Missus Davenhill crouches down. Her demeanor changes from totally fuming mad to unbelievably intimidating.
“Finally, Bartholomew, this past Friday I overheard my vice principal on the phone. He was boasting to someone that the two of you were responsible for Puppet escaping from jail! I reported what I heard to the police, to include everything else I had discovered. If everything I have said does not land you in the jail as a convicted felon, aiding and abetting an alleged criminal will!”
Missus Davenhill says to Sophia, “Sophia, get him to his feet. My granddaughter already has called the police. When the officers arrive, I do not want them to see one of their fellow officers lying on the floor. It would be an embarrassment for the men and women of the precinct who serve honorably.”
Sophia pulls Officer Bennett to his feet. Once he is standing, Miss Davenhill points his finger at him threateningly.
“Bartholomew William Bennett, as a citizen of this state, and by the authority vested in me by Tennessee Code 40-7-109, you are under arrest for two counts of assault, corrupting the morals of minors, theft, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting a criminal. I’m confident the district attorney will come up with more charges before the day is over!”
Colette suddenly shouts, “Awa’ an bile yer heid!”
Brenae, despite her bleeding nose and lips and pounding headache, yells energetically, “Yeah! And twice as much of whatever the Minstrel just said, Accomplice!” Brenae looks around at her teammates. They are laughing at what she has called Officer Bennett.
Brenae says bluntly, “Yeah, I went there! After all, I am the Queen of Goofy Nicknames!”
*****
Part II: The Door Slams Shut
When Chloe walks into Tony’s Pizzeria, her teammates rush over to her. They embrace each other in an emotional, seven-person hug.
James is the first to speak. His tone of voice is emotional.
“Chloe, we are very sorry what has happened. We are relieved that none of your family members were injured.”
Brenae says, “I am glad everyone in your family is okay. I do not know what I would do if you had been injured or worse.” She says in a hurt tone, “Others weren’t as fortunate, sadly.”
Diana Jane notices the other patrons in Tony’s Pizzeria are staring at the group. She says, “Hey, what do you say we sit down and eat? It looks like we may be making a scene.”
The others glance around the restaurant. The Septet walks hand-in-hand to the table.
The waiter has set the table with seven plates, knives, and forks. Seven mugs of various flavors of milkshakes are at one end of the table. Two heaping piles of chicken wings and two fully-loaded large pizzas are on the other end.
Despite her sadness and watery eyes, Chloe manages to say in an upbeat tone, “Goodness! Will you look at this spread? Who is paying for all of this?”
Sophia says, “Mister Cheaply is paying for it. I used the remainder of the forty-five dollars from the last lunch we had with Missus Davenhill here at Tony’s.” She glances at the check. “The bill is thirty-six dollars and forty-seven cents. I rounded it up to forty-five dollars with the tip. I could not think of a better way to get rid of Cheaply’s cheapskate money.”
“Sounds great to me,” Lindsey says as she reaches for a slice of pizza. She takes off a piece of pepperoni and laughs. She licks it a few times before plopping it into her mouth.
Colette says, “What is so funny, Lindsey? And yuck! Why did you lick that piece of pepperoni?” She resorts to her Scottish jargon as she says, “What you did is gie’n me the boak!” She laughs. “That means, what you did made me nauseous!”
“It is a tradition,” Lindsey replies. “I always do it whenever I eat a slice of pepperoni pizza. It fondly reminds me of a good friend of mine.” She looks at Brenae, Diana Jane, and Jay one after the other. “The three of you know him. He was the floor guard at the skate center. I used to assist him during Friday night skates and on Saturday and Sunday’s.” She shakes her head as she stares in a straight line.
“Whenever I assisted him, he made me feel special like I was important. It was almost like I was a member of the skating crew. I’ll never forget how happy I felt.” She smiles dreamily.
“Anyway, back to the pepperoni. If I recall correctly, my friend had bought a slice of pizza for me. He asked me if he could have a piece of pepperoni. For whatever crazy reason, I licked the pepperoni before I handed it to him. Surprisingly, he stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it, and down it went into his belly.” As tears mist over her eyes, she raises her slice of pizza high in the air. She says in a whisper, “Lotion!”
