A.N. - OK so there are a lot of perspectives coming up in this chapter and the tension is ramping up so much right now. I had ALWAYS planned it that Madelyn and her father were safe after all, but I hope I managed to successfully convince you they really had been kidnapped by Devon. As you'll see, our brilliant and dearly departed Will had one last mercy mission up his sleeve...
Mystery Incorporated - Military base, 4.30 pm
"Right," Velma breathed deeply, trying to steady her emotions after Ethan and Justin had gone. Ethan had left Maddy's cellphone on the table and she was steadfastly refusing to look at it. She couldn't afford to get caught up in her emotions again, she had been completely mortified by how she had reacted when Ethan returned. She knew she had to put aside her fears for Madelyn and her father and be that rational, quick thinking woman, Fred and Shaggy had recruited to their dark cause, all those years ago. This was the Velma they all needed right now. She had everyone's attention immediately and continued.
"I happen to agree that Shaggy is absolutely right about Devon summoning us to the docks. However, it's been such a long time since any of us have been there, we're going to have to research this very carefully, starting with looking at an up to date map of the docks and some live images if we can."
She went to retrieve her laptop from the room she and Daphne were sharing, leaving the others alone.
"Poor Velma," Daphne said sympathetically, "I still can't believe Devon's done this. I know she's a part of this, like you are too Shaggy, so I guess he is going after all of us but I always thought it was Freddy and I, that he was truly after."
"I think you're thinking about it too deeply Daphne," Fred said gently. "I think he just saw an opportunity and he took it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Look we're going to have to keep an eye on Velma, she could fly off the handle at any moment, we don't know how she's going to react when she sees a glimpse of her sister."
"I'll look after her," Shaggy promised and Daphne and Fred both knew how sincere that promise was, they knew how much he cared for her. "This is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done," he added. "What are we thinking?"
"Shaggy," Fred warned, "now is not the time for doubts, not when Madelyn's life is at stake."
They both shut up quickly when they saw Velma return with the laptop.
"Had to hide behind a filing cabinet to dodge Rory on the way back," she complained.
"Look Velma, before you get started, I know you only said it to get rid of Ethan and Justin but I do think we need to rest a bit first."
Velma stared at Daphne. "Oh, I get it, because it isn't anyone you care about, there's no urgency this time!"
"Velma!" Shaggy scolded, appalled at Velma's attack on a well meaning Daphne. "How could you think that? Of course Daphne cares! We all do but I happen to think she's right. We do need rest, we stayed up all night after what happened. None of us are going to be at our best if we're exhausted. It could lead us to making a mistake while we're tired."
Shaggy's argument was compelling even though Velma still wasn't happy. "Okay fine, but we reconvene here no later than 7.30, that gives everyone 3 hours. More than enough time for everyone to catch some beauty sleep."
She left with Daphne to return to their room, an awkward tension between them which Velma tried to hastily repair. "Daph, I'm sorry, that was a horrible thing to say."
"Don't sweat it Velma, I know you're just worried about her. I get it." Daphne quickly set her phone alarm for 7.30 and climbed onto the bed. "See you in three hours."
Neither girl expected to get much sleep.
Mystery Incorporated - Military Base, 7.30pm
At exactly 7.30 pm Mystery Inc. reconvened again, with tension still present between all of them. The stakes had never felt so high and everyone was on edge. It was unlikely that Velma's snapping at Daphne was going to be the last time one of them lost their temper in the immediate future. Some of them had used the time alone to sleep and some to reflect.
For Daphne, it was the first bit of time she had spent away from Fred in she didn't know how long and she couldn't say it was unwelcome. They were both deeply stung by what Ethan had done in China but Fred had taken it so badly and now she was seeing a side to him she didn't wish to see. Although he had backed down, she feared he really was content to sacrifice himself.
For Fred, he had lain on the bed while Shaggy and Scooby dozed opposite with a million thoughts jostling for attention in his head but most clear was what they had to do next. It might mean some enormous risks and unpalatable decisions but they had to throw everything they had into saving Madelyn. Although Daphne had proclaimed they would go down swinging together, he felt they were more fractured than ever and that she didn't really mean it. If he gave his dying breath to ensure Madelyn's freedom, then that was a sacrifice worth making for him.
Despite it seeming obvious she was the least likely of them to sleep, Velma actually had managed to rest and looked all the more alert for it, she walked to the table in Shaggy's room and set the laptop down. After quickly powering it up, she opened up aerial photos of the Coolsville Docks and they all crowded around her to look.
"So," she said, examining the photos closely. "We can see already that parts of the docks are now closed off," she pointed out where it had been all cordoned off. "That's good because it narrows our search area somewhat."
The others nodded good naturedly but it was only a tiny comfort, the docks were still VAST.
"Hey, I wonder if the hole in the chain-link fence has been filled in yet?" Daphne exclaimed suddenly.
Velma laughed softly but moved her finger to shift the map around to look at the area that she, Shaggy and Daphne had broken into last time. "That would be a heck of a security oversight," she commented and then they could all see the flimsy fencing had been replaced with something far more robust, with iron pillars.
Shaggy shrugged his shoulders as he saw Daphne's disappointment. "It was worth a shot Daph," he said kindly.
