The Case of the Manila Envelope--Chapter 8
by HA
"Right this way," the maitre d told Blake and Molly, leading them to a table.
The two teens sat down, and a waiter appeared besides them shortly. He was a thin man with a thin mustache and what appeared to be a barely put-together toupee. "Ah, Miss Hardy," he said as he saw Molly. "How good of you to grace our fine restaurant again with your presence."
"Yes," Molly said as she took her menu opened it.
"Let me know when you're ready," the waiter said before leaving.
Blake opened his menu. "Hmmmmmmmmm..."
Molly skimmed through her menu and paid attention to the more expensive dishes. "The pheasant under glass looks rather nice. I think..."
"Let's go for the clams and linguini in alfredo sauce," Blake broke in.
Molly put down her menu and narrowed her eyes. "Now, Blake, shouldn't you be getting what your date wants?"
"True, but let me put it this way," Blake said. "Have you ever had pheasant under glass before?"
"On a few occasions," Molly said. "When I was actually with my parents."
"Same here," Blake admitted. "Have you ever had clams and linguini before?"
"No," Molly answered.
"Neither have I. Would be interesting, if you ask me," Blake said.
Molly frowned. "What happens if we don't like it?"
"Hmmm, good point," Blake said. "However, how will we know if we don't try it?"
Raising an eyebrow at her date, Molly's first notion was to persist in getting the pheasant, but something told her to stop as she looked at Blake. "All right, Blake, we'll try it your way."
"Okay, but I think we'll start out with something familiar we both will like," Blake said. "How do you feel about the appetizer sampler?"
"It looks fine," Molly said after skimming its contents. "I should note that if we both don't like the clams and linguini, it wouldn't be much of a dinner."
"Good point," Blake said with a laugh. "Tell you what. We'll share dishes." He ignored the look of disgust on Molly's face as he continued speaking. "I'll order the linguini while you order..." He searched the menu for something that looked edible, yet unfamiliar, and he finally pointed to an item. "Okay, the fried catfish looks good. You ever had fried catfish before?"
"I've heard good things about it," Molly said, still trying to get over the fact that they'd be sharing dishes.
"So have I," Blake said. "Care to try it?"
"Sure," Molly said before she could stop herself.
The waiter walked up to the table. "Are you ready yet, Miss Hardy?"
"I am," Molly said, and she looked over the menu. "How is your catfish tonight?"
* * * * *
Alicia frowned as she looked at Stink. "Why am I not surprised you'd be here?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Stink stared at Alicia and noticed a pair of binoculars around her neck. "What are you doing here?"
Alicia balked, and after some stammering, she found the right words. "I'm here on Shirley's behalf."
"So Shirley told you to spy on them?" Stink asked.
Alicia looked nervously at her feet. "Well, no, but I'm sure she'd want to."
"And you said I had a problem," Stink said.
"At least I'm out here for unselfish reasons," Alicia argued. "You, you're just stalking Molly."
"For the last time, I'm not stalking her!" Stink yelled, getting into Alicia's face.
Alicia rolled her eyes and glared back at Stink. "Oh, come on! Every time you see here, it's always with goo-goo eyes."
Soon, the two were engaged in a heated verbal battle. Fortunately for them, no one was there in the immediate area. Unfortunately, someone was watching from a nearby alley.
Dressed in a black leather jacket with brown patches on the elbows, the young man assessed the situation. The boy didn't look like much of a threat, so he wouldn't have any trouble. "Mmmmmmm, sweets," he said as he looked over Alicia while licking his lips. She didn't exactly fit his standards, but at the moment, he didn't care. He felt inside his pants pocket for his switchblade and got ready to walk in on them.
"I think not."
The man's ears picked up something crackling. A second later, he felt something stab through his skull from behind, and he saw a flash of red while experiencing a brief moment of heat followed by an overwhelming numbness. As he collapsed to the ground, Alicia and Stink continued their argument. Later, when a policeman on patrol would find him, he wouldn't be able to recall who he was and what he was doing out there.
* * * * *
The wind blew even harder through the future site of Technotopia, and that was the only sound being made. Rika remained in her defensive stance. Sara kept her hand in her pocket. Bo wondered if Tomie's yellow eyes and green hair were for real.
"Tomie Uzumaki, huh?" Shirley said finally. "I've read about some of your work."
"Ah yes," Tomie said, still grinning. "Those people deserved what they got."
"What do you mean by that?" Bo said, almost exploding despite those pair of eerily yellow eyes and wicked grin. "You took away a guy's mouth and turned another into part of a bathroom wall!"
