THE HAUNTING OF DINKLEY

Part 3

CHAPTER 5


DINKLEY, ILLINOIS

Dave Dikes, the young FBI agent, drove into the sleepy hamlet of Dinkley in his government car, a Ford Taurus sedan. Accompanying him were Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo. The hamlet was anything but sleepy this Saturday morning. The entire place was crawling with railroad repair crews, law enforcement officers, and officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The tank car that held the chlorine had been rerailed without incident and hauled away, so residents of the town were being allowed to return to their homes. Dikes parked his FBI sedan near the railroad crossing and got out. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby followed suit. They began to walk along the tracks towards the wreck site.

“You know, when I was first assigned this case, I thought, ‘Aha, terrorism,’” Dikes told his group. “But then I realized that the MO was all wrong. “If foreign terrorists had done this, they would have wanted to cause the most causalities and collateral damage, meaning they would have carried out such an attack in a more densely populated area, not some out-of-the-way place like this. Then after you told me that story about the problems that Latin club has had with the railroad, I then thought of white supremacists. Taking advantage of that story, they would have caused this wreck and made it look like the Puerto Ricans at that club did it.”

“With all due respect, I find two flaws in your theory, Dave,” Velma said. “First, Rico is forty miles from here. If white supremacists or Puerto Ricans did this, wouldn’t they have done it closer to Rico? Second, the involvement of a ‘ghost’ leads me to believe that our culprit and motive is more ‘home grown.’”

“How so?” Dave asked.

Velma continued, “In my experience with ghost and monster mysteries, the supernatural being either scares someone away from something, or into doing something he or she wouldn’t normally do. And almost always, they’re after money, land, or some other precious commodity. That’s why I think our culprit is local.”

“I see your point,” Dave said, “but I’m not going to totally rule out my other theory.” He reached for his cell phone and called his “official co-investigator,” Kathy Millens, an agent assigned to the FBI’s Springfield field office. Millens told Dave that she had finished interviewing John and Wendell, and was heading over to Rico to interview the management of the Casa de Salsa club. When the conversation was finished, Velma asked to borrow Dave’s cell phone to call Daphne. Though against protocol, Dave was agreeable to the request. Daphne informed Velma about Ricky Barretto’s supposed “alibi.” Daphne then asked Velma if there was any possibility that Cosmo was involved in causing the wreck. Velma said Cosmo couldn’t have possibly done this; he had taken a group of his students to Costa Rica two weeks prior on an archeological dig, and that they would be spending most of the summer there. Cross off one suspect. Dave then called Kathy again and told her that upon interviewing Barretto, if she felt it was necessary to, have him taken into custody and held as a “material witness.” Finally after some walking, the group reached the wreck scene. It was a tangled mess of metal, twisted rails, splintered ties, and other debris. The area reeked of diesel fuel. While most of the spilled soybeans from the grain cars had been cleaned up, enough of them remained to make the ground slippery. Velma slipped on the round kernels twice, Dave catching her both times. They then came to the crumbled remains of engine #8929. It was lying on its side, its nose was bashed in, and the windshield was shattered. It was through this opening that emergency workers pulled John and Wendell from the smashed remains of their cab. “I’m surprised anyone survived in there,” Dave commented. Velma looked at the carnage and uttered, “Jinkies!” Shaggy had a similar reaction as he looked at the twisted mess and exclaimed, “Zoinks!” 

Right then, one of the NTSB investigators came up to Dave and said, “We’ve recovered the ‘black box’ from the lead locomotive. We’ll have it sent off to Washington for analysis immediately.”

“Good job,” Dave said. “Do that.” He then turned to his group and said, “I hope you all feel up for walking, because we need to take a half-mile hike. Let’s head over to the switch and see what we can find there.” The four then began walking back the way they came to the switch about a half-mile away. Once there, they found a group of men, many of them wearing hard hats, standing around the switch and its mechanism. They were examining a metal box half buried in the ballast next to the switch throw lever. This box was connected to the switch lever mechanism by a metal conduit. Another NTSB investigator motioned Dave over to the mechanism, and began explaining his findings and conclusions. 

