Lindsey is of slight build, yet she is well-developed and powerful. She stands around five-foot-four-inches tall. Lindsey has beautiful, dark brown, compelling eyes that match her gorgeous, dark, toffee-colored hair. She usually wears her hair in a French braid to one side. Lindsey has the most captivating smile. Whenever she grins or laughs, she tends to narrow her eyes which serves to heighten the striking features of her pretty face.
Everyone knows of Lindsey’s superb athleticism. Her performance in both soccer and fast-pitch softball is outstanding. She is resilient and can take a beating on the field. She also is an effective leader and continually inspires her teammates to perform to the best of their ability.
Brenae, Chloe, and Diana Jane know Lindsey from her days at the skate center. She is a talented roller skater, and she used to win the skate races every time. She even out-paced the boys older than her. More importantly, Lindsey is well-known for her tenacity whenever challenges face her, large or small. She confronts them head-on.
Before Brenae can say anything further, Diana Jane says, “Lindsey, it is great to see you again.” She glances around the circle at her teammates. “I move that we include Lindsey as a member of our Sextet. She is brilliant. As a member of the computer club, she has invaluable access to information that the rest of us do not have. What do you say we make Lindsey a member of the Sextet?”
Everyone responds positively, everyone, that is, except for Colette.
Colette says bluntly, “Can’t do it.”
The others, particularly Lindsey, have an expression of dismay on their faces.
Chloe says in a disbelieving tone of voice, “Why not, Colette? Lindsey is a wonderful person, and as Diana Jane said, she could help our group tremendously as a member of the computer club. She can get information the rest of us cannot, especially since those six hooligans were members of the computer club. Why are you objecting?”
Colette replies, “Oh, I am sorry.” She flashes Lindsey a sincere smile. “I am not objecting to Lindsey joining our team. On the contrary, I agree with what you have said, and I openly and happily welcome Lindsey to our group.”
“Then why are you disagreeing?” Diana Jane asks. “Why did you say, ‘Can’t do it?’”
Colette replies in a pleasant tone, “We cannot have Lindsey as a member of our Sextet. Then it would be a Sextet plus one.” She smiles at Lindsey once more. “I move we accept Lindsey as a member of our Septet. The dictionary defines a septet as a group of seven, usually in the performance of a musical composition for seven instruments or voices. Nonetheless, the term Septet should work for us in this situation.”
The others laugh as they nod their heads agreeably.
“There we have it,” Chloe says. “I will let Missus Davenhill know we have another member of our team – the Septet. Welcome aboard, Lindsey!” She grins a happy smile as she says, “I seriously doubt Missus Davenhill will object seeing that Lindsey is her granddaughter!”
Brenae moans and shakes her head.
Lindsey says to Brenae, “What is wrong? I thought you wanted me on the team?”
Brenae replies, “You know how much I love you, Lindsey. You must also know I am thrilled you are a member of our team. I am also sad.” She slowly shakes her head and lets out a long sigh. She looks around the circle. “Say goodbye to our suggestive, sexy name sextet. I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed watching the adults’ shocked reactions every time we said the word sextet!”
The seven members of the newly formed Septet laugh noisily.
Chloe says, “Lindsey, can you tell us what you are going to do to help us solve this problem? Also, how much do you know about what has happened up until now?”
“Lindsey says, “After I told Bre what I found on the slideshow carousel, she said that she was going to ask you if I could join your investigative team. I wasn’t entirely sure if you would accept me, but I figured what the heck. If you took me into your team or not, I had to do something. What happened at Anthony’s memorial was dreadful. His parents and our fellow students did not deserve that embarrassing ruckus.”
As she looks at Chloe, and with a cheerful tone, Lindsey says, “Okay, I hope I do not bore you to tears with what I am about to say. I am somewhat well-informed of various manipulative techniques used in the media. The manipulative methods are called subliminal messaging. There are three types of subliminal messages: subvisual, subaudible, and backmasking. I will try to explain each of them as best as I can.
