The Trio Squad

Chapter 4

HELEN

The Agents of the Trio Squad on investigating the office of Mr. James Taiburt, found a new compartment in the table after a weird incident of answering weird questions in his computer after which it went completely black. The agents peeked in a little to see that the compartment consisted of......

But just then there was a knock on the door. We glanced at each other. After a few minutes of nervousness, the door flew open and from under the table, we saw long legs with high heels come in and stop midway.

"Oh my! What's happened here? Sir? Mr. Taiburt? Where are you? Avery! Avery! Come here!" We heard Rachel, the girl at the counter, run crying.

"Helen, buy us some time. We'll clean the mess and before she comes with her friend, I can pretend to be James and play an act. Make sure she doesn't call the police. We have to solve this. Okay?" Lisa whispered.

I saluted, "You can always trust the Invisible Me to buy time." I vanished from her sight.

I closed the office door loudly. As expected, Rachel stopped a few feet away from the elevator to look back. I took the key from the keyhole, which she had forgotten to retrieve when she left, and approached her, grinning. Her face went pale with sweat beading on her forehead, as her eyes registered that there was none other than her in the corridor. She walked slowly backwards as a key was moving towards her all by itself, as if it had come to life. The key clinked when I dropped the key by her feet once I reached her. With shivering hands she slowly bent to take it. I moved it a few inches away from her. I repeated the same; pulling the key when she brought her hands to I;, for at least three more times and I couldn't control my laughter. I whispered, "Rachel! I am going to kill you!"

She clenched her fists and her eyes started to widen with unshed tears. I then stood by her left shoulder and whispered hoarsely, "Rachel!" when she turned to me, I did the same in her right side. And when she turned to the right, I whisper-screamed, "BOO!" I laughed silently as she started running to the elevator as if she was in a marathon.

I knocked on James' door, "It's me! Open up!"

When Steph opened it, I went inside James' office, locking the door behind me before taking the key in my hands as an afterthought. I relayed what happened outside to my friends, Steph and Lisa. We all laughed together, catching breaths in between and holding our sides.

Wait! There was no Lisa there! There was only Steph and James! James was back?

And the office was clean, not a speck of dirt was to be seen. My friends do know how to do household chores perfectly. We heard footsteps outside. I ran to Steph and we became invisible while Lisa/James pretended to be asleep on the off-white couch.

"... The room was a mess. Mr. Taiburt was not to be seen anywhere. He should've been kidnapped. When I closed the door to come to inform you about it and to call the police, this key came towards me floating in air. And then I heard a voice whisper my name and...." Rachel was saying. When she finally opened the door, she stopped talking as her eyes took everything in; the clean office, James sleeping on the couch. She looked at the window. Oh my god! Did my friends forget it?

I turned around. A sigh escaped from me realizing that the curtains were drawn. Before Rachel could walk to the window, James groaned as he stirred on the couch, bringing their attention to him.

Avery, a tall girl with short blonde hair remarked to Rachel, "Thank the Gods we didn't call the police like you said. See! He's here, nice and safe. The office is clean."

"No! But, I swear that-"

"You must have had a dream, Rachel." Avery cut her off. "Didn't our manager tell us not to fall asleep during our shifts? You are going to get us killed, Rachel! With your antics!"

She locked the door and walked away with Rachel puling her by the arm. "And you should stop reading those horror stories and those paran-" They walked away.

"It was real. I swear, Ave" Rachel pleaded in between, her voice filled with doubt.

While this was happening outside, Lisa transformed back into her own self. Steph and I sat by her side on the couch. We all laughed until our sides ached.

"Okay, Lisa?" Steph asked her. "Why don't you first transform into these three people? We can see if we know them. If we don't, let's track them down and smack their faces until they tell us where James is."

"Okay!" She nodded. She reached for the zip lock bag with the hair strands in Steph's hands. She transformed into each one of them.

We sighed. Those weren't the criminals. The first person; one with the red straight hair was a woman. She had on a white uniform. "The cleaning woman," I muttered when I saw her.

The next, the curly brown hair belonged to the electrician. "This innocent faced one wouldn't have taken James," Steph remarked.

"Let this one be the criminal, please," Lisa begged before transforming into the third subject. I closed my eyes as she reached for the third strand.

I opened my eyes to peek at her and there was Avery, the girl Rachel ran to, to complain. The short-blonde haired tall girl.

I slumped in the couch. "Guys! I guess we should go to one of our homes to start inspecting those weird gadgets. I don't feel it's safe here."

"I have the same feeling too," Lisa agreed.

"Those stuffs we found in his safe are still inside it." Steph yawned.

We crawled under the table (AGAIN) and collected the three files which were in his safe, some weird instruments or equipments or whatever, with weird names pasted in some and others without any label.

"Guys, you sure you didn't get anything else, when cleaning?" I asked them. They shook their heads.

"They are clean criminals." Steph huffed.

They helped me put the instruments inside my backpack. Then Steph extended her hands to us.

"No! We aren't teleporting, dude." Lisa shook her head. "We have to go through Rachel first. I have to pass her as James. So that she'll witness James leaving."

"So that she'll not call the police telling them that he's missing." Steph said and Lisa nodded. "You're smart."

"You too!" Lisa patted her shoulder.

"Me too! Me too!" I chimed. "Okay. Let's go to my place. I have stacked my fridge with foods and drinks."

We grinned at each other. "And," we sang, "That might be useful."

We locked his office. In a few minutes, after the short journey in the elevator, James (who actually was Lisa) walked to the counter with Steph and me trailing behind, invisibly.

"Thanks for the key, Rachel." Lisa/James smiled. "By the way, I'll be very busy the next few days. I have some work outside. So, if any clients wish to see me, tell them to call my agents. Hope you know those girls." She handed her a visiting card.

"Where did she get that from-?" I hissed.

"The Trio Squad!" Rachel nodded. "I know them, Sir."

I glanced at Steph who whispered, "She knows us? But we just found out her name today."

"I have no idea," I shrugged. So there are people in this world who knows us, other than James and ourselves.

"You have their names and numbers in that card." Lisa said when she saw Rachel looking behind her. She must have heard us. "If you find anything or anyone suspicious here, inform them about that too."

"Sure, Sir. I will. Have a nice Journey, Mr. Taiburt." She waved.

We waved back at her knowing it deep in our tummies that she'll not be able to see Steph and me.

Once we reached the main entrance and making sure that there wasn't a soul or any prying eyes, Steph teleported us to my place.