Author's Note: The copyright of the lyrics indicated in italics belongs to The Platters.

Chapter 13: It hits the fan

(Shaggy's Point of View)

Luckily for me, Dad had to go back to work right after he dropped me off at home from the hospital, but not before he warned me that he is going to have the talk with me when he comes back this evening.

At this point, I couldn't care less about what Dad has to say when he does come back to lecture me, not when I have a radio show script to prepare for this Saturday's show.

Seated at my desk, I had the Platters' 1956 Mercury Records album playing on full blast on the gramophone player as I read the radio show script.

Twirling the pencil in my hand, I sighed as the gramophone player began playing the lyrics of a new track in the album.

"When the twilight is gone..." The opening line was interjected by a brief chorus. "...and no songbirds are singing."

"When the twilight is gone..." I sighed during the chorus. "...you come into my heart."

"And here in my heart you will stay..." At that line, I circled something on the script with the pencil. "...While I pray."

As the gramophone player began playing the slow-tempo introductory notes with the drums and guitar notes in the transition to the first verse, I sighed once again.

It might have been more than a week since Benson delivered that bombshell allegation on the potential of State Senator Daggett having something to do with the "car accident" that killed Mom, though all it has was reopening those painful memories I've thought I've overcome by now.

"My prayer...is to linger with you..." As the Platters continued with that first verse, I sighed as I looked at the script once again. "At the end of the day...In a dream that's divine"

Reading the part where the main character stormed out of an argument with his mother, I sighed before pushing the script aside.

"My prayer...is a rapture in blue..." With this song continuing on, I'm not sure if I could carry on reading the script when all it does is throwing more of those memories of Mom right at me. "With the world far away...And your lips close to mine."

I was tempted to take the needle off the vinyl disk when the doorbell rang, which was a welcome intrusion into my thoughts.

Without missing a beat, I got up from my chair and walked right over to the front door. Could be Maggie returning home from her day at the choir, though it's not like her to misplace her house key.

There was a knock on the door, and I called out, "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Sheez. Can't you find your keys, Mags? I almost said out loud as I unlocked the front door and opened it, annoyed as I expected Maggie to be standing at the other side of the door.

However, when I opened the door, I thought my hair jumped when I saw that there was someone else standing at the other side of the door. Someone I was the least expecting.

"Daphne?" I exclaimed in surprise.

The redhead nodded before she said, "Hi...Shag."

With an awkward glance, Daphne then continued, "I hope...I haven't caught you in a...bad time."

I exhaled and pulled the door open. "Not really, though I wasn't expecting you."

As I let her into the house, I added, "After what just happened at the hospital, I didn't expect to see you again this soon, so...I suppose you won't mind me asking what brings you here?"

"Well, I was, uh, hoping we could talk." Daphne replied as she stepped in and I closed the door.

"Mind if we, uh, talk in my room?" I asked. "My Dad's just returned to work, though he's expected to be home within the hour or so."

"It won't take long, I promise." Daphne assured me as I led her to my bedroom.

While I led her down the hallway, Daphne took the time to glance at the photos of my family and I.

She was, in particular, interested in Dad's service photos.

"I didn't know your Dad made Lieutenant Colonel in the Corps after the war." Daphne remarked as we climbed up the stairs.

"Yeah, like, he kinda stayed around after the war." I explained. "Korea, that is, though he was mainly in reserves while he was working full time in the NYPD."

"That makes sense." Daphne nodded understandingly before I led her into my bedroom.

As we entered, Scooby, who was resting by the door, perked up.

"Hi Scooby." Daphne greeted him softly and rubbed him in the head as we entered my room.

By this point, the lead singer of the Platters was singing, "For as long as we live...That you'll always be there...at the end of my...prayer...!"

As the band and drums began playing the closing chords of the song, Daphne turned towards me and said, "The July 1956 Mercury Records album of The Platters."

I glanced at her as I removed the needle from the vinyl disk, during which she continued, "That track was a rendition of My Prayer, which was originally published as Avant de mourir in 1926 by Georges Boulanger, while Jimmy Kennedy and Carlos Barrera added the lyrics to the song in 1939."

