"What do you think you're doing?!" Seto growled, entering the room threateningly.
"Kaiba!" Tea screamed. "Don't come in!"
"Kaiba?" Lila repeated and turned to look. This gave Tea the opportunity to kick out and knock the woman off-balance.
Immediately Seto rushed forward and restrained Lila before she could use the knife on anyone. "Now," he said coldly, "would you like to explain why you were trying to hurt her?"
Lila struggled. "Let me go, you stupid kid!" She kicked out hard, hitting Seto on the shin. The boy grunted in pain but didn't loosen his grip.
"Don't hurt him!" Tea cried, her eyes flashing.
"It's just as I thought," Seto muttered low.
"What do you mean?" Lila demanded.
"I suspected something was amiss earlier," Seto replied. "I could see that you weren't telling me everything you could've."
"Kaiba, what's going on?!" Tea exclaimed. "Are you saying you know this woman?!"
Seto grunted and didn't answer her question. "You're the one trying to steal something from the station, aren't you?" he said to Lila.
"I don't have to tell you anything!!" Lila screamed, continuing to struggle.
"It's either me or the police," Seto said coldly. "So . . . which will it be?"
Lila paused, seeming to be considering. Then without warning she kicked at Seto again, harder this time. But instead of having the effect she wanted, the boy only tightened his grip on her.
"Enough of that," he growled. "Talk."
Lila decided it was useless to keep fighting. "Maybe I was trying to find something," she admitted at last.
"What were you looking for?!" Tea wanted to know.
"That's my secret," Lila replied with a wicked grin.
"You'd better tell us everything," Seto said warningly. "You do realize that Tea could charge you with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon?"
Lila growled in frustration. At last she said, "About twenty years ago, there was a bank here instead of a radio station."
"We know that," Seto replied icily.
Lila blinked, momentarily surprised, but then went on. "Well, not long before the bank closed and sold the land to Bruce Von Wilkenson, there was a really big robbery. The thieves got away with almost everything in the vault."
"I remember my parents talking about that," Tea said. "It happened before I was born, but Mom and Dad were always worrying that the bank they used would one day have the same problem."
Seto grunted. He remembered hearing about it too, but that was irrelevant. "Go on," he said to Lila.
"Well, some people believe that the heist was an inside job," Lila continued, "and that the riches were hidden in a secret compartment under the building until the thief could return for them."
"And so you decided that you wanted them," Seto supplied.
"Why not?" Lila smiled.
"And so I suppose you engineered all those life-threatening attacks," Seto said now, his eyes narrowing. "You were probably hoping to scare everyone away so that you would be free to search for the secret compartment in the basement."
Lila looked impressed. "You know, you're a smart cookie," she admitted.
"But what about JP?" Tea exclaimed.
Lila shrugged. "One night he was here at the station alone and I didn't realize that. He accidentally caught me trying to enter the basement and figured out what I was up to. He promised not to call the police if I promised to stop trying to steal the jewels, but he and I both knew that that was a promise I couldn't keep." She smiled wickedly.
"So you kidnapped your own brother?!" Tea cried in horror.
"Hey, it was nothing personal," Lila replied. "Just business."
"You revolt me," Seto muttered. "Tea, call the police," he ordered.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Lila cried, struggling again. "I didn't agree to no police!"
Seto didn't look impressed. "Surely you didn't think we would let you go free after everything you've done?"
"You could've killed so many people with your sick stunts!" Tea cried as she dialed the number for the precinct.
Lila shrugged. "That's the price of riches."
Seto's lip curled in disgust.
****
Gabrielle and her partner soon came to take Lila away.
"Where is JP?" Tea demanded now.
Lila looked blase. "I don't know," she replied.
"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?!" Tristan cried, his eyes narrowed.
"I don't know," Lila insisted. "He escaped from where he was being held, but he hasn't got back to town yet as far as I know." She didn't sound worried about JP in the least. "If you want to find him, maybe you'd better send out a search party."
Seto had seen many appalling things through the years, but one thing he didn't think he would ever be able to get used to was someone completely turning on a sibling like that. He loved Mokuba more than anything and would never dream of doing anything to harm that precious boy. Lila's actions repulsed him to no end.
