Lindsey replies, “There is no danger for me. However, thanks for asking. One, I know that they are there, so they will not affect me subconsciously. Two, I am copying the video frame by frame. That is why it is taking me so long.” She rubs her eyes as she says lightheartedly, “I mean, my eyeballs are getting super tired from looking at Peter Pan scenery!”
Diana Jane says, “Hey, I have an idea, Lindsey. What if you were to make a copy of the videotape of the play’s scenes? Let’s say you make a quick copy to include the subliminal messaging?”
“Goodness,” Brenae says. “Then we will have two stupid, manipulative tapes, double the trouble.”
“Hear me out, Bre,” Diana Jane says. “Store the original tape wherever it is you store it.”
“It is in the safe,” Lindsey says. “Mister Jones is the only one with access to the safe.”
Diana Jane says, “No problem. Continue to do what you have been doing with the tape, so it doesn’t look suspicious. Is that possible?”
“No problem there,” Lindsey replies. “I have been entrusted with making certain all of the scenes are as perfect as possible. I can continue doing what I am doing. Then again, Diana Jane, I do not understand where you are going with this.”
“You do what you have been doing all along,” Diana Jane says. “Do your quality check thing. Make a complete copy of the original which should include the changes you have already made to remove the subliminal messages.”
Lindsey says, “I’m following you up to this point. Please continue.”
Diana Jane says, “Give the original back to Mister Jones when you are finished making a copy. Then take the copy home with you. As the saying goes, do your thing, do your stuff, take them out! That way you do not risk getting caught taking the subliminal messages out of the videotape while you are at school. You can do video copying at home, yes?”
Lindsey says, “Yes I can. I have lots of recording equipment at home. That is a brilliant idea. You should be in the movies, Diana Jane.”
“She is,” Brenae says. “Not only is Diana Jane the star actress in Peter Pan, but you should have seen her last year in the Sound of Music. She was super! However, Lindsey, wouldn’t it be risky for you to remove the copy without permission? You could get caught, and then you would be in a world of hurt.”
“Not if I did it,” Diana Jane says.
“Did what?” Brenae asks.
Diana Jane says, “Lindsey could ask Mister Jones if she could make a complete copy of the videotape for me. I could say I want to practice my lines as the scenes appear on my computer. I bet he would agree. I would give the tape to you, and you can do your subliminal removal thing.”
“That is brilliant,” Sophia says. “In that way, no one gets in trouble for removing school property without permission. I move that Diana Jane and Lindsey do what Diana Jane has suggested. How about the rest of you?”
The Septet members unanimously agree.
*****
Part II: Tying Up Loose Ends
Chloe says, “Hi, everyone. I have nothing new to offer. How about the rest of you?”
Sophia takes a quick look around the circle. Her gaze rests on James and Colette. They are sitting next to each other as usual. She says, “Three of us, Jay, Colette, and I, have been doing a bit of research. It focuses on something Bre had read to us the other day.”
James says, “The article concerns the deceased Molly Gertrude woman. As Captain Hook says in our play, Colette had an epiphany. Go ahead, Colette. Please tell the others what you discovered.”
Colette says, “If you recall, the article from the Gazette Bre had read mentioned that Molly was the sister of Neville Sorrie.”
Diana Jane says, “What is the significance of that, other than proving that Puppet and Sorrie are related?”
“Aye, you are correct, Diana Jane,” Colette replies. “They are related. There was something else mentioned in the article from which Bre had read. If you will recall, the article said that Sorrie was the Vice Chairman of the Western American Academy of Sleep Methodology.”
James says, “He was the chairman for about five years before the academy closed. It closed in 1956 due to bankruptcy. The bankruptcy resulted from sponsors discontinuing their support of the academy due to questionable and unethical practices. After the academy closed, Sorrie applied for a job as a teacher at the elementary school. The school hired him ten months later. A few years later he moved on to Claymore High as a guidance counselor. He received his promotion to vice principal of our school in 2001.”
