AN: I OWN NOTHING OF THE SCOOBY DOO FRANCHISE!!!!

Chapter Six: Examinations and Nasty Thoughts

Once at the Hotel, examination began. On the scrolls that Fred and Daphne had taken, it was obvious that they were written in Latin. Velma began the tedious task of deciphering the scrolls while the Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and the children went out for lunch. Melinda stayed behind and began to carefully dust the chest and other clues for any fingerprints that may have been covered. When she found none on the chest, she opened. She clasped a gloved hand over her mouth at the sight. Once she recovered, she went to Velma's extra suitcase and took out the foldable examination table. She went back to the chest and took a picture of the decayed body before she took it out of the chest and laid it carefully down on the table. She went to her own suitcases and began to to take out several devices and objects. She placed a medical mask over her mouth, put on a lab coat, and pulled on a different set of gloves. She carefully arranged the body so that it was lying straight on it's back and had it's arms to it's side. She was digusted that it still had tissue and rotted flesh and skin on most of it from being preserved in the chest. She swallowed and began the task of an autopsy.

Melinda took a special measuring tape that began measuring on it's own and set a pen down on a sheet of paper which began writing the results of the measurings. While that was happening Melinda checked the scale on the table and recorded the weight down. Once that was done, she took pictures of the body from all angles with a special camera the gang kept for such occasions. Next, she began to check the body's ears, nose, and mouth like a doctor might do to a living patient and checked the body over for any signs of unusualness. This body began to seem eerily familiar to her.... It was easy to tell this body was not nearly as old as the chest in which it was locked. After that, Melinda took a special knife and began to cut into the chest of the body. She began to examine what was left of the organs and tissues inside. She was disgusted as she found fly's eggs inside of the body. She took samples of dried blood on the bones and tissue samples and moved on. She took a bone from the body and cut into it with another specialized tool and took what little bone marrow was inside. Melinda put the samples to the side and began to scribble down notes on the sheet of paper. She looked at the semi-deceased face and desperatly wanted to know why it looked so familiar.

Velma took a book from her luggage on Latin and sat it next to the scrolls. She took a seat and began to flip through the pages and decode the scrolls. She was getting very anxious as she began to realize that the farther down she went, the more the language seemed to be in the vernacular and not in middle-age Italian. She also began to feel nervous. Why did these words seem to ring a bell in her mind? Had she heard them someplace else? Perhaps in a dream long since forgotten? She looked over her shoulder at Melinda as she was setting up for an autopcy and was beginning to wonder if she'd seen that body's face somewhere else.... If she had, she definately couldn't match it to a name or place. She turned back to the scroll and shivered as she uncovered the last line.

All who join us beware, of the screams you may hear fill the air, we may not be who we seem, you may just find yourself in for a scream.

It was written in fresh ink....

The rest of the gang all sat down together in a small Italian cafe as they awaited their lunch. The children, though some still shaken, were busy whispering. If Shaggy knew one thing was for sure, his kids had deffinately gotten Velma's smarts and that Fred and Daphne's kids were deffinately not average thinkers either. At least most of them have my appetite! Shaggy thought to himself as his mind began to wander into his thoughts. He thought about what he had found at the mansion. A map that leads to treasure... hidden in his room. Shaggy began to have very uneasy feelings about Harry, more than just the normal uneasy feelings he got about any teenage boy. He seemed very suspicious to Shaggy. Very suspicious.

Melinda finished what she was writting and carefully closed up the body with thread by magic before carefully setting him in the trunk.
"Autopsy's done." She announced to Velma who had just finished transcribing the scrolls.
"Scrolls are too. Did you take the necassary samples like I taught you?" Velma asked as she put the book away and began to help Melinda put her materials away.
"Yea, they're on the side table." Melinda said nodding her head in the general direction behind her. She pulled off her gloves and threw them away. She thoroughly washed her hands before taking the mask and lab coat off then did another rinsing just to be safe.
"Did anything look suspicious to you? I mean, he's obviously been murdered. I don't think anyone would put that they wanted to be locked in a chest and thrown in some basement in their will."
"No, he looks like he wasn't even murdered. No poison, no unusual colorings or diseases. Unless you want to count the fly's eggs that I killed." Velma shuddered. Flys creeped her out. Flys and clowns. Once everything was put away, Melinda called Shaggy to let him know they were on their way to the cafe. Afterwards, the two girls called a cab and made their way downtown to the rest of the gang.