"What about the blueprints for the station??" Von Wilkenson blurted without thinking.
Everyone turned to stare at him. "What?!" Lila said in disbelief. "What blueprints for the station?!"
"The blueprints!!!" Von Wilkenson screamed. "You stole them earlier today!"
"I don't even know what you're talking about!" Lila shook her head, looking utterly baffled.
"Let's go," Gabrielle said sternly.
Lila sneered at the teens as she was led off. "Mark my words—I'll get free and then I'll be back!"
The teens all looked at each other. "Well, JP's hopefully gonna get found soon now," Tristan remarked. "But does this mean that Kaiba and Tea solved our mystery?"
Yugi shook his head. "I'm afraid it's only partially solved," the violet-eyed boy said grimly. "You two only caught one of the criminals," he told Seto and Tea. "There's still more running free."
Seto grunted. He knew that as well. "Vivalene is involved somehow," he growled low. "I know she is."
Tea nodded, her eyes shining and worried. "What can we do?!" she cried.
Yugi's eyes were grave. "We need to figure out why someone would steal the station's blueprints," he said. "Maybe there's someone else after this treasure that's supposedly in the basement."
"Vivalene," Seto said darkly, turning to go. "It must be her."
"Kaiba, where are you going?!" Tea demanded.
"I have research of my own to do," Seto replied.
Tristan looked frustrated. "Look, we're all in on this," he said. "We should all be working together!"
"I've told you," Seto answered, not turning back, "I work alone." He paused. "But if anyone needs a ride home, I will take them," he said at last.
"Take Bakura," Yami Bakura grunted, pushing the injured boy forward.
"Oh, Yami, that's not necessary," Bakura protested.
"Take him," Yami Bakura ordered.
Seto looked Bakura over and saw how weak the boy was. "Come on," he said, and Yami Bakura dragged Bakura along.
"Why don't we all go?" Tristan suggested. "We can brainstorm more about the case."
Seto grunted. "Do as you wish."
****
All the teens did wind up going with Seto, and they tried to discuss various possibilities for the rest of the case, but they kept coming back to the same idea—Vivalene was deeply involved somehow.
"I sure miss Joey," Yugi said wistfully.
"Me too," Bakura agreed.
"He shouldn't be mixed with that hussy," Tristan muttered, his eyes flashing angrily. He missed his friend too, but he couldn't bring himself to drop his frustrated attitude. "What an idiot!"
Seto didn't join in the conversation, but he whole-heartedly agreed. Joey was making a grave mistake by continuing to hang around with Vivalene. If he didn't stop, someone was going to get hurt—and that someone would probably be Joey himself. That was what the Brooklyn boy would get for playing with fire.
"Hey," Tristan said suddenly, "hasn't that car been behind us for an unusually long time?"
Everyone turned to look. "Not again!" Tea cried.
Seto grunted. It looked like the same car from the previous night. "Drive around that corner," he ordered the chauffeur sharply, feeling immensely irritated.
The chauffeur obeyed, but those in the other car were used to the road tricks by now and only speeded up to abruptly slam into the limo from behind. Tea screamed as the chauffeur lost control of the wheel, sending them spinning out of control.
Without warning, another car came around from the opposite direction. Before the driver could stop it, he smashed headlong right into the limousine!
****
Ishizu awoke with a start in the straight-backed chair. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it had seemed so long since she had been able to relax. The Egyptian woman hadn't closed her eyes at all since she and Rishid had found Marik laying nearly dead in the museum, and she didn't want to rest until she knew that her brother would be alright. Her body had made her fall asleep without her permission, and for that she wasn't pleased.
She looked down at Marik and felt her eyes fill with tears again. The boy looked even weaker and more ill than before. "Oh Marik," she said softly, and then looked up at Rishid. "He is not getting better, is he?" It was more a statement than a question. Ishizu already knew the answer.
"No," Rishid replied sadly, "he is not."
Ishizu held Marik's hand gently, stroking it. "Why would that vile woman do this to him?" she cried.
