The Case of the Manila Envelope--Chapter 2
by HA
For Shirley and her friends, the school day went by without anything unusual happening. Although Stink managed to make his mixture explode into a stink cloud in the science lab, no one was really surprised. Thankfully, the smell didn't transfer into anyone's clothes.
As the school day ended, Shirley noticed that Rika was talking to a girl with a hair bow leaning on a bicycle next to the school entrance. When Shirley got closer, she saw that it was Sara Stanley, the secretary for the Strangers' Club. Judging from the gasps of air the blond girl took along with holding her chest, Shirley concluded that she had pedaled pretty fast. She advanced slowly on the two and listened in.
"...you're sure?" she heard Rika said.
Sara took another gasp. "Positive."
"I see. We'll have to..."
Rika had stopped, and Shirley knew why. The Stranger had spotted her, and now was looking at her.
"Hi, Shirley," Sara greeted after catching her breath some more. "Boy, that was quite a...trip..."
"My grandfather's sending a limo to pick me up," Rika said. "We can drop you off, Sara."
"Thanks," Sara said, gasping. "Never really had to pedal so much, but..."
"Here it is now," Rika said.
A long white limousine showed up just as Rika finished speaking. After parking the car, the driver stepped out. "Miss Tamura," he said.
"Put Sara's bike inside," Rika said. "She'll be riding with us."
"As you wish," the driver said, taking the bike from Sara, who looked relieved.
"I'll help you there," Shirley said, taking one side of the bike.
"Oh no, I can manage," the driver said. "All in a day's work."
"If you insist," Shirley said, allowing the driver to carry the full weight of the bike.
While the driver placed the bike inside the limousine, Rika spoke to Shirley. "See you tomorrow," she said before heading to the car with Sara.
Blake appeared behind Shirley as the limousine proceeded to leave the school grounds. "What was that about?"
Shirley continued to watch the limousine drive off. "Stranger business, apparently."
"Looks like it's something they want to keep to themselves," Blake said.
"I'd have to agree," Shirley said. "I strongly believe we'll find out what it is soon enough."
"What makes you think that?" Blake asked.
Shirley pulled out a transceiver from her backpack. "Because I planted a listening device on Sara's bike."
Blake stared at her. "How can you afford all this equipment?"
"Most girls spend their money on clothes, makeup, and jewelry," Shirley stated. "I tend to be more practical in my purchases." She turned on the transceiver, and it crackled to life as she placved it on the ground. "Now, shall we find out what our friends in the Strangers' Club are up to?"
Blake nodded his agreement, and Shirley handed him one half of a headphone. She took the other, and both sat down and proceeded to listen in to the Strangers' conversation.
"I'm surprised you just took your bike to Sussex to tell me instead of just using the comlink," they heard Rika say.
"Well, the comlinks aren't exactly public knowledge, and someone might be suspicious about a calculator-like communications device," they heard Sara answer.
"A good point," Rika said. "Are you sure it's here?"
"Positive, especially after what happened at the airport," Sara said. "Took a while for him to return to normal."
The two junior detectives heard Rika sigh. "We'd better find her fast. You know which hotel she checked into?"
"Yep. Unfortunately, she left."
"Looks like she's gone off to find a gaming shop. Let's find her before she does something else."
Shirley and Blake listened closely as more details came in, and after a minute, only the sounds of traffic and the car radio were heard. "Intriguing, wouldn't you say?" Shirley asked as she put everything away.
"'Intriguing' is only the tip of the iceberg," Blake replied. "So, what's the plan?"
"Find out what's going on, of course," Shirley said as she walked to the nearby bike rack to get her bicycle. "Looks like we're heading downtown, like Rika said."
Blake joined her. "Shouldn't we get Bo to help us out?"
"Bo's got work after school, and his parents have really been needing his help," Shirley said, putting on her helmet. "We shouldn't bother him with this."
"Are you sure?" Blake asked.
"I think we can handle this ourselves," Shirley said. "Besides, the trail will get cold if we don't hurry."
