Chapter 18: The investigation begins, a split-up and a chase
There was some silence as the gang stared at the empty cash register.
"Jinkies!" Velma remarked. "Someone has stolen the money!"
"Indeed." Reddy agreed. "We need the detectives! Send in someone who can investigate this theft!"
"Now Reddy." Ruff said. "I'm sure the police will be called and will investigate this theft."
"There's no time for that, Ruff." Reddy said as he left the library and as fast as a fox, he was back wearing a deerstalker and armed with a magnifying glass before proceeding to examine the cash register in a manner like a detective.
Watching Reddy doing his thing, Tom, Jerry and Ruff shared a glance with each other before the former two shrugged.
"Like, the way Reddy is acting sure reminds me of your cousin Scooby Dum, Scoob." Shaggy remarked as they watched Reddy acting like a detective.
"Reah." Scooby nodded. "Re always wanted to be re detective."
Daphne chuckled as Velma took a closer look at the cash register.
"Was the cash register open before the lights went out, Ms. Christopherson?" She asked the librarian.
"No." Ms. Christopherson replied. "To open the cash register, you need a key which I have the only copy, and unless I was handling a transaction, there's no way will I ever open the cash register."
"Like, so that means someone must have took the key from you, opened the cash register and took the money while the lights were out, then." Shaggy observed.
"That seems like to be the case, Shag." Daphne agreed.
"Say, maybe we can try to figure this mystery out, gang." Fred suggested. "That Phantom, or whoever it was, must be responsible for taking the money while the lights were out."
"But first, who's the Phantom of the Library?" Ruff asked.
"The Phantom of the Library is the ghost of the school library's first librarian Lucy Fleming." Ms. Christopherson explained. "She was a strict grammar teacher with a strong love of literature. One dark and stormy night, she went to do a check around the library after it closed and was never seen again."
"Jeepers!" Daphne remarked. "So it may be that her ghost is haunting the library right now."
"That's right." Ms. Christopherson nodded. "Also, while she was alive, it was rumoured that she has practiced witchcraft, as there were rumours that the students that failed to return their books on time got ill and it was believed that she was the cause of them falling ill."
"Like, so is it possible that she may have been prosecuted for witchcraft prior to her disappearance, Ms. Christopherson?" Shaggy asked.
"That's right." The librarian nodded. "She wasn't really popular with the town at that time, so it is likely that her ghost is out for revenge."
"Well, for one thing, I don't believe that there's such things as ghosts." Velma said. "There's always got to be a scientific, logical explanation on anything unusual."
"Right." Fred agreed. "If we're going to get to the bottom of this mystery, we'd better get moving now."
"Like, the first stop is going to be the bookshelves at the far end of the museum." Shaggy pointed out. "I just can't help but feel that there's something weird about them."
"And the far side of the library is also where the Phantom was at when the lights went out." Daphne said.
"Then, the far side of the library is where we're going fishing." Fred nodded.
"Right." Scooby barked as the gang made their way to the area.
As the gang proceeded to head for the far side of the library, neither of them noticed Ms. Christopherson making a weird, suspicious-looking grin as if indicating that she somehow may be involved in the mystery.
Soon, the gang were standing at the area where the Phantom was standing at.
"Scooby, see if you can sniff out some clues around here." Fred instructed.
"Rokay." Scooby nodded before proceeding to sniff the area.
After a few minutes of sniffing, the Great Dane discovered something and adopted the pose of a hunting dog that has located its target, with his nose pointing towards the area of interest.
"Like, Scoob's found something!" Shaggy said as they walked over to join him.
"Could be a clue!" Velma said as Fred leaned down and examined the area of interest.
"Why, it's some powder!" Fred said.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, that powder must be luminous paint." Daphne observed.
"Like, you may be onto something, Daph." Shaggy said. "Perhaps that luminous paint is the same type used in the Halloween party last October and the type Mr. McDabble taught us in chemistry class!"
"Let me see here." Velma said as she took out some equipment from her bag and examined the powder. Sure enough, it was luminous paint.
"You're right, Daphne." Velma said. "It is luminous paint and is the type commonly used in chemistry classes."
"So that means one of our chemistry teachers is involved in this." Fred says.
"In the meantime, like, I think we should figure out how did that phantom disappear after issuing the warning." Shaggy said. "If I remember correctly, there was no one standing here when the lights returned."