"I do not know," Rishid said softly. "Master Marik never mentioned being acquainted with someone named Vivalene."
Ishizu gently brushed the long bangs out of Marik's closed eyes. "He will get better," she said firmly. "He must!"
****
Tea's eyes opened slowly when she heard someone calling her name. "Huh?" she said softly, still confused.
"Are you alright?"
Tea blinked. Now she recognized the voice—it was Seto. Apparently she had been thrown against him in the limo during the . . .
The limo had crashed! she remembered with a start. Immediately she perked up, looking around worriedly. What if someone was hurt?
Seto grunted upon the girl's sudden movement. "You seem to be fine," he remarked.
Tea turned to look at him. "Are you?" she asked softly, but she was certain of the answer she'd get before Seto ever replied.
"I'm alright," he told her, and he did look unscathed—thank goodness, she thought.
Quickly Tea's gaze drifted over the rest of the limo. Tristan was sitting on the opposite side of the limo, looking dazed but unhurt. "Man," he said softly, shaking his head, "I never thought something like that would happen!"
Bakura, sitting next to him, looked shaken and dizzy. Instantly Yami Bakura came out of the Ring and began examining him.
"Foolish mortal," he muttered.
Bakura tried to smile weakly. "Well, Yami, it looks like walking might have been safer after all," he remarked, attempting some humor.
Yami Bakura only growled. "You're hurt," he proclaimed.
"No, Yami, I'm fine," Bakura insisted, but he felt light-headed. Before he could stop himself, he fell unconscious and slumped back.
"Bakura!" Tristan and Tea both gasped, and Yami Bakura knelt next to the boy worriedly, trying to wake him up.
"Hey, where's Yugi?!" Tristan cried suddenly, realizing that he hadn't seen the violet-eyed boy since the crash.
Tea's eyes went wide. "Yugi?" she called, undoing her seatbelt and looking around frantically. "Yugi, where are you?!"
Seto also scanned the dark interior of the limo, his eyes narrowed in concern. Had the other boy perhaps been thrown out during the crash?
"Kaiba!" Tea screamed. "Don't come in!"
"Kaiba?" Lila repeated and turned to look. This gave Tea the opportunity to kick out and knock the woman off-balance.
Immediately Seto rushed forward and restrained Lila before she could use the knife on anyone. "Now," he said coldly, "would you like to explain why you were trying to hurt her?"
Lila struggled. "Let me go, you stupid kid!" She kicked out hard, hitting Seto on the shin. The boy grunted in pain but didn't loosen his grip.
"Don't hurt him!" Tea cried, her eyes flashing.
"It's just as I thought," Seto muttered low.
"What do you mean?" Lila demanded.
"I suspected something was amiss earlier," Seto replied. "I could see that you weren't telling me everything you could've."
"Kaiba, what's going on?!" Tea exclaimed. "Are you saying you know this woman?!"
Seto grunted and didn't answer her question. "You're the one trying to steal something from the station, aren't you?" he said to Lila.
"I don't have to tell you anything!!" Lila screamed, continuing to struggle.
"It's either me or the police," Seto said coldly. "So . . . which will it be?"
Lila paused, seeming to be considering. Then without warning she kicked at Seto again, harder this time. But instead of having the effect she wanted, the boy only tightened his grip on her.
"Enough of that," he growled. "Talk."
Lila decided it was useless to keep fighting. "Maybe I was trying to find something," she admitted at last.
"What were you looking for?!" Tea wanted to know.
"That's my secret," Lila replied with a wicked grin.
"You'd better tell us everything," Seto said warningly. "You do realize that Tea could charge you with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon?"
Lila growled in frustration. At last she said, "About twenty years ago, there was a bank here instead of a radio station."
"We know that," Seto replied icily.
Lila blinked, momentarily surprised, but then went on. "Well, not long before the bank closed and sold the land to Bruce Von Wilkenson, there was a really big robbery. The thieves got away with almost everything in the vault."
"I remember my parents talking about that," Tea said. "It happened before I was born, but Mom and Dad were always worrying that the bank they used would one day have the same problem."
