Chapter 10: The van and the search

That night, Fred, Velma, Scooby and the Rogers' made their way to Daphne's house, where they were soon taken in by the size of the mansion.

"Wow." Fred remarked.

Shaggy nodded as he said, "Get a load of this place, eh, Scoob?"

Scooby nodded back as he whistled. "Rery rancy."

"No kidding." Maggie agreed.

It was then that the porch light by the side door to the garage of the Blake mansion began flashing, which was Daphne's signal for them that the coast is clear.

"Alright, here we go." Velma said before she darted off and began running around in waves, prompting Maggie to exchange looks with her brother and Fred.

Watching Velma running, Maggie asked, "Does she always does that?"

"I would think so, though at this point, I'd just leave it be." Fred responded.

"Fair enough." Maggie nodded as they proceeded to follow Velma to the Blake mansion.

A short while later, Daphne lead the gang into the garage upon turning on the lights inside, and immediately the first thing the others noticed were the cars parked in the garage.

Fred whistled. Even though his father's family is very well off, he didn't remember seeing this many fancy cars parked in the same garage at his grandparents or any of his aunts and uncles' place.

"Wow, a Rolls Royce." Fred remarked as they walked past the cars, during which Scooby galloped to the yellow Mazda MX-5 with a cloth in hand.

Upon panting onto the Mazda's engine lid, the Great Dane proceeded to wipe the fog off.

"An MGA in British racing green?" Fred added as they walked by the MGA in question.

The four then took in the three fancy cars they had just walked by before Fred asked, "So which one is our ride?"

"Right behind you." Daphne responded, prompting the gang to turn around and realize that there's a fourth vehicle parked behind where she is standing.

It was a lime green 1989 Chevrolet Van, although some rust can be seen.

"Fancy." Maggie remarked, though the way she said it came out to be sarcastic, though neither of the gang corrected her for that.

"Just because my parents are well-off doesn't mean I get any of those without having to demonstrate my driving skills to them." Daphne explained. "Besides, my sisters all got vehicles of similar age at the time they've got their licenses."

"That's fair." Fred said. "Though what exactly does your parents use this Chevy van for?"

"Not my parents, but the groundskeeper." Daphne said as she pulled the door open and continued, "To haul his equipment. They're getting him a new one this year."

Nodding, Fred and Velma stepped forward to check out the vehicle.

Giving the tires a kick, Fred remarked, "I don't suppose they're gonna replace the tires for this one now that the groundskeeper's getting a new one, eh?"

Daphne shrugged as Velma checked out the odometer and whistled. "Jinkies, three hundred thousand miles? It's a mystery this machine still runs."

"It's not so bad, all it needs is a good refurbishment and a makeover, right?" Daphne said. "I was thinking of putting in a blue stripe, oh, and some orange flowers. Now wouldn't that be groovy?"

The others thought for a while before Maggie responded, "It can work, I suppose."

"Anyways, shall we, gang?" Velma asked as she gestured towards the van.

Fred nodded before opening the driver's door and climbed on, while the others climbed onto their respective seats.

As Shaggy was about to climb onto the van from the rear door, Velma stopped him when he said, "Actually, Shaggy, why don't you sit at the front with Fred? I've got some work to do on my laptop and it'll be more convenient for me to do so at the back."

"Like, sure." Shaggy nodded as he moved to the front passenger door, leaving Velma to climb on with Daphne, Maggie and Scooby.

Not long afterwards, the gang were right at the outskirts of the city where wooded terrain dominates the landscape on both sides of the highway.

As Fred focused on the road, Velma was typing on her laptop.

"Now..." She muttered as she stared at her screen. "...let's see if the network connection protocols I've spoofed lets me in."

A couple of minutes went by before access was granted, prompting Velma to cheer, "Yes!"

"What exactly are you searching for, Velma?" Maggie asked as she dug through the physical files.

"Anything related to accounting, specifically aspects of the school finances that you wouldn't find in the physical files we got." Velma explained.

"Hope it provides us something on the state of the library's finances." Shaggy remarked.