Brenae shouts, “Wait a minute here! If Sorrie were the academy vice chairman in 1952 when the Molly lady died, that would mean he was born, conservatively speaking, in the early thirties if not many years before that! How can this be? Sorrie looks like he is in his middle to his late thirties maybe closing in on forty, but I seriously doubt he even is that old. Something is weird here.”
Colette says, “Aye, good catch once again, Bre. Let me add to the confusion as it concerns Sorrie’s age.” She looks at her team members one at a time. “I guarantee all of you are going to go crazy with this. Before his promotion to vice chairman of the academy, Sorrie had worked at the facility as a technician for many years. The academy hired him in 1928 when it opened!”
Lindsey shouts, “Oh, my God, that is impossible! If you do the math, that means Sorrie was born in the early nineteen-hundreds! Even if they hired him at the age of twenty, which I seriously doubt, that would make him,” she briefly performs the math in her head, “that would make him over one hundred years old! That is on the conservative side of the equation!”
Diana Jane says, “He would have to have a degree in science or something similar to work at the academy. I too have done the math. If we factor in a four-year degree, that means he is at least one hundred fifteen years old, give or take a few years!”
“Couple that with what I said a minute ago,” Brenae says, “he doesn’t look a day over thirty-five at best!”
Chloe says, “I cannot believe this. Moreover, Sorrie’s step-brother, Puppet, does not look a day over thirty as well, give or take a few years.”
“That is like super scary,” Lindsey says. “That would mean something reincarnated them as whatever’s, or they are immortal, or,” she briefly glances at the others, “they were given a potion or something similarly magic to keep them young after all these years!”
Chloe says, “Goodness! This age-revelation thing is getting scarier by the minute! I do not know about the rest of you, but I am shivering from head to toe. If what we have learned today is true, Puppet and Sorrie aren’t human. Maybe they truly are puppets or, as Lindsey suggested, they are immortal human beings, and they have eternal life. Therefore, they will never die from natural causes. What else did the three of you find?”
Sophia, James, and Colette take turns reading from their notes as they describe the mission of the Western American Academy of Sleep Methodology and its questionable mind manipulation experiments. The other members of the Septet silently listen. Mixed expressions of acute interest and alarming fear appear on their faces.
Diana Jane suddenly jumps to her feet when James mentions the unknown correlation of the letter W in the academy’s acronym, VCWAASM, as it relates to the Septet.
She suddenly shouts, “Wait a minute, Jay!” She glances around at the group. “You aren’t going to believe this! I think I know to what or, perhaps I should say, to whom the letter W correlates. She moves to stand behind Lindsey. She places her hands on Lindsey’s shoulders.
She says with a whisper, “Bre, what nickname did you confer on Lindsey in grammar school, a nickname that has been with her all these years?”
Just as Brenae is about to reply, the other members of the Septet shout at the same time.
“Wizardess!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THE SLOWLY CLOSING DOORS
“Whit’s fur ye’ll no go past ye!”
Part I: Shutting down the Conspirator
>
Officer Bennett and the seven members of the Septet investigative team are sitting around the conference table as they eat lunch. It is Monday, three days before the first production of Peter Pan. Because Missus Davenhill is running late, no one is talking. All of a sudden, the conference door swings wide open.
“Good afternoon!” Missus Davenhill announces with a cheerful smile that immediately puts the Septet at ease. She glances around the conference table. “I apologize for being late, and I sincerely appreciate your patience. As you know, this is a busy time for everyone associated with the play. I cannot believe that the play is in three days!” She quickly takes a seat, gulps down some coffee, and then she begins eating.
After eating a few forkfuls of beef stroganoff and noodles, Missus Davenhill says, “Hmm, this is delicious! More often than not, our beef stroganoff is soupy and too salty.” She licks her lips, and then with a grin she says, “I must say, having something to eat and being able to rest my weary bones feels wonderful. I have been running this way and that like a headless Southern fried chicken all morning long.” She glances around the table. Her gaze stops at Chloe.
