38: Missing in Action

Summary: The teen detectives long-term Police ally, DCI Nikki Heath, goes missing and they naturally attempt to find her.

Warning: Adult bondage but only on an adult. Also implied nudity on an adult.

“It’s the end of our GCSEs!” One Croonford student yelled.

“We’ve finished Year 11! Woo!” Another student shouted.

Many Year 11 students were also chanting those lines. Only a minority still had GCSE exams to complete and still joined in. After class photographs were taken by an irritating photographer, students gathered in their classrooms for an end-of-year tradition. They were allowed to write messages and draw pictures on each other’s’ shirts and blouses. Student councillors and seniors were present to ensure there were no racist and obscene messages and art and maintain order.

At Chelle’s and Lin’s class, everyone was engrossed with drawing and writing on each other. Heather Smiths, tall, blonde and well endowed, got many ‘pretty gal’, beautiful babe’ and allowed boys to write and sign ‘be my girlfriend’ on her front torso. Julia Humes,  the only black girl in that class got words of praise how she tackled her ethnicity through the years. Art Morton, a former school bully, accepted  words like ‘don’t play tricks on me ever again’. Hattie Coy, the talented art student, received words and basic sketches praising her. In return, she drew realistic pictures on her fellow students.

Chelle received several pictures on her blouse that looked like her and others with her looking down on others. Caption wrote: Girl Detective 1, Criminal 0! After she drew another picture with the caption: ‘Best Girl Detective in Town!’  “What about me?” Lin teased. She received ‘Another great girl detective and best scientist!’ under her picture. At Jenn’s class, most pictures and words stated she was a star student or the best school debater and drama queen. Richard received ‘Guy with unforgettable memory’.  There was no difference over at Reinhard’s and Mark’s class. Mark received dozens ‘Star Rugby Player’ messages. The shorter classmate got ‘Great Science Guy’ and ‘Computer Genius’.

Another rule was finishing Year 11 students could leave wearing their own clothes. That pleased Jenn as she walked out wearing jeans T-Shirt. Chelle wore a jeans skirt while Lin was in a dress with flowery patterns. As the teen detectives walked towards an eatery, they spotted several police officers dragging handcuffed people towards police cars. DS Bluebell Ransom was amongst the police officers and Chelle Lin waved at her. During their meal, while discussing their summer plans and future grammar school life, Richard spoke up.

“Did see DS Ransom’s facial expression? She looked quite stressed out.”

“Police and military personnel are usually like that,” Chelle remarked but the image stayed in Richard’s mind. Several days later, himself, Jenn and Chelle were walking out of school after confirming their subject choices for Sixth Form, they again spotted DS Ransom with another gaggle of police officers. The expression on the police detective’s was initially the same as previously. However, as Chelle waved to her, she only acknowledged with a slight nod and her facial expression changed to a worried look.

“Alright, she’s either stressed and worried out over work or personal problems. I say it’s personal,” Chelle remarked as they quenched their thirst from a roadside stall. “I guess it’s personal.”

“Could also be her workload. We haven’t seen DCI Heath lately,” Richard thought.

“Well, DS Ransom was assigned the last case by Nikki,” Jenn pointed out,

Two days ago, Nikki Heath was cuddling with her latest boyfriend, Max. Nikki, having spent most of her time buried with investigations, hardly had steady dates. Max was unlike the others; he appeared to be funny, muscular and helpful. Their cuddling soon turned to an extremely intimate act where each other’s clothes were removed. Nikki was the first to undress: She yanked of her T-shirt fast, then swiftly unclipped her black bra, exposing her D-cup breasts. Quickly, she reached down and expertly removed her jeans. Max on the other hand, had undressed down flimsy boxers. They resumed kissing now hugging each other then suddenly, Max reached down and yanked at Nikki’s skimpy knickers. Nikki protested she didn’t want to be totally naked or have sex.

The evening  after seeing, DS Random’s worried look, Chelle was shopping at a local, small Tesco for missing items in her toilet. As she headed to the toiletries section, she nearly collided another shopper.

“I’m sorry…oh hi DS Ransom,” Chelle greeted.

“Yes, hi.” The police detective’s short response wasn’t as joyful as usual, so Chelle quickly asked, “Is something bothering you, Detective?”

Ransom looked at her then suggested they finish their shopping then go to a nearby cafe. Their groceries were stored in Ransom’s car then over juice for Chelle and coffee for Ransom, the truth was revealed.

“Nikki didn’t turn up to work  three days ago. We called her work and personal phone many times and there was no answer. After a rushed warrant from a judge, we searched her flat but everything was pristine, even her blanket was folded nicely. Forensics found no traces of a struggle or break in. She can’t have intentionally gone rogue or undercover. Initially, she was declared as a missing person but now a kidnapped individual.”

“We’d like to help, Detective,” Chelle quickly responded.

“You can call me Bell after knowing each other so long. No, I suspect it could be a dangerous case and I don’t want have teens in any trouble.” She saw Chelle’s facial reaction. “Alright, since you helped Nikki and myself fight crime here all this time, I’ll try to provide you updates when I can.” With that, they shook hands.

The next day was a Saturday and Chelle called a meeting of all the teen detectives at her home as their caravan was stifling in the summer heat. She quickly summarised what was told, adding Ransom’s advice to stay away.

“So, that explains her facial expressions. We’re not sitting on the sidelines, are we?” Richard asked.

“Most definitely not! We owe it to Nikki – she’d  helped us all the time and vice versa,” Lin declared.

“Where do we start? The police found no evidence at Nikki’s place,” Mark noted.

Chelle opened her laptop and accessed her Facebook account and within in seconds, showed Nikki Heath’s account. They crowded around and initially saw nothing unusual so Jenn suggested looking at her pictures. The first few were just of scenery while the fifth was of her hugging a muscular and taller guy. This person was not tagged thus Chelle returned to Nikki’s friend’s list.

“Max Smiith, what a generic name,” Jenn read out loud.

Evenings earlier, just as Nikki protested she didn’t want sex, Max moved his arm and jabbed a minute needle into her side. Instantaneously, the senior police detective drooled, then fell unconscious. “Oh, you’ll get an alternative to a screw,” Max growled and turned the unconscious, topless lady face down and wrench her arms behind her back. Her wrist were criss-crossed and her wrists were tightly secured by two sets of cable ties. Her elbows were also bound then  he flung her back face front. Her knees and ankles received similar treatment. Max then retrieved long-length industrial cable ties and used them to bind her arms to her side, pushing her huge boobs further out.

He stepped backed to admire the set of restraints then wiped clean the drool around her lips. Pieces of black duct tape were smeared across her lower jaw then breathable hood was secured over her head. He then sent a text message and minutes later, a dark-skinned and black-haired man entered. Both men wrapped her in a large canvas bag, then placed her in a large box with air holes. They expertly cleaned the whole room, made the bed, checked the coast was clear, then carried the box out.

The teen detectives couldn’t find anything regarding Max Smith; his Facebook profile was incomplete with no pictures. They planned to show it to DS Ransom but phone calls indicated the Detective Sergeant was not in her office. They all went their different ways with Lin and Reinhard heading to the detectives’ headquarters. They repaired and many gadgets then paused to decide what to create.

“What about that social media programme you created long ago?” Reinhard asked.

“Oh, it stopped working after a while,” was her reply. “Don’t think it can be repaired.”

“Well, that person’s profile may be so, we should focus on that single picture, using the good old photoshop.”

While, the science kids were focused on gadgets and the photo, Richard was over at Jenn’s house and he spotted pamphlets for a grammar school. “Well, my parents wish me to transfer to Raddleborn Grammar. It offers a scholar for students taking humanities subjects. Has a range of high-quality teachers…”

“So, are you leaving Croonford School? The detective gang?”

“No, it’s just their view. I haven’t made a final decision, after all, my schoolmates, teachers my life is at Croonford. I’ll miss the drama club, the debate club and..”

“Me,” Richard concluded.

She laughed, then he asked if she’ll like to try an online music quiz before they focus on the new case.

Chelle finally arranged a meeting with DS Ransom and awaited being told off. “Well, boss previously said she never had a steady lover but this is certainly new evidence.” In reply, Bell said the neighbours heard slight footsteps past midnight but no one saw anyone exiting Nikki’s flat. “I’ve also ordered the forensics team to sweep her flat and exterior again.”

“Either she’s lying or that’s all she’s looked into her missing superior,” Mark remarked. “That’s information is very thin.”

“We need to find where Nikki lives. I know it’s searching for a needle in a haystack. Let’s reexamine the picture.”

As the couple focused on the picture, a girl cursed for the first time in many years. “Bloody Hell, how could I forget the Beatles number one single?”

“It happens. I’ll…” Richard began.

“I’m always first in everything! I’m going to be top of the Year 11 cohort!”

The new couple started arguing who I am score the highest in their GCSEs. Meanwhile, in a darkened room, Nikki Heath’s eyes fluttered open. A rush of cold air told her she was still topless. A tug at her wrists and ankles indicated she was restrained in a V-shaped position, with thick leather cuffs. A tough, plastic spherical object held with leather straps told her what she was gagged with.

“Ah, the great Detective Chief Inspector awakes,” Max voice broke the silence. “Or the one who incorrectly got my stepbrother locked up. Bitch!” He spat, the saliva running down her cleavage.” Nikki cried through the gag and struggled – what was his surname? Hastings? No Hamilton? Who is his…

Max stepped into view and a light shown, Nikki quickly shut her eyes. “Now, to punish you.” A camera clicked and he announced that he has a new sub and any followers will suggest what ‘punishment’ she will receive. “Ah, first suggestion.”

Chelle and Mark after much brainstorming, examined the surroundings of that picture. There was some vegetation behind the two individuals and a lane to their left. They started naming lanes in Croonford. Finally, Chelle checked Google Maps’ street view, she found two lanes that closely matched the picture. The first area was quickly dismissed as a park dominated the place. Their eyes raised as they saw a block of flats along Paterson Lane.

“Excuse me, do you know if a Nicola Smith lives here?” Chelle asked an elderly lady exit the block.

“Of course, she’s my neighbour   though haven’t for several days. Then the coppers came, told them that but they placed tape across her door.”

“Could you let us n? We’re friends of hers and want to leave a gift,” Mark half lied. The lady unlocked the gate though warned them the guard would chase them away if found. The couple quickly entered and after checking the letterbox, headed up to the third floor. Nikki’s door was definitely secured with police barrier tape. There were several yellow evidence markers on the floor as well.

“There’s a depression on the floor, as if something or someone very heavy was moved here,” Mark pointed. It took Chelle two minutes before she spotted the small depression then took a picture. They followed its direction which led to the back stairwell and out to the back garden. All of a sudden, the security guard appeared but they managed to exit via a nearby gate.

They found them on a pedestrian path but not far away was a lane for vehicles.

“So,” Chelle panted. “Nikki may have been carried out with no neighbour hearing or noticing, down the back stairwell, out and…”

“…carried to that lane and driven off in a vehicle. Still murky,” Mark completed.

:”OmW” Nikki screamed through the gag as she was spanked by Max. Bound spreadeagled, Max had a clear view of her thinly-covered buttocks. He gave her another spank then saw the new message. “Ah, bare bottom,” he proceeded to cut off the detective’s knickers despite struggling then switched to use a table tennis racket. Minutes later, another message came. Max approached her front and she screamed as he clipped her nipples with clothes pegs.

Reinhard was in a trance like previously and all Lin could give him his favourite Jasmine tea and snacks. Finally, just after an hour, he shifted back and cleaned his spectacles. “Finally got something after downloading half a dozen image enhancing programmes, I found this on his upper arm.” He showed her a minute tattoo in the form dagger on Max’s right ear.

“Ok, so he has a tattoo,” Lin said.

“One I’ve seen before on someone else. He’s a bit of a ruffian so I need support.”

“Well, you have me,” she kissed his head. “Let me get my special coat.” He saw her wearing an unusual coat but she simply said she’ll explain later.

Reinhard brought her to a dilapidated building in Coventry and immediately she smelt cigar and cigarette smoke. Inside, beside a whole range of laptops and LCD screens, were three men, one bearded with tattoos on his arms, the other pair dark-skinned.

“Ah shorty, what a surprise. I already paid my dues when I lost that C&C game. Oh, you brought me a hot chick.”

“She’s out of bounds, Harv and we need to discuss a mater,” Reinhard saw the burly men. “Privately.”

“Boy, this isn’t an online game. You don’t make demands. Teach him!”

The other men attempted to tackle Reinhard but Lin pulled off her coat and threw it on the nearest men. It formed itself around his whole upper body, preventing him from seeing, thus causing him to fall down. The second guy tried to strike Lin, but she easily caught his hands and pressed him against the nearby wall.

“Alright, let them go lass,” Lin glared but. “Step outside Karim, Josh,” The two other men gave Lin a dirty look and left.

“What’s so important to interrupt my poker game?” Reinhard pressed his phone against Harv, who narrowed his eyes.

“Look, I may have that ink,” he rolled up his sleeve, showing them a similar tattoo. “But I’m no longer a criminal., a clean man.”

“Do you know this person?” Lin tapped on the picture of Max but he shook his head. She then asked if he knew anyone who is a kidnapper.

“Yeah,” Harv stubbed his cigar and tapped his phone several times. “He’s Bart, don’t know what’s he’s up to but boy he was in the business taking women to film them in positions I don’t want to describe. I left the criminal world as he threatened to film my girlfriend naked to blackmail me.” Taking a long puff, he pulled up a known location. “Wait, you’re that famous teen detective right?” He jabbed his cigar at Reinhard. “Ya don’t want go near him, especially a pretty gal like ya.” He pointed at Lin.

“You actually played an online game against this ex-criminal?” Lin asked after thanking Harv.

“Once. The prize was a good range of electronic software. I only discovered his history when I claimed the prize at his shop. You turned your coat into a gadget like that in The World Is Not Enough?”

“Close, better than that net device, eh?”

He quickly asked if they were head to that criminal’s possible location, “I don’t want you to end up like Harv mentioned.”

“We’ll be careful.”

Lin’s message nearly made Chelle drop her ice cream. She checked the street map and the location was directly along that lane behind Nikki’s flat. Jenn and Richard who were arguing over GCSEs and music, grabbed their coats with Jenn checking she had gadgets with her. Reinhard and Lin were the first to arrive at the storage facility with only one entrance available.

“Should we wait for the others?” The short boy wondered. Lin just knocked on the entrance and after no reply just pushed and entered the main office. It was a darkened room and they soon enter another larger, very dark but barren room. Just as they were going to draw out their phones, Reinhard was struck on the back of his neck and Lin just fell on the ground.

Jenn was the next to arrive but found the entrance locked but easily opened it after a turn. She immediately found herself facing a dark-skinned man. She apologised, saying she found the wrong location but before she turned, a dart struck her.

Reinhard groaned as he recovered and quickly rubbed his sore neck. Despite the entrance lack of light, he immediately found himself in some small shed surrounded by workman tools and cleaning liquids. As he started looking for a way out, he heard a familiar soft moan. “I’m coming!” he shouted and threw away all the items blocking him. Finally, he found the exit but had to use the skeleton key his girlfriend made. Thankfully, he found all his belongings on him although his phone was dented. The moan came again and after unlocking a storage shed, he found her. Lin, was stripped down to her purple knickers and black bra which was unclipped , strapped to a metal table and tightly tape gagged.

“How many times must I find you restrained like this?” He shook his head as he peeled off her gag. Her reply interrupted as Chelle and Mark appeared.

“Ooops.  What happened? Did you find Nikki yet?”

Reinhard recounted what occurred and suggested they stay together as the guy was armed at least with a dart. Thankfully, Lin’s clothes were found and during the first minute of the search they found Jenn, unconscious but lightly bound and gagged with duct tape, her jeans slightly pulled down.

“I thought Richard was with you?” Lin asked as they freed Jenn.

“We got into an argument so made separate ways here,” she coughed. Resuming their search, they opened the largest storage shed and spotted the police detective and the two thugs, Max splashing water over Nikki while the dark-skinned man  aiming a video camera.

“No shit, now five,” that captor growled, dart gun in his right hand. Lin was faster, throwing her special coat which wrapped all itself over that thug, causing him to misfire and thankfully missing the teen detectives. Mark simultaneously tackled Max but even with Reinhard joining, Max struggled. The three girls pinned the other thug down but he soon managed to get out of the cocoon. A hidden Glock 26 appeared in his hand. “Ha! Now you lot give in!”

“Armed Police! Drop that firearm now!” DS Ransom appeared with her Glock 17 raised along with other authorised firearms officers (AFOs) and Richard behind. “I have to admit, you lot performed much better detective work than myself.”

One and a half weeks later, the six detectives received letters of commendation from Detective Chief Superintendent (DSU) Robert Gates, Nikki’s and Blubell’s superior. Jenn briefly glanced at Richard whom she thought was unworthy of this award. Max’s real name was Roger, whose stepbrother Jeff was imprisoned for paedophilia. Their live filming of Nikki was to an adult site run by an organised crime group which Ransom and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials took down.

“Well, that’s our post-GCSE case completed Chelle remarked.

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark, Reinhard and Richard will return in ‘Prom Wrecker’.

 

37: All Dressed Up

Summary: In the midst of their GCSEs, the girl detectives and Richard are invited by Maddie, Jenn’s classmate to her family housewarming. All proceeds fine until the house lights go off.

“Jenn?”

Jenn looked up from her revision notes and books, seeing Maddie Ranson, her classmate standing next to her.

“Where are the other two girl detectives?” Maddie asked.

Jenn raised her eyebrows – despite being classmates for around four years, Maddie never spoke to her. Nevertheless,  Jenn spotted Chelle and Lin across the school library.

Taking the trio outside, Maddie started. “My father got our home redecorated and it looks like a new residence. I’m inviting all our classmates,” she gestured to Jenn. “Would you two also like to come?” She looked directly at the other girls.

“Maddie we’re in the midst of our…” Jenn countered.

“I know, I know. My parents know. However, it’s only an hour or so and dad has antiques from historical eras we’re studying for our history exam. Interested?”

Jenn gave a reluctant nod and Chelle said ok. Lin was not interested in history but did not want to leave her detective friends out.

“What about Mark? What Reinhard?” The 11B girls mentioned their boyfriends.

“Oh, sorry the guest list is full.” The girls pondered and still agreed on her invitation.

“Great, I’ll text you my home address. Oh, by the way, it’s a formal dress code. Dad has some VVIPs there. Hope you have evening gowns.” Maddie disappeared.

Gown?! Jenn cried silently. I don’t have any gowns. Why must it be an evening gown? Meanwhile, her detective colleagues started talking rapidly. “Oh, I’ve a maroon gown. Just have to ensure it’s not that dusty,” Chelle said.

“I’ve a dark purple strapless gown resting in my closet,” Lin added, “Wait, Jenn, something wrong?”

The shortest girl detective gave the reason. “I only have simple dresses. Even for events like relatives’ weddings, I wear dresses. Can’t I go in them.”

“Well, you will look out of place amongst your classmates. A gown doesn’t hurt. I know a not to expensive dress shop. Want to go shopping with me?”

Lin was the ladies fashion expert. Jenn took a moment then nodded.

As the girls returned to revision, the thoughts of Maddie’s invitation lingered in Jenn’s mind. After so long, Maddie finally talked to her and it was an invitation to her home. Why? She finished up her revision then took her school laptop outside the library. She searched Maddie’s name but only found her classmate’s social media accounts on the first page. Jenn then narrowed down the search to ‘Ranson’, Maddie’s surname. She scanned through the results and on the bottom of the first page she saw a Wikipedia and a House of Lords transparency link. Clicking on the later, her heart leapt, finding Lord Ranson of Eastbury. The text read that this Lord was the Second Earl of Eastbury, but he decided long ago not to publicly use those titles. “Edward Ranson inherited half of his father’s inheritance and he invested in that fortunate constructing museums housing family and collected antiques. Despite being a crossbencher in the House of Lords, he rarely sits and uses his own money  not government expenses to travel to London.” Jenn clicked on the Wikipedia article and saw the same information albeit without a picture. Wow, Jenn thought. Maddie’s father is wealthy then she spotted a pdf document on the search. It was a recent court case between Edward Ranson and his older brother the First Earl, Robert ‘Ranson. Many lines were redacted but the gist was it was a dispute over their father’s will.

At the shop, Jenn and Lin looked up at the gowns on display. “Can we focus on strapped gowns? I don’t want my bra straps to show,” Jenn requested.

“You can always wear a strapless bra or an adhesive bra,” Lin suggested but the answer from her friend’s look said it. There weren’t many gowns with shoulder straps, Jenn concentrated on the thick strap ones and there were only a red gown and a beige gown. The chest area of the red one was a little revealing in Jenn’s view so it was the latter.

“The slit here is rather long, will my pants show?” Jenn wondered meaning her knickers.

“It’s called a high slit. No, not unless you walk improperly or lift it up high,” Lin answered. Jenn thought then chose it. The gown on display naturally wasn’t Jenn’s size but after a hated measurement  of her small frame, another was produced. The sales assistant instructed her how to put it on and she rented it instead of purchasing it still hating the formal dress code.

After shopping, Jenn called all the teen detectives for a meeting They all told their parents they were revising and in their headquarters, Jenn summarised what she had discovered.

“Well,” Chelle remarked after scanning through that pdf document.” We have stumbled across a family dispute. It could turn out to be detective case.”

Jenn didn’t like that; she wanted a simple evening and rush back to revision.

“Are you sure it’s Maddie’s father? There could be other Mr Ranson’s,” Reinhard wondered.

“We’ll find out that evening,” was Chelle’s simple answer.

“It’s time for gadgets then,” Lin said opening a nearby drawer.’

“Wait, you invented gadgets with GCSEs going on?” Mark asked.

“Made last year.” She smiled at her boyfriend. They look like Smartie Tubes? First brown one, ‘The Crackling.’ Throw the ‘Smarties’ on any surface and they will blend with the colour. Anyone stepping on them will created a large crackling noise, notifying you to move if needed. Second black tube, ‘Glow in the Dark’. Throw them again on any surface and they’ll glow in darkened areas. You will need these special glasses to view the glow.” She handed over three transparent glasses to Chelle, Jenn and Richard. “Very useful when you find yourself in low-light or very dark areas. Now just do not eat these fake Smarties. It will cause a person to vomit or give him or her a bad stomach ache instantly.”

Jenn kept them still hoping it wouldn’t turn out into an adventure or case. “Next, could you girls hand your purses, hope you’ll be using these that evening.”

She produced three microchip-like items and attached one to the inside her purse. Pressing on side of the attached device, it emitted a continuous shriek until she pressed that part. “The shriek can be changed to a cry ‘I’m stolen!’ if you press the bottom of the chip or ‘Help me!’ if you press the other side. Great if the purse may be stolen or you’re in danger.”

“Do I get that?” Richard asked.

“Well, I’ve not invented that many of this device.”

Then evening before the housewarming, Jenn finished up her revision then look at the dress lying on her bed. Grudgingly, she put in on and got right the second try, also remembering to wear knickers that won’t sow a visible panty line. She re-watched a YouTube video how to walk properly in a gown and how to lift in when going to the loo. She searched her range of footwear and found a pair that nearly matched the colour of her gown. Her mother told her not to stay too late and Jenn promised not to.

Mark and Reinhard despite not invited decided to watch the guests arriving. They found an eatery opposite Maddie’s place. “Wow, and I thought Lin’s house was large and majestic. This is grandiose, a place fit for a king.”

“You’ll score well in your GCSE English mate,” Mark remarked. “Definitely a symbol of wealth here.”

Reinhard prepared the telescope his girlfriend invented and just as it was set up the first guests arrived. They were all dressed in suits and dresses, giving the image of upper-class individuals. Reinhard now believed the mansion was quite definitely the home of an aristocrat.

