Chapter 18
Fred and I arrived at Waldorf Astoria in time. I noticed Fred's discomfort to follow all of the elite's protocols - including paying a $60 valet parking service - but I deliberately ignored him to not raise that stupid discussion again. Some minutes after, I got impressed to see Crystal approaching with a skinny, 6,2ft tall version of Tom Holland, holding the leash of a goofy brown dog. Norville looks really handsome when he's clean, groomed and shaved... but he never does such things. While the boys shook hands, Crystal sent me a quick text message saying: "I convinced him to comb his hair, shave and put nice clothes. I didn't try to convince him to leave the dog in the kennel because he would surely break up with me". I just thanked her for that little miracle and smiled.
Shaggy: Like, don't you tell me I should not bring Scooby! This hotel is pet-friendly, I checked!
I'm not an expert on "pet-friendly" subject, but I think the concept means: "accept the presence of cats and dogs shorter than 3,2ft and lighter than 100lbs", which means, in a few words, not "Scooby-friendly". Obviously, the presence of a dog with the same size of a wolf ̶(̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶d̶o̶l̶l̶a̶r̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶s̶)̶ made all the millionaire eyes sneer at us when we arrived. However, their attitude changed completely when Daphne happily hugged us and introduced us as "her childhood friends". Yeah, maybe Fred's right, I hate all this shit too.
Daphne: I´m so glad you're early! I was bored to be here alone, can you believe my family hasn't arrived yet?
As we entered the main room, the extensive buffet made Shaggy and Scooby immediately leave us. As soon as possible, I escaped all the false greetings and smiles and sat down at the table reserved for us. Crystal did the same, but her reason to become invisible to everyone obviously was her boyfriend sharing a panacotta with a dog - then licking the syrup off the plate, just like the dog. Fred, the famous NYPD captain, was the only nice one who kept shaking hands and smiling for twenty minutes. When the meddling multimillionaires stopped coming to meet Daphne´s poor friends (and check if we were really as terrible as Nan and George had told them), Fred finally joined us. A second later, Daphne took him by the hand and asked him to get up. Fred obeyed, so Daphne pulled him by the tie until their bodies were few inches apart. Her attitude completely disarmed him, and Fred shifted his admiring gaze from her beautiful green eyes to her voluminous mouth painted in red. However, Daphne ignored the obvious non-verbal signals he was sending her, and she made no body language to consent a kiss. Instead of it, she smiled and knotted his tie correctly, forming a better knot than the previous one. That made Fred blush and show embarrassment for letting his emotions and desires exposed for a few seconds. When Daphne finished, he tried to pretend nothing happened, but I think he was the only one who believed that mediocre performance.
Fred: Oh… the knot… I just can't learn how to do it… actually, I don't care about it…
Daphne: Don´t worry, Freddie…you don´t need to learn, I can do it for you, ok?
Daphne smiled and buttoned the collar of his shirt, and that disarmed Fred again. He smiled back, but his feelings didn´t let him look at her eyes. Daphne then pulled him back to the chair and they sat down.
Daphne: Gang, before I tell you the good news, I need to show you something amazing!
Under normal conditions of temperature and pressure "something amazing" for Daphne is a ten thousand dollar discount on some Sotheby's jewelry. But we were dealing with an international mafia of psychopathic billionaires, so I thought, for a minute of two, that "something amazing" meant something very serious. And I was completely wrong.
Daphne: I know everything is very sad and very dangerous, but… oh, I'm looooooving to see my sisters being cancelled on Instagram, check this out!
Daphne read a couple of negative comments and laughed like a 12-year-old girl.
Velma: Your sisters certainly don't deserve so much hate, Daph, but I confess I'm glad people are treating them in the same mean way they´ve always treated others…
Fred: I agree. And how are your parents doing? Because you look great…
Daphne blushed so violently that she couldn't hide it. Fred also blushed when he realized what he had said, then tried to explain himself.