Velma rotated the camera all the way around the docks, her heart sinking inside. "This is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack," she groaned. "They could be anywhere!"
"Don't give up Velma," Fred said softly. "Remember, he WANTS us to find him, he's counting on it. If we keep looking, we might find something."
They continued to scan through the live images of the dock not so much finding a suspiciously parked vehicle. As they looked at one dock area, Daphne perked up slightly.
"Hey, isn't that where we pulled off the switcheroo?" she grinned.
"You mean how I pulled off the switcheroo," Velma corrected. "It sure is."
Fred's memories of the docks were much more hazy, given he spent the entire time being dragged around in a werewolf costume, hardly able to see or breathe. "Huh," he said. "I don't think you ever did tell me properly how you guys managed to pull that off?"
"It was all Vel," Shaggy said proudly. "She compared the shipping documents Daphne had found with the current logs and managed to pinpoint when the next delivery would be and what the drugs would likely to be contained in, then she hacked their website and set them up on the mother of all wild goose chases!"
Velma blushed a little at the memory, even though it had been one of her proudest moments and what gave them a vital leg up in the fight against Devon at the time. She didn't say anything and continued to zoom into the images, studying each area carefully, it was so unnervingly quiet.
"You guys," she said cautiously. "I'm starting to think we might be wrong, there doesn't seem to be a soul there. Like everything in Coolsville, things have been wound down there for a while. Like Freddy said, I would at least expect to see men stationed everywhere. What if we're wrong and we end up in completely the wrong place?!" she fretted.
Her worry for Madelyn was surfacing again and there was little the gang could do to placate her. Fred shared Velma's feeling of unease that it perhaps wasn't the docks after all but where else could be described as 'full circle'? Why did Devon have to be so infuriatingly cryptic?
He knew he needed to take decisive action so he spoke abruptly with authority.
"We don't really have any options right now, we have to believe we are right so this is what I suggest. We go NOW to the Docks and scope it out, we've got plenty of time before the 10 PM deadline. If we're wrong, I'm sure he'll contact us anyway." He saw Velma's disbelieving face and sought to offer his reasoning. "He will Velma, she is just a bargaining chip to him, he set a deadline to put himself in charge but ultimately it's us he wants, if we're in the wrong place, we'll soon know about it."
"I don't know Fred that seems incredibly risky to me," Daphne raised her concern and Fred gave her a half smile.
"We're trying to go up against Devon Blake alone Daph, EVERYTHING we do will be risky. At least this way we're giving ourselves an advantage, he won't be expecting us yet and it gives us a chance to check it out first and have time to regroup."
"I just don't get why we can't get some support," Daphne responded with a sigh.
"Forget it!" Velma snapped. "There's nobody I trust with this except us right now."
"Not even Rory?" Daphne asked, surprised.
"No," Velma said firmly. "Not even Rory. We didn't tell you this but when Shaggy and I got here, he just appeared to us out of NOWHERE. Awfully coincidental if you ask me."
While Fred wasn't willing to involve anyone other than the gang either, Velma's suspicions about Rory came as a jolting worry to him too.
"But he's done nothing but help us? Surely you can't suspect Rory?"
"I don't know. All I know is SOMEONE here must be feeding stuff back to Devon. Is it coincidence that the broadcast was made AFTER we were all back in Coolsville? That he contacted Daphne after all this time NOW? Someone must have told him we were here."
Daphne shuddered, completely chilled by Velma's dark theory. "Gosh I never thought of it that way," she agreed.
"Okay, well that cements it," Fred said seriously, also shook by Velma's assertion about a possible mole. "We tell NO-ONE."
They all nodded in agreement. "So what now?" Shaggy asked. "Are we seriously just going to rock up and comb through all however many square miles of the docks?"
"No," Fred said. "We need to make the necessary preparations first," he added somewhat grimly.
"Necessary preparations?" Daphne repeated, having a bad feeling about what Fred meant by that.
"We need weapons," Fred said bluntly. "We have to be able to defend ourselves."
"What did you have in mind Freddy?" Velma asked without even flinching while Daphne was blanching at the thought.
"We need a couple of guns, maybe knives, anything we can get our hands on really. Maybe things like bolt cutters would be useful too."
"Freddy no!" Daphne said miserably.
"I know its...brutal Daph, but we don't have a choice here. If we don't arm ourselves we may as well just hand ourselves straight over to him. We've all handled a gun before. I thought Shaggy and I could scout around the base and see what we can find, there's bound to be something, you girls have a look at the maps and see if you can find an entrance. Coming Shaggy? We won't be long."
Fred was already walking towards the door with purpose so Shaggy reluctantly followed him. An air of gloom had settled over them all now, protecting themselves was a necessary preparation as Fred had said, it didn't mean they had to be happy about it.
Madelyn, Mr Dinkley and Ethan - 7 Diagora Street, 8.30 PM
Madelyn reacted with absolute fury to the man saying her name, charging towards Ethan once again who had virtually frozen in astonishment, a stupid grin plastered on his face now.