"And I also remember hearing something that sounded like a large bookshelf was moving just prior to the lights were switched back on." Daphne added.
"That means there's got to be a secret passageway somewhere around here." Fred says before moving to the bookshelves and added, "I'll check this bookshelf."
One by one, everyone in the gang picked a bookshelf to check and see if it's connected to a mechanism that may activate a secret doorway.
As Daphne looked through the bookshelf, she stepped on a certain area that sounded like a loose board, causing the bookshelf Shaggy and Scooby were checking to open outwards and hit the duo.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as he and Scooby ended up sailing through the air before hitting the adjacent wall flat.
Watching the whole action unfolding, Fred sighed, "Danger-Prone Daphne did it again."
"Are you guys alright?" Daphne asked as they walked over to Shaggy and Scooby.
"Like, did somebody got the license number of that bookshelf?" Shaggy asked as stars orbited around his and Scooby's heads.
"They sound alright to me." Velma remarked as Shaggy and Scooby snapped out of it.
"Well, Daph did manage to find the secret passageway." Shaggy said as he saw the opened bookshelf and the passageway entrance behind it. "Like, I always thought that bookshelf looked weird."
"Well, let's see where that passageway leads us to, gang." Fred says before they moved to the passageway.
Soon, the gang were walking down the dark passageway with their flashlights on.
"Jeepers, I didn't know the school had secret passageways hidden behind the walls." Daphne remarked.
"Yeah." Shaggy agreed. "It's no wonder you feel like someone's watching you whenever you're walking past those paintings."
The passageway soon leads them to a set of stairs that leads them down to the basement.
At the bottom of the stairs was a fork with two passageways leading off in opposite directions.
"The passageway splits up here!" Velma observed.
"That means we'll have to split up, gang." Fred says. "Daph and I will take the passageway on the right, while you three take the one on the left."
Shaggy and Scooby both nodded as they head off with Velma.
(Shaggy, Scooby and Velma)
The trio looked around as they made their way down the passageway with their flashlights on.
There was cobwebs on the ceiling, and much of the area looked like it can use some serious cleaning.
"Like, seems like no one's been cleaning this place for a while." Shaggy remarked before remembering something. "Hey, this may be the secret bomb shelter the school built for the war in the early-40s. It was intended for use in an event of an enemy air strike from the Pacific, but it was never used."
"No wonder this place looks so old and dusty." Velma said. "It hasn't been used for a long while."
"Reah." Scooby nodded as they looked around on both sides of the hallway, with their lights shining into the empty shelter rooms.
For a while, there was nothing of interest until they came upon a shelter room that has a closed door.
"Like, that's funny." Shaggy said. "This shelter room has a door while the others doesn't."
"Maybe this shelter room was intended to house important people." Velma said as she went to try the doorknob, only to find difficulties opening it.
"This doorknob seems to be broken!" She said as she tried to open the door with no success.
"Raybe it's locked." Scooby offered.
"Don't be silly, Scooby." Velma said. "This door doesn't have a lock on it."
"Like, we might have to break it down, then." Shaggy says before backing up, unaware that a glowing hand was right behind him and is about to grab him.
Then, with all his might, he charged straight for the door just as the hand was about to grab him but missed.
With the built-up momentum, Shaggy was able to effortlessly break down the door, only to produce a large cloud of dust.
"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed as they started coughing. "This place can use a duster!"
"Like, you don't say, Velma!" Shaggy said as he coughed.
As the trio coughed, someone suddenly sneezed.
"Bless you, Shaggy." Velma said, thinking that Shaggy had sneezed.
"Like, that wasn't me, Velma." Shaggy said. "Maybe it was Scooby."
"Rhat wasn't me." Scooby said as the dust settles.
"If it wasn't you or Shaggy, then who sneezed?" Velma asked.
Just then, they heard a ghost-holler.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as Scooby leaped into his arms. "I think I just heard something I wish I didn't hear!"
"Reah, reah!" Scooby agreed as he shivered.
The trio turned and looked. Standing right in front of them was the glowing Phantom of the Library, who growled at them.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "The Phantom!"
The Phantom responded by raising its arms at them in a menacing fashion.
"Jinkies!" Velma shouted. "Let's get out of here!"
Immediately, the trio took off running just before the phantom could grab them.
