Fake Vallejo, now known as Bartholomew, let out a nervous laugh, eyeing the door, as if planning to make an escape. "Me? I-I'm not Bartholomew! I'm… I'm Vallejo, o-obviously!"

"Yea, and I'm the Queen of England!" Vallejo sneered, holding himself from attacking well, himself, because he knew it'd be pointless.

"It's over, Bartholomew," Fillmore noticed the suspect eyeing the door. "Don't even try to run, we'll catch you, I can promise you that."

The fake let out a deep sigh and knew that whatever escape plan they tried would be futile. "You're right, I wouldn't be able to get very far, not in this body at least."

"Did he just call me fat?"

"No, I-I didn't mean it like that-" The body-snatching ghost panicked, attempting to take back what he said.

"Wait, you can see him too?" Fillmore asked, hoping that he wasn't alone in this ghost sighting experience.

"Y-Yea? I mean, we're both ghosts-" They realized what they said and figured that it was best to get the truth out. "Okay, I confess. I'm Bartholomew, I possessed your friend Vallejo so I could try to finally get my missing case reopened, happy?"

"I knew it!" O'Farrell exclaimed. "I knew he was possessed! See, I was right, for once!"

Vallejo let out a groan and started walking towards the identity thief. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, give me back my body, you… you body-snatching thief!"

Bartholomew jumped back, not prepared for the sudden confrontation from his 'victim'. "I can't, not yet, anyways. How do I know that you'll actually help me? I could just give you your body back and then you're all like, 'Well, that was weird, let's all forget about this and go home, who cares about that poor ghost boy?'! I… I just want to find some peace, but I can't. Not until I know my case is solved."

"How do you expect us to solve it?! We have literally no idea what we're doing!" Tehama was at her limit at this point, done with everyone and everything.

"I don't expect you guys to solve it," Bartholomew began, "I just need to find evidence of my disappearance and show it to the police so they'd reinvestigate my case."

"So, here's a question, why didn't you just do it yourself? You have a physical form now, right? Why couldn't you just go and find it yourself instead of getting us involved? I'm not saying we don't like solving cases, but the whole process seems way more convoluted and complicated that way." Anza's question was definitely one to think about.

"Listen, being stuck as a ghost for ten years makes you rather rusty at problem solving, okay? Another thing I'm rusty at is detective work, I'd never be able to find out what happened on my own. You guys are the best in the school! Trust me, I've seen your work in action."

"First of all, that's creepy," Ingrid commented. "Secondly, if you're looking for detective work, you've come to the right place, though I'm sure you already know that. So, where do we go from here?"

Bartholomew thought for a few seconds. "I'm not exactly sure, the memories of my… disappearance are pretty foggy, but we should probably start at the last place I remember, the basement."

"The basement? What were you doing down there?"

"I'm not honestly sure, Officer Fillmore. I don't really remember why, I just know that I was down there."

"Well, I doubt anyone has any better ideas of where to start."

The school's basement was not exactly an area frequented by many, In fact, to most students, it was entirely off limits. Thankfully, one of the many 'privileges' of being part of the Safety Patrol, was that one could journey into these off-limit places in order to solve or figure out cases.

Oh, the occasional black market/gambling scheme was occasionally run down here as well, but usually ended up quickly stopped.

Still, this place had a silent tone of dread and discomfort and the further that the team went down, the creepier it got.

"Man, this place is creepy. We've never been this far in the basement before, tell me when we get to where we need to go." Fillmore shuffled awkwardly, trying to avoid touching any walls or hanging ceiling pipes.

Ingrid studied the floor curiously, something taking up her interest. "Wait, guys, stop. Something doesn't feel right about this place."

"You're telling me," Vallejo said, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "I doubt ghosts can be killed without the aid of an exorcism, but I'm not exactly itching to go test that theory right now."

Bartholomew winced, as if relieving a painful memory. " Now… Now I remember. Something happened here… Something because of… of…"

Fillmore noticed the ghost getting more and more worked up and put his hand on their shoulder. "It's okay if you need to leave, nobody'll blame you, this place is giving me the creeps as well."

