"Mystery Solvers" - written by Freedom Fighter

Last time...

With Sally's death still lingering fresh in their minds, and the sudden
departure of Mokuba Kaiba, the remaining six detectives struggled to keep
focused on solving the mystery.  Kim Possible became the first detective to be
captain twice, much to Gary Oak's chagrin.  Her team arrangements for that
day's investigation raised suspicious eyebrows.  Still, the detectives went
off, searching for clues.

Gary, Terry McGinnis, and Penny Proud went to the watering hole to explore a
newly discovered tunnel system under the town, while Eliza Thornberry and Raye
Hino headed west to the caves they checked out last week.  No one knew it, but
on this day, the clues would become very plentiful.

Unfortunately, someone had to be sent home.  And on Night 8, Eliza Thornberry,
the youngest detective still left in the game, was sent home after scoring the
lowest on the quiz.

5 detectives and 14 suspects are still left.  Which of the five cartoon stars
will be the next to leave?

======

Mystery Solvers
Fanfic Reality Series written by Freedom Fighter
Hosted by Christian Tangera

'Remaining' Detective Line-up:
- Gary Oak, Pokémon: Master Quest
- Kim Possible, Kim Possible
- Penny Proud, The Proud Family
- Raye Hino, Sailor Moon
- Terry McGinnis, Batman Beyond

Fanfic Rating:  Will be PG throughout most of the duration, but there may be a
few PG-13 elements spliced in.

Disclaimer:  The animated characters that are participating in this fanfic are
assigned specific roles that may portray them differently than what you're used
to seeing from them.  All events are carefully staged and planned out.  No one
was seriously hurt during the production of this fanfic.  Any similarities
between real people, places, and things are totally coincidental.  The show's
host was created by the author himself and may not be used by anyone else
without permission from me.  None of the characters belong to me; they belong
to their respective production companies and shows.

======

Episode Six - When the Saints Go Marching Out (03.13.03)

Raye:  (CC) I hope Eliza understands that we don't have any hard feelings for
her.  This is just a game... but someone had to go home.

Terry:  (CC) With Eliza gone, that just leaves Kim to get rid of.  And then,
it's every man or woman for themselves.

Kim:  (CC) I don't know if Eliza's departure is the alliance's doing, but I'm
making sure that I don't fall into the same trap she did.

Penny:  (CC) There were ten of us when we started, and now there's just five.
I've been flying under the radar, so to speak.  Penny's in the house, and I
have a feeling I've got a few more days left.

Gary:  (CC) I've been getting by... barely.  After tonight, I'm going for
broke.  I'm either going to be the win it all... or be the next one heading
out of Gullible Gulch.  Guess which one that's going to be?

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - First Floor Lobby
Date: Thursday, October 31st, 2002 (Day 9)
Time: 10:20 a.m. PT]

After what had happened yesterday morning, Penny made sure she was one of
the first ones up.  In fact, only she and Gary were up and about.  They were
comparing notes after their dismal performance on last night's quiz.

Gary:  Okay, who did you pick on the quiz last night?

Penny:  Ryoko.  I think she was trying to take Kizuna out yesterday!

Gary:  That seems too obvious to me.

Penny:  Oh yeah?  Who did you pick?

Gary:  Kizuna.

Penny:  Kizuna?  She's completely innocent!  Ryoko tried to get rid of her!

Gary:  So?  Kizuna could have set up the whole thing!  She's trying to take
the heat off of her because she knows we're getting close!

Penny:  She's not the type of person that would steal things.

Gary:  Maybe, but I always thought of her as a type of person who'd go after
somebody.

Penny:  What?  You think Kizuna was the one who drowned Sally?

Gary:  Sally's the star of the flick, Kizuna's the understudy.  If you were
Kizuna and you were looking for a quick way to the top, wouldn't you try to
get rid of the one person standing in your way?

Penny:  (covering her ears) I'm not hearing it!  Kizuna didn't do it!

Gary:  (smiling smugly) Okay then.  If you want to be the next one to go
home, that's fine by me!

Gary walked away from Penny, heading off to do some thinking of his own.

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - Kim's Room
Time: 10:35 a.m.]

Kim came out of her bedroom wearing her 'mission' clothing: a belly-bearing
black shirt and dark brown cargo pants.  In her left hand, she was holding
her notebook.  In her right was a pair of sunglasses.

Kim:  Oops!  Almost forgot!

Kim reached into her pants pocket and pulled out the Team Leader badge,
which she pinned to the collar of her shirt.

Kim:  There!  (cracks her knuckles) Now... let's get this bad guy!

Terry:  (off-screen) Looks like someone's ready for Halloween.

Kim turns around to face her fellow detective.

Kim:  This isn't a Halloween costume.  This is what I'm going to wear today.

Terry:  Really?

Kim:  Yes, really.  Look, there's only five of us left, and from here on out
it's everyone for themselves.  This villain's been loose way too long, and I
intend to bring him once and for all.

Terry:  Okay... so do you know who it is?

Kim let out a deep sigh of disappointment.

Terry:  So, you just expect to go round up every suspect and hope one of them
confesses?  That's not a very good plan.

Kim:  I know, I know.  But this investigation's so slow... this guy could
strike again before we can catch him.  A day, a week... maybe even an hour
from now.

Terry:  That's why we need to work together on this.  As a team, we can find
this guy and put him behind bars!

Kim:  Hmmm... are you suggesting a partnership?

Terry:  (shrugs his shoulders) Sure... I guess.  But...

Kim:  (smiles, then turns for the stairs) We'll talk later, ok?

As Kim bolts down the stairs to the lobby, Terry starts trotting back to his
room to get his notebook.

Terry:  (CC) I don't know how... but now I've got an alliance with Kim.  But
I can't have an alliance with her because I'm in one against her!

Kim:  (CC) I don't think Terry suspects a thing.  And even if he doesn't work
with me, he'll find it hard to keep the alliance against me together when he
tells them he's allied with me.

Terry:  (CC) This is the absolute worst thing that could have happened.

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - Main Lobby
Time: 12 Noon]

The five detectives are gathered in the briefing area, where Chris awaits
them with a videotape and several folders in hand.

Chris:  Good afternoon, detectives.  I'm pleased to say that you've all done
an excellent job so far and that we're drawing ever closer to catching this
vandal of a villain.  But first... the thief's sent us another tape.

Putting the tape, as per usual, the detectives are treated to the same scene
that they're all bored of seeing by now.

Mystery Figure:  Greetings!  I feel deathly sad that I've managed to get rid
of five of your fellow teammates.  Now there's only five of you left... and
what are the chances of you succeeding?

The figure presents a photo of Eliza, last night's departed game player.

Mystery Figure:  Eliza.  Smart girl.  But not smart enough to outsmart me.
It's too bad that in a game, there has to be a winner and a loser.  It looks
like Eliza's the loser, 'cause she's not here anymore.  Maybe she's so
adapted to the burning sun of an African safari that the scorching ball of
fire above us isn't as pleasant to her?  Oh well...

He/she tosses the picture off to the side and presents two more for the
viewing audience.

Mystery Figure:  Hmmm... I think I've run out of ideas on how to get rid of
your photos.  Anyway, I've got two more suspects to help you out.  After all,
you can't let some like little ol' me roam free here forever, can you?

The villain presents the pictures' photo sides, one at a time.

Mystery Figure:  (holding up a picture of Lois) Lois Lane, the investigative
reporter.  She's quite nosy, and has never liked this town because big news
stories don't come around that often.  But although she may be the thief, I'm
sure that I'm not her.  (holding up a picture of Ed) And this is Ed.  Strange
boy this one is.  But do any of you honestly think he's capable of pulling
off everything that I've done?  I'm sure the answer to that is no.

Those pictures are tossed aside as the mystery figure edges closer to the
screen.

Mystery Figure:  You know, I'm having such a good time trying to fool you
into arresting the wrong suspect.  This is almost as much fun as my real job!
Anyway, toodles!

The tape ends there as Chris marks off the two aforementioned suspects.

Chris:  We're done to an even dozen now, as you see.  Kim, time to give up
the Team Leader badge.

Kim removes the pin from her collar and hands it to Chris.

Chris:  Okay, time to assign a team leader.  Actually, this person has never
been the leader before.  But at this stage of the game, it's better late than
never.  The new team leader is...

Chris walks over to another one of the girls and hands her the pin.

Chris:  Raye Hino.  Miss Hino, congratulations.

Raye:  (taking the pin) Thank you!  I can't believe it!  I never thought I'd
be the leader!

Kim:  Congratulations, Raye!

Penny:  Yeah!  You really deserve it!

Chris:  Raye, as team leader, you will now delegate which detectives will
complete which investigation.  Today, there are four tasks to complete.
Each pairing will complete two tasks.

Chris went back over to the suspect board.  He points at the pictures of
Buzz and Velma.

