Chapter 04

Velma showed up at homeroom at five minutes before 8:00 on Monday morning and sat with her fellow geeks and nerds.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Hello."

"Hi."

This group was getting downright raucous.

She had stewed all weekend about her failed experiment on Friday night and the stewing was not done yet. It had to be that her wiring was too simple. Maybe if she used a contactor to better control the timing of the low voltage current, she could get the various pieces of equipment to sync better. Not knowing the solution was bugging her.

The mean girls showed up and took their usual seats near the windows. Followed by the politicos, then the jocks, and last—of course—the stoners. The new stoner that she didn't recognize didn't look as red-eyed as he had the previous week and seemed to be actually talking with some of the others. But they were as red-eyed as ever and weren't responding.

The fact that Shaggy was not high this morning was not by choice. After getting in so late on Friday night, his father had been watching him like a hawk all weekend and his mother had taken over this morning. It was best for him to be on his best behavior. Suggie, his little sister, was allowed to run free but he was kept on house arrest. Life wasn't fair.

No one really noticed when the bell rang and Mr. Marcus had not shown up.

A few people noticed when time for the principal's video announcements came and went.

Everybody noticed when the door opened and Mr. Marcus walked in with a harried and intense look on his face.

And they especially noticed when they realized that he was followed closely by Vice Principal Grimes.

Mr. Grimes stepped to the front of the class. "Will the following students come with me, please? Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Fred Jones, and Norville Rogers."

Velma's mouth dropped open. After a week at the school, she knew that Vice Principal Grimes was the disciplinarian. She was being called to the office for disciplinary reasons! This was impossible!

Daphne and Fred were equally stunned.

Shaggy nodded. He had figured that this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.

They followed Mr. Grimes through the nearly deserted school halls past the other buzzing homeroom classes awaiting first period bell. He led them to the main school office and then into the small conference room therein.

Principal Deedle was waiting for them with his ever-present bowtie slightly askew. He started speaking without offering them a chance to sit. "I want you all to understand that this is very serious. If it is returned immediately, then we can handle it at the school level. If not, then the police will be brought in."

Velma raised her hand and spoke. "Something was stolen?"

The principal ignored her question and looked at each of the blank faces in front of him in turn. No one else spoke.

Mr. Deedle looked directly at Shaggy. "Norville, follow me, please. The rest of you stay here."

Mrs. Stanford kept her eyes turned down to her computer screen as Grimes led Shaggy into his private office.

"Sit down, Norville." He gestured at a small seat which was placed in front of the principal's desk. Norville sat as directed and waited for Mr. Deedle to speak.

"Norville, if you tell me right now and return the money, then we can handle it internally and all you will get is a three-day suspension as a first offense."

Shaggy gulped but forced himself to speak. "I didn't take anything."

"Don't insult my intelligence. The other three have lived here their whole lives and have impeccable records. Mr. Grimes has shared your record from your previous school with me."

"But that was smoking in the boy's room and getting caught with a joint once. I don't steal."

"Tell me what you were doing in the school until nearly ten o'clock Friday night."

How did they know when he left the school?

"I, like, fell asleep after classes and didn't wake up until then."

Did someone see him leaving? Could they have overheard Scooby Doo talking to him? Was this all some ruse to get their hands on the world's only talking dog?

"Norville, we both know you did it. Confess right now and you get a few days suspension and then everything goes back to normal."

Shaggy was actually relieved to hear Mr. Deedle accusing him of theft. This wasn't about Scooby Doo.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't steal anything."

Mr. Deedle sighed. "You had a chance to do this the easy way. Let's go back to the others."

Mrs. Stanford was less disciplined in keeping her eyes on her screen this time and watched the two walk back across the office to the conference room.

Principal Deedle looked to Mr. Grimes. "Vice Principle Grimes, please take over." And he left.

Grimes started the questioning. "Daphne, you left the school at 7:32 PM. Did you see anything unusual around the office while you were there?"