"Madelyn, I'm not here to hurt you, just wait..." but Madelyn was in no mood to listen to the intruder and she continued to fight. She raced towards the bearded stranger again with the knife raised wildly and Ethan had to react smartly once again, amused at this being the second stealth attack he had had to dodge from a Dinkley sister in the last few hours.
He reached out to grab Madelyn's wrist gently to disarm her and she dropped the knife at his feet in dismay. Seeing the man about to go for it, Ethan got a tighter hold on Madelyn with his other arm snaking across her front, which forced the man to stop immediately.
"Let my daughter go!" he demanded furiously and Ethan smiled again, confirming that as he had suspected on discovering Madelyn, that this was indeed John Dinkley too.
"Please just listen to me," Ethan pleaded to them both. "I'm not here to hurt either of you! I just need you both to stop fighting so I know you'll listen to me."
He saw Mr Dinkley's eyes dart towards the knife again so Ethan took a step forward with Madelyn still in his grip and kicked the knife down the hallway, fully out of reach.
Madelyn however had had more than enough of this situation and completely stunned Ethan by suddenly biting down hard on the hand that was holding her, forcing an amazed Ethan to yelp in pain and release her wrist and she spun out of his hold.
"Gosh you Dinkley girls are just full of surprises!" he gasped, impressed with the fight shown from the young girl.
"Who the hell are you? Why are you speaking like you know us? I've never seen you before in my life!" Madelyn demanded answers, standing protectively with her father once again.
"Because I'm a friend," he said earnestly. "I didn't come here to harm you, look I'll prove it."
Both of the Dinkley's tensed when Ethan went into his jacket; when he produced a gun, John Dinkley held his daughter tightly but Ethan instead made a show of putting the gun down harmlessly on the floor and held up his arms placatingly. "See? I'm not here to hurt you. You can even take it if you want."
John Dinkley eyed the stranger suspiciously, afraid it was all a ruse and he would leap to grab him as soon as he moved, but the young man graciously stepped back and John scampered to collect the gun.
"If you didn't come here to hurt us then why do you have a gun?" Madelyn asked Ethan fearfully. "We know you must work for that man the Detective warned us about!"
Ethan chuckled lightly at that statement. "You don't know how wrong you are."
"Why do you keep laughing and smiling!?" John said furiously. "Is terrorising my sixteen year old daughter somehow funny to you?!"
"No, not at all, and I'm sorry I frightened you both, but I need you to believe me when I say I'm not a threat and I certainly don't work for Devon Blake. I'm actually a friend of your sisters." Well I was! Ethan thought ruefully to himself as he recalled the awkward relationship between himself and the gang right now, he knew disclosing this to Madelyn however would not help the stalemate right now.
Madelyn and John both reacted with visible uncertainty at the mention of Velma but the elder Dinkley refused to let his guard down despite the fact the man had offered him a gun to try and prove he was harmless. "That's impossible!" John stated confidently." Detective Barnum said that no one knew where we were and to tell no one! Not even her! How do we know you're telling the truth when we don't even know you?"
Ethan sighed and began to peel off his 'Adam Travers' layers realising he had no choice now. "Because I'm not who I seem either."
Madelyn and Mr Dinkley watched in frozen fascination as the young man proceeded to transform before their very eyes. As the final layer was shed and Ethan stood with his identity fully exposed now, he saw recognition flash in the young Dinkley sister's eyes and Ethan smiled gratefully at her.
"Oh my god, dad I don't believe it! He really is telling the truth," she breathed in awe.
John Dinkley frowned as his daughter actually stepped forward to touch the stranger; the young man now with shorter lighter hair, clean shaven and no glasses, still didn't seem at all familiar to him.
"You actually know who this is?" he asked her, squirming in discomfort at the suddenly completely trusting nature his daughter had taken with him.
"Yes," Madelyn confirmed, still staring at disbelief in Ethan now. "He's the TV reporter who works with Velma and the others."
The gang - military base, 8.30 PM
When Fred and Shaggy slipped out, neither Daphne, Velma or Scooby noticed that the door didn't fully close behind them, they were too engrossed with properly examining the images of the Docks again.
When Justin appeared from nowhere to pop his head around the door, they both jumped in alarm and Scooby shot up off the bed in terror.
"Oh hey girls," he said apologetically, hovering in the doorway. "Sorry, the door was open and I didn't mean to make you jump. Hope I didn't scare you there?"
Velma recovered the quickest and tried to surreptitiously use her body to block the screen from Justin's view and thankfully Daphne took the hint and was doing likewise.
"Not at all Justin," Daphne tried to smile warmly. "You just startled us that's all, what's up?"
"I'm just looking for Ethan, when I woke up he was gone. Has he gone out with the guys?" He asked, stepping forward a little further and looking around the room, he noted their absence too.
"Uh no," Daphne said still refusing to move away from the laptop. "We haven't seen Ethan, did you try call him?"
"Yeh no answer, I'm sure he'll be back soon."
Justin looked at them in concern; the girls sure were acting weird and trying to cover something? His police instincts soon kicked in. Where were the boys? Why did the girls look so guilty all of a sudden? "Hey, what are you looking at?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Nothing!" Velma said quickly, too quickly, immediately heightening Justin's growing suspicions.
He stepped in closer to them, trying to see the screen they were obscuring with their backs. "Girls, are you sure you're alright?"