Fred: I mean, your mood is great, you seem calmer and happier than before…
Daphne: Yeah, I'm fine, I'm… trying to get over… everything…
Fred: I imagine your parents and sisters are angry…
Daphne: Well… my sisters are angry for being cancelled… and scared to death to lose all the inheritance, but they have no idea about the seriousness of the case… mom and dad… well, they are always busy for me, I could only contact their secretaries, so I have no idea about how they are… anyway… things are calmer now… our friends are supporting dad and Steven, that's why they´ve organized this dinner…everyone here knows everything is a lie to make dad lose his business…
Velma: A strange lie, I´d say… Flim Flam told us that…
Daphne: Oh, by the way, let me tell you before I forget… I´ve contacted Steven´s lawyers few hours ago… and they´ve told me private investigators recorded calls made by Applegate Bank´s phones some months ago, when the VIPs were still working for Steven. There were calls to many countries, including Silmido in South Korea… and all the calls were very strange, two people on the line just kept repeating random words in different languages…
Fred: Maybe it´s a coded message... that's how intelligence agencies usually communicate...
Daphne: The investigators have mentioned this possibility, Freddie, and they are working hard to figure out the meaning of the messages, but this is not the strangest part of the calls... out of all the words they´ve heard, there is one expression that was repeated in all calls: "squid game"… or tintenfischspiel… juego del calamar… le jeu du calm… and, well, I looked it up and I´ve found out it's a Korean children's game, similar to tag… honestly, I couldn´t really understand how it works, but to play this game, people need to draw a board on the floor with these geometric shapes here, look... which are exactly the same shapes featured on the cards we´ve found...
Velma: Jinkies! No! It can't be! I don't want to believe it!
I was so surprised by what I heard that, in a moment of panic, I snatched Daphne´s cell phone out of her hand to analyse the image.
Velma: Jinkies, a few hours ago we had a video call with Agent Flim Flam and…
Daphne: Yes, Flim Flam told me about Gi-Hun and the Hwang brothers, but I confess I don´t know exactly what to think about it… it seems just one more confusing evidence…
Velma: Well, during our discussion, Shaggy suggested, out of the blue, that the cause of all disappearances was a secret reality show that VIPs organize at Silmido, in which people voluntarily participate to compete for those 38 million dollars that Liberty sends to this island every year... and that's why people disappear every year in the same month...
Fred: And the worst part is that shit makes so much sense...
Velma: Now that you´ve mentioned "squid game", I think Norville´s theory is not so absurd… why would international billionaire investors mention a Korean children's game during secret phone calls?
Immediately, Daphne laughed at us.
Daphne: So all those missing people are stuck in an island playing games for prizes? Jeepers, I'd expect to hear something like that from Shaggy after some weed, but from you...
Velma: Fred and I both laughed the first time we heard it too, Daph, but this information about "squid game" was like a glue that put together all the pieces of this contradictory puzzle...
Daphne: Even you, Velma? Maybe "squid game" is a metaphor for something else… intelligence agencies often use expressions to refer to important people, Hillary Clinton was called "Evergreen" by the secret service during Clinton's presidential terms… maybe "squid game" refers to a person… or a company… or an operation…
Velma: Or maybe it refers to the Korean game itself, played in a brutal way, like the games Shaggy and I played at Liberty... otherwise, the cards wouldn´t feature exactly the same symbols... the VIPs stupidly hid their identities through simple anagrams, Daph, why would they adopt secret words for something else?
Daphne: But why would VIPs waste their time with people playing children's games?
Velma: Money… gambling… they can put their bets on their favorites ones and whoever wins gets all the money… Flim Flam suggested the reality show is clandestine and broadcast on the deep web...
The mention of the deep web made Daphne's mockery stop.
Daphne: So… people… are killed… during the games?
Velma: And some become healthy organs sold to sick millionaires in America...
Daphne: If it's the most plausible explanation for the mystery, we need to find out who the VIPs are ASAP…
Fred: We know who the VIPs are, Velma and I find out…
While I pulled the list with the VIPs´ names out of my purse, I coughed twice on purpose to prevent Fred from taking over my work.
Fred: In fact, Velma exhaustively formed anagrams with those strange names, then she compared with the names of the CEOs involved with Liberty… and this is the result…
Daphne approached to read the list and asked me a pen. Then she looked at the guests and wrote some words on the paper. I noticed she was writing down the physical characteristics of each VIP next to their names. When she finished, we found out that most of VIPS were there, wearing tuxedos and acting normally.
Fred: Well… I think they´re watching us…
Daphne: Surely they´re not here to support dad, Freddie…
Suddenly, Scooby came in our direction and hit the table with a thump while he hid himself among the tablecloth. Shaggy didn't hide himself under the table (although I'm sure he would have done if he weren´t 6,2ft tall), but he sat down quickly and hid his face in his hands.
