"He got her! We have to find her!" Tea cried.
Kaiba slammed his hand on the table in frustration.
Stone looked confused, "who's got who?"
"Ok, let's think this through," Yugi said, it was obvious he wasn't as calm as he tried to sound. "He probably took her upstairs, so he could move the evidence too."
"No way!" Joey argued, "we were in the hall the whole time! We would have seen him."
"Who!" Stone ordered, tried of being ignored.
"You know very well who!" Tristen yelled at her, "your boyfriend!"
She stared at him in shock, "what are you talking about!"
Joey was losing his patience, "don't act all innocent! You and your boyfriend have been hiding drugs in this house, and he attacked Officer Wingfield!"
She was so angry, she could hardly speak. "You're crazy! I was with him when Wingfield was attacked! Dr. Bennington can tell you that, and Miss Salazar! As for the drugs, I haven't the slightest clue as to what you're talking about!"
The shouting brought McBride and Calisto into the room. "What is the problem?!" she yelled above them, something she was good at considering she worked with children.
"Her boyfriend kidnapped Metanoia!" Joey accused her.
Trying not the yell or talk to fast, the teens explained all about the note, drugs, and Metanoia's attempt to talk with McBride and her.
Mrs. Calisto slumped back into a chair, "that poor girl!"
Kaiba got right in Stone's face, "where is Timbers?!" he asked her forcefully.
Stone was speechless, "I...don't know...he..."
"Come on!" Yugi demanded, "We know you're involved!"
She had tears in her eyes, "I didn't know about the drugs. Brad has been spending a lot of money lately, and he's been very mysterious about where he's gotten it. But I do know this: I would never want to hurt anybody!"
Tristen put his hand on Kaiba's shoulder, "this isn't getting us anywhere. Let's just split up and look for her."
Suddenly, a thought struck Bakura. He tried the door handle, it was open! "Hey guys! Check this out!" He swung open the door, leading off the stoop were new sets of footprints in the freshly fallen snow.
"Nice going Bakura!" Yugi exclaimed, happy that they at least had a lead.
Joey stepped outside, sinking knee deep into the snow. "She wouldn't have walked around out here voluntarily, she could barely walk down the stairs in her heels."
Kaiba, Tristen, Bakura and Yugi joined him. "Let's follow them" Tristen suggested.
So the boys set out into the blizzard, following the deep sets of prints.
"Where could these possibly lead?" Bakura wondered aloud, his voice quivered.
"Don't know, but look at this" Kaiba pointed a few yards to the left. Another set of prints joined the ones they were following. "Those must belong to the other man Timbers hired."
Then, out of the blackness in front of them, appeared a tiny gleam of light. It came from the small broken window of an old garden house. Through the howling gale, the teens could make out a man's voice.
"This is a really stupid move you know!" a man argued, it was obviously Timbers. "She only found the paper. She doesn't even know what isn't for! If we had just..."
"No!" another man interrupted. His voice was oddly familiar. The boys peered through the small window, and the crack in the door. Metanoia was sitting on the floor, he hands tied behind her back, glaring at her captors. Timbers, Officer Wingfield's gun in hand, was talking to a man standing in the shadows. The man stepped out from the darkness, he was...
"Mr. Brown!" Bakura whispered, in complete shock.
"Shh!" the others ordered.
Brown pointed at Metanoia angrily, "check her purse!"
Timbers turned the silk bag upside down, a bunch of small objects fell out onto the splintering floor. Among the objects were a compact, the note, her character envelope, lipstick, a key ring, and the handkerchief package.
"I should never have given that to her!" Kaiba mumbled under his breath.
Brown picked it up and opened it. "Ah ha!" he showed the dime bag to Timbers, "I told you she knew more!"
"You gave yourself away Brown" Metanoia spoke up defiantly.
Timbers aimed the gun at her, "keep your mouth shut you..."
Brown held up his hand to quiet him. He smiled slyly at her, "I'm curious. Tell me little lady, how did I 'give myself away', huh?"
She looked him straight in the eye. "Your shoes were wet when we found you in the attic. You left a puddle on the kitchen floor."
He nodded, "very good. I had just knocked out that noisy cop, then had to climb all the way up to attic on the rose fence, and I didn't even wrinkle my suit. Please continue."
"That 'injury' you received was faked. You said your assailant came up from behind, your bruise is on your forehead."
Brown laughed, "clever girl."