Chris:  The first team's two tasks have much in common.  First off, those two
detectives will talk to Sheriff Lightyear and Mayor Dinkley at City Hall.
They have some important documents regarding the underground tunnel system
that you guys explored yesterday.  Once that's done, you'll follow the
tunnels to one of the suspects' homes.  You will, of course, interview that
suspect and try to get more information from him or her.

He then points at the pictures of Sakura and Hercule.

Chris:  The second team's two tasks also have some similarities as well.
Those two teammates will first find Sakura, who will point you to a new
discovery one of her friends made this morning.  That discovery will be
very important, as you'll see when you meet up with Hercule, who's training
out in the desert with his daughter Videl.

Chris now glances towards Raye.

Chris:  Raye, it is now your turn.  Two detectives stay cool in city hall
and in the underground tunnels, while the other two remain in the hot sun
as they search for clues outside.  Who's going where?

Raye:  Let's see... how about a guy-girl split?  The guys stay outside, and
the girls stay in.

Gary:  Figures.

Chris:  Okay then.  (to Kim and Penny) Gals, your meeting with Buzz and
Velma is at 1:30.  (to Gary and Terry) Guys, you can meet up with Sakura
anytime after 2:00.  You'll need this number to contact her.

Chris hands Gary a business-size card, which has Sakura's cell phone number
on it.

Chris:  So, you guys can go eat, drink, relax, be merry... whatever, until
the time comes.  Good luck to you five today.

As Chris departs, Gary walks over to the suspect board and examines it
carefully.

Gary:  Why is Buzz's name crossed out?  When was he eliminated as a suspect?

The other four detectives joined Gary, as they collectively tried to figure
out the answer.  One of them, of course, knew it already.

Penny:  Didn't we watch that tape yesterday?  Only one person was taken out,
right?  Judy, I believe.

Raye:  Yeah, I remember that too.  So when was Buzz deemed not a suspect?

Terry:  (to Kim) You didn't get any information from Chris about him
yesterday, did you?

Kim:  No.  Nothing.

Terry:  That's strange.  Then how is this possible?

Kim:  Maybe someone crossed him out because it's obvious he's so not the guy.

Terry:  I guess.

The group then disperses for lunch.  They return soon after to begin today's
investigation proceedings.

======

[Location: Gullible Gulch City Hall
Time: 1:30 p.m.]

Kim and Penny enter the City Hall building and head up to the mayor's office.
There, they are greeted by both the mayor and the sheriff, who are waiting
for them.

Buzz:  Good afternoon, ladies.  We're glad you could make it.

Kim:  We're ready to go, sheriff.

Penny:  Yeah!  Let's catch this bozo!

Velma:  Very well then.  Please take a seat.

The foursome walked over to Velma's desk, which the mayor takes a seat behind.
Buzz pulls up a chair and sits next to Velma, while Kim and Penny sit down
in chairs positioned in front of the desk.

Buzz:  Your boss, Chris, told us about how the investigation is going.

Velma:  We're very impressed with how far you have all gotten.

Kim:  Oh, it's nothing.  Just doing our job.

Buzz:  Splendid.

Velma reached into one of the desk drawers and pulled out a rolled up
document.  She unrolled it onto the desk.  The document was actually a
blueprint for the town's design.

Penny:  You've got blueprints?

Velma:  They were on file with the town records.  It seems that the
underground tunnel system that was discovered yesterday has been around since
this town was first built back in the early 20th Century.

Kim:  That's strange... how come the town doesn't look as big?

Velma:  When it was built in 1920, the town was only half the size it is
today.  Plus, town records show that Gullible Gulch's population was only 11.

Buzz pointed towards the several X's on the map, which were scattered all
over the town.

Buzz:  The tunnels weren't always secret.  In the town's early days, there
were rumors of gold in them.

Velma:  Unfortunately, very little gold was found, if any at all.  Thus, the
town was able to avoid falling victim to the Gold Rush, since it was over
before word could spread.

Kim:  All of the entrances to the tunnels are out in the open.

Velma:  Yes.  But we have reason to believe that at least three of those same
entrances are now concealed thanks to buildings that have been constructed
over them.

Penny:  Three?  There are that many?

Kim:  Speaking of which, there are only five X's on this blueprint.  What
about the one that Raye and Eliza found yesterday?

Buzz:  The tunnels did not extend outside the town limits.

Penny:  (points to an X) What about the one here?  This one doesn't look
like it's in the town limits.

Velma:  The one that comes out near that movie set?

Kim:  Movie set?  The one where "The Princess and the Pirate" is being
filmed?

Velma:  That one's still considered within the town limits, and therefore,
is under town jurisdiction.  I remember that clearly because the company
that's producing the movie needed to ask me permission to use that plot of
land for filming.

Kim:  Do you have a current blueprint of the town?

Buzz:  Yes... we were about to get to that.

Buzz produced a second blueprint, which he laid over the first exactly.  The
map looked almost the same as the first, only with more buildings up on it.

Penny:  Look!  Three of the X's are inside buildings in the town!

Kim:  Let me see that.  Hmmmm... 8, 29, and 42.

Penny:  Are any of those buildings inhabited?

Velma:  I don't have the town census on me... but I believe at least 42 is.
I know for sure that 8 is an old building that's only being used for storage.
I'm not sure about 29.

Buzz:  We'd better be careful about the residents of 42.  (eyes narrowing)
There's something strange about them.

Kim:  We'll be fine.  I'm sure Penny and I can handle it.

Penny:  Is there anyway we can find out who's in those buildings for sure?

Buzz:  Without actually going to those places and finding out yourselves?
No.

Kim:  (thinking out loud) I have an idea, Penny.

Penny:  Like what?

Kim:  I have a feeling that the underground tunnels were used to help this
guy quickly escape from one scene to the next.

Penny:  Like when he stole all of those items?  The sunglasses, the film
reel, the pom poms...

Kim:  Yes.  All of it.

Buzz:  Very interesting theory you girls have there.

Penny:  I think we're just a clue or two away from fingering this guy!

Velma:  (standing up) In that case, I'd better not hold you up any longer.
(to Buzz) Could you please escort them back to the lobby?

Buzz:  (getting up as well) Of course.

Penny:  (to Velma) Wait!  I have a few questions I want to ask you.

Kim:  I might have a few too!

Buzz:  The mayor's a very busy woman, girls.  She's got work to do, and we've
got our own as well.

Kim and Penny reluctantly let Buzz lead them out of Velma's office.

======

[Location: Outside of City Hall]

Once Kim and Penny got outside, they immediately turned suspicious of the
mayor.

Penny:  Did you see that?

Kim:  (nods) Obviously, Mayor Dinkley is attempting to keep us from finding
something out.

Penny:  Or fingering her as the thief!  We've never thought of her as a prime
suspect!  Could she just have been fooling us this whole time?

Kim:  She probably would have the leverage and the brainpower to think of and
perform such a series of crimes.  But I think we need some concrete proof
before we start considering her seriously.

Penny:  Isn't her inability to tell us who lives in those buildings proof
enough?

Kim:  She could have honestly forgotten that information.

Penny:  Or she could have intentionally forgotten it so we wouldn't find out!

Kim:  It's no big.  Besides, once we search the tunnels thoroughly, we can
find out who lives there anyway.

Penny:  What you wanna bet she's calling them now and telling them to go
into hiding?

Kim:  (laughs) You're assuming way too much, Penny.

Penny:  Maybe so, but better safe than sorry!

Kim:  Even if you're right, we're not exactly sure where those buildings are.
Going door-to-door would draw as suspicious to thief, and he or she may flee
before we get to them.  We're better continuing on and exploring the tunnels.

Penny continued to argue the validity of her theory as she walked with Kim
towards the entrance by the watering hole.  On a nearby windowsill sat a
yellow stuffed animal.  Probably nothing suspicious to any normal passerby,
but as soon as Kim and Penny were out of hearing range, the animal came to
life.

Animal:  (waving his arms about) So hot!  But must get back!  Cake, cake,
cake!

The animal flew into the air using his little wings and went off towards an
unknown destination.

******

[Location: Team Headquarters - First Floor Lobby]

Raye, Gary, and Terry were discussing strategy as the two o'clock hour drew
closer.

Gary:  What did you guys put for number three?

Actually... they were discussing their answers on the last quiz.

Terry:  There are three that live in Tokyo.

Gary:  That's what I put.

Raye:  I answered two.

Terry:  There's only two?

Raye:  Yeah.  Sakura lives in the city, and Naru's from the suburbs.

Gary:  I thought Ryoko lived in Tokyo.

Raye:  No... she lives in Okayama, which isn't anywhere close to Tokyo.
(moving on) What about question four?  There's four that don't live in
the U.S., right?

Gary:  No way!  There's five!

Terry:  I thought there were only three!

Gary:  (leaning back) This is getting us nowhere!

Raye:  I know.  How come we all have different answers, yet we're all in an
alliance with each other?

Terry:  Maybe we should see how many we have in common.

The three held out their notebooks, with each showing off their answers from
the last quiz.