Sophia exclaims, “My goodness! Lindsey that is like totally gross!”
Lindsey replies with a laugh, “Yeah, maybe so. On the other hand, it is a fond memory of many fun things that he and I, and our principal, my Nana, share. We had much fun at the skate center. In a way, I wish I could go back in time and recreate everything. The pepperoni incident underscores our lasting, three-way friendship. It is sort of like the time I had him smell the stinky socks I wore while skating and having my Nana smell my stinky, gunk-coated earrings. I’m always doing crazy things like that to her. Happily, like me, they have a sense of humor, and they can take a joke. I can only hope that those fond memories stay with me forever.”
Brenae says teasingly, “Lindsey, I must agree with Sophia. You, my dear, Wizardess, are gross.” She looks at Chloe. “Can you tell us what happened? If you would rather not tell us, it is okay.”
Chloe replies, “Fortunately, we had cleared out all of our furniture two days before the disaster. Therefore, luckily, we weren’t at home. We were in the hotel, the downtown Best Western.” Tears well up in her eyes. “Sadly, some of our neighbors were sound asleep when it happened.
“As you know, the entire neighborhood, the entire city block, is completely demolished. Fourteen people died. All of the dead were elderly people.”
“Yes, the entire city block is gone,” James says, “from the corner of Marigold Avenue to where Cheaply’s Food Shop used to be on the other side of Richland Avenue. I skated past the scene this very morning. It is a horrible mess. The police department and morticians already have completed doing what they needed to do. Bulldozers have moved in. I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire city block will be empty by week’s end.” He sighs. “An entire city block of wonderful memories wiped off the map. It is too unbelievable to be true.”
Colette says, “Aye, I heard over the radio that Puppet’s body was in the rubble. Chloe, do you have anything to add to that? Do you know anything more?”
Chloe says, “Yes, according to my dad, Puppet is one of the casualties. He was clutching a brick in his hand when they found his body. If I had to guess, it was the same brick that was used to murder his wife.” She looks at Brenae with a troubled expression.
“Bre, you saved my life and the lives of my family members. If you hadn’t found that article about Missus pUPA being murdered in my attic, I can only imagine what would have happened. We would never have moved. We would have perished along with our neighbors on Leroy Avenue!”
“Thank you for saying that,” Brenae says. “I sincerely appreciate it, and you are welcome too.” She glances around the table at her teammates. “Come on everyone. What do you say we eat before Lindsey devours everything? We do not want the food to get cold.” She glances at Lindsey. She says for a laugh, “Keep a close eye on your pieces of pepperoni, or Lindsey may lick them when you’re not looking!”
Lindsey opens the notes application on her phone. She says, “Before I forget, I have a couple of things to say. I investigated the school in-house telephone system. Chloe, the number you dialed on the day the food fight occurred was the correct number. I guess it was a member of the fantastic six, probably Emmy, that had rewired the connections. The fantastic six – that’s what I call my former computer club members that tried to scare us. Anyway, your call went to the basement when you dialed Missus Bell’s number. I suspect the
voice that you heard was Emmy’s.”
“Whew!” Chloe says. “That makes me feel better. I thought I was going crazy after Missus Davenhill told me I had misdialed two times. Thank you.”
Lindsey says, “You’re welcome. Glad to help. As far as the subliminal messages inserted into the memorial slideshow are concerned, I strongly feel that they were short-lived. They will not have a long-term effect on those who were in the audience. There should be no lasting, harmful effects.” She frowns. “As long as the victims do not see or hear additional subliminal messages.”
Chloe says, “Great news, Lindsey. Once again, thank you for your hard work. It is wonderful to have you on our team.” She glances around the table at the others who are nodding their heads. “I know I speak for every member of our super Septet team!”
Chloe’s phone vibrates. She removes it from her back pocket. She has received a text message from an unknown sender. She clicks on it.
