After seeing the news broadcast, Shirley called Bo and told him
to meet her at the Hewitts' house. Telling her family that Blake
needed to see her about some homework, Shirley took off on her bike for
Blake's house. During the trip, Shirley wondered if her mother had
smiled at her when she mentioned Blake.
Shirley arrived first at the Hewitts' house and met with Blake
in his room. A few minutes later, Bo arrived. Rosa, the Hewitts'
maid, showed Bo to Blake's room.
"Okay, why was I told to come here while I was helping my parents at the store?" Bo asked his friends.
"I take it you didn't catch the news?" Shirley asked.
"Sorry. I've been too busy having fun gutting fish," Bo said.
"We can tell," Blake said, sniffing. He waved the air away from his nose. "No offense, Bo, but you really reek of fish."
"Well, I was told to get over here ASAP," Bo said. "No time for a shower." He looked at Shirley and Blake. "So, why are we all here?"
"In nine words, the Establishment for Nefarious, Insidious, Global,
and Malevolent Acts," Shirley said.
Bo blinked. "What?"
"Try ENIGMA," Blake said. "Remember them?"
"You mean the masked bad guys who send riddles and who stole the
Mona Lisa and nearly killed your dad, not to mention us?" Bo said.
"I do, but aren't they supposed to be gone?"
"Dad believe that ENIGMA went into hiding after we stopped them from selling the Mona Lisa," Blake said. "They were never gone for good, I'm sorry to say."
"Okay, so ENIGMA's back. What do they have to do with anything?" Bo asked.
"ENIGMA's responsible for Molly's kidnapping," Shirley said matter-of-factly.
Blake showed Bo a piece of paper. "My dad just read ENIGMA's
demands on live TV a while ago. This is a copy he managed to fax
to me without
being noticed."
Bo read the paper. "'A red circle representing a right in exchange for a golden child. Contact BIG FIRE for more information.'" He put the paper down. "Okay, what does it all mean?"
"It's a ransom note. So far, Dad's figured out that 'golden child' means Molly." Blake shrugged. "The rest is still a big mystery."
Shirley looked at the note. "So ENIGMA's kidnapped Molly in order to obtain a red circle representing a right."
"A red circle representing a right?" Bo was puzzled. "What the heck is that?"
Shirley realized what the answer was and snapped her finger. "The ruby ring!"
"The what?" Blake asked, confused.
"ENIGMA's after the ruby ring Molly once lent to Sussex Academy during the student council elections," Shirley explained.
"I remember," Bo said. "Molly stole it and she later tried
to pin the theft on you."
"So what is the right this ring represents?" Blake asked.
"The right to vote," Shirley answered. "King John wore the ring at the signing of the Magna Carta."
"Okay, so ENIGMA will release Molly if they get the ruby ring," Bo said, piecing it all together. "What does ENIGMA want with a ruby ring?"
"They don't," Shirley said. "ENIGMA's essentially a mercenary operation. Someone paid them to get the ring."
"What about BIG FIRE?" Blake asked.
Bo offered his input. "Maybe it's a code name or a place."
"There is no place in Redington called Big Fire," Blake said, shaking his head.
"Actually, that's the simplest part of the puzzle. I'm amazed we're discussing it last," Shirley said. "It's a phone number."
"A phone number? Of course!" Bo slapped his forehead. "They always do that in commercials. How could I have missed that?"
Blake went to his computer and brought up a window with a blank
form.
"BIG FIRE would be 244-3473, right?"
"That's right," Shirley said.
"Blake, what are you doing?" Bo asked curiously.
"I'm going to try to identify the place that has that number," Blake explained as he typed data into the form. "I wrote a program for that task, and that's what I'm running right now."
Shirley and Bo got up to watch. "Why did you create this program?" Bo asked.
"I was bored one day," Blake simply said.
They all looked at the screen. The program reported that
for the city of Redington, there was no place that had the number 244-3473.
"Well, this is bad," Blake remarked.
"Define 'bad,'" Bo asked.
"This number is nonexistent and untraceable," Shirley said. "Phone tracing equipment wouldn't work."
"Maybe it's a number for somewhere else in another city?" Bo asked.
"I doubt it," Shirley said. "ENIGMA is more likely holding Molly somewhere in Redington."
"At least we know what the note essentially says," Blake pointed out.
"Give us the Magna Carta ruby ring and we'll release Molly Hardy. Call us at 244-3473."
Shirley thought for a moment. "Can we see your dad tonight, Blake?"
"Actually, he wants to see all of us tomorrow morning at his office," Blake revealed. "He wants our feedback on this."