Daphne couldn't handle the scrutiny from the young cop any longer and stepped away quickly to Velma's dismay. Justin got himself a good glimpse at the screen and reacted with surprise.
"Isn't that the Docks? Why are you looking at pictures of the docks?"
Daphne looked strickenly guilty now, and Velma feared she was about to spill all to him, but before Justin could ask anything else, or either of the girls had chance to reply, his eyes suddenly rolled back in his head and he slumped to the floor in front of them.
Daphne put her hand over her mouth to prevent her frightened squeal as she and Velma both jumped back in alarm, but she wasn't at all prepared for the sight of a shaken looking Freddy, holding something in his hand standing behind the unconscious cop now. Shaggy then rapidly appeared behind him, saw the prone man and quickly slammed the door closed behind him.
"That was quick thinking Fred," Velma praised while Daphne looked at the scene in abject horror as she realised what Fred had done.
"Are you insane Freddy?! He's a cop!" She hissed.
Shaggy had recovered from the shock of discovering the situation and dragged him further inside the room and Daphne turned away in disgust.
Fred's heart was still pounding but he had acted on pure instinct; when he and Shaggy returned to see Justin standing in the doorway, having seen the photos of the dock, he hadn't even really thought about it before he stepped up quickly behind him and struck him with the only weapon Shaggy and he had managed to find. A monkey wrench.
"He would have told everyone," Fred said calmly before turning to the girls questioningly. "What the hell was he even doing here?"
"He said he was looking for Ethan. Apparently he's gone." Velma shrugged uncaringly. "Not that I trust him one bit," she added, kicking his foot for good measure.
"Gosh Velma," Daphne bit back sarcastically, still absolutely appalled at Fred attacking Justin. "Is there anyone you DO trust?"
"Oh come on Daphne!" Velma hit back, careful not to raise her voice too much. "This guy is as shady as fuck! We don't know a thing about him! I'm glad Freddy hit him."
"Was that why you did it Fred?" Daphne suddenly asked him, turning on him bitterly. "You took your chance to get a bit of retribution for what he did to us in China!?"
"No, of course not, I just heard him ask about the docks and I acted on instinct that's all." Now that Fred had been reminded of Justin's participation in their abduction in China, It helped him to feel considerably less guilty about attacking him.
"I happen to know he was DEFINITELY lying about having just woken up," Velma added assertively.
"How? Is his hair too perfect?" Daphne said darkly.
"Don't be like that Daph. He told us he had just woke up and found Ethan gone. They share a room, so why has he put a coat and shoes on just to come a few minutes down the corridor?" Velma pointed out. "I would bet anything that he has actually been out."
"I don't trust him one bit either," Fred agreed. "Nor Ethan. How can I, after what they did to us? It's good for us that Ethan has gone too. We'll have more time before anyone raises the alarm about Justin."
"Just what exactly are you planning to do Fred?!" Daphne asked him in alarm. "And if you suspect Justin so much, why is it a good thing that Ethan has suddenly disappeared? He could have done something to him!"
Fred ignored her and grabbed Justin's shoulders, hauling him up on to the bed. The thought that Ethan could have been harmed by Justin literally didn't affect him at all, that indifference terrified him and he shook himself to take charge of the situation again. "We have to get going, Shaggy and I couldn't find much at all, the base is locked up pretty tight but..." he said, starting to grope through Justin's pockets. "I bet our friend here has something that can help us." He smiled when he found what he was looking for. "Bingo," he said victoriously and pulled out the gun.
"You're not seriously thinking of just leaving him here?!" Daphne exclaimed.
"We don't have a choice," Shaggy said. "He'll be fine, by the time he wakes up, we'll be long gone." Velma looked completely unmoved too and shut down the laptop before pulling her coat on, obviously ready to go.
Daphne stared at the three of them in astonishment. She saw something in them she hadn't seen in a long time. That dark criminal streak that they had hidden for so long, it was being pushed back to the surface again and it was an ugly sight.
She walked over to the cop lying prone on the bed and studied him closely. "He's OK Daph," Fred said softly, coming to stand next to her. "See?" He pointed to the slow rising and falling of the chest. "He's still breathing. I didn't hit him that hard."
He tugged her hand but she refused to move, still staring at Justin. "Daphne, come on, we have to go before he wakes up or Ethan comes back! Come on we made a pact remember, it's unfortunate what just happened but we HAVE TO GO! Velma's sister is counting on us."
Reluctantly, Daphne allowed herself to be pulled along with the others, cringing when Fred locked the door tightly, keeping their prisoner inside. He hurried them along the corridor, leading the way, armed with just one gun and a monkey wrench. The mission to save Velma's sister hadn't exactly got off to a fantastic start.
Madelyn, Mr Dinkley and Ethan – 7 Diagora Street, 8.40 pm
"That's right," Ethan beamed at Madelyn now as they still stood in the hallway together. "My name is Ethan Dillon."
"Ethan?" Madelyn questioned, the name conjuring up a memory. "Didn't you leave? My sister hasn't mentioned you in a long, long time."
"Ah, well it's a bit of a long story actually," Ethan said ruefully, looking at Madelyn a little forlornly.
