Shirley Holmes and Diane Watson. Case #6: Thinking Like Half An Animal

Chapter 6

Diane took her walkie-talkie from her backpack, turned it on so Shirley could hear their conversation, and hid it behind her. The guy said, "If you're a detective, you should get answers before you accuse." Diane said, "Well, mysterious people are suspects in my book. So I would like for you to come with me." The guy said, "Or how about the other way around." The guy took out a spray can and sprayed it ahead of Diane. Then, a bunch of green mist passed by her, and she collapsed to the ground. Then the guy pulled Diane to the fence, set her against it, and rode off on his motorcycle. When Diane stopped talking, Shirley started to get worried. Shirley said. "Diane, Diane." Shirley paid her bill, got in her car, and followed the motorcycle tracks to the gorge. Shirley put her car in reverse, backed it up, put it in drive, and hit the gas to speed up so she could jump the gorge. When she got across, she followed Diane's motorcycle tracks to the fence she was sitting against. Shirley ran up to Diane and hugged her. Then Shirley put Diane in her car and drove her to the hospital.

Three days later, Diane woke up, and Shirley put a hot washcloth on her head. Shirley said, "I'm glad you're ok. I've found a few clues while you've been asleep for three days." Diane said, "Three days." Shirley said. "Yep." Diane said, "So, what did you find?" Shirley said, "A battery for the gun the guy used, this map of the world that shows where all the robberies took place, a hoody with the name 'Susan Flipper' on the tag, and the Flipper family record book with Jasmine's birth. The weird thing is the last name is scribbled out, and above it, it says 'Companion.'" Shirley and Diane had a hunch, so they put their clues in their backpacks, left the hospital, and went to Jasmine's house.

When Shirley and Diane got to Jasmine's house, they looked around. Diane said, "Tonight's Halloween night, and this pair still haven't solved the mystery." Shirley thought about what Diane said and had an idea about the mystery. Shirley said, "Diane, you're a genius." Diane said, "Wait, what?" Shirley said, "You said 'Pair' which means two. What if we're going after another of somebody?" Shirley and Diane entered the graveyard when it got dark and saw the mysterious figure. The hooded figure said, "Finally, Halloween is here. After midnight tonight, no one can stop me. Oh, I've wanted this so badly." Shirley said, "How badly?" The mysterious figure turned around and saw Shirley and Diane coming out of the shadows. Shirely said, "Badly enough to turn on your sister." The hooded figure said, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Diane said, "Don't you, Susan!" The mysterious figure grabbed his hood, took it off, and showed them they were right. Diane said, "You were right, but how'd you know?" Susan said, "Who cares? You'll still never stop me." Susan blasted squirrels with her ray and made them act like raccoons. Then she snapped her fingers and pointed at Shirley and Diane.

While they were distracted, Susan ran off. Then Shirley jumped into a tree and chased after her. Susan hid behind a tree and started to talk. Susan said, "I'm going to be known as the person who changed the world once and for all. So what if I had to change animals to do it? This is just the beginning. My very own restaurant, my private mansion, becoming mayor or president." Shirley said, "No, Susan, it all ends here." Susan said, "Sorry, but I'm afraid I will make a stampede getaway." Susan blew a silent whistle, and a stampede of dogs, thinking their cows, came running by, and Susan jumped on one of them. Shirley got run over, but Diane chased after Susan on a motorcycle. Diane said, "Give it up, Susan; this is where it ends." Susan jumped up and climbed up a tree. Diane saw Susan leaving and saw that she was about to crash into the graveyard's gate. Susan sat in the tree, but Shirley and Diane climbed up after her. Shirley jumped on Susan, and they fell off the side of the tree. Then Diane caught them both and called the cops on Susan.

When the police got to the graveyard, they handcuffed Susan. Jasmine came to the cemetery, too, and saw that they had caught a double of her. The police said, "You did great. How'd you figure it out?" Shirley said, "It was simple: this is Susan, Jasmine's twin sister." The police said, "Twin sisters." Jasmine said, "Twin sisters, I never knew she existed." Diane said, "We knew you had a twin when we found the family records that said 'Companion.' Which means twins." Shirley said, "The name of your sister was scribbled out." Diane said, "She planned this to scare everyone on Halloween and make other animals think like other animals." Shirley said, "We figured that out when I found the microchip that could mix animal DNA." Jasmine said, "Too bad she's going to jail. She and I could have made up after all these years." Shirley and Diane went to their car, dressed in costumes, and drove around town enjoying Halloween while Susan went to jail. Diane said, "Good thing we solved the case before midnight." Shirley said, "Yeah, or Susan would have gotten away with her plan." Diane said, "But all the animals are returning to normal, and there are still three hours of Halloween night left." Shirley said, "I think we're going to make a great team."

Shirley and Diane rode around town when Shirley's phone started to ring. Shirley answered it, and the U.S. Navy called them. Shirley said, "Hello." The U.S. Navy Ship's Captain said, "Hello, we have a mystery. All of our U.S. Navy stuff is haunting us." Shirley said, "Hey Diane, we got another case." Diane said, "Then let's go." Shirley told the captain, "We'll be there as soon as possible." Shirley and Diane packed their detective gear and drove to the U.S. Navy Base for their next case.

The End