Act 3: A Redemption Returned
Ingrid and Ed made it back to the library to see the Book Club helping with the reorganizing of the found books and Fillmore and Montoya comforting Mr. Lendrum who was still sobbing.
"What's up with him?" Ed asked. "Shouldn't he be happy that the books returned."
"He would, if they all were." Fillmore said. "As it turns out, a lot of the books are still missing."
"Typical. As usual, the best books are gone." Noah Hawthorn said as he passed by. "It's just like every other day in the library."
"We've got some literature MIA." Fillmore said. "Let's have a talk with Tony."
"Fillmore, we need to talk about something." Ingrid said with her mind still on the shocking surprise about the rocket.
"Is it cool if we talk to Clementina first?" Fillmore asked before walking away anyway.
Clementina put on a smug face as soon as Fillmore, Ingrid, and Ed walked into the interrogation room where he was being held.
"I'm asking you once, Tony." Fillmore said. "Where are the other books?"
"They must have gotten lost in the shuffle." Clementina shrugged.
"This isn't about detention or suspension." Fillmore said. "This is it. You tell us where the books are or you're going down this time, Clementina. Expulsion, man."
Clementina still looked fearless at that threat. "In ten years, they're going to remember the name of Tony Clementina, the guy who pulled off the biggest heist in X Middle School history. Cornelius Fillmore? Maybe some people will remember some glorified crossing guard. But probably not."
Fillmore turned Clementina around and dragged him to the window. He pointed one story down to an entire yard where students were playing.
"Take a good look down there, Clementina. This isn't lunch money. You're hurting every one of those people. Look at them, man!"
No matter how much Fillmore demanded, Clementina turned his head away from the window with his eyes shut tightly. He shook which caught Ingrid's attention. That's when she realized something.
"Crackers! Guys, we need to talk."
After halting the interrogation, Ingrid headed to the computer on her desk with the boys beside her. She looked up the information she looked for and finally came up with a conclusion.
"I don't think he did it."
"What?" Fillmore asked.
"We found the books in the treehouse in his yard, but before, when I was hiding in the shed, I heard him say he doesn't do treehouses. Now, I know why. It's all right here. He wouldn't climb the big rope in gym. He wouldn't read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. He threw up during a screening of the red balloon. He freaked when he turned him towards the window. The way he hesitated jumping out of the bus."
"I see what you're saying." Ed said. "I leave you shaken. I leave you blind. I cloud your judgement. I cloud your mind. What am I?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Fillmore asked.
"It's fear, Fillmore." Ingrid said. "Tony's afraid of heights. There's no way he put those books in that treehouse."
Fillmore thought about it, but brushed it off. "Clementina's resourceful. He got someone to do it for him."
"Hey, genius, don't be so hasty." Ed said. "Look, Clementina's a crook but he's not resourceful enough to create those bogus accounts in the library. I heard that ape failed computer science twice. Besides, why would he even steal the books? Everything he does, he does for a profit. Stealing and extorting students is one thing, but there's no way he would be bold enough to extort an adult like Lendrum. Stealing library books just isn't his MO. I can't believe we overlooked that fact."
"Then explain the salt from his pretzel rods we found at the crime scene." Fillmore said. "Look, I get your doubt, but Clementina is a lost cause. Believe me, I should know."
"Yeah, I guess you should." Ingrid said coldly before opening her desk drawer and pulling out the cola rocket. She pressed it into Fillmore's hands. "I think that's yours. Late."
When Ingrid stormed away, Fillmore looked at the rocket and stared at it. He felt the guilt and nostalgia filling up his mind.
"And here, I thought you were smart." Ed said. He was about to leave to when Fillmore grabbed his wrist.
"Hold up, Ed. You're right. I've been acting dumb." Fillmore said. "Listen, could you and I talk at the storage room across the hall? I'll call Ingrid and have her meet us there."
"Hmm. It's around here somewhere." Fillmore said scouting through the mess of broken furniture and torn-up posters. Ingrid and Ed followed him until he stopped. He pointed his flashlight at a large, wooden platform.