Terry:  Okay, we all answered the same for six and nine.  Gary and Raye, you
two had the same answer for two, and Gary and I had the same answer for five.
For everything else, we all picked different answers.

Raye:  And who knows what Penny put on her quiz.

Gary:  Actually, Penny and I talked about it this morning.

Terry:  What did she say?

Gary:  Believe it or not, most of the answers she had match Terry's.

Raye:  You haven't been meeting with her in secret, have you?

Terry:  Of course not!  She knows everything I know, just like you two.

Raye:  Wait a minute... you two went off alone yesterday!  I bet it was there
that you talked to her privately!

Terry:  Raye, the only thing we discussed was what Ken showed as at the movie
set.  The explosives demonstration... which I told all of you about,
remember?

Raye:  She also picked Ryoko as the thief, like you did!

Terry:  After what Ryoko almost did yesterday, I'm not surprised.

Gary:  This is supposed to be an equal opportunity alliance!  We're supposed
to share all of the information we gather in these investigations!

Raye:  Well obviously, someone's withholding from the rest of us.

Terry:  (looks at his watch) If so, we'll have to figure out who later.  It's
two o'clock.  I'd better go call Sakura so we can meet up with her.

======

[Location: Underground Tunnel - Watering Hole Entrance]

Meanwhile, Kim was pulling open the entrance to the underground tunnel system
after Penny had pointed it out to her.

Kim:  Well, down we go!

Kim begins to climb down the ladder as Penny waits for her turn.

======

A few minutes later, the two teens were walking along the lighted path, down
the way where Terry had gone yesterday.

Kim:  If I remember the blueprints right, there should be a three-way split
very soon.

Penny:  (pointing ahead of them) There it is!

The two of them approached the intersection.  One path led straight ahead.
A second, off to the right, immediately slopes up.  The third, to the left,
gradually sloped down.

Penny:  So, which way do we go?

Kim:  (pulls out her Kimmunicator and sighs) I wish I would have saved the 
blueprints to my Kimmunicator.  Then we would be able to look at them right
now.

Penny:  We're going to have to explore them all eventually.  Let's just pick
one and find out where it leads.

Kim glances as far down each path as she can, and then makes a decision.

Kim:  We'll use the one on the left.  If it's the farthest from the town,
that means it's the longest.

Penny:  I get it!  We can get all the hard stuff out of the way first, and
then do the easy stuff later.

Kim:  Exactly!  Let's go!

Kim and Penny ran down the path to their left.

======

[Location: Out in the Streets of Gullible Gulch]

Leaving the safety of team headquarters, Terry and Gary step out into the hot
autumn day as they begin searching for Sakura Kinomoto.  They were going to
meet up with her.

Gary:  So you said she wasn't going to be alone?

Terry:  Sakura said she has two of her friends with her.

The two found Sakura close to the center of town.  With her were Tomoyo
Daidouji and Meilin Li.  They were there to lend Sakura support... sort of.

Meilin:  I didn't know you were a suspect, Kinomoto.

Sakura:  Why am I still a suspect?  I'd never do anything like that!

Tomoyo:  Now, Meilin-chan.  We're here to cheer Sakura-chan on and prove that
she's innocent.

Meilin:  (crosses her arms over her chest) If I was a detective, I would have
already figured out who this bad guy is.

Sakura:  (greeting Terry and Gary) Ohayo!

Gary:  Well, hello to you too!

Terry:  Konnichiwa, Sakura.  (looking at Tomoyo and Meilin) Care to introduce
us?

Sakura:  Yes!  This is Tomoyo-chan and Meilin-chan, my best friends.

Tomoyo:  (bowing respectfully) Ohayo!

Meilin:  (with a smile on her face as she bows) Ohayo!

Terry and Gary:  (bowing together) Ohayo.

Sakura:  (looking at Gary) Who's that?

Gary:  (stepping forward) Gary Oak's the name!  And I'm here to solve all your
problems!

Tomoyo:  (glances at Sakura) Should we show them what we found, Sakura-chan?

Sakura:  (nodding) Yes.

Meilin:  (jumping up and down) Can I show them?

Meilin ran behind a nearby building, ushering the group to follow her.

Terry:  When did you girls find this?

Tomoyo:  This morning.  And Meilin was the one who found it.

Sakura:  Uh huh.  She was on her morning run with Li-kun.

They finally reach the rear of the building.  Meilin was in the process of
picking up a broken up piece of wood when her right thumb was poked by a
splinter.

Meilin:  (jumping back) Ow!  That hurt!

Sakura:  Meilin-chan!  Are you okay?

Sakura and Tomoyo ran over to Meilin's side as she proceeded to stick her
thumb into her mouth, in hopes of making the pain go away.  Terry and Gary
quickly search through their pockets to finally something to cover up Meilin's
cut.  Gary was the first to locate something... a white handkerchief, which
he began to tie around Meilin's thumb.

Gary:  Hold on... there!  That should hold until you can get a bandage on it.

Meilin:  Wow!  Thank you!

Tomoyo:  Yeah!  That was great!

Sakura:  (sweatdrops) Tomoyo-chan... you're not taping this, are you?

Tomoyo:  (with two thumbs up) Mr. Oak looks so cute helping Meilin-chan!

Sakura:  Hoe!

Gary and Meilin's faces instantly went beet red.

Meilin:  I'm still engaged to Syaoran, you know!

Gary:  I was just being a gentleman, that's all.

Terry:  (laughs) I think you two make a perfect couple.

Gary:  Terry!  Not you too!

Terry:  (smiles) I'm just kidding you.

Terry is now standing by the broken wood pieces, as he squats down to pick
one of them up to examine.

Terry:  What would pieces of wood be doing behind a house?

Tomoyo:  Maybe someone was building, and they left the scraps behind.

Gary:  (pointing at something odd among the wood) Someone who obviously
doesn't know you're supposed to wear unloose clothing.

Terry picks up the object, which was a piece of pink fabric.

Tomoyo:  Look at that!  I could've used that for one of Sakura's battle
costumes.

Sakura:  Tomoyo-chan!

Meilin:  (in disbelief) No way!  You did it, Kinomoto?

Sakura:  (shaking her head) That's not from one of my outfits!

Terry:  It could be.

Sakura:  I'm telling you it's not!

Gary:  (looking back at the wood) Maybe we should figure out where this wood
came from first.

Meilin:  (excitedly) Oh, I know!  It's from that pompous wrestler, Hercule!

Gary:  Hercule?

Meilin:  Yep!  He and his daughter practice with them everyday!  Breaking
them apart with their hands and feet.  Like real martial artists!

Terry:  What a coincidence... we were going to talk with them next.

Gary:  Do you girls happen to know where Hercule might be right now?

Meilin:  They should be out by the cliffs, practicing as they do every day.

Sakura:  How do you know so much about them, Meilin-chan?

Meilin:  I've been watching them train the past few days.  Of course, their
style of martial arts isn't a match for the Li clan's techniques!

Terry:  (bowing before the girls) Thanks for all the help!

Gary:  (also bowing) We really appreciate it.

Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin bow them farewell.

Tomoyo:  Please find this terrible thief before he ruins the town forever!

Terry:  Don't worry!  We'll make sure of it!

Gary and Terry run off, leaving the three girls alone behind the house.

======

[Location: Underground Tunnel]

Kim and Penny are still walking along their chosen path as it begins to slope
up.  Suddenly, the path ends with a ladder leading upwards.

Kim:  End of the line, it seems.

Penny:  Well, we should be below one of the houses.  That is, if I recall the
locations of the buildings on the blueprints right.

Penny started climbing, with Kim right behind her.  Unfortunately, the ladder
shaft was not lighted, so the only light they were getting was from the path
below and the little amount that was emerging from the door above.

Penny:  (after a few seconds) I think I found the door.

Kim:  Well, open it!

Penny slowly pushes the door open, allowing light to enter the shaft.  She
climbed up into the room, which turned out to be somebody's kitchen.

Penny:  We're definitely in someone's house.

Kim:  (climbing out of the hole) The question is, who's house is it?

Suddenly, they hear a gasp from nearby.  The two of them look over towards
the entrance from the living room and find Lisa Simpson, Bart's sister,
standing there.

Lisa:  What did you do to our kitchen floor?

Penny:  Excuse me, but this hole was here when we found it.

Kim:  We're part of the detective crew that's been assigned to catch the
thief that's been plaguing the town.

Lisa:  I see.  But that doesn't explain the hole in the floor.

Kim:  There's a system of underground tunnels beneath the town.  And one of
them leads to this very house.

Lisa:  Okay...

Penny:  Who are you, anyway?

Lisa:  Lisa Simpson.

Kim:  Simpson?  As in related to Bart Simpson?

Lisa:  Bart's my older brother.  (looking apprehensive) Did Bart do something?

Kim:  That's what we're trying to figure out.

Penny:  Bart's one of our suspects.