“Here comes the students,” Mark noted. Maddie’s classmates were all in suits and gowns like the upper-class guests. As a taxi pulled up, Reinhard peered close through the scope. Chelle was the first to step out in her maroon thin strap gown and one-inch heels. Next came out Lin in her purple strapless gown, hair let down walking in heels half an inch taller than Chelle’s.

“Close your mouth boy,” Mark advised his classmate whose mouth was wide open. “It isn’t prom yet.”

Jenn gingerly came out last, holding the sides of her rented gown and wearing white flats. Inside, they were all greeted by the majordomo. If the exterior was rand, the interior was majestic, with decor from medieval and medieval modern times. Her father is definitely the Second Earl and a member of the House of Lords, Jenn thought. She spotted trays of food and putting those thoughts aside she headed there. As she picked up an open-faced chicken sandwich, Richard’s voice boomed behind her.

“Beautiful gown, Jenn.” He was wearing an all-blue suit with a blue tie that had yellow diagonal stripes.

“Thanks Richard, only if you aren’t wearing it. Want to leave by next hour?”

She’ll never get used to wearing anything but jeans and trousers, he nearly shook his head. “Alright, we’ll share a taxi.”

Just as she picked up a fruit juice, another voice boomed. Jenn spotted a man in a suit and bow tie, exactly like the picture in the House of Lords transparency website.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all, especially students taking their GCSEs,” how kind of him, Jenn thought dryly. “Welcome to the Ranson housewarming. It’s the same residence however, we renovated and redecorated much. As you also can see, there are antiques on display, many my team collected. They will shortly be moved to our various museums. Feel free to look around and ask me or my family members any queries.”

Chelle took a walk to see the various exhibits. Lin, totally uninterested in antiques, started talking to some of her science club members. Jenn finished her drink and sandwich then spied Maddie across the room, wearing a sky-blue strapless gown. “Nice place,” She started then slowly asked if Maddie’s father was an Earl and member of the House of Lords.

“You checked upon me yes to your queries. My may hold those titles, but as you discovered he just calls himself ‘Mister.’ My family is ultra-wealthy, I can’t hide that but I never wanted to be part of it. I work odd jobs, never wish for my father’s inheritance. I…”

“You’ve never talked to me then suddenly I’m invited into your home along with the other girl detectives. Why?”

“Well, I… hey are you interested in that rifle?”

“I may not be a military fanatic but it from the First World War? We studied that in history class.” Jenn asked.

“Yes, it’s my great great grandfather or uncle – not sure which – rifle. Usually, rifles aren’t kept by soldiers but he fought with distinction using so the army let him use it. Amongst the items on display here it is the most expensive.”

“So, I was asking…” Before Jenn could complete her sentence, she felt dizzy, her mind turned blank and the mansion lights turned off.

When she awoke, Jenn only saw a darkness. Slowly, she regained full consciousness. She quickly realised the darkness was not due to any blindness but a blindness dark piece of cloth wrapped around her head. I’m blindfolded! Jenn also felt an adhesive stuck on her lips and her wrists were secured behind her back with ropes. Her wrist bonds were further secured with rope tied around her waist. More ropes were tied around her ankles. Bound, gagged and blindfolded, what a way to spend an evening.

Just as she started to struggle, a human arm touched her. “Jemm, ist thatm um?”

“Maddiemm?” Jenn replied and shifted further. She moved her arms and felt the knots of her classmate’s wrist bonds and started tugging at them. Getting the cue, Maddie also felt and found Jenn’s wrist bonds and tugged at the knots. After a minute they faced each other’s back-to-back, working on the knots. The two teenaged girls worked furiously at their knots. After eight sweaty minutes, Maddie’s knots came free first and Jenn heard a ripping sound.  “Thanks Jenn!” Maddie called then fingers then peeled off Jenn’s tape gag and quickly pulled down her blindfold.

“It’s great to see and talk again. Do work on wrists bonds again, Maddie.” It took around three minutes before Jenn’s hands were free. Both girls picked at the knots on their ankle bonds and quickly they could fully move. “But where are we?” Maddie asked, Jenn noticing there was no blindfold around her neck.

In the mansion, there lots of calls and cries from guests and some staff when the whole place plunged into darkness. As Mr Ranson tried to keep calm, servants scurried to gather flashlights, while the majordomo rushing to check the circuit breakers. After fifteen minutes and three checks, the circuit breakers appeared fine. Just as the majordomo felt really frustrated, the lights return.

“Where’s Madeline?” Mrs Ranson called across the room.

“Where’s Jenn?” Chelle called.

“What happened to some of our antiques?!”

“Bell, could you handle this missing person’s case from the Ranson family? I’ve still have to write up the report on the drug case we solved.” Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Nikki Heath called.

“Sure thing Boss,” Detective Sergeant (DS) Bluebell Ransom responded. She preferred to be called this shortened name as opposed to her first name. Police Constables (PC) had already congregated when she arrived. She instructed some PCs to cover all exits, others to cover the grounds and brought in a few with her. Blubell was glad Mr Ranson was wise to prevent anyone from leaving. As DS Ransom announced that everyone would be questioned, there were groans from the students taking their GCSEs.

Jenn and Maddie saw their surroundings were all pitch-black. The girl detective searched around and was glad she found both her purse and Maddie’s. Everything was inside but there was no phone signal and as she checked her phone Maddie tapped her arm.

“I think we’re in an underground bunker dating back to the World Wars. It was an air raid shelter then an ammunition storage facility.”

“Well, whatever. Let’s find a way out of here.”

Jenn shone her phone around, finding that they were in a small chamber and there was only one tunnel to her left. Advising Maddie to dim her phone torchlight, she got on her knees and elbows, leading the way. It initially was wide for them but narrowed quickly, however, Jenn was thankful for her small frame. As she crawled further, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel and quickly whispered to Maddie to halt. Jenn inched closer to discover if it was a way out or if it was danger. There was a large chamber below her with figures huddling around crates. Suddenly, she heard voices then saw dark figures moving items. All of a sudden, a figure rose up, stared at her direction and shouted.

“Back! Go back, Mads!” Maddie crawled back but was not used be on all fours moving back. Her left heel then struck part the tunnel’s wall and the shouts grew louder. Jenn then collided with Maddie and a dark-clothed and masked figure appeared and grabbed Miss Ranson’s ankle.

“Got free eh, birds?”

DS Ransom finished interviewing Mr and Mrs Ranson and the household staff. With the with the assistance of a senior PC, started questioning the quests. She understood the students were sitting for exams, so allowed them to go home after interviewing them and taking their contact details. “I saw Jenn talking to Maddie over that corner near an antique.,” Richard said in his statement recalling from photographic memory. Another few guests also mention feeling sleepy. “Get Forensic scene investigators (FSI) here immediately!” DS Ransom told the PC.

Jenn and Maddie were dragged by masked men through the tunnel then leftwards through another shorter tunnel into a larger chamber than where the girls started. Both girls were forced down and instead of ropes, the girls’ wrists and ankles were secured with cables ties and taped gagged again. As one flipped Jenn over, her gown flared up, exposing her beige knickers and a gagged cry.

“Add more boss?” One thug asked while the girls gave muffled cries.

“Nah, go back and secure the antiques.”

The FSIs after testing the various guests, reported that the guests had inhaled some form of sleeping gas and another trio noted that there were marks on the floor and wall where the rifle antique was and the girls were standing. Acquiring a knife and a crowbar, she and two other PCs pried around that area and finally, traps doors opened, a smaller one in the wall and a larger one where the antique was. DS Ransom ordered her PCs to search the wall tunnel while she entered the floor tunnel.

Jenn wished she had her other gadgets as being bound with cable ties was far harder to get out than ropes. She tried the old trick of twisting her arms from back to her font but with her restrained ankles, she only got aching muscles. Meanwhile, Maddie kicked off her heels and using her hands, she drew out an object from one and used it to cut off her ankle bonds. Managing to draw her restrained hands in front, she reached over and cut off Jenn’s restraints.

“Wow, thanks Maddie,” Jenn remarked as she tore off her gag and removed all restraints from restraints her classmate. “Did you make this gadget?”

“Just an old razor blade I carry for self-protection. Came in useful. Looks like another chamber in this bunker.”

“Let’s find a way out.” Jenn pushed at the ‘panel’ they were brought in and thankfully it wasn’t sealed. She scanned the tunnel for any thugs, then grateful her purse and phone weren’t stolen, gingerly crawled out. As she did, she threw some of the ‘glow in the dark smarties’ on the floor.

Bluebell Ransom discovered a labyrinth of large and small tunnels as she descended. She wasn’t as small as the teenagers so she found difficulty moving through it and after finding two tunnels, she picked the one to her right. Jenn had led the way back to the large chamber she saw earlier. There was a ladder and they discovered there were no more crates as Jenn spotted earlier. “They said ‘antiques’, it’s a good guess that they stole my dad’s antiques,” Maddie remarked.

“Which means there’s some tunnel large enough to carry them. Could you check that section?” Jenn asked.

“There’s so tunnel, but it pretty high up and narrow,” On the other hand, Jenn found an easily-opened tunnel within reach and in her view, wide enough for them or a large to bring up items. Jenn climbed in first, then helped Maddie up. There was a long ladder and even in a gown and heels, the girls could easily climb. It appeared four levels up and the girls managed up to three levels. Meanwhile, DS Ransom found a small chamber with pieces of rope and packing tape on the floor. Moving through another tunnel, she turned to find another small chamber.

“Come on, Maddie, it looks like just on more level,” Jenn called. Jenn saw there was some man hole and unscrewing it appeared with all her might, it opened after three turns and Jenn felt a rush of cold wind as she peered up. No one else looked present so both girls came up. “This looks like my back garden,” Maddie remarked, brushing her gown.

“And these rightfully belong to me,” a loud voice said.

“Uncle Rob?” Maddie exclaimed. As the dark figure moved closer, both girls were grabbed from behind and hand gagged. One henchman snatched Jenn’s purse and emptied one ‘Smartie Tube’.

“Police! Release those girls!” A female voice yelled and a PC appeared shining her flashlight.

“Oh, how you going to stop us? My men are armed.” All the men raised submachine guns and handguns at her and her approaching colleagues. With the PCs unarmed, there was no way they could argue. Suddenly, the thug holding Jenn held his stomach, releasing her and started to vomit. Suddenly, taser shots rang out and the henchmen all collapsed on the ground.

“You’re under arrest for attempted kidnapping and stealing personal property,” DS Ransom announced as she handcuffed the first. Earl of Eastbury.

“Horrible uncle,” Maddie remarked as the girls sat in the open ambulance.

Jenn returned to the question why she, Chelle and Lin were suddenly invited to Maddie’s house.

“You win. I long suspected there were many attempts to steal Dad’s antiques. Besides the court case you read, there have been break-ins recently. I wanted you three girl detectives to spot anything peculiar here.”

“You could have told us that earlier!”

Maddie admitted her mistake and said inviting her class was the cover story. She promised to speak to Jenn and keep no further secrets from her. DS Ransom, noting it was late, told them she would clear the matter after their GCSEs. Jenn gratefully rushed back home, took off the gown and returned to revision.

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark, Reinhard and Richard will return in ‘Missing in Action’.

35: Framed Part 2

Summary: Lin and Reinhard close in on the source of the doctored pictures. Jenn and Reinhard find lady who claim she was framed at work and thus incorrectly charged.

The prologue is adapted from Frank Knebel’s story The Frame Up Chapter 1.

The fight on the train is inspired by James Bond’s From Russia With Love.

Prologue:

Mr Justice Launer unfolded the sheet of paper had handed to him and read through it twice. His gaze shifted to the jury foreman and cleared his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is this your verdict?”

The jury foreman rose.

“Yes, your honour.”

“The defendant will please rise,” said Launer.

The defence lawyer, Sean Paulson, a tall, bespectacled, fair-haired young man put his hand gently on the arm of Kerri Richardson, and they rose from their seats at the defence table. They presented a stark contrast in physical appearance together. Though not ugly, he was gangly and rather awkward looking, his long limbs seemingly ill at ease at being attached to his body. On the streets, he would have been noticed, if at all, as an egg-headed young man who needed to get more sun and exercise.

On the other hand, Kerri Richardson had perfectly proportioned face, with her dark eyes and hair, pert nose, full lips, and creamy complexion thus would have brought a smile to any men she passed. Even though the plain navy-blue suit she wore in the courtroom had been chosen to de-emphasize any sensuality, it could not hide the trim waist, prominent breasts and shapely legs of its occupant.

“The foreman will read the verdict,” intoned Mr Judge Launer.

“We, the jury, find the defendant, Kerri Richardson, guilty on all charges.”

Kerri Richardson sagged slightly against her barrister and squeezed her hands. As the judge thanked the jury for their time and efforts, there were smiles from some victors in the gallery.

“Your Honour, defence intends to appeal the verdict,” said the tall young barrister.

Mr Judge Launer nodded while writing something a yellow pad.

“So noted, Mr. Paulson. The jury has returned a verdict of guilty in this case. However, I’m troubled by some of the evidence presented here by both sides, so I’m going to delay full sentencing for one week. This will allow some time for further investigation by the police and additional evidence to be developed. The clerk will notify both parties as to a time for a sentencing hearing on…”

The judge flipped a few pages in his calendar book.

“…next Wednesday, the 23rd.”

“Your Honor, because of the defendant’s previous attempts to delay trial and follow her bail conditions, we request that she be held in custody,” The prosecutor argued.

The judge looked down at his notes. He looked thoughtful then nodded.

“Though it is regrettable, I feel that under the circumstances Mr. Hazen’s point is valid. Defendant is remanded in custody. Court is adjourned.”

The clerk called for the room to rise as the judge left the bench through the door to the judges’ chambers.

Kerri looked up at Paulson.

“What does it mean, Sean?”

“It means you’ll be held in jail for now,” he said softly.

Kerri looked horrified.

“But I didn’t do it, Sean! I didn’t!” she protested. “How can they lock me up for something I didn’t do?”

Constable Louisa Cole stepped forward. Except for having blue eyes, Louisa was very similar to Kerri in height, build, and abundant good looks. In her right hand, she held a pair of handcuffs. Kerri gasped when she saw them.

“I’m sorry, Miss Richardson,” Louisa said gently. “Regulations state I have to cuff them behind your back.”

Something had indeed snapped in Kerri Richardson. The hateful taunting in the courtroom and the sea of jealous female faces had convinced her that everyone was against her and even rejoiced in seeing her railroaded. A desperate plan formed up in her mind as the Constable guided her along the quiet corridor to the cells, Kerri slowed and let her head fall forward.

“Are you all right, Miss Richardson?” asked the Constable.

“S…something in my stomach,” Kerri replied dazedly. “It hurts.”

“Come on. The nurse’s office is just down the hall.”

Kerri nodded. She was breathing in short gasps, her eyes almost closed. They walked on a few more steps when she almost doubled over and groaned.

“Just a few more steps!” urged Louisa. “You can make it!”

Kerri groaned again and fell against the Constable. Louisa tried to lift and pull her into the office, calling for the nurse as she struggled on. A pretty, cheerful-faced, sandy-haired woman in her late twenties wearing a white nurse’s uniform appeared at the door. Lorna Leeson was a former dancer who had taken up nursing when a knee injury ended her career.

“What’s wrong?” she asked the Constable.

“I don’t know,” Louisa replied. “She got a pain in the stomach and started to collapse.”

Kerri groaned again and doubled over more. Her knees buckled.

“Let’s get her up on the examination table,” Lorna directed. “You’d better take the cuffs off so we can lift her.”

Constable Cole nodded and stooped to unlock the handcuffs. As she and the nurse tried to lift Kerri, Louisa had the fleeting glimpse of the holster strap that ran over her taser hanging loose. Before she could respond, Kerri doubled over again, slipping out of her grasp. When she and Lorna lifted the prisoner again, Kerri rose up quickly. In her hand was Constable Cole’s service taser. She waved it from side to side, alternately pointing it at both.

“All right, nurse,” she said, breathing hard. “Close the door.”

Lorna Leeson, shocked, obeyed as Louisa Cole raised her hands.

“Now don’t do anything you’ll regret,” Louisa cautioned. “Nobody’s hurt so far and we can all just forget this if you’ll hand me the taser back.”

“I’m not giving you the taser,” said Kerri. “The only thing I regret is to be accused of faking legal documents I never saw and thinking that this trial would clear me. I’m not going to prison for somebody else’s crime.”

“But this won’t do you any good!” said Lorna, her hands also raised now. “You can’t possibly get out of this building like this.”

“You’re right. I can’t. But you can.”

Louisa swallowed hard, realising what the sentenced lady meant.

“Take off your uniforms,” Kerri ordered the two ladies.

Louisa Cole reached for the top button of her uniform shirt. Lorna glanced at the Constable and did the same. As the two women undressed, Kerri pulled Lorna’s desk chair into the centre of the room, then grabbed a first aid kit from the wall. She opened it and removed some rolls of cloth bandages. Finally, she picked up the handcuffs from the examination table. Her two prisoners were now reduced to their knickers and bras.

“That’s enough,” said Kerri. She tossed the cuffs to Lorna. “Cuff the Constable’s hands behind her back.”

The nurse cuffed her wrists and directed by Kerri, tightened them a couple more clicks.

“I’m sorry to have to do this to you, Constable,” Kerri apologized. “You’ve been good and I used that to trick you. And now I have to be sure that those cuffs are tight. Your wrists are dainty and I can’t have you getting away.”

She handed a roll of bandages to Lorna.

“Put those in her mouth, then cover her mouth with the medical tape.”

Lorna had no choice but to obey. When the entire wad would not go in, Kerri allowed her to reduce the size of the roll and cut off the excess. Then Lorna cut several pieces of adhesive tape from roll and sealed the Constable’s mouth. Handing her another roll of bandages, Kerri ordered her to loop the cloth around Louisa’s body and arms just below her breasts and just above her waist.

“Now help her up on the table.”

Lorna helped the bound woman onto the exam table and ordered by Kerri, bound her legs at the knees and ankles with more bandages. Louisa Cole sat helplessly on the table as Kerri turned her attention to the nurse.

“Sit in the chair,” she said pointing with her free hand.

“Don’t you think that…” Lorna began.

“Quiet!” snapped Kerri. “Put your hands around the back of the chair.”

The back of the chair was narrow enough that Lorna’s hands met without straining. Kerri crossed the nurse’s wrists and began looping them with tape.

“If you were going to try to tell me that this plan is crazy, you don’t need to,” said Kerri. “It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But I’m started now, and there’s no turning back. I’m just glad I don’t have to hurt either of you.”

She finished tying Lorna’s hands, laid the taser on the desk, and began binding her ankles with more tape. The young nurse watched her with anxiety, yet more with sympathy.

“What’re you going to do?” she asked.

Kerri kept quiet. Finished with Lorna’s ankles, Kerri unrolled more bandages and used them to tie Lorna to the chair. She did a thorough job, looping the woman’s body at her waist, bottom of her ribs, below and above her breasts, and finally over her lap, around her thighs and the chair seat. She wadded part of one of the bandages.

“Sorry,” she said to Lorna, “but I have to gag you too.”

Before she opened her mouth for the wad, Lorna said softly:

“Good luck. whatever your doing.”

Kerri stuffed the wadding in Lorna’s mouth, sealed the gag with tape, and then used more to cover her eyes. She then rolled Louisa Cole over on her tummy and used one more strip of bandage to connect the Constable’s bound ankles to her handcuffed wrists. She also blindfolded her with tape.

“This is to make sure you stay on the table,” she explained. “Please don’t hurt yourself trying anything heroic.”

Her prisoners secured, Kerri quickly stripped off her own clothes and put on the Constable’s uniform which somewhat fitted. There was a mirror on the closet door and in its Kerri noted that the resemblance between her and Louisa was striking. The only thing wrong was her shoulder length hair. She crossed to the helpless Constable and removed the rubber band that held her hair in a bun. Tying up her hair completed the transformation. A quick search of Lorna’s purse produced a pair of sunglasses, which would help to hide any differences. Kerri replaced the taser in the holster she now wore and went to the door. She turned back to the two bound women.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be found.”

Picking up her own clothes, she glanced into the hallway and it was empty. She slipped out and walked in the opposite direction of the courtroom. At the end of the hallway, she opened the door and went from the building into the sunlight.

***

Chelle told Lin the restrictions her mother placed on her. “Don’t worry, Richard saw someone we will talk to. Not a likely source but we’ll interview him.” That hardly comforted Chelle, neither did the constant questioning from students.

Lin and Reinhard met up with Richard to tap his photographic memory. After giving them a detailed description of the second person in the tabloid headquarters, he added, “If it’s fine Jenn and I can’t join you.” He explained that Jenn had informed him of a case she wanted to investigate. “Ok, no worries,” Lin replied.

The mystery surrounding Jenn’s case when he met up with his girlfriend after their History mock paper. “You know the law internship I participated in? It ended abruptly due to this.” She played a news video covering how Kerri Richardson’s or trussed up a court guard and nurse, took the officer’s taser and escaped. “Kerri was one of the friendliest solicitors at Barnes & Horton. She was going to teach me intellectual property law. Across the time I was there, she showed no indication in falsifying legal documents, embezzling funds or any of the charges in the news.”

Before Richard could ask, the next bell rang. After school, Lin and Reinhard planned to survey the Daily Mail to catch hold of this unknown person. “I know, you’re going to ask me what we can do that the police and authorities are conducting,” Jenn continued her discussion as she pulled up her coat and held her school skirt down less the wind blew it up.

“They’ll hold a fixed assumption that Kerri is guilty and running to escape fines and imprisonment. We’ll look at it from her perspective.”

“And your first move is?”

“Returning to the firm to hand out thank-you gifts,” Jenn answered.

Lin and Reinhard didn’t spot that specific person for two days and the latter felt they were chasing ghosts. On the third day, the fortunes changed as they spotted him exiting from a side door. Both teen detectives immediately closed in and peppered him with questions.

“Hey, hey stop accosting me. I’m just a normal civilian,” the dark-clothed lad protested. After Lin asked him again, he lowered his tone and said, “I’m just an intern there. The Chief Editor liked me so am in his personal office. Yeah, I know bout the photos; know the exact source.”

“Who is it? Where can we find this person?”

“There’s no name and the source is secretive. You can meet me at the second train station tomorrow at 9:30.” He passed them a business card.

“Good to see you again you again, Jennifer, ah thank you for the chocolates,” the solicitor smiled. Jenn gave out Ferrero Rocher to every lawyer she learnt from during her internship. Finally, she reached Kerri’s empty desk and quickly took pictures of it to compare with what she saw previously.

“Looks the same, the same, hey I recall she always kept a light-blue folder on the right corner standing up.” After eliminating various reasons, she told Richard they had to monitor the staff.

There was just his name, Richard Head and his email address. Both science wizards spent the rest of their Friday afternoon looking up any more information online on Mr Head but found no LinkedIn, no Facebook, no X.com and nothing else. “Are we seriously trusting this Richard? Which intern seriously doesn’t have any online profile?” Reinhard asked in a call.

“Some people like privacy. If we detect nothing, we’ll leave the next station.”

While her friends were investigating, Chelle was still at school re-sitting for her mock English paper. Her early paper scored lower than expected resulting in her English teacher’s shock. This time she focused and really answered questions properly. Afterwards, she headed to the loo and but just as she unlocked the stall door, the toilet lights went off and a masked figure pushed her back down into the stall. A thick cloth was quickly stuffed in her mouth and her wrists were roughly secured with a make cloth handcuff. Despite massive struggling, the assailant was able to pull down her tights partly and just as he reached for the waist band of her exposed knickers, Chelle gave a massive kick striking the assailant who ran off, only with a picture of her undies. Naturally, it was reported and with the school gates closed and school Wi-Fi temporarily down, it took the school disciplinary team nearly an hour to catch the perpetrator.

