Croonford Detectives Case 9: I'm only sleeping

Author's note: The Cat, the girls' nemsis, is a name adopted from Moxx of Balhoom aka balhoon from the classic Girl Detectives in Trouble forum, but the storyline here and previously is not a copycat.

Author's note: I know nothing much about sleeping gases so don't fault me if I got any incorrect.

Do comment on the story here

Summary:

The school is troubled with its first dismal results and the girls suspect foul play.

Girl Detectives’ meeting place
Sunday Afternoon

"Hey, you feeling alright?" Michelle Summers asked as she saw Jennifer Thompson staring out through the caravan's small windows.

"Yup, just remembering about the girls I found, especially Millie. We've actually starting to communicate through email and she finds me more comforting than her family or the psychologists she's been seeing."

"What about yourself? I mean..."

"If you mean being trussed up, gagged with my own dirty sock and my clothes cut away to reveal my underwear, yes I'm fine," Jenn finally looked at Chelle. "Although I tend to brush my teeth longer for the last few weeks. Forget it - I've to focus on my English studies since exams are coming up."

"I'll help you with your English papers if you help me with my ancient history," Chelle offered and the two students aided each other. Nearly half an hour later, Lin Ling burst into the caravan head turned back then ensured the door was locked.

"Someone was following me as I was walking back from the electronic store," she explained, shaken for the first time. "Most definitely was the Cat or her or his colleagues."

Lin continued briefing them: "Still no go at the WhatsApp message or the message she left in the box after the last case. Anyway, I need help with my Geography studies." The other girls agreed and Lin helped tuition them on science topics.

Croonford School
The next morning

"Poor Prince Philip, I'm not going to see or meet him when I complete at least my DofE Bronze award," Harriet Coy remarked.

"Didn't he make many racist comments?" Lin remarking while reading her English revision notes.

"Those were just jokes to make easy conversation. He served with distinction as a Royal Navy officer," Hattie countered. The group of students continued to debate the life of Prince Philip and Chelle eventually broke off, wishing to focus her last -minute science revision. As she was walking and reading, she suddenly collided into something, no, someone, throwing her back down. Chelle managed to catch her skirt and felt a hand hold her head before the rest of her body struck the floor.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking," the deep voice remarked and both hands helped her up. "You need to see the school nurse?" The figure asked. Chelle saw an extremely tall and quite muscular dark brown hair male student. Chelle was stunned, not really by being knocked down but by how handsome the guy was.

"Uh…no, thanks for catching me," Chelle finally answered. "Thanks," she repeated as he handed her back the books and papers she dropped. "Can I ask..."

"Mark Cadvish," his handshake was really firm, firmer than any guy I shook hands with, she thought. "You're Michelle Summers, the head girl detective?"

"Well, not head detective," Chelle started, however, the school bell rang. "We better get ready for exams," he remarked "Catch you later." Chelle was still momentarily stunned by how handsome he was before proceeding. As with exams, in this case, preparatory exams, each Year group and class took their exams at different times of the day. Chelle and Lin's class, 8B was the first taking their Geography and English exams.

Chelle hated the wooden chairs and table and pulled up her jumper due to the not-so-warm heating. With the 'you may begin,' the students uncovered their booklets and there was rustle of pen-writing. Chelle breezed through the first dozen questions but when she reached the question on the different kind of islands, she instantly felt drowsy. Must be my lack of sleep and not drinking enough tea, she thought. She wrote down the answer while stifling a yawn. As she looked at the next question, she noticed her fellow classmates also looked drowsy and slowing down their writing. "Pens down!" The senior invigilator called as Chelle looked distraught at her half-finished answer.

"Did you suddenly feel sleepily?" She asked Lin. "I did after question six and couldn't concentrate and failed to finishing writing the full answer to the last question."

