Fred was at home while Daphne and Velma went shopping. Shaggy and Scooby were outside, snacking, which didn't surprise him one bit. The phone rang, and he answered.
"Hello?"
"Fred, this is Paul Drake."
"Hello, Mr. Drake. How are you?"
"I'm doing very well, thank you for asking. I called for an update."
"What is the update?" Fred asked.
"A murder just arrived, and I have already made up my mind on who would help us out."
"Tell me the update and I'll pass it to my friends."
"I made up my mind on choosing you and your friends to be the lucky winners," Paul began.
"What is the murder about?"
"Mr. Mason's father had just recently passed away. This is where you and your friends come in. If you don't mind, would you like to tell me about yourself so we can get a better idea on who you really are?"
"Sure. I don't mind telling you about us. Did Mr. Mason say what happened to his father?" Fred asked.
"No, he didn't say much, but it was his mother who did call."
"Did she give out any details on this murder?" Fred asked.
"She talked with Perry, so he will have to share that with you. Oh, before I forget, Mr. Mason said he will be happy to pay for your hotel bill. It's his way of saying thank you."
"Can you know if the hotel will allow pets? We have a dog, and we take him everywhere with us."
"I know that these hotels here in Los Angeles only accept service animals. Is your dog one of them?"
"No, Sir. He helps us."
"Must be a very special dog, then. I'll ask for you if that's okay with you."
"Please do, Mr. Drake."
"You can call me Paul."
"Okay. My friends and I will let you make reservations for us when it gets closer for us to come and help," Fred said.
So Fred finally told Paul a little bit about themselves, which Paul appreciated. He would share with Perry and Della about taking Scooby with them and see what ideas they can come up with in case Scooby isn't accepted in hotels.
Shaggy walked into the kitchen while Scooby stayed outside. Shaggy even noticed Fred was on the phone having a conversation with somebody. He'll get to hear about it later on. He poured two more glasses of lemonade and bought out the entire bag of carrots. Fred did see that Shaggy was out of the kitchen. All Fred could do was wave to Shaggy since Paul was talking.
"Do you think it was Mr. Mason's mother who could have murdered his father?"
"We don't think so, Fred. Perry said that they are people who are respected by everyone. What kind of dog do you and your friends have?"
"He's a Great Dane."
"A big dog then."
"Yes. He's a friendly dog."
"I'm sure he is. If your hotel says they can't accept him, maybe either myself or Mr. Mason will take him in. I'm sorry. I am correcting myself. I can't accept your dog."
"How come?" Fred asked.
"Because I'm allergic to dogs."
"Sorry to hear that. Would you rather have us ask a friend of ours to look after him while we're with you?"
"No, don't bother. I'm sure we'll work something out. Is he any trouble to look after?"
"Not really. Sometimes he can be out of control. Do you and Mr. Mason live in a house or apartment?" Fred asked.
"He lives in an apartment, I don't. We'll work something out."
"You didn't need to say it twice, Mr. Drake. I'll pass this information to my friends later. It was nice speaking with you," Fred told him.
"Same with you, Fred. We'll keep in touch."
He heard Velma and Daphne walking into the house through the garage. That's when he hung up with Paul. Shaggy and Scooby joined him.
"Who were you talking with, Freddy?" Shaggy asked.
"You remember Paul Drake, right?"
The three of them nodded their heads.
"He and I had a nice conversation. I do have news to share."
"What's that, Fred?" Velma asked.
"Remember that TV ad we saw on TV?"
"Yes," she answered.
"Well, Mr. Drake says that we are the lucky winners!"
"You must be kidding, Fred.'
"I'm not, Shaggy. Will you please let me finish?"
"Yes."
Scooby burped.
"Excuse me," he said.
"Since we're the lucky winners, he did mention that this mystery is a family member."
"Of who? It can't be Mr. Mason. I doubt his family is even alive anymore."
"You're right, Daphne. It is Mr. Mason."
"Wow, that's a shame," Velma said.
"Yes, it is. I did tell Mr. Drake a little about Scooby so he would know that we have a furry friend with us. We're going to work something out."
"Did you ask him about Scoob?" Shaggy asked.
"Yes, I did. Don't worry, Scooby. I didn't tell him that you happen to be a talking dog. Let them be surprised for themselves without us giving anything out. I doubt nobody will ever believe us."
"About having a talking dog is very helpful, Scoob. Don't you ever forget that."
"I won't, Raggy. I love you."
"We love you too. I hope you can stay at the hotel we'll be staying in."
"Oh, there is something he told me over the phone. Mr. Drake doesn't think it's strange having a dog like Scoob around. Since he works with the law, I'm sure Mr. Drake understands about the thing about dogs. He did say something else, though. He said Mr. Mason lives in an apartment, so if the hotel says they can't accept Scoob, we'll try to come up with an idea. He mentioned he's allergic to animals, so he will have to be careful around Scoob."
"That's too bad he's allergic, Fred. How about Mr. Mason's secretary? Did he says anything about her?"
"No, Velma, he didn't. He said he'll pass this over to Mr. Mason about Scoob so they they'll be aware that we are bringing a furry friend."
"Smart move. What are we going to do until we talk with Mr. Drake again?" Daphne asked.
"I don't know. Here's another thing he mentioned. He said that we wouldn't have to bother paying the bill. He said Mr. Mason is doing that just to have his way of saying thank you."
"That was nice of him."
"Yes, it is."