“This your idea of watching the staff?” Richard asked as Jenn walked up with as long wrapped up package slung over her shoulder.

“We’ve done worse as previously,” Jenn replied, assembling the telescope Chelle previously used. Its magnification was now increased to 5X and Lin had added a cheap night vision device to it. As Jenn focused the telescope, Richard poured out a cup of organic hot chocolate. They first watched the staff leave through the exits. Jenn turned the telescope upwards and over ten minutes all lights went off. Five minutes later, just as Richard wished to leave, he called Jenn. “There’s a light on and a figure, definitely male figure on the extreme left corner.”

Jenn looked through the telescope for the next minute, switching off the night vision system. “That figure is Marcus Horton, one of the senior fellows. But staff don’t usually work so late in this office.” She looked through the telescope again but only the light was on. Ten minutes and drinks of hot chocolate, the building was dark. Almost immediately, a car sped off from the garage and the detectives knew who to look into.

Exactly at half past nine on Saturday, Lin and Reinhard met up with Richard Head. Before they wanted to know what train tickets they should purchase, they were surprised to be handed train tickets.

“We’ll be taking a sleeper train, no the destination isn’t far off, Mr Head saw Reinhard’s mouth open. “Just somewhere near Brum, this sleeper train does stop there.” Five minutes later, they found themselves in a cabin with two bunk beds and a third opposite with a drawable partition, definitely for Lin. He said it’s just near Birmingham so hopefully won’t have to use the beds, the detectives silently thought.

As that train moved away, Jenn and Richard were at a breakfast and brunch eatery. Officially, they were there revising for their GCSEs – they told their parents that. Unofficially, they, especially Jenn, were looking into Marcus Horton.

“Right, his work profile is super perfect; rose from Oxbridge law, no legal internships, excellent record as a solicitor, called to the barrister’s Inn of Court earlier than his counterparts. Successfully argued many banking law cases. I call it Richard’s law of impossibility,” Richard drank his coffee after that.

“Right. He started the firm first before William Barnes joined. Now I recall, there was a heated argument on the second day I was there and before they took it to a private room, it was about getting a third partner and the solicitors outside were discussing which amongst them will be chosen.”

“Fine, still doesn’t say how that is connected to Kerri’s charges and her running away. What’s your thoughts?”

“We go to Mr Horton’s residence and talk to him. He listed his road names on his LinkedIn’s profile, there shouldn’t .”

It was nearly ten when Reinhard announced he was hungry. “Let’s go to the dining car shall we?” Richard Head suggested.

“You two go; I’m fine,” Lin remarked. As the boys went her eyes turned to the single bag Head carried. The main zip was locked with small combination lock and opening the side pockets, there was nothing. She felt the whole bag yet couldn’t identify its contents. There’s something strange and I can’t figure it out.

Twenty minutes later, the boys return but Reinhard suddenly declared he felt sleepy and immediately dozed off on one of the bunks. Lin immediately rushed over and his pulse felt fine. She was about to check his eyes when she heard, “Get up girl.” Lin turned to see Head pointing a taser at her.

Jenn was correct, there weren’t many residences along the road where Mr Horton stated he lived. Coincidentally, the court nurse Lorna Leeson who was also bound and gagged by Kerri appeared out the first house. In a short chat with the teen detectives which heard of, she reiterated her belief Kerry was not up to anything evil and told them what Kerri wore originally. “Marc Horton lives at number fourteen.”

As they approached that particular house, the gate and door were wide open and before Richard could call, “take caution”, Jenn darted inside. Kerri was there, dressed back in her clothes sans tights loudly shouting and pointing the stolen X26 taser at Marcus Horton.

“Jennifer, you shouldn’t be here,” Kerri shouted. However, the high-flying school debater lunched into a calm debate on why Kerri should not threat the firm’ co-partner though he did falsify her files. This took just under ten minutes just as Kerri dropped the taser but found herself back in police handcuffs.

“What did you do to my boyfriend?!” Lin shouted at the taser-wielding guy.

“Oh, just making him sleep. Now, go lie down close to him, undo your top and unzip his jeans. You two would make a front-page picture for the Mail, perhaps even better than your shorter girl friend, he cackled.

“So, this is it, humiliating our detective group. If you know us, we also have gadgets. Why don’t you search me first?” Lin said. Head initially didn’t respond initially, but nodded and approached Lin, keeping the taser pointed at her. He reached into her trousers’ right pocket and found a small purse, disregarding it. He reached into the left pocket and the fake wallet clamped down on his fingers causing him to scream.

Lin immediately kicked the taser from his other hand but she received a hard kick in her lower torso. This spiralled into an enormous fight with Lin using her Taekwondo skills versus Head’s skills which she quickly realised were karate and general fighting. Within two minutes, Lin thought she had the upper hand, he – left hand free of the ‘mouse trap gadget – slammed her hard against the wall. Despite the pain in her back, Lin rose and pushed him against the opposite wall. It had turned now from a martial arts fight into a tight tackle. Suddenly, Head hand grabbed the kicked taser and growled, “Got you now, bitch.”

Lin responded with a ferocious kick to his crotch which not gave him sharp pain but threw him with enormous force against the ladder of the bunk beds. Dashing over, she found knocked out cold. “No one calls me girl or bitch,” she spat at him. Then, feeling his pulse, she glad she didn’t kill him; she needed to gain information from him. She found a wallet thick with large pound notes but suddenly there was a knock on the cabin door.

“Is everything fine? I heard sort of a commotion coming from here,” the train manager asked.

“It’s alright, ” Lin answered quickly. “Just that boy slamming the walls. Say, I know it’s against the schedule and regulations, but could you stop the train at the next stop? My boyfriend needs to tend to family crisis.” The manager shook his head but Lin dangled £100 in her sore hand, “we can slow the train to the lowest speed, “he consulted his map. “twenty minutes time.”

After thanking him, Lin rushed over to her boyfriend. She called his name three times before his eyes fluttered open and he mumbled, “nice sandwiches”, “nice coca cola”

“Reinhard, are you feeling ok? We have to move in less than twenty minutes.” She received a ‘yes’, gave him a drink of bottled water then turned to the unconscious assailant. Holding the fallen taser, she slapped Head’s face until he feeling, regained consciousness.

“You injured my balls,” he croaked.

“Ok, Rich Head,” Lin nearly wanted to call him ‘Dick’ but that would sound crude. “Who really are you? Did you take and photoshop the pictures of Michelle are Mark?”

He fell silent and in response, Lin jammed the taser into his chest. “Ok, ok yes I took the pictures at long range, phtoshopped them and wrote the article very fast. Was hired by someone took take them.”

“Who!”

“I don’t know, I kept receiving messages from several phones numbers. One was threatening my folks if I didn’t do it. It’s the truth.”

Lin slapped him again, found his hankie, stuffed it in his mouth and wound his scarf around his hands. Five minutes later, these came off and all three managed to jump across to the train station. Lin handed the taser to the now-fully awake Reinhard as she bought tickets for a train head back the other direction. At that stop, she thankfully found a taxi whose driver silently was amused she had arm around one boy’s shoulder and a hand near another.

“Where to, lass?”

“Croonford, police station.”

Epilogue:

“My name is Louis Gabriels and I took of Michelle Summers and Mark Cavendish, photoshopped them and wrote that frontline Mail article. I would sincerely like to apologise for the emotional distress placed on them, their family and disinformation it caused….” The broadcast was closed and the news presenter turned to world news.

“Well, that is much closure,” Chelle remarked as she pulled out her earplugs. The student who tried to take pictures of her private parts was immediately expelled and charged for molestation by a youth court. They verbal harassment against Chelle and Mark had stopped although there were random cases of bullying.

“So much for faking his name as Richard Head. Should have suspected he was related to the chief editor,” Lin added. Louis Gabriels was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and depending on Chelle and her parents, he might be charged with invasion of personal privacy. “I hear based on out town’s disgust, there’s an investigation into the Croonford Mail’s journalist practices and the parliamentary CMS committee is calling them for an inquiry.” Lin meant the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

“I hear you solved your case Jenn,” Chelle called. Jenn explained that Kerri Richardson was charged for attempted assaulting of a court police officer and nurse. There was a serious charge of steal an officer’s firearm and impersonating one. However, with Jenn’s and Kerri’s statements regarding Marcus Horton, there were warrant-based raids on his residence and work office, with the recovery of devices to alter bank accounts and evidence explicitly showing he doctored Kerri’s documents. With him arrested, Kerri’s legal team got her a large fine, week-long community service and original charges dismissed.

“Everything is resolved but we still…” Chelle’s statement was interrupted her phone buzzing. “Mum wants me back home,” she explained.

Chelle noticed a red Nissan parked near her residence. In her living room, tea and cakes were out and there was a man looking younger than her father seated. Before she could ask, she smelt a familiar odour and from a corner came her mother, another woman and to her shock, Mark.

“I meet up with Maria weekly for our women’s’ charity,” her mother explained. “I only got to know she had a son Mark, your boyfriend. Now, I get to meet him. It’s a small world.”

Chelle rose and greeted Maria and her husband Gavin. Then, noticing, her boyfriend, she raced over and they hugged with the parents applauding.

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark, Reinhard and Richard will return in a story, title not yet determined.

34: Framed Part 1

Summary: A tabloid starts showing pictures of Michelle and Mark sleeping together. The rest of the team attempt to prove the pictures are doctored and uncover the source of the pictures.

Previously on Croonford Detectives:

Just as they both sang along to another hit, ‘Little L,’ Chelle’s shoulder straps fell. What the couple didn’t know was they were being photographed far away.

“What happened?!” Lin exclaimed to her classmate over English breakfast.

“It was an accidental wardrobe malfunction, ok? It just took some sewing to get the zip fixed.”

“Oooh, what colour undies were you in?”

“Lin…”

and

“Mark, don’t go out in such weather. Are you tired?” He explained he had a strenuous rugby game yesterday and his back was aching a bit. He started to sit down but she told him to lie down on her bed. He indeed did and she started massaging his back. More than 30 minutes later, Chelle had turned face-to-face and they were locked in a passionate embrace deeply kissing each other on their lips. They stay like this for the rest of the late evening but what the pair did not suspect what their actions were photographed by a long-range camera.

The printing press and online news at the Croonford Daily Mail was always working in the early morning. The Chief Editor had added the usual British and International stories but a particular one with several pictures was placed on the front page. I’m sure it’ll be a hit for the whole town and the wider region, he smiled then went to grab an early morning coffee.

Later that morning, Chelle and Lin were taking the usual school bus together. They used to talk softly but today fell quiet as they were now in Year 11 and some mock exams were on today Their silence was suddenly broken as their classmate Hattie handed Chelle her mobile phone. Chelle’s eyes widened as she saw the Mail’s front page, ‘Famous local girl detective having underaged sex with her star rugby boyfriend.’

“That’s a..” She nearly completed the sentence then remembered no one was allowed to talk loudly in the bus. Minutes later, she passed through the school gates and usually students were focused on last-minute revision. Now a bunch surrounded her and peppered her with questions regarding the news article. Some immediately asked if the article was true and Chelle immediately denied it. Others, especial boys, asked how was the sex, how long was it and used dirty terms and whistled how cute she was banging a rugby star or how daring it was. Statements like ‘screwing him, ‘how was the foreplay’, ‘was it just normal sex’ or ‘any bun in the oven’ were asked or rather shouted at her.

Chelle ran away but the other students still called out those questions and it took Lin much loud retorting and almost physical pushing before that crowd dispersed. Chelle thankfully found herself quickly amongst female group. Even then, Bethan and Heather did ask her how truthful the news article was. They quickly accepted her answer and Julia and Hattie comforted her, with the former suggesting they focus on their upcoming English mock exam paper. Chelle did but part of the way, she pulled out her mobile phone and despite the low battery, she logged onto the school Wi-Fi and read that news article. From the two pictures with her and Mark at her home, they managed to write nearly two thousand words out of it. She constantly cursed silently until the morning bell rang.

Following her classmates, Chelle was lost in thought, troubled by this fictious article. More questions rang out from both her male and female classmates and even with Lin physical and verbal shielding, Chelle’s ears still heard a cacophony of questions regarding sex with her boyfriend. Not listen of comprehend what the students were saying, their teacher Mr Lambeth informed them loudly that their mock GCSE English paper. “Remember to leave your mobile phones in your locker and definitely no hidden pieces of paper or notes on your skin. Of course, a single bottle of water. Good luck.”

Minutes later, after all students locked up their phones, Chelle’s class joined with Jenn’s class in this mock exam paper. Chelle could tackle the first few questions fast then encountered several medium and long essay questions. She tried to answer them, however, she could only write half the questions length of the A4 paper then her mind wondered to the tabloid article and how much it would affect her and Mark. Unable to concentrate, she raised hand and soon locked herself in toilet stall. Her mind was full of the fake news though finally relieved herself. Back at her assigned desk, Chelle wrote more lines for the essay questions though her mind was still filled with the fake news article, particularly the photos. Why? Who was trying trouble me in my GCSE Year? Me and my dear Mark.

With the cry of ‘pens down’, Chelle’s answers were collected with her mind still on the fake news. Knowing that classmates and students would surround her and blast her with questions and sex-related comments, she dashed to the hideout she found several years ago – an unused room close to the rooftops. Sitting on the only chair there and without any electronic devices, she just stared at the walls, then the floor particularly her school shoes then closed her eyes. Her mind was again full of the article until she heard a voice.

“Chelle, Chelle, I know you’re in there, open up,” Lin called. One second later, she did and questioned how her close classmate and fellow teen detective knew she hid here. “I’ve always seen you run up here and a checked out the place myself,” Lin grinned. “Come on, our Maths mock paper will be starting soon and it’s chilly here.” Lin also gave her friend an energy booster bar and plain water. Chelle liked maths since Year 9 and managed to answer many questions until she saw those on trigonometry. Instead of asking for a toilet break again, she just kept looking at the questions. Initially, the article still was on her mind until she managed to write an answer to one question. This trend of new article and looking at questions continued until Chelle wrote answers to the questions, though didn’t check her work before it was collected.

“Thanks, Hattie, I’ll return your charger quickly,” Chelle told her classmate.

“Anything, for a girl detective.”

It was lunch break and Lin suggested the teen detectives meet in one of the gardens far away from any other students. Everyone came except Mark was there which further depressed Chelle. Lin had to call Chelle’s name before she could focus. “Reinhard only focused on the images…”

“And looking at the first,” he continued his girlfriend’s sentence. “There are small, no, minute streaks here. You weren’t going to…?” He didn’t want to say she was taking of her bra.

“No, my dress fell down suddenly, that’s it.”

“What I’m saying is that this photoshopped.” There was a silence. “The second one,” he enlarged the photo as large as he could, “doesn’t appear so. I need my personal laptop which has Photoshop and I can check both.”

“The article, really is poorly written,” Jenn spoke up. “Using present tense, short sentences, poor adjectives until you reach the, well, sexually-suggestive parts. I know it’s the Daily Mail but it’s also like written by a poor English writer.” Jenn ended that taking a scoop of Scotch Broth. There was nothing further, so the sixteen-year-olds finished their lunch in silence and returned to their classes. It was revision classes but Chelle just half-looked at her notes and books, spent the rest of her time thinking about Mark.

The last bell rang and she ran through the student crowd, with many yelling questions about the tabloid article. Suddenly she collided into her own boyfriend.

“Mark, where on earth were you?”

He drew her to the nearest corner and explained he was harassed and bullied much in between his English, Maths and Physical Education mock exams. “My classmates and rugby mates said really dirty words especially regarding my.” he said several slangs regarding his private part. “It’s worse than horrible, Chelle, how could the media write this nonsense?”

She told him that Reinhard highly suspected the images were photoshopped and Jenn noted it was poorly written. Both agreed that they were trapped and went their ways. Just as Chelle step outside, she saw a crowd of reporters and cameramen surrounding the gates. Knowing why they were there, she rushed back inside and exited via the eastern side gate, hailed a taxi, and slouched. As she alighted, she saw her mum chasing away reporters and yelling at camerawomen. As they were gone, she called her older daughter in.

“Michelle,” Chelle immediately noted that her mother rarely called her by her full first name. “Can you explain this?”

Her mother had paper copies of the mail and other newspapers that had the same story.

“Mum, these photos are clearly fake. the…”

“Who is person appearing in both pictures?” Maggie Summers pointed at the pictures.

“He’s…my boyfriend, Mark.”

“Boyfriend?!” Chelle summarised how she met Mark at school, found much in common with him, dated and he has been a terrific assistant for the detective group.

“How come I’ve never met him?”

“I was planning to…”

Her mum held up her hand and picked up the Mail article. “What exactly where were you two doing here?”

Chelle again explained she and Mark were dancing to music and suddenly her dress slipped and fell. “You know, the one I had you repair the zip.” She vehement asserted she was not taking off her bra as depicted.

“And this one?”

She explained due to the weather she told Mark to stay at her place. They were cuddling and hugging. “Nothing else occurred not what is written.”

She also had to answer what age she was in the images.

“Michelle, photoshopped or not, the damage is severe. Photoshopped or not, you two will likely be investigated for underage sex. I want you to cease seeing Mark after school and stop all your detectives’ activities; it’s your mock exam period.”

Chelle started to shiver from this announcement and that she might be investigated for underage sex. “Go to your room to clean up,” her mother suggested. Nearly slamming her door and not responding to her sister’s call, ‘I baked a fruit cake’, she threw herself on her bed and for the first time in years, Michelle Sarah Summers cried.

Reinhard decided to work at Lin’s house as he knew his father would bring his rowdy drinking buddies around. He did take his time and while Lin also knew how to use Photoshop, she considered him the expert. After forty-five minutes, he took drink of Jasmine tea then announced, “They both are most certainly photoshopped. The first shows Chelle arms bent at her back, except they aren’t her arms. Someone ‘cut away’ her real arms and inserted someone else’s, the shades and lines are a giveaway. For the second, it’s trickier. They are of cuddling but Mark’s hand which is reaching for his belt again isn’t his. This one is a little smaller that his hand around Chelle’s. I’ve managed actually reverse them to the original.”

Lin kissed him and declared that they should go to the Croonford Mail to present this. Contacting the others, Jenn said she was heading for a short law internship and Richard would cover for her.

“Wow, I expected an army of police or lawyers, not teenagers from the local detective group,” The Chief Editor, Jonas Gabriels, puffing out cigar smoke which the teens hated. “What ya have?”

Lin presented the different images and together with her boyfriend, they strongly asserted that the images were manipulated with and therefore fake. “Yea, yea, I’ve heard this line before. We can use any image we get for articles.”

“Who gave you those photos? Who?” Lin raised her voice and asked this twice.

“Calm down. Don’t you know the media, journalists never disclose their sources.”

“Your staffers write with poor grammar and poor spelling?” Richard showed a tablet copy with all the mistakes underlined in red.

“We might write too fast but the message is clear. Now anything more, I prefer proper professionals.”

Jenn was walking up the lane leading to the law office when she heard a muffled cry and angry shouts. Searching the nearby hedges, she finally found a young pre-teen lying flat on the ground with duct tape wrapped all over her. A tattooed and bearded man towered over her and noticed Jenn.

“Release the young girl!” Jenn cried.

The man leaped over the hedge and drew out a knife. “You going to make me girlie?”

Jenn knew she couldn’t physically tackle a knife-wielding thung so turn a special dial in her watch. A shrieking anti-rape alarm sounded and seconds later, sirens blared and two Constables rushed over. With one arresting the thug, the other questioned Jenn and she headed to the law offices, happy that matter was resolved.

Lin was fuming after not able to resolve the fake news at the Mail headquarters. After the boys managed to calm her down, Richard spoke up.

“Did you see the other person besides Gabriels in the room? Far left corner, he kept looking up every now and then. Yeah, it was his office, but there was someone else.”

Reinhard thought for a while then agreed that was a black hair person, almost hidden.

“Fine,” Lin declared. “We’ll trace him and see what his job scope is.”

To be continued.

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark, Reinhard and Richard will return in ‘Framed Part 2.’

27: The birds and the bees

Summary:

It’s the annual sex education talk at Croonford school. Afterwards, Michelle and Mark spend a night in bed sleeping back-to-back. Reinhard enters Lin’s room for the first time and gets caught touching Lin’s clothes. Jenn questions her sexual orientation. Meanwhile, an exchange student arrives with some shady history with her.

Author’s note: Lot’s of teenager talk about puberty and sex, some implied sexual activity but none since the students are underaged. If you aren’t interested, skip towards the last parts where the binding and gagging occurs.

“Did we reach Year 10? We did, yay!!!” Chelle and Lin exclaimed together and hugged each other before they boarded the school bus. As they entered school grounds, they immediately noticed a number of boys from their year and lower years gathering in a semi-circle.

“Man, that new chick is hot,” the two girl detectives heard one boy remark.

“You only think girls are hot because of their boobs,” another guy added. “But wow, hers are big, bigger than any girl our year…”

“Do you lot have to have anything more serious than commenting of girls’ bodies?” Lin questioned as she neared them. The boys gave her an evil look, stared at her, then left.

“Oh, this school uniform sucks! Wish I could wear normal clothes like in my high school,” Lin heard the new student complain and recognised the New York accent. She extended her hand.

“Yeah, I make no excuses for the uniform but we’re stuck with it. You’re from New York City?

“I’m, Nat, Natalie Sang. You know American accents?” Lin explained she had lived in the States previously.

“Oh cool. I’m here on exchange. My school discovered yours and the heads thought it would be good to learn British-style education. ” Nat fumbled for her bag’s zip, zipper in American English. “Say, this school activities book is damn thick, can you help?”

“Sure, which class did they assign you do?” After seeing the typed note, Lin exclaimed, “That’s mine! I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“…and I’d like to introduce Natalie Sang, an exchange student from America. Please welcome her and help her in all the various….” Mr Lambeth, Chelle and Lin class teacher voice was cut off by the buzz school PA system.

“All students, this year’s sex education lecture has shift forward to today. Year 8s will attend it after lunch break, Year 9s at 11:30 and Year 10s at 10:30….” The whole classroom groaned and Lambeth took time to quietened them down.

“Sex education lecture?!” One male student exclaimed. “Isn’t that too old for us?”

“You know the school, they plan everything for us regardless of age,” another classmate remarked.

“Don’t worry, we’ll ask the typical questions,” a third guy added.

The girls walked away from the guys with Nat also chatting about the incoming talk. “We get in in odd years back in my high school,” she sounded annoyed.

“Don’t worry; it’s nothing much,” Chelle recalled the talks from previous years.

“You actually can sleep through it,” Lin smiled.

The speaker was a different person this year. A lady named Lucinda Bearson was present and her presentation took just fifteen-minutes with loads of pictures. She spent the remaining time opening the floor to questions. While some students did slouch back or even sleep, others did ask questions. Boys asked lewd questions such as ‘what is a hard on?’ ‘What is a blowjob?’ Somme guy actually asked how IUDs could actually fit inside a uterus, causing his friends to laugh. Girls did ask similar questions but some did ask serious questions such as body image, sexual orientation and some dared asking about birth control products.

“Thought that going to be boring as you said; it was quite the opposite,” Nat remarked. Lin was about to answer until she spotted Reinhard. Excusing herself, she headed over to Reinhard who looked glum and asked why.

“My father’s filling the house with his drinking pals and there’ll be too much noise interrupting my studies,” he explained.

“Come over to my place then,” Lin offered and Reinhard paused before accepting the offer.

“Who was that?” Nat wondered and got the answer.

“Your boyfriend?! Isn’t he a little too short for you?”

“I don’t judge some guys by their heights,” Lin explained. “He’s a really skilled and helpful guy.”

Nat found the maths class a little tougher than hers across the pond and was glad it was lunch break. The topic was not their maths class but the morning sex education talk.