“This is a manual hand throw switch,” the NTSB official began. “To keep unauthorized persons from throwing the switch lever, it is secured with a padlock. Train crews have switch keys to open such padlocks in the course of their duties. Well, our ‘perp’ apparently used a pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters to cut off the padlock.” He showed the cut padlock to Dave and his group. “Well the perp was pretty good, because he then fooled the signal system into thinking the switch was set for the main. Here’s how.” The official then opened the box and began pointing out its contents, and what they did.

“There’s electrical contacts on the switch lever. When the switch lever is thrown, the contacts activate these relays. The relays would then set the signals controlling this block to red.” He motioned to the trackside signals visible a half-mile to the east.

The NTSB official continued, “To trick the signal system into thinking this switch was lined for the main, the perp soldered ‘jumper’ wires between the relays. The lugs the wires are attached to are pretty heavy, so the perp had to use a propane blowtorch, the kind found in any hardware store. We found small pieces of rosin core solder near the switch lever and a small droplet of solder on the inside of the box. We’re having the solder examined right now. And I want to show you one other thing.” He pointed their attention to a metal mast that stood vertically from the switch lever mechanism, which rotated with the lever. Atop this mast was a lantern with red and green lenses set ninety degrees from each other. “When the switch is set for the main line, the green lens would be facing the train, and vice-versa. When we removed this lantern from the top of the switch stand, we found that the perp had also removed the light bulb. Since it was night, the train crew had no way of knowing that this switch was set for the siding.”

“Interesting,” Dave said, to which Velma added, “Jinkies.” She turned, only to find Shaggy and Scooby had gone missing!

“I thought you had a ‘hippy boy’ and his dog with you,” Dave said.

Velma said, “I’ll bet I know where they went. Let’s head over to the church.” The two then made their way to the Dinkley United Methodist Church where the churchwomen had set up a “soup kitchen” to feed all the investigators and track workers swarming the place. Dave and Velma entered the basement of the church, and sure enough, there they were, with a huge stack of cold cuts, enough to give an elephant indigestion! “Shaggy! Scooby! What do think you’re doing?” Velma called.

“Like, having lunch,” Shaggy said. “All that walking made me hungry,” to which Scooby added, “Reah!”

“Everything makes you hungry, Shaggy,” Velma said. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.” Then turning to one of the churchwomen, Velma said, “I’m sorry these two practically ate all your food. We’ll gladly buy you some more.”

“That’s all right,” the churchwoman replied. “We’ve got plenty more. Think nothing of it. And remember, God loves you.”

Dave then thought it would be a good idea to interview at least one of the town’s residents. Perhaps he or she could provide some clues as to what happened. The group left the church and headed for a white frame house near the tracks, where Dave parked the FBI car. Sure enough, a middle aged woman was there, just having returned from the evacuation center. Dave went up to her and introduced himself.

“Pardon me, ma’am, but I’m Dave Dikes, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and these are my assistants. I’d like to ask you some questions about what happened here last night.”

“Well, howwdeee! The woman said. “Name’s Mrs. Pearl Mintz, and yes, I was here when that train wrecked last night.” A regular Minnie Pearl, Velma thought.

“And who have here?” Pearl asked. Velma then introduced the rest of her gang. After greetings were exchanged, she then said to Velma, “I didn’t know John had a daughter.”

Velma laughed. “Actually, I’m his niece. You know John?”

Pearl said, “Know him? Why, we were practically neighbors. Lived in that house across the tracks, just behind the elevator, the Byron and Zelda Dinkley homestead. After his wife Edna died, John just upped and moved to Decatur.”

Dave then asked Pearl, “Please tell us what you saw or heard last night.”

“Well I didn’t see what happened, but I sure heard it,” Pearl began. “I heard this train, but it was making the weirdest noise, this squealing sound. It just didn’t sound like any normal train. Next thing I know, there was this loud KA-BOOM! Shook the whole house! I knew right then and there that the train had wrecked. A few minutes later, the law comes and says we had to get out of here right now, that there was a tank car full of poison gas in the wreck.”

