Chapter 3
Cassie, Liz, and Rion peddled towards the carnival, which was surprisingly in full swing, considering what had happened the day before. As the trio entered into the area of the magic tent, they were met by a bunch of yellow tape and police swarming everywhere. It took them by surprise for a moment, and they were met by a burly officer, who looked down at them. "Hey, this area is off limits," he stated, staring at us. "What do you want?" "Well, uh...I-I...um," Cassie fumbled with her words for a moment; she never thought she would meet any trouble. "We are trying to solve this mystery sir," Liz said, looking at his shining badge. "Well, squad 18 is on the case," the officer replied jovially, tipping his police cap. "And, call me Patrick." Cassie smiled and nodded, maybe she had found an ally with the police force. "So," Patrick continued, "you think you can solve this case little lady?" "Well," Cassie began, "I might not be as good as my cousin, Nancy, but-" "Wait a second!" Patrick interrupted. "Nancy, you say? What is your name?" "Cassie Drew. You know my cousin?" At this question, Patrick laughed. "Know her? I worked with her on the Twin Elms mystery!" "Really?" Cassie replied happily."Then, you must know how important it is to me to work on this case. I might be of some use to the police, Patrick." At this, Patrick sobered quickly and said, "Well, I guess it IS your civic duty to investigate, and you DO have your family name to uphold." "Oh, thank you Patrick!" Cassie exclaimed. Patrick laughed and said, "Well, don't any of you take any chances, okay?" They all nodded in agreement and Patrick flagged them on through the yellow tape. "Who knew you cousin was so famous," Rion commented. "Well, she has worked with the police a lot," Cassie replied and smiled. They walked into the tent and looked at the stage, which was swamped with officers. "Well, let's start with a motive," Cassie immediately took charge of the situation. They interviewed some onlookers and decided that they should get a snack and talk it over. "Well, from claims of others, it seems that Owen is liked by many people and that he was put in charge of the money that Finley Brother's made. He was trusted, so I don't think anyone would do it out of spite," Cassie said. Rion shrugged and said, "well, then WHAT was the motive?" "If we knew that, then the mystery would be half solved," Liz smiled. They sighed and Cassie suddenly got an idea. "May be our kidnapper will show up tonight!" Cassie exclaimed. "We could keep watch here and see what happens," Rion agreed. "With the permission of the police," Liz added, who wasn't apt to breaking the law, unlike Rion, who would break into a bank if he had to. They brought their idea to Patrick, who readily gave his consent. "Don't forget, if you need any help, don't forget to call for the police. This whole business could get dangerous." With promises to be careful and discussing their plans over again, they decided to meet again that evening at seven o' clock.
Cassie checked some things off of her list, and grabbed a sandwich she had made off of the counter. Cassie's heart was beating really fast, as she left her house and grabbed her bike, which was chained up near the garage. After a leisurely ride to the carnival, she stopped at the entrance. "It sure looks spooky at night," Cassie thought nervously, laying her bike against a random wall. "Hey Cassie!" Rion called, making Cassie jump in surprise. "Hey, what's wrong?" Liz stared at Cassie for a minute. "Oh, I was just thinking that maybe I am in over my head," Cassie sighed. "Look, Cassie," Rion smiled, "you'll be just fine. I know, it looks scary, but I am sure we won't be in any harm or danger." Soon, Cassie gathered courage from her friends and they decided to go and look around a bit. "Maybe we should search the buildings around here," Cassie suggested and they walked towards another tent. It was brightly colored and a light beamed from under the curtain, and Cassie concluded that someone was inside. She drew back the curtain and looked inside. "Let's check this out," Cassie whispered, and the trio entered into tent and they were surprised to see a clown, without make up and those funny shoes. "Hello," he greeted them and looked a bit skeptical. "The carnival is closed, you know." "Oh, we are here investigating on case on the disappearance of Owen Michaels," Cassie stated. "Is that so?" the man appeared to be amused. "So then, since you are playing detective, I should at least tell you my name. The name's Charlie. Charlie Shumway." "Nice to meet you, Charlie," Cassie smiled. "Well, we were wondering if you had any information on Owen Michaels," Rion said. "Owen Michaels? Oh! I know the guy well, such a shame he disappeared," Charlie said, frowning a bit. "From what I heard, some people wanted extra pay for their services to Finley Brother's but, he never really took their concerns to heart. From what I heard, everyone was a bit upset that they didn't get a raise in pay, but I doubt anyone would go into great lengths like kidnap to gain a few dollars," Charlie explained. Cassie nodded understandingly, taking a mental note. "Well Charlie, I guess we should let you get back to work," Cassie smiled and left Charlie to his clown shoes. "Well," Rion said, "we didn't find anything in there." "But, we might have gathered some good information on this case," Cassie replied, stroking her hair thoughtfully. "You're sounding like a real detective, Cass," Liz laughed and gave her friend a pat on the back. After a few moments of thinking, the trio decided to search the magic tent next. It was the most logical place after all. They entered into the now abandoned tent, gazing around. Suddenly, they gave a start. They heard noises coming from inside the coffin. "What on earth could that noise be?" Liz shivered. Cassie steeled herself against whatever they may find and walked up the steps and over to the coffin. As she reached the coffin, the noises stopped just as suddenly as they began. Driven mad by curiosity, Cassie flung open the coffin and looked skeptically at the wires and buttons in the side panel. What kind of mechanics would be inside of a coffin? "Hey guys, come up here!" Rion and Liz stepped onto the stage and stood next to their friend, who showed them her discovery. "I wonder what these buttons do," Rion said thoughtfully. "Hey, what are you kids doing?" After getting over their initial fright, they turned towards the source of the voice. It was Magic Mary! "Answer me," she demanded. "Well, uh," Cassie fumbled for a moment, berating herself for her lacking tongue. "We are investigating Owen Michael's disappearance," Rion said for her. At this, Mary laughed. "You? Investigate this mystery? Ha!" "Who do you think you are," Mary sneered, "Nancy Drew?" "Well, I am her cousin," Cassie said good-naturedly. At that comment, Mary's face blanched. She blinked for a moment, and it was obvious she looked nervous. "I-I see." "Well, you won't be doing any investigating here in my tent," she said. "We have permission from the police. You can't dictate to us what we can or cannot do," Liz said bravely. "Fine, but you can't look in the coffin," Mary's voice was firm and final, and she quickly left the room. "She looked nervous," Liz concluded. "I'm afraid that, since this coffin is her property, we can't touch it. But, maybe we can find some clues elsewhere." They searched the back room filled with props and outfits. "Oh, how cute!" Cassie picked up a top hat and put it on. "Hey, check this out," Liz called, pointing to a door labeled "M.M." They stared at the door, wondering whether or not they should go inside. Cassie sucked in a breath and turned the door-knob. "Let's go." What would they find in Magic Mary's room?
A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and R&R! :D