Chapter 10: The Lead
Back at the Sunflower Hotel, Alan waited alone outside. Tom soon met up with his elder brother. "Where's Suzie?" he asked.
"She got a little sidetracked," Alan pointed across the street to a mall. Through the mall's window, the two brothers watched as their eldest sister enjoyed a friendly conversation with another teenaged Asian girl and purchased new clothes.
"Where's Anne?" Alan asked.
"She, too, is within a shopping establishment, purchasing some items," Tom answered.
"Anne is shopping for dresses?" a surprised Alan asked.
"Not exactly," his younger brother corrected. "She's inside of a sports store purchasing a rope and a net. She believes it'll be necessary for apprehending our adversary, if we locate him."
Alan jokingly sighed, "Anne's not like other girls, is she?"
"Afraid not," Tom shook his head.
At that moment, Suzie approached her brothers with her friend. "Oh, hi, Tom. Sorry to keep you waiting, Alan. Oh, Tom, Alan, this is my new friend, Amelia. Amelia, these are my brothers, Alan and Tom."
"Hello," Alan and Tom greeted their sister's friend.
"Hey," Alan noted, "she's Chinese, too. Maybe she can help with the missing people caper."
Clearly bothered, the teenaged girl twitched angrily, but quickly calmed herself down. "Sorry, friend," Amelia corrected. "I'm Japanese, not Chinese."
"Oh, sorry," Alan apologized.
"Don't worry about it, Alan," Suzie waved it off. "I thought she was Chinese, too."
"Yeah," Amelia giggled, but quickly changed the subject. "But what's this about people being missing?" she asked.
Suzie explained to her friend, "Well, word has it that Chinese folks are going missing around here. To make matters worse, and don't tell anyone about this, but we think our father, Charlie Chan, is one of those missing folks."
The young Japanese gasped in shock, "Your father is Charlie Chan, the world famous detective?"
"Yeah," Suzie sadly continued, "and we haven't heard a word from him in days."
"Maybe he's still at that hotel I saw him in," Amelia guessed.
Hearing this was just what Suzie and her brothers needed. "Hold it," Alan questioned. "You've seen him?"
"Yes," Amelia nodded. "I saw him a few days ago just northeast of here at the Pleasure Hotel. I was trying to apply for a job there."
"Oh, thanks so much, Amelia!" Suzie hugged her friend. "You have no idea what a big help that was!"
"Anything to help a friend," Amelia smiled before looking at her watch. "Oh, dear. I gotta go. I'm due someplace else. Bye, Suzie, good luck."
"Bye!" Suzie waved.
Seconds after Amelia walked off, she accidentally bumped into Anne, who was just returning to her siblings.
"Oh, sorry," Anne apologized.
"Ah, it's okay," Amelia forgave.
Before her friend could leave, Suzie introduced her to her sister, "Amelia, this is one of my little sisters, Anne. Anne, this is my new friend, Amelia."
"Hi," Anne waved to the older young girl before looking down. "Uh, hey, you dropped something."
Amelia looked down and quickly picked up her dropped item. "Oh, thanks," she said with such great relief. "Thanks so much. I can't replace this." The friendly girl then departed.
"Nice girl," Anne opined.
"Yeah," Alan said before noticing a backpack his sister was holding. "So, Anne, is the rope inside your new bag there?"
"Yep," Anne nodded. "I got two sets of rope and a net that might come in handy for either catching the bad guy or his henchmen."
"What henchmen?" asked Tom.
"I don't know," Anne theorized. "The crook might henchmen. I hear most low-lives do."
Alan noticed something else in the backpack and pulled it out. "And what are we gonna do with a couple of ice axes?" he inquired.
"Mountain climbing," Anne responded.
"You think we're going to have to climb a mountain?" Suzie asked.
"Nah," Anne answered, "but I might wanna go mountain climbing when this is all over. But enough about me. Did you or Alan find out anything?"
Suzie, with the greatest of pleasure, replied, "Well, not in the hotels, but we did have some luck." The eldest Chan daughter then spoke into her Chan Com. "Henry, pick us up at the Sunflower Hotel. We got a lead."