“Chlorine,” Velma said.

“The law told us to grab what we could and get out,” Pearl continued. “Spent the night over in Buffalo at the shelter. They’re just now letting us come home.”

“There’s been reports that a ghost haunts the area,” Velma said. “What can you tell us about it?”

“You mean the ghost of Byron Dinkley?” Pearl replied. 

Velma was taken aback by this response. “You mean this is the ghost of one of my ancestors? YOU’RE KIDDING!”

“I’m not kidding, “ Pearl said. “It’s a local legend around here. “In 1853, when they built the railroad through here, Byron and his young bride Zelda, took advance of the free land the railroad was offering to entice settlers to move here. He built that house where John lived. He also started a flourmill, which eventually became the grain elevator. He also farmed here. Well, in 1884, on Halloween’s Day, Byron was using a steam powered thrashing machine to harvest his crop. Suddenly, the machine blew up, killing him instantly. It blew his body nearly fifty yards, and get this, they never found his head. Not long after, according to legend, his ghost appeared, looking for a head to replace the one that was blown off.”

“Wow!” Velma exclaimed.

“Like, zoinks!” Shaggy said. “It the legend of Sleepy Hallow all over again.” To which Scooby added, “Rhost? Ro no!”

Velma remembered a mystery similar to this one some years back. One of Icabod Crane’s descendants, Elwood had set up a headless horseman hoax based on the Sleepy Hallow legend to cover up the theft of his wife’s jewels after his shoe company went broke. She remembered the role Scooby-Dum, Scooby’s cousin had played in solving it. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought. 

“Well, I don’t believe in ghosts,” Dave Dikes said. Then he asked Pearl, “Has there been any other things going on around here of significance lately?”

Pearl responded, “Well, Mr. Ivorson who runs the feed store across the street announced plans to expand his business.” She pointed to a metal shed like building across the street, which was emblazoned with the words, “Ivorson Stores.” She then continued, “He said the wanted to move across the highway to where those two houses are. Come to think of it, the ghost appeared not long after that.” She then pointed across the highway to where a pair of two-story homes stood; one was a brick suburban, the other a frame ranch style house. “Who lives in those houses?” Dave asked her.

“Charles Singer and Bob Nickels,” Pearl replied. Then she glanced back towards the farm store and spied a man entering the business. “Oh, there’s Mr. Ivorson now,” she said “You can ask him about what’s been going on around here.”

“I think we will, “ Dave told her. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Mintz. You’ve been a big help.”

“Anytime,” Pearl said. 

Dave and his little group hiked across the street to the farm store. Mr. Ivorson was there, inspecting his establishment. Dave went up to the man and introduced himself. 

“Excuse me, but I’m Dave Dikes and these are my assistants. I’m with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and I’d like to ask a few questions.”

“Certainly,” Mr. Ivorson said. “I’m Jerry Ivorson, and I own this business. I also have stores in Mechanicsburg and Taylorville. If you’re asking about that train wreck, I can’t help you there. I was in Mechanicsburg last night, watching my daughter’s Pony League game.”

“Well actually, Jerry, I wanted to ask you about your business, and your expansion plans,” Dave said. “May we go into your office?”

“Sure.” The group went into Jerry’s office. “Now, what can I help you with?” he asked.

“Tell us about your expansion plans,” Dave said.

“Well,” Jerry began, “I have a thriving business here selling corn and soybean seeds, animal feeds and farm chemicals. Business has gotten to the point that I’ve outgrown this little building here. I also want to expand my product line to include blue jeans, Western wear, and horseman’s supplies such as saddles. And I can’t do that with this little building I’ve got here.”

“I understand you want to move across the road to where those two houses are,” Dave said. He pointed out the window to the homes. Then he asked, “Have the owners agreed to sell?”

“Actually, they’ve been a little reluctant,” Jerry said. “I’ve upped my price, but they still don’t want to sell out. Actually, I don’t handle the land dealings here. That’d be my real estate agent.”