"Yes, by question seven and I could only scribble answers after," Lin shook her head and also wondered if was a lack of sleep. "I'm sure I will sleep immediately after I finished my final revision. "

"Yeah, I need a large cup of coffee and have to wash my face," Hattie added and rushed off.

"I don't need much sleep; sleep is for the weak," the girls turned to see Art Morton, with his tie half-undone.

"Who let you back in?" Lin growled and Morton remarked something like the discipline board was kind after a review. "Let's also get a drink before the English test," Chelle suggested, still slightly bewildered over the sudden sleepiness. The English paper was slightly harder for both Chelle and Lin especially the latter.

She took more time on the first essay than needed and then by the next question, she too began rather sleepy and had to pinch herself to stay awake. Chelle as well was dozing off every five minutes and raised her hand to ask to head to the loo to wash her face. Returning, she noticed more of her classmates and other students were either unable to write fast enough, drowsy or falling asleep. As the invigilator called for pens down, almost all students groaned as they failed to complete the questions or wrote illegibly. Many rushed to the invigilators asking for the hall to be more ventilated or even a re-test.

As the students argued with the teachers, the two teen detectives rushed to find Jenn who was in a quiet area of the school's canteen. "There's something peculiar happening in the exam hall; every student starts feeling drowsy, may even fall asleep and thus unable to concentrate or finish the paper," Chelle blurted out.

Jenn took a few seconds before looking up from her neatly-written history notes. She peppered her friends for more details then just nodded she would take sharp notice while in the hall. Are they overreacting or is this another mystery? Jenn shifted these thoughts away as she focused on the last page of her notes and shifted to her science papers. Her Geography exam was in the same hall, now more ventilated and students were check more thoroughly before entering. Jenn felt fine as she answered the first few questions then as she turned the paper, she felt exactly what her friends described. She shook her head and noticed the other students were also dozing off. Teachers, some also with sleepy faces also took more time to collect papers.

"Ok, something is really weird is going on in the hall, " Jenn finally agreed as she sat down with her friends at lunch break. "There must be..."

"Someone placing sleeping gas or some gaseous anaesthetic gas in the hall," Lin completed the sentence before looking up from her history notes.

"Why on earth would someone do that? We're just students…someone wants to affect our grades!" Jenn realised.

"Quite definitely, we need to warn the senior staff, Chelle did you hear us?" Lin asked.

"Huh, yes brilliant plan," she stopped looking at her phone. "But what about the remainder of our exams?

The PA system beeped and all students were told to assemble in the quadrangle. Mrs Patricia Homerton, the greyish-haired principal walked up the hastily set up stage.

"Students, teachers and staff, some of you have experienced drowsiness and falling asleep during preparatory or actual exams in the hall. Preliminary marking show average or even below average results, the first for Croonford School ever in our history. Students, I know your all have revised hard for these exams and are worried about the results. We'll continue the examinations, albeit in classrooms first cleaned up. For those of you who've taken your exams, there will be a chance to re-take them," there were groans from the students. "At a scheduled time and almost similar papers. As for the hall, it's off-limits permanently now until we discover what's actually on. You'll find your new exam timetable on your school phone app or notice boards will be placed in the main hallway. That's it for now and check the screens for updates."

As she left the stage, Jenn, Lin and Chelle rushed up to her and the former two blurted out their theory with Chelle only adding small input. "Oh, yes we'll consider that," she replied with a dismissive tone.

"But Mrs Homerton..." Lin remarked.

"Principal Homerton," she corrected the student. Lin went on to tell her the possible gases that could be affecting students and continued speculating who could have done this. "The authorities will not speculate but find out, now move along you junior detectives, you have more exams to sit for."

"What an insult," Lin shook her head. As Jenn headed back towards to her class 8A, the Malaysian-Hongkonger changed the subject. "You were looking at some pictures of guys on your phone earlier on?"

"That's really nosy of you," Chelle shot back.

"Hey, we're detectives, we're trained to look around for the unusual. Who were you looking at?"