Lisa:  But Bart had his disguise kit stolen from him!  How could he be the...
then again, Bart does like to pull pranks once in awhile.

Kim:  I think we're past the level of pranks.

Lisa:  That's right, that actress that was found yesterday...

Penny:  Sally was so innocent, yet that monster of an evildoer killed her!
She didn't deserve it!

Lisa:  Is there anything I can do to help?

Kim:  Well, if you can answer one question of ours.

Lisa:  Anything to help you two girls solve the case.

Kim:  Does anyone else know about this hole?

Lisa:  I don't think so.

Penny:  That settles that.  Let's go down one of the other tunnels and see
what we can find there.

Kim:  Thanks for the help, Lisa.

Lisa:  Anytime!  Say, if you two need a young sleuth to accompany you, you
know where to find me!

Penny and Kim climbed down the ladder, with Lisa closing the hatch after they
had left.

======

[Location: Somewhere west of Gullible Gulch]

In the bluffs west of town, close to where Kim, Terry, and Raye had confronted
Jack almost a week ago today, Terry had returned.  This time, Gary was with
him, and he was searching for Hercule and his daughter.

Terry:  (looking around) I wonder where he could be.

Gary:  What if they're not here?  What if they finished their training
already and went back home?

Hercule:  (not too far away) Oooooohhhh YEAH!  Feel the burn!

Terry:  Looks like they're still here.

Gary:  Well, we'd better get to them before they run off.

Terry and Gary continued on until they rounded a bend and spotted Hercule
and Videl in the middle of their training session.  Videl was beating the
stuffing out of a punching dummy, while Hercule was satisfied with seeing
how many pieces of wood he could break at once with his hand.

Hercule:  Here I go!  This is for all the marbles!

The pieces of wood, stacked twelve levels high, was propped up on two cinder
blocks.  The wood scraps easily gave way under Hercule's strong right hand,
which split all twelve slabs exactly in half.

Terry:  That's one strong guy.

Gary:  You're telling me.

Hercule:  Hey!  Behind the cliff!  What do you want?

Realizing that they've been spotted, Terry and Gary stepped out from their
hiding place.  Hercule and Videl recognized Terry instantly.

Hercule:  You're that kid from before.

Videl:  I've already told you... my dad couldn't have done it!

Terry:  If you didn't do it, then you won't mind us asking you two some
questions.

Gary:  That is... unless he really is guilty.

Hercule:  Fine!  Anything to get you guys off our backs!

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - First Floor Lobby
Time: 2:55 p.m.]

Roughly an hour after they had left, Terry and Gary return back to HQ, much
to Raye's surprise.

Raye:  You're back already?  That was quick.

Terry:  Let's say our 'suspects' just answered the questions.

Gary:  They were very cooperative.  A bit too so, if you ask me.

Raye:  Good thing you're back.  You've got to get ready for tonight!

Gary:  Why?

Raye ran over to the bar, where she picked up a advertisement flyer.  She
gave it to the boys to look over.

Raye:  It seems some of the local townspeople are sponsoring a Haunted House.

Gary:  But why would that interest us?

Raye:  Well, think about it.  With a small town like this, the people are so
close that they practically support each others' endeavors.  So wouldn't it
make sense that most of the town try to go the Haunted House?

Terry:  It would get all of our suspects in one place, like we had them at
the town meeting.

Gary:  It would also give the thief a great opportunity to strike again!

Raye:  Two problems.  One, since it's an investigation, it's part of the game,
and as team leader, I have to stay behind.

Terry:  And the other?

Raye:  To enter the Haunted House, it's 50 cents, plus, you have to wear a
Halloween costume.

Gary:  Hmmmm... I don't know about this.

Terry:  I don't like it.  But it is the best opportunity to see all the
suspects again and refine our theories.

Gary:  Just one question... where are we going to get costumes?

Raye:  There's the town's general store.  They're selling costumes.

Terry:  I guess all we can do now is wait for the girls to get back.  Then,
we can all go at once.

======

[Time: 3:20 p.m.]

It was half an hour later when Kim and Penny returned from their excursion.
After the girls told the rest of the group what they found out, Raye told them
about the haunted house.

Kim:  We're not going trick-or-treating, are we?  Aren't we a little old for
that?

Raye:  It's not trick-or-treating, Kim.  We're just going to a Haunted House.

Terry:  But to get inside, we have to be dressed in costume.

Penny:  How do you expect me to pick a costume in such a short amount of time?

Terry:  That's why we need to get over to the general store now.  We've got
less than four hours until the Haunted House opens.

Gary:  Yeah.  We need to get there early to scope out the place.

======

[Location: Gullible Gulch General Store]

The four detectives were among about ten or fifteen others in the process of
last-minute costume shopping.  Luckily, the store's staff was able to keep
most of the remaining costumes in good condition.

Penny:  There are so many choices!  I can't decide!

Kim:  (showing Penny a Supergirl costume) How about being Supergirl?

Penny:  I can't.  I was a superhero last year.  (points at a Batman costume)
A Batman costume!

Kim:  You want to be Batman?

Penny:  It's not that.  It's just... well, doesn't it feel like it would fit
on Terry?

Kim:  You know... that's not such a bad suggestion.  I could imagine Terry as
Batman.

The two girls start looking around for Terry, and find him... already at the
register, paying for a Goku (Dragonball Z) costume.

Kim:  (rolls her eyes) Oh boy... that is so lame.

Penny:  I don't see what guys like about that show.

Gary:  (off-screen) Hey Kimmy!  I've found the perfect costume for you!

Kim:  (turning to face Gary) Only my parents call me...

Kim gasped as Gary presented her with a witch's costume.

Gary:  (waving a wand at Kim) I'd say it fits you to a T!

Kim:  (snatching the wand from Gary) If you know what's good for you, you'll
put that back before I change you to a T!  A T as in toad!

Gary laughed as he ran off to return the costume.

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - First Floor Lobby
Time: 6:30 p.m.]

Raye is admiring her fellow detectives as they are in costume and ready to go.

Raye:  I only wish I had a camera to capture this moment on film.

Terry was dressed as Goku, Kim as Daphne (Scooby-Doo), Penny as a Japanese
school girl, and Gary as a cowboy.

Raye:  Have a good time, you guys!

======

[Location: Haunted House]

It only took a few minutes for the gang to get to the Haunted House.  Waiting
for them at the entrance were a hot dog, a calculator, and a space alien.

Space Alien:  (spewing slobber all over the place) Bleaaahhh!  I will eat
your brains!

The alien then spotted Penny among the group, and instantly panicked.

Space Alien:  (jumping back) Aaaahhhhh!  The brain sucker's back to get me!

He jumped right into the hands of the calculator, who instantly was straining
to remain standing on his two feet.

Hot Dog:  Ed!  You're supposed to scare the customers!  Not them scaring you!

Penny:  I can't believe you're still trippin' over that!

Gary:  (taking off his hat) What are you three up to?

Hot Dog:  What are you bothering us for?  We're running a legitimate business
here!

Calculator:  (in the background) Help Eddy... my arms are gonna fall off!

Finally, the calculator collapses, sending him and the space alien (Ed) to
the ground.

Eddy:  Why don't you just let the big guy go, for crying out loud?

Kim:  Penny, Gary... who are these guys?

Gary:  (points to the alien) That's Ed... (then to the calculator) Edd, with
two d's... (and finally, to the hot dog) and Eddy.

Penny:  Ed, the alien over there, was the guy that was on our suspect list
until this morning.

Terry:  Funny... he doesn't look that intelligent.

Ed:  (standing up) One plus one is three and three-quarters the slice of pie!

Edd:  (slowly getting to his feet) Ed!  You're confusing them!

Kim:  Look, we want to take a look inside.  Just to make sure the thief's not
hiding in your Haunted House.

Eddy:  Nobody's getting in unless you hand over 50 cents each!

Penny:  This is official detective business!  Don't you see that the lives
of you and all of your customers will be in danger unless we can get inside?

Eddy:  Like I care!  Pay up or you don't get in!

Gary:  Just pay the guy!  It's the only way we'll get in before everyone else
gets here.

As each of the detectives pulls out their entrance fees, nobody notices
someone on the Haunted House's roof.  Whomever it is, the person tosses a
bucket over the side and down towards the ground... towards Gary!

******

The bucket quickly streaks towards Gary's head.  Gary himself is standing
right in front Eddy as he pays him fifty cents.  Suddenly, one of the seven
on the ground senses the impending disaster, and leaps into action.

Terry:  Watch out!

Before either Gary or Eddy could react, Terry leaps and tackles them out of
the way.  Just in the nick of time too, as the bucket crashes into the ground
with a loud clang.

Terry:  Are you two okay?

Eddy:  What was that for?

Gary:  Yeah!  Care to explain?

Edd:  (picking the bucket up) It seems somebody dropped this bucket from the
roof.

Penny:  I can't believe someone would do that!  Right Kim?