“And who’d that be?” Dave asked.

“That be Charles O’Donnell of City & Country Real Estate over in Buffalo,” Jerry said. “He handles all my land dealings.”

“May we look around this place?” Dave now asked Jerry, to which he answered, “Sure.” The group was just leaving the room when Velma noticed something under Jerry’s desk. She peered under it, and there it was; a pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters, the same kind used to cut the switch padlock. “Jinkies, very interesting,” she said to herself. She left the room and caught up to the rest of the group, which was now in the warehouse. She reported her finding to Dave, who then “excused” himself on the pretense of having to use the bathroom; actually he went into Jerry’s office and examined the bolt cutters for himself. After a moment, he returned. 

The warehouse was filled with rack shelving. On one side were crop seeds and farm chemicals such as herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. On the other were feeds for animals such as cattle, horses, hogs, and poultry. There were even Scooby Snacks, which made Scooby very happy! As they were looking around this warehouse, Velma found a bottle of a substance that seemed very out of place in a farm supply store. “Acme ‘Glow-In-The-Dark’ Costume Dye, distributed by Capital City Costume & Party Supply, Springfield, Illinois,” the label read. “Jinkies, why would this be in a farm supply store?” she wondered. That wasn’t the only thing out of place they found in there. On a shelf, they found four more incriminating items, practically next to each other; a propane blowtorch, a roll of heavy-duty rosin core solder, a spool of wire, the same kind used for the “jumper wires” found in the switch box, and a light bulb. Dave asked Jerry about these things.

“Do you sell party costumes, Jerry?” 

“No I don’t.”

“They why do you have a bottle of costume dye?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never seen that before.”

“What about electrical and plumbing supplies, namely propane blowtorches, solder, and electrical wire?”

“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never seen them before, either.”

“Do you practice plumbing or wiring on the side, Jerry?’

“No I don’t. I’m somewhat mechanically inept.”

“And what about nuts and bolts. Do you sell those?’

“No, I don’t. I refer customers wanting those things to the hardware store.”

“Then, what are you doing with a pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters, Jerry?”

“I don’t know. Look, I don’t know what you’re getting at with these questions.”

“One last thing, Jerry. Where’d that light bulb come from?’

Jerry looked somewhat confused by all this. “I had to change the bulb in the bathroom yesterday,” he said.

“I see,” Dave said. With that they all headed for the bathroom. Once there, Dave pointed to a light fixture in the ceiling. Dave got up, stood on the toilet stool, and unscrewed the bulb that was in the fixture. He then tried replacing it with the one found in the warehouse. It wouldn’t fit.

“Come with us, Jerry,” Dave said. The group made their way out of the store and returned to the switch. Once there, he asked one of the NTSB investigators if he could see the switch lantern. He took the light bulb and tried screwing it into the lantern’s socket. It fit perfectly.

“That’s good enough for me,” Dave said. “I think we’ve found our perp.” Then to Jerry: “Turn around, put your hands on top your head, and spread your legs apart.” Jerry’s jaw dropped, and he hesitated. Dave then pulled a pistol out of his holster and pointed it at Jerry’s head. “Do it now!” he demanded. “I won’t hesitate to use this on you.” After Jerry complied, Dave told him, “You’re under arrest for tampering with railroad property, and interfering with interstate commerce…” Dave then proceeded to read Jerry Ivorson his rights. When he was finished, and he had the cuffs on, he asked Jerry if he wished to waive his right to remain silent.

“I’m not saying a word, except to say I’m innocent,” Jerry said. Asked if he wanted an attorney, he said, “You bet I want my lawyer! I’m innocent!” Dave then motioned a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy over. “Take him over to the county jail and book ‘em,” he told the officer. “Hold him there until we can get him transferred to the Federal lockup.” As Jerry was being stuffed into the sheriff’s car, he screamed at everyone within earshot: “I’ll have all your badges for this! I’m innocent I tell you! INNOCENT!” The deputy yelled at Jerry, “SHUT UP!” as he got into the car and drove off with his prisoner. Dave then called Kathy Millens and told her that they now had a perp in custody. Kathy then told Dave that she felt it unnecessary to have Ricky Barretto picked up as a material witness; she had him placed under surveillance instead. Good, Dave told her, even though a suspect had now been arrested, he wanted Ricky kept under surveillance. 