I nodded as I turned towards her, then I said, "Sounds like you know your pop music."

Daphne smiled briefly. "I wasn't born yesterday."

I smiled back at her before I sat down on my chair while she sat on my bed and I asked, "So what would you like to discuss?"

Hesitatingly, Daphne said, "It's...related to what just happened...at the hospital."

I've figured as much, and I nodded. "I don't suppose your Dad had a talk with you after that...um...debacle, eh?"

"He did, and much like your father said to you, he told me not to be anywhere close to you, and I suppose to your sister by extension as well." Daphne replied. "He doesn't know that I'm here."

"I'm sure he doesn't." I nodded again. "In fact, I'm willing to bet that whatever it is that he said to you earlier was more than enough to prompt you to...come drop by for a visit here."

"You don't even know half the story, but I digress, you were right about the reasoning behind your father calling me out at the station initially that day." Daphne said. "From what they were arguing about at the hospital, something did happen between them during the war."

"Right." I said. "Though I suppose what happened at the hospital wasn't exactly the main topic you're thinking of discussing with me with right now."

Daphne nodded. "I was thinking about the 'volunteering' work you did at State Senator Daggett's campaign headquarters."

She then frowned as she added, "How long were you there, and what were you doing?"

I winced. "Only for three days, and like, my role was to address envelopes by hand."

"When was it that you saw my Dad?" Daphne asked.

"On the 22nd, he was introduced to the campaign by the state senator as his associate when the state senator expressed his gratitude for our efforts." I replied before I scoffed and added, "You know, he certainly fits the type of profile of a politician who is completely full of it."

"What makes you think the state senator's achievements at Sacramento and election promises are full of it?" Daphne folded her arms.

"For one thing, how the heck do you expect him to be able to get the funds for his Interstate Highway linking us to San Francisco and send more troops to Vietnam when he's gonna lower taxes?" I pointed out. "I mean, the money's gotta come from somewhere, and you could only borrow so much that would leave us on the hook when we have to pay it back, with interest may I add."

"That's more or less what the mayor also supports, yet he doesn't seem to be getting as much attention as State Senator Daggett does." Daphne pointed out.

"Yeah, though I suppose Daggett's campaign for Capitol Hill makes him a more high-profile politician, not to mention the fact that he's one of the city's wealthiest citizens and was chair of a company whose reputation isn't exactly exemplary." I countered. "Whereas the mayor, well, he's always been a politician."

"Fair enough." Daphne nodded. "But anyways, I digress, what is it that you've gathered while you were 'volunteering' at the state senator's campaign office?"

I looked at her in the eye. "Like, it's more to do with your father's relationship with him, and I don't think you're gonna like it."

Daphne's face remained expressionless. "I'm all ears."

"If you say so." I shrugged. "Granted, it wasn't much, as what I've gathered were more of snippets of his conversation with Daggett, but long story short, Daggett does sound very concerned about the feds sniffing around, and based on what we've gathered so far as a group, it may tie into this whole werewolf mess."

Maintaining the deadpan on her face, Daphne simply nodded as if she was telling me to continue.

Taking a breath, I continued, "Your father responded by saying that Daggett should've known better before pushing forward with the expansion into the pharmaceutical industry, which came close to bankrupting your family company. He also added that Daggett going to Oakley to have the debt financed will come back to bite them in where the sun doesn't shine."

Then, I glanced at the time on my watch before continuing, "Daggett then reminded your father that he's also deep into whatever mess they're in, adding that there's no way your father's going to walk out of this scot-free. He even mentioned the Falcon that my mother was driving when she was killed in that accident seven years ago."

"So you're saying that my father's involved in this mess." Daphne asked.

"Worse." I clarified. "Like, based on that conversation, it's safe to say that your father is being blackmailed by the state senator."

What followed was some uncomfortable silence between the two of us as we stared at each other, and I was expecting Daphne to disagree with my assessment.

Much to my surprise, Daphne nodded thoughtfully.

"You actually may be onto something, Shag." Daphne said. "And it's not because that's what you've wanted me to say. Rather, I do have something that could back up your assessment based on what you've gathered from the conversation between my Dad and the state senator."

