drawn to them for some reason I couldn't identify.
"Then I met the manager of Jim Eiffel Furniture a couple of weeks ago and realized that he had been the one taking those pictures. I casually asked him if he liked photography, but he abruptly said no and then disappeared into Thorton's office. I heard them yelling about something, but with all the customers I couldn't really pay attention to what it was all about."
She crossed her arms and stared pointedly at Seto. "Then I saw you with her—the little girl. I was absolutely floored, but I knew better than to say anything at the moment."
"Still don't explain what'd make you come in here," Joey remarked. "You didn't even know about those pictures in Byrnes' cabinet, did you? Or the ones in Thorton's office?"
Maureen shook her head. "That's where you're wrong. I caught sight of the photo of the frantic woman in Thorton's office and knew instantly that she was the same one from the train station. And on the subject of Byrnes' pictures, I had been hoping for a long time to get into his office to check things out. I figured if those pictures were important—and I'm sure they are—he might've kept them somewhere in there." She paused. "Anyway, all I wanted was to get to the bottom of the mystery and find out what was up with that girl and her mother," she concluded. "I said I was an FBI agent because I was hoping you'd leave me alone and not report me to the police for breaking in here."
The other teens nodded silently, Maureen's story seeming to make sense, but then Yugi exclaimed suddenly, "I just thought of something! If Thorton is mixed up in this, why didn't he recognize Mara when Kaiba carried her into the office?"
"That is kinda weird," Joey agreed.
Seto had, of course, thought of that as well. It was odd, but then so was everything about this case. "There's not much more we can do about this tonight," he said finally. In the morning he figured they could question Thorton and Byrnes again, but right now it was too late to do anything but go home and get some sleep. The other teens readily agreed and soon they all went their separate ways.
****
Joey chose to walk home by himself, and as he passed through the streets lit brightly with Christmas lights, he suddenly heard his name being called and turned around. A small boy around Mokuba's age was running through his snow-covered yard and over to the decrepit fence. "Joey! Hey!"
Joey smiled and went over to his young friend. "Hey, Bobby," he returned, a bit puzzled. "What the heck are you doin' up so late? It must be almost one in the morning or somethin'!"
Bobby shrugged. "Yeah, well, Mom is out working late at the diner again and so Annie and I decided we'd surprise her with a clean house." He grinned lopsidedly. "Boy, I never realized how long it took to get things straightened up around here!" Bobby and Annie's father had been injured while at his job, and so their mother had taken on a second job to help with the income while he was laid up at home.
Joey laughed and tousled the boy's hair. "Yeah, but I bet you're developin' lots of muscles!"
"Sure am!" Bobby agreed, and then paused. "So, what's going on with you, Joey? Why are *you* up so late?!"
"Heh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, kid!" Joey replied.
"Come on, try me!" Bobby insisted.
Briefly Joey explained about the day's events, while Bobby—and Annie, who had joined them—listened intently.
"Stuffed animals came to life?" six-year-old Annie exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Were there any elephants?"
Joey chuckled. "Yeah. Bakura got pinned down by one," he told them.
After the laughing had died down, Bobby announced, "I see Mr. Thorton all the time. He lives across the street from us."
Joey blinked. "You're pullin' my leg," he said.
"Nope, it's for real," Bobby replied. "And comin' to think about it, I saw something really strange this morning!" His eyes gleamed, as if he was about to reveal a juicy secret.
Joey's curiosity was instantly aroused. "Yeah? What'd you see?"
"The police!" Bobby declared.
Joey mouth dropped open. "At Mr. Thorton's place?!" he demanded, wanting to make sure he understood things correctly.
"Yep!" Annie chimed in. "We both saw them!"
"Did they arrest him?" Joey asked.
"No," Bobby said slowly, "but they sure stayed there for a long time quizzing him about something! When they finally left and Mr. Thorton came out to drive to work, he looked even more jittery than usual—and you know how jittery he usually is!"
"Heh, I sure do," Joey grinned, then sobered again. "You think the police really shook him up, eh?" He couldn't conceal his immense interest in all this.
"They sure did!" Annie said with a firm nod.
"I don't suppose you heard what they were quizzin' him about, did you?" Joey leaned on the fence and watched the kids hopefully.