“The subvisual messages are pictorial signals that flash so quickly they are not perceptible to the conscious mind. They affect the subconscious mind. I think Bre told you I found at least thirty subvisual slides intermixed with Anthony’s photographs. Do you recall the movie we watched at an assembly last month, the Disney movie?” The other members reply that they did.
Lindsey says, “Before I discuss the movie, I will briefly explain subaudible messages. Subaudible, subliminal messages are low volume audio cues inserted into a much louder media such as music and even words. That brings me back to the movie we saw at the assembly.
“Supposedly, the movie was a gift from our vice principal. Mister Sorrie told everyone it was a special edition of the film that was still at the movie theaters. After what happened at Anthony’s memorial, I took the DVD home with me. It looked pretty official like it was an original copy. It had all the trademarks just like an original of a DVD. It was in a plastic case that looked like the real thing too. The case even had a bar code. However, when I scanned the code, it wouldn’t read out.
“To make a long story short, the movie that all of us saw at the assembly was a forgery. Once I discovered the anomalies, I knew I couldn’t watch it at home. I didn’t want to be subjected to subliminal messages if they were present in the movie. I put the movie through diagnostics at school. Do you know what I found? I found hundreds of subvisual messages, visual cues embedded in the movie! I also discovered numerous subaudible messages as well. Both types were suggestive, subliminal messages. As you can imagine, all of them had to do with Puppet, coils of twine, and even scary clowns! The movie subjected our entire school to subliminal messages! Fortunately, the messages were of a short-term nature. By themselves, they will not do much harm. On the other hand, the messages served as a building block for what will surely come next!”
Sophia says, “Wow, Lindsey! That is remarkable, unquestionably remarkable!” She frowns. “I need to tell you that I also hate clowns. I truly do! They scare the bejesus out of me.”
Brenae mutters, “I hate clowns as well, Sophia. Now, you know we have more in common than a great friendship.”
“Thank you for the kind words, Sophia,” Lindsey says. “Just so you and Bre know, I don’t particularly like clowns either, especially after seeing the movie It based on Stephen King’s scary book by the same name. Anyway, I stopped at Walmart on the way home from school that evening and bought a copy of the DVD. It was released that Tuesday. I put the movie I bought on the video shelf with all the other movies that belong to the school.”
Chloe asks, “You didn’t destroy the copy, the one with the subliminal, visual and audible cues, did you? I hope you didn’t.”
“Nope,” Lindsey replies. She reaches into her backpack and removes a DVD. “This is it.” She smiles at Chloe. “I gladly give it to you as our team leader as evidence.”
“Holy cow!” Diana Jane exclaims. “This is our first piece of real evidence! You are awesome, Lindsey.”
“Thank you,” Lindsey replies. She hands a small box to Chloe. “These are the subliminal slides included with the photographs shown at Anthony’s memorial. As is my habit when handling photographs and the like, I wore gloves, so my fingerprints aren’t on them. Considering someone else’s fingerprints are, try not to touch the photographs with your bare hands.”
Chloe replies, “I won’t, and thanks very much, Lindsey. These are wonderful surprises!”
Lindsey says, “Okay, now I will explain backmasking. Subliminal backma
sking messages are audio messages recorded backward. The words are played forward to disguise the backward message. The conscious mind does not recognize the subliminal messages, but they usually are perceived by the subconscious mind. It is but one more form of mind manipulation.
“According to my research, most subliminal messages, of all types, involve sexual prompts. However, they can also involve prompts or cues of things that people fear.” She glances around the circle.
“What do we fear? Maybe we fear that we will fail at school. Perhaps we fear that we will lose a boyfriend, girlfriend, or our best friend, or, even worse, a beloved family member. We could fear being bullied or ignored. Those are two biggies. We can fear things that scare us. After all, we are still growing, and we are still learning how to cope with tragedies, frightening things, peer pressure, bullying, negative things like that.”