The two junior detectives took off on their bikes, but unknown to both of them, Bo had stepped out of the school and had been listening in to their conversation. He had caught a few pieces of it and knew they were going downtown. Part of his not listening closely was due to his listening position, but he had been concentrating on the growing pressure of his hands as he squeezed themm into fists at his sides.
"Hey, Bo!"
Bo quickly turned around and found himself facing Alicia Gianelli. "Don't do that," he said as he clutched his heart and caught his breath.
"Sorry about that." Alicia watched as Shirley and Blake vanished into the distance. "Wonder where they're going?"
"Who cares?" Bo said, still looking where they were as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets.
"They've been spending a lot of time together, haven't they?" Alicia asked.
"So what?" Bo said, looking down at the ground and kicking the air.
Alicia stepped out in front of Bo. "You know, maybe she wouldn't be spending so much time with him if you just told her."
Bo froze, and his gaze fell on Alicia. "Tell her what?"
"Oh, you know." Alicia's mouth formed a big grin. "Something like, 'Shirley, I've been in love with you ever since I saw you.'"
A red blush immediately filled Bo's face. "Wh-wh-what?"
"Oh, come on, Bo," Alicia said. "It's obvious you like her."
"Don't know what you're talking about," Bo said, looking away in an attempt to hide the redness on his face.
Alicia moved to where Bo was facing, only to see him turn towards the opposite direction. "Bo! You've got to be honest with her, or you'll lose her forever," she continued.
"You're nuts," Bo said, his face still red. "Anyway, I've got to go to work." Without looking at Alicia, he ran for his own bike, and in seconds, he was going in the same direction as Shirley and Blake.
As she watched Bo disappear, Alicia shook her head with a bemused smile. "Boys." Leaving it at that remark, she headed towards the dormitory so she could get dressed for work.
* * * * *
Walking toward the dorms, Molly continued to talk into her cell phone. "So you actually did something right? Well then, you will get the bonus we agreed on. Meet me at the appointed place, and I'll give you what you deserve."
As she hung up, she allowed herself to grin. So far, everything was going according to plan, and as long as everything stayed that way, nothing would stop her, not even a certain blue-eyed do-gooder who constantly put her nose where...
"Hey, Molly!" someone yelled, interrupting her thoughts.
Molly turned around and found herself facing Stink Patterson. "What do you want?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see you," Stink said with a big grin.
"A sentiment I don't share with you," Molly said sharply. "Now, if you excuse me, I have important matters to prepare for."
"Oh, come on," Stink said, stepping in front of Molly. "You can spare a few minutes to talk. Maybe you'll be interested in a movie or dinner."
Molly glared at the lovesick boy. "You must be delusional," she said as she brushed him aside to get into the dormitory. Without looking back, she proceeded inside and slammed the door in front of Stink.
Stink stood before the door for a moment. "Oh, playing hard to get, are we?" he said in a Scottish accent. "Well, lassie, looks like I have to really try harder."
With that, he opened the door and entered, hoping to somehow wear down the defenses of the pretty blonde.
* * * * *
Having checked into her hotel, the girl decided to take a walking tour of Redington. With her backpack slung over her shoulder, she took in the sights while eating a recently purchased hot dog.
As she finished her snack, she spotted something she liked. She stopped in front of the building and paid special attention to the glass pane window, which read "Carson's Collectibles." What got her attention was the sign at the corner that read "Monster Battler trading card game sold here." Upon reading that, she reached into her backpack and pulled out the little plastic box. Looking through the window, she saw kids her age and younger and a few older people hanging out near the comic book displays, looking at the collectible action figures and posters, and playing the aforementioned card game at tables. Smiling, she went inside.
Once inside, she stood over a table where a Battle between two boys was taking place and joined the small crowd gathered there. Taking a postion from which she could see both boys' hands, she assessed the situation and noted that one boy had two Monsters on the Field while the other had nothing except a single Magic or Trap Card. However, despite the lopsidedness of the Battle, she knew that despite an apparent victory by one, the other still had a chance.