"I was...I'll tell you later; we've to get ready for science exams," she waved her phone to show the new time slots for the exams. In the classrooms, as students they took their seats. a blonde-haired teacher about 5'5 entered. "Hey, are you a new teacher?" One boy asked.

"Miss Charlotte Hawkins, new Geography teacher," she replied as she passed out the exam scripts and writing paper. There was a low whistle from another male student, astounded by her beauty but she simply replied, 'please settle down'. New teacher, Lin noted, and definitely Canadian-born --Lin studied in Canada as her parents moved there previously. Chelle on the hand found the science paper easy with revision guidance from Lin and noticed throughout that ever student was alert and could concentrate. As they left the room and head out, they spotted a familiar face.

"Hey Nikki," they both called to the region's Detective Inspector. "Investigating why students are suddenly feeling sleepy in the hall?" Chelle asked.

"Yeah, weird case. We've interviewed the last staff who've been to the hall before you students arrived and will be interviewing students like you two about what you experienced."

"You might want to get gaseous detectors or such," Lin explained her theory.

"Oh, that would take some time to acquire," Nikkie Heath replied. "Oh, this is DC, Detective Constable Bluebell Ransom," she nodded to the plains-clothes officer to her left. "She was an excellent PCSO and now my protégé. Bell, these are two of the young detectives who've been successfully solving cases in the area."

"PCSO?" Lin asked

The brown-haired officer shook their hands and remarked, "Police Community Support Officer, providing support to the main police force. Called me Detective Constable Ransom; never liked my given name or short form. "

"Well as I mentioned, we'll be conducting interviews with students who were in the hall. Notify Jenn for me. Got to move see you," Nikki remarked and the officers left.

"That new police detective seems a bit stiff," Lin remarked.

Girl Detectives’ meeting place
Later that Afternoon

"So, are you going to tell me who you were your searching or looking at earlier?" Lin asked Chelle.

"Ok, this guy," She showed her a picture of Mark Cadvish, wearing the school's rugby uniform and explained what happened earlier.

"Oh. he's so hot, but maybe not my type. Yours?"

"Well, he sure was a gentleman to catch my head and stop it from hitting the floor. I'll like to get to know him better but...."

Jenn entered just that moment, changed out of her school uniform while the other girls weren't. "Alright, " She began. "We've got a hall that turns students sitting for their various exams drowsy, sleepy, unable to focus on their exams and unable to complete their questions. Cause by drugging?"

"Well, unless everyone ate breakfast that was drugged," Lin replied. "The Principal doesn't seem to believe this theory so I want to test it out..."

"With your microchip device?" Chelle completed the sentence.

"Defo, hope there are actual results this time. What else?" Her fellow detectives chimed simultaneously, "The Cat!"

"Heh, science doesn't happen with a snap. Still working on what that masked figure left us. Now, I have to finish revising for my history revision. Why on earth do they make that compulsory?" Having no other matters to discuss, the girls closed up and headed to their respective homes. As Chelle turned the corner to the next street, she thought someone was shadowing or following her. Chelle walked faster and in the reflection of a nearby store window, she saw someone in black clothing duck behind a corner. Shaking her head, Chelle ran back to the main street, walked amongst pedestrians then took the longer route back home, turning her head every few seconds.

The next day just before the start of school Chelle repeated what she texted to her fellow detectives. "Was it the Cat? Jenn wondered straight away.

"I couldn't exactly tell, well either her or a henchman or woman, but damn it was like a stalker after me."

"You should have activated the 'anti-rape' device I created a while back and carry that pepper spray or ink spray device," Lin suggested. All students were called to the respective classrooms for exams but there was also an announcement that students who sat in the hall the previous day would have to be interviewed by the police. At their exam room, Chelle found the questions rather easy and breezed through half the paper, she again became drowsy and scanned the room. Hmmm, no one else appears the same, she thought and asked to take a toilet break. Returning back, no other student seemed drowsy or sleeping so Chelle heaved a sigh of relief.

