"The truth." Eugene replied. "That's what in the locket." The question of connection was ignored. He started laughing madly. "As for your question my dear Mr.Mask! Seems familiar but I don't really keep track of things, ever really. So whoever you are I don't care about you. My daddy might know." He giggled out. .................................... "I suppose you're right." David replied ignoring Stewart's apology and with that both men entered the mansion to see the various reporters and police.
"Hoh? is that so Eugene... The truth is on the locket?... so you've been tracking this incident?... But I doubt it... I see you know absolutely nothing. You're probably ignorant, just following the ideas of your daddy am I right?... I bet you don't even know what is truly the objective of the man.." He smiled... "By the way... did you knew that tunnels run behind the town right?..." The Valentine removed his mask, that fake face with the curly hair disappeared from his true face... Showing a different face, a man with a short dark red hair and blue eyes with a notorious scar on his forehead was revealed... "I'll have to ask the man directly...." With a quick move the man jumped in front of Eugene and knocked him with a punch on the gut, after that he took him and run away to the tunnel's entrance. ------------------------------------------------------------- A letter was left behind to be found by the cops "If you want your son back come to this point........" A strange drawing of symbols and a coded language was written behind... Signed: Gerald Danthalion Pokell. That was a legendary name for any person on the investigative's field... The man who once was a leyend among detectives, Gerald Pokell.
I woke up in bed and got up, I looked over at my calendar and sighed. "They're coming home today... wonderful." I thought annoyed... I didn't want to be around those people, at all, I walked to the bathroom and got ready for the day, I thought the most prudent move today would go to the Stanfield house and report my activities last night and hope that they have any leads to move the investigation along, I got up and walked outside, I walked toward the Stanfield house and was surprised by the police presence at the house, I walked up to the door seeing David talking with another man. "David, what's happened, why are there so many officers here?" I asked.
Jay groaned, slumping in his chair after finally repairing that nuisance of a bot. Being called in for work had been a low blow, but he hadn't been making very much as of late, so he had to take what he could get. "Maybe i should call and ask what's going on . . ." he muttered, looking over to the phone. His own bot was bleeping about his stamina -that he needed sleep. Yeah, yeah, so he'd stayed up all night. So what? He could afford a little more time before taking a nap. Picking up the phone, he pocketed his faithful wrench along with a small gadget that he had finished up during the night. He still had to add it to his bit, but it only required once more peice. Then it would be ready. . . There was a ring on the other end, and the waiting game began.
Eddie F. Cartwright The morning sky was beautiful that day. The Cartwright Moving Co. was in the exact position where the sun would be quite generous when sharing its rays. Inside the apex of the building was none other than the house that belonged to the Cartwright family. As Eddie laid in bed, he tossed and turned, attempting to ignore the new day as much as possible, yet the sunlight from his window would not allow such. The sun shined on his face, aggravating him enough to the point where he would awake. Once awake, he arose from his bed like that of Dracula from his tomb. He did a sit up, using only his abdomen to raise his upper body. There was a strange mood on his face. It seemed to be crossed between tired and pissed, but it looked like he didn't know which to pick. He felt his neck with his hand. He moved his head around, attempting to get the obvious cramp to escape from his neck. Eventually, becoming impatient, he used both hands to crack his neck. The cramp seemed gone. He looked to his right side, only to notice that his bot had died and needed to be charged. He reached his arms to the tip of his dresser, and wrapped his hands around the bot. He then rose it from the dresser and plugged it into a stand in the center of his room. The stand was all metal and had blue glowing tubes going up the sides. At the tip of the stand, where the tubes led to, was a usb. He plugged the bot into the USB. It seemed it would take a little while till the bot was charged enough to turn itself on. Eddie walked from the charger, and made his way to his closet. There he picked out a shower robe to cover his naked body. He then also got a towel. After bathing in the shower, drying off, and putting on the robe, he went into the kitchen. There he sat at the table and began to pour cereal into a white bowl. The box was white and read "Life" on the front in multiple colors, with a little kid on the box. After grabbing the milk and pouring it into the bowl also, he began to eat. Eddie's blue eyes kept on the cereal. Yet as the fourth spoonful of cereal was eaten, his bot came flying out of his room, and slammed into his head. He then turned it on and listened to Stella's message. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eddie's car stopped in front of the Stanfield house so quickly that the tires seemed they were gonna spark. As he parked, Eddie busted through his car door swiftly. He was surprised that someone allowed Flora to be on her own. How the hell did this happen? Eddie was wearing a light blue, button up, dress shirt. And around his neck was a white bow tie. His charcoal black pants matched that of his dress shoes as he stomped through the door of the mansion. Only to be greeted by a few people he knew, and a bunch of cops, whether they were on the ground or standing. "What the hell happened here?" he asked himself aloud in a lower but hearable voice.