“Typical boys asking such vulgar questions and they already answers to,” Heather remarked. Lin agreed.

“Well, you have boyfriend now,” Julia, one of the few Black girls in Year 10 pointed out. Lin hadn’t advertised her relationship to others except Julia whom she was close with. She just murmured in response.

“What about you and Mark, Chelle?” Hattie, her classmate asked and Chelle answered the rugby player was a gentleman and there was never crude talk.

“I like the answer Madame Bearson above our bodies. I’m indeed confident of mine,” Heather continued the topic.

“You’re confident because you got a C cup,” Hattie smirked.

“I’m a C as well,” Lin added and they all laughed.

As the students headed to their various classes, Bethan quickly ran up to Jenn. “Hey, something wrong? You were quiet throughout the lunch conversation.”

“I was eating my sandwich.”

“No, you were staring away and look away.”

“Oh, you’ve caught the vibe. Can we catch up lit class?”

Meanwhile, Chelle invited Mark over to her house that evening, stating she had it all to herself.

After a long Lit class, Jenn pulled Bethan to a corner, checking first if there was anyone in earshot then explained.

“Ignoring the body image stuff, I’m not keen on the sexuality, the sexual orientation stuff. I mean I don’t think I’m…heterosexual,” Jenn had a painful expression.

“So, you’re…a lesbian?” Jenn yanked Bethan closer despite that no one else was nearby.

“I’m not certain. I’m not one to date boys right now and…”

“Jenn, don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are other homosexual couples in the school and… I’m…bi,” Bethan smiled.

“You are?!”

“Sure, we can go out together. It’ll be fun.”

That afternoon, Reinhard arrived at Lin’s residence having shaved twice and applied deodorant. “Hey,” Lin smiled and gave him a light hug. “The living and study rooms are under refurbishing by my mother. Why don’t you come up to my room; there’s enough space for two to complete our homework.”

To her room?! I must be a lucky guy to get the opportunity enter a beautiful and clever girl’s bedroom. Inside he found posters, not of male models or music groups but of chemistry formulas, physics equations, natural and human biology pictures. There was a makeup vanity with dozens of lipsticks and perfumes he couldn’t identify.

“My study table is here,” she interrupted him. “You can start first; got to head to the toilet.” Reinhard started to unzip his bag but surmising her bathroom door was sound-proof, he tip-toed over to what he guessed was her clothes cabinet. Which shelf, which shelf, he wondered with his heart racing. He pulled open the second shelf and smiled as he found what he wished: Lin’s underwear drawer. Inside, were around ten knickers arranged neatly on one side while more than that number of bras were arranged on the other side. Some of her knickers were white or cream-coloured while the majority were purple. There more bikini-style knickers than classic ones. Her bras were similar; there were several white or skin-tone ones all normal kind, The rest, mostly purple, were all various types: strapless, T-shirt, demi-cup, V-neck, sports, halter and other kinds he couldn’t identify. Reinhard reached forward and was about to hold up one of her bras when an alarm rang.

“Interested in my underwear?” Lin exited her toilet, pointing to her watch. “It’s an alarm that I build inside my drawers. I deactivated the motion sensor but there’s the small CCTV. It’s linked to my watch.”

“I..I…” Reinhard turn red in deeply with embarrassment.

“No harm, no crime,” Lin smiled and patted her boyfriend. He relaxed a bit, still feeling guilty.

“Can…can I ask a question?” She nodded.

“Do you actually attach the identification chip you made to your bras?

Lin smiled again. “I don’t know about the other girls but yes I do. It takes a while to sew them to the cup and I do ensure I’m wearing a bra that has the chip attached. It helps being a girl. Any other questions?”

Reinhard had one other burning one and wondered if she would slap him if he asked. He blurted it out and to his surprise all she did was to laugh and then whisper the number ’32C’ shocking him.

“You know, one day you might find me trussed up and gagged in my bra and undies,” she joked but he didn’t respond. Lin then leaned forced to kiss him on his lips but he shook his head. “I’m not ready for that.”

Ok, let’s do our homework now.”

Mark came over to Chelle’s place in the evening. They finished up their home fast and too tired to cook, they ordered an Indian takeaway. As they ate, Chelle thought: I have such a lovely boyfriend – he’s a leading rugby player and very muscular guy who really can rescue during any of the detective activities. Dinner over, Chelle immediately grabbed Mark and brought him to her bedroom, immediately switching on her CD player. Both of them started dancing to Jamiroquai’s songs. They were dancing wild until Mark looked at the clock and noted it was time for him to head home. However, there was a long engaged tone when he tried to call a taxi. That same response came when he tried other companies.

“Oh look,” Chelle showed a news clip on her phone. “The news reports that the storm outside has disabled the phone signals.”

“Darn, I better head to the bus stop then,” Mark yawned.

“Mark, don’t go out in such weather. Are you tired?” He explained he had a strenuous rugby game yesterday and his back was aching a bit. He started to sit down but she told him to lie down on her bed. He indeed did and she started massaging his back. More than 30 minutes later, Chelle had turned face-to-face and they were locked in a passionate embrace deeply kissing each other on their lips. They stay like this for the rest of the late evening but what the pair did not suspect what their actions were photographed by a long-range camera. The couple fell asleep back-to-back but just before midnight, the phone lines were restored and after one deeply kiss on her lips, Mark left.

“He won’t let me kiss him on the lips,” Lin told Chelle the next day during their short break.

“You really picked a challenging boyfriend.” She replied. “He really touched one of your bras? Cheeky fellow. Give him….”

“Hey Lin! Thanks for informing about the drama club! They immediately made me a member after one try out!” Nat Sang interrupted. “Say, that shopping trip you suggested, we can meet up this Saturday.”

The teen detectives, including the newest member Richard, congregated at their usual headquarters that weekend. Scanning the local and regional news as well as chatter amongst their friends, they found nothing to investigate. Breaking up early, Lin went to meet Nat while Jenn headed to meet Bethan for her first date.

“What exactly do I do?” Jenn asked.

“Oh, just hold my hand, hug and kiss me.” Jenn wasn’t sure about immediately hugging and kissing so lightly held her new girlfriend’ hand. She was thankful that Bethan chose a part of Birmingham the other school students frequented. They saw a musical, walk throughout stores that sell props for their drama club. Meanwhile, across the city Nat was more than pleased with the results of her shopping trip with Lin.

“Oh man, I’ve always thought British fashion was bland, dull,” This, she lifted up her shopping bags, “now really changes my view.”

“I believe that America fashion has just a notch over…” Lin’s eyes narrowed. ” See those guys over there? They’ve been following us since the last half hour.” Lin quickly got her into a crowded area.

“I didn’t notice. It’s your detective work, right? Real life Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews?”

Lin laughed. “We don’t match ourselves to fictional teen detectives but yes, we look out for the peculiar.” Nat asked if she was ever bound and gagged.

“Oh, too many times, same with the other girls. For some unknown reasons, the boys never get such treatment.” Scanning the crowd, Lin didn’t see the men but suggested they return home.

Chelle was amazed how quickly this exchange student grew close to Lin. She saw them chatting, learning that Nat was also a single child. Both girls could chat about American lifestyle and Lin was helping her with to adjust with the British school syllabus. Jenn was still unsure whether chatting she made the right choice being a lesbian. She was actually shocked to learn that Bethan was a bisexual and was glad that was no other boy in her friend’s life. In another class, Reinhard was again feeling guilty from his childish act. Maybe I should try to please her. Another meal out? But we’ve ate out many times, he recalled. Sports? She’s always faster. Lin’s birthday is coming up, darn, he then recalled. What can I get her? After handing in his class work and ensuring that his teacher wasn’t looking, he doodled on his foolscap paper and came back to one word: dress.

“Yeah, I can associate with Nat well, are you jealous of my friendship with her?”

“No, well…” Lin interrupted Chelle as she pointed. “Those men again!” She crossed the street but they disappeared.

“You sure they were the same?” Lin nodded. “Maybe ask Nat if she had any conflicts or problems previously.”

Dress, what sort of dress to dress get her? Reinhard wondered after school. He looked through the web but there were too many to choose from. He suddenly realised he was missing the most crucial element: her dress size. How would he know it? He couldn’t ask her that directly, he could ask the other girls but he then thought they might not know and the surprise would be given away. I’ll have work that out myself, he sighed. I do know her cup size.

Chelle and Lin caught up with Nat and queried her. “Well of course every schoolgirl has their problems. I was bullied much cause of my fast growing boobs,” she gestured to hers. “I had a short relationship at Seventh Grade but we broke up amicably.”

“Any family problems?” Chelle asked.

“None, in fact Dad may be coming here. He’s going to be Economic Secretary at the embassy in London or something of that sort. Any other questions?”

The pair told her to watch out for anyone or group unusual call the police or inform them if she was in danger. Meanwhile, Jenn received an invite for a sleepover at Bethan’s. “What’s going to happen?” The last sleepover Jenn participated in was when she was ten and the noise made her promise never to partake in such activity again.

“Oh, just mostly personal chatter.” That was mostly the truth, they talked about, debate, drama life and then it was just past 11 pm. Holding her girlfriend’s hand, Jenn found herself inside Bethan’s bedroom. “I’ll change out into my pyjamas,” she said then noticed Bethan taking off her clothes.

“Jenn, we’re a couple now. Pyjamas?! Down to your undies honey. I’ve turned up the heater.”

Jenn protested several times but soon undressed down to her white underwear which was a stark contrast to Bethan’s black bra and pink skimpy knickers. Quickly, Jenn was pulled under Bethan’s duvet and they were cuddling each other. Suddenly, Jenn felt a peck on her lips, then a long kiss then a deep kiss. Jenn wanted to say stop but Bethan was enjoying herself way too much, already feeling an orgasm. Trapped in a new dimension, Jenn submitted herself until she too felt sensations between her legs, feelings she never felt before. It lasted nearly fifty minutes until both girls slumped down. What on earth have I committed myself to? Jenn wailed silently.

As morning dawned and the new couple slept, Lin and Nat were out shopping again, this time for hosiery. Instead of heading to Brum, Lin too her new friend to a shopping area that just opened in Croonford. They had finished shopping but just as they were about to return, Nat spotted an American cafe that she wanted to try. Lin didn’t recall such a place existed but followed her in. After a few sips of a copycat of That’s every day coffee, Nat excused herself to the loo. Lin patiently waited, but after half an hour, there was no sight of the new girl. Paying for the coffee, Lin grabbed their purchases and headed in the direction of the toilets.

Instead, she found the doors to both male and female loos with signs reading ‘Under Repair’. Nat?” She still knocked on the female toilet door. “Are you there?”

“Can’t read a sign, babe?”

Lin turned and saw a dark-skinned man wearing dark clothing,

“Hey, have a black-haired 5’6 tall girl?” Lin briefly described Nat.

“No, sweetheart ain’t no one else here. But you look hot.”

Lin, disgusted with that comment, turned back, but two more men suddenly emerged, blocked her path. She immediately tried to push her way through but the men were far stronger. She immediately recognised them as the men she spotted following her and Nat.

“Ain’t no way out Lin Ling,” the dark-skinned man announced with a US East Coast accent. “Yeah, we’ve read up about you.”

“Ya hot,” said one of the pair, with a particular New York accent.

“Yeah, Chink girls here are hot,” the other commented. Lin attempted to kick him but he was faster. catching her leg and Lin fell on the ground, the contents of her shopping bags scattering all over.

“Ooh, yeah, ninja gal. Well, you want to see ya big tits friend, follow us.” Lin was roughly locked in an arm lock with a large gloved-hand covering her lips.

Lin was half-marched, half-dragged into a darkened area.

“Now,” the first man ordered, “strip Miss Chan.”

With the tranquillizer gun aimed steadily at her, the East Asian student reluctantly took off her coat and jumper, slowly worked the buttons of her blouse. It felt silently to the ground revealing her 32C breasts supported by her bra cups. With the other thugs now drawing small knives, she grimaced and unclipped her maroon skirt.

“Hose, too or is it tights here,” the trio laughed.

As Lin was forced to undress, her boyfriend was shopping for a dress still trying to guess her size. He looked through the various shops and settled on Next heading immediately heading to the women’s section.

“Aren’t you in the wrong section son?” A shop assistant called, making him turn red.

“I’m…uhm looking for some dress for my girlfriend. “He shivered.

“Of course, we have them,” a female salesgirl approached, shooing away her colleague and guiding him further in.

Looking at the price range, he asked if there were any cheaper sets.

“Oh, here. Do you need help with the size? Here you go,” Reinhard was thankful for the size chart.

As he was looking at the dresses and imagining Lin’s dress size, the girl detective was now face down on the ground just in her black bra and purple knickers. Her hands were tightly bound behind her back with two sets of cable ties. Another set of cable ties bound her elbows together, keeping her arms straight. Similar sets of cables bound her knees and her ankles. She was naturally gagged with something thick her mouth and tied behind her head, further sealed with two long strips of black duct tape.

“Want to try kicking me now gal?” American Thug #1 mocked. Lin tried to give an angry scream but this gag really muffled it.

The other thug reached down and snapped Lin’s bra causing her to produce a muffled curse. He was about the touch her when the dark-skinned man announced, “ok, let’s go to our target.”

Once Lin no longer heard their footsteps, she naturally twisted, not struggled as ties would cut further into her skin. In most other cases, she might be able to twist and turn to reach any of her gadgets but now semi-naked there was nothing to access. Lifting her head, she couldn’t see any of her clothes in sight and only darkness. The floor and room air were ultimately chilly. There was only one hope: to turn her fingers and reach her watch. Usually, it might contain the watch cutter but it now contained a signal device that could be sent to the mobile phones of the other detectives, if they were in range.

Reinhard took just over half an hour before picking the dress which he though fit Lin’s size. It was purple, her favourite colour, strapped, slight V-neck but he thought it wouldn’t be too revealing for his taste and the dress length seem appropriate. “That’s a good choice,” the salesgirl commented. It cost him nearly all of his monthly allowance. It should be worth it, he thought.

Just as he exited the store into the street, his phone buzzed. It was an unstated number but the message jolted him. “HELP ME, LIN.” Immediately, he pulled out his phone and texted her back received no response. Activating the identification App she made, his heart leapt as her signal came around 200 metres north-east of him. I’m coming, he called silently, rushing in that direction nearly knocking into a pedestrian and nearly gets hit by a car. Reinhard finally reached the cafe and found a close sign. Typical he thought, rushing around to the back but finding a tall rusty fence with spikes. There was no clear sign of a gate, so he threw his whole weight against it and it broke on the second try.

Lin’s signal grew closer after he navigated a narrow corridor and gasped as he saw her undressed state. After peeling off the tape, he found that the stuffing was a pair of tights.

“Yucks,” he remarked both from the fact they were soggy and that she was gagged with such intimate lingerie.

“Hi…” Lin woke up. “I… think they’re clean.” As she was finally freed, she rubbed her bare skin and he quickly draped his coat over her.

“They…have Nat.” With her hugging him to gain warmth, the quickly found her. Nat was also stripped to her black underwear, similarly gagged. She was trussed up in a tight hogtie tie while the three goons were filming her struggling and making comments constantly stating ‘Mr Sang.’

“Oh, you got free,” the dark-skinned guy growled, pointing his tranquilliser gun at them.

“Police! Drop your weapon now!”

The man turned towards the sound and Reinhard, risking it, ran forward and kicked him.

“Alright, that was too brave a move,” Detective Sergeant (DS) Bluebell Ransom remarked as other Police Constables (PC) rushed in, handcuffing the thugs and freeing the exchange student. “Oh, get her some clothes, quickly,” she told the PC next to her.

“Well, you did find me trussed up in my bra and knickers,” Lin joked. She was now wearing oversized police T-shirt and slacks. They had found her clothes but the goons had dumped them in a rubbish bin. Reinhard was treated for light bruises caused from barging through the fence while Lin had cuts from the cable ties.

“That was an interesting device,” Reinhard changed the subject as he sat next to her on the ambulance.

“Yeah, it was short-range. Thankfully you were nearby. What were you up to?” He reached into his backpack, hoping the box wasn’t crushed. “Early happy birthday.” She responded by giving him a kiss on his cheek.

Jenn was still in a trace after sleeping with Bethan. Quickly dressed but her knickers still damp, she faced her friend and taking a long a long sip of tea, she announced, “I can’t continue this Bethan. I don’t think I am a lesbian anymore.”

“Did I take it too fast? Are you now heterosexual?”

“I don’t know. Sorry.” She got up and returned home lying to her mother she was studying late with a friend before locking herself in her room.

As post cases go, Lin and Reinhard spent time with DS Ransom. The three thugs were hired by a rival of Nat’s father and were humiliating him and his daughter by sending live video to his phone as well as telling what they knew about his shady business deals. The live feed could not be cut but Mr. Sang managed to contact the local police department which in turn contacted Croonford police. The American coffee shop was commandeered by the goons and were expecting Nat to enter it. Her coffee was laced with a diuretic. “I don’t think Dad will be posted to London now,” Nat told Lin over normal coffee and also said her exchange programme was extended.

The East Asian girl excused herself and headed home where Reinhard waited. “Oh, it looks so lovely!” She exclaimed as she opened the gift. Avoiding any mischievous act, he waited patiently as she changed into it.

“It’s a little big,” she commented as she emerged from the bathroom. “Size 8?! I’m a 6.”

“Oh,” was his only response, feeling way disappointed.

“Don’t feel terrible. Look it can be returned and exchanged.” She again leaned forward and attempted to kiss him on the lips.

“Sorry, I’m just not ready for that.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t think I’m at that stage.”

It certainly is a challenge dating him, she sighed, “Ok, let’s grab food, my treat.”

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark and Richard will return in ‘Scottish Fling’.

23: The Truth: Revealed?

Summary:

Michelle has recurring nightmares of her alien abduction’ and is determined to final other what really happened. While the girls return to the site, Mark and Richard received some clues from an anonymous figure.

Author’s note: This concludes the mystery here. I also misspelled cryopods in that story.

At the Summers’ residence, Michelle Summers was trying to sleep in the baking hot weather even with conditioning on. As she turned over to one side, a dream enveloped her mind. She dreamt she lying back down on some medical table definitely secured to it by unknown restraints. She knew she couldn’t speak but her sense out touch was numbed. The aliens, or alien-like figures hovered her…

Chelle blinked, snapping out of the nightmare. She tried to relax by drinking water and decided to wash her face. She suddenly stopped at her underwear drawer and opened it. Most were there except the pair that was removed, yes removed from her from that mysterious capture. I want this mystery solved, she thought.

With the sun still blazing down, Chelle walked to school and caught up with her close friend and fellow girl detective Chan Lin Ling.

“How’s the family? Must be a shock to learn that your parents worked as spies, I mean in the intelligence service.” Lin asked.

“Yeah, kind of expected. Solves the mystery why Dad kept on buying presents for Kate and myself from overseas yet won’t tell us where he travels to. And mum herself never really talked about her work. It’s over, well I hear Dad and his colleagues may face the ISC but nothing damming.” She meant the Intelligence and Security Committee.

“You were stunned by those students, was it like the way the Cat girl stunned you previously?” Lin asked.

“Now you mention it, it’s almost like. But that Madame Redmond or who every she is you previously now under interrogation by the authorities.”

Lin removed her sunglass and tried to carry on the topic but Chelle’s parents told her not to spread the news. “Say, I hear you went swimming with Reinhard while I was nearly eaten up by piranhas in Poland,” the shorter teen remarked.

“Yeah, just swimming.”

“Just?”

“Yes. No, we changed out in separate corners after receiving your message. Why?”

“Are you going to date him?” Just as Chelle remarked that the pair spotted a figure approaching them for the next lane. “Hi, girls,” Reinhard Tomas, greeted. The girls return the greeting and he explained due the scorching weather, the school allowed all boys to wear shorts, not just the Year 8s. Outside school, boys could go without their ties, explaining how he was dress. The trio discussed nothing of importance with Reinhard complimenting Lin’s sunglasses. The girls let him walked forward then Chelle blurted to her taller friend, “Are you falling in love with him?”

Hot weather or not, all students still had studies to focus though the teen detectives managed to gather at lunch break. After taking a large slurp of her iced coffee, Chelle recalled her dream and declared their new case.

“Nearly forgot about this one. You nearly got killed…I mean I don’t know what I could immediately think what you were going through in that tank, that cryopod,” Lin remarked. The others knew what happened previously but she quickly summarised what happened covering the sudden limo man giving her the location of the buried chamber, her failing down, finding the room with cryopods and how she barely managed to get Chelle out before it blew up.

“Cryopods…cryonics, isn’t that the act of freezing of human remains with the hope of getting resurrected in the future?” Reinhard wondered.

“Oh yeah, that’s correct,” the team’s first gadget creator smiled.

“So, I was going to be killed and my body kept chilled and return in the next life?!” Chelle gasped.

“That we shouldn’t jump to,” Lin tried to calm her down. “There still that farm with the mutated cattle, the flying objects,” she preferred not to say UFO, “and the sudden lost in time.”

“Lots of unknowns,” Mark Cadvish, Chell’s boyfriend with a funny surname and school rugby player remarked. “We need something …”

“Concrete.” Lin finished his sentence. “We should return to that farm.” The school bell broke up their discussion and as Lin got up, she heard a soft ‘damn’ coming from the short science whizz. “My English teacher gave me a ‘5’ for my latest English essay. I thought I structured it so well,” he groaned.

After Lin saw a copy of his essay, she did kindly say there were structures that could be improved and spotted a few grammar mistakes. “Would you like to meet up for some coaching on essay writing?”

Reinhard looked into her eyes then answered. “Well, uh, I’ll consider it. Will be discussing it with my teacher and other classmates.” As they went their own ways, he wondered if she had any underlying intentions with that offer.

The teen detectives’ plans were put on hold due to school work, their school club activities and the weather. One night, Chelle adjusted her room air-con to the right temperature and dozed off. Suddenly, the same dream clouded her mind with her strapped down on the examination table and still unable to talk. Suddenly, those strange figures hovered over her, they were in alien, they looked like aliens!

“No one knows what aliens look like Chelle. Ok, assuming aliens abducted you, we can call strange creatures kidnapping you,” Lin replied after hearing her fellow detective’s dream.

“That’s not helpful,” came the gloomy reply.

“I know, sorry it’s the science answer. I also made a mistake last; said time is a universal variant, I meant invariant and only the speed of light and charge are universal invariants. I’m confusing, yeah I want to know what caused the sudden time change and those flying objects.”

“Can you recall exactly what you saw what I was like in that cryopod?”

Lin detailed the eerie figures inside each sudden cryopod which Chelle did look a bit like, the organic tube that was stuck inside her mouth and how after immediately after Lin administer the vaccine how those creatures or people burst out of the cryopods and everything around exploded.

“Were they creatures or people? What was that liquid feel like?”

“Just sticky…”

“You know, we should consult the adults about this,” Jenn add as they met up with her. “I mean Dr Gordon Holden who examined you.” Chelle shuddered at the recollection of the medical test she went through but did agree that was another area to pursue.

“Why are you so engrossed with your phone?” Lin asked the shorter girl detective.

“Debate competitions results. That Richard Weaver and his team is topping all the regional debate teams and he’s always best speaker. I’m so going to thrash that guy.”

Lin nodded and noticed Reinhard also staring at his phone and several school-issued foolscap papers. After updating him with their latest plans, she queried him about his essay. “Well, my teacher just offered me extra English classes or simply buck up. “Well, what about my offer? I need some help with my business studies and heard your scored pretty well in yours. What about a trade?”

He raised his eyes, “Ok, where, school study area here after school?”

“No, I was thinking outside, food first…”

Reinhard started listing some places when sudden Lin said her own place. “I cook dinner then we study?”

He nearly fell down in surprise. “Uh, ok.” That resulted in her texting him her address.

