Part 5
"Are you sure this is a good idea Fred?" Daphne looked all around her just waiting for someone to catch them as they snuck around back of Shaggy's house.
"No, not really, but we don't have any other choice," Fred turned himself around to face her, seriousness all over his face.
"He's right Daph, if we have any chance on gaining any clues we need to go where it happened," Velma said getting to the back door first. She pulled a set of metal, color-coated, keys from a red shoulder bag she had on. There were three different keys, a blue one, a purple one, and a green one, representing the three other members of Mystery Inc. not including herself. They were house keys that Velma had made for emergencies that ever sprang up and someone needed to get into someone else's house. She made a set for each person, color-coating them to match each gang member other than themselves. They have come in real handy throughout the years.
Velma put the green key in the lock and twisted the door ever so gently open. She peaked inside the dark house and saw the kitchen table where Shaggy and Scooby were just eating and the open living room off to the side. Painful memories shot into her head but she quickly shook them away and stepped inside. She walked over to the island where she saw chalk outlines of Shaggy and Scooby and crime tape around the area. At the police helped narrow down the clue searching area…
"All right girls, we need to start looking for any sort of clue that we can, from anywhere possible," Fred went into full on leader mode.
"Right, and it looks like the police were kind enough to mark off a very important area for us to look," Velma said looking over at the marked off crime scene.
"Yes, I see. Well then I guess Velma will stay here and investigate further, I will check the rest of the downstairs and Daphne will check the upstairs," Fred ordered the girls.
"But Fred," Daphne started, "I don't think we should all be separating right now, especially you. Something could happen to one of us if we are just all alone."
"I know Daph, but you just have to not worry about it, everything will be fine," Fred put his hand on the red head's shoulder for reassurance. "The killer is probably long gone by now, he wouldn't stay in the same place where he committed the crime."
"Maybe Daphne's right Fred, maybe we shouldn't all split up this time," Velma said biting her lip.
"No, we are splitting up no question to it," Fred huffed. "Look, if something does happen then we will just give a call to one of us."
"I guess that could work…" Velma hesitantly agreed.
"Alright, I'll go along with it," Daphne sighed.
"Okay gang, then let's split up and look for some clues," Fred said heading off into the direction of the living room.
Velma looked over at Daphne who looked hesitant to move and she moved next to her putting a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be alright Daph, Fred knows what he is doing."
"I don't know Velma, ever since we saw that message on the van and the picture he just hasn't been acting right and I'm just worried that he is going to keep being careless like this," Daphne looked at Velma worried.
"I know, I've noticed it too, but we can't stop him from doing this so we might as well help him do it."
"You're right, we can't stop him," Daphne sighed. "Well I guess I better head upstairs."
Daphne walked away from Velma, her hand now floating where Daphne's shoulder used to be, and the girl sighed. Daphne had a point and she knew that, but she did as well. There was no way that they would be able to stop Fred from doing what he is doing. He's the type of guy that when he sets his mind to something he does and no one can stop him from doing it. Velma turned to face the taped off area of the kitchen, going down onto her knees to get a closer look at the floor area. She looked around the chalk markings on the floor, her fingers sliding ever so gently along the lines. She looked at the various number cards that were set up where it looked like blood spots were, probably from the knife the killer used to mark into Shaggy's arm…wait a minute…the killer's knife! Velma thought for a quick second, working out a puzzle in her head. If she could follow the blood spots in some sort of trail, then maybe she could figure out where the killer had exited, and in turn also know where he entered. If she just looked carefully, she could figure out where the killer went after he killed Shaggy and Scooby, for he wouldn't exit a different way than he came in.
Fred walked through the living room and into some double doors that looked like they opened up to a master bedroom. If the killer had snuck into the house like Fred figured he did, then he most likely would have used a window in the back of the house. He found just what he was looking for when he saw a line of windows in the back behind a long desk. Fred carefully moved the desk away from the window and smiled when he saw one of the windows wide open. He got down on his knees and crawled over to the window, climbing out and ending up in the back yard. He stood himself up thinking about where the killer could have gone or come from. If he was right, the killer used this window in the master bedroom to gain entrance to the house.