"You didn't feel the same symptoms like before? I felt a bit drowsy," She remarked to Lin as they left that room.

"No, I think this time it was your imagination." At the sport centre, students lined up to be interviewed by DI Niki Heath with DC Bluebell Ransom taking notes but occasionally asking a question. Chelle and Lin were separately asked what they were doing the day before school, where they were, what they were doing just before the start school. Their stationery and school bags were checked -- both girls were lucky they didn't bring any of their gadgets this day. "Well, that was intense," Lin mumbled as she stood up. "There's no favouritism, here even if you're a teen detective," she heard Nikki whisper. Lin wanted to argue and ask about chemical tracking devices but just left.

With no further exams until the next day, the three detectives congregated out near school garden. They all agreed it was a tough police interview but Chelle noted that Art Morton was interviewed for a very long time and she overheard him mention words and phrases like 'club', 'merchandise' 'nothing to do with it.'

"You think he’s the culprit?"  Jenn exclaimed, putting down her chicken breast and mix vegetable sandwich.

"Morton's too dumb to even tie his own shoe laces," Lin quipped, finishing another bite of her Bánh mì bought from a vending machine. "He did mention he didn't sleep much. Still, someone worth keeping an eye on."

"So, about your microchip scanner," Chelle added. "The hall is off-limits and guarded by police round the clock. How are you going to get in and place them?"

"Well, not just me, all of us," she replied.

The trio dumped their lunch in a nearby bin and Lin lead them to one corner of the hall, then pulled them to the side. "See that officer over there? He keeps refilling his water tumbler with the nearby water cooler ever ten minutes or so--it's not a large tumbler. If we disable the pipe to the cooler, he'll have to walk to the next which will draw him away for at least a few minutes, enough for me to crawl into the hall, place the chips and get out."

"That's so devious," Jenn commented then continued at a lower tone. "We could be found damaging school property."

"Well, any other plan? Jenn you disable the water cooler by crawling to it. You're well, diminutive. Chelle, stand watch and alert me by WhatsApp – my phone's on silent mode – if the officer is coming back. I've to change to my sports uniform."

Jenn partly took the description of her as an insult but slowly squirmed her way towards the cooler. Pausing, she drew out a hanky, and pulled out the water tube. She half crawled; half walked back just in time to see the black officer walk to the cooler. With an irritated face, the officer moved away to find the next cooler. Lin then entered, also flat on the ground. Scanning for any other police officers and avoiding the obvious CCTV cameras, she hid four microchips at various corners and then scamped back. "Well, that was thrilling," she quipped then headed to the toilets to change back to her proper uniform.

"Yeah, but how are you going to retrieve them tomorrow?" Jenn wondered

The trio decided to head back to their homes together in case the Cat and her accomplices would try to shadow them individually. After three random bus rides, they got off and spaced out. Everything seemed fine for the first two blocks until Jenn spotted a black-clothed person in the side mirror of a park car. She slowed down and the figure was still in the next parked vehicle's mirror. With her wordless signal, the trio readied their gadgets and proceeded normally. After the pedestrian crossing, the figure was still tailing them. Lin signalled for the others to hastened their pace then darted to a corner. The figure came closer and she drew out her camera phone and ink spray. As she snapped the picture, the figure quickly dashed away. Despite zooming in, she couldn't spot the stalker anymore and the girls parted their ways.

"Not much of a shot," Lin showed Chelle the picture which she also forwarded to Jenn. "But certainly the Cat or her accomplice or your everyday stalker interested in young teenaged schoolgirls."

"I'm interested in you," one of the boys called from the seat behind.

"Oh, piss off," Chelle said and both girls shifted seats. They discussed the picture, but with the dark clothes and the distance, there was no more progress with regards to the Cat's identity. Inside Croonford school, Lin quickly remembered she had to collect the microchips in the hall. She had no clean plan and didn't think disabling the water cooler again wouldn't work. As she approached another entrance to the hall, one of the school cleaners exited, with a police officer in escort. Maybe I could steal a cleaners' uniform...oh crap, she cleaned the floor and I left the chips on the various corners of the floor!