Tomie's grin grew wider. "They violated people." A snicker escaped her lips. "I don't like people who violate others."
"And you kill them," Bo said.
Tomie snickered again. "I don't kill them. It's not my fault if some of them fail to tell the truth after I inflict the Dark Penalty."
"The Dark Penalty?" Shirley said.
"The punishment I inflict on those who lose to me in a game," Tomie explained, and Shirley recalled her research. "They suffer whatever they most fear or what I feel is ironic, and only by admitting their guilt publicly will they be freed from it."
"Why don't you just use this Dark Penalty?" Shirley asked curiously. "Why do you play games with your victims?"
"I like games," Tomie said, the grin on her face widening even more, "and I've never lost."
"So, why exactly are you here?" Bo asked.
Tomie snickered. "Why, for my latest victim." Her yellow eyes focused on Shirley.
Bo looked from Tomie to Shirley. "Oh no...you can't!"
"Why not?" Tomie said. "Your friend here violates others on a regular basis with her detective work."
"But she's one of the good guys!" Bo yelled.
"It doesn't matter to me," Tomie said. "Besides, I want to see how good she is in a game." Snickering, she pointed at the girl detective. "Shirley Holmes, I challenge you to play a game with me."
Sara stared at Tomie. "What?"
Rika turned to Shirley. "Shirley, don't accept! You have no idea what she's capable of!"
Tomie's eyes flashed angrily. "Stay out of this, Rika. This is between me and the detective."
"The hell it is," Bo said, stepping in front of his best friend and spreading his arms out. "She's not playing any of your games, and that's that."
Tomie narrowed her eyes, and Shirley saw her flex her hand at her side. "I think she needs some...incentive...to play."
Suddenly, Tomie raised her hand, and what looked like a wire shot out of it and flew past Rika. Before Bo knew what was happening, the wire wrapped itself around his neck, and he was being pulled towards the Gamer of the Dark.
"Bo!" Shirley cried out.
Gasping for air, Bo found himself being lifted from the ground. Soon, he was being held by the wire at a great height. His limbs flailed helplessly in the air, and his gasps were clearly heard by all. Instinctively, he reached for the wire around his neck and tried to pull it off him, but it was too tight for him.
"Now, Shirley," Tomie said, grinning malevolently, "do you want to play?"
END OF CHAPTER 8
by HA
"Right this way," the maitre d told Blake and Molly, leading them to a table.
The two teens sat down, and a waiter appeared besides them shortly. He was a thin man with a thin mustache and what appeared to be a barely put-together toupee. "Ah, Miss Hardy," he said as he saw Molly. "How good of you to grace our fine restaurant again with your presence."
"Yes," Molly said as she took her menu opened it.
"Let me know when you're ready," the waiter said before leaving.
Blake opened his menu. "Hmmmmmmmmm..."
Molly skimmed through her menu and paid attention to the more expensive dishes. "The pheasant under glass looks rather nice. I think..."
"Let's go for the clams and linguini in alfredo sauce," Blake broke in.
Molly put down her menu and narrowed her eyes. "Now, Blake, shouldn't you be getting what your date wants?"
"True, but let me put it this way," Blake said. "Have you ever had pheasant under glass before?"
"On a few occasions," Molly said. "When I was actually with my parents."
"Same here," Blake admitted. "Have you ever had clams and linguini before?"
"No," Molly answered.
"Neither have I. Would be interesting, if you ask me," Blake said.
Molly frowned. "What happens if we don't like it?"
"Hmmm, good point," Blake said. "However, how will we know if we don't try it?"
Raising an eyebrow at her date, Molly's first notion was to persist in getting the pheasant, but something told her to stop as she looked at Blake. "All right, Blake, we'll try it your way."
"Okay, but I think we'll start out with something familiar we both will like," Blake said. "How do you feel about the appetizer sampler?"
"It looks fine," Molly said after skimming its contents. "I should note that if we both don't like the clams and linguini, it wouldn't be much of a dinner."
"Good point," Blake said with a laugh. "Tell you what. We'll share dishes." He ignored the look of disgust on Molly's face as he continued speaking. "I'll order the linguini while you order..." He searched the menu for something that looked edible, yet unfamiliar, and he finally pointed to an item. "Okay, the fried catfish looks good. You ever had fried catfish before?"
"I've heard good things about it," Molly said, still trying to get over the fact that they'd be sharing dishes.
"So have I," Blake said. "Care to try it?"
"Sure," Molly said before she could stop herself.
The waiter walked up to the table. "Are you ready yet, Miss Hardy?"