“She’s inviting me to her place?!” Reinhard pulled Mark over to a corner during the next break. “Is it a date?!”

“Calm down, well how exactly look like – as in facial features – when she asked?” After hearing the answer, Mark patted him, “Just stand tall and ask if you’re unsure.”

“But what do I wear? What should I bring?”

After school, the five of them braced the scorching weather to head to the local hospital. Despite having a busy schedule, Dr. Gordon Holden met the teen detectives having known Jenn and having treated Chelle.

“It’s best you consult our senior lab examiner,” he started slipping an ID card which opened double doors. Each teen was given a dust-free lab coat before they met Mindy Patel, a high-flying Anglo-Indian researcher. “Hello, I did find a trace of an unknown liquid in a sixth test of your blood sample,” the bespectacled lady nodded at Chelle. They moved inside the camped research lab then heard her gasp.

“Wait, I just kept the sample here!” They heard her cry pointing at test tube rank with one empty test tube.

“But only you have the other access card to this lab,” Dr. Holden protested and Mindy nodded stating she only went to the loo for a short while and refilled her water tumbler.

The police were called in led by the teen’s ally, Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Nikki Heath. After swapping everyone and interviewing every nearby staff, the police also could not find any traces of a break-in or any usual fingerprints. After much questioning, the teen detectives were released early afternoon with Lin darting first out. “Hey, where’re you off to?” Chelle called and heard some mumbling.

Lin in fact headed to the nearest supermarket to find a key ingredient – pork belly – for the dinner cum study later that evening. At the same time, Reinhard was in a gift shop pondering on the advice from Mark. Finally, he picked a box of Ferrero Rocher and rushed home to change. Promptly at 6pm, he reached Lin’s house with a backpack, the chocolates and a heart pounding.

“Oh, that’s so lovely!” She exclaimed, accepting the chocolates. While he was in dark blue jeans and short-sleeved light blue shirt, she wore a two-button lavender short-sleeved blouse and dark purple slacks. He noted she didn’t put on any make up or done lipstick and his heart stopped throbbing fast.

“Sorry, I over cooked the pork belly,” she remarked, introducing him Tau Yew Bak, or braised pork belly in soya sauce, a common dish in Malasia and Singapore. Reinhard was thankful she set fork and spoon and after trying on piece. “Really nice,” he said politely although found it amazing. She introduced him to Choy Sum or caixim, Chinese flowering cabbage which she added lightly salted prawns and crunch peanuts. As they ate, they conversed and started learning about each other. They were both single children with Lin’s mother having fertility issues. Reinhard parents have separated and his dad was often out. He explained that his father did also have Spanish origins, explain his surname, Tomas.

They were of course both highly interested in science with both learning scientific knowledge at a very young age. Lin recounted as how she fought against bullies who teased her for reaching puberty fast and always being the prettiest girl in class. Reinhard told her how he was teased for his short height but ignored it by exercising and thinking about science. Just as he reached to scoop another spoonful of Choy Sum on his plate, Lin’s hand also touched the spoon simultaneously. “Whoops,” they both remarked and he gave it to her. After learning more about each other, they finished eating, cleaned up and Lin proceeded to head to the study room. “Wait, Lin,” Reinhard asked, “It’s all study nothing else right?”

He looked at her face as she answered, “Sure, it’s an evening of study.”

As the pair helped each other with their different subjects, Chelle had already finished her dinner with her mother and sister and retreated to her room. After checking her homework was complete, she scanned the we then lay on her bed. Suddenly, memories of her weird kidnapping came back. At first, she was back on the examination table with the weird figures towering over her. In the next scene, her eyes were blurred and again she deduced her whole body was numbed. Only after her a soft bang, she knew someone was reviving her. Despite being blinded and numbed, Chelle now recalled being carried and suddenly through her blurry eyes saw advancing figures.

“Sis? There’s some extra carrot cake,” Chelle’s younger sister Catherine called and she mumbled a response before reaching for her phone.

It was close to 10pm when Reinhard and Lin finished their studies together. “I better return home in case my father suddenly returns and wonders where I’ve gone. Thanks for dinner and help with my English Essay.”

“And thanks with helping me with my business course and the chocolates,” came her reply. They shook hands with Lin initially expecting a hug. Mission accomplished though, she thought.

The team all received Chelle’s message and only Lin and Jenn managed to join her at the cattle farm. The owner Richard Stewart initially mentioned he was busy then with the look at their faces then answered.

“My cattle miraculously are fine; they suddenly show no signs of deformed body parts and are all healthy now.” He opened a gate to show the girls the evidence. “Look, my cows are pregnant and those who gave birth are producing fine milk. Any other questions?”

Chelle asked about those weird aerial objects and the farmer replied he was too concern with his cattle most of the time. Lin then queried about the farmer’s assistant and his eyes narrowed. “He left suddenly, not even leaving me a note. You lot know of any one wish to help a farmer?”

With not much to cover, trio decided to head to a site where the aerial objects were, with Jenn holding an umbrella shade them from the sun. “Where are those darn boys?” Chelle wondered.

Mark had finished meeting up with his rugby mates when he spotted Reinhard picked up some detergents from the convenience store across the road. As they head through a shaded path towards the local train station, a motorcyclist with his dark visor covered drover path, threw an object at the boys and sped away.

“Hey….” Mark picked it up finding a blank note.

“It’s not blank,” his classmate pointed.

“Where have you two been?” Chelle answered the group call started by Reinhard. The boys explained what happened earlier and were in the detective’s headquarters.

“It’s a message that can only be read by UV light,” Reinhard replied, explaining he just bought a UV flashlight. Lin excited congratulated him but Chelle quiet her down. He read it carefully and it revealed an address in Birmingham with the additional word ‘Experiment’.

“We’re going there!” Chelle declared.

“Wait, we should do it as a team!” Mark shouted but his girlfriend ended the call.

Jenn regrettably said she had debate practice but would alert the police. Lin and Chelle braced themselves against the heat as they reached the exact address in Birmingham. It was a shop house unlisted on the Internet. “That’s too mysterious enough for me,” Chelle remarked as she touched the door handle but cried. “No burns,” she added and the pair saw that no doorbell so proceeded to walk behind. Lin spotted what she was a hatched the girls, without the need of their gadgets, managed to pull it open.

“Ready? Remember you’re the one captured last time.” As they enter, the surrounds immediately matched the eerie chamber that Lin was directed to last time. Just as she was about to mention that, she heard Chelle cry as the floor beneath her opened and the teen detective fell with a noise that sounded like a suction machine. Chelle fell and felt pulled but suddenly again felt here muscles numb and then everything went blank.

Meanwhile, Lin was about to rush over to the spot which opened when a metal frame slammed down in front of her, obviously blocking her path. She back, only for yet another metal frame lowered down, trapping her. As she looked at the two walls, one opened up and mechanical arms grabbed her. Shouting and struggling, she found herself in a small room and the arms threw her on the ground. Figures rushed over her and despite being a Taekwondo expert, she failed to fight back those figures and soon was restrained with cable ties, duct tape wrapped several times over her lips and head then soon she was wrapped in industrial plastic wrapped. As the figures disappeared, she thought she heard someone muttered, “we don’t want your kind.”

Chelle regained her senses and found herself secured in handcuffs with chain securing her ankles to a ring in the floor and also the feeling of duct tape wrapped across her lips and head. At least I’m clothed this time, she thought. She immediately was beginning to have the uncanny feeling that she was somehow not alone in the extremely dark room she was now in. A faint movement confirmed that and as her eyes adjusted better to the dim light, Chelle could see the outlines of a figure against the wall opposite her. The figure moved slowly and there was a small patch of light revealing another girl who was also chained up. The other girl’s mouth was free but her teeth chattered uncontrollably in the cold air. A translucent nightgown was all that she was clothed in. Her knickers were visible and it appeared wet. How long had this poor girl been there?

‘H… Hullo. I … I g-guess you’re Michelle?’ I’m Frances.”

Michelle was surprised to hear her name and tried to reply but the gag turned her reply into ‘mmmphs’.

“They mentioned your name – those masked figures. Yeah, they looked like aliens but I’m guessing their human underneath,’ the girl said. ‘”One night I was sleeping the next moment I felt numb and here I am.”

Chelle felt the tape over her lips somehow tighten but managed to get her query across.

“No, I haven’t a clue. They hardly come by and only give me water and look how let me sit in my pee!”

The girl, Chelle judged was either age or a year younger tried to laugh but only shivered against the room’s low temperature. Chelle then recalled the usual gadgets she had and struggled against the fetter but failed to find any. They must have taken them. Lin’s going to be angry.

“It won’t do any good, these cuffs are invincible.” France assumed Chelle was trying to break free.” I envy that you’re clothed even in summer wear. I don’t want to freeze to death.”

Meanwhile, Lin was struggling wildly in the cocoon she was wrapped in. She as well was trying to reach the gadgets she also had on but the restraints and wrappings restricted the movement of her arms and fingers. What was worse was the summer’s heat was seeping into the place she was trapped in, making it even more uncomfortable.

“What do you mean you can’t get there!” Jenn cried and explained using the evidence she had to DCI Heath.

“Jenn, it’s not its weak evidence or I don’t have restrictive jurisdiction,” Nikki replied. She told the team she had long-term conflict with the detective and police force in that area of Birmingham though was trying to get officers to join her.

“Hurry! Chelle might be in danger!”

The boys finally reached the shop house after a train delay and broke through the front door with both their brute strength. in front of them was a narrow corridor with rooms at every side facing each other like in hotel.

“Where to…” Suddenly there was a muffled noise coming from

“What’s…” Mark began.

“It’s Lin! I’ve heard her cry like that before!” Reinhard answered and they rush forward. With Mark’s strength and the laser pen, the broken through the door and found the wrapped up East Asian girl. “Hu..rry!” She cried as the other team scientist slowly peeled off the gag. “Use your phone to find Chelle’s signal!” Sweat was pouring down her face.

Mark tracked his girlfriend’s to larger freezing room one floor below. Chelle and the other girl Frances were both strapped to medical examination tables and Frances was now tape gagged. There were IV drips standing next to the tables and several cryopods on the opposite wall. Six figures in wearing alien-like suits stood next to the tables and two of them neared Chelle, attempting to undress her.

“No!” Cried Mark, tackling the nearest figure in a ferocious tackle. But with six of them, he was heavily outnumbered and all turned to attack him. Thankfully, Reinhard appeared quickly with a dishevelled-looking Lin behind. All three teen detectives attacked all the suited figures and as Lin held one down, she heard a Brummie accent. “Who the hell are you?” She yelled as she found a zip and pulling it, it revealed a male underneath.

“All right, we’re here,” they heard the familiar voice of DCI Heath with some West Midlands police officers behind along with Jenn. “Get those two girls free and pointing and the ‘aliens’, “you’re all under arrest.”

Days later, the teen detectives gathered at a cafe which just installed air-conditioning.

“Climate change terrorists…” Jenn started.

“Yeah, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion. They were attempting to freeze people as they believe the earth is ending and keeping specimens for the next age.” Lin laughed. She was dressed in a one shoulder light purple top with a jean skirt with Reinhard secretly admiring her. Lin continued, stating these extremists first secretly tested their drug on the cows at that farm, causing the deformity. That cattle assistant, Mike Travers, was in cahoots with them and police found and arrested him. This group invented those stealthy unmanned aerial vehicles, preventing the military and civil aviation authorities from discovering them. They used some magnetic device to alter time, explaining why the minute hand on Chelle’s watch jumped. They created a suction machine along with an invisible and painless stun dart which explained how Chelle was pulled and numbed quickly. The lab assistant was paid to pass the vaccine sample to one of the organisation’s members and was cooperating with the police, hoping not to get jailed. Police across the UK were conducting raids to find other organisation members and that individual who passed Reinhard and Mark the message was still at large. The police suspected he was linked to the man in the limo who passed Lin the location of the chamber.

“Wow, climate change people with high tech gear,” Reinhard remarked. “I would like to check out they’re devices and invent stuff like that.”

“Well, those arrested still haven’t explained why they chose me and that girl Frances to be frozen. And some one must be funding all their technology. And there’s still that stunning, reminds me of Madame Richmond and the Cat, how we girls were also stunned,” Chelle added. “Man, this iced coffee sucks.”

“Take you some place for a meal?” Her boyfriend suggested. “Join us?” Jenn remarked she had to meet someone, leaving Reinhard and Lin by themselves.

“The coffee isn’t great. Want tea? I see they sell iced green tea,” Lin got up but he waved her down, remembering the nice dinner she cooked.

“I’ll get it and pay,” he smiled.

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark and Reinhard will return in ‘To Paradise’.

22: State Property

Summary:

Michelle has always believed that her father was just some sort of official in the FCDO. When an old nemesis appears, she’s given clues to discover the truth.

Author’s note: I do want to complete rhe mystery over Chelle’s ‘alien abduction’, but with current world events in Ukraine, this story if very appropriate.

This story is entirely fictional.

“Dad, you’ll be missing my choral and dance act yet again,” Catherine Summers complained at breakfast time.

“So sorry, sweetie, I often have to work late and today I might have to travel abroad. I’ll get you another present from my trip.” Kate wanted to say she was reaching the age where dolls or feminine toys weren’t her interest anymore but stop complaining.

Michelle Summers, by now a veteran teen detective, quickly picked up. “Dad, what exactly do you do at work?”

“Just boring government stuff,” came the hurried answer.

“But dad…”

“Focus on your studies Michelle and try to avoid weird encounters.” Chelle’s parents no longer barred from her detective activities yet they were still not exactly happy with what she and her colleagues got into, especially since the last alien-like encounter was not resolved. Mr. Arthur Summers drank the remainder of his coffee, hugged each of his girls and left.

“Mum, what exactly does dad do at work?” Chelle repeated her question.

“Just government work. Finish up or you’ll be late for school.” Chelle didn’t accept that answer but obeyed and walked out with her younger sister. The late spring weather was warm enough for both girls to wear socks instead of tights. Chelle made a quick decision and told her sister she’ll walk to school — Chell paid a monthly fare for the school bus, it was the last day of school anyway. As she turned the first block, she met up with her fellow girl detectives Lin Ling and Jennifer who also were taking advantage from the warmer weather. Despite that their school skirts were long enough — one centimetre above their knees, Jenn always feared she might produce an unwanted upskirt and always wished the school would produce trousers for girls.

Chelle interrupted Jenn’s thoughts, repeating the breakfast conversation at her house. “Maybe your dad is just some civil servant at the Foreign Office or…he’s a spy,” remarked Lin.

Lin’s comment was close to accurate as Arthur Summers didn’t head to King Charles Street where the funnily named Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was located but instead to St George Wharf Car Park. Heading to the second floor, he pulled opened a cleaner’s door which actually revealed a metal panel with a keypad and retinal scanner. That unlocked the whole panel, revealing a darken narrow corridor. An equally dark-clothed man armed with a HK416 and Glock 17 approached him, examined his identification card, face and scanned his fingerprints before escorting him to an electric car. The car sped through three armoured doors before stopping in an open area. Arthur had to enter another combination lock and pull open an electric-secured handle that was monitored by staff inside before entering the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS).

The SIS, more commonly and actually inaccurately known as MI6, is one of the UK’s key intelligence organisations. Made famous by the James Bond movies and other British spy films, British intelligence officers, not agents, don’t act at all like Mr. Bond. In a short summary, SIS officers gather intelligence data along with the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the Security Service or better known as MI5 and Defence Intelligence – Military Intelligence and pass it on to the  Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) which is supported by the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO), where the data is assessed.

“Chelle, you could double check the gov dot uk site to check if your dad is just working in some civil servant department,” Jenn suggested as they entered the school grounds.

“I have and searched the archives and couldn’t find any mention of his name or initials.”

“Chelle, as I guess he’s working in intelligence, there won’t be any mention of him or his work, ” Lin added. “But working in such an organisation is not a crime.”

The SIS, unlike its larger American counterpart, has not provide its organisational structure on its bland website or public sources for unknown reasons. This has created both misunderstandings and constant for calls for transparency from the media, think tanks and campaigners. It also allowed the SIS to almost freely conduct its work, with some oversight freely and form even more secretive cells within its own organisation. This was where Arthur Summers came in – he was the Director of Exploitative Operations in Eastern Europe. Arthur was viewing files some current operations when he was called into the Director General’s private office.

School ended for May break with the usual announcements and homework distributed. Chelle tried to get the gang together but due to the last two cases, the others had to give their statements again to the police, especially Lin along with Julia Humes as Detective Sergeant (DS) Bluebell Ransom was liaising with her American counterparts regarding the online harassment. Chelle found herself trapped with her literature and media club activities. Louisa Grant, her senior, wanted her to head down to some East London school to help build up its media club. Chelle initially wanted to refuse then accept as a London trip might help reveal her father’s work.

Arthur had already suspected the reason he was call for before he entered the electronically-controlled office. A cup of coffee was already poured. “Arthur,” the moustached Director General, George Healey “Our American friends aren’t pleased with the death of their officer Claire Stirrup.” Arthur countered the operation for Stirrup was to survey from a wide distance and knew the risk as a CIA officer. “The Malaysian authorities still stopped a nuclear IED thanks to all the intelligence. He knew his elder daughter and her friends helped stop the IED and nearly got radiation sickness but didn’t bring it up.

Healey took a large puff of his cigar then continued. “Well, they’re still grumbling about it and you have Operation Monitor to complete, especially with all the ruckus going in Ukraine. If the communications don’t work well here, there’s a flight out of Northolt after noon.” He meant RAF Northolt, a RAF base which conduct military and civilian flights, the latter comprising of British intelligence flights to overseas stations.

Chelle was quite tired, not just from the delayed train journey and her period, yet managed to given a substantial presentation to the London school’s media club. After using the toilet, she was about to turn to the exit, she heard voice call out her name and encountered five girls advanced towards her. “Hey, you’re the great detective from Cromford, right?” one who introduced herself as Amber.

“Yes…”

“We need you for our fundraising. For your looks and fame,” Amber explained Chelle just had to sit down while students donate money due to her looks. The teen detective initially wanted to refuse, then learnt the money would help the homeless.

“That was long but at least tucked away, “Reinhard remarked as he and Lin exited the police station, having given additional statements to Detective Sergeant (DS) Bluebell Ransom. Lin noticing how bright the weather was, suddenly asked him if he played any sport. When she heard swimming, Lin suggested the small river behind the town library. “See you there in an hour,” she waved.

Chelle was actually surprised her looks and her fame actually gather £100 from the rest of the school population within fifteenth minutes. She got up thinking it was over but some of the other girls pushed her back down. A black cloth was securely tied around her eyes, causing her to yelp but a hand covered her jaw with a voice telling her to stop struggling and be quiet.

“So, this is the girl the boss lady wants?” Chelle heard another girl ask.

“That’s her,” Chelle heard Amber reply. “Her name’s Michelle and she thinks she’s some real detective. I mean look at her, does she look like Nancy Drew to you?”

“Don’t know,” another girl replied. “I was more into the Famous Five myself. Come on, let’s get her ready I want the money.”

Chelle immediately heard plastic snapping and a sweet aroma pervaded her senses.

“The lady invented them,” she heard Amber explain, “Stun phials, you crack them open, hold them under the target’s nose and boom!'”

“So, she’s now unconscious?” She heard the first voice ask.

No Chelle thought silently I can hear every word you say. But I can’t move my muscles at all! I can’t speak! Wait, I’ve been through this before!

“Not fully. As I understand, it she’ll only be able to hear us. The drug paralyses every muscle, then sleep comes a little later. We can shortly safely to move her.”

Sure enough, Chelle saw, not felt the girls easily lift her up and took her out with no teacher in sight just before her eyes closed. She woke up quickly, finding the blindfold removed and her limbs moveable but felt extremely weak. Chelle scanned around and assumed she was no longer in the school. Naturally she tried to move, however a figure approached and she gasped immediately recognising. “Madame Priscilla Redmond! You nearly killed me and Lin with an IED last time!”

“I make my sincere apologies. Your father…” Chelle, despite her weakness started protesting until the fake teacher managed to calm her down. “Michelle your father is in danger. Yes, he has been working for British intelligence, no not for normal SIS operations; he’s in charge of deep covert operations in Eastern Europe and is currently personally gathering information that will aid the Ukrainians. However, the Black Shirts, a group that I used to be with, is targeting him for revenge.” She held up her hand and threw a piece of paper near Chelle. “You’ll get your strength back in a few minutes and oh, you might need this,” she tossed a sanitary towel down as well, then disappeared in the shadows.

Arthur Summers in fact was in Przemyśl, a Polish town near the Ukrainian border. Operation Monitor was centred on using a local asset codenamed Rainbow monitoring if there was pro-Russian Ukrainians or activity in Western Ukraine and to counter any misinformation with a special device named Zeus. The communications were of course far better here than in SIS HQ yet were choppy at rare times. Arthur was intensely focused on liaising with Rainbow, the communication link suddenly faded. He tapped the set furiously and then called the SIS technician twice but received no answer. Frowning, he turned, only to hear a loud explosion.

“That was actually wonderful, “Reinhard remarked as he got out of the town river. “And thanks for helping me improve my backstroke.”

“No problem,” Lin replied. She chose to wear a normal one-piece black swimsuit as opposed to her usual bikinis as she recalled last time she wore reveal clothing near him. With a towel wrapped around her head, she retrieved their mobile phones from the buried box which was her latest gadget — if you enter the wrong combination code the first time, a foul stench would emit. What surprised them was a photograph of the paper Priscilla Redmond left at Chelle’s feet.

“It’s German,” the shorter teenager muttered, typing a translation. “It’s directions to some carpark in some area in North London, but I can’t translate the next paragraph, not sure what language that is.”

“And there’s some faded symbol at the side. Let’s get changed out and gather the others,” Lin suggested, hoping Chelle was heading to that location alone.

Chelle did in fact head to that location since it was along the train route back home. The car park was partly shaded and there weren’t many parked. She quickly walked past each vehicle until she saw two vans, one white with black stripes, the other in a cream colour. As she approached the striped van, she was felt like she was pushed and fell into the other van. It was either the day’s events or some odourless gas that made the girl detective sleep.

Lin thought the language was Romanian, Jenn thought Polish or some language from the Baltic region. Reinhard and Mark neither had success enhancing and enlarging Finally Jenn wildly mentioned that they should show it to Chelle’s mum; it was way beyond their abilities and wasn’t a police-centred case.

Chelle awoke to the sound of engines; they weren’t jet engines but propeller-driven ones. She felt the vehicle jerk not from its engine and soon realised the van inside some transport plane that was descending down. Soon enough, she heard wheel touch the ground and the plane shift around finally breaking to a halt and the sound of an aircraft ramp lowered. The van she was in, started reversing and despite the blacked windows, she could surmise that it had drove into a hangar. The vehicle stopped and the back door popped open.

By luck, Mrs Margaret Summers was at home. As usual, he faced turn to a worried look when learn from Lin and Jenn her elder daughter wasn’t contactable. Upon seeing the faded symbol on the paper, her face turned ashen and asked for a copy.

“What does that mean?” Lin asked but Maggie Summers just thanked them, went to her bedroom and dialled a private number.

The open door of then van reveal pitch darkness and hardly any smell. Chelle waited for nearly a minute before getting out slowly. There was hardly any objects as far as she could make out or any way out. Just as she was trying to guess which country she was now in or what move to make, there was an electronic buzzing sound.

“Hello, Michelle Summers, great teenaged detective, daughter of Arthur Jason Summers,” Chelle tried not to flinch upon hearing her father’s full name. “I know you want to see daddy right?” Chelle kept silent.

“I take as a ‘yes’. What we want is full cooperation. We’ll let you see daddy, then we’ll let you go too. That’s a guarantee,” the muffled voice continued. Small beans of light shone, revealing rifles pointing at her.

Chelle did not really like her chances. She wished she had contacted the authorities or the others were here.

