Missus Davenhill addressed the auditorium and at-home audiences after the final presentation. She thanked the Nashville Channel 6 crew for broadcasting the play live for the TV audience. She thanked the parents and the PTA for their contributions. Then she asked Mister Jones and the drama club members to join her on stage. As Mister Jones and his team gathered around Missus Davenhill, the auditorium audience stood and clapped enthusiastically.
Missus Davenhill tried to explain the disturbing, puppety images of the seven drama club members that had appeared on the wide-screen. She incorrectly blamed the glitch on disillusioned computer club students. She did not know that the Septet suspected that Robert was the cause. By some means, he had inserted the images despite Lindsey’s deletion of the subliminal messages and a subsequent, thorough review of the tape.
More to the point, Robert had imparted an ominous, veiled threat when he had said to Diana Jane and the others, “The show is not over until it’s over.” Therefore, the Septet was not surprised by the puppety glitches during the final performance of the play. Robert’s harassing, tricky actions had lived up to his words. It also was his way of getting in the last word.
The Septet also suspected that Robert had planted the two normal-sized coils of twine. He likewise had planted Peter Pan’s “kiss,” the small coil of twine Diana Jane had innocently placed into the palm of Chloe’s hand. There was no other logical explanation. The Septet had witnessed Robert’s amazing magical abilities on more than one occasion. Therefore, it made perfect sense he was the cause of the coils of twine.
Now, I invite you to join me as I recall the final meeting of the seven members of the recently disbanded Septet Investigative Team. However, before I recap the Septet’s last gathering, I would be remiss if I didn’t say this. Consider it a teaser of what is in the making.
The Septet, along with a few other people, will meet again – not by chance or to reawaken their youthful friendship memories. They will come together out of necessity. Because, as you know all too well, evil never quits.
Four weeks have passed since the play. School is out for summer break. The Septet members, as is their custom, were sitting in a tight circle on the floor of the abandoned warehouse. They were sipping Coca Cola’s and devouring pizza compliments of Missus Davenhill and Missus Bell.
Missus Davenhill had violated her resolute dictum of never rewarding students outside of the classroom. She had said that there were exceptions to every rule, at least in her mind. She stated that the Septet members’ exemplary performance as an investigative team deserved special recognition.
In addition to the free meal that she and Missus Bell had purchased, Missus Davenhill had awarded the three original Septet members, Chloe, Brenae, and Diana Jane, fifteen extra credits in their humanities classes. She awarded Sophia, Colette, James, and Lindsey fifteen extra credits in their English classes. Sophia already had an A-plus in English, so the extra points weren’t a bonus. The additional credits couldn’t be applied to any of her other classes as well. She had A-pluses across the board and graduated high school with a 4.0 average at the age of fifteen. All the same, Sophia was very pleased with Missus Davenhill’s kind gesture.
As the team leader, Chloe started the meeting. She had said in an unhappy tone, “I guess this is it. It has been an honor to work with every one of you.”
Naturally, Brenae was the first to reply. She said, “Yes, indeed. I will never forget any of you.”
Brenae’s face blushed as she looked at James admiringly. As you may have guessed, Brenae felt a special affection for James. Not only was James handsome, but he was also very active in all sorts of sports. He had a slimmed down, body-building physique. James was articulate, self-confident, and smart. More importantly, James acted like a true gentleman every time he was with his female teammates. The others enjoyed having James on their team.
Brenae continued speaking.
“Especially you, Jay. You brought home the inline skating trophy for our school. All of us are very proud of you. You deserve a new title, In-line Skating Champion. She blew a kiss at James as her face reddened. She quickly looked away and began to mess around on her phone.
James replied, “Thank you, Bre.” He glanced around the circle. “I did it for the school but most of all I did it for the Septet. The six of you are phenomenal. I am proud of every one of you.” He laughed as he said jokingly, “Even though three of you are a lowly freshman.”
Diana Jane exclaimed, “Not any longer! Bre, Chloe, and I are full-fledged sophomores!”