"Ha! I'll sacrifice my two Monsters to summon...this!" The first boy placed his two brown Monster Cards into the nearby discard pile and slapped another brown card faceup onto the table. "Behold, the all-powerful Gazuga the Ape Lord! He'll wipe out all your Life Points with one attack!"
The girl looked at Gazuga, a giant red ape wearing spiked armor and a skull for a helmet while wielding a large spiked club. With an Attack of 2700, he was sure to win the Battle for his owner.
"Looks like overkill to me," someone in the crowd remarked.
The girl noticed the two calculators on the table. Gazuga's owner had 2000 Life Points left while his opponent only had 300. She silently agreed that using Gazuga was definitely overkill.
"Hey, whatever works," the first boy said. "Gazuga, finish him off."
"I don't think so," the second boy said. "I'll activate my Trap Card now."
"I knew it," someone next to the girl said in a low voice.
"A Trap?" the first boy exclaimed. "I thought I got rid of them all."
"Forgot about my Red Digger, huh?" the second boy said. "His effect allowed me to get back...this!" Everyone watched as he flipped over his facedown card, revealing a red card with a picture of a Monster being blown away by an energy beam bouncing off a smooth surface.
The first boy gasped. "Not Reflective Barrier of Protection!"
"There goes your Gazuga," the second boy said as the first boy placed Gazuga into his discard pile. He drew a card from his deck. "Now, I'm going to finish this Battle."
"With what?" the first boy said, looking at his hand. "You don't have any strong Monsters left."
"With this," the second boy said, showing his opponent an orange card with a bird-headed knight armed with two swords. "I'm Summoning Falcon Swordsman to the Field," he announced as he placed the Monster on the table.
The first boy gulped. "Uh oh."
"You've got that right," the second boy said. "Falcon Swordsman will attack your Life Points directly for 1000, and since he can attack twice, I'm wiping you out." As his opponent calculated the damage, he said, "That's game."
Immediately, the spectators cheered and applauded the second boy, who let out a sigh of relief. He took the attention as humbily as he could and combined the discard pile with his hand and the rest of his deck. As the victor reshuffled his cards while talking with the spectators, the first boy was looking through his own deck. He snarled and muttered to himself as he tried to figure out what went wrong.
The girl appeared behind him. "You should've used the Magic Crush in your hand to destroy his Trap," she advised.
The first boy frowned at her. "I forgot, okay? I thought he was bluffing with some useless Magic Card after I destroyed all his Traps."
"A good Battler always pays attention during the Battle," the girl said.
"Is that so?" The first boy rose quickly from his seat and glared at the girl. "You think you're so hot? I think I can beat you!" he declared, eyeing the girl's box.
"Whoa, Bruce," the second boy said. "You don't have to..."
"Stay out of this, Nick!" the first boy warned. "I challenge you to a Battle," he told the girl. "I'll show you who's the good Battler!"
The girl shrugged. "If you insist," she answered.
Nick got out of his seat and offered it to the girl, who accepted it and sat down. As Bruce shuffled his deck, the girl pulled hers out of her box and started shuffling.
"Prepare to lose," Bruce said as he slid his deck over to the girl.
"We shall see," the girl said as she slid hers towards Bruce.
The crowd around the table watched as both kids cut each other's decks and slid them back to their owners. "Since you're new here, I'll go easy on you and let you go first," Bruce said. "After all, being the local Monster Battler champ, I'm sure I'm gonna win," he added as he drew five cards from his deck.
"You didn't look like it when you lost earlier," the girl remarked matter-of-factly as she drew her five cards.
Bruce glared at his opponent. "He got lucky, but this time, I know what I'm doing, and when I'm through with you, I'm destroying him next."
The girl looked at her hand and reached for her deck. "I should warn you. I'm very good at games, and I've never lost."
Bruce smirked. "Well, sweetheart, this is one game you'll get beaten at. Badly."
"Oh, I highly doubt that," the girl said coolly as she drew a card. Glancing at her current hand, she added, "Now, let's Battle."
With that, the Battle began. The crowd grew, and the store owner prepared himself to maintain control.