"No, but I'm sure we could find out!" Bobby grinned mischievously.
"Bobby, it's not nice to spy!" Annie scolded.
Joey concurred. As much as he wanted to crack this case, he didn't want to get these kids involved. "That's alright, Bobby," he said hurriedly. "I was just wonderin'." He turned to go. "I'd better let you kids get to bed."
"Bye, Joey!" the kids chorused.
"Come play with us again soon!" Annie added.
"I will," Joey smiled, walking on down the street. So now he knew where Thorton lived. And the guy had been questioned by the police! Why? This could be a very important clue. He would have to speak with a friend he had at the police station and see what she could tell him.
His thoughts turned to Bobby's family. He knew they probably wouldn't be having much of a Christmas this year, what with their limited income and the dad being hurt. He wondered if he could help in some way.
He'd think more about all this tomorrow, he decided. Right now he just wanted a good night's sleep.
****
When Seto arrived back at the Kaiba Manor after taking Tea and some of the others to their homes, he discovered Mokuba and Mara were still wide awake in the living room. They seemed to jump in fright when they heard the door open.
"What's going on?" Seto asked, and the two younger kids both looked up.
"Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed in delight, and he and Mara both ran to him and leaped into his arms. Seto was not used to holding two kids, and he was momentarily thrown off balance. He soon righted himself, however, and smiled at them both. "I'm so glad you're home, Seto," Mokuba declared, and Mara nodded in agreement.
"I'm glad to be home," Seto replied. "Did anything strange happen while I was gone?" he asked, remembering how Mokuba and Mara had both acted scared when he'd opened the door.
"Something sure did!" Mara said emphatically, shuddering. "Some weird person called on the phone and said . . ." She trailed off.
"What did they say, kid?" Seto prompted gently.
Mara gulped. "They . . . they said that . . . you should stop investigating into my Mommy's and Daddy's disappearing or . . ." She couldn't finish.
"Big brother, they said they'd kill you!" Mokuba sobbed.
Seto was appalled. "They came right out and said that to you and Mara?!" How could anyone be so evil as to upset little kids like that?! he thought angrily.
Mokuba nodded, blinking back tears. "And then they just hung up," he concluded. "Seto, you've gotta be really careful!" he pleaded. "I can't lose you, big brother!"
"I'll be careful, kid," Seto said tenderly. "Don't worry."
Suddenly Mara screamed. "Some awful man is looking in the window!!" she shrieked.
The brunette woman pushed Joey away and dusted herself off, her eyes narrowing. "I'm an FBI agent," she announced finally.
"FBI agent?" Seto wasn't about to believe it.
"Maureen, I had no idea," Tea exclaimed. "Are you investigating Mr. Byrnes?" she asked.
"Well . . ." Maureen stood, arms akimbo. "I don't know why I should tell you kids anything, unless you tell me why you're snooping around in here."
"Fair enough," Yami Yugi smiled, appearing on the scene along with Yugi, Bakura, and Tristan. He explained about the picture Byrnes had stolen and that they'd come to ask why he'd taken it. "Somehow we were locked in and we've been trying to find our way out ever since."
"Who would lock you in?" Maureen demanded.
"We don't know," Seto said, crossing his arms. "But now we've told why we're here, so you should keep your end of the bargain."
Tea glared at Seto, thinking that that was no way to talk to an FBI agent.
Maureen, however, seemed unruffled. "Fair is fair," she said. "I *am* investigating Byrnes. And these pictures here prove that he's the criminal I've been looking for."
"What's the guy done?" Joey asked.
"That's classified," Maureen replied.
"We've been fooled by people sayin' they're FBI agents before," Joey stated.
Seto nodded in agreement. "I don't think we'll believe you that easily. If you're investigating Byrnes, why are you working for Thorton? Your story doesn't really make sense."
Maureen heaved a huge sigh. "Okay, you got me. I'm not very good at making up stories. I should've known better than to try fooling Seto Kaiba."
"Why would you need to make one up at all?" Yugi asked, concerned. "Couldn't you just tell us the truth?"