"What is it?" I asked.

"To be honest, I was tempted to look away when I first stumbled upon what I've gathered." Daphne admitted. "But the deeper I dug, the more it was clear that something wasn't going right at the company."

"Something to do with the decisions it made while Daggett was the CFO and on the company board of directors?" I prompted.

"Specifically what could have led to my grandfather's death, which inspired Daggett to leave his role at the company and run for the State Senate in '58." Daphne responded.

"Your grandfather...?" I asked.

"My Dad only took over as company president in '47 not long after he was discharged." Daphne explained. "Grandpa was at the time still the company chairman and CEO."

"But whatever decisions he made, it was influenced by Daggett as CFO and board member." I offered.

"Correct." Daphne nodded. "Grandpa was already in poor health at the time Dad took over as company president, but you're not a Blake if you don't toughen up. Gotta say he was a piece of work."

"Like, I can imagine." I nodded. "And it would seem that he must've signed off on whatever debt financing plans Daggett had put forward, plans that will bring in money from the mob."

Daphne only stared at me as I made that remark, which prompted me to apologize. "Sorry, but please continue."

"Anyways, you are correct." Daphne continued. "My Grandpa did sign off on those debt financing plans put forward by Daggett, but it was Dad that objected. He was the one that Crown shared the findings from the forensic accountant following that theft at the chemical plant."

"And that forensic accountant was subsequently snatched by the Werewolf not long after Crown's murder." I said.

"Yes, that was to shut Dad up, and Grandpa also overruled him." Daphne nodded. "Yet, as time went on and even as Daggett continued to guide the company's successes, it would seem that Grandpa was getting cold feet on the direction Daggett has taken the company to."

"Was there a single trigger that led to your grandfather getting cold feet?" I asked.

"Well, I can tell you what was the last straw." Daphne nodded. "It was a toxic chemical spill at the Industrial Yards, and while researching for a recent story about an unrelated industrial accident at the Yards, I've uncovered some information that would've indicated that my grandfather has been suspecting that Daggett was responsible for cooking the books for quite some time."

"Cooking the books?" I arched my eyebrows. "Zoinks!"

"I know." Daphne agreed. "And Dad and Grandpa have been meaning to confront the state senator about the matter, though since Grandpa's death, Dad has quite dropped the matter, likely concerned that he might become a target."

"Or to put it this way." I offered. "Your father's caught between a rock and a hard place. He wants to uncover whatever it is that Daggett is up to, but he's very much afraid of the blowback faced by his family, especially you, and that he doesn't want to pay the same price that my Dad paid."

"There you go." Daphne nodded, and I suppose you can say that after all this time, I could see the understanding and agreement in her eyes.

Before we could continue further, we heard the front door getting unlocked, and then the door creaked open.

"Norville?" My dad called out. "You home?"

"S**t!" I grumbled as I turned towards Daphne urgently, during which I caught myself cussing. "Dad's home, and he's going to be beyond pissed if he sees you here."

As we scrambled to figure out a way to get Daphne out of the house without getting noticed by Dad, the redhead nodded towards the window.

"Do you think he'll notice me if I go out the window?" She asked.

"You crazy?" I asked. "I don't think you're gonna fool someone who was a Marine Raider during the war."

"Right." Daphne stopped herself, though it was then that Dad gently pushed the door open and he stopped in his tracks as we turned around to face him.

No words can describe the shock on his face when he saw Daphne in my room, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he chews at me.

For a while, except for Scooby's whine, there was some silence as you can feel the tension hanging in the air, thick enough for it to be cut with a knife.

Then, Dad exhaled and said, "Hello, Miss Blake."

"Lieutenant Rogers." Daphne replied. "I-I was just leaving."

"Of course you were." Dad snorted. "What brings you here?"

Daphne glanced at me briefly before she explained, "I was...um...here to ask Shag about some questions on...our English assignment."

"That a fact?" Dad drawled as he turned towards me.

"Yes." I quickly nodded. "Like, she just got an English assignment that's similar to the one I was given a couple weeks ago, and I was just giving her instructions on how to proceed."