"No, Fillmore. I need to know, I need to remember." They froze, and looked as if they were terrified, angry and disgusted all at once. "Mr. Edison."

"Mr. Edison?" Anza asked, a little confused. "Wasn't he the head scientist of the school before he mysteriously retired due to 'unforeseen circumstances' nine… years… ago…"

"Crackers, it all adds up! Did he do something to you?"

"Well… uh… Third… since that's what you like to be called, I'm not sure. My memory is still fuzzy… but I guess the deeper we go, the more I… remember?" However, despite this statement, Bartholomew seemed apprehensive about continuing and reliving the moment of their so-called disappearance and inevitable death.

"Dude, I'll say it again, if you're not comfortable with this, go back to the main floor and just wait for us to find the evidence. We don't want to stress you out more than you need to be."

"Fillmore, please. I have to do this, like… It's my destiny. It's my destiny to go into the unknown and face my fears, I can just feel it. But I don't know what's actually beyond there and what little memory I have tells me that it isn't good. So I'd feel better if you go back up there, I don't want to possibly traumatize you."

A silence filled the air as everyone looked at each other, wondering what to say or do. Should they face their own personal demons and fears with Bartholomew or should they go back into the main level, where they'd be safe and well protected from whatever was in the deep end, whether it was physical or mental?

Finally, Fillmore spoke up. "Listen, if you guys want to go back upstairs, feel free to. But I'm staying with Bartholomew, someone needs to protect him and not because we need Vallejo back. This kid needs to find his peace and it's only right someone helps him along the way."

"You know, Fillmore, that's very kind and noble of you and we'll all be with you in spirit." O'Farrell commented, already turning around.

"So I take it that you're not coming?" Fillmore asked, watching O'Farrell make his rather lame escape attempt, before turning towards Tehama and Anza. "What about you two?"

"I've got… lab tests to run," Tehama murmured, before turning to look at her partner. "And I'm sure Anza has important things to do too, are we still doing that Haunted House later? If so, we better get ready, see you guys later!"

Without so much as a word, Anza nodded and the two followed O'Farrell, leaving only Fillmore, Ingrid, Bartholomew and Vallejo left in the group, though Fillmore wasn't too sure how long they'd stay either.

"Ingrid? Vallejo?" He asked, hoping that just maybe they wouldn't chicken out, even though he wouldn't blame them if they did just that.

"I'll come," Ingrid said, in a rather hushed tone. "To the living and non-ghostly people, this is just a regular school basement with no traumatizing memories involving it."

"I'm leaving." Vallejo stated, bluntly.

"You are?"

"Yes, I'm leaving, Fillmore. No, of course I'm not leaving! Where would I even go?! Besides, that body-snatcher over here is worried about me getting traumatized as if I'm not already traumatized from all this! Oh yea, ghost boy, when this is all over, you better pay for my therapist!"

"Uh," Bartholomew began to walk further down the hall. "Can we finish this later, after I deal with my terrifying fears?"

"Yea, chief, drop it. Remember what I said, he has had way worse of a life than you."

Ingrid rolled her eyes, following the three. "You guys know you still look insane, right, since you're talking to thin air?"

Deeper into the basement, the corridors got smaller and smaller, making it a rather tight fit for the now smaller group. Fillmore looked around, flashing the walls with his flashlight, squinting at the gross moss and mold on the walls. "We almost there? This place is definitely a health and safety hazard."

"Well, the good thing is that no student, besides us, is allowed down here, so it shouldn't be too huge of an issue," Ingrid commented. "Definitely wouldn't kill to do a power wash down here every once in a while, though."

Bartholomew came to a sudden halt, eyeing the place suspiciously. "We're here, I can feel it. It has to be around here somewhere.

"What's around here, dog?"

"My hat! I remember having it on when… when… Mr. Edison lured me… down here…"

"He lured you down here?" While Ingrid was not one to get overemotional, there was definitely a trace of horror in her voice.