“Do you have anything new to offer us, Miss Brown?” Chloe has food in her mouth. She shakes her head.
Diana Jane raises her hand. Missus Davenhill peers above a forkful of food, and then she acknowledges her.
Diana Jane says, “Missus Davenhill, on behalf of the Septet, good afternoon.” She glances at Chloe. Chloe is moving her head up and down slightly. “Ma’am, may I speak candidly?” Missus Davenhill nods her head.
Diana Jane’s face flushes markedly. She says in a nervous tone, “Thank you. Missus Davenhill, some of us think,” she nervously glances at her teammates one after the other, “that you may be conducting an independent investigation separate from ours. We also believe you may be withholding valuable information from our team. We respect your authority to withhold information. Then again, we wonder if you can enlighten us as to what your investigation may entail, that is if our assumptions are correct.” She glances around the table at her teammates once more. “Naturally, I am speaking for myself. I would not want you to assume that I am speaking for the others of our Septet.”
Brenae raises her hand. She does not wait for Missus Davenhill to acknowledge her.
Brenae says, “Diana Jane is speaking for me as well, ma’am. I am fairly confident she is speaking for the others as well. As a follow-on to Diana Jane’s question, I respectfully must ask you this. Are you holding back on us? Do you know something of substance that we do not? That is your prerogative if you do, and I honestly respect that. Then again, I do not want our team to go off on wild tangents unnecessarily. It would be a waste of our time and your time as well.” She smiles timidly, and then she says in an apologetic tone, “Thank you for listening to me, ma’am.”
Officer Bennett suddenly roars, “Miss Woodbine, to whom do you think you are talking with your discourteous words? Missus Davenhill is your principal! She can do whatever she wants to do, and you have no business what it is that she is doing!”
Officer Bennett glares at Diana Jane for a few seconds, and then he glares at Brenae. Brenae is sitting next to him. He looks across the table at Missus Davenhill and shakes his head.
He says, “Wild tangents, Marie? How offensive are those two words from the insubordinate mouth of a student directed at her principal?” He peers over his glasses and narrows his eyes. “See, Marie? I told you many times that you should consider terminating this wasteful investigation.” He stares at Diana Jane as he shakes his head disapprovingly.
Sophia gives Officer Bennett a dirty look, and then she raises her hand. Missus Davenhill acknowledges her.
Sophia says respectfully, “All we want is transparency, ma’am. As Bre had said, and what Diana Jane also alluded to, we merely wish to put all our cards on the table. Maybe you know something that could help us with our portion of the investigation. Therefore, we respectfully ask you to share that information with us. That is, ma’am if our assumptions are correct.”
Officer Bennett bangs the side of his fist on the table.
He says, “Now, wait a dagburned minute here! How dare you disrespectful teenagers say the things that you are saying. What is more, how dare you confront your principal in this fashion. She is your principal, darn you! She can do whatever the heck she wants to do, and she does not have to lower herself to explain her actions to a bunch of kids!”
Officer Bennett pushes his chair away from the table. He folds his arms across his chest. He stares angrily at Brenae and then at Sophia. Sophia is sitting to the left of Brenae. He briefly looks fiercely at Diana Jane once more, and then he addresses Missus Davenhill.
“Marie, I think it is time to terminate this wasteful investigation once and for all. These kids think because they are reporting directly to you they are enormously important. It is obvious, at least to me, that their self-centeredness is going to their heads.” He pauses slightly, and then he says in a stomach-turning, aggressive tone, “In addition to their impolite, insubordinate mouths.”
“Not so fast, Bartholomew,” Missus Davenhill calmly says with a wave of her hand. She casually picks up her coffee cup and sips from it. She glances around the table.