"All who join us beware." Daphne repeated. "Sounds like a group effort, so we might not just be looking for one face to unmask.
"Of the screams you may hear fill the air." Fred recited. "Looks like more than just one murder was commited. The question isn't just by who, but how many?"
"We may not be who we seem." Melinda thought it over. "You said it was written in fresh ink?"
"Yes." Velma answered.
"How fresh?"
"Only a few weeks maybe a month of two." Melinda thought this over.
"Was the penmanship different?"
"What?"
"The penmanship, was it different on the two scrolls?" Velma had no idea where she was going with this.
"Yes, I believe so, why?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to know." Interesting.... Looks like we've got followers.... "Anyway, let's move onto the next line, you may just find yourself in for a scream."
"Like, who knows who it's talking about." Shaggy stated while he drank his soda. "That could mean anyone."
"Guys, how long ago were we asked to fly out to Italy?" Melinda asked sitting up straighter immediatly.
"Ummm, a few months ago I believe. Why?" Fred asked comfused. Had he missed something?
"You may just find yourself in for a scream. It's referring to us. Join us, we just came to the mansion didn't we? Beware, we're trying to stop a ghost aren't we? Screams that fill the air, whoever wrote that's planning on doing more than just scare a few people off. We aren't who we seem-" Melinda stopped dead. No. No, no, no, no, no! She couldn't catch her breath. Not this time. No, this time was different. This time, she didn't like the murder. No this this time he was being framed. It wasn't Harry. It can't be Harry! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
"Like, are you okay?" Shaggy asked, concern filling his eyes. Melinda just now realized she'd stopped short and stopped breathing for a minute there.
"It was nothing."
"Are you sure?" Daphne asked, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine."
"You sounded like you were onto something. Do you remember?" Velma asked.
"No." Melinda lied. She hated to lie, but she had to. No way was she giving them another excuse to tell her not to go to the library tonight.

Melinda waited until all were aslee before she pushed her covers off and changed quickly and quietly. She made her way to the door and carefully pushed it open. Her heart stopped as it creaked. She listened, no movement. She walked slowly and carefully out. She closed the door ever so gently and made her way down the stairs and to the door of the hotel where she was greeted by Harry.
"Ready to go?" He asked.
"Yea. So how far off's the library?" She asked. This time she needed to be sure she was home on time.
"Only a few minutes, I figured we could walk." Melinda smiled, she liked the idea.
"You walked here?"
"Yea." Harry said a little sheepishly.
"Isn't the mansion all the way accross town though?"
"Yea, but I figured it's a nice night out." He said smiling. Melinda returned the gesture and they made their way into the night and towards a tall building. Along the way there they made idle talk.
"So, did you find any clues?" He asked through the rush of passing cars in the street beside them.
"Yes, but I'm sort of not allowed to tell you. Sorry, rules and all."
"Oh, well it's perfectly all right." Harry was about to ask another question, but a burst of wind from a passing car cut him off. He saw Melinda shiver and realized she'd forgotten her jacket at the hotel. "Here." He said taking off his jack and putting it around her shoulders.
"Harry, this is your jacket and it's freezing. You take it."
"Wouldn't dream of doing so. Your warmth is far more important than mine, Miss Cromwell." He said, flashing her a smile.
"Well, if you're sure, Mr. Tomaselli." Melinda joked along with him. "Isn't Tomaselli an Italian name?"
"Yes, my father was Italian, mum was British."
"So that's why your uncle has the estate?"
"Pretty much." At that moment they arrived at the library.

Me: Sorry I took so long to update, had some research to do.
Arya: Yea, 'research'.
Annabeth: - giggle - She has a point. All you did was choose the first link you saw.
Me: Well, that's research to me!
Athena: Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Ajihad: Please review! My tea depends on it!
All of us but Ajihad: What?