"Disco. The platform." Fillmore said. "Look at the legs."
Ingrid and Ed stepped closer to study the legs. Fillmore kept his flashlight shining on them to give them a better look. They saw that the legs were broken up on their own.
"The platform gave way under the weight of the custard." Fillmore said.
"Wait. It really was an accident?" Ed asked. "But what about the custard stain on the rocket? And how did that rocket end up in the cafetorium ceiling?"
"If you notice, there's a dent on the broken part of the platform. You'll find it matches the top of the rocket." Fillmore said. Ingrid compared it to the rocket and saw that it matched. "It wasn't my fault, but… Well, it doesn't change the fact that I took my shot."
"You tried to bring it down." Ingrid said.
"Emphasis on tried." Fillmore said regretfully. "Harvey Dent's always been on my case for being such a thug, which I was. A few days after his custard project, he called me out in front of the entire student body and promised to bring justice down on me after he became president of the Student Council. I guess I didn't want him to win and figured this incident would make him lose the votes. I fired the rocket from outside of the cafetorium, but at the same time, the platform gave way and the custard spilled without my help."
"So the rocket ended up in the ceiling because it bounced off the platform which was at an angle," Ingrid deduced, "And it was at an angle because its legs had already given way. You didn't cause the spill."
"Of course, Dent ended up winning anyway, and just like he promised, he came down hard on me." Fillmore said. "A few months later, I was busted boosting a chalk shipment. The Safety Patroller who busted me gave me a choice; either help him crack another case or let Dent's new policies expel me. I helped out and I wound up joining up."
"You changed." Ingrid said.
"Because somebody gave me a chance, something I wasn't going to give Clementina, even though he couldn't have done the deed." Fillmore admitted. "The only reason he's saying he did is because he wanted to get under my skin. Well, I'm up for messing up Tony's plans good. Let's find out who really took the books."
Ed smiled. "Glad your head's on straight." He then pulled out a newspaper and observed the front page covering the library book theft. "This guy's going to be very sorry he… Wait. Hold the phone." Ed brought himself closer to seeing the picture.
"What is it?" Ingrid asked.
"Take a look for yourselves." Ed said turning the newspaper over to his friends. The two of them saw the same thing he saw and got their answer.
After getting the photos developed, the trio returned to the library just in time to see the Book Club finishing up their work in putting up what's left of the books.
"Excuse me." Fillmore said catching Noah Hawthorn's attention. "When I told you we were gonna get the books back, you asked me something. 'But what of our innocence'. Well, I have an answer for you: you're guilty."
"What?" Hawthorn asked. "You're joking, right?"
"You said so yourself." Fillmore said. "No group in this school knows more about the library than the Book Club, including how to create bogus accounts."
"You're saying that I'm the thief?" Hawthorn asked. "Where's your proof?"
"It's right here." Ed said pulling out the photo that was recently developed. "Riddle me this. You bury me when I'm alive and dig me up when I die. What am I?"
"What?" Hawthorn asked. "What is this insanity?"
Ed made a buzzer sound with his throat. "Wrong answer. It's a plant. Which is exactly what you did." He held the photo closer to Hawthorn's face allowing him to see it more clearly. The photo revealed Hawthorn spreading the salt that Fillmore found earlier. "Looks like a lucky reporter just caught you in the act. Now, why would somebody plant phony evidence and make it look like somebody else did it? I'm sure even you can answer that one."
"You, the literary elite of X Middle School?" Lendrum gasped in a betrayed and disappointed tone. "How could you?"
"I think the answer should be 'How couldn't we'!" Hawthorn replied before picking up a book and throwing it at the Safety Patrol. While they were distracted, he ran through the door.
"I'll get him!" Ed yelled before chasing after Hawthorn.
Hawthorn took a model volcano and jumped into a cart. He used the volcano as a propulsion engine to blast him across the hallway. Ed ran as fast as he could to stay on his trail. Along the way, Hawthorn's cart ran into a comically large cheese slice that was used as a ramp. He fell out and continued to run.
