Mystery Inc.

Chapter One

"It's been twelve hours now and the police have no update on the gruesome murder of Red Herring. We will keep all of you Coolsvillian's updated throughout the day!" Jack stated. "This is our noon news hour; we will hopefully have more for you for our evening show!"

"That's right, Jack!" Diane replied. "We urge anyone with any information..."

Shaggy turned off the television as he listened to see if there were any new information on the murder. Scratching his chin gently as he thought about what he had heard. "What do you think Scooby? Should I go check it out?" Shaggy waited for a reply from his best friend until he realized that Scooby was sleeping beside the chair that he was sitting in. "I think you would want me to, don't worry buddy, everything will be fine."

Shaggy went walked towards the kitchen, squeezing between piles of newspapers and pizza boxes that littered his living room. The newest paper front page covering a new movie in production with a special guest consultant, Fred Jones. Shaggy paused briefly at a picture that hung on the wall before the doorway to the kitchen, the last picture the gang ever took together years ago.

Shaking his head to clear the bad memory of his closest friends splitting up, he continued into the kitchen. Opening a broken cabinet door, Shaggy grabbed a plastic bowl and placed it on the counter. He then took a box of snacks out of the same cupboard and poured some into the bowl before putting the box back. Shaggy walked over to the fridge and rummaged through the contents until he found a canned drink before taking both the bowl and drink back towards his sleeping friend, leaving the bowl on the floor next to others that sat nearby and took the drink with him as he left his apartment.

The lock clicked as he turned the key, securing his apartment as much as he could from intruders. He could hear a woman yelling followed by a loud thud coming from an apartment he passed as he walked towards the stairway. Trash littered the staircase the way newspapers and pizza boxes littered his apartment. Empty liqueur bottles, food wrappers, half eaten food, condom wrappers, everything he imagined he would find in a dark alley.

As he opened the door to the parking lot, a police car sped down the street in front of him, sirens echoing behind it as it headed towards its destination. Shaggy pulled his coat tight as he felt the cool winter air against his skin, shivering slightly. He hurried towards his van that waited only a few paces away, a green van with faded words written on it. Clouds darkened above his head as a few snowflakes began trickling from the sky.

Snapping open his cold drink, Shaggy downed the beer before he got into his van, tossing aside the empty can onto the asphalt. The van sputtered as he turned the key in the ignition, trying to start the engine. Again, and again Shaggy tried, each time the van failing. Slamming his hands on the wheel, Shaggy lay his head on the wheel, taking a deep breath and tried again. Still nothing. After a few more tries, the engine finally started, and Shaggy began his drive to O'Greazy's.

"Excuse me ma'am, were you here last night?" Shaggy questioned a waitress. "When the murder happened."

"No. I wasn't, but she was." She replied, pointing at a woman making a pot of coffee. "She was the only one here last night with the cook. He's not here today, though."

"Thank you."

Shaggy looked around the diner, glancing over the booth that the police had taped off from any customers to use. "You were asking about me?" The waitress asked, getting Shaggy's attention.

"Ye.. Yes. You were working last night, right? Did you see anything? Or anyone suspicious?"

"The only thing I saw was that asshole sitting there on his phone." She answered, gesturing to the taped off booth. "He sat there for a few hours only drinking coffee and texting on his phone the whole time. When we were about ready to close, I had to tell him multiple times and then he only left a sixty cent tip. Sat there for hours and only sixty cents?!"