Chapter 6: At the station house

Soon, the gang regrouped at the offices of Major Crimes Division as the detectives identified the victim.

"Has the victim been identified?" William asked as they regrouped.

"As a matter a fact, yes." Lieutenant Tucker nodded. "His name is Detective III Grade Anthony Strickland, assigned to the East Glensburg Division's homicide table."

"A detective murdered?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes." The lieutenant nodded. "His next of kin has been notified, and his colleagues at the division are mourning his death from the accident."

"Wait, you mentioned that Strickland is assigned to the East Glensburg Division, lieutenant." Elizabeth snapped her fingers. "That's the division Stone is assigned to!"

"And he was hostile towards us when we said that Strickland was murdered." Fred added. "He insisted that Strickland was killed by the accident."

"Sounds like you kids are going to have to take a trip to the East Glensburg station house." The lieutenant said. "However, I want you kids to be very careful. Strickland had several run-ins with Internal Affairs during his service, and there are cops out there who'd be only happy to defy the chief and want no one else meddling around."

"No worries, lieutenant." Velma assured him. "We had our run-ins with corrupt Big City police before and we'll keep our guard."

(For more information of their run-in with the Big City Police Department, stay tuned for my upcoming story Coolsville Central: The Mystery Machine, which will feature a thrilling and more serious take on the gang obtaining the Mystery Machine)

Soon, the Mystery Machine pulled up at the station house and the gang proceeded to enter.

As they walked into the station house, Shaggy and Scooby narrowed their eyes as they saw hostile looks from nearby officers.

"There are those meddling kids again!" One of the officers can be heard remarking as they watched the sleuths enter.

"Yeah." Another officer nodded. "I sure will like to know why the Man is continuing his support of those meddling kids."

William crossed his arms as he and the gang faced the watch sergeant, who was giving them a hostile look.

"What do you kids think you're doing here?" The sergeant asked. "Unless you're here to report something, get lost right now!"

"Well, we're here to interview anyone close to the late-Detective Strickland." Fred said. "He was the victim in the light metro accident, and Stone said that he was killed by the accident."

"Detective Strickland, eh?" The sergeant asked. "Well, Internal Affairs have already interviewed the detective commander and Strickland's partner, so you kids aren't needed here. Now..."

Just as the watch sergeant was about to order them out, a voice cut in and shouted, "Sergeant Ewell! That's enough! Let them in."

The gang turned and saw the detective commander of the division glaring at the watch sergeant as the former made his way towards them.

"Like, thanks, lieutenant." Shaggy said as they joined the lieutenant.

The lieutenant nodded as he lead the gang to his office. Along the way, Shaggy looked around and braced for any possible encounters with Stone.

After entering the office, the lieutenant pulled the blinds down and closed the door.

"Lieutenant Jerry Welker, EGD. I see that you kids are also checking out Detective Strickland's death, huh?" The lieutenant asked as he faced the gang after introducing himself.

"That's right, lieutenant." Fred nodded. "We know that he was shot before the collision, but Stone insisted that he died as a result of being crushed in the accident."

"Stone, huh?" The lieutenant asked. "He sure is always looking for trouble, but sadly the chief can't do anything about him due to his ties with the union and city hall."

William nodded before asking, "So lieutenant, can you tell us more about Strickland? Lieutenant Tucker mentioned that he had several run-ins with Internal Affairs during his service."

"Yes." The lieutenant nodded. "He wasn't exactly a model police officer, like many others on the force. He has a tendency to bend the rules and has engaged in a handful of rackets and accepting bribes during cases, often being bribed to look a different way, and Internal Affairs never did its job in rooting him out."

Then, lowering his voice, Welker added, "I don't trust Internal Affairs in handling his death, kids. There's always crooked officers that pretend to police their own, but in reality, before your father came on, Mr. Rogers, it was used as a tool to enforce the ways of quiet bribery and silence officers that tried to go straight or challenge the narrative."

"Like, things sure haven't changed." Shaggy nodded. "Not even after the police brutality case from last year did they fully clean up the house in Internal Affairs."

(Note: For more details on the case in question, stay tuned for my upcoming story Coolsville Central: The Mystery Machine, which as mentioned above, will cover how the gang got the Mystery Machine)

"So what was he like in the past few days, lieutenant?" Shinichi asked. "Was something bothering him?"

"Well, he seemed moody." The lieutenant replied. "Two days ago, he and his partner Detective Weldon caught a homicide case that had a connection to another case he failed to clear last year, in terms for location."

"Oh, what is it about?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

Before Welker could reply, he received a phone call.

As the lieutenant answers the phone call, William said. "A murdered police detective with previous run-ins with Internal Affairs, who the lieutenant doesn't trust. I've got a feeling this case is going to get ugly with all this stuff about police corruption here in Coolsville."

"No kidding." Velma agreed. "It's going to be a matter of time before someone decides that we've gone too deep in this case and will only be too happy to put us out of the way."

"Which is also why we've got to be careful." Shinichi said. "I could've sworn this city's police force is as bad as any police force in any third-world country where corruption is rampant."

It was then that the lieutenant finished his phone call.

"Sorry, kids." Welker said. "I've got a crime scene to check out. Why don't you continue your search for answers by starting with Detective Weldon?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me, lieutenant." Fred agreed.

As the kids left the office, Shinichi said, "We've got a lot of ground to cover for this one."

"Indeed." Daphne agreed. "We have to know what Strickland was going through, including details on the latest case he and his partner handled, and we've got to check his records in Internal Affairs, whom he had several run-ins with in the past."

"I think it will be best if we split up." William suggested. "Lizzy, Fred, Velma and Daphne, you guys stay with me here at the station house to interview Detective Weldon, while Shinichi, Ran, Shag and Scooby, you guys go back to police headquarters and check out Strickland's file at Internal Affairs. The latter could give us a good clue on what he was up to, besides there's a good chance that his involvement in those rackets may have a connection to his untimely demise on the metro."

"Good idea, cousin." Shinichi agreed.

"So where do we meet up once we're done?" Shaggy asked.

William turned to his foster cousin and Fred before the latter replied, "We'll meet up in the Mystery Machine, Shag."

"Good. Now let's get to work." Shinichi said as the gang split up.

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