Fred turned his head to the left and something out of place caught his blue eyes. He saw a rope hanging from a window on the side of the house on the second floor. He cocked his eyebrow at the sight and walked towards the rope, confused by this piece of the puzzle. Fred looked up to where the rope was coming from, but before he could do anything, the rope was suddenly tossed out the window and the window slammed shut. His eyes widened and he quickly turned around, running to the open window in the master bedroom and climbed through. He had to tell Velma what he had just seen.
Daphne made her way to the top of the stairs, her hands shaking slightly. Normally, she didn't mind Fred's plans, she just went along with them, but this time was different. To her, splitting up like this while there was a killer out there who wants to kill to them all and most of all that he is most likely inside the house gave her the nerves. She had to wonder what made him think that splitting up would be a good idea this time? Why would he let himself go alone when he is the one the killer is going to kill next? She really wanted him here, right by her side so that she could make sure there was no murderer around ready to stick a knife in Fred's back. That's what she wanted though it wasn't going to happen now…
Daphne turned and opened a door to the left of the landing, stepping inside to what looked like a library. She never knew that Shaggy and Scooby liked to read so much…or maybe this was their parents' book collection…yeah, that made more sense. The red head slowly walked around the room using her phone as a flashlight, thinking about where to start first. As she was walking, she felt her lavender high heel step on something other than the carpet. She took a step back and shinned her phone onto the ground to look at the unfamiliar object. She went down onto her knees and picked it up, but when she realized what it was she almost dropped it. It was a photo, a photo of the Mystery Inc. gang but there was something odd about the picture, Shaggy was crossed out with a red marker of some sort.
"Velma was right…" Daphne's hands were shaking with the picture in her hand. She knew she had to call Fred and Velma and tell them what she had just found.
Velma followed the trail of blood with her fingers, ever so carefully. Though the blood would show where the killer had exited the house, it would also tell her where he entered the house as well. He would never go out a different way than he had come in, too much hassle. She moved her glass covered eyes along the trail of red, hoping that her theory was correct and sure enough it was. She found that the killer had exited through the front door, which would also mean that he had entered through the same door. That would explain why it was open when she arrived at the house the first time.
"Velma!" Velma turned her head to look behind her at the source of the voice. It was Fred.
"Fred? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Velma stood up looking at the boy with confusion and worry mixed in her face.
"Kind of, well nothing bad…well I don't really know if it's good or bad-"
"Just tell me Fred," Velma interrupted.
"Okay, well I just need to tell you what I found outside," Fred started. "I walked into the master bedroom and I saw this line of windows behind a desk on the back wall so I decided to check them out. Glad I did because one of them was open, so I climbed outside to see if I could find out where the killer had come from. When I looked to the left though, I saw a rope hanging from a window on the second floor. I walked over to get a better look at it but once I got there, it was tossed from the window and the window slammed shut. I ran back inside and came to find you to tell you."
Velma gasped, for what she had just found did not match up with Fred's explanation. In fact, his explanation made her frightened. The killer came in through the front door…not a window in the master bedroom…
"Fred, there is something very wrong with what you just told me," Velma didn't look at him when she spoke, but rather stared off into space.
"What do you mean 'very wrong'?" Fred looked confused.
"Well what I found was a trail of blood coming from where Shaggy's and Scooby's bodies were, which I then thought it was from the knife the killer used to carve into Shaggy's arm. I figured if I studied the trail and followed it, then I can figure out where the killer had entered and exited the house. Turns out I was right and found the trail leading towards the front door. Now I didn't tell you and Daphne this, but when I got here the first time, I had found the front door unlocked and open which would make sense. Fred, the killer wouldn't exit a different way than he came in so your story doesn't make any sense," Velma explained.
"You're right, something isn't adding up," Fred was in deep thought with these two puzzle pieces. "The killer would exit a different way than he came in, he seems smarter than that, so why would the window have been open? And why was there a rope in the second floor window?"
"All very good questions Fred, that I don't know the answer to," Velma said.
Just as Fred was about to speak, he heard his phone ringing from his pocket. He pulled it out to look at who was calling him, and saw that it was in fact Daphne.