"David, what's happened, why are there so many officers here?" Joe asked. "My mother was kidnapped." The word 'mother' didn't seem to hold much weight coming from David's mouth but his words held far more emotion then it had for Richard. "Investigation for my mother." He said nodding at the police around them.
"I see... hm... a locket with the 'truth' inside disappears, and then Flora disappears soon after... could these crimes and his father's death be connected somehow?" I thought, I looked at David. "When was the last time that you saw your mother?" I asked.
"Not since yesterday." David replied. "I did come back here for a bit after we snooped around Eugene's house but Stella and her both went off to bed. So I went to my house and called it a night." David sighed. "Next thing I know Stella's calling me and saying mother's missing."
"Hm... I guess that I'll need to talk to Stella then, then I'll check out Flora's room to try and recreate the circumstances that night." I said.
Resting on the settee with chin in hand, Ruthie gave a long, miserable sigh. She had managed to distance herself somewhat from the police, the questions, and the commotion. While her eyes roamed around the room, she noticed Stella walk out. She'd almost had a good talk with Stella at the office building yesterday, why had she let frustration get the better of her? Golly, everything was so unfair lately. And now mother was missing. Ruthie swallowed hard as the thought settled again in her mind. Where could Mother possibly be? There hadn't been any strange noises in the night... Ring...Ring... The shrill sound tapped into her conscious, pulling her out of pondering. Ruthie rose from her seat and rushed towards the kitchen, where the phone was kept. "I'll get it!" she yelled, although no one cared. Home phone calls were so outdated, that's what Bots were for. She predicted it was probably a salesman of some kind. Oh well, there was nothing much better to do, at least she could be entertained. Reaching the kitchen, she picked up the phone and peeked at the caller ID. Seeing the name, Ruthie's blue eyes lit up instantly. "Hi Jay!" Without bothering to hear an answer, her words spilled out in a heap. "I haven't seen you since my Father's funeral...but you're probably calling because of my Mother. Gosh, can you believe that she's missing? It's just plain awful! Anyways, are you coming to the mansion? Or are you busy?" ------------------------- Breathe. Just Breathe, Stella. She told herself as she continued to pace around the hallway. Worries continuously flooded her mind. Was Mother alright? Mascara ran down her cheeks as tears broke through. Would they ever find her? Leaning against the wall, she took a struggled breath. They simply had to. Knock. Knock. Knock. Stella lifted her head. Was everyone too concerned to notice such frantic knocking? Drying her tears with her sleeve, she made her way to the door, and pulled it open. There a large woman stood in the doorway, a fruitbasket over one arm. "Thank the heavens!" she exclaimed. Before Stella knew it, she was being squeezed in a hug. "Oh Child, I've been so worried, so very worried. I was hoping you'd answer, oh how I was hoping." Stella rolled her eyes at the familiar old voice. "Hello to you too, Mrs. Hilton."
"I think she's upstairs." David replied as he motioned for Joe to follow him. He still disliked the idea of them getting involved. But Flora was missing and the police were going to be no help as they couldn't be trusted. He'd been backed to in a corner. ...................................................... Various officers examined the area in which Eugene was last seen. As three men searched started to descend into the tunnels, two others were examining the note. "You think they'll be able to get him out?" The first man asked The second shrugged. "Fuck no. I'm willing to bet the guy that kidnapped him is the same one that crushed Floss and Willis earlier. Besides did you read the letter?" "No." He responded to his partner. "G.P. Those initials still carry meaning to a lot of us. I'm going to have to bring in the chief on this one and he certainly won't be happy."
