Chapter 7
The drive from Chastity to Daphne's house was quiet. Daphne was mentally kicking herself. She had played her hand too early and made a mistake. Her mind wanted to start rolling through what she should have done differently but she forced herself to focus on her next steps. Alicia tried a couple of times to start a conversation but her efforts at pretending nothing had happened were clumsy. Dr. Lewis had been right. She was a terrible actor.
When they pulled up, Shaggy's car was in the driveway and two other vehicles were parked along the street in the public right-of-way. Two of the three men that Daphne had seen at Robbie and Amanda's house earlier that morning were sitting on the tailgate of one of the SUVs while Shaggy was sitting on Daphne's front stoop.
Daphne directed Alicia to pull past Shaggy's car and park next to Daphne's own car which she had left at home this morning behind the Mystery Machine which was parked in front of the detached garage. No car had, while she and Fred were living at the house, ever seen the inside of the garage. It was used for storage and was filled to the rafters. Nobody used that building but the wasps.
Shaggy stood as Daphne and Alicia got out of the car, "Hi Daph. I just got here to answer the phones. Sorry I couldn't let your friends in, but I forgot my key. Glad you showed up."
With those two sentences, Shaggy let Daphne know that the FBI agents had not identified themselves to him and had requested to get inside her house. He had pretended to not know about the key under the rock in order to avoid a confrontation. And he was sitting at the front door instead of the side door to keep their attention as far away from the key under the rock as possible. Confusing an adversary was Shaggy's strength and he apparently perceived the FBI agents as adversaries.
She smiled, "It's lucky we came on back. I wasn't planning on being back here for some time." She gestured toward the two men who were now approaching, "I haven't actually met these gentlemen yet, they're with the FBI but this is my new old friend, Alicia Clark. She was a sophomore at Danforth when we were seniors at Crystal Cove."
Daphne's response told Shaggy that he had been correct to perceive these people as adversaries and that it was not Daphne's idea to be here with them.
Shaggy extended his hand, "I doubt we've met, I didn't hang with the Danforth crowd much.
Alicia shook it, "I don't think so, either, but I know you from the show."
Daphne continued the best friends act, "Alicia went with Fred and Velma on a mystery."
Shaggy looked briefly confused and then lit up, "Oh, the desert thing while we were filming with Theo, uh, Flim Flam? Fred said that a girl had come along."
Daphne's smile changed slightly, "Oh really? He never mentioned it to me. What did he say about her?"
Shaggy blinked several times, "I don't remember." Which meant that Fred had mentioned how attractive she was. Of course, Shaggy was a consummate actor and could lie flawlessly when it was needed to solve a case or, more accurately, to protect him and Scooby. The obviousness of that little lie was a diversion to distract Alicia and allow him some time to catch up with everything that was happening.
Which gave him little time since the other two agents approached while Daphne was opening the door and they all entered into Daphne's living room together. The older male agent was carrying a file folder in his left hand.
Alicia turned on the slightly askew smile again, "Daphne, Shaggy, this is Special Agent Norland who is in charge of this case and Special Agent Ashby."
Both Daphne and Shaggy nodded but neither extended a hand. Nor did the FBI agents.
Shaggy turned and headed toward the kitchen, "Daphne, I'll get the phones."
Norland spoke, "I would prefer that you didn't make any phone calls."
Shaggy turned, "No problem. Just show me the warrant giving you the authority to restrict my activities in that manner and I'll stop right now."
The agent put forth a bad fake smile, "I don't have a warrant, it would just be helpful to the case if you did not make any phone calls."
Shaggy returned the smile, "I'm sorry, I don't see how restricting communications could possibly be helpful to the case. So, unless you plan to stop me, I need to be manning our phones. We are trying to run a business." He turned around and walked to the kitchen counter to take the phones off of 'Forward.' While he walked, he kept waiting to be tackled from behind. When he made it to the kitchen stool and was still on his feet, he figured that his bluff had stood up. He sat and pressed the buttons on the phone.
Daphne silently retracted what she had said about wishing Shaggy were a stoner again. His speech was primarily theatrics but had served to change the dynamic of the group somewhat. She could now play her part.
"Since you have been invited in, why don't I save you the charade of distracting Shaggy and me while you try to discretely search the house. You are invited to search the house, the garage, and the yard as well as my car. I can't speak for Shaggy's car, of course."
Shaggy volunteered, "Knock yourself out. Just don't eat the cheeseburger. It's only two days old and I plan on eating it sometime later this week. The French fries on the floorboard you can have. Those are for Scooby anyway.