Penny looks back to Kim for a response, but she's no longer standing there.
In fact, the air is filled with the brief sound of the Haunted House's front
door being slammed open.

Ed:  (pointing at the door) Eddy!  She snuck in!

Eddy:  (getting up) That weasel!

Inside the building, Kim searched around for the stairs leading to the roof.
Pulling aside a set of curtains, she finds them just as Edd and Penny get in.

Penny:  Kim!

Kim immediately ran up the stairs, heading for the roof.  Ignoring the calls
to stop from her teammates below and the pain from her feet because she was
running in high heels, she bolts all the way to the top and pushes open the
exit door to the roof.

But upon emerging from the building, Kim finds it deserted.  She quickly
glanced around for another staircase, but found none.  She also ran to the
edges of the roof to check for fire escapes, but there were none of those
either.

Kim finally went to one corner of the roof and looked around, hoping to spot
someone running away from the scene.  Though highly unlikely, it was the only
way for the thief to get away without her directly running into the person
coming up the stairs.  But like the other searches, this one came up fruitless.

Terry:  (emerging from the stairs) Kim!

Eddy:  (right behind him) Hey!  Pay up my money!

As Penny, Gary, Ed, and Edd brought up the rear, Kim took off her shoes and
began to fan her aching feet.

Kim:  The guy got away.  Somehow he got out without being seen.

Terry:  How can that be?  You sure the guy didn't jump off the roof?

Kim:  That's a two-story drop, with no fire escape.  The guy, if he's lucky,
is limping around town somewhere.  If he jumped, that is.

Edd:  The person would have to be out of his mind to attempt such a high-risk
manuever!

Gary:  He might be hiding in the building somewhere!

Kim:  I doubt it.  I don't remember hearing the roof door open or close
before I got to it.

Penny:  This is whack!  What did the guy do... disappear into thin air?

Eddy:  Who cares?  That guy owes me 50 cents for getting into the Haunted
House!  (looks angrily at Kim) And so do you!

Kim sighs as she hands Eddy two quarters.  She then resumes trying to reduce
the swelling on her feet.

======

[Time: 7:00 p.m.]

After Sheriff Lightyear had come by to help the detectives search the
building for any clues, the Haunted House was allowed to open on time.  But
Buzz, dressed in his Star Command spacesuit, and the four detectives stood
guard as the evening festivities got underway.

Kim:  (now walking in her heels again) I so should have seen that coming.

Gary:  I knew this was a bad idea!  (to Terry) Thanks for saving my life
back there.

Terry:  It's nothing.  You would've done the same for me.

Buzz:  At least you're all safe and uninjured.  That's the important thing.

Penny:  Are you sure it's okay to let the festivities continue despite what
happened?

Buzz:  Of course.  We're not going to let one person ruin the spirit of
Halloween for the whole town.

The line was already beginning to form for the Haunted House, with many of
the townspeople dressed up and ready to enjoy themselves.  Among them were
several of the still 'not cleared innocent' suspects.

The suspects that showed up: Bart dressed up as Count Dracula's son (Homer,
naturally, as Dracula himself), Kizuna as a feline version of Ash Ketchum,
Mario as Luigi (and Luigi as Mario), Sakura as a princess, and Velma as a
female Sherlock Holmes.  Spike was also there, but not in costume, as he was
out and about on patrol.

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - First Floor Lobby
Time: 9:45 p.m.]

With the fun and excitement of Halloween pretty much gone, Terry, Kim, Gary,
and Penny return to headquarters.  As they enter, Raye appears from the
stairway.

Raye:  You guys look dead tired.  You must have had a lot of fun.

Penny:  (almost ghastly-like) Do you have to say dead?

Gary:  I almost lost my head tonight!

Raye:  (gasps) You serious?

Kim:  Way serious, Raye.  The thief snuck into the Haunted House, got onto
the roof, and tried to drop a bucket on Gary's house.

Terry:  I managed to tackle Gary and Eddy out of harm's way.

Raye:  Eddy?

Kim:  Yeah... the Eds were running it.

Raye:  Are they the ones behind it?

Terry:  Unless they're working with someone else, no.  All three of them were
with us when the bucket was tossed from the roof.

Penny:  This guy's playing hardball!  That samurai trying to take out me and
Kim last week was bad enough.  But now the actual thief is trying to get rid
of us himself!

Raye:  There's gotta be someway to figure out this guy's true identity!

Gary:  (clenches his fist) We'd better!  Because when we find out who he is,
I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - Terry's Room
Time: 11:03 p.m.]

Everyone is in their rooms, either preparing to go to sleep or writing in
their journals.  But two of the detectives, Terry and Raye, have decided that
talking things out was the best strategy.

Terry:  It's either gotta be someone who's invisible or has the power to jump
off of buildings without getting hurt.

Raye:  Or teleport.  Though I don't think anyone can do that.

Terry:  Unless Kim's lying.  She said she never saw or heard the thief moving
once she got inside.  I was the first one to the roof after her, and she was
up there alone for a good 15, maybe 20 seconds.

Raye:  Do you think she actually saw the thief's face?

Terry:  It's a possibility.  It doesn't help that she knows about the
alliance.

Raye:  She knows?  Since when?  Who told her?

Terry:  She hasn't come out directly and said there is an alliance against
her.  But I'm sure she's aware of it.

Raye:  How did that happen?

Terry:  (scratching the back of his head) Well... we were talking this
morning, and before I knew it, she formed an alliance with me.

Raye:  What?  How can she just do that?  You had to agree with her for it to
officially be an alliance.  Did you agree?

Terry:  I'm not really sure.  We were just talking about what the fastest way
to catch the thief was, and then she suddenly suggested a partnership.

Raye:  And you agreed to it?

Terry:  Well...

Raye:  You did, didn't you?  After you committed yourself to helping Penny!
After you committed to helping Gary!  And especially after you said you'd
help me!  We've been working together since the beginning of the game!  How
could you even think of allying with Kim without talking about it with me?

Terry:  She left me with no choice!

Raye:  Well, guess what?  I'm leaving you with no choice!  As in, see ya, I'm
out of the alliance!  Good luck catching the thief without my help!

Raye stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Raye:  (CC) Since Day One.  That's how long Terry and I have been working
together.  Nine days without any problems, and then on Day Ten, he coverts
with Kim!  All of that trust of him I had... it's all gone!

Terry:  (CC) It was a lose-lose situation for me.  Either lie to Raye; say
that Kim wanted to ally with me, or tell her the truth; that I was the one
who suggested the alliance.  It wasn't intentional, but... this is really
going to be bad for me.  I don't think I have much of a chance surviving the
next quiz.

======

[Location: Team Headquarters - First Floor Lobby
Date: Friday, November 1st, 2002
Time: 9:30 a.m.]

Kim was keeping to herself as she sat alone at the bar, going over her notes.

Kim:  (CC) Yesterday, I formed an alliance with Terry.  Actually, I should
call it a partnership.  We haven't shared notes yet, and I'm betting that's
because Terry doesn't want anyone to find out about us working together.

Gary and Penny are over by the suspect board, talking about their findings.

Gary:  So, you've narrowed it down to three?

Penny:  It's gotta be one of these three.  After last night, I'm now more
certain than ever!

Gary:  Are you sure?

Penny:  Look... if you don't like my choices, feel free to suggest some of
your own.  Which, by the way, you haven't done yet.

Gary:  I would, but you already know who I'd suggest.

Penny:  When are you going to get it through your thick skull that it can't
be Kizuna!  Never in a million years!

Gary:  She has the motive for it!  Plus, we've virtually ignored her this
whole time.  She's made small mistakes as of late to reveal herself.

Penny:  You seem so sure about this.

Gary:  I've never been so sure in my life!  I've finally solved this mystery!

Penny:  Don't get too excited.  You're not out of the woods yet.

Gary:  And you think you'll do better on the next quiz than me?

Penny:  I have to.  I bet Kim's figured out the thief's identity herself.
That means that it's going to be hard for all four of us to survive the next
quiz.  One of is going to have to go home.

======

[Time: 10:00 a.m.]

With all five detectives now downstairs, things seemed uneasy between Terry,
Raye, and Kim as Chris entered the building to give the team their morning
briefing.  Penny and Gary stayed where they were as the rest of their fellow
sleuths joined them.

Chris:  Good morning, detectives.  I heard that your Halloween Night was
filled with excitement.

Gary:  If you call nearly getting killed exciting...

Chris:  Anyway, I think I should let you know right now that there will be
a quiz tonight, and only four of you will be left after that.

The five of them glanced at each other, all with looks of 'I'm not going home
yet' on their faces.

Chris:  To prepare you for the quiz, you're going to get a chance to help
you pinpoint your main suspect or suspects.  For that, I have a special
guest to help us out.

Former suspect and town sheriff Buzz Lightyear enters the room.

Buzz:  Morning, detectives!  I trust that you're all rested and ready.

Penny:  I never thought we'd see you again so soon.

Chris:  Well Penny, him being here today is a good thing.