In spite of the convincing tone in my voice, I could tell that Dad knew that I was lying, and who were we kidding.

You really ought to be out of your mind if you think you could get away with lying to a seasoned cop, especially when that seasoned cop is your parent.

Without taking his eyes off Daphne, Dad scoffed as he said to me, "Apparently, that debacle at the hospital wasn't enough for you to learn about discipline, Norville. The situation at the station was strike one, and the debacle at the hospital was strike two."

With the anger raising in his voice, Dad then added, "You do know that when you reach three strikes, you're-"

"Daphne and I were just discussing stuff." I quickly cut in. "Like, her father doesn't even know she's here!"

"Oh, is that right?" Dad asked. "What do you know, that makes it the two of you, it seems."

Then, without particularly addressing either one of us, Dad continued, "You know what these three strikes means?"

Without waiting for either of us to answer, not that I think he expects us to answer, Dad said, "It means that the parents of you four kids aren't doing a great job disciplining you all, myself included, and that we need one of you to get seriously hurt in order to learn a lesson!"

Daph and I both jumped at Dad's outburst, and we glanced at each other.

"Not listening to your parent is one thing, lying to them is another thing!" Dad continued as he glared squarely at the both of us. "Do you really need me to gather all the other parents together so we could all properly discipline each of you?!"

Before either Daphne and I could respond, the doorbell rang, and Dad looked visibly annoyed.

"Go see who's at the door, Scoobert." Dad instructed Scoob, who quickly complied and took off, probably to get out of my room while he still can before he gets caught in the storm that's brewing inside.

As Scooby raced down the stairs, Dad turned his attention back to the two of us and fixated his patented glare.

"Well?" He demanded. "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

It was then that we heard the door unlock and opened downstairs, and a voice said, "Lieutenant Rogers, are you home?"

We both saw the expression on Dad's face changed to disbelief, and he said, "What the h*ll?"

He then turned away, but not before saying to us, "You both stay here, we're not finished with this discussion."

I didn't respond as we watched Dad climbed down the stairs, and when he got to the front door, he said, "Detective Chan, what the h*ll are you doing here?"

"Lieutenant, we need to talk." Chan said as Daphne and I approached the top of the stairs, and Dad marched into the kitchen as Chan followed.

As Dad poured himself a cup of coffee, Chan continued, "So I've been looking into Benson's death and been trying to take a look at these murders from a different angle. Long story short, it soon brought me to the Crown murders of '52."

Crown murders. It seems like everyone we've run into always has something to do with the 16-year old cold case.

Daphne and I slowly climbed down the stairs as Chan flipped open the file and said, "Benson was the first officer to arrive at the scene, and you know how there's been rumours that Crown's opponent in the mayoral race was involved in the murders?"

We saw Dad put down his mug of coffee as he turned towards Chan, during which the detective continued.

"Anyways, Benson later quit the force to work security for Mayor Jones, who was the protege of Crown's opponent, and I've got word that prior to his initial attack, Benson was approached by the feds who were looking into allegations of corruption at City Hall and at the State Capitol." Chan continued. "All of which were pointed towards State Senator Daggett, another ally of Crown's opponent, and the mayor."

The frown on Dad's face deepened as Chan looked at him and said, "Whatever this is, Lieutenant, it's big and goes a whole lot deeper than what we've been chasing in the past while. I can feel it."

At that remark, Dad narrowed his eyes.

"You get the h*ll out of my house, Detective." Dad said.

"Sir, whatever the h*ll's going on here with this werewolf thing, it's big." Chan retorted. "And by big, I mean very big, spelled in capital letters."

Before Dad could respond, the telephone on the kitchen counter rang.

Now what? I could tell that was what was in Dad's mind as he reached over to pick up the telephone. "Hello?"

(Third Person)

Sam was visibly annoyed as he picked up the phone, though he didn't show his annoyance in his tone of voice as he answered it.

Having not saw Maggie home from her babysitting, Sam figured that Maggie was calling home to check in and tell him that she's on her way home.

Instead, much to his surprise, it was Pistol at the other end of the line.

"Hello, Lieutenant Rogers." Pistol answered.