Alicia jumped in, "Now, Daphne you…"
Special Agent Norland raised a finger and Alicia immediately silenced. He took over, "Thank you, Mrs. Jones. We will take you up on your kind offer." He didn't speak but glanced at Alicia and the other young agent, Ashby, and they immediately started moving through the house. Doors began to open and close and drawers were opened.
Daphne ignored it and looked straight at Special Agent Norland, "Can I offer you something? Bread? Water?"
He smiled, "No. Thank you. I was aware of your television show, Mrs. Jones. But I admit that I never watched it. I found the idea of a talking dog to be preposterous."
Shaggy volunteered from the kitchen counter, "And I'm pretty sure that he finds overly officious and arrogant Government bureaucracies with a long history of civil rights violations against American citizens to be equally preposterous."
Norland raised an eyebrow at Shaggy and spoke pointedly, "We all have our past histories, Mr. Rogers."
Shaggy smiled broadly, "If that is some veiled threat about my past issues with illicit narcotics, then I'll let you know that if you search my house right now, I'm pretty sure you'll find an old joint or two that has fallen into the sofa cushions. If that's your best threat, then you need to work on your intimidation skills."
Special Agent Norland also seemed nonplussed, "Not exactly the response that I would have expected from you."
"Expected? You mean from the show that you didn't watch?"
Norland smiled again almost as if he were enjoying himself, "Exactly. That one."
"Well Agent Norland," The correct form of address would be 'Special' Agent Norland. Shaggy knew this and Norland knew that he knew it. So, the deliberate faux pas went uncorrected. Shaggy continued, "I don't care much for oversized government. I also don't care much for people who define the word 'security' however they need for their own best self-interest. So, you can imagine, that I have a special place in my heart for your organization."
Shaggy was, of course, doing what he did best. He was pretending that he was something which he was not in order to distract an adversary and give Daphne time to think. What Velma had called, when she was at her lowest, his talent at being a deceiver. But it was his talent, and he did it well. And, right now, Daphne needed it.
Norland was smarter than most of the latex-wearing villains of the old show and disentangled himself from Shaggy's political diatribe, "But Mrs. Jones, I would appreciate it if you could answer some questions."
Daphne had taken the time that Shaggy had given her to collect her thoughts. She still did not know exactly how she had ended up with a house full of FBI agents, but she knew that she had lost a round. Now, she needed to start gathering information. His questions would give her more insight into what was going on, "Certainly, ask away."
"How long have you known Amanda Black?"
"Other than a brief encounter at the airport a few weeks ago, I've known her since early yesterday morning"
"What happened at the airport?"
"We were going to Los Angeles to assist with a mystery. She approached us as a fan and requested a selfie with Velma Dinkley. Robbie and Bettie were with her."
"Where were they going?"
"I don't know."
"They weren't on the plane with you?"
"Not that I saw."
"And you had never met her before or seen her since until yesterday morning?"
"Not to the best of my recollection."
"Your investigative skills seem very impressive. Apparently, everything that the Danforth Police have found out about the case, they found out from you."
"If you are saying that my investigative skills are better than Danforth PD, you probably should check on them a little before you establish that as a gold standard. Everything I did was standard procedure."
"And you know the procedure."
"Yes, I am an associate private investigator licensed by the state. I am aware of the procedure."
"It must have been disconcerting for you when the Danforth Police didn't follow procedure and find what appears to be a very obvious trail of bread crumbs."
"No. I was hired yesterday morning to investigate a case and I began my investigation. Especially given that this case is the kidnapping of a child, it is immaterial to me who gets what first as long as everyone shares the information and the child is returned safe."
"There we agree. What's your financial situation?"
The sudden change to a very personal question was supposed to throw her off. But she had been expecting the question. The question provided confirmation that he was trying to set her up as some form of accomplice or maybe mastermind of the kidnapping. The FBI does not jump to a conclusion like that. As Alicia had said, to them it was all about process. For Norland to already be working that angle, someone must have set this in motion deliberately. She thought that she knew the who. The why and the how could come later. Right now, she had to get rid of these feds and start working on the where. Where was Bettie? Hopefully, the answer was not in Mexico.
And of course, if he was this far along, he had pulled all of her financial records and knew here financial status, "Financially, we're sucking the hind one. Which probably explains why I'm working two jobs and still live at this posh address. Did you pass the house on Dowd Street with the plywood on all the windows? Meth Lab. It blew up about six months ago."
"A few weeks ago, you made a fairly large one-time deposit into your bank account. What was that for?"
"It was for supplying assistance to our former employer in Los Angeles."