Velma: What happened, Norville?
Shaggy: Don´t you recognize those people standing next to the violinists?
Fred: They were at the Department hours ago, weren't they?
Shaggy: Yes! These motherfuckers work for FBI, gang, they're chasing us!
Velma: Jinkies, Shaggy is right… I remember them!
Daphne: Are you sure, Shags? I saw the guest list, no FBI agent was invited…
Fred: Calm down, gang, there's no reason to be afraid... if they're here to watch us, we can do the same with them.
Fred got up and straightened his suit. Daphne grabbed one of his hands to stop him.
Daphne: Freddie, where are you going?
Fred: I'll congratulate the feds on the great job they're doing.
Daphne: Have you lost your mind?
Fred: Daphne, I turned the case over to them, I have to do something…
Daphne: Freddie, evidences show you didn´t… they knew about everything way before, so you don´t need to feel guilty, darling…
Daphne looked into his eyes and Fred's pupils dilated while his face showed relief.
Fred: But they think I did. So I´ll be a good ally and ask them details about the investigation.
Daphne: Freddie, no! They must know the truth! You can't do that… it's dangerous…
The gentle, concerned way in which Daphne said "it's dangerous" made Fred hesitate. However, he always wants to prove everyone that he is not afraid and he can face all dangers. And that's exactly what he did. Daphne sighed and started fiddling with her cell phone.
Daphne: Jeepers! It's 8pm and no Blake has arrived! What a shame!
Angrily, Daphne typed numbers on the cell phone screen and called her family members. As usual, no one answered promptly, and that annoyed her more. On the tenth attempt, someone finally answered.
Daphne: Daddy? Where are you? It´s 8pm and you're not here yet!
Nan: Daphne, where are you, hun? Don't tell me you´re lost… again…
Nan´s question made me feel that something was very wrong.
George: Daphne, what happened? Won´t you come? Don't tell me you are in trouble again…
…and George´s question made me realize that people around were watching Daphne. So, on impulse, I snatched the phone out of her hand and ended the call before the Blakes could say anything.
Daphne: Velma! That was very impolite, dont you think?
Velma: Yes, it´s very impolite to use your cell phone at the table! Behave yourself! What have you done with all those etiquette lessons?
My comment confused Daphne and she didn´t insist. Apparently, she hadn't noticed her parents questions were strange, so she angrily typed them a message, asking where they were. The answer startled all us.
Velma: Jinkies, they are in Monaco!
Paranoia made me look around to check if people were watching us. Immediately, we took our cell phones and talked by texting about what we should do. Meanwhile, Shaggy's cell phone rang and I could see Flim Flam requesting a video call. Shaggy desperately turned it down, but Flim Flam insisted calling, the frequency of the calls showed that it was something very important. I suggested him to leave with Crystal and Scooby, so that he could talk to Flim Flam in a safe place. Unfortunately, Shaggy realized I was just trying to make him distract the guards while Fred and I managed to take Daphne out of that place safely. After cursing me with his extensive repertoire, he agreed to play the bait role and left with Crystal and Scooby. Daphne sent me a message asking me to bring five suitcases that were in her room, and surreptitiously handed me the room´s access card. Then, she calmly walked towards Fred and whispered something in his ear while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Fred left the gentlemen he was talking to and both them walked to the center of the room. So, they mingled with the other couples dancing and immediately attracted hundreds of curious looks. Fred shifted his gaze from her eyes to the doors, while Daphne kept saying things to him, and I realized they were planning to leave safely. It was my cue to leave the dinner unnoticed, so I quickly gathered my belongings and walked towards the door. When I finally left, I looked back and noticed that everyone was still entertained by the unexpected and unlikely couple. I confess that I also admired them for a while. Damn, they are perfect for each other, even when they´re only pretending.
I was struggling to take Daphne´s suitcases to the hotel´s main hall when Crystal ran towards me.I felt a little bit of joy when I realized she would help me to carry all that luggage. When we finished loading Norville's van, I could see Fred and Daphne approaching, but Shaggy grabbed my wrist before I could talk to them.
Shaggy: Velma! Like, we need to go now!
I took a seat near the suits while Scooby trampled across the luggage and carefully sniffed out everything. Then Crystal sent Daphne a message.
Crystal: We're waiting for you at JFK airport customs, come quickly.