"Will someone tell me what the heck is going on?" Mr Dinkley demanded. "This doesn't make any sense to me! Why are you here?!"
"Well, it seems to me like you two have also got some explaining to do too. Why don't we find somewhere a bit more comfortable to talk?" Ethan suggested, in absolutely no hurry any more now he knew that the Dinkleys were safe after all.
Mr Dinkley spluttered indignantly at Ethan's cocky suggestion, still looking very sceptical about whether they could trust Ethan at all but Madelyn was firmly convinced.
"Sure! Why don't you two go sit down and I'll make us some tea!" she said happily. Mr Dinkley scrutinised the taller man, then cocked his head indicating Ethan should follow him. He hesitantly led him to the sitting room and Ethan awkwardly sat down in a chair while Mr Dinkley sat down on the sofa opposite, never taking his eye off Ethan. He carefully put the gun down in reach on the table by the sofa's side.
"For what's it worth, I still don't trust you," Mr Dinkley told Ethan brusquely.
Ethan shrugged, throwing his hands up. "It's cool," he told him. "I'd be the same if I was in your shoes right now."
Madelyn walked in with three cups of tea, handing one to Ethan and then sat next to her father on the sofa, setting down the other two cups in front of them.
"So, who gets to go first?" she said with a smile. "You have questions, we have questions, should we play rock, paper, scissors to decide?"
Ethan smiled warmly at the childlike innocence of Madelyn, deciding instantly he really liked her. John Dinkley had said she was sixteen but she actually looked quite a bit younger. She wore glasses like her sister and had her hair in bunches. In that moment he was beyond grateful she and her father weren't in the clutches of Devon at all.
"Mind if I go first?" he asked politely and she nodded. "How did you both get here?"
"A few days ago..." Madelyn began but her father interrupted her quickly.
"Maddy stop! He doesn't need to know this! I will not have you tell him another word until he explains why he showed up here tonight!"
"Okay, fine." Ethan said calmly, he was absolutely desperate to get the full story but he was already beginning to put the fragmented pieces together himself. "But first I need to know how much you know about what's happened "out there?"
Madelyn shared uneasy glances with her father and he nodded, permitting her to speak. "We saw on the news here about the bombing. They were speculating it was that terrible man. Was it?"
Ethan nodded sagely. "Yes, he bombed the warehouse."
"So Detective Barnum was right," Madelyn said to her father. "He really was a threat. Ethan, where is Detective Barnum?"
Ethan ignored her question to ask her gently. "Was it Detective Barnum that brought you here?"
She nodded, looking sad. "Ethan, where is he? He told us he didn't have much time before he had to do something important, was he there that night?"
Ethan knew there was no sugar-coating it. "He died in the bombing," he confirmed. "He was actually a good friend of mine."
"Oh no," Madelyn said, her face falling instantly. "I'm so sorry Ethan, we had only just met him but he was so kind to us. I'm so sorry to hear he's dead."
John Dinkley looked sobered by Ethan's revelation and his animosity towards him dropped in an instant.
"Mr Dillon, this is something to do with Velma isn't it? The Detective said we might have been targets but didn't explain much."
"Yes," Ethan replied. "It does involves your daughter but let me just say right now she's safe."
"She's back?" Madelyn asked in surprise.
"Yes, she's in Coolsville. They're all back. Daphne, Fred, Shaggy and Scooby too. But they're all safe."
"I'm very glad to hear that Mr Dillon, but I'm afraid I still have questions. If Detective Barnum is dead, then how did you find out about us? He was adamant we couldn't tell anyone until he told us it was safe. He said he wasn't even going to tell his partner about us, it was too much of a risk."
Ethan smiled at him sadly. "Could you tell me what happened please Mr Dinkley? I think I'm starting to get the picture but I need you to fill in the blanks."
He half expected Mr Dinkley to react angrily again but he picked up his cup of tea, looking into it thoughtfully.
"It started with a knock at the door a couple of days ago..."
"I'll get it dad!" Madelyn yelled, hurtling downstairs and skipping to the door. She was at once unnerved to find a very serious looking man on the doorstep she didn't recognise.
He smiled awkwardly at her. "Hi there, Madelyn is it? My name is Detective Barnum, it's really important that I speak to your father."
Madelyn was awed as he quickly flashed his ID and badge at her, she felt a chill go through her, instantly fearing he was here about Velma.
"Is this about Velma?" she asked with a gasp and observed him squirm in obvious discomfort.
"Please just get your father," the Detective instructed gravely. "It's absolutely imperative I speak to him, time is of the essence."
Madelyn gulped, recognising the urgency in his voice.
"Daaaad!" she yelled, and he came sprinting in a real hurry when he heard the hint of fear in his daughter's voice.
"What's going on?!" he asked in alarm seeing the worry on Madelyn's face and the man hastily introduced himself, flashing his ID again.
"Mr Dinkley, my name is Detective Barnum, could I come inside?"
Mr Dinkley was flustered by the appearance of police on his doorstep and his worry was only heightened when Madelyn interrupted. "It's about Velma dad!"
Mr Dinkley gasped and quickly ushered the Detective inside, his stomach doing flips as he worried about the safety of his long absent eldest daughter.