"Yes. I read about that in the papers. He paid you very well."
"It was bait. To lure us down there. We wouldn't have gone without significant incentive because we didn't like him. Velma mandated that he pay up front."
"Who hired you to investigate this case?" Another quick topic change to throw her off balance.
"The Blacks."
"Which Blacks?"
"Amanda and Robbie."
"Both of them?"
"Amanda stated that it was primarily her idea."
"Did she say that Robbie supported the decision?"
"She gave the impression that he did not. He was unable to speak due to his jaw."
Daphne was momentarily distracted by the sound of the attic steps being pulled down by Special Agent Ashby. She hoped that he had dust allergies. Alicia then passed through and went outside through the side door.
Norland opened the folder he had been holding and extracted a single sheet of paper. Daphne hoped that she was now going to find out what this was all about. He handed the paper to her. It was a copy of a grainy color photograph. The photograph was of the green SUV from the video. Standing in front of it and clearly visible were the three kidnappers. The fourth person in the frame whose back was to the camera was a woman with bright red hair, wearing a purple miniskirt with a green scarf and pink tights. Her feet were cropped off by the shot. In other words, the woman in the shot looked just like her.
He gave her a second to react to it. When she didn't, he asked, "Would you mind commenting on this photograph?"
"It is the three alleged kidnappers standing in front of the green SUV speaking with someone of roughly my height and build who is wearing one of those awful Halloween costumes based on me. Although the red wig is a higher quality than the ones they usually sell."
"Is that you in the photograph?"
"I have no recollection of such a meeting and have not worn that precise outfit since the show ended years ago. As far as the pink tights with the purple dress, I only wore that on the set because it was hideous. The network made me wear it because it allowed them to shorten the skirt because they said the skimpy costumes improved ratings."
Shaggy chimed in, "Daph, the skimpy costumes did improve ratings."
Norland ignored him and addressed his question to Daphne, "If I told you that the timestamp on this photo was early yesterday morning around 6:30 AM, what would be your response?"
"That it is definitely not me. I was here at that time."
"Who was with you?"
"Fred."
"Just your husband?"
"It was 6:30 in the morning. What kind of a lifestyle do you think I lead?"
"Was your husband the only one who saw you here at 6:30 AM?"
"Yes. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby showed up around 7:00. Will you give me any information on who took this picture and where it was taken?"
"No."
"So, I'm not assisting in the investigation anymore?"
"The FBI has taken over the case and would consider your continued efforts in investigation to be obstruction which would at a minimum cost you your license."
"Is that a threat?"
"Yes. A very real one. We will be handling this from here on."
Special Agent Ashby climbed back down from the attic. His dark blue suit was covered in dust. Norland looked at him and Ashby responded with a single shake of the head. Alicia came back in from the driveway with her left hand under her right armpit, "I got stung by a wasp."
Norland's brow furrowed, "Are you allergic?"
"No."
Daphne and Shaggy shared a glance. Neither said 'good'. Both of them wanted to.
Norland reached over and took the photograph back, "That should be all we need for now. And I can't emphasize strongly enough that your investigation needs to stop now."
Daphne watched as he stuck the staged picture back into his file, "Noted."
The three federal employees left in three different cars.
Shaggy had answered one call from a salesman while the agents made their exit and hung up as the door closed behind them.
Daphne turned to him, "I don't know about you, Shaggy, but that scared the heck out of me."
This was a very unDaphne-like thing to say so Shaggy understood that she was wanting to communicate something else. He responded, "Yeah, I'm glad I got to sit behind the counter so that they couldn't see my legs shaking." This was a very Shaggy thing to say. It also was true.
"I don't know about you, but I need to do something to clear my head. I think I'll go to the mall and do some shopping. Do you want to come?"
"I really should man the phones."
"Forward them to Fred, he and Scooby should still have time before their meeting with the lawyers. They're probably sitting at a fast-food restaurant until time for the appointment."
"Which does not sound like a bad idea."
"There are three different fast-food restaurants around the mall. You choose. It'll be my treat."
"Sold! I'll drive because you look beat."
"No argument."
Shaggy forwarded the phones, and they were on their way. The drive over was small talk. Mainly Daphne pressing for details about Shaggy and Velma's relationship which he sidestepped for the most part. Slightly annoyed by the interrogation, Shaggy asked questions about Fred and Daphne's relationship which she sidestepped. They ended the drive with Shaggy recounting the story of Scooby's reaction to his prostate being checked. They both laughed. Scooby would have been offended.
