Croonford Detective
Case 15: Gone West
Author's
note: I do realise I previously made Michelle fourteen years old in my
last story, the maximum age for Year 9 in the British Education system, Key Stage 3. Nevertheless, it
is the maximum age or oldest year for a Year 9 student. I haven't yet stated
the exact birthdays of the detectives but for a spoiler, Jennifer is the
youngest. Also, this all shows the girls and boys grow up, unlike in the Famous
Five and other teenaged detective series.
Author's
further note: This story is entirely fictional. No offence to the UK
Ministry of Defence (MOD) or Royal Air Force (RAF).
Please
comment on the story here.
"Any
nightmares?" Lin Ling asked Michelle as they boarded the school bus.
"All with
gagged sounds. No, I've, we've, experienced too much to recount them in
nightmares." Chelle laughed but explained her younger sister Kate kept
recalling being taped up and gagged and Chelle had to comfort her several
nights. All the girls including Chelle's cousin Stacey gave their statements
against the bank guard turned intruder, however his legal defence was really
strong. She shook her head to forget what happened, couldn't then turn to Lin
who was engrossed in a science fiction novel, and she recognised it as Michael
Crichton's The Lost World.
"Hey,
you've to design a new gadget that helps me, no us, to get our wrists removed
from any bindings, especially cable ties."
Lin lowered her
book. "Of course. It won't happen immediately and we have to test it out,
with our hands secured behind our backs and where would we hide such a
gadget?" Chelle just murmured in response that notice something odd: The
other usual like Harriet 'Hattie' Coy, Julia Humes, Bethan Morgan and even the
girl she had to attack, Heather Smiths weren't on the bus. Something's up.
Just as she
entered the school yard, she also noticed those students weren't present as
usual. Suddenly the group burst out from various corners with Hattie and Bethan
bellowing 'Happy Belated Birthday' to prevent violating of copyrights laws. The
girls showered Chelle with presents: Hattie with an extremely realistic
hand-drawn picture of her, albeit with a cloth gag drawn over her mouth; Julia
gave her large discount coupons for an eatery they both liked and promised to
treat her there while Heather gave her Amazon vouchers. Other students, female
and male, also showered her with belated wishes and presents until she remarked
her school bag and later her personal school locker would be overflowing.
"Thank you everyone, yes I'm fine after the ordeal. And Hattie," she
turned to her talented classmate, "nice work with the gag, hopefully I
won't get something like that soon." They laughed.
Chelle again
noticed that there was another peculiar missing piece: Jennifer Thompson wasn't
in the peculiar piece vicinity as usual. Dragging Lin, they both found her a
bench further away, engrossed in her phone. That was unusual for the most
studious member of the team.
"Studying
via the Wi-Fi or data?" Lin asked. Jenn looked up and only said she would
discuss it with them later. 'Saved by the bell,' the girls made their way to
their respective classes. It was Year 9 and the start of choosing their General
Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subjects. Within the core subjects,
Chelle picked English Literature, maths, weighed between Combined Sciences and
the individual sciences before picking Biology and Chemistry. For the optional
subjects, she easily picked History, Geography, German and after a long
decision, chose Philosophy and Ethics. Lin chose English along with the three
sciences which included Physics, Geography, Computer Science, easily Mandarin
Chinese and finally Business.
"Thank you
all, remember that proceeding classes will assess your various choices,"
their class teacher Mr. Lambeth announced at the end with groans from nearly
half the class. "It's compulsory, see you later."
Everyone rushed
out for break time and Chelle and Lin found Jenn in one corner of one the
school gardens, not the canteen. Looking around, Jenn held up her mobile phone
and played a news video.
"A Royal
Air jet crashed twenty miles roughly west of Croonford. Fortunately, no
civilians were injured or killed and the pilot or crew's details will be
released after the next-of-kin have been notified. Property compensation will
be reimbursed by the MOD and investigations will definitely be conducted.
In..."
"Why are
you interested in a military aircraft crash?" Chelle wondered.
Jenn fell
silent again then answered. "My distant cousin is a RAF officer. I don't
really constantly keep in touch with him or his family but the last I recalled
he was a test pilot, flying new or experimental aircraft." She did send
messages regarding his status; however, no reply came. "Don't worry until
you get the reply," Lin added then with the bell ringing, they returned to
classes. All students were kept busy with studies or other activities so the
trio only met afterwards in their converted caravan.
Late
Afternoon
"Yeah, my
aunt texted, stating my cousin wasn't replying to her texts and calls," Jenn
told Chelle and Mark. She had also sent him messages via Facebook and also yet
to receive any reply.
"You care
a lot for him?" Mark asked,
Jenn gave a
summary how her cousin Phil stopped other family members and neighbours from
bullying her. "That's as much as I recall, hope he's fine." Only then
Lin entered, still in her school uniform. "Sorry, was kept in a science
club meeting. Met a new student with ideas that rival mine, Reinhard...
"Tomas?"
Mark completed the line. "He just joined my class. German accent but nice
guy. " The discussion nevertheless returned to the crash. They quickly
found repeated media articles of the crash and no new developments. The MOD and
RAF only gave a summary of the crash and have not specified the pilot’s or
crew's names. With all agreeing to pilot’s check on the crash, they ended their
meeting. All were however kept extremely busy with assessment tests. Mark had
chosen English despite scoring high in his previous literature papers, Physics
and Chemistry, Computer Science, Business, Design Technology and naturally
Physical Education. Jenn, easily finishing her English Literature and History
assessments, was focusing her mind on the crash. She had a deep feeling that
her cousin was the victim in the crash, most likely the pilot. "Miss
Thompson, you have yet to submit the full list of you GCSE subject
choices," her class teacher reminded her. Trying not to reveal her
thoughts, along with the two subjects, she listed all three sciences, Drama,
Geography, French and Ethics.
Towards the end
of the week, Mark entered their headquarters and gasped. "What on earth
are you doing?!"
"Don't
worry lover boy, I'm not interrogating your girl. Try it again." Chelle
was sitting on a new wooden chair, arms behind her back and it was quickly evident
her wrists were bound with cable ties. Chelle twisted both her wrists and lover
boy fingers, trying to reach a new crown just below the main one. She couldn't
and Lin prompted her to try again and finally she did, with the second crown
opening and a needle protruded.
"Successful,"
Lin declared, cutting off the bindings. Turning to Mark, she explained.
"It's my latest invention, the watch cutter. Instead of the needle, I
going to instal a small laser powered by an additional battery along with that
of the watch. Be careful," she turned to Chelle, "the laser power is
probably as powerful as the laser pen I previously made and it would cut our
skin." She handed Mark a duplicate watch and he accepted it, even though
he had yet to be bound and gagged.
"Your
classmate Reinhard gave me the idea even though I didn't tell..."
Lin's comments
were cut off as Chelle wondered where Jenn was. Suddenly Lin's phone rang and
the ID indicated the third female teen detective.
"Hey,
Jenn..." Lin started to answer but instead they heard aggressive male
voices with various British and non-British accents as well as a female voice
which sounded French.
"No, you
don't have to g…" The group heard one muted scream, muffled sounds then
the line was cut off.
"Crap,
she's in trouble!" Lin yelled, running out.
"Deep
trouble," the couple added.
Michelle,
Lin Ling, Jennifer and Mark will return in 'Operations and considerations.'
where the story will be continued.
The End