Missus Davenhill says in an impassive tone, “I need to ask the seven of you two questions. I want you to be candid with me just like the frankness of Miss Bower, Miss Woodbine, and Miss Paige.” She looks at the members of the Septet one after the other as she says, “Do you think I am holding out on you? I am not saying that I am. On the other hand, let me say this. If I were to withhold information from you, do you honestly think I would do so to inhibit your investigation?” She looks at the Septet team members one at a time yet again. As she looks at them, each member of the Septet either shakes his or her head bashfully or softly whispers, “No, ma’am.”
“Thank you,” Missus Davenhill says. She looks visibly relieved.
“I would not want you to think I am deliberately withholding information from you to keep your investigation in check. I trust each of you unequivocally, and it is important for our working arrangement that you trust me as well. Once again, I am not admitting that I am keeping information to myself. Conversely, if I were, hypothetically speaking, keeping certain information to myself, I would be doing so in consideration of your safety and nothing more. Your safety is first and foremost.”
Missus Davenhill smiles, and then she says in a kind manner, “Given what I have said, please tell me what new information that you may have while I mull over your opening questions.” She gestures with a nod of her head to Chloe. “You are the team leader, Miss Brown. Would you like to start?”
Chloe quickly glances around the table at her teammates. They are nodding their heads for her to continue. They also are surreptitiously observing Officer Bennett. He has taken his seat and is now fiddling with his phone. After a few seconds of pushing buttons on his phone, he looks up and stares at Chloe.
Chloe says, “Ma’am, we did discover something of interest since our last get-together with you. First, we have discovered that our vice principal, Mister Sorrie, may be related to Puppet. We think they may be step-brothers. We are not one hundred percent certain, but I would give it a ninety-nine percent probability if I had to put a score on it. Then again, they could be blood brothers. I would give that option a one percent probability. They have different last names.”
Missus Davenhill’s expression is one of complete surprise. She sets her fork onto her tray and picks up her pen. She begins to jot notes in her notepad.
“How did your team arrive at that conclusion, Miss Brown?”
Chloe replies, “We did some research. If you know how to do it,” she laughs, “and you know teenagers are internet-cruising experts, it is not hard to find just about anything on the internet. If it is on the internet, we will find it.” Chloe motions with her hand as a gesture to her teammates. “Besides, when seven teenagers are working together on the research, well
, to be honest, secrets do not remain secrets for very long.”
“I see,” Missus Davenhill says. “I had no idea that Puppet and Mister Sorrie are related. It is fascinating. As far as them having different last names, I have no clue what Puppet’s last name is. Either way, their last names are unimportant. What is important, at least to me, is your assumption that they are relatives.” She jots a few more lines in her notebook. “After the meeting, please come to my office. I would like you to provide proof on which you have based your assumptions.” She nods her head for Chloe to continue.
Chloe stealthily glances at Lindsey. Lindsey immediately raises her hand in the air to get Missus Davenhill’s attention. She says, “Missus Davenhill, Chloe, may I say something?”
Missus Davenhill has noticed that Chloe quickly nodded her head but only a little. Thus, she cannot help but smile inwardly. As a matter of speaking, Missus Davenhill has been around the block a few times, especially when it comes to teenagers. By how the investigative team members are acting, she is sure they had prearranged their actions before today’s meeting.
Missus Davenhill says, “Certainly, Miss Godspeed. Today’s meeting is an open forum. Please feel free to speak out at any time.” She glances around the table. “That goes for all of you.” She gives Brenae a glancing, unsmiling gaze. “However, it would be better if you wait until I give you the go-ahead before you speak. In that manner, we will not have to deal with people speaking over one another. All of us should hear everything that every one of us has to say.”
If Brenae suspected that Missus Davenhill had been addressing her, since she did not wait for permission before speaking, she does not show it. Her expression is composed as she pretends to be absorbed in the discussion.
Lindsey quickly glances around the table at her teammates. She is relieved to see they are nodding their heads. She knows they agree that now is the time for her to voice what she is about to say.
Missus Davenhill had supposed correctly. The Septet members had planned out today’s meeting.
Puppet Page 35