They got out of the car and went into the chicken place which had pretty good biscuits. Shaggy got half a dozen with a large orange juice and coffee. Daphne got coffee. The sitting area only had a few people in it, and they took a booth in the far corner.
Daphne started while Shaggy ate, "Okay. We now have to assume that my house, my car, and your car are bugged."
Shaggy chewed and swallowed, "But Norland said they didn't have a warrant."
"But Norland also had my financials. Which means they used a National Security Letter to compel the bank to give it to him. Which means they're invoking the Patriot Act in this investigation which allows a lot of latitude. They would not have to tell us if they had a warrant and they could have gotten a warrant from a special judge with no way for us to confirm. They can also monitor our cellphone calls. So, we are here so that we can talk freely and so that I can call Velma and increase our chances that no one is listening in."
"But they can't be fooled by that photograph. The idea that you would meet with the kidnappers in a public place wearing the costume from the show on the day after the kidnapping is dumb."
"Agreed. They must have something more but we can't worry about that now. Right now, its all about finding a little girl and returning her to her parents. If the FBI is following false leads, then that leaves us to get it done."
"FBI dude said they'll take our license."
"I'll give it to them before I quit on that little girl."
"Have I mentioned that you're a bleeding heart?"
"A few hundred times."
"What's next?"
"Next, I have to find a nice person who is not afraid of strangers."
Shaggy whistled, "Good luck. I don't even qualify for that."
They restaurant had an extensive senior's menu with reduced prices so the average age of the few people sitting within was high. Daphne stood up and approached a small elderly man sitting alone.
"Excuse me, sir. Could I possibly ask a favor?"
He looked up and smiled, "Sure thing cutie." And then he patted her on the rear.
She jerked upright, said "Nevermind," and backed away. Her initial inclination was to knock his block off but he did not look in very good health and she didn't want to hurt him. Well, she did, but not actually send him to the hospital. Which would have been likely.
She tried again with a woman who was also seated by herself.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Do you know who I am?"
The woman looked up, "No. Have we met?"
"No ma'am. I'm from television."
The woman squinted, "Oh yes. The talking dog show. My grandchildren used to watch that. I never really watched it with them, just passed through the room when they were staying with me."
"But you understand that we solve mysteries, right?"
"In the show."
"And in real life. We have a private detective agency and I really need to call Velma but the Government may be listening in on my phone."
"Why would they do that?"
"Because they think that I could be involved in a crime."
"So, if I help you and you are involved in a crime, then I could be an accessory before the fact."
That was very specific. Daphne was determined not to lie, "Yes ma'am. Were I involved in a crime, then you could be accused of that or of aiding and abetting. But I'm not. I am trying to help a little girl and I'm hoping that you saw enough of what we do when your grandchildren were watching the show that you might believe me and help me.
"This is certainly very exciting. What do you need?"
"Just to borrow your phone so that I can call Velma."
"Does she also work with the talking dog?"
"Yes. She does."
"She was the short one who always lost her glasses."
"That never happened in real life. She had one of those cords that wrapped behind her head and wouldn't let her glasses fall off."
The woman reached down and touched her glasses which were hanging at her chest, "Like the one I have for my readers."
"Yes ma'am. The network added that to make her seem less perfect."
"I see. And you need to borrow my phone?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Here you go." The octogenarian opened her purse, pulled out her phone, and handed it to Daphne. "The passcode is 8008."
"8008? Really?"
"Yes. My grandson set it up. Does it mean something?"
"No ma'am. It's fine." If she had a chance, Daphne was going to find the grandson and give him a talking to about playing practical jokes on his grandmother.
She took the woman's phone and sat in the chair at the same table. Being overheard by the woman was less of a worry than upsetting her by walking off with her phone. First, she sent a message to Velma:
V: This is D. I am borrowing this phone. Can I call?
The little dots appeared almost immediately meaning that Velma was reading it at the other end.
K
Velma answered the call on the first ring, "Are you going through another secret agent phase? What's with the cloak and dagger?"
"The FBI has me as a prime suspect in Bettie's kidnapping."
"Based on what?"
"A photograph that is obviously staged and probably something else which they didn't share with me. They had my financials."
Velma didn't need anything else to put all of the pieces together, "Got it. What do you need from me?"
"Chastity Black is obviously the villain but when I thought I had a chance to prove it, she outplayed me and I got nothing. I need some help thinking this one through and trying to get some leverage on Chastity so we can get the little girl back."
"Tell me about Chastity."
"Well, I haven't seen her in years but she hasn't changed much. She's a high school teacher now. She's very political. Still wears her hair in that austere short style like during her rebellious days. Although Amanda mentioned that she just got it cut yesterday."