END OF CHAPTER 2
by HA
For Shirley and her friends, the school day went by without anything unusual happening. Although Stink managed to make his mixture explode into a stink cloud in the science lab, no one was really surprised. Thankfully, the smell didn't transfer into anyone's clothes.
As the school day ended, Shirley noticed that Rika was talking to a girl with a hair bow leaning on a bicycle next to the school entrance. When Shirley got closer, she saw that it was Sara Stanley, the secretary for the Strangers' Club. Judging from the gasps of air the blond girl took along with holding her chest, Shirley concluded that she had pedaled pretty fast. She advanced slowly on the two and listened in.
"...you're sure?" she heard Rika said.
Sara took another gasp. "Positive."
"I see. We'll have to..."
Rika had stopped, and Shirley knew why. The Stranger had spotted her, and now was looking at her.
"Hi, Shirley," Sara greeted after catching her breath some more. "Boy, that was quite a...trip..."
"My grandfather's sending a limo to pick me up," Rika said. "We can drop you off, Sara."
"Thanks," Sara said, gasping. "Never really had to pedal so much, but..."
"Here it is now," Rika said.
A long white limousine showed up just as Rika finished speaking. After parking the car, the driver stepped out. "Miss Tamura," he said.
"Put Sara's bike inside," Rika said. "She'll be riding with us."
"As you wish," the driver said, taking the bike from Sara, who looked relieved.
"I'll help you there," Shirley said, taking one side of the bike.
"Oh no, I can manage," the driver said. "All in a day's work."
"If you insist," Shirley said, allowing the driver to carry the full weight of the bike.
While the driver placed the bike inside the limousine, Rika spoke to Shirley. "See you tomorrow," she said before heading to the car with Sara.
Blake appeared behind Shirley as the limousine proceeded to leave the school grounds. "What was that about?"
Shirley continued to watch the limousine drive off. "Stranger business, apparently."
"Looks like it's something they want to keep to themselves," Blake said.
"I'd have to agree," Shirley said. "I strongly believe we'll find out what it is soon enough."
"What makes you think that?" Blake asked.
Shirley pulled out a transceiver from her backpack. "Because I planted a listening device on Sara's bike."
Blake stared at her. "How can you afford all this equipment?"
"Most girls spend their money on clothes, makeup, and jewelry," Shirley stated. "I tend to be more practical in my purchases." She turned on the transceiver, and it crackled to life as she placved it on the ground. "Now, shall we find out what our friends in the Strangers' Club are up to?"
Blake nodded his agreement, and Shirley handed him one half of a headphone. She took the other, and both sat down and proceeded to listen in to the Strangers' conversation.
"I'm surprised you just took your bike to Sussex to tell me instead of just using the comlink," they heard Rika say.
"Well, the comlinks aren't exactly public knowledge, and someone might be suspicious about a calculator-like communications device," they heard Sara answer.
"A good point," Rika said. "Are you sure it's here?"
"Positive, especially after what happened at the airport," Sara said. "Took a while for him to return to normal."
The two junior detectives heard Rika sigh. "We'd better find her fast. You know which hotel she checked into?"
"Yep. Unfortunately, she left."
"Looks like she's gone off to find a gaming shop. Let's find her before she does something else."
Shirley and Blake listened closely as more details came in, and after a minute, only the sounds of traffic and the car radio were heard. "Intriguing, wouldn't you say?" Shirley asked as she put everything away.
"'Intriguing' is only the tip of the iceberg," Blake replied. "So, what's the plan?"
"Find out what's going on, of course," Shirley said as she walked to the nearby bike rack to get her bicycle. "Looks like we're heading downtown, like Rika said."
Blake joined her. "Shouldn't we get Bo to help us out?"
"Bo's got work after school, and his parents have really been needing his help," Shirley said, putting on her helmet. "We shouldn't bother him with this."
"Are you sure?" Blake asked.
"I think we can handle this ourselves," Shirley said. "Besides, the trail will get cold if we don't hurry."