"Daphne? What happened? Are you alright?" Fred spat out the questions fast, his heart beginning to beat a little faster.
"I'm fine Fred, is Velma with you?"
"Yeah she's here," Fred sounded a little more relieved. "Why?"
"Just put the phone on speaker. I have something I think you both would want to hear."
"Okay. Velma, come over here," Fred motioned for Velma to come stand next to him and he put the phone onto speaker.
"Are you there Velma?" Daphne's voice came loud and clear over the phone.
"Yeah I'm here Daph, is something wrong? Are you okay?" Velma answered.
"Yes I am fine, I just need to tell you two something," Daphne began. "So I am up here in what I assume is their library and I found this picture on the floor of all of us except Shaggy has been crossed out by a red marker it looks like." Daphne explained.
"That's really weird…why would a picture like that be upstairs in Shaggy's house?" Velma questioned.
"I'm betting that picture belongs to the killer," Fred pointed out.
"That's exactly what I was thinking Fred," Daphne agreed over the phone.
"Maybe he dropped it while he was entering the house?" Fred thought.
"No, that couldn't be, the killer came and left through the front door not the second floor window," Velma said.
"That's true…" Fred thought for a minute, about the clues Velma had found, the picture that Daphne found that was obviously from the killer, the open window in the master bedroom, the rope and the window shutting from the second floor…wait…uh-oh…Fred's mind clicked all the pieces together and he began to spiral into a panic.
"Daphne! You need to come downstairs right now!" Fred yelled into the phone.
"Umm okay Fred, I'll be ri-" Daphne was suddenly cut off in mid-sentence and Fred and Velma could hear her gasp in the background. It sounded like there was a struggle going on the other side of the speakers.
"Daphne! Daphne!" Fred yelled into the phone, his heart pounding against his chest. His heart was racing with fear and Velma too began to sweat out of nerves. All of the sudden they heard a crazy maniacal laugh come from the speaker that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up.
"Now, now, Fred, what were you thinking letting the three of you separate like that," a voice said through the phone, obviously a man's voice, with a tone that they could tell he was evilly smirking behind the words.
"Who are you?! What have you done with Daphne?!" Fred's voice was low and threatening.
"Now Fred, don't spit out so many questions at once. You and I both know that only the latter question matters to you the most, not who I am," he said taunting Fred.
"I swear if you hurt her…" Fred was in no mood to play games.
"Then what? You'll come upstairs and stop me?" he laughed as if it were a joke.
"You bet I would, so you better leave her alone or I-"
"But there is something that you do not know Fred," he cut Fred off before he could finish. "From where we are, I can hear every little step you take and if you so much as make one single move, I will not hesitate to kill her, so unless you want her to die I suggest that you stay put and listen to what I have to say."
"We don't really have a choice Fred," Velma put her hand on his shoulder for reassurance.
"I would listen to Velma, Fred. She is the smart one," he smites his words.
Fred didn't want to listen to Velma, he wanted to run upstairs and get this guy away from Daphne. He wanted to knock him or heck he was mad enough to kill him for what he has done to them…done to Shaggy…He can't though, he can't do any of that because the killer is upstairs holding the one person he cares most about in his arms ready to take her life away if Fred even tries to make a move. His whole body was tense and on the inside his stomach had dropped and his heart was racing. The thought of losing Daphne crushed him.
"Fred.." Velma looked at the blonde boy trying to read his face.
"Alright, what do you want…" Fred spat into the phone.
"Ah I knew you would come around Fred," the killer evilly chuckled. "Now, here is what is going to happen, I'm going to be taking Daphne with me and as soon as we leave, I want you to come upstairs to the library. Now I'm going to leave Daphne's phone here so when you come up to the library you will go on it and go into the maps application. There will be an address already typed in and I want you to follow the directions to that location. You will have 1 hour to go to this destination or say goodbye to Daphne. Oh, and one more thing, don't even think about calling the police, I have eyes on both of you and your cellphones. 1 hour Fred, don't be late," the phone cut off and Fred hung his head.
"Come on Fred, we need to go upstairs," Velma put her hand onto his white sweater sleeve. Fred didn't answer her back, he just shoved her of and ran in the direction of the stairs with Velma close on his heels.