“You know, somehow I believe him,” Velma told Dave after the suspect had been hauled off.

“Why do say that?” Dave asked her.

“Those clues were easy to find,” Velma said. “Too easy if you ask me. In fact, I’d say those clues were planted. They were all practically in plain sight. And nobody leaves clues in plain sight…”

“Unless you want to frame someone!” Dave said, picking up Velma’s line of reasoning. “But who’d want to frame Ivorson? The only other suspect we have is Ricky Barretto. And you said it yourself, he’s forty miles away from here.”

“I think we need to interview this Mr. O’Donnell,” Velma said. “Since he handles the real estate transactions for Mr. Ivorson, he just might provide the missing pieces to the puzzle.”

“I think you’re right, “ Dave said. Then he added, “Velma, you’re a genius!”

Velma blushed. “You’re just saying that for one reason,” she replied, then after a beat added, “because it’s true!”

Just as Dave, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby piled into Dave’s FBI car, Fred and Daphne arrived from Rico in the Mystery Machine. Velma informed the two of what had just gone down. It was then decided that Fred and Daphne would remain in Dinkley to look around, the others would go with Dave over to Buffalo and interview Mr. O’Donnell. Just as the FBI car was leaving, the same eastbound train that passed through Rico a while earlier now crept through Dinkley, the main line having been reopened.


CHAPTER 6


A SHORT TIME LATER, BUFFALO, ILLINOIS

The FBI sedan carrying Dave, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby arrived in Buffalo. The village, three miles west of Dinkley, was considerably larger than Dinkley, but with 600 residents, represented only a slightly “wider spot in the road.” The car pulled in front of the City & Country Real Estate Agency on the town’s Main Street. But since it was now Saturday afternoon, the business was closed, having done so at noon. Dave then asked a passer-by where Charles O’Donnell lived. She gave an address, Dave thanked her, and they went on to Mr. O’Donnell’s house.

When they arrived at the house, Dave went to the door and rang the bell. O’Donnell’s wife Cindy answered the door. “Good afternoon, ma’am, I’m Dave Dikes of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and these are my assistants. May be speak with your husband, please?”

Cindy seemed perplexed by this. “FBI? Is he in some sort of trouble?”

“No ma’am, we just want to ask him some questions,” Dave said.

“Come on in,” the woman said. “Follow me.” The group followed Cindy into the living room. Charles was sitting in a reclining easy chair watching television. A baseball game. Not just any baseball game, but the Chicago Cubs, who were playing the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The game was tied three to three in the ninth inning, bases empty, two outs, and Mark McGwire was coming to bat. Cindy called out to her husband, “Charlie! FBI’s here to see you!”

“FBI?” Charlie asked. “Why does the FBI need to see me for?”

Dave then re-introduced himself and everyone in his group. Dave then answered, “We understand you handle the real estate dealings for Jerry Ivorson.”

“True,” Charlie replied. “Man, you sure can pick the worst possible times to come calling. I’m trying to watch this game.” The count on McGwire was now one ball, one strike.

“I’m going to ask you to come down to your office so we can look into your records about Mr. Ivorson’s real estate transactions.”

“Now?” Charlie asked. “Can’t I watch the end of this game first?” McGwire by now had fouled off about six straight pitches, making the count one ball, two strikes.

Dave replied, “Sir, I’m afraid this can’t wait. In fact, we can get a search warrant real fast. It’d be better all around if you would just cooperate.” Which probably wasn’t true because Dave didn’t have enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant. Dave hoped Charlie wouldn’t know this and cooperate. Dave also decided not to tell Charlie that Jerry Ivorson had been arrested.

