Note: I am using the lines from "Band of Gold" without permission. They just
seemed to apply to Carmen in the section.

It was exactly 1:15 the next day. Zack was at his house. There was a knock at
the door. He went to answer it.

"Christine!" the detective said with surprise.

"I'm so sorry," Christine replied

"For what? Please, come in."

Christine sighed. "Remember the photo shoot yesterday? Well, 'Nature World'
received the pictures last night. They loved them."

"That's great."

"Yes, I suppose it is." Christine answered. She nervously began moving puzzle
pieces around the table. "But the magazine wants me to join their main photo
team,"

"That's wonderful. You'll be the first fourteen year old in the staff." Zack
commented.

"They want me to move to Atlanta. Post-haste." Christine said, letting the
bomb drop.

"Atlanta? Now?"

"The cab is waiting outside. It's going to take me to the airport."

Zack said the first thing he could think of. "Didn't Sherman burn Atlanta to
the ground?"

"That was during the Civil War, over a hundred years ago. I'm sure they've
rebuilt it by now. Bye, Zack."

"Bye, Christine."

Christine departed. Zack sank down on the couch to continue work on the
jigsaw puzzle. There was something different. Some of the pieces had been
turned over.
Christine had arranged them before she left. Zack began putting pieces
together.

Across the city, Martin and Carmen were in the middle of their second date.
"Most people look at the fact that I'm a thief as a flaw," Carmen commented.
"Especially the detectives and the Chief.

"Well, I don't. You said that you do it for challenges." Martin answered.

"I suppose so," Carmen answered.

Martin breathed in. This was going to take nerve on his part.

Zack had nearly finished the jigsaw puzzle. He suddenly got an incoming
signal on his communicator. "Hello? Oh, hi Tatyanna. How was your morning?
What?!"

"I'm not joking." Tatyanna declared. "Carmen and her new boyfriend are at the
Rosebud Cafe and he's holding a diamond ring!"

"I'll be right there!"

At the cafe, Carmen stared at the ring with incredulity. She could barely
believe it. Had she just been proposed to? "Is this something I have to
decide right now?"

"Take all the time you need. If you think this is too hasty, I understand."

"Thank you." As soon as Carmen finished speaking, Zack and Tatyanna walked up
to the table. "These are two of the detectives who pursue me," she added
quickly.

"Sorry to interrupt your date," Tatyanna began.

"Tatyanna, meet Dr. Martin Shapiro," Carmen said.

Zack glanced at the ring. "Where on Earth is Carmen Shapiro? Sorry, Carmen.
It just doesn't sound the same."

"I- I can't stay," Carmen said shakily. She rose from her chair and left.

Tatyanna stared at Martin in disbelief. "You're the only one I've met who
could date a thief,"

"I can look past that," was the reply. "I need to go. I'm need to go to an
appointment, and I can't keep the patient waiting. With that, he left the two
shocked detectives in the restaurant.

Carmen was seated at the cafe counter. "A cup of tea," she requested. The
order was soon filled. The master thief lifted her teacup. "Here's to, here's
to" she noticed another woman her age seated next to her. "Here's to you. May
your life be less complicated than mine."

"Thank you," the woman answered. "And may your death be less painful than
mine."

"Excuse me?"

The counter tender handed the second woman a slip of paper. "And here's your
receipt, Ms. Anderson."

Ms. Anderson got a better look at Carmen. "You're that great thief, Carmen
Sandiego, aren't you?"

"Yes. And who are you?"

"Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself. I'm Francesca Anderson, better
known to you as the late Mrs. Shapiro."

Carmen nearly spat out her tea. "But you're dead!"

"Correct."

Carmen nearly choked. She had been proposed to, and now she was confronting
Martin's ex-wife? This wasn't her day. "I can't stay long" she said. she then
paid for her tea and left the restaurant, still somewhat dizzy over the whole
thing. She hailed a cab. "ACME Headquarters," she told the driver. She
sighed. 'I have to talk to the Chief about this,' she thought. The familiar
words of a song came to her.
Since you've been gone, all that's left is a band of gold....
A mother's love I've never known....
All the dreams I hold....
Now I sit in my lonely room....

In ACME Headquarters, Zack, Ivy, and Josha were seated, talking to the Chief
about their dates. Carmen slipped in unnoticed.

"Frederick gave me this letter," Ivy produced the piece of stationary.

Josha took it. Taking care not to read the contents, he examined the
penmanship. "He has the handwriting of a psychopath!"

Ivy snatched it back. "He does not!"

"He does. Big loops," Josha proclaimed.

Carmen coughed. Everyone in the room noticed her. She looked at the note over
Ivy's shoulder. "Sara Bellum uses big loops. And she crosses her T's in a
downward slant which indicates aggression."

The Chief laughed.

Zack spoke up. "Who besides me thinks we should put a two-way lock on Sara's
bedroom door?"

Everybody laughed at this.

Just then, the door opened. Antithesis walked in, escorted by Tatyanna.
Carmen and Zack both cringed. "How bad are they?" Carmen whispered.

"Everytime those two get in a room together, I'm surprised that both actually
come out alive." Zack whispered back.

"Who?" Tatyanna wondered.

"I'll explain later," Zack answered.

Tatyanna left the room.

"Where's your date?" Ivy asked, voice dripping with scorn.

"I might ask you the same thing." Antithesis flippantly retorted.

"I asked you first!"

"I dumped Lee yesterday," Antithesis stated.

Ivy's look softened. "Sorry you had such a bad time,"

"I didn't have such a bad time. Actually, I enjoyed the date."

"Then why you dump him?" Ivy asked, barely believing what she heard. "And
where is he now?"

Nobody knew.

"I would never date a guy you hated. What do you think? I'm going to start a
family feud?"
Antithesis questioned. "Um, Ivy? May I borrow some of the clothes in your
closet?"

"Oh, you want that frilly number? Sure. Just make sure you look in the very
back!" was Ivy's answer. It would be better off owned by Antithesis than
owned by her, she figured. "One other thing, Anti. Mind if I borrow your
gloves? I'm going on another date with Frederick and his hands are cold for
some reason."

"Oh sure." Antithesis slipped off her gloves and handed them to her cousin.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to ballet rehearsal. I'm playing
Swanilda in "Coppelia". She left quickly.

Ballet. Carmen almost smiled. "Can barely contain my amazement."

"Wow, Antithesis has really lightened up recently," Zack commented to his
sister.

Ivy agreed. "In the old days, she definitely would have become Mrs. Jordan!"

Both siblings stopped to shudder at the awful prospect.

Tatyanna reentered. "We have another guest." With that, she led Frederick in
the room.

Josha stiffened.  "And if it isn't-"

"Uh, Josha? Can I see you in the hall?" Zack asked, cutting the inventor's
sentence off.
The two detectives went into the hall. "Will you knock it off?"

"I'm sorry, Zack. I can't help it."

"Josha, could you sink so low as to be jealous of Frederick?"

The only response was, "Where's Carmen?"

Zack glanced back into the room. "She's gone. She must have snuck out the
back way while you were giving Frederick the cold treatment."

The two detectives walked back in the room. Ivy and Frederick were already
gone.

"I can't help it, Zack. There's something about Frederick I don't
trust......" were Josha's only words.