"Mr Dinkley, Madelyn, there is no easy way to say this and I don't want to waste any more time so I'm sorry for the abruptness of this. Your lives are in danger right now."
"Our lives?" Mr Dinkley questioned in confusion. "I thought this was about Velma."
"It is," Detective Barnum said stoically. "I cannot go into too much information but we believe an enemy of Miss Dinkley is seeking retribution and we have received intelligence that you and your daughter here may be a target."
"A target?!" Mr Dinkley exploded. "A target for what? What 'enemy' of Velma's?"
Detective Barnum remained calm and impassive.
"As you are well aware, your daughter and her friends have been aiding the police which has been very welcome and we are very grateful but, unfortunately as they knew, this didn't come without substantial risk to themselves and their loved ones."
"Please just get to the point Detective," Mr Dinkley implored, hating seeing Madelyn's scared reaction as the Detective spoke.
"We have very strong reason to believe that Devon Blake has made targeting the loved ones of Mystery Incorporated a priority."
"Devon Blake?" Mr Dinkley gasped in terror. "The man who terrorised my Velma, the night this whole thing started?"
"Yes, look I'm sorry this has come as a great shock, but I'm here because we believe an attack might be imminent and it's not safe for you to be here any more."
"You're asking us to leave?" Madelyn said with wide eyes, "where would we go?"
"I've arranged a safe house for you," the Detective smiled for the first time since delivering the bombshell. "I've got it all arranged for you. Nobody will know you are there and you can't tell anyone either," he warned a little gravely.
"Safe house? No offence Detective, this is insane, you're saying we can't even tell Velma?"
"You especially can't tell Velma, I'm sorry," Detective Barnum offered. "I know this is really hard for you but keeping you safe is now my number one priority. Devon Blake is an incredibly dangerous individual. We have to take this threat very seriously indeed."
"Okay, I understand Detective, we'll go pack," Mr Dinkley said but Detective Barnum grabbed his arm, clearing his throat.
"I'm sorry but this is URGENT, we have no telling when they might make good on their threat to harm you. We have to go NOW, there is no time to pack."
Madelyn and Mr Dinkley both looked incredibly frightened now and Detective Barnum sought to reassure them. "It's OK, I'm with you, you'll be safe but we really do need to go, there's no time to take anything with you."
"My daughter needs her medication," Mr Dinkley said firmly. "She has to have injections that could make her seriously ill if she doesn't do them at the right time. I'm guessing you don't know when it will be safe to return?"
Will half smiled apologetically, "that's right, it's fine for Madelyn to get her medication but I urge you to be quick."
"Go get it sweetheart," Mr Dinkley encouraged and Madelyn raced upstairs to grab the bag. She returned speedily with the pink rucksack but also had her phone in her hand.
"Ah no cellphones," the Detective said as soon as he clocked what she was carrying and her face fell instantly. "They may have the means to be able to track you on it so I have to insist on you leaving it here, you too if you have one Mr Dinkley."
Madelyn was obviously as crestfallen as any sixteen year old girl at the thought of being parted from her cellphone for any length of time but was reluctantly persuaded over the risks and left it in her bedroom.
Detective Barnum ushered them out to his car, glad to get the Dinkleys' safely away from the isolated farmhouse that was just perfect for an attack.
He drove through the rain, watching the pair huddled up on the back-seat together, with nothing but the clothes on their back. It was harsh but he couldn't risk them being there a second longer now he was sure Devon knew of their existence.
When they reached the safe house he had prepared, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders, he was confident they would be safe here, nobody even knew what he had done, not even Stella. He had made sure there was food and clothing and the Dinkleys seemed reasonably acceptive of their new home. He prayed fervently it would be a short term solution and the whole family would be reunited soon.
After making sure they were settled and with Madelyn upstairs, Will stood with Mr Dinkley in the hall, speaking in hushed tones.
"I don't know how long this will be for, I can't really give you any answers but I'm confident you will be safe here. I need to warn you though, it is possible that someone might find you and try to do you harm. You cannot trust anyone."
Mr Dinkley was terrified but recognised what the Detective had done for them and thanked him as Madelyn re-joined them.
"Thank you for everything Detective Barnum, I appreciate you sticking your neck out for us like this."
"It's my pleasure," Will said sincerely, just pleased he had managed to pull the rescue mission off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I hope to be back as soon as I can to check up on you, but I've got something very important to do right now."
"And that was it," John finished his recollection sadly. "We never saw him again."
Ethan had sat enraptured as John had explained the situation but once he had finished, he had tears in his eyes as he now knew the full details of Will's selfless rescue mission.
"I don't believe it," he said emotionally. "Will made one final mercy dash to protect you and get you into a safe house." Ethan was in awe once again at the heart of the man, who had taken a big risk to protect Velma's family. "Things make so much sense now," he said speaking his thoughts out loud unintentionally. "Everything was wrecked but not vindictively AFTER they had taken you, but because they couldn't find you! I bet that infuriated Devon and his goons!" Ethan laughed but Madelyn and John were staring at him perturbed again now.
"What was wrecked?" Madelyn asked with a quiver in her voice and Ethan knew this would frighten them but they would find out eventually.