“Okay, okay,” Charlie grumbled. “Honey, I’ve got to go down to the office for a few minutes. Be right back!” to which wife replied, “Okay, dear.” No sooner than Charlie had gone out the door then there was a mighty crack as McGwire connected, and the announcer shouted: “There’s a drive down the third base line...if it stays fair…back…back…FAIR BALL! HOME RUN! CARDINALS WIN FOUR TO THREE! CARDINALS WIN! CARDINALS WIN! CARDINALS WIN…”

A few minutes later at the office, the group began rummaging through all the real estate transaction files. They searched for about a half-hour, finding nothing incriminating. They were about to give it up, when Velma decided to look through the garbage cans, just to be sure she hadn’t missed anything. Sure enough, in one can, she found a wadded up scrap of paper that attracted her attention. She unfolded it and said to herself, “Jinkies! I think I got this mystery solved.” She then took this piece of paper and put it inside her sweater. She then spoke to Dave about this “clue.” Dave decided not to tip their hand. He thanked Charlie for his cooperation, saying that they’d be in touch if they needed anything more. Charlie, on the other hand, was not too happy a camper, having missed the end of the Cardinals game. “I really wanted to see Mark McGwire hit that home run,” he told the group unhappily.

BACK IN DINKLEY

Velma informed the gang of her “find” in the real estate office. It turned out to be a receipt. Dave picked up on this and called Kathy Millens to visit Capital City Costume & Party Supply and obtain a list of anyone within twenty miles of Dinkley who bought Acme Glow-In-The-Dark Costume Dye. He told her to drop the charges against Ivorson, but to continue holding him as a material witness. He also wanted the employment histories of Ivorson and O’Donnell. He wanted the information sent to Velma’s laptop computer’s e-mail address.

“I think I have a clear idea about who’s been doing this, but we need to nab the ‘ghost’ to prove it,” Fred told everyone. “And I’ve got a plan that’ll do just that.” He then led everyone to Ivorson’s warehouse, and pointed to a loop of rope on the floor. “See that loop on the floor?” he asked. “The ghost will chase our bait in here, and get him to step into the loop. He’ll then be hauled up by his feet, and then the net will drop down over him, and we’ll have him!” He pointed to a net that hung from the rafters.

“Good idea, Freddy,” Velma said. “Simple, too. I’ll have to admit, I like this plan.”

“But who’d be our bait?” Daphne asked. Everyone then turned and looked at Shaggy and Scooby. “Oh, no, not us!” Shaggy exclaimed. “Roh no, rot rus,” Scooby echoed.

But the gang was prepared for their reluctance. “Would you do it for some Salsa favored Scooby Snacks?” Daphne asked.

“Ralsa ravored Scooby Racks?” Scooby said. “Ro roy!”

“Like, what about me?” Shaggy asked. “Don’t I get any?”

“We got a box for each of you,” Velma told them. She then handed the treats to Shaggy and Scooby.

Fred then explained the plan. Shaggy and Scooby would take the place of Bob Nickels, who lived in the frame ranch house. (Mr. Nickels was agreeable to letting Shaggy and Scooby “commandeer” his house for the night.) When the ‘ghost’ showed up, both would lure the spook into the Ivorson store, and into the trap Fred had set. Shaggy would wear a wireless microphone, a “wire,” so the gang could hear what was going on. Shaggy would also have a wireless radio receiver in his ear, so the gang could give instructions to him. The Mystery Machine would serve as the command post for this operation.

JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT

The gang had launched their “Operation Ghost Watch” stakeout just after dark. About the same time, Kathy Millens had e-mailed the information she had obtained. Velma downloaded this information and printed it out. Now it was nearly midnight, and there was no sign of a ghost, or anything else out of the ordinary. At one point, Daphne had commented that she had better things to do on a Saturday night than to be on a stakeout.

In the Nickels house, Shaggy and Scooby had spent the evening watching television. Now with it nearly midnight, the two had decided to retire for the night. “Like, if the ghost hasn’t shown up by now, he’ll never show up,” Shaggy told Scooby.