The two junior detectives took off on their bikes, but unknown to both of them, Bo had stepped out of the school and had been listening in to their conversation. He had caught a few pieces of it and knew they were going downtown. Part of his not listening closely was due to his listening position, but he had been concentrating on the growing pressure of his hands as he squeezed themm into fists at his sides.
"Hey, Bo!"
Bo quickly turned around and found himself facing Alicia Gianelli. "Don't do that," he said as he clutched his heart and caught his breath.
"Sorry about that." Alicia watched as Shirley and Blake vanished into the distance. "Wonder where they're going?"
"Who cares?" Bo said, still looking where they were as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets.
"They've been spending a lot of time together, haven't they?" Alicia asked.
"So what?" Bo said, looking down at the ground and kicking the air.
Alicia stepped out in front of Bo. "You know, maybe she wouldn't be spending so much time with him if you just told her."
Bo froze, and his gaze fell on Alicia. "Tell her what?"
"Oh, you know." Alicia's mouth formed a big grin. "Something like, 'Shirley, I've been in love with you ever since I saw you.'"
A red blush immediately filled Bo's face. "Wh-wh-what?"
"Oh, come on, Bo," Alicia said. "It's obvious you like her."
"Don't know what you're talking about," Bo said, looking away in an attempt to hide the redness on his face.
Alicia moved to where Bo was facing, only to see him turn towards the opposite direction. "Bo! You've got to be honest with her, or you'll lose her forever," she continued.
"You're nuts," Bo said, his face still red. "Anyway, I've got to go to work." Without looking at Alicia, he ran for his own bike, and in seconds, he was going in the same direction as Shirley and Blake.
As she watched Bo disappear, Alicia shook her head with a bemused smile. "Boys." Leaving it at that remark, she headed towards the dormitory so she could get dressed for work.
* * * * *
Walking toward the dorms, Molly continued to talk into her cell phone. "So you actually did something right? Well then, you will get the bonus we agreed on. Meet me at the appointed place, and I'll give you what you deserve."
As she hung up, she allowed herself to grin. So far, everything was going according to plan, and as long as everything stayed that way, nothing would stop her, not even a certain blue-eyed do-gooder who constantly put her nose where...
"Hey, Molly!" someone yelled, interrupting her thoughts.
Molly turned around and found herself facing Stink Patterson. "What do you want?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see you," Stink said with a big grin.
"A sentiment I don't share with you," Molly said sharply. "Now, if you excuse me, I have important matters to prepare for."
"Oh, come on," Stink said, stepping in front of Molly. "You can spare a few minutes to talk. Maybe you'll be interested in a movie or dinner."
Molly glared at the lovesick boy. "You must be delusional," she said as she brushed him aside to get into the dormitory. Without looking back, she proceeded inside and slammed the door in front of Stink.
Stink stood before the door for a moment. "Oh, playing hard to get, are we?" he said in a Scottish accent. "Well, lassie, looks like I have to really try harder."
With that, he opened the door and entered, hoping to somehow wear down the defenses of the pretty blonde.
* * * * *
Having checked into her hotel, the girl decided to take a walking tour of Redington. With her backpack slung over her shoulder, she took in the sights while eating a recently purchased hot dog.
As she finished her snack, she spotted something she liked. She stopped in front of the building and paid special attention to the glass pane window, which read "Carson's Collectibles." What got her attention was the sign at the corner that read "Monster Battler trading card game sold here." Upon reading that, she reached into her backpack and pulled out the little plastic box. Looking through the window, she saw kids her age and younger and a few older people hanging out near the comic book displays, looking at the collectible action figures and posters, and playing the aforementioned card game at tables. Smiling, she went inside.
Once inside, she stood over a table where a Battle between two boys was taking place and joined the small crowd gathered there. Taking a postion from which she could see both boys' hands, she assessed the situation and noted that one boy had two Monsters on the Field while the other had nothing except a single Magic or Trap Card. However, despite the lopsidedness of the Battle, she knew that despite an apparent victory by one, the other still had a chance.
