Odd Squad: Otis Substitute

Chapter 24: Slum Times

A dark voice, hard to recognize, spoke on the phone, with cries of a girl in the background.

-You're playing my game now.

- Wait, who is this? - Otis asked, nervous, with heart beating fast.

- You'll have to find out - said the voice on the phone, and hung up.

- I can't believe Ohany's 15th birthday is tomorrow and she must be in danger. - Olympia began to circle around them to calm her nervousness.

Otis received a new notification.

- Dead guys walking ... --O - Otis read the message aloud. - I can't believe it, someone is trying to manipulate us.... I am the one who manipulates, not the one being manipulated.

- Wait, the number is blocked, so we can't know the location of the caller, but think about the facts. This person set fire to the forest, and hours later he had entered the tunnel, Ohany was probably following that person, so Olympia saw her. Let's walk a few more kilometers, this "O" must be somewhere there. - Oliver said.

- Wow, no wonder they call you intelligent. - Olympia said, impressed, adjusting her red shirt and jeans with dirt and wiping her dusty face.

- Oh, it's not intelligence, it's just logical. - He replied.

- Oh my... - Otis looked surprised. - Let's run, soon, even tired, we have to find Ohany, she must be being tortured. - He put his cell phone in his backpack and started running along with his partners.

Oliver, Otis and Olympia, after 15 minutes running, arrived in a slum, with people unknown all over.

- Let's look in discreet places. - Olympia suggested.

- I think we'd better watch what's clear, and right in front of us. - Oliver pointed to an old, dirty shop, a wooden residence, probably a cellphone store.

- That's weird, a cellphone store in a slum - Otis said.

- That's what makes it interesting - Oliver headed for the supposed cellphone store.

The salesman was a man in dirty, poor robes, apparently pushing 50, probably without family, and brave enough to sell cell phones in a slum. They were frightened, and did notice that the salesman had a gun under his torn jacket. He was probably trying to hide, but the agents' insight was superior.

- Hey, do you sell cell phones with blocked numbers here? - Otis took the lead.

- You're children, get out of here, you brats. - The seller tried to drive them out.

- Children? I'm sorry, but I'm 15, that boy there is too, and the girl is 14, no one here is a child.

- Screw you, get out of here!

- Ah, sir, my friend just wanted to know if you're selling cell phones with blocked numbers, or if somebody's come in here in the last few weeks, somebody suspicious. - Olympia intruded into the conversation, trying to be persuasive.

- Well, it looks like you're not going to leave ... so, yes, I see, and a girl came in the last weeks, asking for a blocked phone, she was young, beautiful, but I don't remember her very well... she didn't want to pay for her cell phone, so she hit me with a baseball bat, she was skilful, like she had years of training. - The salesman no longer had a frightening, scary face; he seemed cooperative and somewhat emotional. - Because of her, I didn't want to attend you, look at the brooch the boy is wearing, it's the same one she was wearing.

- Wait, the person who stabbed you was wearing that brooch? - Otis questioned. - Are you sure it's the same?

- Yes, Odd Squad, I remember that name because it's odd, I hope this helps, because I don't remember how she looked like.

- Okay, thanks for the response, it helped us a lot. 

- Oh, sir, I'm sorry you were stabbed, so thank you for the answer ... get those five bucks. - Olympia handed a note of money into the dealer's hand, a smile on her face.

- Thank you, girl, thank you very much, this will help me buy food, I have been starving for days, apparently no one has the money to buy my old cell phones. - The salesman seemed immensely happy.

Olympia smiled, and continued to walk down the slum road, next to Otis and Oliver.

- A girl? Is Ohany... "O"? - Otis theorized.

- Do not think like that! She really is my friend, and she would never manipulate us. - Olympia answered directly.

- Never trust anyone too much, Olympia. - Otis gave an advice. - People can let you down.

- I agree, but what if the man was lying, and he was the real O? After all .. he had a gun! - Oliver whispered to them.

- I don't think so, he seemed sincere. - Olympia answered - And I think he is a good person. - Until she was interrupted by a notification.

- Wait, new message, you know from who. - Otis picked up his cell phone and read the message - Harry, if only they could know how guilty you are... --O - Otis got scared - Wait, Oliver...?