Lindsey stated in a firm voice, “I am a junior.” She looked at Chloe, Diana Jane, and Brenae one after the other. “Thank goodness! I do not have to share being a sophomore with you three losers.” She laughed along with the others.
Sophia said in a pretend, sarcastic tone, “Miracles do happen after all. Seriously, I am proud of the three of you for passing into the distinguished ranks of high school sophomores and you, Lindsey, for becoming a full-fledged junior.” She added in a joking manner, “Even though I never thought that the four of you would.” She glanced over at James and Colette who were sitting side by side as usual. The two of them seemed like the best of friends. The others suspected they were dating.
Sophia continued talking as she addressed her fellow graduates.
“The two of you are off to college. I dare say that makes me very happy. Jay is fulfilling his dream of being a physical therapist after a stint in the United States Navy, and you, Colette, you are going to be a doctor someday. I wish the two of you all the best that life has to offer.”
James and Colette said at the same time, “Thank you.” A split-second later, Colette said, “Lang may yer lum reek! Slainte!” She laughed. “In Scottish, that means to live long and healthily.”
“How about you, Sophia?” Chloe asked. “What are your intentions?”
“Oh, I am off to college as well,” Sophia replied. “Yale.”
Diana Jane exclaimed, “You’re going to Yale? That is tremendous, Sophia! You’re only fifteen. What is it going to be like at an Ivy League college and not even being sixteen-years-old?”
Before Sophia could reply, Brenae announced with a laugh, “I can tell you this much. She won’t be partying for a few more years, that’s for sure!” Sophia gave Brenae a pretend dirty look as she gently elbowed Brenae in the ribs.
Chloe said, “I hate to be the one to burst everyone’s bubble, but we still have a few odds and ends to clear up, or, rather, to discuss before we officially disband.”
Chloe carried out her duties with diligence during the two-month investigation. She always considered everyone’s input. She also worked behind the scenes for the group to reach consensus on difficult issues. Everyone on the team knew she was in charge, and they gave her the respect and support necessary for her to do her job.
Chloe glanced around the circle.
“Does anyone want to start?”
“I will go first,” Sophia said. “Has anyone heard what is going to happen to Mister Cheaply? Is he going to testify against Mister Sorrie? I have been so busy with finals I haven’t had a chance to check.”
Chloe replied, “I think I have what you are looking for, Sophia.” She glanced around the circle. “Do you mind if I read the gist of an article? I saved the link to my phone. It is fairly short.” The others nodded their heads.
Chloe pulled her phone out of her back pocket and clicked on the website link.
“Last Wednesday’s article in the Tennessean reads, ‘According to Clyde Townsend, the court-appointed defense lawyer for David Cheaply, Cheaply will plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of fraud. Cheaply admitted that he intended to defraud the Claymore High School. Cheaply is the former owner of Cheaply’s Food Shop, Claymore, Tennessee. He declared bankruptcy after an unexplained tornado destroyed his business. Mister Cheaply was the primary sponsor of Claymore High School’s extracurricular programs. His guilty plea is in exchange for the promise of immunity to testify against Neville
Sorrie. Sorrie is the former Vice Principal of Claymore High School and the former Vice Chairman of the Western American Academy of Sleep Methodology. The academy closed in 1956 after declaring bankruptcy. Buford County school officials relieved Sorrie of his duties as Vice Principal, Claymore High School, pending trial. The Buford District Attorney accused Sorrie of five counts of conspiracy, six counts of corrupting the morals of minors, three counts of fraud, and one count of endangering the entire township of Claymore through unauthorized use of subliminal messaging techniques. If convicted on all counts, Sorrie will spend the remainder of his life in jail. Sorrie is on the run. Buford County officials intend to try Sorrie in absentia. His court date has yet to appear on the court docket.’”
Chloe said, “There is one other note. It is from a subsequent article. I will read the most important part. ‘Sorrie is believed to be related to the deceased entrepreneur Reginald Puppet pUPA. pUPA perished in a strange weather phenomenon that occurred in Claymore’s Kensington District. Fifteen others also perished. pUPA’s adopted son, Robert, is wanted for questioning.’”