“What do you want me actually to do?”

“Walk to the light that I’ll shine and you find a small table. There’ll be a roll of cloth, duct tape and a pair of handcuffs. You’re to stuff the cloth into your mouth, gag yourself and cuff yourself with your hands behind your back, make sure it is behind your back. Wait there. We’ll then pick you up and you’ll see daddy dearest. After that there’ll be some small talk then we’ll let you go. Any silly moves at all and daddy will see your dead body. Nod in agreement.”

Chelle nodded and tried not to be frightened. But having heard her father’s name easily meant he was captured by this group. With the light shone, she walked, quite confidently and found the items as mentioned. She grimaced with distaste at the tight roll of cloth. It was thick, a torn piece of bed sheet, with some marks on it. Sighing internally, she didn’t stuff the cloth completely in her mouth an tore a short piece of the silvery tape. The handcuffs were small steel circlets connected by a single link of chain. Chelle slipped her right wrist into one circlet and clicked it shut. Then, taking a deep breath, she placed her arms behind her back and found the other cuff with her left hand. Carefully, she slipped her wrist into the metal ring, braced herself, then clicked it into place. The single link of chain definitely allowed very little freedom of movement.

Michelle looked up and before she could turn around, another vehicle drove up next to her. Arms pulled her inside and no seat belt was clipped on, nearly throwing her against the front seat. She was suddenly grabbed and felt the handcuffs were tightened. Another. set of hands had locked handcuffs over her socks. The vehicle sped out of the hangar and Chelle’s attention was on her gag. The cloth penetrated deep into her mouth against her tongue, causing a gagging reflex that she had to fight for the first few minutes. The tightness of the tape created more difficulty for her to breathe and thus she slumped slightly seat. No I’ve have to focus, she reminded herself and sat up between the two armed men, she assumed they were men sitting next to her. Like the van previously, this car’s windows were shaded but there was enough light and Chelle saw truck with another person holding one to some small box. She tried to raise her head, but one thug next to her pushed her down and muttering in a language she did not comprehend, a black hood was thrown over her head, keeping her in pure darkness.

The car ride wasn’t long and Chelle soon felt herself being carried. The two men carried her, one at her shoulders and the other holding her bare legs. She now guessed that she was being carried into a factory or a building that smelt of old machines and some odour she couldn’t identify. She was lowered with unsurprising roughness onto what felt like a stone surface. One of the men rolled her onto her face, less gently now. Her legs were folded behind her so that her trainers rested against her buttocks, possibly creating and upskirt.

Despite all the lethargy, Chelle raised her head and breathed as best as the hood and tape stretched taut across her face allowed. That was She felt dizzy and nauseous. She felt a bit sick but dare not vomit because of the gag. The dead air of the cellar still was a little refreshing if only the hood could be removed. She breathed a sigh of relief when the sounds of the men’s shoes receded and footfalls and a heavy door closed. Chelle started rubbing the hood and trying to yank her arms from her back to her front when she heard the footsteps return. Arms held her extremely tight as she felt her blazer cut away, then her blouse, and her skirt, Chelle struggled as best as she could but her trainers were pulled away and the leg cuffs were temporarily removed to allow her socks pulled off. Bound and gagged in my undies, and hooded, what a way to spend the holidays.

As Chelle was unceremoniously undressed, there was a discussion between Director General Healey, the Chief of the SIS and the Chair of the JIC in a secure room in the Cabinet Office. The Head of Station in Poland had sent and urgent report when discovering the destruction of their secret base in Przemyśl and deaths of its personnel. A quick examination of the bodies informed SIS who was behind the attack. “Only Summers is not amongst the bodies, the asset Rainbow is out of contact and the special Zeus device is missing. Summers’ wife also confirmed he’s an a ‘in danger’ message sent,” Healey summarised.

“How big of a mess is this?” Asked the SIS head, waving away his deputy’s cigar.

The answer was huge, both from the device data and ability and how much Arthur Summer’s knew about the UK’s intelligence operations. The JIC Chairman remarked, “We can launch an op to find the device, but for one man? I don’t want to explain to the PM how we start an international incident. Or get the ISC breathing down our necks.” The ISC was of course the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, made famous to the world from the Bond movie Skyfall. The three men debated and the decision finally was made to contact the DSF, the unnamed Director of Special Forces.

Chelle was suddenly pulled to sit up and as she heard the sound or a door opening, the hood was removed. “DmmmD!” She cried, recognising the figure guarded by a hooded thug. Her father’s hands were cuffed in front of him.

“Piotr!” Arthur yelled, shouting the actual name of the asset code named Rainbow. “You traitor!”

“Your country, was the traitor, leaving my parents tortured by the Soviets! And still is! And you’re in no place to lecture me while I hold you darling daughter!” Chelle cried again through her gag as she felt her hair yanked. She was naturally embarrassed to encounter her dad undressed down to her bra and knickers. At least her period was over…

“Oh really? I have your special device which will sell extremely to any state or non-state actors. And given me the list of current British intelligence operations, first in Europe then in East Asia…”

There was a short pause then the floro next to Chelle opened up, revealing a large pool of water. “Or your girl gets dunk in a pool of piranhas!” All the thugs laughed.

“Leave her alone!”

“Names please,” Chelle looked up to see the former SIS asset holding a notepad. Facing her father she cried once again through her gag, trying to tell him not to give in, although another part of her did not wish to suffer a gruesome death or bite There was a pause then Chelle found herself pushed into the pool.

“No!!!” Arthur Summers yelled in response but just before than push, Chelle had managed to cut off the handcuff’s chain with the only gadget she had, Lin’s special watch cutter. Flying down, luck was with her as a pipe was within reach and she quickly grabbed it. The water was still extremely close to her bare feet and she could see the outline of the deadly fishes.

“Hemmlp! Hemmlp! Hemmlp!” Chelle cried and heard multiple shots. Was Dad dead?! No!!! Suddenly three thugs fell into the water and Chelle saw blood in their heads. The shots came from eight men of the UK Special Forces most elite and clandestine unit, E Squadron, which had a strong history operating with the SIS. Within less than three minutes, all the thugs were killed and the Troop leader, lowered his LWRC International Ultra Compact Individual Weapon (UCIW) and radioed a report, “All enemies present KIA,” meaning killed in action. “Rainbow not in sight, device not present.”

“Hey! Help my daughter up,” Arthur called and Chelle was really grateful as she was hauled up. As her removed her gag, she recalled want the SAS leader radioed and after taking a large drip of water, she recalled what she saw from the car.

“Thanks, stay with them,” the leader told one of his men while the others exited and father and daughter shared a large hug.

The E squadron team had managed to find and kill Piotr just before he could drive across the border and sell the special device. Being clandestine in nature, the unit whisked father, daughter and themselves back to UK soil as shadowy as they arrived and the SIS leaders were glad it was kept that way. The shadowy lady, Priscilla Redmond was picked up by UK customs officers but was making a deal, revealing the Black Shirts’ activities and her own.

Back in the Summers home, the whole family was sitting quietly for a small meal, Chelle rubbing much ointment over the cuts on her wrists and moisturiser on her face. Arthur was the first the break the ice.

“Today, I lied once again to my girls, and nearly got my wonderful detective daughter eaten up,”

“Dad…” Chelle started but Arthur held up his hands.

“I know, SIS rules are very strict in telling family members what their staff really do. My wife knows.” The symbol on the paper was Arthur’s danger message. Maggie Summers was once an executive assistant at MI5 and met her husband at a function. They had moved the girls up to Croonford in case SIS adversaries would find the family. How Priscilla Redmond discovered the symbol was still under investigation.

“No more secrets, no more. Thank you, Michelle, thank you Maggie and I’ll attend your choral act Kate. I’m changing jobs.” he hugged each girl, kissing Chelle on her forehead before returning to his room.

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark and Reinhard will return in ‘The Truth Revealed?’

20: The Truth Is Out There

Summary:

Cattle at a nearby farm sudden show mutated parts. The group doesn’t consider it a real case until a quarantine is placed on the farming area. However, Michelle might have crossed the edge this time.

Author’s note: While Chelle might appear in just a gown in the later parts, there is no scene where she’s fully naked.

“In this morning’s breaking news, we ring you reports of new missile, artillery and gunfire attacks against Ukrainian forces and citizens… in local news, a farmer has reported that suddenly some of his cows have extremely small udders for their age and the bulls aren’t growing up to their proper size…”

Michelle Summers raised her eyes wide at the second news report as she pulled up her 70 denier tights — the school temporarily allowed girls to wear thicker tights due to the colder weather — over her legs. She immediately judged it was something worth investigating. At the breakfast table, she replayed the video for her family and quickly stated her view. Her father instead talked about the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and bringing up the history of that region. Her younger sister Catherine ignored the news and just slurped up her cereal, silently humming a song for her music project. As usual, her mother told her to focus on her schoolwork and tuned down her ‘detective games.’

Chelle naturally replayed the news video for her fellow detective Chan Lin Ling, with both girls listening using earphones less the other students complain. She did comment on the fact that her East Asian classmate was only wearing 50 denier tights. Instead, Lin wrote back on an old school foolscap paper, ‘insect bites?’ ‘Undeclared vitamins?’ ‘Just incorrect news?’ Finally, at the school grounds, they met up with Jennifer Thompson and passed on the news.

“May be infect cattle, ingesting unauthorised foodstuff or as Lin wrote, vitamins,” Jenn remarked, adding it could be like that evil dentist she faced last time. “Sure, we can look into it, but studies beckon. I’ve just switched to history for one of my GCSEs; geography feels very boring.”

“But, you’re the really smart one. Now, where are the…” Her boyfriend, Mark, with the weird surname Cadvish, quickly sauntered over. He agreed to meet up but had to call Reinhard Tomas, his German-Jamaican class and newest male detective over. The shorter boy just nodded and shifted away too fast to hear Lin call him. She repeated her call but he was far away.

“Darn, he’s been avoiding me for days, no weeks since last time,” she remarked causing Chelle to query what occurred. “Nothing,” Lin head to class, ignoring the smile of racist guy Arthur Morton.

As usual, the detectives managed to meet up during break time. Mark decided on a location where other students wouldn’t be nearby since he was getting much teasing from his classmates and rugby players over his dating. Chelle, Lin and Jenn looked at the various new sites and only the local Croonford news reported it.

“Maybe it’s just something that will be easily stopped. Cattle grazing? Isn’t it too cold for cattle to be grazing?” Lin asked.

“The video stated they were in an indoors area,” Chelle pointed. “Do you know much about the growth of cattle? Reinhard?” The latter just shook his head once and returned to a book. The girls and Mark agreed to head to this certain farm. Reinhard again dashed off as Lin called him.

“What’s going on with him? Was it because…” Lin had to admit what she exactly wore when she was creating gadgets with the newest member.

“That’s so you,” Chelle patted her classmate. “Maybe he doesn’t agree with your dress sense, no…”

“May he feels guilty about he saw, I mean how you exactly dress and…” Lin nodded at Mark’s comment. She asked him to get his classmate to give her time to explain.

All students were very busy with the various studies but Lin, excelling in her various science subjects breezed though. At chemistry practical, both her classmates and Reinhard’s who took the subject shared the practical. She was the first student to finish the assignment first then tried to get his attention. All she got was a blink of his eyes before he re-focused on the test tubes. A second time, her class had finished physical education (PE) and she spotted him and waved but only got a quick nod in return before he followed his class into the sports hall.

It was only Chelle and Lin who managed to head to the certain farm the next week. Mark had a last-minute indoor rugby training but promised to meet up. Jenn had a debate competition on but also hoped to conclude it fast. Reinhard stated that he had to help his dad which Lin thought was another excuse to avoid her. With Mark advising them to be careful, the pair, carrying some of Lin’s gadgets found their way to the farm. As expected, they weren’t greeted warmly until one assistant recalled seeing their face in previous new reports.

“Oh, ok, welcome,” The owner Mr. Richard Stewart gestured. “Yes, we had the Environment Agency and AHDB official come but they all can’t figure what wrong with my cattle.” He was referring to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a statutory board for farmers to aid them to in a changing business world. “Alright,” he heard their request,” you can see the affected cattle,” Chelle noted he used the word ‘affected’, not thinking it was a disease. Even so, both girl detectives were handed N95 respirators. Passing through several gates, the girls finally spotted first the deformed cows then bulls. They were as the news report described: bulls grown up yet look too small and cows with small udders. “Don’t get closer,” Stewart held up his hand. “Yes, this just happened recently. when the weather became colder and I brought all of them indoors.”

“What have they been eating?” Chelle wondered.

‘Normal grass. No, no genetically modified grass or vegetation at all.” He answered Lin’s additional question.

“Any new pests lately?”

The answer was negative; the farmer and his staff used natural ways like chickens or ducks to eat away bugs and the farm was well-fenced from outside prey or human intruders.

“Have you fed the cattle any additional foodstuffs? Or vitamins?” Lin recalled what she wrote.

“No, no, no, everything they eat is from the land. My whole cattle have always been organic, well now mutated. I’ve lost business – the cows supply fresh milk to supermarkets here and on the continent and the bulls were highly-valued veal and steak sources through Europe.” He paused then remarked that they had one more question as he had business and personal business to take care of.

“Has there been any unusual incidents or phenomena around their grazing area?” Chelle asked with Lin wondering how she came up with such a question.

Stewart was about to give a negative reply when the assistant who recognised the girls spoke up.

“There was a bright light shining in the afternoon, daily then two spherical objects moved around in a criss-cross pattern then the objects disappear. It…”

“That wasn’t unusual. I have to go. Please show the girls out.” The farm concluded and left. As the girls followed the assistant out, Chelle asked him to show them where that phenomenon could be seen. Lin was about to interrupt but her classmate was moving fast. They passed through several gates and got their stained by mud until they reached a far corner. “It happens…”

They was a bright flash and as mentioned, two circular objects flew randomly until they vanished in sight.

“Spectacular, isn’t it? Usually happens at this time,” he pointed to his watch showing four o’clock in the afternoon or random late afternoon times. It…” His phone buzzed, and mention he had other matters to tend to, the detectives were escorted out.

“What do you think those objects were?” Chelle.asked.

“Searchlights or some weather phenomena.”

“Weather phenomena? There’s nothing I recall that can form such a bright light and such circles. Searchlights? It’s still winter and there no carnival or property immediately beyond.”

“Ok, aircraft or such…what’s on your mind.”

“Well, UFOs…”

Lin shook her head. “Look, that’s far-fetched. You’ve been reading too many science fiction…”

Jenn and Mark appeared both carrying umbrellas with the former still in her formal school uniform, one hand holding down her skirt less she get an unwanted upskirt due to the wind.

“Chelle was…”

“It has happened before; it’s called cattle mutilation,” Chelle continued. “There have been multiple news reports of animals deformed suddenly with no clear explanation. In September 1967, an Agnes King and her son found their three-year-old horse dead. It’s head and neck had been skinned and defleshed, and the body displayed cuts that appeared very precise lacerations. The dead animal also emitted a strong medicinal-like odour.”

“Oh that,” Lin recalled, “There was a formal report which stated there was no evidence to support the assertion that the horse’s death was associated in any way to abnormal causes.”

“Well in 1973, sexual organs were reported removed from cattle in the US states Kansas and Nebraska and there were around 38 deaths…”

“Those reports were cleared as cattle dying from blackleg, a bacterial disease,” Lin countered.

“Well, those cattle till might be infected by unknown means. Look, a year later, there were further reports in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Coincidentally, there were helicopters of unknown origin flying around and they continued despite federal warnings. Those objects could…”

Lin shook her head and stated there would always be a rational human-centred reason, “Can we adjourn to a warmer non-windy place?” Jenn added, really clutching her skirt. They retreated to the nearby train station and Lin continued, “You really think UFOs and aliens infected those cattle?”

“Well, what scientific theories can you offer?” Chelle politely countered with Lin suggesting they, not just she, would find many. The group made their ways, with Lin reminding Mark to talk to Reinhard why the latter was avoiding her.

Despite their heavy school work and school activities, Chelle managed to conduct research on cattle mutilation and sightings of unidentified flying objects across the local area. Lin on the other hand focused on producing scientific-centred arguments. “Goodness,” the East Asian student shook her head seeing the news articles and books her fellow detective collected. “Unknown flights over Croonford and its wider region? Excited aircraft observers have increased gatherings spotting new objects in the sky?” Lin shifted the folder and shook her head again. “It’s a tabloid.” She turned to the books, noting the titles, Stalking the Herd: Unravelling the Cattle Mutilation Mystery, Enter The Valley: UFO’s, Religious Miracles, Cattle Mutilation, and Other Unexplained Phenomena and An Alien Harvest.

“Good gosh, you really have UFO and alien crazy, she remarked.

Chelle, trying not to feel insulted, replied, “So what do you have Miss Scientist?”

Lin’s arguments were neatly laid out: There were all scientific answers, stating that deformed animals all were examined thoroughly by government agencies such as the FBI. Natural causes such as dehydration or small scavengers and burrowing parasites. Other unusual changes could be due to feeding insects and these were tested in labs. She also presented her own scientific and mathematic models of how the cows and bulls were deformed.” But none of what you presented can be countered with what I found.” The duo kept arguing, trying not disturb any nearby students. Neither could win their own arguments when Lin remarked if Chelle really believed the cattle was infected by unknown sources like the government, she suggested her friend contact her father. “My dad works on foreign relations,” Chelle replied but still sent him a WhatsApp message, leaving out the words ‘UFO’ and ‘alien’. As Jenn joined them, Lin asked if she could talk to her cousin in the RAF about any new aircraft flying above that farm. “We did save him after all.”

The answers came back after school: Chelle’s father knew nothing about deformed cattle and mentioned that he was extremely busy. Jenn’s cousin took long to reply saying he could not reveal anything being a military officer bound by the Official Secrets Act. “He recommends asking via the Freedom of Information Act,” Jenn remarked then added replies to any query take at least 20 days and Chelle noted some government departments would never disclose their activities. “Ok, Lin, you have your science-centred theories I have my controversial ones. Let’s return to see that weird aerial display and to the farm.”

While the pair decided when to venture there, Mark sprang out of one corner and literally pulled Reinhard aside, holding a finger to his classmate’s lips.

“What…”

“What’s with you and Lin? You’ve been ignoring her since the last case regarding that evil dentist.”

The shorter boy tried to walk away but the rugby player’s figure blocked all his way.

“Come on, what’s going on?”

Reinhard stared up at Mark and just blurted. “None of your business.”

“Oh, come on, as classmates and fellow detectives, I know something’s up.”

“I’m…you’re too intrusive. Let me…” Mark gently pulled him aside as other students passed by.

“We’re all in the same boat, no group. So, ignoring Lin doesn’t help. Speak to her.”

“Ok, fine, I’ll will some time.”

“No, as soon as possible.”

Chelle and Lin returned to edge of the farm where the assistant informed them where they could spot the unidentified objects. They were late so they decided to head to that area first then check out the cattle later. Jenn once again had a debate competition. Lin started to look bored as the seconds and the sky looked normal. All of a suddenly, the bright light shone intensely, a few seconds longer than previously. The two spherical objects appeared and randomly moved. Chelle excitedly pulled out her camera phone and ran next to the fence snapping pictures wildly. Several minutes later, the two objects vanished.

“We lost ten minutes!” Chelle cried, pointing at her watch with Lin raising her eyes.

“I looked at my watch just before the objects disappeared and it was four-thirty-five. Suddenly, my watch and phone turned four-forty-five!”

“It’ can’t be,” Lin started as Chelle showed the time stamps on the pictures she took.

You can’t lose time; time is a universal variant!”

“It has happened to alien abductees or people who witness UFO sightings…ooh, take a look, oh crap,” Chelle moaned and she showed Lin the blurry pictures.

“You need to max zoom and stay still and you took an empty picture of the sky,” the taller girl tapped the last shot which showed an empty sky.

“Hey there were there; they must have been used some cloaking shield.”

“Oh gosh, that’s so Star Wars-geek like,” Lin shook her head when she saw her friend staring at her watch and phone again. They were next joined by Jenn who remarked her team lost a debate match against an unknown school and some student named Richard Weaver was named best debater in her place. Chelle was about to lead them to the farm entrance when Jenn showed a news video on her phone.

“Authorities has placed a quarantine at 4:50pm on Stewart farm where cattle’s organs and other body parts have been much deformed. The owner Richard Stewart and his staff have been taken in for question and supermarkets and small retailers and advised not to sell milk or meat from that particular farm – government authorities will be in touch. Citizens are advised not to approach the farm for any particular reasons.” Figures in biohazard suits nearby further confirmed the report.

“Let’s head back,” Jenn naturally suggested and Lin found her watch was at the same time as Jenn’s. Before she could further chat with Chelle, she received a message from Mark.

Reinhard has agreed to meet and talk to you. But only at a place without many others especially people especially schoolmates.

Lin was partly relieved and typed a reply. Chelle was silently dejected that they could not further stay around the farm or check out the animals. The news that there was a quarantine placed by government agencies or departments furthered her theories that there was really something sinister happened. She decided not to argue with Lin as she silently decided what to next to do.

The quarantine news involved every group as possible and it took Chelle ages to get into contact with their long-term police Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Nikki Heath. “We’re looking into whether the farmer or any of his staff have devious motives in infecting the cattle. No, we’re not investigating in any aerial objects. No, can’t brief you on more details. Really advise you and the group to stay well away from the area.”

Lin had chosen a cafe titled New Items which actually sold snacks and drinks that were made globally and there was not one British-made item there. She knew proprietor and he arranged a two-seat table in a corner far away from the usual clientele without question. Instead of her usual sexy clothing she chose a dark blue jeans skirt that reach around four centimetres below her knees with her legs clad in 70 denier black, something she could bear with. Her jumper was dark red over a beige long-sleeve shirt. She toyed her handless cup of Chinese Jasmine tea when Reinhard dressed in black jeans and a brown jumper entered. He nodded at her rising from her seat but returned the handshake for only two seconds. “Go ahead, get your own drink,” she pointed to the counter. As he returned with a less sweet Turkish coffee, she smiled while he tried to not to shiver or worse, spill his drink.

“Something is bothering you.” She started, not with a question.

Chelle was definitely bothered. There were so many questions that no one would or could answer. The news droned on about the quarantine droned on as were her mother’s reminder to avoid the area. Deciding otherwise, she dressed in simple jeans and jumper telling her mother that she was conducting field research for an article for the school’s literature and media club. “I’ll return to tuition Catherine, mum and help you prepare dinner.” Repeating that twice, her mum again told her to avoid the farm and Chelle was off. At a toilet in a nearby pub, she changed out of those clothes into an all-black slack and jumper that was quite skin-hugging.

Reinhard felt like he was an ice cube slowly melting away upon hearing Lin’s opening statement. He just wanted to run away or find a table to sit alone. “Please, tell me. Take a sip of your coffee and explain.”

Reinhard finally drank nearly a quarter of his cup, wiped his lips then blurted out, “It’s you! It’s how you dress!”

After taking a different train journey, the black-clad Chelle position herself on a hillock that was directly opposite the area where the unidentified objected appeared. She checked her watch and her phone – they both stated the same time. She withdrew a cheaper watch and let it run. Noting the time again, she rolled downwards closer to the farm’s fence, double-check her own watch, phone and drew out a cheap binoculars that she bought beforehand.

Lin already guessed what was troubling the short boy so did shout back but just told him to continue. “It was what you wore! No what you wear, what you dress in! You…” Reinhard stopped, banged the table and lowered his head down. It was amazing that both their drinks didn’t spill. Her hand lightly tounched his forehead and he lifted his head up. “You said ‘yes’ when I askd if you like what I wore.”

Reinhard lifted his head and slightly nodded.

“Do I scare you?”

He shook his head.

“So, it was what I wore? I better cover up now, ” She was about to put on her coat when he stopped her.