"He… He lured me and then he…" Bartholomew dropped to the floor, shaking uncontrollably, close to crying. Ingrid and Vallejo didn't have any idea what exactly to say or do, but Fillmore got down on the ground next to them and put his arm around their shoulder. They turned around to look at him, tearing up slightly. "We have to find it, Fillmore.

He nodded. "I know, but where could it be?"

"I… I don't know, but-"

"Fillmore, Third, Weird Boy, you might want to check this out."

"Yo, Ingrid, I'll be back, watch over Bartholomew for me, okay?" Fillmore stood up and made his way over to Vallejo, who was squinting at something in the distance. "What did you find?"

"Just take a look for yourself." Came the rather curt response.

As Fillmore got a closer inspection at the mystery object, he figured out what it was after noticing the shape, vivid colors, and other oddities on it. "Hey, I think we found the hat that you were talking about."

"You did?!" Bartholomew was up in a millisecond, rushing over to the two, Ingrid following behind, but at her own pace. He took one look at it and wiped his eyes, smiling slightly. "Yep, that's my hat, alright."

"So now that we found your hat, now what?" Fillmore asked.

"As much as I hate to say it, it's times like these that we really need O'Farrell. Also, we need Tehama as well, she's the one who knows how to collect evidence." Ingrid did raise a good point, how were they going to do this without the help of Tehama or O'Farrell?

"We can go back upstairs and get them-"

"No," Fillmore began, cutting off Bartholomew. "We did a good job on this case, but I think it's high time we handed this over to the professionals."

Before long, police swarmed the school, investigating the basement and asking questions to the Safety Patrol. Being that Bartholomew was currently the Junior Commissioner, or at least in the body of one, he was given the brunt of it all.

"So, what made you decide you wanted to look into an old case, Mr. Vallejo?" The police officer asked, writing on their notebook.

"Well… I uh…" Bartholomew stuttered slightly, trying to think of something to say that didn't come off as suspicious in any sort of way. "There's been a lack of cases, so I decided that maybe we should look into old ones? Then one thing lead to another and here we are."

"The Safety Patrol sure is lucky to have you as their Junior Commissioner and I'm sure your parents are very proud of you for all your hard work," The officer said, ruffling Bartholomew's hair. He blushed, thinking of his own parents, how were they? If they were still around, they probably still felt horrible about their only son's sudden disappearance. At least they could finally get some closure now and that made him happy. "Well, we gotta get back to the station and run some tests, you take care now."

As the troop left the school, Bartholomew couldn't really do anything but stand there and think, was he really free? Could he finally leave this wretched place and continue his story somewhere else? Fillmore joined him, along with the others.

"You did great, Bart, real great."

"You think I did? You think my parents would be proud of me?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright, now that this whole case is reopened or whatever you wanted," Vallejo grumbled, stepping up close to the two. "Give me back my body!"

"Oh, right," Bartholomew stepped back at Vallejo's sudden and direct approach, but he knew what he had to do. "It's been real fun hanging out with you guys, but I suppose it's about time that I give Vallejo his body back. Who knows, maybe we might see each other again!"

"We'll miss you, B." Fillmore gave the boy a small hug. "See you around."

Bartholomew nodded before falling on the ground as Vallejo's spirit disappeared, returning back to its rightful place. For a split second, Fillmore saw the real spirit of Bartholomew, who grinned, happy as ever, before vanishing, finally able to move on.

Meanwhile, Vallejo groaned, trying to sit himself up, before falling back onto the ground. "I feel like I got run over by a flipping Zamboni or something."

Tehama and Anza were by his side, helping him up. "Easy there, boss."

"I'm fine, Anza, honestly," Vallejo brushed himself off, trying to regain his sense of balance. "I'm just glad to one, be back in my own body, and two, glad that people can actually see me again. Now, if you excuse me, I'm off to my office to file paperwork and forget this ever happened."