Lin ran after the cleaner but missed the turning and by the time she caught up, she saw the cleaner dump the rubbish bag in the large bin. No!!! Lin screamed silently. She immediately thought of asking the cleaner to pull the entrance bag up but as she also thought of other scenarios, the cleaner left. Damn, what do I…Lin lifted the bin back open and trying hard to ignore the foul stench, she lifted bag ack up halfway and undid the knot. Frantically searching, she luckily found the microchips and drop back down.

Ugh, my skirt, part of my jumper and blazer are dirtied and I smell! Lin rushed to the nearest ladies and started scrubbing her uniform like mad but that did little. Luckily, she kept spare skirt and tights – her tights were partly laddered – in her locker but she had to bluff the discipline mistress Mrs Janice Hughes before loaning a new blazer. Despite this frantic activity, Lin found the maths paper rather easy and completed the paper ahead of the joint classes.

"Boy, you look like you ran through a storm of rubbish," Chelle remarked as they headed for break time. "Second time really," Lin explained, recalling how the villains previously dumped her in the large rubbish bin. Just as they were about enter the canteen, Jenn rushed up to the and started blabbing.

"Hold on, hold on, you say it's happening again?!" Chelle exclaimed.

"A whole Year 11 English class, and part of Year 10 chemistry practical class, most felt drowsy and the rest fell asleep. The teachers themselves also started dropping down suddenly. Their grades will certainly be lousy!"

"What do the big wigs say, have the police detectives been notified?" This came from Lin. The announcement was for all students to stay away from those respective rooms but that was it.

Girl Detectives’ meeting place

Having taken a taxi to their headquarters to avoid any possible stalkers, they got to work. Chelle and Jenn used the limited Wi-Fi they had to search for anyone who wanted to affect Croonford students or the school's academic reputation. Lin had donned her scientist coat and plug the four microchips into separate wires. After nearly an hour, Chelle and Jenn made no progress in their online search but then Lin shouted elatedly.

"Three of four microchips found traces of Halothane and Methoxypropane." Both her friends raised their eyebrows. "They are both kinds of general anaesthetics, in layman’s terms, incapacitating agent or sleeping gas."

Both her friends exclaimed again and asked more about the characteristics of these drugs. Lin read them out from her dictionary, stating a general anaesthetic while Methoxypropane was used as a pain relief. "Pain relief, that doesn't give relief to the students falling asleep and affecting their exams!" Jenn exclaimed.

"Yes, these are small amounts and any high dosage would create severe side effects. For Halothane it may cause irregular heartbeat, respiratory depression - poor ventilation, breathing - and even liver problems. As for Methoxypropane any uncalculated dosage to unhealthy individuals causes liver and kidney damage."

"Good gosh, we have to inform the senior staff, the police," Chelle remarked with her heart racing. But the lines to DI Nikki's work and mobile phones were engaged. Just as they tidied up, an unlisted number appeared on their various WhatsApp accounts. It was an anime of each detective: Jenn's photoshopped picture showed her bound and cleave gagged with her jumper and shirt cut open and her jeans removed, Lin's was chair-tied and gagged with her knickers exposed. Chelle's face was photoshopped on some semi-naked body, her wrists tightly taped above her and her bound ankles hanging. Good work so far girls. You can't catch me. Cat xxx

Still seething with the Cat's teasing messages and the inability to trace them, Chelle and Lin were back in school, learning more history under their favourite teacher Jane Harrison who had returned. They also had more Geography lessons under the new teacher Charlotte Hawkins who managed all the hooting and crude comments from the boys. After that lesson, they join Jenn and spotted Detectives Heath and Ransom again interviewing students in the sports hall. It took them another three-quarters of an hour before the officers were free to chat with. Lin gave a hastily summary of what they discovered along with sheets of notes. DI Heath only interjected to ask about the scientific nature of the gases.