"Ha! I'll sacrifice my two Monsters to summon...this!" The first boy placed his two brown Monster Cards into the nearby discard pile and slapped another brown card faceup onto the table. "Behold, the all-powerful Gazuga the Ape Lord! He'll wipe out all your Life Points with one attack!"
The girl looked at Gazuga, a giant red ape wearing spiked armor and a skull for a helmet while wielding a large spiked club. With an Attack of 2700, he was sure to win the Battle for his owner.
"Looks like overkill to me," someone in the crowd remarked.
The girl noticed the two calculators on the table. Gazuga's owner had 2000 Life Points left while his opponent only had 300. She silently agreed that using Gazuga was definitely overkill.
"Hey, whatever works," the first boy said. "Gazuga, finish him off."
"I don't think so," the second boy said. "I'll activate my Trap Card now."
"I knew it," someone next to the girl said in a low voice.
"A Trap?" the first boy exclaimed. "I thought I got rid of them all."
"Forgot about my Red Digger, huh?" the second boy said. "His effect allowed me to get back...this!" Everyone watched as he flipped over his facedown card, revealing a red card with a picture of a Monster being blown away by an energy beam bouncing off a smooth surface.
The first boy gasped. "Not Reflective Barrier of Protection!"
"There goes your Gazuga," the second boy said as the first boy placed Gazuga into his discard pile. He drew a card from his deck. "Now, I'm going to finish this Battle."
"With what?" the first boy said, looking at his hand. "You don't have any strong Monsters left."
"With this," the second boy said, showing his opponent an orange card with a bird-headed knight armed with two swords. "I'm Summoning Falcon Swordsman to the Field," he announced as he placed the Monster on the table.
The first boy gulped. "Uh oh."
"You've got that right," the second boy said. "Falcon Swordsman will attack your Life Points directly for 1000, and since he can attack twice, I'm wiping you out." As his opponent calculated the damage, he said, "That's game."
Immediately, the spectators cheered and applauded the second boy, who let out a sigh of relief. He took the attention as humbily as he could and combined the discard pile with his hand and the rest of his deck. As the victor reshuffled his cards while talking with the spectators, the first boy was looking through his own deck. He snarled and muttered to himself as he tried to figure out what went wrong.
The girl appeared behind him. "You should've used the Magic Crush in your hand to destroy his Trap," she advised.
The first boy frowned at her. "I forgot, okay? I thought he was bluffing with some useless Magic Card after I destroyed all his Traps."
"A good Battler always pays attention during the Battle," the girl said.
"Is that so?" The first boy rose quickly from his seat and glared at the girl. "You think you're so hot? I think I can beat you!" he declared, eyeing the girl's box.
"Whoa, Bruce," the second boy said. "You don't have to..."
"Stay out of this, Nick!" the first boy warned. "I challenge you to a Battle," he told the girl. "I'll show you who's the good Battler!"
The girl shrugged. "If you insist," she answered.
Nick got out of his seat and offered it to the girl, who accepted it and sat down. As Bruce shuffled his deck, the girl pulled hers out of her box and started shuffling.
"Prepare to lose," Bruce said as he slid his deck over to the girl.
"We shall see," the girl said as she slid hers towards Bruce.
The crowd around the table watched as both kids cut each other's decks and slid them back to their owners. "Since you're new here, I'll go easy on you and let you go first," Bruce said. "After all, being the local Monster Battler champ, I'm sure I'm gonna win," he added as he drew five cards from his deck.
"You didn't look like it when you lost earlier," the girl remarked matter-of-factly as she drew her five cards.
Bruce glared at his opponent. "He got lucky, but this time, I know what I'm doing, and when I'm through with you, I'm destroying him next."
The girl looked at her hand and reached for her deck. "I should warn you. I'm very good at games, and I've never lost."
Bruce smirked. "Well, sweetheart, this is one game you'll get beaten at. Badly."
"Oh, I highly doubt that," the girl said coolly as she drew a card. Glancing at her current hand, she added, "Now, let's Battle."
With that, the Battle began. The crowd grew, and the store owner prepared himself to maintain control.
END OF CHAPTER 2