Chapter 3: Frenzy

The next day, Brighton was in a frenzy. At first it looked like the news spread like wildfire, in which it probably did. That is until if someone went to the area of where the the fundraiser was being held. Then it all starts to make sense as to why some panic was happening in the first place. It was a complete mess and the money made at the event was stolen.

Duckie woke up to the sounds of those running around not sure what to do, knowing their money was gone. "What the hell?" he asked himself, getting out of bed and seeing what was going on. "The money we put towards donations has been stolen!" said someone. The reality of situation then settled in. "Oh please don't tell me..." he sighed.

Duckie then had breakfast with his parents and siblings. "What's going on outside?" asked Bubba. "Best not to worry Bubba," said Duckie's mom. "Why is everyone looking scared out there?" asked Jade. "Fundraiser money got stolen," said Daffy, "Now all of Brighton, and probably Nash-Lake, are-" "Daffy..." said Duckie's dad sternly. Daffy kept quiet after that.

After everyone had finished breakfast, Duckie was getting ready to leave to visit Tammy. "Where are you going?" asked Duckie's father. "I'm going to see Tammy," Duckie replied. "In a time like this?" said Duckie's mom, "You aren't worried that people might be a little crazy right now?" "I'm sure I'll be fine," Duckie said, before walking out the door.

Duckie walked his way to Tammy's house. All the while, panic was still present as when he was still at home. A police car stopped and out came 2 police officers, one of which with a megaphone. "People please, settle down," said the one with the megaphone, "We are currently investigating the matter. Situation is under control, we'll find out who did this before we are through."

Duckie finally arrived to Tammy's house and rung the doorbell. The door swung open as Tammy's dad came out with a shotgun and cocked it as he said, "Get back!" "Woah! Hey hey!" Duckie said as he put his hands up in the air. Tammy's dad then noticed who it was, making him put the shotgun down, "Oh, Duckie! Sorry about that, I'm sure you can see why I was panicked for a second. With these Brightoners acting like it's October of 1962, tensions are kind of high..."

"Is Tammy around?" Duckie asked. "Yeah, she's in her room," said Tammy's dad. Duckie entered the house and was greeted by Tammy's mom, "Duckie? What are you doing here? Everyone is acting rabid out there." "I wanna see Tammy," explained Duckie, "I think I might know what's causing this commotion."

Before Duckie could even reach Tammy's room, Sammy had stopped him. "Long time no see Duckie," she said, "So when are you and my sister getting married?" "We're just best friends," Duckie said, "Tammy told you this and so did I." "You sure about that?" asked Sammy cheekily. "Yes, I'm sure," Duckie replied, "I have to go see her." Without hesitation, he then rushed passed her.

Tammy was in her room writing something on her book and when she heard footsteps, she closed it and turned around to see who it was. When it was revealed to be Duckie, she was surprised. "Hey, what brings you here dude?" Tammy asked. "Tammy, know what's going on out there, right?" asked Duckie. "Panicked Brightoners? It's been like that all morning. I don't know why." "How about this, remember the event you, me, Johnny, and Jessie attended?" "Yeah?" "Money had gotten stolen from the fundraiser event and I think I know who might've done it."

Duckie explained everything he possibly could. From what he learned about the Watermans, to the newspaper, to now. "I've heard about that crazy couple," said Tammy, "My mom and dad remember the events of what had happened with them, but I don't think Mister and Misses Waterman would've come back to their old stomping grounds. I mean, they were locked up far from Brighton, so it couldn't have been them."

She did have a point. Both the Watermans were locked up quite far from where Brighton and Nash-Lake were. Plus, many still remember the Watermans as if it were yesterday. So the smart idea would be to not show their faces again. But even with that in mind, Lorenzo and Rachel were quite smart if they were able to get away with what they were doing for 20 years. So it was entirely possible that they still had that smartness they had before getting thrown in prison, maybe even moreso.

"You have a good point Tammy," said Duckie, "But I still have a gut feeling that it could've been them." "Why is that?" asked Tammy. "Because they are smart," said a voice. Tammy and Duckie looked behind themselves, only for it to be Sammy, which scared the crap out of them. "Jeez Sammy, stop sneaking up on us like that!" Tammy said. "How do you know about the Watermans?" asked Duckie. "A book on them I read at the library," Sammy said, "I'm only 9, but I'm not as dumb as some believe."