Diana Jane is sitting opposite Chloe. She notices the frightened look on Chloe’s face. She says, “What’s wrong, Chloe? Is everything okay with your family? You look like you have seen a ghost.”
Chloe slides her phone across the table to Diana Jane. The color disappears from Diana Jane’s face as she reads what the text message says.
Chloe is misty-eyed, and she is trembling. She motions with a slight wave of her hand to Diana Jane. Diana Jane reads the message aloud.
“Hello, Chloe Alexandria Brown. I am none other than your dear friend, Robert. I hope you and the other members of your Septet team are enjoying your lunch, thanks to Mister Cheaply’s skinflint generosity. I invite you and your Septet team to meet me at the abandoned warehouse. I will call you once you are there. You may place me on speaker. That way all of us can talk freely.
“I would love to converse with you while you are in a public place, to put your minds at ease. Nevertheless, the other patrons will hear what we have to say to each other. What I must say is for your ears only. I give you my word you will be safe. Adieu, for now, Robert. (PS You have a half-hour. I caution you to be timely. Thank you.)”
Chloe copies and pastes the contents of the text and sends it to her teammates. I need to have proof that Robert contacted me. Resending the message to my six closest school friends can pretty much guarantee it will not disappear.
What Chloe does not know, the text messages will disappear from everyone’s phones shortly after they arrive in the abandoned warehouse.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
UNMASKING A MURDERER
“I do not care if you hang up, Butcher!”
“Hello,” Chloe says nervously.
The high-pitched voice on the other end of her phone replies, “Hello! It is nice to hear your voice, Chloe Alexandria Brown, also known as the Champ.”
Brenae is crouching behind Chloe. She glances around the group and mouths, “It’s Robert!”
Robert says in a sarcastic tone, “Yes, Bre, it’s me. Were you expecting someone else? I can hang up if you were.”
Chloe pulls a face. “No, Robert, that won’t be necessary.” She gives Brenae a dirty look. Brenae silently mouths once more. “How did he know what I said?”
“You will find out soon enough how I know what you said, Bre,” Robert says. “Why don’t you return to where you were sitting. Chloe, is your phone fully charged?”
Chloe replies, “It is okay. It is at sixty-three percent.”
Robert says, “That should do it. Please put me on speaker.”
“No problem,” Chloe replies. She places her phone on the floor. “Okay, Robert, you are on speaker. We are sitting in a tight circle, so everyone should be able to hear you clearly and vice versa.”
Robert says, “I sense that every member of your team is present. Thank you for inviting them. I am flattered you forwarded my text to the others, although you shouldn’t have gone to the trouble. I deleted their forwarded texts when you answered your phone.”
Except for Chloe, the others look at their phones. Robert’s text message that Chloe had forwarded to them is gone. Now, Chloe and the others are searching with their eyes for any sign of Robert in the warehouse.
Chloe says, “Robert, are you here someplace in the warehouse? If you are, we would like you to show yourself.”
“No, Chloe, I am not with you in the warehouse, regrettably. Chloe, I must say that I sense you are as lovely as the first time that we met in Cheaply’s Food Shop. Our first meeting seems very long ago, wouldn’t you agree? Naturally, you couldn’t see me, but I sensed your presence as clear as day.
“The next time we met was in the cafeteria. Bre had pointed you out to me. She didn’t need to. I already knew who you were. Afterward, you and I met in the school basement. Naturally, you didn’t see me, but I sensed your presence along with Colette’s. I have to ask, Chloe. How did you like my whirlwind? It is one of my most beautiful creations. Now, I think it appropriate that I say hello to the other members of your Septet.
“I sense that Diana Jane is sitting to your left. It is nice to talk to you finally, Diana Jane Bower, also known as Di, Empress Artemis-Diana, who everyone affectionately calls the Actress.
“To Diana Jane’s left sits my dear friend Jay, James Michael Lightlighter, otherwise known as the Skater. I am happy to talk with you once more Jay, and I am glad your arm has healed. I only wish we could have met during more pleasant times.