Kaiba motioned to the others. "First chance we get, we're going in."
Timbers was getting nervous. "Come on man, we should go. The cops are going to be at the house real soon. They're gonna search the place."
"Very true, we should get his done quickly." Metanoia's eyes opened wide in horror.
Timbers looked confused, "get what done? The plan was to bring her here and to warn her to keep her mouth shut about..."
Brown laughed cruelly.
"But the plan..."
"Has been changed!" he shouted. Without warning, he snatched the gun from his partner. "The new 'plan' will go something like this: I take care of the pink lady here, and I go back to the party. Of course, I'll go in some empty room and pretend to have fainted due to my head injury. You my friend are going to start heading for the border. The cops will be onto you, but there's no evidence against me..." he looked down at the girl, "once I get rid of her." Terror stricken, she began to flail violently, trying to free her arms.
"Why you back-stabbing jerk!" Timbers cried, lunging at Brown. The two began fighting over the gun.
"Now!" the boy signaled. They swung open the door, surprising the two men. Joey grabbed Timbers from around the neck, while Tristen and Yugi seized Brown. Kaiba struggled to get the gun out of both their hands.
"I'm glad to see you guys!" Metanoia said happily to Bakura, who was trying to untie her. Just as her hands were freed, Brown stuck out his foot, tripping Tristen. The teen crashed into Kaiba, sending both to the floor. With little effort, he pushed Yugi away. The man stepped back, scanning the room with the weapon. Everyone froze.
He chuckled softly, "well, now that I have you boys here too, you can join your friend." He aimed the gun straight for Metanoia.
"No!" Bakura cried, knocking the girl out of the way. The bullet grazed past his shoulder, leaving a small hole and puff of smoke in the wall.
"What the?!" Brown gasped, holding out the gun to try again. Yugi dove at Brown's legs, sending him tumbling to the floor. Joey grabbed the loose gun. In no time, the boys had him pinned. In the fray, Timbers made an attempt to sneak out.
Joey aimed the weapon at him, "and just where do you think you're going?"
"Wheeler, the safety latch in on" Kaiba instructed him, still holding Brown.
Joey switched a little latch on the side of the barrel, "there goes that dramatic moment" he muttered.
Kaiba slammed his hand on the table in frustration.
Stone looked confused, "who's got who?"
"Ok, let's think this through," Yugi said, it was obvious he wasn't as calm as he tried to sound. "He probably took her upstairs, so he could move the evidence too."
"No way!" Joey argued, "we were in the hall the whole time! We would have seen him."
"Who!" Stone ordered, tried of being ignored.
"You know very well who!" Tristen yelled at her, "your boyfriend!"
She stared at him in shock, "what are you talking about!"
Joey was losing his patience, "don't act all innocent! You and your boyfriend have been hiding drugs in this house, and he attacked Officer Wingfield!"
She was so angry, she could hardly speak. "You're crazy! I was with him when Wingfield was attacked! Dr. Bennington can tell you that, and Miss Salazar! As for the drugs, I haven't the slightest clue as to what you're talking about!"
The shouting brought McBride and Calisto into the room. "What is the problem?!" she yelled above them, something she was good at considering she worked with children.
"Her boyfriend kidnapped Metanoia!" Joey accused her.
Trying not the yell or talk to fast, the teens explained all about the note, drugs, and Metanoia's attempt to talk with McBride and her.
Mrs. Calisto slumped back into a chair, "that poor girl!"
Kaiba got right in Stone's face, "where is Timbers?!" he asked her forcefully.
Stone was speechless, "I...don't know...he..."
"Come on!" Yugi demanded, "We know you're involved!"
She had tears in her eyes, "I didn't know about the drugs. Brad has been spending a lot of money lately, and he's been very mysterious about where he's gotten it. But I do know this: I would never want to hurt anybody!"
Tristen put his hand on Kaiba's shoulder, "this isn't getting us anywhere. Let's just split up and look for her."
Suddenly, a thought struck Bakura. He tried the door handle, it was open! "Hey guys! Check this out!" He swung open the door, leading off the stoop were new sets of footprints in the freshly fallen snow.
"Nice going Bakura!" Yugi exclaimed, happy that they at least had a lead.
Joey stepped outside, sinking knee deep into the snow. "She wouldn't have walked around out here voluntarily, she could barely walk down the stairs in her heels."
