Mortimer looked at Zack and Carmen. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys and threw them on the table. "Go, before Lee gets back!" On the roof, Lee prepared to step on Ivy's slipping fingers. Ivy struggled to hold on. "This isn't the end, Lee Jordan! You might stop me, but there'll be others to take my place." "You mean your little brother? Consider him-" Lee was cut off by a loud crash. He spun around to face Carmen and Zack. "So, you two got past Mortimer? Figures. And he calls himself Public Enemy Number One material." Ivy gave a loud sigh, as she managed to swing one leg on the ledge and pull herself back on the roof. She pulled out a small device and dropped it down Lee's collar. Lee back away from the trio. He ran down the fire escape stairs. Ivy glanced at her allies. "Not to worry. I put a homing device on Lee. We'll be able to track him wherever he goes." She pulled out a tracking box. "It looks like he's going to the airport." Carmen spoke up. "I've got an idea. It's risky, but it just might work. We've got to get there before Lee does." At Portland airport, Lee slipped into one of the hangars. There was a single plane there. Lee tiptoed to it and slipped in the cockpit. He started the engine. Zack, Ivy, and Carmen walked into the hangar. "You again?" Lee called. "You're too late!" He flipped the switch. The plane stalled. "What the-" "Oh, Lee," Zack called. "I believe you need this to fly your plane!" He drew an engine part from his jacket. Lee glared. He attempted to open the door, but he couldn't. "By the way, Lee, we sort of redesigned your lock," Carmen explained. "Once it's locked, it stays locked." The door to the hangar opened. Mortimer came in. He held out his wrists. "I surrender.I really fell out of line this time. We can be blind we don't think straight. And I haven't been thinking straight. Just take me to prison. Lock me in a jail cell for the rest of my life....I deserve it." Ivy took out her handcuffs and locked Mortimer's wrists. "Are you crazy?" Lee screeched. "You're flat broke! You can't even make bail!" "I don't care!" Mortimer answered. Lee glared from inside the plane. "Mortimer, my cousin, you really put the botch on it this time!" Zack and Ivy gasped at the word: cousin. Carmen had a different reaction. "Stop it, Lee! I stole things for you when you held Avalon hostage! Just leave him alone!" While Carmen was lecturing, Ivy signaled the Chief. She explained the situation. The Chief thought a moment. Then he said, "I've got an idea! Why can't Mortimer join Acme? It's not like he poses a threat." Mortimer looked surprised. "Excuse me?" "Take it or leave it," the Chief replied. "Don't accept it, Mortimer." Carmen called. "There's more opportunity elsewhere. You're a good thief, if you've escaped authorities for so long. There's always a position at VILE for the taking. Think of it this way: after all the years we've spent, how could we make amends?" "What?" Lee screamed. Carmen glared at Lee. "You weren't up to the challenge." "Carmen's right." Ivy quipped. "You were nothing but a no-talent, lowlying-" Lee turned red. "Don't say it!" "Common criminal," Zack finished. Lee slumped in his plane seat. "AAAAAHHHH!" The Chief ignored and announced, "And now, the verdict!" He began imitating a drumroll. "Watch him take Carmen's offer," Ivy whispered to Zack. "I'm joining Acme," Mortimer said. "Thank you for the opportunity." "What?!" Ivy screamed. "Man, I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop," Lee muttered in his seat. "Take it easy, sis," Zack whispered to Ivy. "So we can sit and watch as history repeats itself? He's going to repeat that crazy stunt his cousin pulled!" Ivy hissed back. Zack shivered. "Please don't let that happen to us." The Chief coughed. "Got an idea for ya, Carmen. Rejoin Acme! And we'll all be together! In an occupational gathering sort of.....way." "That's really sweet of you, Chief," Carmen said. "But I really must be going," She raised her sleeve and pressed a small button on a wristband. A rope flew out, and lifted Carmen out of the hangar. She went through the open skylight, and was gone. The Chief quaked. "Ivy, unlock the handcuffs." "But, Chief-" "Unlock them! Mortimer is now your colleague!" "Oh, fine!" Ivy pulled out her keys and removed the handcuffs. Mortimer sighed. "It's going to take some time to restore my reputation. And I promise I won't be so blind next time." The Chief looked on. "Say, Mortimer. Can I call you Mortie?" "Sure, that's fine." "Ahem." Ivy coughed. "Isn't it time for us to go now?" Zack agreed. "Right. And we better get some armed guards to escort Lee back to jail." The three detectives left for headquarters. Lee was still trapped in the plane. "I will get you. Mark my words!" At Headquarters, Zack, Ivy, and Mortimer sat in the control room. The Chief floated in his window. "Say, Mortie?" the Chief asked. "Mind I ask you something?" "Sure, Chief," Mortimer answered. "Why did you become a crook?" "I was hoping you wouldn't ask me about that. It's the shame of my life. When I was in college, I ran a small electronics store in New York with my friend, Roger Dellaway. We used our profits to pay off our student loans. Well, business went bad, and we were forced to sell. Roger returned to his family in Missouri. But I couldn't return home. I was desperate for money to rent an apartment, and live on my own. So I robbed a bank, expecting to get caught. But I wasn't. So I kept commiting crime after crime, to pay of my bills." Ivy cut in. "Tell us exactly how you robbed the bank. Omit nothing." Mortimer shook. "All right. I made sure all the employees had gone home. I borrowed bowling shoes from my neighbor, so I wouldn't leave treads in the ground. I also borrowed a pair of gloves, so I wouldn't leave fingerprints. I broke in using a skeleton key. I fixed the surveillance cameras to show earlier footage of the bank rooms, so anyone watching would think that no one was there. I emptied the tills, rather than force open the vaults. I replaced the tills with counterfeit money so now one would notice the missing money until a teller examined it." "Good golly, Mortimer, you're a walking blueprint for bank robberies," Zack called. Ivy whispered in her brother's ear, "Little bro, I'm going to pick on Mortimer as much as possible." Zack groaned softly. We have a long, long road ahead of us, he thought silently. (End) [To be Continued in next story]