Colette exclaimed, “Wow, isn’t that something! Cheaply gets off the hook and Sorrie goes missing. How weird is that?”
Sophia said, “I seriously doubt Cheaply will testify against Sorrie.”
Lindsey asked, “Sophia, why do you say that?”
Chloe looked at Lindsey, and then she said, “I have to agree with Sophia, Lindsey. Cheaply may be a crook, but he is anything but stupid. He will hire the most unscrupulous lawyers his cheating money can buy. Then his lawyers will do unsavory things to delay Sorrie’s trial until, eventually, Sorrie either turns himself in or Cheaply and his family disappear.”
Diana Jane asked, “Why in the world would he do that? Cheaply has the goods on Sorrie. He probably knows more about Sorrie’s shenanigans than anyone else.”
James said, “Exactly, Diana Jane. That is why he will never testify, why he cannot testify – because of Robert.”
Lindsey rolled her eyes. She understood what the others were saying. She said, “Oh, I understand what you are saying. If Cheaply testifies, Robert will eliminate him. Am I correct?”
Chloe said, “Yep. In the meantime, to ensure Cheaply gets the message, that Robert does not want him to testify, little things will happen to him. Maybe all the tires on one of his cars might go flat. His car engine might blow up. Weird things may begin to happen in his house, things like unexplainable bumps in the night, objects going missing, knickknacks turning around in place – magical things only Robert can do.”
Colette said in a whisper, “I do not want to go off on a tangent, but I must. There is one thing that has been troubling me all this time.” She looked at Chloe with a questioning expression. “That concerns your best friend, Anna. You had mentioned that Anna told Puppet where he could find the original tape of the cafeteria food fight. She allegedly had said that Missus Davenhill had put the copy in her bank’s deposit box. How did Anna manage to tell Puppet and the others? Also, why did she do it? Do you know?”
“It was her flash drive,” Lindsey said as she looked at Chloe. Chloe nodded her head for Lindsey to tell the others what she knew.
“All of the flash drives of the Ramen Noodles and Soup band contained subliminal messages. Remarkably, the subliminal messages were different depending on the color of the drive. Some of the devices had a phone number. I checked Anna’s flash drive after Chloe persuaded her to give it to me. Like all the stupid subliminal messages on Anna’s flash drive and the original videotape destined for the Peter Pan play, it contained other horrible things.
“The subliminal messages on Anna’s flash drive convinced her that Puppet and coils of twine were good things. The messages told her to contact a unique 1-800 number if she knew of anything that could harm Puppet or jeopardize his illicit endeavors. After Chloe told Anna where the tapes were, Anna called the 1-800 number.” Lindsey glanced around the circle, and then her gaze stopped at Chloe. Chloe was nodding her head once more. She was permitting Lindsey to tell the others additional things of which they were not aware.
Lindsey said, “You probably do not know this, but Chloe and I, along with Missus Davenhill, met with the police detectives. Chloe had encouraged me to tell Missus Davenhill about the subliminal messages on the scenery videotape we used during the Peter Pan play. I brought Anna’s flash drive with me. After a brief discussion in her office, Missus Davenhill drove Chloe and me to the police station.
“We could not tell you what we had done. The police cautioned that it was a police matter. The police said that an official investigation had begun. If we told anyone what we knew we would be interfering with the investigation.” She frowned as she said, “The police detective said we would violate the law if we told anyone else. Given all the craziness that happened to us as the Septet, the last thing Chloe and I wanted to do was violate the law and get the rest of you involved.”
Chloe said in a whisper, “Or, go to juvie as a seven-person Septet.”
Brenae said, “That is the reason the Gazette, the radio station, and the daily announcements over the school speakers urged people to give the flash drives to the police. The announcements cautioned that the flash drives contained suicidal, inducing messaging. All the while, the messages were promoting Sorrie, Puppet, and Robert’s devious ambitions.”