“Reah!” Scooby replied. No sooner than Scooby said that then came a weird glow in the room. The glow dissolved into a headless ghost! “I want a head,” it moaned. 

“Zoinks!” yelled Shaggy. After a beat he added, “Sorry Mr. Ghost, mine’s being used!”

“Rikes!” Scooby exclaimed.

“Shaggy!” came Fred’s voice over Shaggy’s wireless radio receiver. “It’s the ghost! Lead him into our trap!”

“Like, you don’t have to tell me twice!” Shaggy said, a hint of panic in his voice. “Come on Scooby, let’s beat feet!”

The gang watched as Shaggy and Scooby came tearing out of the house, ran across the road, and into the farm supply store. Everyone scrambled out of the Mystery Machine in hot pursuit. 

Shaggy and Scooby led the ghost into the warehouse. Shaggy avoided the loop of rope on the floor, but not Scooby! The canine stepped into the loop and got hauled up by his paws. The net dropped over Scooby, trapping him. The ghost stood below, satisfied that the trap had backfired. “HAHAHAHA!” it laughed. Right then, the gang ran into the warehouse, and was stupefied that the trap had failed. “Jeepers, we caught Scooby!” Daphne exclaimed. About that time, something amazing happened. The rope broke, dropping Scooby onto the headless ghost, trapping him! Within two seconds, everyone surrounded the two struggling in the net. Dave Dikes came running up, and put his hand on his holster, ready to pull out his pistol again if need be. 

“Okay, ‘Mr. Headless Ghost,’ I’d advise you not to make any false moves,” Dave told the “ghost.”

“Anything,” came the voice within the ghost suit. “Just get this mangy mutt off me!” Everyone laughed.

“Now, let’s see who our ghost really is,” Velma said. She pulled the costume off the perp and exclaimed, “Just as I suspected. Charles O’Donnell.”

A FEW MINUTES LATER

The gang freed Scooby from the net, and Mr. O’Donnell was safely in custody. Velma now explained how she figured out who the culprit was.

“There was a lot of clues,” she said. “They all pointed to Mr. Ivorson; the bolt cutters, the costume dye, the torch, the solder, the wire, and most importantly, the light bulb. But something bothered me about these clues; they were all too easy to find. Someone wanted us to find this evidence. After Mr. Ivorson told us about how Mr. O’Donnell here handled all his real estate dealings, I suggested we visit his office. We did, and after searching through his files, we found no incriminating evidence. That is, until I decided to search through his garbage can, and found this.”

“What is it?” Fred asked.

“It’s a receipt,” Velma continued. “A receipt for some glow in the dark costume dye. That’s what he used to make his ghost costume glow. You know, Mr. O’Donnell, you should empty your trash more often. It can come back to haunt you!”

“Bah!” Mr. O’Donnell said, frustrated.

“There more,” Velma went on. “That information I downloaded? Well, there was also a record of him purchasing a pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters. That’s what he used to cut the padlock on the switch.”

“But why did he do it?” Daphne asked.

Velma continued, “Mr. Ivorson wanted to expand his business. To do so, he needed the land Mr. Singer’s and Mr. Nickels’s houses sit on. But the owners wouldn’t sell. So Mr. O’Donnell, taking advantage of the ghost legend, dreamed up this scheme to scare the owners away, so he could obtain their land real cheap. Then he’d turn around and sell it to Mr. Ivorson for a huge profit.”

“But, like I don’t get one thing,” Shaggy said. “Why did he cause that train wreck?”

“It was another scare tactic,” Velma said. “But he got more than he bargained for because he hadn’t figured there was a tank car full of chlorine on that train. And do you want to know why he knew how to fool the signal system into thinking the switch was set for the main when it really wasn’t?” She held up another printout. “When he was in college, he worked summers working for the railroad section gang. Part of his job was to install and maintain switches. He knew exactly what to do.”

“But what about Mr. Ivorson?” Daphne asked. “Wasn’t he in cahoots with Mr. O’Donnell?”