"You know you' re technically in trouble for disabling a water cooler to district my officers and placing unregistered devices in a police-secured zone and partly interfering...ok, I believe you. Belle, get the forensic team here, ensure they have chemical detectors."

"You really believe them ma'am?" The junior officer tone also indirectly said: leave the work to the adults.

"Just do what I say DC Ransom!" Nodding, the detective left and Nikki and the girls headed to the Principal, re-briefing her what they knew. Homerton was also sceptical but finally nodded and told DI Heath to use all efforts to find the perpetrator. "Let the police conduct their work," she waved a finger at the girls. The police indeed swept every part of the hall with specialist scanners but only found traces of Halothane in chemistry lab where the Year 10s had their exams. The police intensified their interviews and check all CCTV records for unannounced guests, but there were no suspects at all.

"Dead end," Jenn remarked as the bell rang to mark the end of the day. Lin was suddenly quiet, then flicked through her phone and exclaimed. "I got it! I know how the gas is delivered!

"How..." Jenn interrupted.

"It's delivered by a drone either by an unmanned ground vehicle or aerial vehicle, most likely aerial. Look," she showed them pictures of the data from microchips. "It detected gas sprayed from upwards not downwards or anywhere around the floor."

The other girl detectives initially found the theory too wild but then accepted. "How do we prove this?" Jenn wondered.

"Well, we...we have to stay overnight to find the drone."

"The P and the teachers won't let us ever...I know who might!" Chelle eyes widen.

"Well, ask that guy. I need to collect some stuff that might prove useful. Oh, and tell your parents you'll be stay late," Lin dashed off. She returned with a school bag full and Chelle said she managed to convince the school security guard, Ted Wiggins, to allow to stay overnight 'no later than 11pm.' The girls stayed in the school library reading and pretending to study until 8pm.

"Ok," Lin announced to her friends - they had all changed to the winter sports uniform which was partly black. "First, night vision googles. Not a gadget but would work in the dim light - switch it off if you see bright light; that can blind you. Second well, a cyber jamming device," she held out something half the size of a mobile phone. "Should stop the drone operator from moving the drone and releasing any gas."

"And how do we 'catch' the drone?" Jenn wondered.

"Good ol' lacrosse stick," she waved one. "Let's go." As they proceeded towards the hall, footsteps were heard and Lin motioned them to step back. The figure soon appeared and it was Miss Charlotte Hawkins! She turned and moved towards the main exit.

"Maybe she's the one, after all she's new to the school," Chelle whispered.

"Yeah, maybe, but once we find the drone, we can definitely trace it to her," Lin replied. The hall was still guarded but with knowledge of its layout and the use of the googles and Lin's multi-light pen torchlight, they managed to sneak it. Time passed by and it was nearly 10pm. Jenn signalled 'don't think there's anything, let's go home.' Lin sighed and was about to crawl back until they heard a low hum.

Through the green light of the googles, they spotted a fly-shaped device entering from the small gaps in the vents. It pranced around then zoomed down towards the centre of the hall. With a silent 'go', from Lin, the girls chased after the mini drone. Wildly waving her jamming device, it took many tries before the drone rapidly decreased its speed and Chelle and Jenn ran forward and caught the falling device with the net of the lacrosse stick. Just as they wished to congratulate each other, there were cries of 'who's there?' and they practically raced for the side exit.

"You girls broke another lot of rules," DI Heath shook her head as they handed over the drone to her.

"Well arrest us," Chelle replied.

"Very funny young lady. Well, this would take days, maybe weeks for our cyber unit to trace the owner. Meanwhile, I'll leave it to your discipline teachers."