James says, “Like puppets, clowns, scary dolls, marionettes, and other things that go bump in the night.”
“Exactly, Jay,” Lindsey replies. “I have a question for everyone. What was the most recent event that had everyone’s attention at school?” She looks at Colette. “It was something that involved all of us, in particular, one of our friends?”
As everyone would have thought, Colette says, “Puppet, coils of twine, and my interview by the Gazette.”
Lindsey says, “Exactly, Colette. I seriously doubt our fellow students didn’t go home that day and talk about Puppet’s arrest. If they were like me, they googled the incident like mad and texted about it with their friends. I would bet my Sonic paycheck on it!”
Diana Jane says, “Lindsey, can we assume that what Puppet did at school was a setup? Did he purposely harass some of our students so that Officer Bennett would arrest him?”
“I think it may have been a setup,” Lindsey replies. “Knowing what we know up to this point, I bet that Mister Sorrie sprung Puppet out of jail. On the other hand, maybe, and this is the scariest part when you think about it, perhaps someone in the police department is conspiring with Robert, Puppet, Sorrie, and Cheaply.” Lindsey glances at Brenae as she says to Chloe, “As you can tell, Bre already told me what she knows about your investigation up until now.”
Chloe says, “Just the thought of someone in the police department being in cahoots with Robert and the rest is like super scary. Should we tell Missus Davenhill and Officer Bennett what you just said?” She glances around the circle. “What do all of you think?”
“Nope,” Brenae says abruptly. “I vote we do not tell anybody. I also recommend we consider rotating the slides and corrupt DVD amongst ourselves to protect them.” She looks at Chloe. “I trust you very much, Chloe. You know that. I would trust you with my wallet.” She looks at Sophia and says jokingly, “Even though it only has three dollars in it. I also trust our principal and Missus Bell completely. I want to trust Officer Bennett. However, I don’t have confidence in him nearly as much as all of you and the two other adults.
“Therefore, I recommend we rotate the evidence amongst ourselves to ensure it remains safe. Maybe we can relocate it to a different house every other night or something similar. That way we can make it hard for Puppet and the others to keep up with who has it, when they have it, etcetera. As I said, I likewise suggest we tell no one what Lindsey knows, at least not yet. What do all of you think?”
“I vote with Bre,” Sophia says. “As usual, what she says makes perfect sense.”
“I concur as well,” James says. “Still, we must ensure we do not purposely keep information from Missus Davenhill.”
Diana Jane says, “I agree with Bre.” She briefly looks at the others in turn. She says in a guarded tone, “I hate to burst everyone’s bubble. Nevertheless, I think Missus Davenhill has information she is not sharing with us. If she does have knowledge of which we are not privy, that is her prerogative. Perhaps it is way above our paygrade. There is no way of knowing unless we ask her. I think we should.
“Something else has been troubling me, like a lot. It concerns Officer Bennett. I have wondered why he attends our meetings. He never offers anything of importance. In my opinion, I do not think he cares. He usually is on his phone texting or reading news articles or whatever it is he is doing. I have glanced at his phone on more than one occasion. Whenever I do, he gives me a nasty look, and then he quickly covers his phone with his hand. Maybe he is texting his girlfriend or looking at inappropriate things. I do not know, and I do not care. In any event, I do not trust him. Any comments?”
Sophia says, “You know what, Diana Jane? You may have something there,” she glances at Lindsey, “especially after what Lindsey said about Puppet possibly having a cohort in the police department. Think about it. What if Officer Bennett is working with Puppet and his partners? Everything we say at the meetings would get back to Puppet and the others in a heartbeat. He could compromise everything we do and say, to include discussions of our upcoming plans.”
“Let me throw another log onto the burning fire,” Colette says. “How was it Officer Bennett arrived at the scene in the warehouse so quickly? How is it he did not notice that some of our students removed highly technical, costly audio-visual equipment from the school, the equipment for Peter Pan? Isn’t Officer Bennett supposed to prevent school theft?”