Shaggy left the hotel at high speed, but two blocks ahead the traffic made him stop, and he recited his traditional repertoire of swear words while he punched the steering wheel.
Velma: Calm down, Shaggy! Can you explain me why you're in such a hurry?
Shaggy: Like, Flim Flam has just found Gi-hun! He's stuck in JFK customs right now, and we have a chance to talk to him!
Suddenly, Shaggy's cell phone vibrated and Flim Flam's photo appeared on the screen. Crystal answered the call.
Flim Flam: Where are you?
Shaggy: We´re stuck in the damn hotel street, Flim Flam!
Flim Flam: Damn, Shags, take a shortcut!
Shaggy: Like, I can´t, the airport is across the fucking town!
Flim Flam: Then park this shit somewhere and take the subway!
Shaggy: Like, it takes me more than an hour by subway!
Flim Flam: Man, I don't know, call an Uber! Just hurry up! Now!
Shaggy: Like, what's the difference between an Uber and my van?
Flim Flam: An Uber knows how to drive in New York…
Velma: Hey, calm down, boys! We're on our way, traffic gets quite light five blocks ahead. In the meantime, can you explain what's going on, Flim Flam?
Flim Flam: Just a minute…
Flim Flam touched his cell phone screen many times and suddenly the Daphne and Fred´s image appeared.
Flim Flam: Now the team is complete. Where are you two? A few miles ahead of Shaggy I imagine…
Daphne: We're near Pulaski Bridge...
Shaggy: Like, what? How is this possible?
Fred: An high technology called Waze…
Flim Flam: That´s what I imagined, the problem wasn't the traffic… anyway… well, I had put Gi-Hun´s name in Interpol missing person database, and about half an hour ago, I´ve received notification from JKF customs reporting he was found. The customs officers found illicit substances in his bag and he was arrested. Apparently, he's still there, I think you should talk to him before the feds. I mean, if you arrive in time...
Shaggy: Oh, come on, the traffic is not my fault, don´t pick on me! We'll catch Gi-Hun and we'll find out the whole truth about what happened to Sang-woo!
Flim Flam: Well, actually, you'll have to ask him a few more questions, because I´ve found out more strange facts. Forensic scientists from China identified three more people while analyzing Velma´s samples. They are: Ali Abdul, a Pakistani who had illegally immigrated to Korea and he was reported missing by his Pakistani family in June 2020… Kang Sae-Byeok, a young North Korean defector who moved to Seoul around June 2020 and she was never seen again… and Han Mi-nyeo, an unemployed young mother from Seoul, last seen June 2020... and guess what? All them were very poor, had debts and blah blah blah, the same old shit…
Daphne: But how are they related to Gi-Hun?
Flim Flam: By money! Every month, Gi-Hun sends financial help to Ali Abdul's wife and to the ones who are raising Han Mi-nyeo's baby, in the same way he does to Sang-woo´s mom… and Sang-woo´s mom is raising a little boy named Kang Cheol, who is Kang Sae-byeok's brother… we have Gi-Hun´s bank receipts to prove everything… and some images taken at ATM machines that show Gi-Hun doing the transactions…
The ATM machines pics startled Daphne.
Daphne: Jeepers, I´ve seen seen this red-haired man before! When I talked to Mr. Applegate´s lawyers, they showed me images taken by Applegate Bank´s security cameras, and we saw this man walking around there…
Fred: If he was at the VIPs´offices, I think we can relate him to the VIPs…maybe, he is the killer, he received the money to kill everyone…
Shaggy: Or maybe Gi-Hun won the reality show and now he came here to avenge everyone´s deaths!
Fred: Fuck, this reality show shit again, Shags? Let's be realistic, please!
Flim Flam: Okay, Fred, let me be a bit more realistic then… Han Mi-nyeo's missing report had this little evidence attached to it…
Flim Flam shared the photo of a business card with us, and it was identical to the one we´ve found at Liberty´s slot machine.