Maureen ran a hand through her hair, seeming to be considering how to answer. Finally she smiled weakly and seemed to relent. "You seem like trustworthy kids," she said slowly. "I know Tea is, at least, having worked with her the last few weeks. I guess I could tell you my story, but let's not stay in here." She turned to the door.
Seto took the folder with the pictures and replaced it in the filing cabinet.
"Hey, good thinkin'," Joey grinned. "We'll get everything back the way it was so's Byrnes won't know we was in here!"
"He'll know we were anyway if there's a hidden camera anywhere around," Seto remarked.
Joey messed up his hair in frustration. "Man, do you havta always be so negative?!"
"I'm being realistic." Seto turned to walk away.
****
Maureen, it turned out, had used a remote control on the alarm system, and once everyone was safely out she used the remote to turn it back on again. "There," she said, and shrugged. "Now, everyone back to Toys, Etc." She led the way down the deserted corridors. The teens occasionally would pass a janitor hard at work, but otherwise met no one else.
When they got back inside the store, Maureen shut the glass door tightly and locked it, then walked over to the counter and leaned against it.
"Alright," Joey said impatiently, "what's the scoop?!"
Maureen sighed. "Okay. Well, a few weeks ago I was waiting for a train after visiting with my grandparents. I happened to notice this guy taking pictures of this woman and little girl boarding another train and I couldn't figure out why he was doing it. Then suddenly my train arrived and as I boarded, I turned around for one last look—but the man was gone."
"Kinda freaky," Joey remarked.
"What's the rest of the story?" Seto asked.
Maureen pushed herself up onto the countertop and let her legs dangle over the edge. "Well, I never could forget that incident. The mother had seemed so frantic, so anxious to get her daughter on the train. . . . I knew something strange was going on, but I didn't know what to do about it. I was drawn to them for some reason I couldn't identify.
"Then I met the manager of Jim Eiffel Furniture a couple of weeks ago and realized that he had been the one taking those pictures. I casually asked him if he liked photography, but he abruptly said no and then disappeared into Thorton's office. I heard them yelling about something, but with all the customers I couldn't really pay attention to what it was all about."
She crossed her arms and stared pointedly at Seto. "Then I saw you with her—the little girl. I was absolutely floored, but I knew better than to say anything at the moment."
"Still don't explain what'd make you come in here," Joey remarked. "You didn't even know about those pictures in Byrnes' cabinet, did you? Or the ones in Thorton's office?"
Maureen shook her head. "That's where you're wrong. I caught sight of the photo of the frantic woman in Thorton's office and knew instantly that she was the same one from the train station. And on the subject of Byrnes' pictures, I had been hoping for a long time to get into his office to check things out. I figured if those pictures were important—and I'm sure they are—he might've kept them somewhere in there." She paused. "Anyway, all I wanted was to get to the bottom of the mystery and find out what was up with that girl and her mother," she concluded. "I said I was an FBI agent because I was hoping you'd leave me alone and not report me to the police for breaking in here."
The other teens nodded silently, Maureen's story seeming to make sense, but then Yugi exclaimed suddenly, "I just thought of something! If Thorton is mixed up in this, why didn't he recognize Mara when Kaiba carried her into the office?"
"That is kinda weird," Joey agreed.
Seto had, of course, thought of that as well. It was odd, but then so was everything about this case. "There's not much more we can do about this tonight," he said finally. In the morning he figured they could question Thorton and Byrnes again, but right now it was too late to do anything but go home and get some sleep. The other teens readily agreed and soon they all went their separate ways.
****
Joey chose to walk home by himself, and as he passed through the streets lit brightly with Christmas lights, he suddenly heard his name being called and turned around. A small boy around Mokuba's age was running through his snow-covered yard and over to the decrepit fence. "Joey! Hey!"
Joey smiled and went over to his young friend. "Hey, Bobby," he returned, a bit puzzled. "What the heck are you doin' up so late? It must be almost one in the morning or somethin'!"
Bobby shrugged. "Yeah, well, Mom is out working late at the diner again and so Annie and I decided we'd surprise her with a clean house." He grinned lopsidedly. "Boy, I never realized how long it took to get things straightened up around here!" Bobby and Annie's father had been injured while at his job, and so their mother had taken on a second job to help with the income while he was laid up at home.