I should have worn a thick coat, Chelle thought as the afternoon weather grew chiller. A part of her started to say that Lin may be correct; there was a scientific explanation for all of this. Yet her curiosity pushed that away – there wasn’t a clear explanation for the sudden deformation of the cattle. Nor was there a distinct reason for the quarantine or even the random burst of light and the random moving aerial objects. Her thoughts were interrupted as her watch then the time on her mobile phone jumped by five minutes. Rushing back up the hillock, the watch she left showed no changed in time. What…\

“Well…when I was looking you, your chest — I shouldn’t have — I had this feeling between my legs, I don’t know how to explain it,” he didn’t state the ‘E’ word out loud mostly because he was not taught it. “Or just looking at you, even in your school uniform, I get…that muscular feeling…” He turned his head away but she gestured him to look at her. Lin easily understood that he was getting aroused and constant erections due to her looks.

“Reinhard, I am what I want to be; I’m sure that true for yourself.” She told him how she was the first girl in primary school to start puberty, how she was bullied for having breasts – he didn’t react when she used that term — and teased for being taller than the boys. Her primary school wasn’t friendly for girls with their periods. “Other girls also wear sexy clothes, dress to beautify themselves. Harriet, Bethan, Heather and some girls in your class looks pretty and dress to beautify. Does that affect you?”

He shook his head.

Meanwhile, Chelle witnessed the sudden bright light although this time it was much brighter than before. For precautions, she had donned sunglasses but the pair or unidentified spherical objects appeared much faster than before. They moved around less randomly this time as she looked through the binoculars. In some way in was very enchanting.

“We’re both teenagers Reinhard, we’re both having feelings due to puberty, there are those sex education classes, ok not well-designed. The point is, it’s natural. Take another drink, feel calm. Now look, what do you see?”

Chelle saw the two objects continue their ‘dancing’ in the sky. She had already drawn out her phone and took dozens of pictures. The first five were blurry while the others showed an empty or slightly cloudy sky. Shaking her head, she tried to send the blurry ones to her detective colleagues but each time she got a blocked signal. Someone is really causing this disruption and I’ll…

“I..I see a student. A girl…a scientist,” He still was unsure but wasn’t shaking anymore. “I feel so stupid now.”

“Don’t ever be. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Want a snack?” Lin was about to order one when there was message from Chelle. It was gibberish, “#$$$###^^@@@&.(”

She dialled Chelle’s number direct. “Chelle? Chelle? Are you there?”

Chelle in fact saw the two objects suddenly grew closer and a gigantic force pulled her off the hillock. She was not blinded as her eyes just saw the whole area turn black then a stark white. What on earth could…Chelle couldn’t think straight, hear anything, feel anything, all her senses suddenly disappeared.

Lin kept on dialling, texting, sending WhatsApp messages to Chelle and found no replies and received, ‘The number you have called is unavailable, please try again later.” Throwing some money to pay for the drinks, she yelled, “Chelle’s in trouble.” That set off a ‘chain reaction’, with her and Reinhard reporting it to the police. DCI Heath, despite manging the mutilated cattle case, took it, asked questions neither student could answer and she logged it. Mrs Summers nearly fainted upon hearing the news, repeatedly scolding herself for not stopping her eldest daughter. By late evening, Michelle Summers was declared a ‘missing person’.

The whole town was now shifting talk form the quarantined farm to Michelle’s disappearance, even though it was not the first time. DCI Heath, along with her trusted partner Detective Sergeant (DS) Bluebell Ransom pulled all-nighters but after intensively interviewing the farmer, his staff and other locals, there were no leads. At school, students could not stop talking about Michelle, many setting up groups wishing for her safe return, some thinking she was playing a fool.

Chelle awoke, or part of her was. She could see, somewhat since there was a gigantic light above no around her. Was she still where she was? What was this light? She tried to move but couldn’t. Bound once again, but she couldn’t identify what it was. Was sitting, standing or lying on the ground? She tried to open her mouth but her lips couldn’t move. There was nothing coming from her vocal cords. How was she gagged? How was she silenced. Figures, no just white heads appeared. or so she could barely make out.

Chelle’s disappearance affected every other teenage member. Reinhard couldn’t think properly during hi English classes, Jenn made simple errors in her Shakespeare studies, Mark was scolded by his rugby colleagues and coach. Lin was the most affected, not just her studies but also personally since she mostly blamed herself for not helping Chelle to see more rational explanations regarding and judging her rash action.

Chelle now could judge those ‘heads’ were humanoid-like. Who were they – alien? Humans in gowns? She couldn’t think properly. Her eyesight was slightly better now and she wasn’t shocked to see herself undressed down to her white bra and knickers. She could not move, talk and failed to comprehend her plight.

Lin woke up in the early morning, still blaming herself for her friend’s disappearance and all the news about it. She knew her parents had formally stopped her from any after-school activities but despite their bedroom being near, she managed to quietly dress and slipped out of her room window, managing to close it without much noise. It was naturally cold but the chill wasn’t on her worries. After a quick stroll she found herself walking past a closed shop when a limousine sped past, nearly knocking her down. Before she could get up and shake her fist at that reckless driver, the vehicle reversed back, pushing her into an alley.

“Miss Chan, please join me inside,” one door just sprang open and a deep non-British broke the silence of the morning.

“Who the…”

“I have the means to save Michelle’s live.”

“What the hell did you….” She stopped one window partially lowered and a taser or gun was pointed at her. “We don’t want further trouble, so please…” Lin weighed her options and cautiously entered. A pouch was dropped on her lap. Opening it, she found a syringe, a small medical bottle and several neatly hand-written lines on a crumpled paper.

“A vaccine against what your friend is infect with. It must be administered within six hours. That leaves you little time to reach the area.” He pointed to the note then the time on the car clock.

“A virus?! You infect Chelle with a virus?! What about the cattle?! What about…”

“I ask you lower your voice young lady. The person in front has fingers that won’t hold that weapon properly. The animals were part of the means the create a cure for farmers working very close with livestock. It’s a long story but it became a virus that has mutated and intensive tests on humans were required.”

“Why Chelle? Why did you pick her!” The limo’s interior lights were dimmed but she noted the man’s face was deeply scarred.

“I have even my limits in the full scale of the project. Those objects in the sky may have a relationship with the project. The vaccine is the main area I know about.”

“Who exactly are you? How can I trust you?” Suddenly the limo turned sharply three times, throwing both of them out of their seats. There was a loud explosion but as Lin recovered, the gunman in the front had shot himself, then two more shots came, killing the driver and then the gunman.

“Even friends I know can never be trusted,” the unknown figured continued without a change in tone while Lin was slightly shocked. “Now, it’s best you go to save your friend. The questions you have may be answer at the location.” The door on Lin’s side clicked open. She pondered then stepped out. There was a more muted ‘move away’ from him and as she crawled away, the vehicle somehow jerked then exploded, the shrapnel nearly striking her.

An hour or so later, Lin somehow managed to reach the area written in the note. It was an open field, with no other structure sight and it was formed from Satnav coordinates in the note. She previously took pictures of the note and sent it to her detective friends and the police. Ok, what next? She scanned the area but it was just an open field. Nowhere near than farm, where exactly was Croonford now? She moved randomly and just as she thought it would be better to walk back when she fell. It wasn’t a long fall then suddenly she found herself standing on a narrow edge. Spreading her arms, she managed to balance herself until she spied a wider area. As she reached that part, she suddenly stared down. Right below her was a gigantic hole that showed rows of walkways all leading to further areas. As she looked down, one particular walkway showed steam rising from it. That could be…suddenly she fell again, her hands finally catching some railing. With much strength, she pulled herself up, and felt a blast of chill.

In front of her was a large bolted door, akin to those in banks or ICBM bunkers. There was a small keypad with no numbers on it but she pulled out the now-dirty note and imagining how a numerical key pad would look like, she punched 5982. The door clicked open but slammed shut as she entered. Inside was a medical examination table but no other equipment around it. On the left were at least ten vertical crypods and when Lin touched the first, it was icy cold. Wiping her coat against it, she gasped as she saw a male inside, waist covered with a tube running inside his mouth. Lin quickly wiped the second, third and fourth crypods yet all contained semi-naked men. As she rubbed away the ice around the fifth tube, she gasped seeing Chelle wearing a gown with that same tube stuck inside her mouth.

“Chelle! Hang on!” She looked around wildly but there was no lid or lock to open the crypod. Spying the table, she unlocked the wheels and hoping for the best, she rammed in as hard as she could against the particular crypod. There was a creaking sound and the structure shattered, gooey liquid sliding down the floor, dirtying her trainers. “Chelle!” Lin cried as she caught her sat her friend down on a clean surface. “Can you…” Lin pulled out the syringe and trying the remember how doctors and nurses filled it, she managed to wheels and filling it with the unknown vaccine and slowly injected it in Chelle’s bare arm. Suddenly, the organic-like tube in her mouth shrunk then slid away with Lin pulling it off.

“Chelle, can you hear me? Michelle?” She heard a loud cough then barely head the word cold. Taking off her coat, Lin wrapped it around her friend and again look around for an exit. Before she could finish looking in detail, the first crypod exploded, with more goo spilling out. “Shit!” Lin cried, not at the substance, but as the semi-naked man inside slowly walked out hunched. Another explosion blew the second crypod, and Lin dragged herself and Chelle away as the next man got out. Suddenly, the wall she leaned against clicked open and turning, she saw a ladder slide out.

“Chelle, hold onto to me!” She called as felt the cold still slightly sticky feeling of her half-unconscious friend on her back. Despite the weight, Lin managed to climb as she heard more explosions beneath her and found and open hatch above. The last thing she heard was a tremendous explosion as she pulled herself and Chelle out, not before seeing the two same objects dancing in the sky.

In the early morning aft, Lin, held an ice pack against her bruised cheek and was joined with the four others in the visitor’s area of the town’s hospital. Dr. Gordon Holdon, the A&E doctor, finally exited and held out hands to stop their excited questions.

“Yes, she’s conscious. Ok, I’ll allow you all to see her. But only five minutes; she really needs a long rest.”

Inside, Chelle was in a hospital gown an IV drip runnng to her left vein and wires running to a heart monitor. As they gathered aroound, Lin started.

“Who…are you?” Was Chelle’s response.

“Oh, no please!” They all wailed. Chelle’s eyes blinked and she laughed. “Did I miss anything?”

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark and Reinhard will return in ‘Multiple Cases.’

The End

19: Going to the Dentist

Summary:

The local and well-loved dentist dies and another takes her place. Jenn feels there’s nothing wrong with him, unlike the others, especially after a series of hospitalisations by the locals. Does this new member of the community care for just teeth?

Author’s note: There may be medical inaccuracies in this story by my choice.

Croonford School grounds
2022

“Happy belated New Year!” The students across the various years greeted each other with handshakes and hugs. There were more greetings and congratulations for Michelle Summers who nearly got blown up during the Christmas period.

“I forgot to thank you for calling the police,” Chelle thanked her classmate, Heather Smiths.

“No problem, at first I thought it was even having you bound to the flagpole and gagged, ” the taller girl joked. “No Chelle, I couldn’t leave you freezing or getting blown to pieces.” She hugged her with Heather’s 34C pressing against Chelle’s smaller breasts. “Just don’t jump on me and truss and gag me again?”

Chelle agreed although she wasn’t certain if that would be true. After thanking Heather again, she drifted over to Lin Ling who was chatting with others, including Reinhard. Chelle heard them finishing a discussion regarding the school’s science club.

“Planning on creating any new gadgets?” She asked the two ‘science experts’.

“Perhaps, depending on what cases we face,” came the obvious answer from Lin.

“It’s takes time to construct them,” the newest member of the team added.

“I can make them quickly…”

“Hey where’s Jennifer?” Reinhard suddenly asked.

Both Chelle and Lin turned their heads and saw the shortest girl detective was nowhere in sight. Chelle immediately questions Jenn’s classmates but all assumed she was late this day. “Maybe she’s found another case and didn’t warn you two. Typical for her?”

Chelle ignored that remark from Jenn’s male classmate but gave it a thought and send her friend a WhatsApp message. Just then, Jenn rushed pasted the school gates and nearly collided with Chelle and Lin.

“Sorry, the usual and lovely town dentist passed away and his replacement is fully booked out…” Jenn’s explanation was cut short as the morning bell rang. Just as Lin reached her classroom doorway a male foot shot out and she was about to strike back until the foot quickly moved away.

“Trying to make me trip Art? That’s trick I’ll never fall for,” Lin glared at Art Morton, one of the class and school bullies.

“No, I didn’t see you…ladies first,” the ginger-haired boy stammered. Lin decided not to pursuit the issue and Chelle was glad with her friend’s glare in response. All students were kept extremely busy with the subjects they chose for their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Thus, the three girl detectives only met back during lunchtime.

“So, you dentist passed away and…” Chelle began to summarise.

“That doesn’t why you were so frantic or late today; you’re usually as early as both of us,” Lin finished of the sentence. Jenn picked out a piece of bread with a toothpick before answering.

“Yes, well, Doc Wilkins was not just a wonderful dentist but also a grandfather-like figure to the town folk – you two never visited his practice?” Her friends shook their heads.

“Well now his office has been now taken over by some newbie dentist…” Jenn flipped through her phone then showed her fellow girl detectives a profile that showed a picture of a lean middle-aged man with mostly black hair with streaks of white hair in his fringe.

“Dr. Callum Shatford,” Lin read. “BD, KCL, and DMD, UWA.” That translated to Bachelor of Dental Surgery from King’s College London and a PhD in Dental Medicine from Western Australia.

“So, what’s your worry?” Both Chelle and Lin asked simultaneously.

“Well, nothing first but there’s a growing feeling that he might not be as friendly as Doc Wilkins.”

The others two paused once again and initially thought to dismiss it, then all three agreed to gather all the teen detectives at their headquarters later.

Teen Detectives Headquarters
Afternoon

The first two teen detectives in their headquarters were Lin and Reinhard, the science experts. As they were creating it, the short boy was trying hard not to look at how his fellow science club member was dressed. Lin out of her coat was, despite the averagely warm interior provided by a portable heater, she was in sleeveless light maroon top and dark blue mini skirt that reached just two centimetres above her purple tights-covered legs. It wasn’t the 50 denier tights or the shiny mini skirt that he was interested in. Her top was quite tight fitting therefore revealing the full outline of her bra, pushing her boobs larger. As he turned his eyes towards her, Lin remarked, “sorry, keep working,” and dashed out of the converted caravan. Did she centimetres notice me glancing at her boobs and legs? I’m a dead guy. I thought she’s a great student and science club member and beautiful girl and now I messed it up, shaking his head. Lin returned minutes later, throwing something into the waste bin.

“Sorry for that, let’s continue,” Lin remarked and Reinhard heaved a sigh of relief internally but still wondered why she dashed out. Toilet…no..’female issues’, that was ho his mother would call it and end it. He had to look up the issues of puberty himself….

The door clicked open, interrupting their constructions and his thoughts. Mark Cadvish was hugging his girlfriend until they sat down. “Hi you two love birds, is Jenn behind?” Lin teased and received a negative reply. Chelle thought back to Caddish the last few cases and quickly sent Jenn a WhatsApp message. Instead of a reply, the third girl detective rushed in.

“Something frantic again?”

“No…” Jenn took a large drink of water. “I just came from giving further statements to DCI Heath regarding those kidnapped girls locked in a chamber.” Jenn started. “And I’ve also too travel down to give another statement regarding the so-called plane crash my cousin made.” DCI Heath was of course Detective Chief Inspector Nikki Heath, the teen closest ally in the local police force. She was also referring to the last two cases she was deeply involved in.

“So..this Dr. Shatford requires or rather demands that all patients and would-be patients get a full medical examination before he sees them,” Jenn continued. “Yes, that is normal for most dental practices, however, hr requires a detailed medical examination, which Doc Wilkins never asked for. Now it’s creating a huge queue of would-be patients and current patients steered away.”

“Demanding dentist,” Chelle observed. “Ok, that may be something to look at.” The whole team search but a general web search found nothing incorrect with that requirement. Part of the way in their searching, Jenn received a text message. “Darn, the MOD police want me down in an hour,” Jenn complained.

“Wait, here’s the latest gadget,” Lin remarked as Reinhard passed out three old purses to the girls and two wallets to the boys. Just as Chelle was going to open hers Lin yelled stop. “That’s the incorrect way. If you do that a latch will clamp down on your fingers and cut through them. Like a mouse or animal trap. You must push the small button on the ‘south west’ side,” Lin explained.

“Amazing!” Jenn exclaimed. “Sorry gang, have to go. Meet up some time again?” They did again during the weekend with Jenn only managing to book her medical appointment. “The local clinic now is filing up due to the new dentist’s requirements,” Jenn explained to the others.

“What do the usual patients say about him?” Chelle asked.

“Good idea I know a few, will ask them.”

The others didn’t have any serious questions and still promised to search details regarding this particular dentist. Lin suddenly handed bottles of facial moisturiser to Chelle and Jenn. “Spread this around your lips, your lower jaw and your cheeks near sides of your lips.” The two others raised their eyes but complied.

“Ok, tape our lips,” she passed a roll of grey duct tape.

“What?!” Mark exclaimed.

“Do it; I’ll explain shortly.” Mark complied but hesitated as he taped his girlfriend’s lips. Lin set a timer then shortly the adhesive on the tape weared off and the girls easily peeled them off.

“Two and a half minutes, may make shorter,” the science whizz read from her electronic stop watch. “Yes, it’s a cream that reduces the strength of adhesive tape.”

“Does it work on all sort of tape?” Jenn wondered.

“I haven’t tested on all kinds but it should apply to most.”

“What about us?” Mark and Reinhard chimed simultaneously.

“Well, boys don’t usually use moisturiser on their face…and neither of you have been bound and gagged.”

The boys just grimaced and before either could respond, Chelle remarked, “I guess we’re just girl detectives always bound and gagged.”

Most of the team were kept busy with their school work and activities. Chelle was kept busy by her senior Louisa in the Literature and Media club, Lin and Reinhard were focused on improving the school’ science club and Mark with his rugby practice. Only Jenn had managed to finish her drama club and debate practice fast and she took her free time looking up this suspicious dentist. Nothing on the Internet so she focused on the idea of other patients at the dentist. She knew a certain Mr Nathan Tugendhat whom they chatted with at the old office and she knew him as one of the local librarians.

“Hi Jennifer,” Mrs Paige Tugendhat greeted her. Jenn was comfortable enough to let the couple call her by her full name. “Won’t you come for a cup of tea?’

“I’d love to but is Nathan at home?”

Mrs. Tugendhat’s eyes narrowed. “He suddenly shivered, not because of the cold and headed to the hospital. I’ll be visiting him shortly.”

Jenn responded with her sorrows then rushed to the local hospital noting that she had some visiting spare time. Naturally, without any appointment or relationship with Mr. Tugendhat she was immediately rebuffed by the receptionist. Trying to plead, she suddenly heard a grunt.

“Hi, Jenn haven’t seen you visiting in a while,” Jenn smiled, recognising the familiar face of Dr. Gordon Holdon who treated her for common childhood illness such as chickenpox and now and A&E doctor. “Questions about Nathan Tugendhat? Follow me?” She did with the receptionist bewildered.

Jenn shortly saw the elderly gentleman lying with an oxygen mask, an IV drip running into his right arm and wires connected to a heart monitor. “He was a very healthy and active person then entered A&E shivering constantly. I got the shivering stopped with normal antibiotics but his heart rate is irregular and dropped occasionally. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Jenn asked what he ate or drank recently or who he visited. “Normal foodstuffs and a dental visit to reset one of his dentures.” That sparked a thought in her mind and further questioned. “Of course, I asked him about the visit when he was stable. It was a normal procedure with normal aesthetic, Novocaine. That’s an older aesthetic that takes time unlike like Lidocaine hydrochloride but it still works.”

Jenn wasn’t sure of those names and the doctor concluded that he examined the patient for other marks and sent blood and saliva samples to be further examined. “It will take…” The doctor’s sentence was cut off as a staffer knocked and passed him a folder.

“That’s a fast examination completed,” Dr. Holdon thanked the laboratory assistant. He ran through each line carefully with Jenn trying to comprehend the medical names. “Novocaine dosage. That’s very high, and he mixed it with…oh an experimental antidepressant added?!”

Jenn also gave a yelp and quickly learn the name, Wyomintic, how it was not formally approved by the General Dental Council and most likely contributed to Mr. Tugendhat’s illness.

“Are you going to report it?”

“Jenn, there’s not much medical information on this drug. My duty is to my patient,” was the reply and she asked for a copy of the specific page that covered the controversial antidepressant. “Why…oh you’re part of that girl detective group?”

Jenn nodded, not bothering to correct him and the doctor made a photocopy, reminding her to be careful. Back outside, Jenn quickly her fellow teen detectives and DCI Heath, sending them all soft copies of that page from the lab examination. She waited but no one replied, she still had time so wildly made her to where the town dental practice was.

“Miss Thompson? Your appointment is not due to Friday,” the new nurse with name tag reading ‘J. Watkins.’

“I would like to wildly see Dr. Shatford,” Jenn announced and repeated herself. The nurse tried to bar Jenn but the teen managed to charge through. Shatford was slouching at his desk as Jenn announced what she learnt. He calmly rebutted her, stating Wyomintic was perfectly safe and he knew what to do when fixing Nathan Tugendhat. The argument started to heat up then Jenn felt something bite her right arm and she collapsed, the photocopy falling near the desk.

“I never like arguments,” the dentist stood up, towering over the unconscious teen. “She’ll be a good test subject,” he nodded to the nurse.

Jenn awoke with the familiar feeling of tape sealing her lips. She knew she was also bound but with…she tried to lift herself up but felt her wrists and ankles held her down. She wasn’t on the floor but restrained to the dental chair with leather restraints. She quickly noted her ankle restraints spread her leg out. That’s so out of place for a dental chair, she thought grimly. Jenn had spread the special facial moisturiser around her lips and the sides of her cheeks and already felt the adhesive wearing off. Suddenly…

A bright light shone directly above, nearly blinding her. “Welcome, any high dosage, any you be out for a full day,” the dentist, now in full gear including facial mask and googles. “Trying to talk me down over what I use on my patients? Well, best you stay at school girl.” The evil dentist shifted down and Jenn felt him dig into her jeans pockets then scream as the metal clamps of Lin’s newest device bite into his fingers.

“Twit!” He swore and she naturally heard him wash and bandage his hand. Returning, he growled and torn off her gag, not noticing how loose it was. Before Jenn could utter word, something rubbery was wedged into the back of the set of her teeth, keeping her mouth open.

“Now you’ll get what you mention to me,” he growled again as Jenn screamed ‘ah!’ both from her mouth forced open and the threat of being injected. Just before she saw the syringe full of liquid the door slammed open and Dr. Shatford’s figure was literally pulled away.

“Mark, the net’s not holding him! Tackle him!” Jenn heard the familiar voice of Lin and shortly the mouth prop was quickly removed and Lin used her pen laser to cut away the leather restraints.

“The nurse! The nurse! She’s also involved!” Jenn cried as she got up.

“We have her. Thanks to you junior detectives,” DCI Heath entered and announced that the dentist was under arrest for using unlicensed drugs.

The next day in their headquarters

“Once again, the girl detectives in Croonford have solve a case, finding that Croonford new dentist use controversial drugs and highly unusual methods to treat his patients. Police are also investigating whether Dr. Callum Shatford indirectly caused the death of the town’s former dentist Dr. Jon Wilkins…”

“They never mention us boys,” Mark turned down the video on his phone.

“Patience, you two just join us,” Lin

“Murder?” Mark asked then learnt that Nikki Heath and her team found match evidence that Shatford poisoned Wilkins’ drink.