"Pistol?!" Sam exclaimed, and Shaggy and Daphne glanced at each other. "How the h*ll did you get my number? What's going on?"

"Oh, you ask me, Rogers." Pistol snorted.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, Rogers." Pistol said. "We know what you've done earlier this late afternoon."

"Done what?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Oh, I suppose that solves the mystery as to how you became lieutenant." Pistol snorted. "Either way, you were f**king warned to stay away from records, lest that another accident happens to someone in your family."

"R-records?" Sam asked as he turned towards Chan and saw the file he was holding. "Pistol, what the h*ll is going on?"

"You've checked out an old file this evening, which crossed the red line!" Pistol replied. "If you wanna see your daughter again, you put the d*mn file back."

"My daughter...?" Sam trailed off as realization set in. "Where the h*ll is she, Pistol?!"

"She's somewhere safe." Pistol responded humourlessly. "But whether or not it stays that way is totally up to you."

"Pistol, wait-!" Sam shouted, only for the gangster to hang up at the other end of the line.

Shaggy, Daphne and Chan were all looking at the lieutenant, during which the detective saw the horrified look on Sam's face and asked, "What's going on, Lieutenant?"

Almost immediately, the look of horror on Sam's face turned to rage as he suddenly grabbed Chan by the collar and slammed him onto the nearby wall.

"You f**king, stupid jacka**!" Sam shouted as he slammed Chan right into the wall. "You checked these d*mn files under my name?!"

"What? The records don't even have my authorization forms in, which means I can't check out old files, Lieutenant." Chan replied hysterically. "I was trying to-"

"Th-th-they've got my d-daughter." Sam broke down as he let go of his grip on Chan's collar and stepped backwards, during which Shaggy and Daphne rushed over to his side.

"Who does, Lieutenant?" Chan asked.

"The real people that controls this town." Sam responded. "The same f**king bastards that had my wife killed!"

Shaggy glanced at Daphne in confirmation of what they've been suspecting all along while Chan scratched his head and asked, "Your wife...?"

"I...used to be like you, Chan." Sam confessed. "When I first arrived at this town following my stint in New York, I used to tell anyone who tries to get me to go with the flow and look the other way that they can d*mn themselves to h*ll."

With a sigh, he then continued, "Then, my wife got killed in that automobile accident."

Chan certainly looked stunned at the revelation, and the lieutenant continued, "To be honest, I don't know if those dirtbags organized that accident or not...guess I would never know, but one thing's for certain."

Looking at Chan right in the eye, Sam said, "The reason why I let the likes of Pistol run the streets is not because I get paid like others do."

When Chan arched his eyebrows, Sam explained, "I did it to keep my children and our family dog safe. They're all I have left, especially since..."

He then turned towards Shaggy as he continued, "...I've came close to losing my son Norville in that same accident that killed my wife."

As Scooby whined in sympathy, Daphne turned towards Shaggy in surprise, during which Shaggy raised his hand gently.

With panic setting back in, Sam placed his hands on his head and said, "We've gotta return those files!"

"And what makes you absolutely sure that your daughter would be returned safe and sound after that, Lieutenant?" Chan asked. "If you don't stand up for yourself, those dirtbags are gonna go after you and your family forever."

"Well, what the h*ll do you expect me to do?" Sam asked. "There's no one in the division I know that can be trusted!"

"You can trust me, Lieutenant." Chan quickly said. "I mean, you may not like the way I've gotten you into this mess in the first place, but surely you can trust me."

Sam paused before turning towards Chan, and Shaggy and Daphne exchanged glances with each other.

The lieutenant exhaled, and then he asked, "What do you suggest that we do?"

Chan turned around, during which Scooby thought of something and rushed out of the kitchen and went up the stairs.

The four all raised an eyebrow as Scooby reached Shaggy's room and went through some stuff in his closet, then he returned back down the stairs, during which everyone arched their eyebrows when they saw the Great Dane holding a baseball bat.

Putting the baseball bat onto the floor, Scooby looked up to Sam and Chan and barked.

Chan leaned down to pick up the baseball bat, then he turned towards Sam as he said, "You know the corner where Pistol works at, right?"