Hawthorn kept sprinting hoping to lose his pursuer. Unfortunately, he came across Tony Clementina, who had dropped his toy at his feet making him trip. He kept his attention away so no one would see that he did it on purpose.
Now that Hawthorn had lost his momentum, Ed managed to catch him by his shoulder and force him up to his feet.
"And they all come tumbling down." Ed said.
"Nygma, please, let me go." Hawthorn said.
"Let you go?" Ed asked. "Dude, you're losing it."
"You of all people should understand why I had to do it. We at the Book Club are the only ones with the mental understanding to truly appreciate the books. They should be available to us whenever we want them." Hawthorn defended himself. "Do you know how many times I've tried to check out Huckleberry Finn from the library only to find that it's already gone? How many times I've tried to check out Super Fudge in vain? These clods don't understand the subtext of Judy Blume. They don't see the metaphors in the Great Brain. Who does? The Book Club! Who do the books belong to? The Book Club!"
"Get a grip, Hawthorn." Ed said. "First of all, Judy Blume doesn't have a subtext. She's just very good. Second of all, just because you understand them better doesn't mean you're the only ones who need them. Sure, a lot of people don't understand books like you do, but there are others who do and even more that are about to learn. They deserve as much of a chance as the Book Club. If you had gotten away with it, you'd subject them to the same turmoil the Book Club's been going through, only a lot worse. Just think about that when you're in detention." Ed looked over and saw the Safety Patrol arrive. "He's all yours, officers."
"Great." Vallejo said taking Hawthorn away. "Hopefully now, Folsom will calm down. Let's take him away."
"You go on ahead." Fillmore said turning to Clementina. "I've got to talk to somebody." He headed off to finally make peace with Tony.
Meanwhile, Ingrid stayed behind with Ed. She smiled at him. "Hey. I heard what you said to Noah. You really up for giving everyone else a chance?"
Ed turned his head defiantly. "Don't be absurd. I was just giving one of Fillmore's annoying speeches in his stead. Truthfully, I wasn't going to get outsmarted by a bunch of greedy bookworms."
"Whatever you say, wise guy." Ingrid said seeing through his act. "Hey, how about a soda to celebrate our win?"
Ed let down his guard and shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. What's on the menu?"
"What would you like?"
"Anything but Carbee Cola."
Ingrid chuckled. "Truth."
The next time Montoya entered Vic Sage's detention room, she had the book in her hands. Sage smiled at the sight of it.
"Ah. I see you finally found it."
"It wasn't easy." Montoya said passing the book to Sage who then opened up the front cover. "After we arrested the Book Club, Hawthorn admitted where he did…"
"All done." Sage interrupted throwing the book back at Montoya much to her surprise.
"Excuse me?" Montoya asked. "You had me track down a stolen book just so you could see it for two seconds? It doesn't make sense."
"I already got what I wanted." Sage said holding up a miniature camera. "If you want it to make sense, think outside the box, then you'll see. Thank you for your help, Officer Montoya. You've been tremendous."
Montoya wanted to press more, but she knew it wouldn't get her anything. She just turned and left the room. Sage looked back at where she was and smiled.
After leaving the detention center, Montoya stopped and held up the book to look at it. It was an old hardcover book that was nearly torn in the corners. The title did read "The Count of Monte Cristo", but Montoya felt like there was something she didn't see.
"Sage said this book would point out a liar, but he only looked at this for a very short time." Montoya said opening the front cover. "What on Earth could he…"
Montoya stopped when she noticed something on the old checkout slip on the inside of the cover. When she pulled it out, she noticed a short list of names of everyone who ever checked it out along with the dates they were checked out. One of those names caught her attention.
"Hugo Strange"
Looking at it further, Montoya saw the checkout date, which was over 40 years earlier. Her memory raced back to something Hugo Strange said near the beginning of the investigation.
"I've never set foot in this school until just a couple of weeks ago."
"Hugo Strange was a student 40 years ago." Montoya realized. "But why would he lie?" She turned her spooked head to the school just as dark clouds began hovering over the whole building. "Is there really a dark secret behind X Middle School?"