“Sadly, yes, you are correct,” Lindsey replied. “Some of the flash drives, the pink, green, and yellow ones, also had subliminal messages that talked about suicide. They were in the band’s commentaries. The messages were sick. I tell you they were disgustingly sick!”
“That is not the worst of it,” Chloe whispered. “Tell them what else you found, Lindsey.”
Lindsey glanced around the warehouse. She leaned in closer to the middle of the circle. The others followed her lead.
“The pink, purple, and black flash drives contained subliminal messages that spoke highly of one person. In my unprofessional opinion, that one person, or, if you will, a puppet, was none other than Puppet’s adopted son, Robert. In my unprofessional opinion, Robert was behind the entire caper. His father, Puppet, Sorrie, and Cheaply were stooges.
“Given what we have seen of Robert’s whirlwinds, the damage that they can do, and his mind-reading powers, I believe Robert manipulated the others. They thought they were in charge. All along, Robert was pulling their puppety strings, no pun intended. The others were his puppets!” She scowled. “Yes, I honestly believe Robert was the ringleader. If I had to put a percentage on it, I would give it a ninety-nine point nine percent score.”
Lindsey pulled a pink flash drive out of her pocket. Except for Chloe, the others looked at the device as if it was going to explode or something equally threatening.
Lindsey said, “Don’t worry. I erased everything on it. Nevertheless, look at what it says on the back of the drive.” She handed the drive to Diana Jane. Diana Jane looked at the inscription, and then she gave the drive to Sophia who passed it along and so on.
“Wow,” Colette said. “The inscription on the flash drive says R. D. Does that stand for Robert?”
Lindsey nodded her head. “Yes, it does. His full name was mentioned at least ten times in the drive’s subliminal messages. I suspect the messages in the other drives were the same, but there is no way of knowing for certain. The police have all of the drives, at least those that people gave to them. I suspect there may be hundreds of devices that are still out there in unsuspecting people’s computers. Hopefully, none of the drives are pink, purple, and black.”
Chloe added to Lindsey’s suspicions when she said in a hushed tone, “Robert tried to manipulate Cheaply as well. Since Cheaply is a human being with emotions, with the ability to love and hate, to tell right from wrong, and he has a conscience, guilty, or otherwise, Robert couldn’t manipulate him completely. However, Robert could manipulate his father and uncle easily, probably because they owned an alliance to him or were somehow more affected by Robert’s influence than Cheaply wa
s.”
Lindsey said, “The only difference between Puppet and Sorrie, compared to Cheaply, is that Robert somehow made his father and uncle immortal. As I said, Robert was able to manipulate Cheaply to a certain degree because Cheaply already was greedy and corrupt. Otherwise, notwithstanding his offensive magical scare tactics, like his scary whirlwinds, and his mind-reading abilities, Robert would not have been able to manipulate Cheaply as much as he did.”
Sophia said, “All the same, as you have said, Puppet’s coils of twine and the Ramen Soup and Noodles’ flash drives affected many people, including most of us. Therefore, we can conclude that Robert’s magic influenced people in different ways.” She glanced around the circle. “I guess because he is magical?” The others nodded their heads.
“There is more,” Chloe whispered. Her tone of voice caused her fellow team members to shiver. She was trembling as she glanced around the circle.
“Robert’s full name is Robert der Däiwel pUPA. At first, I did not think anything about it, but one day I noticed there was something strange about his middle name, Däiwel. I did a bit of research. Däiwel is the Luxembourgish word for the Devil.
“Robert’s name is Robert the Devil pUPA!” She pulled a face. “When you think about it, considering he assumed Puppet’s last name when his parents adopted him, his actual name is Robert the Devil!”
The expressions on the faces of the other Septet members were ones of genuine fear.
Colette was about to say something when all of the Septet’s phones suddenly vibrated simultaneously. Everyone glanced with a mixture of surprise and shock at everyone else. The surprised looks on their faces turned to expressions of absolute panic the moment they realized what caused their phones to vibrate.
Each of the Septet members had received a notification.
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