Chloe says, “Removing it from the campus would take more than students doing it alone. Someone higher up than a bunch of students would have to be involved.”
“Aye,” Colette says. “Sorrie may have ensured Officer Bennett was preoccupied or something similar when someone removed the equipment. However, that doesn’t explain his speedy arrival at the warehouse. It may be a coincidence. Perhaps it was prearranged.”
Sophia says, “Chloe told me that Officer Bennett lived near the warehouse. That could explain why he arrived on the scene so quickly.”
Chloe suddenly shouts, “I just remembered something! You aren’t going to believe this! When Jake and Clay were lying on the floor, Officer Bennett was facing them. He was holding a cloth to Jake’s nose. Other than Sophia, who was on top of Clay, the rest of us were standing in a semi-circle behind him. Do you recall what Officer Bennett said when he asked if the others had left the scene?” Her teammates either shrug their shoulders or shake their heads.
“He said, ‘Have the four others at the far end of the warehouse left the scene!’ How did he know there were four others involved unless someone told him?’” She looks at Sophia. “Did you tell him?” Sophia shakes her head.
“Wow!” Chloe says. “This is very strange!”
Lindsey says in a whisper, “That lends further credence to my theory. Also, what I am about to say is very scary, but I am going to say it just the same. What if Officer Bennett has been recording your conversations? It could explain why he is so interested in his phone rather than what you are discussing at the meetings.”
Chloe says, “Wow, Lindsey, that thought never crossed my mind. Be that as it may, I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Everything that we have said may be bogus. We could be overly suspicious. He is a first responder, and we have had no reason to suspect him up until now. We can keep a close eye on him during the next several meetings. Until then, I move we sleep on it. As far as Bre’s suggestion that we rotate the evidence amongst ourselves, I agree.”
Diana Jane asks, “Should we keep what Lindsey told us to ourselves?”
Brenae says, “Definitely. At least that is my opinion. If we tell Missus Davenhill what Lindsey told us, she would ask us where the evidence is, or she will try to get it for herself. True, the new DVD would be in the video library, but it would not affirm Lindsey’s diagnostics. We would look like fools if she tasked someone other than Lindsey to run diagnostics on it. Similarly, she would discover the slides are missing if she were to look for those. That they would be missing would create more problems, too many questions.”
“All of that makes sense to me,” Lindsey says. “Nonetheless, there is something else that I discovered. She frowns. “
What I am about to say pales in comparison to everything we have discussed up to this point. On a hunch, I ran diagnostics on the videotape of the background scenes that show on the wide-screen during the entire Peter Pan play.”
Diana Jane groans. She says in a worried tone of voice, “Please, Lindsey, don’t tell me the subliminal messages are corrupting the background scenes! That would ruin the entire show! You and your audiovisual team display the scenes during the entire play from the beginning to the end!”
Lindsey says, “Yes, I am sorry to say that there are subliminal messages on the videotape. Someone ruined the Peter Pan videotape! On the other hand, there is good news too. I am editing the background scene video with every chance that I get while I am at school. Not only is it a long, difficult process to remove the subliminal messages, as you can well imagine, but I also do not want to get caught doing so. If they discovered me, they would expel me before you could say they expelled Lindsey Godspeed! Also, I have to say this. The subliminal messages are horrible, designed for both children and adults. There are references to rebellion, killings, and other horrible things, even messages about taking one’s own life! As one could expect given what we are discussing, many of the messages are about puppets.”
“We need to go to the police now,” Colette says. “What you are talking about is rebellion, killings, and, as you put it, other horrible things about which I do not want to think. Something tells me that we are well beyond our paygrade with this one.”
“The play is not for a little over one week,” Lindsey says. “If I cannot complete the copying, say in the next few days, I will let you know. Then we can vote on it, and Chloe can tell Missus Davenhill what I have found.”
Chloe asks, “Aren’t you worried about being subjected to the subliminal messages?”
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