She shrugged and seemed nonchalant. "No. I was in Hall C talking with a friend of mine on the phone."

"Do you have that friend's name so we can verify?"

"Certainly." She gave it.

Velma didn't know the name and was a little surprised it wasn't Sarah Handler.

Grimes continued. "Fred, you left at 7:37 PM. Did you see anything unusual around the office while you were there?"

"No. I was in… another part of the school."

"What part?"

"Um, Hall C."

Daphne turned to him. "You were stalking me?"

Fred didn't know what to say. "Yeah. Kinda."

"You were 'kind of' stalking me?"

"It seemed like a really good idea until I realized it was basically stalking…"

"Not basically. Fully stalking." The Blake fire was beginning to erupt.

"When I realized I was stalking you, I stopped but then you were in the school alone and I didn't think that was safe, so I hung around. Sorry."

Had he tried to deny it, she would have eviscerated him, but the complete admission gave her the opportunity to just ignore it and turn to Velma.

Grimes took this as his cue. "Velma, you left at 8:24 PM. Did you see anything unusual around the office while you were there?"

Velma was putting two and two together. "Those are very specific times. The new ID cards are chipped and you have installed remote readers next to the doors. You're logging our comings and goings."

"Which is completely within our rights. Please answer the question."

"No. I didn't see anything unusual around the office. I was in the Physics lab in Hall A."

"Which brings us to you, Norville."

"I didn't steal any money."

"Wait," it was Velma, "They don't keep any money in the office unless they were keeping the donated funds for Annie Sadler there. Is that what was stolen?"

Grimes was annoyed and looked over his shoulder at Mrs. Stanford—who remained studiously looking at her screen and taking in every word. "That's irrelevant. If any of you has something more to say, say it now before I call the police and things are out of my hands."

No one said anything.

"You have left me no choice. You stay here while I summon them."

He got up and left the room.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Fred and Daphne turned on Shaggy.

Fred started. "C'mon, stoner! We all know you did it. Just go ahead and confess and the rest of us can get on with our lives."

"I didn't steal their money!"

Daphne joined in. "It had to be you!"

Velma's turn. "Right now, we are reacting. Let's try and get in a proactive mode." She raised her hand and raised a finger as she counted off. "What do we know? First, we know that the four of us were in the school well after hours on Friday. Second, we know that the school administration failed to mention that these new ID cards they issued to us could also be used to track our comings and goings. Third, we know that the school has a CCTV system that also would have confirmed our entrances and exits."

Velma paused while processing.

Fred let his impatience with the dramatic pause show. "And…?"

"So, based on the evidence provided to them by their intruder detection and access control system, they believe that the four of us are the only ones who could have possibly stolen the fund."

Fred raised a finger into the air. "Which brings us back to the stoner did it!"

Shaggy turned on him. "Why couldn't it have been you?"

Daphne joined in. "He has a point. You already proved that you're a stalker."

Fred nodded. "But I never left Hall C. I can tell you everything you said on the phone and can describe the car you got into when you left. I'm your alibi and you're mine."

They all looked at Velma.

Daphne waved a hand casually at the smaller girl. "And it's not like Irma did it?"

Irma?

Velma let the name thing slide. "Granted that I didn't do it but why would that seem so impossible?"

Daphne gestured at her again, head to toe. "Well… you're you."

Fred agreed. "You are pretty much you. It had to be the stoner."

xXx

After being on hold for five minutes, Vice Principal Grimes finally got connected to Sheriff Bronson Stone and explained the situation.

The sheriff took in the information and then asked, "And where are the suspects now?"

"They're in the conference room."

"Together?! Their colluding and coordinating stories! You get them separated and wait for my deputy. He'll be there in ten minutes."

Grimes pulled the kids out of the conference room and made one sit in each corner of the main office which put them all staring silently at Mrs. Stanford. She decided it was time for her coffee break.