Tehama walked towards the headquarters. "Since the school day is practically over, I'm going to go pack up and head off to that haunted house with Anza.'

"I thought you said that you quote unquote 'Had enough shenanigans involving anything haunted'." Ingrid said, rather bemused by the sudden turn of events.

"That might be true, but," Tehama started, before looking at Anza with a slight smile. "I think I've changed my mind."

"Can I come?!" O'Farrell asked, excited.

Before Tehama could deny the request, Anza smirked, rather deviously. "Sure, just don't expect us to come to your aid when you pee your pants because of all the spooky horrors."

"Actually, I think I'll just stay home and work on my Halloween costume," The boy mumbled out loud, backing away from the two. "You two have uh… fun!"

"Well, catch you later, Ingrid." Fillmore waved goodbye to his friend as he went his separate way down the hall.

"Bye."

A few days later, during a rather quiet and unsuspecting Halloween night, a teenager, holding a giant container, bursts out of the school's rooftop access door, proceeding to slowly back away from it while gripping the container tightly.

"You… You won't catch me this time, Safety Patrol!" He growls, darting around, trying to think of an escape plan that wouldn't end up in a broken bone or two.

"We already did."

He turned around at the voice and saw a costume that looked like Drooper from the Banana Splits climb up onto the roof, right behind him. It pulls it's head off, revealing it's none other than Fillmore. "Your candy shipment stealing days are over, Bryce."

Bryce turns back around and starts running towards the door, only for it to open up and Ingrid steps out, wearing a bear costume. On the opposite sides of him, Anza and Tehama appear, also wearing rather silly mascot-like costumes.

He panics knowing that he's surrounded and after desperately looking around a little bit more, drops the container and puts his arms up in utter surrender. "Fine, you win. Take me away or whatever it is you fake cops do."

"Gladly.' Tehama says, grabbing one of his arms while her partner grabs the other. "We'll get him back to Headquarters, you two get the stolen candy back to the party."

"Aye, aye, Captain Tehama." Fillmore nodded, watching as they pulled away the suspect, who was currently complaining about 'How ridiculous it is to be seen getting apprehended by a bunch of animal mascots.'

As he went to pick up the box, he noticed how pretty the sky was. While it was usually never that clear out during this time of year, it was downright gorgeous right now. The sky was perfectly clear, the stars were out, it was simply breathtaking.

"Admiring the view, huh?" His partner asked, watching him gaze at it with wonder and awe. "It is a pretty sight to see, though I honestly prefer the Aurora Boralis myself."

"It is," Fillmore commented, though he picked up the box, intending to haul it back downstairs. "But we better get this box of candy back where it belongs."

"What's the rush, Fillmore? We won't actually need it for at-least another half-hour or hour. Why not sit down here and enjoy the view?"

Ingrid most certainly had a way with her words. Setting the box back down, he sat on the ground with a sigh of defeat. "You're right, I'm sure we can take a tiny break. Besides, the cold air feels nice after being stuck in a sweaty costume for hours on end."

"It's like what you said, dressing up is part of the job." She smirked.

"I know, I know," Fillmore glanced at the night sky, thinking deeply. "Where do you think Bartholomew is right now? Like, what happens after you're a ghost?"

"Don't be getting all philosophical on me right now. But I might have an answer to your question," Ingrid began, mentally counting the stars in her head. "That is, if you want to accept it as the answer."

"That depends, I suppose. What's your theory?"

"It's not a theory, It's kind of a story my grandmother told me when I was young, a story I took to heart. She says that when we die, we become the stars in the sky. I know that somebody like me would say that would be impossible since stars are just gas giants, but… it's a nice thought, isn't it?"

Fillmore mulled over what his partner said and smiled slightly. "I think it is. I bet being a star wouldn't be so bad."

The two leaned against the box and while there weren't many words spoken, that was completely fine. What mattered was that they were here, enjoying the moment, enjoying each other's company and that in some way or form, Bartholomew was somewhere happy and nice.