“To Jay’s left sits Sophia Eleanor Paige, aka the Accountant. Such a lovely, fair-skinned redhead you are, my dear Sophia. I must say, well done in the conference room. Your heroic actions made the headlines in the Gazette. I particularly enjoyed knowing of the photo on the front page of the Gazette that showed you sitting proudly on Officer Bennett’s stomach. Thanks to you, Sophia Eleanor, and your principal, the police department knows his true colors as well.
“I sense that Colette Kristen Campbell, the Minstrel, is sitting to Sophia’s left. Colette, your Scottish accent is adorable. I visited Scotland many centuries ago. I spent some time in Edinburgh. Unfortunately, I never ventured west into the Lowlands, near your birthplace, Renfrewshire. Did you know Edinburgh was called Edinburghshire before the 1900s?” Robert pauses briefly. “You didn’t? Well, I am pleased to have given you a tad of history that concerns the capital of your birthplace.
“When I visited Scotland, Edinburgh was a rapidly growing town. The protecting walls that encircled the town outlined its boundaries. Accordingly, buildings were built higher than usual for that era. It was common to see buildings 11 stories or higher. Edinburgh’s buildings undoubtedly were the precursors of today’s contemporary skyscrapers.” Robert pauses briefly once more. It is like he is reading Colette’s thoughts!
“Aye, Colette, I agree. Scotland is a beautiful, enchanting land of breathtaking sights. Your friends are very fortunate to have you on their team. Please share with them more of your background and your lovely country.
“Returning to where you are sitting, Chloe, I sense the charming beauty of Lindsey Marie Godspeed, aka the Wizardess. She is to your right. Lindsey, you are an amazing computer wizardess. You live up to your extraordinary nickname. I am impressed with your diligence and unrelenting obstinacy as you nosily pry into my uncle’s interests. Your computer diagnostic techniques genuinely are unusual.
“Perhaps your middle name, Marie, is unfitting for a person of your stubbornness. Maybe your middle name should be stubbornness, mulishness, pigheadedness, or something similar. Naturally, I am only joking, but I am sure you get my point.
“I was outraged when you discovered the anomalies within the photos of Marvella’s slideshow. That was nothing compared to my fury when you found the irregularities on the DVD that my uncle had so generously obtained for Claymore High School. Hence, Lindsey, perhaps I will have a few more surprises for you to discover as you go about your Wizardess diagnostics. How would you like that, huh? I know you love challenges.
“Last but not least is my favorite, Brenae Sharon Woodbine, aka the Ventriloquist. He
llo, Bre. We meet again, but, unfortunately, not in person as before. By the way, I have meant to thank you for the ice cream that you gave me. That was very kind of you, especially considering your favorite flavor is strawberry. Anyway, notwithstanding your cheekiness, you are a clever, highly intelligent, exceptionally astute young lady. However, I must warn you, Bre. Don’t you ever again call me crazy like you did when we were in the cafeteria serving line, okay? If you do, you will regret it!”
Brenae appears unmoved by Robert’s scolding words. She glances around the circle, and then she sticks her tongue out at Chloe’s phone. She resumes typing on her phone.
Robert suddenly scolds, “Bre, it is distasteful to stick one’s tongue out at another!” He pauses for a few seconds, and then he says irritably, “Yes, you did, Bre! Do not lie to me! I sensed that you did it. Yes, you are lying! No, Bre, you did not stick your tongue out at Chloe’s phone. You stuck it out at me even though you were looking at the phone when you did it! Stop arguing with me! You know I am correct. Sticking your tongue out at the phone is the same thing as sticking your tongue out at me – because I am on the other end of the phone conversation!”
The others stare at Brenae questionably. It is evident to them that Brenae is thinking things that are making Robert angry as he is reading her mind. Chloe flashes Brenae another dirty look. Brenae smiles at her, and then she shrugs her shoulders.
As Brenae sneers at Chloe’s phone, she says, “Goodness, Robert, don’t get so bent out of shape. I convey my guilt. So, get over it, okay?” She pulls a face. “Because I have.”
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