"I am," Molly said, and she looked over the menu. "How is your catfish tonight?"
* * * * *
Alicia frowned as she looked at Stink. "Why am I not surprised you'd be here?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Stink stared at Alicia and noticed a pair of binoculars around her neck. "What are you doing here?"
Alicia balked, and after some stammering, she found the right words. "I'm here on Shirley's behalf."
"So Shirley told you to spy on them?" Stink asked.
Alicia looked nervously at her feet. "Well, no, but I'm sure she'd want to."
"And you said I had a problem," Stink said.
"At least I'm out here for unselfish reasons," Alicia argued. "You, you're just stalking Molly."
"For the last time, I'm not stalking her!" Stink yelled, getting into Alicia's face.
Alicia rolled her eyes and glared back at Stink. "Oh, come on! Every time you see here, it's always with goo-goo eyes."
Soon, the two were engaged in a heated verbal battle. Fortunately for them, no one was there in the immediate area. Unfortunately, someone was watching from a nearby alley.
Dressed in a black leather jacket with brown patches on the elbows, the young man assessed the situation. The boy didn't look like much of a threat, so he wouldn't have any trouble. "Mmmmmmm, sweets," he said as he looked over Alicia while licking his lips. She didn't exactly fit his standards, but at the moment, he didn't care. He felt inside his pants pocket for his switchblade and got ready to walk in on them.
"I think not."
The man's ears picked up something crackling. A second later, he felt something stab through his skull from behind, and he saw a flash of red while experiencing a brief moment of heat followed by an overwhelming numbness. As he collapsed to the ground, Alicia and Stink continued their argument. Later, when a policeman on patrol would find him, he wouldn't be able to recall who he was and what he was doing out there.
* * * * *
The wind blew even harder through the future site of Technotopia, and that was the only sound being made. Rika remained in her defensive stance. Sara kept her hand in her pocket. Bo wondered if Tomie's yellow eyes and green hair were for real.
"Tomie Uzumaki, huh?" Shirley said finally. "I've read about some of your work."
"Ah yes," Tomie said, still grinning. "Those people deserved what they got."
"What do you mean by that?" Bo said, almost exploding despite those pair of eerily yellow eyes and wicked grin. "You took away a guy's mouth and turned another into part of a bathroom wall!"
Tomie's grin grew wider. "They violated people." A snicker escaped her lips. "I don't like people who violate others."
"And you kill them," Bo said.
Tomie snickered again. "I don't kill them. It's not my fault if some of them fail to tell the truth after I inflict the Dark Penalty."
"The Dark Penalty?" Shirley said.
"The punishment I inflict on those who lose to me in a game," Tomie explained, and Shirley recalled her research. "They suffer whatever they most fear or what I feel is ironic, and only by admitting their guilt publicly will they be freed from it."
"Why don't you just use this Dark Penalty?" Shirley asked curiously. "Why do you play games with your victims?"
"I like games," Tomie said, the grin on her face widening even more, "and I've never lost."
"So, why exactly are you here?" Bo asked.
Tomie snickered. "Why, for my latest victim." Her yellow eyes focused on Shirley.
Bo looked from Tomie to Shirley. "Oh no...you can't!"
"Why not?" Tomie said. "Your friend here violates others on a regular basis with her detective work."
"But she's one of the good guys!" Bo yelled.
"It doesn't matter to me," Tomie said. "Besides, I want to see how good she is in a game." Snickering, she pointed at the girl detective. "Shirley Holmes, I challenge you to play a game with me."
Sara stared at Tomie. "What?"
Rika turned to Shirley. "Shirley, don't accept! You have no idea what she's capable of!"
Tomie's eyes flashed angrily. "Stay out of this, Rika. This is between me and the detective."
"The hell it is," Bo said, stepping in front of his best friend and spreading his arms out. "She's not playing any of your games, and that's that."
Tomie narrowed her eyes, and Shirley saw her flex her hand at her side. "I think she needs some...incentive...to play."
Suddenly, Tomie raised her hand, and what looked like a wire shot out of it and flew past Rika. Before Bo knew what was happening, the wire wrapped itself around his neck, and he was being pulled towards the Gamer of the Dark.
"Bo!" Shirley cried out.
Gasping for air, Bo found himself being lifted from the ground. Soon, he was being held by the wire at a great height. His limbs flailed helplessly in the air, and his gasps were clearly heard by all. Instinctively, he reached for the wire around his neck and tried to pull it off him, but it was too tight for him.
"Now, Shirley," Tomie said, grinning malevolently, "do you want to play?"
END OF CHAPTER 8