Buzz:  That's right.  Kim and Penny, you remember yesterday that the mayor
and I showed you blueprints of the town's structure.

Terry and Gary looked at the two girls.

Terry:  How come neither of you told us about that?

Gary:  Yeah!  You two shouldn't be leaving the rest of us out of the loop!

Raye:  They told me.

Penny:  Yeah, we told Raye!

Kim:  So technically, we didn't withhold that from you.  You just didn't ask
us for it.

Buzz:  (coughs) Ahem.  As I was saying, the two of you got a good look at
the prints.  But we didn't know who lived in which building.  Luckily, I
found the most recent census results on file in the city records.

The group followed Buzz over to the bar, who laid out the current blueprint
of the town and a single piece of paper with the town listings.

Buzz:  All 20 suspects, including myself, are highlighted in yellow.  Of
course, I haven't had time to cross off who you've eliminated as perpetrators.

Chris:  Today, Buzz will be going out with you.  Your job will be to pick
three buildings to search.

Buzz:  (holding up three pieces of paper) I have a search warrant that needs
to be filled out for each building you plan to enter and search.

Chris:  The whole team, minus Raye, will be together and will search the
three buildings.  You may decide as a team where you'll be going, but Raye,
as team leader, you have the final say in things.

Buzz:  I'm hoping you five won't need more than ten minutes to decide.

Buzz and Chris step aside as the five detectives go to work.

Raye:  Okay, is there anyone's house we definitely want to check out?

Kim:  What about Naru?  She's been trying to avoid questioning recently.

Terry:  You think she might have something to hide?

Kim:  Definitely.

Raye:  Okay, Naru's one.  Who else?

Gary:  What about Mario?

Penny:  Mario?

Gary:  The plumber!  We don't know for sure if he's innocent or not.

Penny:  Isn't everyone innocent until proven guilty?

Terry:  Yeah.  Still, I think we should go.  If he's got nothing, we can just
strike him from our list.  It's not like we seriously considered him as the
bad guy.

Raye:  Alright, that's two.

Kim:  Wait... I think we definitely need to check the trailer park.

Terry:  That's right.  It seems everything's revolving around that place.

Penny:  But whose trailer should we check?  (looking at Gary) And don't say
Kizuna... Kim and I have already been in her trailer.

Gary:  (smirking) Actually... I was thinking of searching Ryoko's.

Terry:  That would make sense.  After what she tried to do to Kizuna.

Kim:  But there is the chance that Kizuna could be fooling us.

Penny:  Kim, not you too!  You agree with Gary?

Kim:  I don't know about Gary, but as far as I know, I haven't removed Kizuna
from my suspect list yet.

Terry:  The theory's there, but I think Ryoko's the more likely suspect.

Penny:  I'm with Terry.

Raye:  We've got a split.  It's up to me, huh?

The foursome looked at Raye as she tried to decide whose trailer to check.

======

[Location: Naru's Apartment (aka 'Building 29')
Time: 10:22 a.m.]

Terry, Kim, Gary, and Penny were waiting outside Naru's apartment.  Naru was
at work, so Buzz had to go to the bank to give her the search warrant and
bring her back.

Penny:  Here they come!

Buzz and Naru were walking towards the group.  Naru had her key in hand as
she headed for the door.

Naru:  Why do you want to search my place?  I wouldn't even think of robbing
the same place that I work at!

Kim:  But some people would.  It's a perfectly good motive that needs to be
checked.

Naru:  Okay... but I'm telling you, I'm not the thief!

Naru unlocked the door and led the group of five into the 'basement.'

Buzz:  Two of you stay down here and search.  The other two will come with me
and Miss Narusegawa.

Kim:  I'll elect to stay here.

Gary:  Me too!

Kim:  You?

Gary:  I can't let you beat me to a big clue if there's one down here!

Terry:  Okay.  Penny and I will go upstairs.  Just don't tear each other apart,
okay?

Buzz, Naru, Terry, and Penny headed upstairs to the main apartment, which Naru
quickly unlocked.

Buzz:  I'd advise you to stay back, Miss Narusegawa.  Let the detectives
handle it from here.

Naru stayed with Buzz by the front door as Terry and Penny split up and started
to search the premises.

Naru:  Just promise not to tear the place upside down!  (her face goes red
as she looks at Terry) Or go through my unmentionables!

Terry:  I'll try to remember that.

======

Kim and Gary were on opposite sides of the basement, opening boxes, trunks,
and whatever else was lying around.

Kim:  I should be close to where Penny and I came out of the underground
tunnel yesterday.  So that entrance should be about... here!

She indeed had found the small set of boxes that had been moved aside to
allow access to the tunnel.

Kim:  (pushing boxes over it) Maybe I'd better hide this so that Gary doesn't
find it.

Gary:  (on the other side of the room) There's gotta be something here.  My
survival depends on it!  As much as I hate to admit it...

======

Back upstairs, Penny thinks she's found a valuable clue.

Penny:  (holding up a piece of paper) Aha!  Caught you red-handed!

Naru:  What are you talking about?

Penny:  (reading from it) Left 29, Right 4, Left 32.  This is the combination
to the bank safe, isn't it?

Naru:  Of course!  I kept a copy of it with me the first few days I was here.
Mr. Uraki wanted me to able to open the safe if he wasn't available to do it
himself.

Penny:  So, with the combination, you could easily get into the safe without
any problem!  That would make you the thief!

Naru:  That doesn't make me the thief!  I had to open the safe for the thief
to get the money!  Otherwise, he would have hurt Mr. Uraki.

Penny:  Okay... so maybe you didn't do it yourself.  But you could have hired
someone to do it!

Naru:  What do you take me for?  An idiot!

Buzz:  Now now, calm down!

Terry:  (walking into the room) I think you should, Naru.  Because I found
something else.

Terry pulled out a tape recorder, from which Naru gasped in shock at seeing.

******

Naru:  Hey, that's mine!  Give that back!

Terry:  Why?  It is evidence.  The tape in here proves it.

Buzz:  (looking at Naru) What's on the tape, Narusegawa?

Naru:  You have no right to know!

Penny:  This is a police investigation!  This guy's already killed one person
and almost killed another last night!  We have to know what's on that tape!

Buzz:  Unless... you are the thief.

Naru looked around at the threesome and realized that she was trapped.  She
sighed and walked to the dining room.

Naru:  I was hoping it wouldn't come to this.

Naru sat down at the table, with Buzz, Penny, and Terry each taking places
there as well.

Naru:  (as Terry put the recorder on the table) I didn't want anyone to find
out about this.  But I guess I have no choice now.

She reached over and pushed play on the recorder.  Instantly, a medium-range
voice, partially distorted, can be heard.

Voice:  I've got it all planned out... steal... no one will suspect me.

Penny:  Why's the tape like that?

Naru:  (stopping the tape) I was hiding behind the door.  It was only open
a crack because I didn't want whomever it was to catch me.

Buzz:  Care to explain in more detail?

Naru:  Yes... of course.

======

[Date: Sunday, October 20th, 2002
Time: 7:17 a.m.]

Naru:  (VO) It was the morning of the bank robbery.  I had just finished my
breakfast and was about to head out the door to go to work.

Naru is seen walking around her apartment, placing her dirty cereal bowl in
the sink, then picking up her purse from the counter.

Naru:  (VO) As I reached for the door, I started to hear noises from the
basement.

Said noices fill the air as Naru froze in place, not wanting to take another
step.  She then slowly creaks the door open.

Naru:  (VO) That's when I started hearing a voice.

Naru glances around for a weapon to defend herself with, and remembers that
she has a broom hanging next to the refridgerator.  Seconds later, she has
it in hand as she heads back for the door.

Naru:  (VO) I wanted to defend myself and get the intruder out, but I had two
problems.  One, by opening the door, light would filter into the basement,
and he would know that someone was coming down.

Just as she's about to step through the doorway, she heards a strange click.

Naru:  (VO) And two, I heard a strange click.  It was some kind of pistol.
I was sure of it.

Naru closes the door until there's only a crack to peep through.  Naru tosses
the broom aside and goes to her bedroom.  She returns seconds later with her
tape recorder.

Naru:  (VO) That's when I got my tape recorder and tried to catch some of
thief's plan on tape.  Unfortunately, I had to do it from behind the door.
So I wasn't sure how good the tape quality would be.

======

[Date: Friday, November 1st, 2002]

Naru:  The thief left about a minute after I started taping.  Half an hour
later, the same pistol I heard the thief click was pointed at my head when
he entered the bank.

Penny:  That's awful!

Terry:  You're lucky he didn't catch you before or he might have shot you.

Buzz:  Did you recognize the voice in any way?

Naru:  I know for sure it's nobody I know.

Penny:  So, now what?

Terry:  We'd better let Gary and Kim listen to this too.

======

A few minutes later, after Gary and Kim had heard the tape themselves.

Gary:  How did he get in if the front door's locked?