Flim Flam: This card was in her apartment. Han Mi-nyeo´s neighbor claims that two days before her disappearance, she asked him to use his phone. Then, she told him she had found an easy way to get rich. The neighbor says she dialed the card´s number, and he has phone bills to confirm the call... so, yes, Fred, we do have evidence that she was applying for something that would pay her a money prize…
Daphne: Well, if Gi-Hun is in New York, he surely left evidence like hotel and immigration records… and these things can tell us something about him…
Flim Flam: We have nothing, Daph… I´ve just found out he bought a flight ticket to Seoul and he will leave JFK in twenty minutes, but I still can't figure out how he arrived in NY… maybe some extra hours of sleep will help me discover a bit more…
Fred: Great, we'll be there in tem minutes…
Shaggy: What? Like, are you kidding me, Fred? You left the hotel later, how the hell are getting there so fast?
Fred: Drop the shooting games and start playing racing games... or mission games, like GTA...
Flim Flam: It's wise advice, but it only works if you know how to drive...
Shaggy recited his swear words again and stomped on the accelerator while the boys laughed. That made all the luggage tumble towards me and I recited my own repertoire of swear words. A few minutes later, I could see the airport lights approaching.
Shaggy: Like, where do I park?
Fred: Don't park, let´s go straight to the customs terminal…
Shaggy: Like, are you crazy? We can't go there by car...
Fred: If we use our NYPD credentials we can go wherever we want, even inside planes...
Shaggy: Even inside that part of the plane where the flight attendants prepare the snacks?
Our undisguised contempt answered Norville's stupid question.
Shaggy: Like, I just want to know if I ever need to…
Daphne: Freddie, what about the Feds? You can't show up and get Gi-Hun if you're not in the case anymore.
Fred: Welll, I can´t see FBI cars all over the place, so I guess it´s ok… plus, if we introduce ourselves as civilians, they won't even pay attention to our request…
Velma: And as civilians, we can´t stop Gi-Hun's plane either...
Shaggy: And we can´t visit the plane's kitchen...
We rolled our eyes and laughed. When Shaggy stopped the van in front of customs, that damn omen took over my feelings again and I doubted that wasn't the best thing to do.
Crystal decided to stay in the van with Scooby-Doo. Shaggy and I met Daphne and Fred at customs, where a long line of passengers was waiting to pass through the X-ray machines and the metal detectors. I looked around to see if my paranoia could be justified by real danger evidence, but all I got were angry looks berating us for jumping the line. At the counter, Fred introduced himself and we showed our NYPD credentials.
Fred: Good evening, I'm Frederick Jones, NYPD´s captain. We're here because Interpol has reported that an international criminal was arrested by customs agents while trying to board a flight with dangerous substances. This man is one of the suspects in a case we're working on, so we need to see him.
Fred's presentation attracted much attention, and suddenly, the angry looks became panic looks. Obviously, it was pretty insensitive of our brilliant captain to mention that an international criminal was trying to board a plane in a city like New York. Even though it´s 2021, this subject still causes panic around here. Some people in line approached to understand what was going on, and others just ran, fearing they would be the victims of whatever was happening at that airport. Then, customs officers appeared to normalize the situation.
Sarah: Good evening Captain, I'm officer Sarah Nolan. Please come with me...
The woman didn't seem very happy with Fred´s attitude, but we followed her anyway. She told us to sit down, then she sat down and looked at us with a very unfriendly expression.
Sarah: Ok, how can I help you, captain Jones? I have to say that you are much more handsome than you are on TV, but your attitude was not that pretty...
Fred: I'm sorry...
Sarah: No need to be sorry, captain, just don't talk about criminals aboard a plane in a city that suffered a terrorist attack twenty years ago, okay?
Sarah scolded Fred so rudely that his vanity couldn't even get excited for receiving a compliment. We were embarrassed too. In my case, not only for his attitude, but for having him as my captain.
Sarah: Okay, now tell me why the hell you are here. Our officers didn´t detain anyone…
Daphne: His name is Seong Gi-Hun, he is South Korean, and according to Interpol, customs officers detained him when he tried to board a flight to Seoul…
Sarah understood that the reason why Daphne (the only one who didn't show her NYPD credentials) took over the situation was the previous compliment. Jealousy also made Daphne practically rub the screen of her cell phone in Sarah´s face while showing her Gi-Hun's photo. And that made Sarah understand that Fred wasn't the only impulsive one in our group.
Sarah: Oh, I remember, it happened about two hours ago… he was detained because he had illegal substances in his baggage, but he wasn't arrested… we talked, he explained himself, then he agreed to discard the substances, so we let him go aboard…
Fred: But Interpol is after him! You shouldn´t have done that!
