Chapter 3

Mac and Bloo were both on high stools handling beakers and other chemical implements. Mac was wearing safety glasses and latex gloves. He had taken a beaker off the bunson burner, and with a pair of tweezers, he was removing the fabric from it. Bloo was looking through a microscope, "boy you should see what a piece of my eyebrow hair looks like."

"Knock it off Bloo, and remove it from under there. I need to use it."

"Whateverrrrrr," Bloo said. Mac laid the fabric on a slide, then delicately placed it under the microscope. He proceeded to look through the lens, when there were loud voices outside the door, followed by the door crashing open. Mac looked up to see Eduardo with a tight grip on a frightened Dylan's collar. Co-co walked over to Mac and placed his video game on the table in front of him. "Senior Mac," Eduardo said, "we found Senior Dylan wandering around on the walkways playing your game."

"It is my game," Dylan blurted out, "I found it fair and square."

"Thanks for finding MY GAME," Mac corrected. He got down off the stool, and pointed to an old card table with four chairs in the corner of the lab, "sit him over there." Eduardo walked Dylan over to one of the chairs, and Dylan sat down. Mac grabbed another chair and sat down facing the frightened young man. Co-co turned on a flashlight and pointed it at Dylan's face. Dylan tried to cover his eyes. "Co-co," Mac said with a sigh, "that is not necessary."

"I'll say, "Dylan said, "what is wrong with you losers anyway?"

"Frankie was murdered today," Mac said as he drilled into Dylan with his eyes, "turns out my associates here found you wandering around in the park with my game. I loaned it to Frankie the other day, how did it wind up in your hands?"

"I told you," Dylan stammered, "I found it…Fffffrankie mmmmurdered? How?"

"We thought we would ask you the same question mister," Bloo said.

"Enough Bloo," Mac blurted. He faced Dylan again, "what were you doing in the park?"

"I was taking a stroll," Dylan answered, "I do not live far from the park, and I do a lot of walking to clear my mind."

"How did you find my video game?'

"I saw it laying on the walkway," Dylan answered, "so I picked it up just started to play on it. Frankie has the highest score, by the way."

"Eduardo, and Co-co," Mac said, "let's go to the park with Dylan here. You too Bloo."

"Why are we going the park?" Bloo asked. Mac grabbed his video game off the lab table, "because Dylan is going to show us where he found the game."

The walkway led to the heavily wooded area of the park. The group started entering the area of tall trees. At this point Dylan stopped walking, "it was right here I found the game." Mac handed the game to the young man, "show us exactly where." Dylan took the game and placed it on the walkway, "right here by this red splotch."

"Does that look like blood to you Mac?" A wide eyed Bloo asked.

"It sure does," Mac replied, and reached in his pocket. He pulled out a piece of tissue and his penknife. He delicately scraped some of the blood onto the tissue. He was going to test it alongside the blood on the fabric. "Let Dylan go Eduardo."

"Why Senior Mac," the hairy horned one asked.

"He wouldn't kill Frankie," Mac answered, "nor does he even have a motive."

"You are right about that," Dylan said, "can have the game back?"

"Don't think so Dylan, but thanks for finding it," Mac said. The sullen man walked away with his hands in his pockets.

Mac and Bloo were back in the lab, and Mac was looking into the microscope. It was well past eight at night. Bloo was entertaining himself by playing a mad scientist, "pass me a bottle of that CO2 Igor." Mac rolled his eyes, and continued with his analysis. There was a knock at the door. With his eye to the lens, Mac called out, "it is open - c'mon in!" In walked Duckman and Wilt, with Jackie Khones in between them eating a sandwich. "These two knuckleheads said you wanted to see me." Mac was still looking through the lens of the microscope, "what has he told you guys?"

"He says that he was playing hide and seek, and was trying to find a place to hide in the basement," Wilt replied.

"He went on to say that is when he found Frankie." Duckman added.

"And you believe that?" Mac asked.

"Aw c'mon Mac my man," the foot tall green stalk with an eyeball protested, "I have an airtight alibi! Ask Fluffernutter. She was playing too; so was Clumsy, Eurotrish, Big Baby, and Two Head Fred." Mac looked at Jackie and smiled, "Let him go fellas, and make sure you escort him to the kitchen and make him another sandwich."

"Boo-yah!" Khones exclaimed. The three IF's left the lab.

Mac went back to his microscope to continue with his analysis, while Bloo continued to play a mad scientist. Above the two, the clock read 9:18pm. "So how long is this analysis going to take?" Bloo asked. Mac pulled his head up from the lens, "Not sure; maybe I should call my mother and let her know I am here at Foster's and stay the night. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I am sure she will not mind." Bloo's face brightened up, "Saturday morning means awesome blueberry…"

"Frankie is dead Bloo," Mac reminded, "remember?"

"I forgot," Bloo said sullenly, "I am already missing that gal."

"Me too Bloo…me…hello! What have we here?" He pulled his head up from the microscope again, "hey Bloo check this out." Bloo put his face down to the lens.

"Now Bloo, let me put this slide under there…held on…" Mac switched the slides very carefully, "there…now what do you see?"

"the same thing."

"So would you not conclude we have a match?"

"I guess."

"So what that means Bloo," Mac said, "is we know this was not Frankie's blood on her hoodie, and on that walkway. I took a sample of Frankie's blood for a science project at school, and ran it against the blood on the fabric from her hoodie - no match. Therefore, I concluded someone else bled on both the hoodie and the walkway. Then when I ran the samples from the fabric and the walkway, we came up with a match. We can now conclude this blood belongs to her killer." Bloo stared at Mac with wide eyes.

"Don't look so surprised Bloo," Mac stated, "when we went back to the park and I had Dylan show us where he found the game, that told me Frankie was killed with that game in her hand. Now if the coroner or the police notice any possible scuff marks on Frankie's back, bottom, and shoes, they can conclude Frankie was murdered in the park, and her body was moved to the basement at Fosters."

"Wow," Bloo exclaimed, "that would be an incredible feat, and in daylight."

"That is what gets me," Mac said as he scratched his chin. Mac opened the lab door, "do me a favor, and stay here. I have to do two things; call my mom, and make another important phone call."

"To whom?"

"I will explain later," Mac replied as he dashed out the door. Bloo watched the door close, "he is definitely good."