"And that of the school, by extension." Velma added after some typing.

The tone in her voice prompted Daphne to turn towards her while the boys looked through the rear view mirror, during which Fred said, "Sounds like you've found something."

"I had." Velma replied. "Maggie, see if you can dig up all the files from 2007."

"Already did." Maggie responded as she held up the pile 2007 files. "Organized by date. Why?"

As Velma took the pile from Maggie, she explained, "According to these spreadsheets in the school network, there was $50,000 allocated for new computers, including for the library, in the 2007 budget."

"How long was it supposed to take for them to procure the new computers and installing them in the school?" Daphne asked with a frown.

"Supposed to take two to three months, with the network testing taking place over the course of the summer." Velma said as she read a memo. "With the timeline indicating that the new computers should be ready for students and faculty to use the fall of 2007."

"And were there any indications of any updates into the timeline of the procurement and delivery, as well as the costs?" Fred asked.

"No, not at all." Velma shook her head. "Even though when we started our freshmen year that fall, the older students had told us that the library computers are still the same from the previous years, yet the files here has shown the $50,000 was indeed spent on the new computers for not just the labs but also the library."

"Now that's very fishy." Shaggy remarked. "Did any of those files indicate who ultimately signed off on the orders and spending?"

"And why didn't this raise any eyebrows when the students noticed that there are no new computers in the library as detailed in the 2007 budget?" Daphne added.

"Well, this memo did mention that the computers in the library would be upgraded rather than replaced." Maggie said. "It was dated June 15, 2007, however it will seem that the costs of upgrading the computers in the library with the latest operating system remains at $8,500, the same cost that the original 2007 budget has allocated for 20 new computers at the library."

"Which is up from the eighteen we currently have in the library." Velma pointed out. "Of which only eleven of them are actually functioning properly."

"So that $8,500 was supposed to be spent on upgrading the library computer's operating system." Fred mused. "And yet they remain in the same slow, unreliable state as they have been since we started attending Coolsville Central the same time those computers were supposed to be replaced."

"And I would think that it shouldn't cost that much to upgrade 18 computers compared to buying 20 new ones." Daphne added. "Anything on the files that could explain the discrepancy?"

Velma typed as Maggie searched through the stack of files from 2008 and 2009 before the former said, "Well, only a brief entry dated October 15, 2007 that stated that there were complications on the contract for the library computer upgrades."

"And what became of the $8,500 that were supposed to have been spent for the library computers?" Fred prompted.

"If anyone at the school administration have noticed that the funds were unaccounted for, I haven't seen any effort tracking it down." Velma frowned as Maggie shook her head. "Of the $8,500 allocated, as far as I can see, only $4,300 was actually spent, and none of the subsequent files on the school finances made any indication of that missing $4,200, not even for the 2008 and 2009 budgets."

"Were the upgrades performed in-house or was it contracted out by the school board." Shaggy asked.

"Well, the board had to hire an IT contractor to do the upgrades, as the financial crash and the subsequent budget squeeze led to the school board axing its IT department." Velma replied. "The contractor is Destroido Information Management, Inc."

At the mention of the contractor's name, Fred's face lit up in recognition.

"You recognize the contractor, Fred?" Maggie asked.

The blonde nodded. "Back when my Dad was serving in the State Assembly, he was on the cyber security committee and they summoned top executives from DIM for hearings in a fallout from a massive data breach from DIM's servers, which impacted thousands of businesses and several hospitals in the Crystal Cove area."

As the others each raised an eyebrow, Fred continued, "Suffice to say, in spite of DIM's executives reassurances, it was clear that DIM's cyber security and privacy protection practices weren't exactly exemplary, and its sister companies has been ensnared in several corruption scandals overseas. Chile, Columbia, El Salvador, Borada, Kaznia, you name 'em."

Scooby whistled. "That's re lot of ruggage."

"Indeed, Scooby." Daphne agreed. "I guess these are questions for us to ask Vice Principal Grimes when we confront him."