Sarah: South Korea's Interpol is after him, captain, and that means he's neither my problem, nor any US agent's problem... no american authority has issued arrest or extradition orders against this man, so let the Koreans catch him…
Fred: You don't understand, officer! We need him here to help us with our case! Please tell your officers to stop that plane! Or let me do it!
Sarah: Captain, his plane is that one on takeoff roll… good luck making it stop! Moreover, how in helll would a team of white american people expel an innocent South Korean citizen from a flight? With no arrest warrant, no evidence and no reason? Can you imagine the repercussions for our jobs and our reputation? We would be called racists until the end of our days… and with this Nordic blonde hair and these beautiful blue eyes, people would believe you are a fucking supremacist…
Then, Officer Nolan behaved in the pathetic way some women do while in Fred's presence. But instead of getting a date, Fred deliberately ignored her. He was so focused on the case that he only thanked Sarah for her help and left. Shaggy and Daphne were also frustrated, so they followed Fred immediately. Sarah was visibly annoyed because the captain turned her down, so I had a great idea before she left me.
Velma: Officer Nolan, you´ve mentioned that Gi-Hun had illicit substances in his luggage… can you tell me what kind of substances?
Sarah: Well, I don't remember exactly… he had two 5-liter containers with chemical substances inside… the officers reported the substance is highly flammable…
Velma: Flammable like gasoline?
Sarah: No, looks like some kind of solvent… or disinfectant… I don't know, something like that…
Velma: Would you mind if I take a look? I work for forensics department…
Sarah: Not at all!
Sarah took me to a small room with hundreds of confiscated objects everywhere. Then she pointed to plastic containers with labels written in Korean.
Sarah: You would do me a huge favor if you took them with you. Then I won´t have to fill out dozens of stupid forms describing these substances… neither I´ll have to beg for someone from the toxic waste center pick up this shit...
I put the procedure gloves that I always carry in my purse, and Sarah provided a plastic bag. For a second, I thought she wanted to help me with my forensics work, but soon I realized she just wanted to get rid of me. When I left the customs halls, I saw Daphne and Crystal entertaining Scooby with cookies, while Fred and Shaggy were smoking and arguing in the smoking area. Everyone was frustrated by Gi-Hun's departure, but when they saw me using my gloves, I could see smiles on their lips.
Shaggy: Like, please tell me you´ve found something that makes sense in this shit...
Fred: Yeah, and tell us it wasn´t a dead end and we aren´t back to the beginning again with more questions than answers...
Velma: Well, I´ve found… something... and I think we´re on the right way to solve this mystery... but the bad news is that we're really back to the beginning... the answer to this case is inside that minibar, gang, unfortunately we'll have to find a way to return there...
Nobody liked my suggestion. Before they could argue, Scooby-Doo came in my direction and violently sniffed out the containers. Then he sneezed, scratched the plastic bag, growled, and showed the same obsessive behavior he had at Liberty and at the restaurant. We looked at each other and I smiled, I love to be right.
Shaggy talked to Scooby and showed him the containers (yes, he expected Scooby to answer). At the same moment, Fred noticed the presence of those men we'd seen at dinner. That made us return quickly to the cars, and the boys discussed safe and fast ways to get to Fred's apartment. I mentioned that I needed my forensics equipment, so I decided to go with Fred and Daphne. We could have slipped away unnoticed if Scooby-Doo hadn´t barked uncontrollably in the moment Shaggy separated him from the containers.
The presence of FBI agents made me feel so paranoid that I decided to include my gun (that I´ve never used before) in my bags.
Fred: Wow, a Glock 19! Not bad for a democrat, huh?… here´s a hot tip: if you don't put bullets inside, it won´t work and… well, nevermind, having a shitty vision and the reflexes of a koala, I think you´d better not use bullets... but you can use the butt of the gun to hit someone... yet I believe you'll reach nobody´s head being 5´ tall...
The sarcastic comments made me roll my eyes and laugh a little at my irrational despair. Also, they´ve made me not include the gun, after all, Fred was right about my unpreparedness. While I was packing up my microscope, Daphne's cell phone rang and she answered immediately. It was Flim Flam again. Shaggy, Crystal and Scooby stayed on the line while waiting at a Burguer King´s drive-thru.
Daphne: Oh Flim Flam, we´ve failed! Gi-Hun's plane was taking off when we arrived!
Fred: No, we got there on time! But that bitch released a missing person wanted by Interpol!