Eddie F. Cartwright Eddie walked into the building further scanning for David with his brown eyes. As he walked he moved knocked out police officers out of his way with his charcoal dress shoes, showing that he was obviously not in the mood to play. He was not angry at the fact that Flora was stolen, but he is. He didn't find her as a parental figure such as Richard, but she was a nice woman who didn't deserve this. He tightened and straightened his white bow tie after making his way through the dead lands of police officers. At that moment he saw David. He was talking to some man he didn't recognize and Joe. He walked up to him politely, soft steps, not allowing his full force to hit the ground. As he walked up to David, he gave him a soft look, his eyes nor face expressing any type of annoyance. "David, I know this may be a hard time for you, but I have a question or two. Who was watching your mother? And are they being questioned?" he said in a low calm voice.
I nodded and followed David as he motioned me to follow him. "I bet he doesn't want anyone to investigate but I doubt he thinks that the police will do anything to help anyone in the Stanfield household... not that I can't blame him, as long as the chief and Eugene are around anything that could even be remotely connected to Mr. Stanfield's death won't properly be investigated." I thought, I knew that they were connected, I didn't want to believe it, but it was the only explanation as to why the police were being especially useless.
"Pfft. Blasted cops." Stewart said, having followed David and Joe upstairs "They do little good in situations such as this, being that they are so corrupt. We will take care of this on our own, I suppose, much like one of those good novels involving a mystery solving gang." Stewart imagined the three of them in detective clothes, with himself hunched over, examining a clue with a magnifying glass, like on a book cover.
"Hi Jay!" Without bothering to hear an answer, her words spilled out in a heap. "I haven't seen you since my Father's funeral...but you're probably calling because of my Mother. Gosh, can you believe that she's missing? It's just plain awful! Anyways, are you coming to the mansion? Or are you busy?" "Whoa whoa! Calm down Ruthie!" Jay exclaimed, trying to make sense of all the information that the girl had just thrown at him. "No, i'll admit i have not heard about your mother." he swallowed as the image of her being taken away by force of abandoning her children came to his mind, but she wouldn't possibly do that! "I'll be coming right away -you're parents would want someone to keep an eye on you kids. I've got a new gadget that i just finished up last night, as well as some holo-projectors for your Bot and for anyone else who will need them. I have a feeling they'll come in handy, but my latest one will need some more testing before I can consider it safe enough to make more. Stay where you are and I'll come to you, okay? Then you can give me the updates on everything. We'll find your mom, I'm sure of it." Knowing the girl would be patient -or not- he hung up and ran for the door, shoving it open and heading for the sidewalk. His bot bleeped about something again -oh yeah he hadn't had any sleep. But after that news, he didn't feel tired in the least. I just hope this thing works. he thought, before pocketing a small chip in his coat.
"David, I know this may be a hard time for you, but I have a question or two. Who was watching your mother? And are they being questioned?" Eddie asked in a low calm voice. "No one was watching her." David replied as he led them up the steps. "At least not that I know of." As they got to the top floor of the mansion David made left down a long hall. He checked various rooms and even spotted Ruthie hanging up the old phone. "Oh Child, I've been so worried, so very worried. I was hoping you'd answer, oh how I was hoping." His head snapped to another room as he heard the familiar voice of Mrs. Hilton and based on her words Stella would likely be in their and sure enough she was.
Eddie F. Cartwright "No one was watching her." David replied as he led them up the steps. "At least not that I know of." Eddie's face became struck with confusion as he continued to walk, following David, with his hands in his dark pants. "Why was no one watching her?" he asked. "No offense but I think with the current events, her safety should have been a top priority." What is this? Richard is dead, NO, murdered! Yet, no one even bothers to watch Flora? Hell, I would have stayed to watch her if I would have known. We would have gotten closer to solving this murder at least! Eddie cried out in his head. Eddie's brown eyes were stuck on David, waiting for him to reply, but changed to that of Stella seconds after entering the new room. Eddie's hoping for someone who had seen the scene was disregarded.
"When I heard about your mother, oh dear! My heart nearly failed me." Mrs. Hilton rambled on. "I had to rush over to see if there was anything I could possibly do to help you poor children." Stella managed a tight smile as she patted the old woman's shoulder. "That was thoughtful of you, dear. It is rather dreadful news--" "Terrible news!" Mrs. Hilton interrupted, eyes wide in a bug-like fashion. "I cannot imagine how such a thing could have happened! Flora isn't one to leave home for no good reason." Stella shook her head and a loose chestnut curl brushed against her cheek. "Well, I believe it is much more than that..." Her voice drifted when in came Eddie, followed by David and Joe. Seeing their distressed faces, her brow creased. Had they come to deliver news? "If you will please excuse me, Mrs. Hilton." Stella muttered and turned on her heel. She swallowed back a lump in her throat as worry crept in. With each step, dread filled the room. "It is good to see all of you." she said when she approached. "Anything...new?"