Tammy face palmed, "Why are butting into our conversations? You know how much that annoys me, right?" "I know it annoys you," Sammy replied, "But I heard what Duckie said, and if the police can't find the suspects, I think I know some friends of mine who can help." Duckie and Tammy were confused. "What are you talking about?" asked Duckie. "If the police can't find any suspects, then maybe you should do some investigating of your own, with a little outside help..."

Duckie and Tammy laughed, not taking Sammy seriously. "Nice joke," Tammy said. "I'm not joking Tammy," Sammy insisted, "You are the risk taker after all, and that board game called Mystery showed you have some skill. So maybe before you do some detective work, I can get my friends to meet up with you and your future husband." "Oh for the love of-!" Duckie said in a frustrated tone, "I'll just let that one slide..." "How about we check out Nash-Lake," Tammy suggested, "Maybe they are a little more civilized."

Duckie and Tammy walked to Nash-Lake and it wasn't much better. Just as much panic as there was back home. "Of course," Tammy complained, "They had just as much of a loss as we did." They then went into the town square where it seemed the most were gathered.

Shortly after their arrival, Jay and her friends also arrived to see what was going. "Everyone is acting like animals!" said Ralph. "Ironic you say that," said Paco. "Ironic!" said Dino. "Hey, aren't those two of the kids that were in the newspaper last year?" Jay asked as she pointed out where Duckie and Tammy were. "Oh my god, it is them!" said Paco, "I saw them playing on TV during the halftime event!" "That's cool, are we going to ignore that our own town is in panic mode and things could escalate at any moment?" Ralph asked.

Just then, a police car pulled up and out came 2 officers. The first one was Officer M (Jay's father) and a goose named Officer G. "People please, settle down!" Officer M said, "We are working with the Brighton police department on this case." "But what if no suspects are found?" asked one civilian. "What if they got away already?" asked another. "Our money we spent will go straight to criminals!" a third one blirted out. The panic started once again. "That's enough, that's enough!" said Officer G, in which the crowd stopped, "Let me be straight everyone here." Officer M facepalmed as he knew where this was about to go.

Officer G walked slightly away from the cruiser and closer to the crowd. He then stated, "What I am about to say might be controversial..." The crowd groaned. "Oh boy, here we go," sighed Ralph. "Maybe the fundraiser is the problem here," said Officer G, in which the crowd didn't like this answer, "I know, sounds crazy. But if you really think about it, the event was never too secure. By those statistics alone-"

To absolutely no surprise, this didn't make the crowds feel any better as they grew louder. "What a rookie move," Ralph said. "Rookie!" said Dino. "Come on Officer G!" Paco groaned. "How dad puts up with him we'll never know," added Jay. Even Duckie and Tammy thought that was kind of a dick move. "That other officer better tell his partner to smarten up," said Duckie. "Wrong officer with the wrong job much?" added Tammy, "His partner seems really sick and tired of him."

Officer M knew he had step in. "People, people," he said, "I apologize for that, Officer G is still a rookie here. He's still learning the ropes." "You really had to say that about me?" whispered Officer G. "You've said enough," Officer M whispered back, before talking in his loud voice again, "The situation is underway, we hope to have some clues within 2 days."

The crowd has seemingly calmed down. Now the risk of things boiling over weren't as high. "Jay," said Officer M, as he walked to where his daughter, foster son, and their friends were, "You, Dino, and your friends shouldn't be over here. You heard and saw how it was earlier." "I know," replied Jay, "We were on our way to visit Brittany, until we saw this." "Regardless, the townsfolk are unpredictable right now," Officer M explained, "They might be calm now, but any new information could set them off. Word gets around quickly you know, so be safe." "We'll be safe," said Jay. "Safe!" Dino added.

Duckie and Tammy were about to walk back home, until a certain someone who previously noticed them came over. "Hey, aren't you 2 of the kids from the football game last year?" asked Paco as he approached them. "Yes, that was us!" said Duckie. "I saw you, your friend here, and the 5 other kids on television!" Paco explained, "Heck, you even made the newspaper! Point is, what a spectacular performance!" "Well thanks kid!" Tammy said.

"Paco!" Ralph called, signaling that he, Jay, and Dino were about to leave. "Coming!" he said, as he went back to where they were. Duckie and Tammy were surprised to get this kind of attention from someone outside of Brighton. "Huh, we don't get everyday," said Tammy. "Imagine if that was one of the supposed friends of Sammy," added Duckie, "That would be quite the coincidence."

Little did the duo know this wouldn't be the only time they'd see each other and would be FAR from the last...

To be continued in the next chapter...

(Chapter 3 published 1/17/25)