Everyone else nodded as they drove past a sign saying, "Welcome to Watson's Pass", along with a couple of late-night cyclists biking in the opposite direction.

Noticing the cyclists, Velma remarked, "Isn't it too late to be out for a bike ride?"

The others only shrugged at Velma's remark, during which the scene shifted to the two cyclists.

Both bicycles were equipped with microphones attached to the handles, activated by a button on the bell, though pressing the button doesn't set off the bell.

"Head, come in." The first cyclist spoke.

His receiver immediately conveyed the response, "Five, what's the status?"

"Subjects have drove past the 'Welcome to Watson's Pass' sign on the highway." The cyclist reported back.

"Roger that." The party at the other end responded. "Rendezvous with One at Dominion, Six has got the subjects covered."

"Roger that." The cyclist nodded. "Five, over and out."


It didn't take long for Fred to make the right turn onto a small, wooded road as per the directions provided on the map, and for Vice Principal Grimes' house to turn up at the end of the road.

Upon parking the van, the gang all promptly disembarked from the vehicle and gathered with their flashlights on.

"This sure is bizarre." Fred whispered as they approach the house.

The house was dark, and Fred added, "The lights are not on, he must be asleep."

"Or he's out planning another one of his late-night creep-fests." Velma offered.

"Only one way to find out." Daphne interjected as she stepped forward.

Just as Fred and Velma followed suit, Shaggy stopped them as he said, "Like, guys, so what's the plan exactly?"

As the others looked at him, he continued, "We can't just charge in with our arms swinging, not to mention as Maggie pointed out, we'd technically be breaking in and he could most certainly have us arrested."

"It's not really breaking in if the door's wide open." Fred pointed out as he shined his flashlight towards the front door, which was indeed wide open.

Before Shaggy or his sister could interject further, Fred and the girls continued on towards the house.

"Um, guys, maybe we ought to think this over carefully..." Maggie said, only to trail off as Fred and the girls continued on without stopping, prompting her to exchange looks with her brother and Scooby before they followed suit.

"Rey, wait for me." Scooby called out from behind.

Soon, the gang were quietly tiptoeing their way through the hallway and into the living room of the vice principal's house with their flashlights on. The silence was rather deafening, and whatever tension that lingered can be cut with a knife.

It was then that the gang's flashlights shined onto a trio of mannequins, all of whom appeared to be dressed in uniforms.

Given how dark the room was, led to a brief scare as Scooby and Maggie leaped into Shaggy's arms in fright while Daphne and Velma both clung onto Fred.

"Guys, those are just mannequins." Fred said, prompting Scooby and Maggie to exhale in relief.

"Great." Shaggy muttered as he let them go.

Seeing the model tanks, submarines and fighter and bombers decorating the living room and the vintage maps hanging on the walls, Velma remarked, "Looks like Vice Principal Grimes is quite the World War II buff."

As the others nodded, Fred stopped and turned around.

"Okay gang, I'm just throwing this out there, not trying to order anyone around." Fred said. "But do you think it'll be a great idea for us to split up and search for clues?"

Although Velma rolled her eyes as she exchanged looks with Daphne, the bespectacled girl responded, "Well, the odds of us finding something improves if we do split up and cover more ground."

"Exactly." Fred nodded.

"Works with me." Daphne added.

"Great." Fred said. "Then it's settled. Velma, Daphne, you girls come with me and we search upstairs."

Then, turning towards Scooby and the Rogers', the blonde continued, "Shaggy, Maggie, and Scooby, you guys search down here. Look for that book and anything suspicious."

"Yep." Velma nodded as Maggie swiftly raised her hand up for a quick mock-salute, prompting Fred to nod with a mock-salute back before he and the older girls made their way towards the stairs.

Maggie then put her hand down and turned towards her brother, only to see him staring at her weirdly.

"What?" Maggie asked. "You heard him, we'd better search around for that book and anything suspicious."

Shaggy exhaled but didn't say a word as he turned around and began looking around, while Scooby sniffed the floor and Maggie searched the nearby cabinets.