"Uh, Will was right. Someone working for Devon Blake did arrive to kidnap you. But, uh I guess because they couldn't find you, they took out their anger on your house instead. I'm sorry but they really did wreck your place, the front door is broken and many things inside of your house have been ruined."
Madelyn looked tearful but to Ethan's surprise, instead of looking angry at hearing about the damage, John Dinkley smiled instead.
"God bless you Detective Barnum," he said before turning to his upset daughter. "Sweetheart, I know it hurts but they're just possessions, the important thing is that we are safe. It seems Detective Barnum really did save our lives. I'm even more sorry that he lost his own."
A feeling of sorrow descended on them again as they mourned the loss of the brilliant Detective before Ethan brightened as an amazing thought occurred to him. "Oh my god, I bet he really doesn't have anything!" He said, jumping up from the chair. "I have to go make a call!"
They both stared at him curiously but Ethan didn't want to elaborate further on the fact that Devon had manipulated and terrified Velma into believing that he did have Madelyn. Ethan was right all along, it WAS a calculated bluff. Devon must have known that they would find the disturbed farmhouse as 'evidence' of the kidnapping eventually and it was also fortunate for him that Will had insisted on the Dinkleys' leaving behind their phones, meaning they were fully unreachable. Ethan knew this blew the whole thing wide open now, he was willing to bet everything he had, that Devon didn't in fact have any leverage, what if he actually had NOTHING?
A vein of happiness and optimism crashed through him as he tried first to call Velma to tell her the unbelievable news. He knew she wouldn't believe him but he planned to put John and Madelyn on the phone. If she even answered. He hung up disappointed, realising Velma might have taken one look at the caller ID and hit ignore.
He tried Daphne, knowing whatever tension between them right now she would definitely answer. She didn't. Feeling slightly alarmed now he tried Shaggy and Fred but got the same frustrating wall of silence. In desperation, he called Justin, hoping he would be back and he could get him to check on them but he too wasn't answering. Just what the hell was going on? Were they ALL really still asleep? And what about Justin? He suspected he had gone to see her, but not for all this time.
The shine was really starting to come off his discovery now and he tried to push aside a nagging doubt of fear that was starting to build. He tried each number again in turn getting nowhere until finally, finally Justin responded and he felt a calmness settle over him again as he realised what a goddamn miracle discovering the Dinkleys in a freaking safe house really was. He smiled again, he couldn't wait to tell everyone!
Justin - military base, 9.10 pm
Justin woke to a pounding head and it took several seconds to remember that he wasn't even in China any more. He sat up slowly to find he was lying on top of a very unfamiliar bed with his coat and shoes on.
Odd he thought. What the hell happened? Instinctively he groped in his pocket for his gun and was immediately alarmed when he found it missing. Oh that really wasn't good!
He looked around and saw a laptop on the table and suddenly it all came back to him. Looking for Ethan, finding the two girls, looking at something? And then nothing, good night Vienna. He touched a hand to the back of his head and was surprised to find a lump. I was knocked out?
He didn't have much longer to try and work out what the hell had happened before his phone chirped noisily at him and he groaned at how loud it was, the sound invading his already pounding head. He groggily pressed answer to be assaulted with the ridiculously chipper sound of Ethan's voice on the other end.
"Justin! Where the hell have you been?! I've been calling for ages."
"I might ask you the same question," Justin replied grumpily. "You weren't there when I came back."
"I was chasing a lead!" Ethan declared loudly and Justin had to lower the volume of the call as he was so offensively loud. "And you will never BELIEVE what I found!"
"Uh that's great and all Ethan but we have a big problem. The kids are gone."
"WHAT?!" came Ethan's strangled reply. "What do you mean they're gone?! I've been trying to call them all for the past half an hour, I was just going to ask you to go find them."
"I'm in their room now," Justin explained. "Listen Ethan I think they attacked me, I came looking for you, spoke to the girls and they were acting all sketchy. Next thing I know, I blacked out and woke up on the bed."
He knew Ethan was struggling to process what he was saying as he heard his frantic breathing on the other end.
"When was this?! How long have you been knocked out for?"
Justin looked at his watch, unable to recall exactly what time it was when he got back to search for Ethan but it was now after 9pm. "Uh probably over half an hour ago."
"Well where are they, where the hell are they going?!"
Justin pushed a memory to the surface, recalling what the girls were covering up. "They were looking at pictures of the Coolsville Docks. I guess they're going to try rescue Velma's sister themselves. You did say they were young and reckless. I mean look at how bold Fred and Daphne were in..."
Ethan heartily swore down the phone cutting him off and Justin had never heard him so panicked.
"JUSTIN! HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE MADELYN! I was right! He is just bluffing!"
"What the hell, how do you know that?"
"Because I'm here with Madelyn and her father right now. Trust me they are safe but I don't have the time to explain it all. You're positive it was the docks they were going to?!"
Justin's head was spinning from the blow and the sheer insanity of what Ethan was saying. How could Devon not even have Madelyn? And even more than that Ethan was WITH her?!
Despite the millions of questions he wanted to ask, he could recognise the rapidly developing dire situation and was already jumping off the bed now. He reached the door and found it locked.