“Really evil guy. Thanks for rescuing me,” Jenn rubbed her cheek although there wasn’t any more pain. “Those gadgets really worked well.”

As the team exited, Lin stopped Reinhard. “You were staring at me the other day as we were finalising the fake wallet.” He trembled and admitted so.

“Did you like what I wore?”

“Ye..s.”

She smiled and moved away.

Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark and Reinhard will return in ‘The Truth Is Out There.’

The End.

03: Brains and Brawns

Summary:

Brains versus brawns appear when local competitions seem to be skewed, despite checks.

Author’s note: You can tell which kid detectives’ series I like and dislike, or read and never read. I also may get sports timing wrong so apologies.

Timing: I did say there’s the time period follows the date in real life but in this case, I retcon and placed it in the autumn months. No COVID-19 here, luckily.

Continued from previous story
Crononford

“You want to form a what…teen detective agency?! Like Nancy Drew?” Lin asked.

“I hate Nancy Drew. Never read most of the books. Doesn’t fit me Brit,” Chelle countered.

“Then what? If two of us, female version of Hard Boys?”

“Nothing American, I said. Well ok, maybe the Hardy Boys series weren’t so bad. So, a female version of Frank and Joe Hardy…”

“Or maybe the Famous Five…” Lin mused.

“I’m not getting a dog; my sis Kate is allergic to most of them. Five is too many and I don’t know about roping in guys…”

“So then, just the two of us gals?” Lin pondered.

“Three wouldn’t be a crowd. ”

Summers’ Residence
Later that weekend

“Michelle Summers, you were almost killed twice so far! I don’t want to hear about my daughter’s death in the news!” Margaret Summers cried as she dished out her chicken stew.

“Mum, it was a false device in the first and I escaped from that chamber easily,” Michelle countered, eating the stew.

“Mich, you’re here to study, not to play Wonder Woman. Remember those reporters ‘camping’ at our doorstep?” Her mother never called her ‘Chelle’.

“Louisa got them off,” she argued. “Dad would be more persuaded. Where is he anyway?”

“Yeah, I miss Daddy,” Kate added, stirring the vegetables around in her plate.

“He’s working overseas. Eat your carrots Catherine.”

Chan Household

“Remember bao bei, we’re still new in this area and country,” Lin Ling’s father, Yong Hong Chan, stated as the family tucked into stewed beef brisket and steam coy sum with oyster sauce. Bao bei means ‘precious’ in Mandarin.

“Doesn’t mean I get to be picked on, Pa,” Lin replied, scooping up rice using her chopsticks.

“True, but don’t push it,” Mrs Pearlyn Chan, who despite being in her late fifties, looked twenty years younger and unlike her husband, had no speck of grey hair.

“You mean like,” Lin described the racist words drawn across her school blouse earlier.

“Just don’t push it with those people,” her dad suggested.

“I can beat them academically and physically Papa,” she declared. “I got tons of ideas.”

“Ok, ” her mother sighed. “On that note, can you please clean up those science-y stuff in your room and the next? It’s like a junk pile.”

Croonford School
The next week

“Mum wants me to be safe rather that curious,” Chelle told Lin as they walked into school. “And I don’t think Kate would want to be involved in anything dangerous.”

“My parents reminded me how we’re new to the UK and all the usual stuff,” Lin added. “So, still want to be a teen detective?”

“QuizWhizz coming up! QuizzWhizz! All students must sign up! Prizes of all kinds to be won! Hurry!” The announcement blared over speakers and the girls saw lines of students signing up manually on a whiteboard or electronically on school desktop computers.

“Local annual competition involving series of tests, both academic and physical. Croonford traditionally is pitched against the nearby Moorly School in this competition. Minimum of three students per team,” Michelle read. “Well, how about this? We just need to find another student.”

“Hold on,” Lin interrupted and ran up to the teacher who encountered her and the bullies. They engaged in a short conversation before Lin burst out in anger and threw her bag down. “What’s up?” Michelle asked.

“Remember those rats who drew those racist words on my blouse? Well the guy Jono or what the-heck-is-his-name didn’t get detention or any punishment at all!!! Something about his family having some big political connections or what not. This means war!”

“Hey Chan,” Art Morton popped out of the corner as the two girls entered class later. “You heard it ya?”

“If you first speak proper English your little loser,” Lin retorted not looking at the gang member, “and not get another loser to help you, then I’ll talk to you.”

“Aw, Missy saw she can’t get her revenge. And she won’t in the QuizzWhizz. Ready for it?”

“I’m ready for anything, Arty,” Lin spun around and readied herself in a Taekwondo stance. Art, remembering what happened last time, backed up then laughed. “Ready eh? With who? Miss Emma Watson there? Who’s your third team member? I’m with Callum and Stuart, and we came runner’s up last time. We’ll sure come first this time, beating Moorly and your loser team, if you have a team.” Chelle did look quite a lot like a young Emma Watson. During lunch period, Lin poked at her Ploughman’s Lunch, and tossed the plate away. Draining her fruit juice, she poked Chelle. “We’ve got to find a third member, come on.”

“But almost everyone has picked their old teammates or formed groups of four,” Chelle noted. “Rumour says even the teachers favour certain other groups to take on Moorly.”

“Yeah, and the top classes are the fav,” Heather, a blonde-haired classmate who took the remains of Lin’s plate. “You see that lass over there?” She pointed at a brown-haired girl chatting with some other girls. “That’s Jenn Thompson from 8A, the class for super-duper smart people. Her team was second in the mock and real comp last time.”

“I thought Art said his team came second,” Chelle said, starring at the brunette.

“They came second the boy’s category; Jenn’s group the girl’s.” Heather replied. “Ooops, Got to meet my group.”

Chelle sauntered over the new girl and just before she introduced herself, Jennifer did so. “Oh, you’re the one who nearly go killed by that IED,” she pointed.

Chelle turned slightly red with that remark and asked her about her team.

“Oh I’ve got Molly and Bethan in, we’re the greatest gal team. You’ve form one yet?” Before Chelle could answer, Jenn continued, “oh that Hong Kong girl, right? Ling?”

“Lin,” Chelle corrected. “Would you happen to know of a third….” the bell rang, cutting their conversation off. Later, both she and Lin looked through the quiz details. “Science questions, ” Lin read, “I can handle that.”

“History questions,” Chelle continued, “I can handle that. And current affairs, maybe some of the topics. Now the sports part,” she moved the screen down. “and a 1.5 miles run under 15 minutes from old farm to city centre for each female contestant, like what the hell?! This isn’t the Olympics!”

“Why Chelle, never tried competitive sports? While we search for our third member, let’s practice. Say meet you in sports attire on Sat? We’ll try a short one from the school to the town centre.

“Brr, it’s cold, how the hell can wear a sleeveless shirt?” She pointed to Lin on Saturday, who was wearing a tank top with her black sport bra just visible from underneath.

“Why not? I’ve ran before in colder weather. Shall we warm up?” The girls soon started at a steady pace then Lin accelerated, making Chelle pant while trying to catch up. The girls moved passed the various stores then saw the old and new clock tower. As Lin turned the corner, they saw the preparations for the competition – banners be stapled, route marking placed up, benches being placed up. They reached the train station where a goods train was pulling in and finally after Lin reached the town centre, Chelle caught up just slightly over five minutes later.

“Good work,” Lin patted her friend and passed a spare towel she brought.

“Water?” Chelle panted.

“Better idea. My home’s just over there. I think mum has some snack ready.”

Chelle, still thirsty, followed and greeted Lin Ling’s mother. “Oh dispense, with the Mrs. Chan; I’m Pearyln. There’s water and Chinese tea and I’ve steam some char siu bao ready.”

“Yum, thanks ma,” Lin replied then explained that the snack was something like a pork pie. “Just peel away the paper at the bottom and be careful it’s hot.” Snack over, Pearlyn offered to drive Michelle back home but also remarked, “Lin Ling, I told you to clear your stuff from the room next to yours. It’s taking up so much space.”

That room was indeed cluttered but Lin described it as her hobby. “Well besides looking at the latest fashion,” she added, rummaging the shelves. “Check this one out, radio device. Small enough to fit around your earrings.” With Michelle handing over her stud earrings, Lin careful attached the device to back of both earrings. “Just press the back, now, stand apart and say ‘hello, test, hello'”, Lin instructed.

“Hey, it works!” Chelle exclaimed. “What rang….”

“Chan Lin Ling, I told you to change and clear up.” Pearlyn Chan interrupted. “Michelle, car’s ready.” Dejected, both girls parted but just as Lin boarded the bus, she noticed the school gang members crowding around a seat and jeering. She quickly recognised the seat occupant as one of her classmates, though she hadn’t had the chance to talk to her.

“Hey! Leave the girl alone!” Lin shouted. The boys turned to her and the leader who wrote racist words on her blouse came face to face with her. His face was almost rectangular in shape, and his haircut complement it. “Oh, it’s our Eastern little gal. Want another decoration girlie?”

“I’ll decorate your nose, all your noses if you don’t…” Lin threatened.

“Hey, no fighting here or all of you will be walking to school!” The driver yelled and after sharp glares, Lin sat down next to the girl with Michelle in the seat behind.

“Thanks…thanks…” the brown-haired girl whispered. “Those rats were…oh it’s you two!” she exclaimed, quickly mentioning that she heard about both girls exploits.

“Nah, we’re just normal new students,” Michelle smiled. “Say, you have quiz questions there?” She pointed to the girl’s open bag.

“Previous years. Just printed them off from a site last night. But I need a team. Two from my former group left for a new school and the other girl joined another.”

“Wanna join us and form a team?” Happy that the team for the competition was formed, Chelle turned the focus on the detective team. “I’m not sure if Hatty’s detective material, so our third companion is still missing,” Michelle observed a few days later during another lunch break. Hatty was their classmate and teammate. “Anyone else in mind?”

“Not yet and my ma’s still bugging me to clean up my science pieces. If we want a teen detective group, we need a meeting plac….”

“Hey, Harriet’s in pain!” Heather called. The girls rushed over and found their classmate right arm bend and clutched in pain. There was a collapsed wooden easel nearby. “Damn that easel!” She cried, clutching her arm.

“Move, move away students!” The senior school nurse cried. “She needs medical attention!” As Harriet was tended to and the students scattered, Lin remarked, “poor girl. And poor us; we’re down to two again for the comp.”

The following day, Lin heard an angry slam in the locker room. Bracing herself mentally and physically, she peered over the side. She found Jenn Thompson in a foul mood. “What’s the matter?” She asked.

“Just when it all when all seem right, Molly and Bethan decided to go to party and get food poisoning. Oh it’s not that serious, but I won’t have group that can do the sports part of the competition. Boo!” She flung her blazer against the locker door.

“Well, what a coincidence; Hatty from our team is out as well. We’re down by one, you’re down by two. Want to join us now?” It was over lunch break when Jenn came over to Chelle and Lin. After some deliberation, Jenn extended her hand, agreeing to join them for the team.

“13:30,” Lin called as Jenn finally came to a sweat-stained stop during a training. Just as she passed out mineral water, a car came to a stop next to them. “Hi, DI Heath, I mean, Nikki, this is our friend Jennifer.”

“Hello. Michelle, Lin, I need to trouble you for further statements regarding bust, Walter Munro and his son. Well after you girls complete your training,” she smiled, Michelle and Lin engaged in short conversation before she drove of.

“That regarding your museum case?” Jenn enquired.

“Not exactly a case, more of a mystery,” Michelle replied then paused. “Would you like to er join as a team of detectives?”

“Detectives? You mean teen girls looking out for cases?”

“Well I haven’t reached my thirteen birthday, but yeah short that,” Michelle remarked.

“I’m not sure about adventures. And I just fear getting bound and gagged.”

“Welcome to the annual Croonford-Moorly Competition! I’m Clarence Hobbs, your chief judge. Here are the rules…”

“Chief Judge? He looks more like a scarecrow,” Lin mumbled. Hobbs rattled rules on and Jenn started fidgeting. “Hurry the heck up,” she also whined.

“Don’t worry, I’m bored as well,” Michelle whispered.

“Yeah, but I hate been dressed like this,” she pulled at the thick school suit they were wearing. “I hate formal wear.”

Much later, the trio had entered the final rounds of the quiz part of the competition, and they were facing Art Morton’s team and an all-male team from Moorly. There were two remaining questions, the first which was a live multiple-choice question: Who was the scientist who invented the gas centrifuge for uranium-235 enrichment? A) Robert Oppenheimer B) Gernot Zippe or C) Georgy Flyorov?

“Gernot Zippe!” yelled Jenn, pushing them further into the lead.

“Last question,” the judge called. “Write it down. What deadly gas smells like freshly-cut grass?” All three teams wrote down and submitted their answers almost simultaneously, but with a drum-roll blaring from the speakers, the judge declared Michelle’s team the winner for the quiz round.

“Hey, we got the answer correct!” Yelled one of the boys from Moorly.

“You spelt ‘Phosgene’ with a ‘f’ not with ‘Ph’,” countered Mr Hobbs. “Now get dressed for the sports side of the QuizzWhizz.”

“Ready for it, Lin?” Art Morton taunted as he did his final stretching

“Just a walk in the park, Morton,” Lin Ling replied, in her best Maverick voice.

“Three, two, one, BAM!” The hordes of school children from various team shot off. Lin shot ahead leading far ahead that most of the other girls. Michelle held steady pace slightly behind but as she turned one corner, she heard a slight groan and noticed Jenn was slowing down.

“I think I tripped on some pothole or rock,” She groaned.

“Need to stop?” Chelle asked but Jenn waved off. “Come on, I’ll pace with you.”

Lin came in first place and miraculously, Michelle and Jenn tied a minute and ten seconds behind her. “And the winner, scored first in both the quiz and sports category…” the announcement blared.

“Has to be us,” Lin whispered.

“The reigning team from Moorly, well done to Jack Seager, Tom Richardson and Richard Blampied!”

“Hey that’s not fair!” Lin shouted from her seat. “We came in first for the quiz and based on our running times, we should be first!”

“My decision is final,” thundered Clarence Hobbs, “and the Moorly team scored first in both.” Lin, along with Michelle and Jenn, continued protest, but they were eventually escorted off.

“That game was surely freakin’ rigged,” Lin whined the next day to the girls. “We definitely need to get to the bottom of it.”

“Clarence Charles Vincent Hobbs,” Chelle read out from her laptop, “Former Head Teacher, now head of some private education agency…wait, here’s his Facebook….that’s set to private…”

“Give me that,” Lin said and after attaching a flash drive, she read “loves to hang out at the Gun Barrels pub Friday afternoons. Let’s go and check it out. Oh, that was a programme to enable all social media accounts free to view.”

“That’s so creepy,” Jenn remarked, looking up from her book. “And shadowing someone? I’m not sure about it.”

“I’m in, but have extra Maths class that day, catch you then Lin?”

Lin decided to take a jog that Friday, along with a recording device built within the cover of mobile phone. The Gun Barrels pub apparently lived up to its name, formed in the shape of a rifle barrel and numerous barrels of various firearms surrounding the sign of its doorway. “We ain’t serving your age, Missy,” the shaggy bartender growled to Lin as she approached the counter.

“I’m not buying alcohol, well, fruit juice or water will do,” Lin argued. “And information on a Clarence Hobbs who comes here.”

“You pay for the apple juice. But I aint know no Hobbs girlie.”

“Really, a bartender who does know his customers?” Lin shot back, then unfolded her arms. The bartender paused and studied the teen. In his foreign travels, he had met Eastern girls in seedy clubs but not many of them matched his liking. In front of him was a quite attractive girl even in sports attire…but she’s a teenager.

“Hobbs was here well he headed to the loo,” he finally said. “And…. oh, thanks for the tip,” he called as Lin rushed towards toilets. There’s no way I can enter the men’s, she thought, then noticed how thin the walls were. Entering the ladies, she pressed he ear against the wall and listened. She immediately heard running water, flushing and the scampering of feet. After a pause short conversation came.

“Yeah man, that was … you twisted the scores in the quiz…” She heard and with her heart racing, she activated her recorder.

“And … the pothole… that shorty girl did …trip”

“Best of all, you fixed the town clock and the time recording chip so the …. the scores were skewed towards Moor…” Lin heard the sound of a hand dryer then footsteps. She immediately dashed out of the ladies but the two figures from the other toilet had scuttled out the back.

“Chelle! I overheard a conversation and yes it was rigged…yes I have part of it on recor…” before Lin could complete her call, someone struck her on the back of her neck and she blacked out.

When she came to, Lin immediately groaned, but it was a muted, much muted groan. What the…she tasted some thick cotton between her teeth. She immediately tried to spit it out but it was secured well with further strips of cloth bound securely behind her head. Lin immediately flexed her hands but discovered they were bound behind her back and immediately felt hands securing some more strips of material around her ankles. With her eyes now wide open, she saw it was rounds of cloth – further strips were below and above her breasts, securing her arms together.

“All done?” The masked figure on the floor nodded and Lin saw a another thinner masked figure.

“Little girls shouldn’t go jogging…little girls shouldn’t go to pubs…and little girls shouldn’t overhear conversations from a loo…” that figure remarked then removed his mask, revealing Clarence Hobbs.

Michelle Summers was frantically rushing the school, colliding into students. Suddenly, she spotted Jenn Thompson packing up. “Jenn!” She cried, then yanked her to a side. “Lin’s in trouble…listen,” she played back the conversation she had with Lin.

“Oh my!” Jenn now exclaimed. “We’ve got to find her!”

“So, you found out about our rigged scheme,” Hobbs said, standing over Lin. “Yeah, so your team actually won but so did the one from Moorly,” he smirked. “And such was the case every year. Until your lot came along. No one beats, Moorly,” He stamped his foot on the ground near Lin. “No one! Now,” He turned to the other figure, “watch over her while I prepare a surprise.”

With Hobbs gone, the other masked guy bent down and started stroking Lin. Despite her furious kicking, she was in little position to resist the caressing. Then the hands reached down to her shorts and the figure felt the outline of her phone. “Oh, this must go,” she heard him remarked, but Lin screamed as not just her phone was thrown across the room, but her shorts were pulled down as well!

“Come on, come on!” Michelle tapped the bus stand. “Where’s the freakin’ bus?”

“It says another ten minutes,” Jenn said, looking at her phone. “We could wait or…”

“Let’s walk, no run the last block.”

“So, having too much fun with the girl?” Hobbs said returning to see other guy caressing the help school girl, whose shorts were now down to her ankles. “The coast is clear. Help her up.” Despite Lin’s best struggles, both men carried her out. She spied she was in the back area of rubbish area. She was thrown back facing down in an open bin.

“Good bye Chinese girl,” Hobbes taunted. “With any luck, a refuse truck will come by and bam! you’ll be added to the waste, and crushed with it. So much for running by!” ”

“Mmmpph! Mmmph!” Lin cried but her gagged cries was further cut off as the bin lid was slammed down.

Michelle and Jenn finally reached the Gun Barrels pub. “Hey, we’re closing now and re-opening at 5. Shouldn’t you lasses be shopping or someplace else?” The bartender noted.

“We’re…we’re looking for our friend. Chinese girl…black hair…” Michelle panted.

“Oh, the jogger. She was in the ladies,” he thumbed the direction. “Didn’t even touch her apple juice. Would you…” But Chelle already ran to the loo area, with Jenn trailing behind. “Lin? Lin?” Hearing no one, she dialled Lin’s number.

Meanwhile, Lin was struggled against her bonds and her struggles brought more piles of rubbish on top of her. She tried her best to pick her at her wrist bonds, but simply couldn’t loosen any part. Damnit, why didn’t I think of bringing my foundation penknife. She was literally getting her knickers in a twist…

“Hi, it’s Lin, I’m not here at the moment, leave a message and I’ll get back to you.” Chelle heard the voice mail.

“Maybe she’s in an area with weak reception,” Jenn suggested.

“Not likely,” Michelle countered then remembered. She pressed her earrings and called. “Lin? Lin? It’s me Chelle.”

Lin continued to fight against her bonds. Just then, she felt something crawl up her bare legs. Shit, shit! Ants! She turned and kicked but that brought more of those creepy crawlers up her legs. Shit…

“Lin?” She heard a garbled voice. Wait, that was from…”Chmmmlle!” She cried her best through the cloth gag. “Chmmmlle! Hemmmp!”

Michelle heard the cry through from her earrings. “Lin! Where are you? Lin!”

“Rubmmm….”

“Lin?” She tapped her earrings but the reception was cut off.

“Radio?” Jenn asked.

“Yes, yes, I’ll explain later. Did you hear that last part?”

“Rubbish…bins… outside come on!” Both students raced out of the pub but failed to see any bins in sight.

“Lin!” Michelle pressed her earrings and called again. “Can you hear me? Come on, which bin?”

Meanwhile, while fighting to find some loose part in her bindings, Lin heard the sound of a vehicle. Wheels screeched then halted. Suddenly, the bin she was in was lifted up and she screamed into her gag.

“Hmmmmlp! Hmmmmlp!” Michelle was running around when she heard the cries again.

“Lin! Where…” She too heard the sound of a bin being lifted. “Bin lorries!” She exclaimed, then Jenn heard a sound from nearby. “Come on!” They both ran and saw a bin lorry lifting up a large wheelie bin. The contents were emptied and a churning sound began.

“Stop! Stop!” Michelle yelled frantically to the crew. “There’s a girl in that refuse! Stop!” Jenn, catching up behind, picked up a nearby brick and threw it against front of the vehicle. The brick dented the front window and the crew stepped out.

“Ok what the hell…what the hell you girls doin’?” A heavily tattooed operator cried.

“There a girl in the waste in your truck…in that bind you emptied!” Chelle yelled. The lorry crew were heavily sceptically, but finally one of them moved behind and pulled out some bags with his gloved hand. Suddenly, he heard continuous yelps.

“Oh damn!” He cried and after help from his colleagues, Lin was finally lifted out of the lorry. “Damn,” the men cried in unison noting her undressed state.

“Thanks for finding me,” she much later, rubbing her sore wrists.

“It was all in the ears,” Michelle smiled.

“You actually invent these stuffs?!” Jenn asked.

“Yeah, I….darn we’ve got to find my phone! It has all the recording!” After half an hour, the girls discovered Lin’s phone in a room below the pub–it was used and accessible from a door in the male toilet.

“Damn, I thought it was a goner,” Lin said, replaying the recording. “Now to get it to the authorities.”

“But the prize giving is like in… oh in the next hour,” Jenn tapped her watch. “We’re supposed to be there for the runner’s up category.”

“Really? And Hobbs is supposed to give out the prizes. That gives me and idea,” Lin smiled.

“Announcing the winner of the annual QuizWhizz,” The Emcee began. “The team from Moorly.”

“I likely to congratulate the reigning team,” Clarence Hobbs began, “You defended…’

“Best of all, you fixed the town clock and the time recording chip so the …. the scores were skewed towards Moor..” Lin’s recording suddenly blared across the speakers over and over again and the crowd stirred.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Hobbs cried.

“It mean the games over, Mr Hobbs,” DI Nikki Heath said, approaching the stage and cuffing the judge. “Nice try in rigging the whole QuizWhizz. We found CCTV footage of you rigging the clock tower and the stop watches. And nice work using the competition banners to bind Miss Chan up. well , we’ll probably find your DNA on it. Take him away.

Days later

“So he rigged all previous QuizWhizzs in favour of Moorly, not just the one we participated in,” Michelle noted.

“He was a former teacher at that school, and his son Jack was in the team against us and also an accomplice,” Jenn added, reading the news.

“What a pervert,” Lin remarked, remembering what happened to her.

“So, is this what you two have been up to? Finding cases, chasing baddies and getting into trouble?”

“Yeah, you still not keen about this?” Michelle asked.

“I’ve changed my mind. I’ll join the club.”

The End.

Michelle, Lin Ling and Jennifer will return in ‘Flaming Angels’.