"I just got here, I'm pretty much in the dark." I said, I crossed my arms. "I'm gonna need to ask you a few questions, did you hear or notice strange anything last night? Was Flora acting strangely before you left her? Maybe you saw someone hanging around outside of your house, maybe casing it to see if they could break in? Do you have a security system and if so did it go off last night?" I asked.
Stella's brow furrowed in thought as the questions were thrown at her one by one. They were good questions indeed. While folding her arms, she cleared her throat once again. "Well, I don't believe there were any strange noises. I stayed in my old room which is farthest from Mother's, but I'm sure I would have awaken if there had been any noise at all. As for Mother, she's been heartbroken which is understandable. Other than that, she was well. Quiet, but well. No one was around the house that I could see, though I didn't look outside after I came home last night. Was much too tired." Stella said, shaking her head. "Yes, we do have a security system that Father had installed when I was younger. I can't say I know how it works, or even where it's located...and for that I do apologize. Never was interested in the facts of the house. Perhaps David could shed some light on that issue?" Her gaze shifted to David for a moment, then flicked back to Joe. "No, it did not go off. I would have known if it had...it is very loud, as you'd expect. The situation is quite complicated, how could Mother leave without giving any evidence of doing so? I don't understand." Stella hugged her arms closer, lowering her eyes to the ground.
"Hmm... well if she was indeed kidnapped then one of three things happened, she was drugged and taken out of the house, gagged somehow and then carried out, was lead out either by gunpoint or with a knife to her throat, that would be the only way that she wouldn't make any sound, and I'm sure that the day of the funeral the security system was disabled, maybe someone forgot to enable it afterwards." I said crossing my arms.
Wrrrrrrrong! I'm sure that the day of the funeral the security system was disabled, maybe someone forgot to enable it afterwards." "WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRONG!" Shouted a booming voice from behind Joe, Stewart, Eddie and David. It was older man in his late forties to early fifties. The dark lines on his face almost told a story. This man had seen many things over the years and none of them to good. He had a strong jaw which was covered by a large puffy black beard which had small patches of gray in it. His was completely shave save for the police hat that covered his head. The hat however had was white and had a star upon its top which was pure gold and various others emblems were tacked on it. His uniform was looked more refined then the other officers as well. He wore it well as it made his shoulders look broad and various tags and besides his shining badge clip on items such as stars. He had a crocodile like smile which revealed his yellowing teeth. This was The chief of Police Derf Splunkerfoot.................. "The security camera's were cut is what my investigators uncovered." He said to Joe in a mocking tone but his face nearly turned red in with blatant disgust at David. "Why don't you up and leave PI? Let us professionals handle this." His words of course directed at Joe. Chief Derf then made his way towards Stella with sympathy in his old eyes. He light grabbed her hand started to speak. "Miss Stanfield we are doing all we can to uncover your mother. We will find her. My best men are on the job. We believe its likely connected to the murder of your father of course."
Eddie F. Cartwright Eddie watched as he listened to the questions Joe asked Stella. He was prepared to ask her the same question, but the young detective had beaten him to the punch. As he stood there, awaiting something from Stella that could help a voice was heard coming from behind him. After the older sounding voice had finished talking, Eddie ran his fingers through his brown hair. He then slipped them deep into his pockets and a scowl grew on his face, he was not in the mood for any pompous police. Eddie was furious now, yet he had no idea why. His tucked into a fist in his pockets. He turned to face the older police officer with his face starring deep into that of the man. "If you people are so professional, why haven't you solved the case of Richard Stanfield?" he asked with disdain in his voice.
I looked at him and glared at him. "Which means that it will not be solved, and not just because of your incompetence." I said, hinting at his corruption and his involvement with the cases, first looking at Stella and then fixing a cold glare at Derf. "Usually we'd be allies in these endeavors... but he's the enemy, I can't expect to get any help from the police department." I thought.