Seto grunted. He remembered hearing about it too, but that was irrelevant. "Go on," he said to Lila.
"Well, some people believe that the heist was an inside job," Lila continued, "and that the riches were hidden in a secret compartment under the building until the thief could return for them."
"And so you decided that you wanted them," Seto supplied.
"Why not?" Lila smiled.
"And so I suppose you engineered all those life-threatening attacks," Seto said now, his eyes narrowing. "You were probably hoping to scare everyone away so that you would be free to search for the secret compartment in the basement."
Lila looked impressed. "You know, you're a smart cookie," she admitted.
"But what about JP?" Tea exclaimed.
Lila shrugged. "One night he was here at the station alone and I didn't realize that. He accidentally caught me trying to enter the basement and figured out what I was up to. He promised not to call the police if I promised to stop trying to steal the jewels, but he and I both knew that that was a promise I couldn't keep." She smiled wickedly.
"So you kidnapped your own brother?!" Tea cried in horror.
"Hey, it was nothing personal," Lila replied. "Just business."
"You revolt me," Seto muttered. "Tea, call the police," he ordered.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Lila cried, struggling again. "I didn't agree to no police!"
Seto didn't look impressed. "Surely you didn't think we would let you go free after everything you've done?"
"You could've killed so many people with your sick stunts!" Tea cried as she dialed the number for the precinct.
Lila shrugged. "That's the price of riches."
Seto's lip curled in disgust.
****
Gabrielle and her partner soon came to take Lila away.
"Where is JP?" Tea demanded now.
Lila looked blase. "I don't know," she replied.
"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?!" Tristan cried, his eyes narrowed.
"I don't know," Lila insisted. "He escaped from where he was being held, but he hasn't got back to town yet as far as I know." She didn't sound worried about JP in the least. "If you want to find him, maybe you'd better send out a search party."
Seto had seen many appalling things through the years, but one thing he didn't think he would ever be able to get used to was someone completely turning on a sibling like that. He loved Mokuba more than anything and would never dream of doing anything to harm that precious boy. Lila's actions repulsed him to no end.
"What about the blueprints for the station??" Von Wilkenson blurted without thinking.
Everyone turned to stare at him. "What?!" Lila said in disbelief. "What blueprints for the station?!"
"The blueprints!!!" Von Wilkenson screamed. "You stole them earlier today!"
"I don't even know what you're talking about!" Lila shook her head, looking utterly baffled.
"Let's go," Gabrielle said sternly.
Lila sneered at the teens as she was led off. "Mark my words—I'll get free and then I'll be back!"
The teens all looked at each other. "Well, JP's hopefully gonna get found soon now," Tristan remarked. "But does this mean that Kaiba and Tea solved our mystery?"
Yugi shook his head. "I'm afraid it's only partially solved," the violet-eyed boy said grimly. "You two only caught one of the criminals," he told Seto and Tea. "There's still more running free."
Seto grunted. He knew that as well. "Vivalene is involved somehow," he growled low. "I know she is."
Tea nodded, her eyes shining and worried. "What can we do?!" she cried.
Yugi's eyes were grave. "We need to figure out why someone would steal the station's blueprints," he said. "Maybe there's someone else after this treasure that's supposedly in the basement."
"Vivalene," Seto said darkly, turning to go. "It must be her."
"Kaiba, where are you going?!" Tea demanded.
"I have research of my own to do," Seto replied.
Tristan looked frustrated. "Look, we're all in on this," he said. "We should all be working together!"
"I've told you," Seto answered, not turning back, "I work alone." He paused. "But if anyone needs a ride home, I will take them," he said at last.
"Take Bakura," Yami Bakura grunted, pushing the injured boy forward.
"Oh, Yami, that's not necessary," Bakura protested.
"Take him," Yami Bakura ordered.
Seto looked Bakura over and saw how weak the boy was. "Come on," he said, and Yami Bakura dragged Bakura along.
"Why don't we all go?" Tristan suggested. "We can brainstorm more about the case."
Seto grunted. "Do as you wish."