"How well did you know her way back when?"
"Not very well. We did summer theater camps together in high school. I would hang out with her some in freshman and sophomore years but then she got all political junior year and we didn't see each other outside of camp. At camp, she didn't go out for any parts, just hung around with her other radical friends and talked about overthrowing things."
"How well do you think that she knew you?"
"She was incredibly self-absorbed…"
"Oh. You mean she was a teen-ager."
"She was a teen-ager squared. So, I doubt she knew me very well at all. What are you thinking?"
"I'm not thinking anything, yet. I need some mulling time. I've got class through the end of the day and then I have to do my surveillance, but I can be at your place after midnight. Will you be up?"
Daphne groaned inwardly about another lost night of sleep, "If it means getting that baby back, I'll be up."
"Get the whole gang together. I think we need a good old-fashioned brainstorming session."
Daphne smiled, "It feels like the old days. No problem getting everyone. I'm with Shaggy now."
"Okay. I need to get to class. I'll see you at midnight."
"Thanks Vel. Bye now."
Daphne hung up and handed the phone back to the woman who was slowly chewing her sandwich and small side salad, "Thank you very much. That helped me."
"You know. I really should call the FBI and report every word of what I just heard."
Daphne stopped short. The woman's voice had changed. She was still elderly but there was a strength that had not been there before. No, a strength that had been masked before. The woman take the phone out of her hand which was frozen over the table. Daphne drew the hand back slowly, "Technically, that's true. What's your plan?"
"Do you know who I am? Or was?"
"No ma'am, I don't."
"I was with the District Attorney's office for 40 years. I was Assistant District Attorney for most of that time and was Acting District Attorney on two occasions. I would still be there if they hadn't put me out to pasture 16 years ago. Mandatory retirement is very cruel in many ways."
Daphne was now wary, "Okay."
"In law enforcement, there is the easy way and there is the right way. They are very different but even the best of us get them confused sometimes. The right way sometimes takes some guessing and some risk. In this case, I am going to guess that an ex-television star is telling me the truth and I am going to risk letting her do her job. Please don't make me out to be a gullible old woman."
"No ma'am. I am going to find that baby and I am going to return her to her parents. Thank you." Daphne stood and started walking away and then turned back, "And ma'am?"
"Yes."
"8008 means 'boob'. You might want to have a talk with your grandson."
"Oh, I know that. He gets a kick out of thinking that he put one over on me. I think it's funny."
Daphne smiled, "Oh. You're a cool grandma."
"Darn straight."
Daphne walked away smiling and thinking that's the kind of grandma that she'd like to be… if she had kids… with Fred…
Shaggy watched the extreme change in facial expression from buoyant smile to contemplative frown as Daphne took the few steps from the elder attorney's table back to theirs, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just thinking about something which I have to deal with after this case is closed. But, for now, we focus on Bettie.
On cue, Daphne's normal phone rang. It was Amanda who immediately started speaking, "Daphne, the ransom instructions just came in…"
Daphne interrupted, "Amanda, the FBI has told me that I'm not on your case anymore."
"I know that. Are you my friend?"
For Daphne, this was an easy one, "Yes. You're my friend."
Amanda's voice continued in her calm, steady cadence but Daphne could sense something pushing as if the words wanted to come out in a manic fury but they were unable, "Then I am going through something terrifying and traumatic and I want to discuss it with a friend. Is that okay?"
There was something about the combination of the calmness in Amanda's voice with the emotional intensity of the situation that made Daphne feel, for just a moment, empathy with how Amanda (and Velma) lived their lives. Her eyes moistened but she fought it back before any tears could escape which might damage the careful efforts she had made to cover the dark circles under her eyes.
"Yes. That's okay."
"My in-laws are supposed to get $3 million dollars in unmarked bills by 8:00 PM tonight and take it in a cloth bag to the private side of the Riley airport. The pilot will give them an invoice for his services which they must agree to pay. The FBI is supposed to clear it with the FAA for the plane to take off without a flight plan. The kidnappers will contact the pilot in the air and give directions. Once, they have received the money and confirmed that it is all there. They will hire someone to take Bettie to the border and leave her with Border Patrol agents. If the pilot has not taken off by 9:00 tonight, they will kill Bettie. If the money is marked or is not all there, they will kill Bettie."
"I see." Daphne wanted to tell Amanda that her sister-in-law was involved in this and maybe allay her fears just a little, but she had already tipped her hand too soon to Chastity once and suffered a setback. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice even though it meant that a child's mother had to suffer extra anxiety. Bettie came first. The rest of the world came second.
