"What kind of advice can you offer?" asked Ivy.

"You're welcome to help," added Mortimer.

Carmen hesitated. Was it just her, or did Mortimer sound slightly different
than he did  when she had first met him? The voice was surprisingly mild,
even cultured. "I remember he-"

She didn't get a chance to finish. Ivy interrupted. "Here he comes now!" She
pointed across the street. Lee and Zack were walking through the back
entrance of the Sweet Stuff Candy Factory, the latter trying to twist away
from the former.

"Let's follow him," Ivy commanded. She was partially angry at Lee for
attempting this, and partially relieved. There was still time left.

Lee didn't seem to notice his pursuers. He grabbed Zack's arm and pulled him
to a small airplane.

Carmen, Ivy, and Mortimer didn't waste any time. It only took ten minutes for
Carmen to call the VILE transport system and obtain a plane. Soon they took
off after Lee.

After three hours, Lee landed in the outskirts of Geneva, Switzerland. He
settled on an abandoned-looking building that read Sweet Stuff Candy Factory,
Switzerland Division.

Carmen's plane landed. The threesome climbed out. They entered the candy
factory.

Meanwhile, Zack reached over to the console and pushed a button. A machine
whirled to life.

Ice cream soda spurted from the machine and spilled to the floor.

Lee didn't notice until he stepped in it. He lost his balance and slipped.

Zack used this opportunity to wrench free from Lee's grip and fled.

Unfortunately, Lee gripped a machine and regained balance.

Just as fortunately, Ivy entered through a side door, with Carmen and
Mortimer behind her. Lee glanced up and spotted them.

"How nice," Lee hissed to Zack, while climbing the stairway to a balcony.
"Your friends came to see you off. Too bad they missed the boat. Bon voyage!"
With this, he shoved Zack over the railing.

"I'm coming, Zack!" Ivy cried, swinging on a licorice vine. Zack grabbed a
section of the licorice before he hit the floor. They swung to another
platform.

Lee screamed in rage. He picked up his own vine and tried to swing to the
platform. He missed and swung towards Carmen and Mortimer's balcony. Mortimer
pulled out a Swiss Army knife. "Shall I?"

"Go ahead," called Carmen, Zack, and Ivy in unison.

"You wouldn't dare!" Lee snapped.

"Oh, would I?" asked Mortimer. He sliced the rope. Lee crashed to the
linoleum floor.

Lee howled, "You'll pay for this!"

"No, you'll pay for this,"Carmen corrected. "Hit it!"

Zack and Ivy nodded. Then overturned a huge vat of liquid chocolate. The
brown concoction flooded the floor. Lee climbed onto a machine, trying to
avoid the torrent.

Carmen surveyed the scene. "Now that's what I call sweet revenge!"

Lee was incensed. "What? You still think you can win? Face it, all of you.
It's not over yet, and I not giving uppppp-" he fell in the liquid chocolate.
Everyone snickered.

Lee climbed back on the machine. "Stop laughing!"

"Why should we?" Ivy couldn't resist answering.

"Can't you ever accept defeat gracefully?" Lee retorted. "You'll fail--even
with your new and improved version of me!"

"Mortimer has more substance than you'll ever have, Lee," Carmen answered.

"Nooo!" Lee screeched. "He'll always be the whiny brat he always was!"

Almost could write a movie on this, Zack thought. The Lost Jordan.

The chocolate was hardening. Lee stepped over and fled.

Carmen, Ivy, Mortimer, and Zack got to the ground, but Lee was gone.

"Now what?" Zack asked.

"We split up," Ivy replied. "We can cover more ground. Lee can't use the
plane. I stole a part."

The foursome searched Geneva, but Lee had disappeared without a trace.

Frustrated, the bunch headed for San Francisco.

"I'll be willing to help until Lee is back in prison," Carmen volunteered.

"It's a truce,"Zack agreed.

Ivy was too distracted to notice. "What do you suppose he's doing?" she asked
as they entered Acme Headquarters.

A police officer stopped them. "Mr. Jordan, I need to ask you some questions."

"Go ahead," replied Mortimer.

"Where have you been for the past twelve hours?"

"Up until three hours ago, I was in Geneva," Mortimer began.

"Then you're under arrest!"

"What?" Zack and Ivy cried.

"On what charge?" asked Carmen

The police officer replied coldly, "A jewelry store in Geneva was robbed
three hours ago. Someone saw Mortimer there. It's simple logic. Rob the store
and take three hours to come back."

"But is there any concrete proof?" Carmen pressed.

"Well, he was in the area," Ivy said flatly.

"And he was alone at the time...." Zack added. He began to doubt the
situation. Did Mortimer really rob the shop? Why would he?

A second police officer entered the room. "There were exactly 25 loose
diamonds taken. We found these in the suspect's room--under the Columbia
University diploma."

"How many are in that bag?" asked the first.

"Twenty-five,"answered the second.

"Mortimer! How could you?" Ivy cried.

Mortimer didn't answer--only stared blankly at the bag of stones.

"Mortimer Jordan, you are under arrest. You have to the right to remain
silent..."

To be continued.......