Racing down the hallway, the trio were running with Scooby leading the way, followed by Shaggy and Velma with the phantom chasing them close behind.
They soon reached a section of the hallway with five doors on both sides of it, where the trio quickly entered the first door on the right, followed shortly by the phantom.
Then, the trio exited from the third door on the right and raced across the hallway while the phantom exited the fourth door on the right and did the same thing.
After that, the trio split up with Shaggy exiting the second door on the left, Scooby at the fifth door, Velma at the first door and the phantom at the third door.
Eventually, the whole scene becomes messed up as everyone involved in the chase simultaneously enters a door across the hallway, then exits a different door and races across the hallway.
The whole chase went on for a few more moments before Shaggy, exiting the third door on the left, collides with Scooby, exiting the second door on the right, and Velma, exiting the fourth door on the right.
"Ooph!" Velma exclaimed as they collided with each other.
"Like, I think we lost him." Shaggy said as he rubbed his forehead.
Just then, a familiar-sounding ghostly holler followed.
"But not for long." Velma said. "Let's get out of here!"
Immediately, the trio took off down the hallway and made their way to find Fred and Daphne.
(Fred and Daphne)
During this time, the duo were looking around with their flashlights on.
"Boy, this place sure can use some cleaning." Daphne remarked as she saw the dust and cobwebs.
"You said it, Daph." Fred nodded. "It will help more if we can find a clue."
There was some silence after that last remark until Daphne decided to ask, "So Freddie, are you busy tomorrow afternoon?"
"Uh, not really." Fred replied. "Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd be interested in, uh, going out with me for Valentine's Day." Daphne said.
"Oh, Valentine's Day is tomorrow?" Fred asked.
"Yes it is, Freddie." Daphne nodded. "I was thinking of, perhaps, doing some shopping or have dinner together at a groovy restaurant?"
"Sounds alright with me, Daphne." Fred said as he turned to Daphne. "As long as the restaurant serves steak."
Daphne nodded before adding, "And perhaps we could go dancing as well."
"Yeah, perhaps." Fred says. "I'd be happy to dance with you, as long as it doesn't involve ice-skating, because I don't want you to get hurt."
"Oh, don't worry, Freddie." Daphne said. "Shag taught me how to ice skate during the winter Christmas break, and we even did figure skating with two waltzes and had a great time."
"I see." Fred nodded thoughtfully. It was then that they heard running coming from behind.
"Listen, do you hear running?" Fred asked.
"Yeah." Daphne nodded. "It's coming from behind. Could be Shag, Scooby and Velma."
Sure enough, the trio were running down the hallway and stopped as they approached them.
"What happened?" Fred asked. "You three looked like you've just seen a ghost."
"We did." Velma said as she catches her breath. "It chased us around the old bomb shelter but we managed to lost him."
Shaggy nodded just as he noticed something on the floor.
"Hey, what's that?" He asked as he pointed to the object.
Everyone looked towards where he was pointing at.
"It looks like a five-dollar Note." Daphne said as Fred picked it up and examined it.
"Like, maybe someone dropped the Note while trying to run away from the phantom." Shaggy commented as Velma took the bill from Fred and examined it in closer detail.
"It's not a five-dollar Note, gang." She said after close-examination.
"It isn't?" Daphne asked.
"That's right." Velma nodded. "If you take a closer look at the Note, you will notice that there's a misprint of President Lincoln's hairstyle."
Everyone leaned over and looked. Sure enough, the hairstyle of the sixteenth President looked really off when compared to a real five-dollar Note.
"Holy moly!" Fred said. "That means that Note is counterfeit!"
"Indeed it is, Freddie." Velma agreed. "I also noticed that several features on a real Note are absent on this Note."
"So that means someone is using this old bomb shelter to produce counterfeit money!" Shaggy observed.
"You may be right, Shaggy." Daphne agreed. "Whoever produced this counterfeit Note must have adopted the disguise of the Phantom to scare away any suspicious character."
"And I'll bet that this door will provide further proof." Fred added as his flashlight shined onto a nearby door.
"Then, let's open it." Velma said as they went over to help Fred with the door.
"Let's hope that there aren't any spooky surprises waiting for us behind the door." Shaggy said as they watched Fred turn the doorknob and opened the door.
What will the gang discover behind the door? Stay tuned, and please read and review!