Naru:  (shrugs her shoulders) I don't know!  I was on my way out, and the guy
was down there.

Kim:  Hmmmm... that's very peculiar...

Penny:  He might have gotten in from the underground tunnel.

Terry:  The tunnel?

Penny:  Yeah.  One of the branches leads to a door in the basement.

Naru:  What?  Since when?

Penny:  Here.  I'll show you.

======

The six of them were now in the basement, searching for the tunnel entrance.

Penny:  (walking over towards a corner) I could swear it was over here.  But
the entrance has been covered up.

Naru:  Don't look at me!  I didn't even know there was an entrance down here!

Terry:  (to Kim and Gary) Did either of you see the entrance?

Gary:  Nope.

Kim:  Well, Penny and I were here yesterday.  It should be in the corner.
(points to where she remembers it to be) Right about there.

Terry:  (to Gary) Let's move these boxes out of the way.

Buzz:  (stepping forward) Allow me to assist you.

The three men cleared the area of boxes, and the door to the tunnel was
revealed.  Naru squatted down to open it.

Naru:  You mean there's actually a tunnel that leads into my house?  How come
I wasn't told about this when I moved in?

Buzz:  Deputy Spiegel is responsible for checking vacant properties before
they are sold.  He should have told you.

Terry:  Well, another branch's exit discovered.  That should be all of the ones
on the blueprints.

Penny:  So now what?

Buzz:  We move on.  (to Naru) Miss Narusegawa, I'll have to take your tape
as evidence in the case.  I also ask that you drop by my office later on for
some formal questioning.

Naru:  Why?  I've told you everything I know!

Buzz:  Maybe so, but you disappeared the day of Sally Acorn's passing.  We
have questions to ask you about that.

The five left, leaving Naru alone to ponder what to do next.

======

[Location: Mario Brothers Plumbing Service (aka 'Building 50')]

The group's next stop was Mario's house.  Mario and Luigi were both in today,
as they were surprised when the sheriff and four detectives stepped in.

Mario:  Ah, Sheriff-a Lightyear!  What brings you-a here?  Clogged drain-a?

Buzz:  No, Mario.  Actually, I'm here on a search warrant.  The detectives
would like to search your house for clues that may lead them to the capturing
our so-called town robber.

Luigi:  Mama mia!  They're still accusing-a you, Mario.

Mario:  Then I should-a clear my name-a!  (to the group) Follow-a me!

Mario led the group upstairs to the brothers' living quarters.

======

Kim, Gary, Penny, and Terry went up and down Mario's pad, searching for clues
that might help them solve their mystery.  But after awhile, they had found
nothing.

Gary:  Empty.

Penny:  Nada.

Terry:  Nothing on my end either.

Kim:  Zero.  Looks like he's clean.

Mario:  That's-a what I've been-a trying to tell you-a!

Buzz:  Let's move on!  (to Mario) We apologize for the inconvenience.

======

[Location: 'The Princess and the Pirate' Movie Set]

On to the third site they go, as the group arrives just in time to see the
cast and crew wrap up production in time for their lunch break.

Judy:  Remember everyone!  We start filming the first part of the final battle
at one o'clock!

Ryoko:  (rubbing her stomach) About time to get me some grub!

Buzz:  Miss Ryoko?

Ryoko:  What do you want?

Buzz:  Sheriff Lightyear of Gullible Gulch.  I have a search warrant that
allows the detectives to search your trailer.

Ryoko:  What for?

Kizuna:  (coming up to the group) I say it's about time!  No one here wants
to see this project fail more than her!

Ryoko:  Stay out of this, Kizuna!  Or I'll really give you something to yell
about!

Buzz:  Ryoko?  We're waiting.

Ryoko:  (crossing her arms over her chest) Okay, fine.  But make it quick...
I'm starving!

======

The mess that was in Ryoko's trailer didn't make it easy for the detectives
to conduct their search.  Still, they pressed on, hoping to find something
important that might help them.

Kim:  (holding up a sticky, empty hair gel bottle) Eeewww... gross!

As Kim tosses the bottle aside, Terry finds a set of drawings under some
makeup products.  The drawings are rather crude and not the best he's ever
seen, but they said enough for him to be suspicious.

Terry:  (taps Penny on the shoulder) Penny, look at these.

Penny took one of the drawings from Terry and looked at it.  This particular
one had Ryoko firing ki blasts at Kizuna.

Penny:  (standing up and heading for the door) What's this?

Ryoko sees the drawing and angrily snatches it from Penny.

Ryoko:  Those are my personal doodles!  Who told you that you could touch
those?

Gary:  What's going on?

Kim:  Yeah?

Penny:  Terry found some very interesting drawings.  That one has Ryoko
firing at Kizuna... like what happened on set the other day!

Ryoko:  You've never heard of someone taking their anger out by drawing it
away?  I was mad at Kizuna for letting fame get to her head!

Penny:  You're just lucky Kizuna already left for lunch!  She wouldn't be
happy if she found out about these!

Terry:  (stepping forward) Um... not all of them are about Kizuna.

Terry shows the group a picture of Ryoko hugging Tenchi.

Terry:  In fact, most of the pictures are of these two.  Not Ryoko and Kizuna.

Ryoko's face goes red as she snatches the stack from Terry.

Ryoko:  How dare you look at my pictures of me and Tenchi?  (flipping through
them) Good... you didn't rip any of them.

Kim:  Well, we got a hypothetical lead out of those drawings.

Terry:  But it's nothing new.  Ryoko and Kizuna haven't really liked each
other since we first met them.

Buzz:  I guess that's it then.  We're done.

Taking note of what they discovered in their searches, the four detectives
headed back to headquarters.  Buzz followed them off the site, as Ryoko went
back into the trailer to return it to its original, messy state.

======

[Location: Buffalo Buffet Restaurant
Time: 12:30 p.m.]

The five detectives are enjoying lunch together as they talk about the case.

Raye:  You know, since it's just the five of us here, why don't we talk about
suspects.  What are everyone's top three suspects?

Terry:  Why?

Kim:  Yeah, why?  You pretty much know anyway.

Raye:  I'm just curious.  You don't have to say why unless you want to.  Here,
I'll start... I have Ken, Botan, and Sakura.  In no particular order, that is.

Kim:  Okay... as long as everyone's telling the truth.

Raye:  I am!  Those are my three top suspects right now.

Kim:  Okay then.  I have Ryoko, Ken, and Hercule.

Penny:  Me?  Already?  Okay... Botan, Ryoko, and Spike.

Terry:  I've got Ken, Ryoko, and Naru.

Gary:  Kizuna, Ken, and Ryoko.

Kim:  Wow... we're spread all over the place.

Raye:  That explains why all of the alliances aren't working.

Kim:  Alliances?

Raye:  Yeah, Kim.  You see, Terry and I have been working together since the
beginning.

Gary:  Raye... what are you doing?

Raye:  Penny and Gary joined in right before Mokuba left a few days ago.

Penny:  Raye... ix-nay on the lan-pay!

Raye:  We were hoping to get rid of you and Eliza, and then leave it between
the four of us to decide who'd win.

Kim:  But you haven't succeeded in getting rid of me yet, Raye.

Raye:  And I doubt we'll be able to.  Our alliance hasn't been working out
as I envisioned it.

Kim:  And so, to save yourself, you're calling it off and saying that it's
every detective for themselves?

Raye:  Exactly.

Terry didn't react at all.  Penny seemed a bit stunned, but Gary was completely
shocked.

Gary:  Just like that?  It's over?

Kim:  I think it's a good thing.  This way, we can truly figure out who's the
best detective here.

Terry:  (sighs) It was going to come to this, wasn't it?

Raye:  What else could we do?  The four of us are supposed to be working
together, but we've shared very little among the entire group.  Among two
people maybe... three sometimes... but four very rarely.

Penny:  Oh well.  I'd better hope that I'm on the right track.

Gary:  (smiles) I know I am now.  I know exactly who to go after!

Kim:  It's settled then.  From here on out, we're no longer one team, but
five separate individuals.

Raye:  And may the best detective win!

The five raised their glasses into the air and toasted, signifying the end
of all alliances.

Penny:  (CC) It sucks that the alliance is no longer together.  Then again,
it wasn't helping me by being in it, other than keeping me in the game.

Terry:  (CC) I'm surprised Raye came out and ended it all right there and
then.  Maybe she's still mad at me, but it didn't seem like it.

Raye:  (CC) Although I did this partly because Terry betrayed us by sharing
notes with Kim, it's probably best this way.  None of us are working really
well together, so it's better if we all just follow our instincts from here
on out.

======

[Location: Team Headquarters
Time: 2:00 p.m.]

Scattered all of headquarters are the five detectives, who are preparing for
tonight's quiz.

A look-in on Penny, who is in her own room.

Penny:  (CC) Right now, it's a toss-up between going all for Botan or all for
Ryoko.  Spike's my wild card, only because he's been acting suspicious, yet
nothing in relation directly to the mystery.