“There’s not one speck of evidence to suggest that Mr. Ivorson authorized O’Donnell to use such illegal tactics,” Velma replied. “Therefore, I’d say Mr. Ivorson had nothing to do with it. Isn’t that right, Mr. O’Donnell?”

“Bah!” O’Donnell said again. “Perfectly good scheme ruined! And I would have gotten away with it…if it weren’t for you meddling kids, and that mangy mutt of yours!”

“Indeed!” Velma said. She got right up in O’Donnell’s face, and in a huffy tone of voice, told him: “And now let me tell you something! You almost killed my uncle and everyone in this town because of your stupid land grab! Know this: you may pay your debt to society, but you’ll never earn my forgiveness. So there!” Finished with her little tirade, she walked over to the gang and said, “You know, it felt real good to say that.”

Dave was on his cell phone immediately, calling Kathy Millens. “Kathy, this is Dave. Discontinue surveillance on Ricky Barretto. I repeat, discontinue surveillance on Barretto. And release Jerry Ivorson with our sincerest apologies. We have a perp in custody. Thank you. Bye.” Dave then went over to Velma. “You know, Velma, I really enjoyed working on this case with you,” he said. “If it weren’t for you, I’ve would of sent the wrong ‘man up the river.’”

Velma blushed. “And you know, I enjoyed working with you. I’m just glad I could be of some assistance.”

Dave smiled. “Do you think we’ll ever work on the same case again?”

“Perhaps,” Velma answered. 

“Listen, I’ve got to finish up here, then file my report,” Dave said. “Take care of yourself, Vel. And thanks for everything you and your friends have done for me on this case. Bye.”

“Bye, Dave.” Dave then turned and walked over to talk to the law enforcement officer who was hauling O’Donnell out of the building and off to jail. Meanwhile, the gang was congratulating Scooby for catching the villain. 

“You did it Scooby!” Daphne was saying. “You caught the bad guy!”

“Rah rucks, rit was ruthing.”


EPILOGUE

THE NEXT MORNING, SPRINGFIELD MEDICAL CENTER

Velma was visiting with her Uncle John. She told him how they had caught the culprit. John was happy that the man who had done this to him would now be brought to justice. The doctors gave him even more good news; he could go home in a couple of days. 

“I wish you could stay with me a while,” John told his niece. “You know, look after me until I can get back on my feet again.”

“You know I can’t, Uncle. “I’ve got places to go, mysteries to solve.”

“That’s okay,” John said. “My friends and neighbors will look after me. Don’t worry about it, hon. And you know something else? I might try to visit that ‘bongo drum club’ you speak of. Who knows, I might find me a pretty little woman there!”

“And maybe she can teach you to dance Salsa!” Velma laughed. 

“I’d like that!” John exclaimed.

“Well listen, Uncle, my friends are waiting on me so I really got to go. See at the reunion in Coolsville?”

“I’ll be there with bells on,” John said. 

Velma got up to leave. “Bye, Uncle. Take care of yourself. And get well soon. I love you”

“Bye, hon,” John said. “See you at the reunion.” Then just before Velma went out of the door, he called after her, “If you see Cosmo, tell him that…I apologize for all the awful things I’ve said to him and about him…and that…I love him. And tell him that he’s free to express any opinion he wants to around me. I may not agree with them, but I promise I’ll listen to them with an open mind.”

“Oh Uncle, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me!” Velma exclaimed, delighted. “I’ll tell him. I gotta go. Bye.”

“Bye, hon. Love you,” John said. 

Velma was delighted that John and Cosmo were going to finally patch things up between them. Happy, she joined Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby in the Mystery Machine. They were ready to depart Springfield for their next adventure.

“Where are we off to now?” Daphne asked.

“Wherever mystery and adventure takes us, Daphne,” Fred replied. “Wherever mystery and adventure takes us.” With that, Fred started the Mystery Machine, put it in gear, and began to drive off. As the van exited the hospital parking lot, Scooby stuck his head out of the window and said: “Scooby Dooby Doo!”


THE END

Back to The Hub (to explore more of Velma's site, as well as links)