It actually took the afternoon before the trio were pulled out of detention. "Well, you young detectives certainly found something. We traced back the cyber link and IP address to a nearby building and raided it immediately. The single occupant is a fanatic, stole hospital anaesthetics and built his own drone to affect the school rooms. But he was paid through an unnamed bank account. We're still investigating. Still, excellent work you three." Principal Homerton finally congratulated the teen detectives and promised some reward.

As Chelle left jubilant, she spotted Mark Cadvish across the corridor and ran towards him. "Heard you solve the mystery why students were falling asleep," he remarked then she asked him if he was free after school. "Rugby practice at 4," he pointed at a bag. "Why don't you come watch me play? You know the sports fields?" Chelle nodded but noted she had to clean up her room and check on her younger sister. She walked home jubilant both from the thought of solving the case and gain a possible boyfriend. Yay...suddenly she smelt a foul stench and all her tingled then only could see but not feel as hands yanked her off the small side pavement.

I'm captured, Chelle wailed silently, realising she even couldn't talk. Was she in a van, a truck? She spotted a darkened ceiling so guess the former. Despite the lack of most of her senses, she judged it was a short drive before the vehicle stopped. Suddenly she was hooded, cutting off her last available sense. It must be the Cat, she thought and guessed she was now on the floor.

The hood came off and she indeed came face-to-face with the Cat, wearing the same mask she wore that Halloween night. Unable to move or hear, she watched helplessly as the villainess undressed her slowly - first her school blazer, then her blouse, exposing her bland white bra. Her skirt was next and then her tights. Chelle mentally braced herself but that was it. Tape was then wrapped tightly over her bare ankles and knees. Next, she was lifted up and her individual wrists were taped to wooden beams.

It was then her remaining senses came back but before she could open her mouth, tape was slapped over her lips. "Bitmmph!" She swore at the masked captor.

"Oooh, swearing. I should tell your parents. That was also a bit too loud. Here," Another strip of tape was stuck over the first.

"I hope you like how you were caught. Any more of this," the muffled villainess held out a small empty spray can. "and you might lose all your senses for hours. Seems like your Lin friend isn't the only gadget maker around here."

"Mmmph!" Chelle tried to swing to break free.

"I wouldn't do that Chelle, Mitch, Michelle or whatever they call you. I've been watching you for ages. Oh, for the record, I had nothing to do with making those students fall asleep though they probably deserved it. I definitely had nothing to do with that X-Files case though congrats. Oh, that bastard child Jono and his corrupt father - never liked them myself. But keep thinking it's me causing all the cases. I've got more in store for you, that Chinese girl and the shorty."

The Cat snap a picture of the semi-naked girl then tightened the hood over her head. "Good luck with getting free. Either the termites will break through the beams or that big-busted police detective and your friends will find you first. Cheerio."

Chelle cried through the gag in disgust but chanced it and swung each of her arms but the tape was far too strong. This was exactly picture she sent earlier. No way I’m going to let her win this time, anytime at all. Chelle swung again but only heard the beams creak, breaking further. Before she could swing again, she felt some legs crawl on her left wrist. Chelle never liked ants as a child and this insect was...no it was crawling down her arm! Chelle swung wildly again and one beam snapped further...

"Chelle! Michelle Summers! Michelle!" Chelle cried a muffled cry in response then heard excited voices. 'Hold on', someone shouted. Hold on?! I'm hanging with wooden beams nearly breaking and all you say is hold on?! After hearing sweeping noises, she gratefully felt her taped wrist cut off and her body lowered. The hood was slowly removed and she yelped thankfully seeing the face of DI Nikki Heath.

"Well don't just stand there Ransom! Get some clothes for the teenager!" Nikki yelled at her colleague. After dressing, a large drink of water and recounting what happened, Chelle noted the time, asked for the de-brief to be postponed and rushed out in slightly over-sized police shirt and tracksuit bottoms, managing to catch the school rugby practice in time.

The End.

Michelle, Lin Ling and Jennifer will return in 'Time and tide…wait for no woman.'

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