Penny continues to write in her notebook.  She then comes up with a scientific
way to decide who to vote for.

She rips two small pieces from a page and writes Botan on one and Ryoko on
the other.  She then balls each of them up and shoots, one at a time, into
a wastebasket by the door.

Penny:  Closest one to the basket is the one I'm voting for!

She throws the first one, which lands inside the basket.  The other... also
lands in the basket.

Penny:  That doesn't help at all!

Meanwhile, Terry is employing a completely different strategy.  It helps that
he's already chosen one suspect to go after.

Terry:  (thinking out loud) She's been the most suspicious out of everyone
we've encountered, especially recently.  I've got no choice but to answer
every question for her.

======

Later on, Penny, Gary, Terry, and Kim are seen packing their belongings.  Raye
continues to study her notes, although she won't have to take tonight's quiz.

======

[Location: Gullible Gulch City Hall - Lobby
Time: 8:00 p.m.]

The five detectives entered, as Chris was waiting for them in the lobby.

Chris:  Good evening!  Tonight, one of you will go home, leaving us with the
Final Four.  In case you have forgotten, you are competing for a grand prize
of 500,000 dollars or the equivalent amount of yen.  The question is... how
bad do you want it?

Chris then glances over at Raye, the only person without any bags.

Chris:  Raye, you are the only one who is safe tonight.  So you will be
joining me while the others will take tonight's quiz.

Raye walks off with Chris, while the others head off to their testing rooms.

======

[Location: Gullible Gulch City Hall - Assorted Offices on 1st & 2nd Floors]

Chris:  (VO) It's time for the game's sixth quiz.  Each detective must answer
ten questions that deal with the case.  The questions may be about their
fellow detectives, or about who the thief really is.  Gary, Kim, Penny, and
Terry all hope to get high enough scores to move on.  But someone's score will
not be high enough... and they will be going home tonight.

(Author's Note: FL players know what to do here!)

Raye waits patiently in a side room, with no one other than the cameraman
accompanying her.

Raye:  Although the alliance is no longer together, I'm still hoping Kim is
the one sent home tonight.  She's still a major threat, and I'd rather not
have her around.

Chris:  (VO) Question One: In what year was the town of Gullible Gulch
founded?

(Choices:
1 - 1920
2 - 1930
3 - 1940
4 - 1950
5 - 1960)

Penny quickly clicks on one of the answers, happy to start with an easy one.

Chris:  (VO) Question Two: The thief currently resides in what building
number?

(Choices:
1 - 8
2 - 29
3 - 42
4 - 50
5 - In a building whose number isn't listed above
6 - Doesn't reside within the town)

Gary:  (CC) I'm still very suspicious of Kizuna's actions.  No matter what
Penny says about her, I can't help but keep focusing on that catgirl!

Chris:  (VO) Question Three: Which of the 'Cardcaptor Sakura' cast members
found the broken pieces of wood?

(Choices:
1 - Sakura
2 - Tomoyo
3 - Syaoran
4 - Meilin)

Kim has to think about this one for awhile, as someone neglected to tell
her about this incident.

Chris:  (VO) Question Four: Has any of the detectives, before the last quiz,
been inside the thief's house, apartment, or trailer?

(Choices:
1 - Yes
2 - No)

Terry:  (CC) Those drawings of Ryoko's continue to fuel my theory that she
really wants out of that film.

Chris:  (VO) Question Five: Which detective's first name is actually
shortened from his or her full name?

(Choices:
1 - Gary
2 - Kim
3 - Penny
4 - Raye
5 - Terry)

Penny:  (CC) I remember Gary telling me he had another name before.  Maybe
it's him.

Chris:  (VO) Question Six: What did the thief dress up as when they arrived
at the Haunted House?

(Choices:
1 - A princess
2 - Ash Ketchum
3 - Count Dracula's son
4 - Luigi
5 - Sherlock Holmes
6 - Did not dress up for Halloween
7 - Did not show up)

Gary tries to think back to last night.  He then decides on an answer.

Chris:  (VO) Question Seven: Did any of the detectives go to or think about
going to the thief's house/trailer?

(Choices:
1 - Yes
2 - No)

Kim:  (CC) I have no doubt that she is the one.

Chris:  (VO) Question Eight: In what decade did the thief's animated series
first premiere in its native country?

(Choices:
1 - 1970s
2 - 1980s
3 - 1990s
4 - 2000s
5 - The thief has not had an animated series air in his/her native country)

Terry scratches his head, not knowing how to answer this one at all.

Chris:  (VO) Question Nine: How many letters are in the first name of the
thief?

(Choices:
1 - 2
2 - 3
3 - 4
4 - 5
5 - 6
6 - 7)

Raye is still waiting, tapping her foot impatiently as the others seem to
be taking their sweet time.

Chris:  (VO) Question Ten: Who is the thief?

(Choices:
1 - Bart
2 - Botan
3 - Hercule
4 - Ken
5 - Kizuna
6 - Kou
7 - Mario
8 - Naru
9 - Ryoko
10 - Sakura
11 - Spike
12 - Velma)

======

[Location: Gullible Gulch - Meeting Hall
Time: 8:32 p.m.]

Chris enters the Meeting Hall, as the five detectives, including Raye, are
waiting for them.

Chris:  Because we're a little late tonight, I won't beat around the bush
much.  Could I have everyone but Raye come up to the stage?

Gary, Kim, Penny, and Terry all come to the stage.

Chris:  Originally, I was going to call only three of you up here.  But because
the scores were so close, I decided that all four of you must be up on stage.
It also benefits me, because I won't have to reveal the next team leader
prematurely.

Chris opens the envelope and pulls out the index card.

Chris:  Before I reveal whose name is on this card, would anyone like to
say any last words?

Kim:  Let's just get it over with.  I think we're all nervous and just want to
get it done and move on.

Chris:  Very well... the sixth detective to leave the game of "Mystery
Solvers" is...

Chris reveals the name on the card.

Chris:  Gary Oak.

Gary goes over to Terry and shares a hearty handshake.  Raye runs up on the
stage to give Gary a hug.  Penny is next, as she also wraps her arms around
Gary hugs him.  Last of all is Kim, who hesitates, preferring to let Gary
decide.

After a few seconds, Gary does lean over to hug Kim, which she happily accepts.
Gary then steps off stage, gets his bags, and starts to head out with Chris.

Gary:  Hey, Kim!

Kim:  Yes?

Gary:  Looks like you outsmarted me.  I guess you're the best detective here.

Kim:  The game's not over yet... but thanks!

Gary then turns around and exits, leaving the four detectives to mull over his
departure.

Terry:  Gary hasn't always been friendly, but he was more bearable than Wufei
ever was.  I'm going to miss him especially, because with him gone, I'm the
only guy left.

Raye:  We all did want to see Gary go, but at the same time, we also wish he
could have stayed.  He's very determined, very focused.  He'll go far in life.

Penny:  Gary tended to give me the short end of the stick everytime we were
paired together.  But I know he was doing it because he wanted to win the game.
The talks we had together the last few days showed me that on the inside, he's
as nice as anyone else still here.

Kim:  It's hard seeing Gary go.  He was great competition, even though we
never saw eye to eye.  The worst part about it is that I thought he was too
focused on trying to get me to fail, when in fact he should have been focused
on trying to win the game for himself.

======

Outside City Hall, Gary has already piled his stuff into the back of the cab's
trunk.

Chris:  How do you feel about being sent home?

Gary:  It's the worst feeling in the world.  It's like losing at the Indigo
tournament in the fourth round a few years ago.  I wanted to go all the way,
but because I saw too far ahead, I didn't focus on the present.  And it cost
me.

Chris:  Who do you think you got along with the most?

Gary:  Terry, of course.  The guys have to stick with the guys.  It's fun to
have girls around too, but you tend to be more comfortable when you've got
friends of the same sex to talk to.

Chris:  Who's going to win?

Gary:  Kim, no doubt.  We had our differences, but she's a competitor.
Unraveling the alliance between the four of us was the final key.  There's no
one left to stop her from going all the way.

Chris opened the rear door of the cab, and Gary got in.

Gary:  (villain-like) I'll be back!  (laughs, then talks in his normal tone)
And as for that thief, you're going down!

Chris:  He sure is, Gary.

The door to the cab closed.  The taxi then headed out of town, towards the
nearest airport.

******

4 detectives and 12 suspects remain...

Gary Oak has always strived to be the best.  Especially from his hometown of
Pallet.  He came to Gullible Gulch looking to improve himself physically and
mentally for the next Pokémon League tournament.  But thinking about the
future instead of the present usually dooms you, and indeed Gary was a victim.

******

On the next episode of "Mystery Solvers":
- The heat's on the thief as the detectives draw ever closer.
- Somebody's corruptness shows, throwing everyone for a loop.
- And the Final Four becomes the Final Three after the next heartbreaker.

Episode 7 will be released on or about Thursday, March 27th.