Joey laughed and tousled the boy's hair. "Yeah, but I bet you're developin' lots of muscles!"
"Sure am!" Bobby agreed, and then paused. "So, what's going on with you, Joey? Why are *you* up so late?!"
"Heh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, kid!" Joey replied.
"Come on, try me!" Bobby insisted.
Briefly Joey explained about the day's events, while Bobby—and Annie, who had joined them—listened intently.
"Stuffed animals came to life?" six-year-old Annie exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Were there any elephants?"
Joey chuckled. "Yeah. Bakura got pinned down by one," he told them.
After the laughing had died down, Bobby announced, "I see Mr. Thorton all the time. He lives across the street from us."
Joey blinked. "You're pullin' my leg," he said.
"Nope, it's for real," Bobby replied. "And comin' to think about it, I saw something really strange this morning!" His eyes gleamed, as if he was about to reveal a juicy secret.
Joey's curiosity was instantly aroused. "Yeah? What'd you see?"
"The police!" Bobby declared.
Joey mouth dropped open. "At Mr. Thorton's place?!" he demanded, wanting to make sure he understood things correctly.
"Yep!" Annie chimed in. "We both saw them!"
"Did they arrest him?" Joey asked.
"No," Bobby said slowly, "but they sure stayed there for a long time quizzing him about something! When they finally left and Mr. Thorton came out to drive to work, he looked even more jittery than usual—and you know how jittery he usually is!"
"Heh, I sure do," Joey grinned, then sobered again. "You think the police really shook him up, eh?" He couldn't conceal his immense interest in all this.
"They sure did!" Annie said with a firm nod.
"I don't suppose you heard what they were quizzin' him about, did you?" Joey leaned on the fence and watched the kids hopefully.
"No, but I'm sure we could find out!" Bobby grinned mischievously.
"Bobby, it's not nice to spy!" Annie scolded.
Joey concurred. As much as he wanted to crack this case, he didn't want to get these kids involved. "That's alright, Bobby," he said hurriedly. "I was just wonderin'." He turned to go. "I'd better let you kids get to bed."
"Bye, Joey!" the kids chorused.
"Come play with us again soon!" Annie added.
"I will," Joey smiled, walking on down the street. So now he knew where Thorton lived. And the guy had been questioned by the police! Why? This could be a very important clue. He would have to speak with a friend he had at the police station and see what she could tell him.
His thoughts turned to Bobby's family. He knew they probably wouldn't be having much of a Christmas this year, what with their limited income and the dad being hurt. He wondered if he could help in some way.
He'd think more about all this tomorrow, he decided. Right now he just wanted a good night's sleep.
****
When Seto arrived back at the Kaiba Manor after taking Tea and some of the others to their homes, he discovered Mokuba and Mara were still wide awake in the living room. They seemed to jump in fright when they heard the door open.
"What's going on?" Seto asked, and the two younger kids both looked up.
"Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed in delight, and he and Mara both ran to him and leaped into his arms. Seto was not used to holding two kids, and he was momentarily thrown off balance. He soon righted himself, however, and smiled at them both. "I'm so glad you're home, Seto," Mokuba declared, and Mara nodded in agreement.
"I'm glad to be home," Seto replied. "Did anything strange happen while I was gone?" he asked, remembering how Mokuba and Mara had both acted scared when he'd opened the door.
"Something sure did!" Mara said emphatically, shuddering. "Some weird person called on the phone and said . . ." She trailed off.
"What did they say, kid?" Seto prompted gently.
Mara gulped. "They . . . they said that . . . you should stop investigating into my Mommy's and Daddy's disappearing or . . ." She couldn't finish.
"Big brother, they said they'd kill you!" Mokuba sobbed.
Seto was appalled. "They came right out and said that to you and Mara?!" How could anyone be so evil as to upset little kids like that?! he thought angrily.
Mokuba nodded, blinking back tears. "And then they just hung up," he concluded. "Seto, you've gotta be really careful!" he pleaded. "I can't lose you, big brother!"
"I'll be careful, kid," Seto said tenderly. "Don't worry."
Suddenly Mara screamed. "Some awful man is looking in the window!!" she shrieked.