"Fuck! It was definitely the docks Ethan, listen they've locked me in the room, you need to know they've taken my gun too."
"Oh my god."
"Ethan, keep it together, I'll get out even if I have to kick the door down, as soon as I can, I'll get to the docks. I'll meet you there."
"I'm too far away," Ethan replied despairingly. "I'm all the way on the other fucking side of town. I'll never get there in time. Fuck Justin we've got to stop them! It's all a big trap!"
Ethan heard Justin throwing himself at the door, before a couple of crashes.
"I'm out!" Justin said breathlessly. "Listen, I'll grab whoever I can. Don't worry Ethan, I'll get there I promise! Keep trying them!"
Ethan - 7 Diagora Street, 9.15 pm
In the safe house, Ethan hung up the phone desolately. He had been so excited to share the happy news about Madelyn but this had completely blindsided him. It was too late, he was going to lose them.
He hurried to the door anyway, he would break every speed limit on earth to try and reach the docks.
"Where are you going?" Madelyn asked, appearing from the kitchen and startling him. Ethan knew he couldn't panic her and forced himself to smile despite the terror he felt for Madelyn's sister and the others right now.
"Hi! I just need to go, but I promise I'll be back soon."
"Ethan, is everything OK? Is it Velma?"
Ethan cursed at how perceptive the young girl was, but remained calm in front of her as John Dinkley also appeared too.
"Everything's fine," he lied. "And I promise I'll bring Velma and everyone back soon but I've got to go."
"Can we come with you?"
"No!" He snapped and she eyed him suspiciously. "No, it will be much safer if you stay here. Nobody knows you're here apart from me."
"Are we still in danger young man?" Mr Dinkley asked. "Are you in danger? Might you need this?"
Ethan gratefully took his gun back from Mr Dinkley and did his best to try reassure them even though he knew Mr Dinkley wasn't stupid, he knew something was wrong. "No, I promise you, you're safe. Just stay here OK. I'll be back!"
And Ethan ran like a whirlwind back out to his car, and flung it straight into gear, peeling out of the street as he began his desperate race against time.
He put his phone in the cradle and tried one more time to call each member of Mystery Inc. Come on guys! Come on Come on! Come on! Daphne please! As he repeatedly speed dialled his sister's number, tears welled in his eyes as he increased his speed. He knew it wasn't going to be enough.
Mystery Inc. En route to Coolsville Docks 9.15 pm
"God he's certainly persistent," Shaggy commented as they all had yet another round of calls from Ethan. He turned his phone off and watched satisfied as Velma followed suit.
Daphne was sullen in the front next to Fred, having watched her phone vibrate on the dashboard again and again, in absolute turmoil right now.
"Maybe we should speak to him."
"Daphne no! It's obvious Justin has contacted him now. Damn we should have took his phone too. They only want to stop us," Fred replied.
"Maybe it's best that they do," Daphne countered quietly, earning an icy look from Fred in the driver's seat. "What are we thinking?!" She cried. "We're going into battle against a mass murderer, with one gun and one flaming monkey wrench! This is insanity!"
Fred ignored her dire assessment of their chances to remind her of the vow she made. "We agreed to do this alone Daphne. YOU agreed."
"Not like this!" Daphne cried. "I thought we would have a proper plan! You just assaulted a cop! It scares me how OK you all were with that!"
"You act like we enjoyed doing that," Velma spoke hotly. "If you hadn't crumbled, Fred wouldn't have had to do that in the first place."
There was a stony silence in the van that lasted all of 30 seconds before it was punctuated by Daphne's usually grating ringtone of Call Me Maybe once again. Fred gritted his teeth hard, he HATED that song anyway but after the sixth or seventh time in less than half an hour, he was ready to destroy every recording that ever existed of the damn catchy ditty.
After it stopped and re-started again less than a minute later, vibrating merrily across the dashboard, he forced himself to speak calmly as possible, well aware how fraught tensions had got between him and Daphne since returning home. He knew he had Ethan to thank for driving a wedge between them and he cursed him once again now.
"Sweetheart, if you don't switch it off, I'm going to have to throw it out the window the next time it rings," he stated evenly, without even looking at her.
Daphne continued to stare at her phone miserably, seeing Ethan's name flash up once again. The first time he called, Daphne was more than ready to answer especially as he had called each of them in quick succession but Fred convinced her to ignore him. At least it was a good sign he was OK. As they had left the base, they had found the guard on duty unconscious in the booth, and they had speculated it was the doing of Ethan or Justin. They knew it wouldn't be long before all hell broke loose at the base. They went maybe a couple more minutes with peace before Carly Rae Jepsen blasted out once again and she watched as Shaggy and Scooby threw their hands over their ears.
"For the love of god just switch it off Daphne!" Velma pleaded desperately.
"I really think it might be something important you guys," Daphne shared only to be absolutely stung when Fred, all patience gone, pulled over the van and yelled. "TURN IT OFF DAPHNE!"
Daphne stared at Fred stunned, tears in her eyes, he had NEVER yelled at her like that before and she could see in his face that he already regretted it but the damage was done now.
"Fine," she whispered, beyond hurt as she reached forward and snatched up the phone on the dashboard.
To be continued.