"Of course." Sam replied.

"If I'm not mistaken, Lieutenant, I believe that your pet wants us to see if Pistol enjoys baseball." Chan replied.

Sam looked at the baseball bat in Chan's hand, then at Chan before he nodded with a firm look of determination on his face.

It was a look Shaggy sworn that he has never seen before, though he could tell that it was the same look of determination that his father used to wear everyday at work before the accident.

As Sam and Chan began to mobilize, the lieutenant turned towards Shaggy and Daphne, who were still standing at the doorway to the kitchen.

"Here's what I want the two of you to do while Detective Chan and I are away." Sam said. "I want-"

"With all due respect, Lieutenant Rogers, I don't think you're going to be successful in persuading Shag and I in staying put here." Daphne spoke up before Sam could finish. "If you're going to continue to judge me for what my father has done, then by all means."

Shaggy looked on as the redhead continued, "However, after everything you've been through, the least I could do is to be of any assistance in helping you rescue Maggie from wherever she's being held."

Then, turning towards Shaggy, she then added, "In fact, I'm sure Shag would be inclined to agree with me as well."

Sam sighed as he turned towards Shaggy, who said, "Like, we're losing time, Pops. If you really want us to be able to stand on our own feet, the least you could do is showcase us how to prepare ourselves."

Sam turned towards Daphne, who nodded firmly with a questioning glance.

Finally, the lieutenant nodded. "Very well. Grab your gear and let's get rolling."

As Sam walked past them, Daphne turned towards Shaggy as Scooby joined them.

"If I'm not mistaken, Scooby wants to join in on the action, Shag." Daphne said as she rubbed Scooby in the head.

"I'm sure we could use Scooby's help on this as well, Daph." Shaggy agreed.

As the trio headed up the stairs for Shaggy's room, Daphne said, "You know, this whole bit is starting to remind me of that quote 'Nowhere am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical beings.'"

"Spoken by Mr. Spock in the Star Trek episode I, Mudd, aired November 3rd of last year on NBC." Shaggy said as he turned towards Daphne.

Daphne raised her eyebrows, her lips forming into a small smile, as she said, "You certainly know your television."

"As you've said, 'I wasn't born yesterday'." Shaggy smiled back.

A short while later, Pistol was at his frequent hang out in the alleyway as usual, during which a pair of ladies walked by him.

He tried to woo the two ladies, though both of them wanted nothing to do with him as they continued walking.

"Where ya goin', ladies?" He asked teasingly.

"Beat it, punk!" The first lady said dismissively.

"We're going to work!" The second one added.

"Well, I've got work for you, baby." Pistol stick his tongue out, unaware that a man armed with a baseball bat was approaching him at the moment. "Come back!"

Before Pistol knew it, he suddenly felt something smashing into the back of his head, which sent him downwards towards the ground.

Rubbing the back of his head, Pistol looked up and recognized two figures. "Rogers?"

"You are going to tell me where the h*ll my daughter is." Sam said to him sternly.

"If you continue to play games and don't tell us where her location is at, there's gonna be trouble that goes further than one of us needing a cup of coffee." Chan added as he gripped the baseball bat.

With a grin on his face, Pistol asked, "What the f**k's this? The old 'good cop, bad cop' routine?"

"C'mon Pistol, I get it now." Chan smirked as he looked at him like he's looking at a floating piece trash. "This is Coolsville, and now I've figured that this town does things differently, so as such, this routine we're practicing isn't exactly what you think it is."

Before Pistol knew it, Sam whistled and Scooby lunged right at him without warning.

"Yah!" Pistol shrieked as he tried to get Scooby off him without success, during which Sam and Chan looked at him coldly.

"Come to think of it, I think this new routine should be 'bad cop, bad cop and an angry dog'." Sam remarked.

Chan nodded and snorted as Pistol tried to get away, only to be stopped when the detective swung the baseball bat at him.

As Sam and Chan continued with their impromptu interrogation, over at the nearby corner, Shaggy and Daphne were peaking around the corner with the former holding a wig.

The duo looked on before Pistol held out for less than a minute and started spilling all the beans out.

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