Kaiba, Tristen, Bakura and Yugi joined him. "Let's follow them" Tristen suggested.
So the boys set out into the blizzard, following the deep sets of prints.
"Where could these possibly lead?" Bakura wondered aloud, his voice quivered.
"Don't know, but look at this" Kaiba pointed a few yards to the left. Another set of prints joined the ones they were following. "Those must belong to the other man Timbers hired."
Then, out of the blackness in front of them, appeared a tiny gleam of light. It came from the small broken window of an old garden house. Through the howling gale, the teens could make out a man's voice.
"This is a really stupid move you know!" a man argued, it was obviously Timbers. "She only found the paper. She doesn't even know what isn't for! If we had just..."
"No!" another man interrupted. His voice was oddly familiar. The boys peered through the small window, and the crack in the door. Metanoia was sitting on the floor, he hands tied behind her back, glaring at her captors. Timbers, Officer Wingfield's gun in hand, was talking to a man standing in the shadows. The man stepped out from the darkness, he was...
"Mr. Brown!" Bakura whispered, in complete shock.
"Shh!" the others ordered.
Brown pointed at Metanoia angrily, "check her purse!"
Timbers turned the silk bag upside down, a bunch of small objects fell out onto the splintering floor. Among the objects were a compact, the note, her character envelope, lipstick, a key ring, and the handkerchief package.
"I should never have given that to her!" Kaiba mumbled under his breath.
Brown picked it up and opened it. "Ah ha!" he showed the dime bag to Timbers, "I told you she knew more!"
"You gave yourself away Brown" Metanoia spoke up defiantly.
Timbers aimed the gun at her, "keep your mouth shut you..."
Brown held up his hand to quiet him. He smiled slyly at her, "I'm curious. Tell me little lady, how did I 'give myself away', huh?"
She looked him straight in the eye. "Your shoes were wet when we found you in the attic. You left a puddle on the kitchen floor."
He nodded, "very good. I had just knocked out that noisy cop, then had to climb all the way up to attic on the rose fence, and I didn't even wrinkle my suit. Please continue."
"That 'injury' you received was faked. You said your assailant came up from behind, your bruise is on your forehead."
Brown laughed, "clever girl."
Kaiba motioned to the others. "First chance we get, we're going in."
Timbers was getting nervous. "Come on man, we should go. The cops are going to be at the house real soon. They're gonna search the place."
"Very true, we should get his done quickly." Metanoia's eyes opened wide in horror.
Timbers looked confused, "get what done? The plan was to bring her here and to warn her to keep her mouth shut about..."
Brown laughed cruelly.
"But the plan..."
"Has been changed!" he shouted. Without warning, he snatched the gun from his partner. "The new 'plan' will go something like this: I take care of the pink lady here, and I go back to the party. Of course, I'll go in some empty room and pretend to have fainted due to my head injury. You my friend are going to start heading for the border. The cops will be onto you, but there's no evidence against me..." he looked down at the girl, "once I get rid of her." Terror stricken, she began to flail violently, trying to free her arms.
"Why you back-stabbing jerk!" Timbers cried, lunging at Brown. The two began fighting over the gun.
"Now!" the boy signaled. They swung open the door, surprising the two men. Joey grabbed Timbers from around the neck, while Tristen and Yugi seized Brown. Kaiba struggled to get the gun out of both their hands.
"I'm glad to see you guys!" Metanoia said happily to Bakura, who was trying to untie her. Just as her hands were freed, Brown stuck out his foot, tripping Tristen. The teen crashed into Kaiba, sending both to the floor. With little effort, he pushed Yugi away. The man stepped back, scanning the room with the weapon. Everyone froze.
He chuckled softly, "well, now that I have you boys here too, you can join your friend." He aimed the gun straight for Metanoia.
"No!" Bakura cried, knocking the girl out of the way. The bullet grazed past his shoulder, leaving a small hole and puff of smoke in the wall.
"What the?!" Brown gasped, holding out the gun to try again. Yugi dove at Brown's legs, sending him tumbling to the floor. Joey grabbed the loose gun. In no time, the boys had him pinned. In the fray, Timbers made an attempt to sneak out.
Joey aimed the weapon at him, "and just where do you think you're going?"
"Wheeler, the safety latch in on" Kaiba instructed him, still holding Brown.
Joey switched a little latch on the side of the barrel, "there goes that dramatic moment" he muttered.