Upstairs, Fred and the girls made their way to Grimes' study and began searching around.

Shining her flashlight at the nearby bookshelf, Daphne began reading the book titles she has found, "On the Road to WWII: Europe"

After seeing about a dozen more war-related book titles, Daphne looked around and saw another book before reading, "A Disciplinarian's Complete Guide to Discipline"

As Daphne read the book titles, Fred opened a vintage globe, which apparently stored some glass and a couple bottles of burbourn, before he paused and turned around, just in time for the redhead to turn towards him.

"There's one book titled here, Sitting Down with the Generals: A Guide to the Doctrine and Discipline of WWII Militaries"

Hearing the book title, Fred chuckled, prompting the redhead to follow suit before they resumed their search around.

Back downstairs, Shaggy, Maggie and Scooby were searching through the cabinets, during which the two ghosts flew down from the ceiling and began possessing the two vintage fighter jets hung from the ceiling near the stairs.

Walking towards the bookshelf, Shaggy saw the books and exhaled. "Look at all these books."

As he looked through the books, Shaggy felt a presence behind him and began scratching his neck.

"Um, Mags, you know I hate it when you crowd me like this." Shaggy said. "Like, I can feel you breathing up my neck."

"I'm right here, Norville." Maggie responded as she searched through another cabinet at the other side of the living room.

"Oh, sorry." Shaggy said without turning around. "Scoob, like, perhaps give me some breathing room, I can feel you breathing down my neck."

Scooby, who is likewise nowhere near Shaggy, was scratching near the model submarines before he said, "Ri am?"

"Like, if it isn't either of you, then who is..." Shaggy said as he turned around, during which Maggie also turned around and Scooby looked up and then they yelped.

Upon turning around, Shaggy was surprised to see two model Spitfires, one in a British RAF livery and the other in a RCAF livery, hovering right in front of his face.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as he swiftly ducked down, just as the two model Spitfires opened fire. The subsequent shooting damaged the books in the bookshelf.

Gasping, he quickly ran off, prompting the two possessed model Spitfires to fly after him.

Likewise, Scooby and Maggie scrambled as they ran off before the two possessed model Spitfires could get to them, with the Great Dane hiding under a bear hide.

With the two model Spitfires flying behind him and firing, Shaggy ducked promptly dropped to the floor and rolled under a tabletop with a model battlefield, during which glassware can be heard breaking.

Managing to look up, Shaggy chuckled in relief as the model Spitfires chasing him were nowhere in sight, but his facial expression dropped when the model Sherman tank on the table began turning its turret towards him.

With a yelp, he promptly ducked down just as the model Sherman opened fire, hitting the table leg behind him and causing the table above him to topple over.

"Norville!" Maggie shouted from the bottom of the stairs, prompting her brother to look up.

Seeing his sister urging him to her, Shaggy scrambled to get up and raced towards the stairs, prompting the model Sherman to swiftly turn and open fire again, barely missing him and Maggie as they scrambled up the stairs.

Up in the study, Velma had finished searching through the bookshelf before moving to the desk, upon which she exclaimed, "Jinkies! Look!"

Fred and Daphne paused before they joined her behind the desk, stopping when she picked up the book on the desk and held it up.

Reading the book title Volume Three: A Practical Guide on Resurrection and its Applications, Daphne said, "Looks like we were right about Grimes, and now we've got the evidence we need to prove our innocence in these ghost appearances."

Putting the book back down and opening it, Velma said, "And first things first, we've got to find the right spell so we can break his control of those two ghosts."

"But we still don't know why he's doing all of this, or assuming our theory about the ghosts being responsible for Mrs. Gates' death, why go after her." Fred pointed out.

Flipping through the pages, Velma stopped when she came upon some documents hidden within the book.

"Wait a minute, Freddie. Maybe we do." Velma said as she flipped through the documents.

"What is it?" Fred prompted.

Seeing the print-out of the same scanned newspaper article chronicling the opening of the Coolsville Institute of Education, Velma said, "Looks like some of Grimes' research."