I was prepared to find more nonsense evidence in this case, but I wasn't prepared to see Fred Jones mad at a pretty woman. After years watching the canine and pathetic behavior he performs around any minimally attractive female, his irritation sounded insane to our ears. Daphne wasn't prepared either, because her face looked more surprised than mine. Shaggy reacted in the same way he usually reacts when he is surprised: he stopped chewing.
Flim Flam: Calm down, gang, don´t worry, we'll be waiting for him in Seoul in a few hours… the real reason for this call is: I´ve found two records about Gi-Hun in New York, both are purchases he´s made using his credit card… I´ll send you the exact adress of each one, but the first place is a toy store in Manhattan, and the other is a Christian Association near Liberty… he spent about five hundred dollars on that store, and on the Christian Association he spent … uh… a thousand dollars. Yeah, I know, as usual, nothing makes sense, gang, good luck dealing with this extra useless information…
Velma: Well, actually, it makes sense, Flim Flam. Gi-Hun was detained for carrying illegal substances in his luggage, and he left the containers at customs. I haven't analysed the compounds yet, but Scooby´s behavior has already confirmed my suspicion. My theory is: whatever the VIPs do every year to all these people, Gi-Hun got involved last year, and he survived… or he was involved in the crime somehow, and he received a reward for what he has done… so, he knows enough… therefore, Gi-Hun knows it will happen again this year, and he knows the VIPs will blame Steven and George for it. So, he planted evidence at Liberty, and he used that substance to lure Scooby and the dogs... as you´ve said, you have evidences that he was near Liberty… and Daphne has evidence that he was at Applegate Bank…
My theory caused a very disturbing silence and I took the opportunity to write down the addresses Flim Flam had mentioned. Anxiety tortured me until Fred dared to give me some support.
Fred: I'm not saying I totally agree with the reality show bullshit, but I confess it´s hard to imagine that 35 people were taken into that cubicle and were murdered there... we could barely walk inside that place…
Shaggy: Like, Scoob didn't find Alan´s smell there... and both Alan and the VIPs knew about the deaths, but they didn't know about the secret place... if they knew, they'd use it against Daphne's dad...
Velma: But Scooby found the card under the chair at Applegate Bank... so, the card must smell similar to what Scooby has found at Liberty…
Shaggy: Like, Daphne said Applegate Bank´s cameras show Gi-Hun… maybe he wanted us to find the card and the blood! Like, Gi-Hun could have just thrown the containers away before boarding… but instead, he was detained, Interpol was notified and he left the substances there to be found… sounds like everything was done on purpose…
Fred: I agree, but we're not sure if this is a trap or not... maybe he is just distracting us... we can't fully trust him until we're sure which side he's on...
Daphne: Freddie is right... we need to be careful... besides, if he really planted the evidence, why are there so many stains on the walls?
Velma: Some substances oxidize luminol, Daph... that's why I´ve said we need to get back there somehow, I need to analyze the patterns of the bloodstains to confirm if they were planted or not…
Daphne: And how do we do that? The secret passage was blocked with bricks, remember?
Velma: Fred broke the bricks, didn't you Fred?
Fred: Bricks are not a problem, the real problem are the feds. I was there before the FBI surrounded Liberty… now, we can´t get in unnoticed…
Flim Flam: Hmm… or maybe we can…
Shaggy: Like, how? Through another secret passage?
Flim Flam: Through a not-so-secret passage! Gi-Hun showed us…
Flim Flam zoomed in on the map showing the Christian Association address and stated that the place was less than a hundred feet far from Liberty building.
Fred: Great! Tomorrow we will check both addresses and we will try to find out more. In the meantime, let's study the cards and…
Daphne: In the meantime, you are going to rest, Frederick Jones! It's almost 11pm and you've had a long day, we all had… we need to sleep well to have a good investigation and a good trip tomorrow!
Daphne´s scolding made Fred shut up and smile, and we all agreed with her. He gazed at her in a state of awe because no one worried about him in that way. When the video call ended, I gathered all my belongings and we left my apartment. The last image I saw before closing the door was a photo of Marcie and me smiling on the day of our engagement. Somehow, that vision hurt my heart, and I decided to take the framed picture with me. Secretly, I feared that would be the last time I would close my door and see my fiancée's smile. Just some days later, I deeply regretted not listening to my secret fears.