****
All the teens did wind up going with Seto, and they tried to discuss various possibilities for the rest of the case, but they kept coming back to the same idea—Vivalene was deeply involved somehow.
"I sure miss Joey," Yugi said wistfully.
"Me too," Bakura agreed.
"He shouldn't be mixed with that hussy," Tristan muttered, his eyes flashing angrily. He missed his friend too, but he couldn't bring himself to drop his frustrated attitude. "What an idiot!"
Seto didn't join in the conversation, but he whole-heartedly agreed. Joey was making a grave mistake by continuing to hang around with Vivalene. If he didn't stop, someone was going to get hurt—and that someone would probably be Joey himself. That was what the Brooklyn boy would get for playing with fire.
"Hey," Tristan said suddenly, "hasn't that car been behind us for an unusually long time?"
Everyone turned to look. "Not again!" Tea cried.
Seto grunted. It looked like the same car from the previous night. "Drive around that corner," he ordered the chauffeur sharply, feeling immensely irritated.
The chauffeur obeyed, but those in the other car were used to the road tricks by now and only speeded up to abruptly slam into the limo from behind. Tea screamed as the chauffeur lost control of the wheel, sending them spinning out of control.
Without warning, another car came around from the opposite direction. Before the driver could stop it, he smashed headlong right into the limousine!
****
Ishizu awoke with a start in the straight-backed chair. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it had seemed so long since she had been able to relax. The Egyptian woman hadn't closed her eyes at all since she and Rishid had found Marik laying nearly dead in the museum, and she didn't want to rest until she knew that her brother would be alright. Her body had made her fall asleep without her permission, and for that she wasn't pleased.
She looked down at Marik and felt her eyes fill with tears again. The boy looked even weaker and more ill than before. "Oh Marik," she said softly, and then looked up at Rishid. "He is not getting better, is he?" It was more a statement than a question. Ishizu already knew the answer.
"No," Rishid replied sadly, "he is not."
Ishizu held Marik's hand gently, stroking it. "Why would that vile woman do this to him?" she cried.
"I do not know," Rishid said softly. "Master Marik never mentioned being acquainted with someone named Vivalene."
Ishizu gently brushed the long bangs out of Marik's closed eyes. "He will get better," she said firmly. "He must!"
****
Tea's eyes opened slowly when she heard someone calling her name. "Huh?" she said softly, still confused.
"Are you alright?"
Tea blinked. Now she recognized the voice—it was Seto. Apparently she had been thrown against him in the limo during the . . .
The limo had crashed! she remembered with a start. Immediately she perked up, looking around worriedly. What if someone was hurt?
Seto grunted upon the girl's sudden movement. "You seem to be fine," he remarked.
Tea turned to look at him. "Are you?" she asked softly, but she was certain of the answer she'd get before Seto ever replied.
"I'm alright," he told her, and he did look unscathed—thank goodness, she thought.
Quickly Tea's gaze drifted over the rest of the limo. Tristan was sitting on the opposite side of the limo, looking dazed but unhurt. "Man," he said softly, shaking his head, "I never thought something like that would happen!"
Bakura, sitting next to him, looked shaken and dizzy. Instantly Yami Bakura came out of the Ring and began examining him.
"Foolish mortal," he muttered.
Bakura tried to smile weakly. "Well, Yami, it looks like walking might have been safer after all," he remarked, attempting some humor.
Yami Bakura only growled. "You're hurt," he proclaimed.
"No, Yami, I'm fine," Bakura insisted, but he felt light-headed. Before he could stop himself, he fell unconscious and slumped back.
"Bakura!" Tristan and Tea both gasped, and Yami Bakura knelt next to the boy worriedly, trying to wake him up.
"Hey, where's Yugi?!" Tristan cried suddenly, realizing that he hadn't seen the violet-eyed boy since the crash.
Tea's eyes went wide. "Yugi?" she called, undoing her seatbelt and looking around frantically. "Yugi, where are you?!"
Seto also scanned the dark interior of the limo, his eyes narrowed in concern. Had the other boy perhaps been thrown out during the crash?