And seeing the red circle on the old photograph, Velma held up the page and flipped it around as she said, "And look."

Seeing the time capsule in the photograph being circled, Fred raised an eyebrow as he said, "Time capsule?"

"It's gotta be what he's searching for." Velma said. "Remember?"

"The time capsule was supposed to be buried on the school's opening day, but they never got to burying it as a result of the earthquake and subsequent flooding." Daphne said with a nod.

"Exactly." Velma nodded as Fred's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Hold the phone, since the capsule was to be buried at opening day when the flood hit, what are the chances that it is still in the ruins of the old school?" Fred asked. "Buried 200 feet under the new school for more than a century."

The girls both nodded before their faces began beaming in excitement at the fact that they've solved this first mystery, during which Velma also began digging through the documents with the printout.

"And what do you know." Velma added as she held up another document. "A receipt for a luxury cruise dated the summer of 2008."

Leaning closer to read the numbers on the document, Fred whistled.

"That's one luxury cruise at $2,500,000 for four weeks." Daphne remarked. "Either he had one h*ll of an investment savings account or insurance policy, or he's somehow got the money funneled in from various sources, because there's no way he could afford this at his salary."

"Like the money that was supposed to be for the new computers for the library, later on winded down to massive upgrades to the existing ones." Fred said. "Couple that with DIM securing the contract to do the IT upgrades and its dubious record in integrity, I suspect there were payoffs along the way in return for DIM receiving the contracts."

As Fred and Daphne studied the document, Velma was flipping through the other documents before she stopped and frowned. "Fascinating."

"What is?" Daphne asked.

"Receipts on the chips cashed at the Newark Newark Hotel and Casino Resort in Las Vegas." Velma explained. "Also in this pile are newspaper clips from twenty years ago detailing an investigation into a drowning death at the Lake Erie Summer Camp, which was run by the Crystal Cove County United School District prior to its closure, which cumulated into a civil suit against the board that was subsequently settled out of court."

"What's does this drowning death from 20 years ago have to do with the time capsule or the likely embezzlement?" Fred frowned.

"Hard to say." Velma shrugged as she gathered the documents together and closed the book and said, "All of this could be questions for Grimes when we confront him about all of this."

Just as Velma finished, Maggie and Shaggy suddenly pushed the door open and darted into the study.

As Maggie quickly closed the door behind them, Shaggy said, "Hey guys, like, we gotta get outta here!"

"Shaggy, what's wrong?" Fred asked.

Right at Fred's question, the model RAF Spitfire flew right through the nearby window and into the study, prompting Shaggy to point at it and shouted, "That!"

Fred and the girls needed no further urging as the model Spitfire opened fire at them, prompting the five to scramble out of the study and sprint down the stairs with Velma holding the book.

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed as the model Spitfire almost hit her.

Back on the ground floor, the gang were darting towards the front entrance when Shaggy realized something and stopped as he shouted, "Scooby Doo, where are you?"

As he shouted, Shaggy saw the model RCAF Spitfire flew towards him and promptly ducked under.

Emerging from his hiding spot under the bear hide, Scooby shouted, "Rover rere! Ri'm coming!"

Sprinting out of the house, the gang were just about to be out of the front yard when they were blinded by a sudden flash of light in front of them, and then the Witch appeared in front of them with her face glowing green and surrounded by smoke.

"Fools!" The Witch cackled as she raised her arms and more smoke began spraying out towards the gang. "In spite of my warnings, you've persisted in staying and now you have fallen right into my trap!"

As the Witch sprayed them with the smoke, the gang all coughed before Velma realized something.

"I just...*cough*... remembered something." Velma coughed. "Magnesium...*cough*...chlorate has...*cough* *cough*...sulfur."

"Sulfur...makes you...sleepy, doesn't...it?" Daphne slurred.

"It...does." Velma said as she slowly began to lose conscious.

"Sweet dreams, you kiddies!" The Witch cackled as the gang began to hit the ground one by one.


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