"Well, Blake, he's going to get it," Shirley said.
Saturday morning, Shirley and Bo rode their bikes to the police
station to see Inspector Hewitt. Blake was outside waiting for them.
Blake grinned upon seeing them. "Nice look, guys."
Both Shirley and Bo were in disguise. Shirley was wearing yellow-tinted glasses, a red beret, and a long, red wig. Bo was wearing blue-framed sunglasses and a spiky, purple wig.
"I feel so ridiculous," Bo complained, grumbling.
"Well, we don't want Tremain to recognize us," Shirley said. "I can't be effective as a detective if people recognize me."
They all entered the police station. Blake led the way to his father's office. Bo noticed the looks they got from the police officers they passed. "They're staring at us," Bo whispered to Shirley.
"Ignore them," Shirley whispered back.
They made it to Inspector Hewitt's office. Blake went in first, then Shirley and Bo. Inspector Hewitt was surprised at first, but when Shirley said "hello," he knew for sure who they were.
"I must say, Shirley, you really don't want anyone to recognize you," Inspector Hewitt commented, looking over the young detective.
"Tremain and I have had a few encounters. If he recognized me, he'd probably try to stop me," Shirley explained.
Inspector Hewitt got up from his desk. "You've seen the newspaper yet?"
"I have," Shirley said. "The top headline was 'ENIGMA IMPLICATED IN HARDY KIDNAPPING.'"
Inspector Hewitt nodded. "Since I'm the only one here who's
ever encountered ENIGMA, I've been officially assigned to the Hardy case."
He grinned a little. "Detective Tremain wasn't exactly thrilled,
but he's willing to take any help."
"We've managed to solve the puzzle," Shirley announced.
"That's the best news I've heard so far," Inspector Hewitt said, relieved. "That thing's got almost everyone stumped."
"ENIGMA wants a ruby ring in possession of the Hardy family,"
Shirley said. "The Magna Carta ruby ring."
"They'll release Molly if they get the ruby ring," Bo added.
Inspector Hewitt picked up a piece of paper from his desk. It was the ENIGMA puzzle. "What about 'BIG FIRE?'" he asked, looking at the puzzle.
"It's a phone number," Blake said. "244-3473."
Inspector Hewitt paced around his office. "Well, Detective Tremain will appreciate this information. I sure do. Thanks, guys."
"Just trying to help," Bo said.
"There's one thing that's been bothering me, though," Shirley admitted. "If ENIGMA wanted the ruby ring, why didn't they just steal it?"
Inspector Hewitt thought for a moment. "I really don't know, Shirley. Despite the recent investigations into ENIGMA, we have little information about it save the stuff I learned."
At that moment, the door flew open and Detective Tremain came
in. He was about to say something when he saw Shirley, Bo, and Blake.
"Hewitt, who are these kids?" he demanded.
"Oh, my son wanted to show two of his friends where I work," Inspector Hewitt answered, smiling.
Detective Tremain studied Shirley and Bo closely. "Have we met before?" he asked them.
"Doubtful," Shirley said, sounding tough.
"Nope," Bo said, shaking his head.
Detective Tremain shrugged. "Sorry. You guys just looked familiar."
Inspector Hewitt walked up to Detective Tremain. "Now, Detective, how may I help you?" he asked politely.
Detective Tremain cleared his throat. "The rest of us can't figure out what ENIGMA's demands are." He shifted his feet. "I take it you're having better luck?"
"As a matter of fact, I've already figured it out," Inspector Hewitt declared.
"Really?" Detective Tremain gave a questionable look at Inspector Hewitt. "Well, what does ENIGMA want?"
Inspector Hewitt was about to answer when an officer opened the door and peeked into the room. "I hate to bother you, but some lawyer just arrived. Says he's a representative of the Hardys."
"Show him in," Detective Tremain ordered.
The officer left, and a man carrying a brown briefcase entered
the office. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had well-trimmed black
hair.
He looked at the two policeman, then at Shirley and her friends.
"Uh, don't mind us," Shirley told the newcomer.
"Don't worry about my son and his friends," Inspector Hewitt reassured the man. "They're just here to see me work."
"I guess it's okay," the man said. "As long as they don't say anything and promise not to reveal anything that happens in here, they can stay."
"We promise," Shirley, Bo, and Blake said in unison innocently.
"Okay, who are you and what do you want?" Detective Tremain asked the man.
The man straightened out his necktie. "My name is Henry
Mortson, and I am a legal representative of the Hardy family." He
looked sideways at Shirley and her friends, then continued talking.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hardy contacted me to check on the situation concerning their
daughter because they seem to be stuck in New York." He adjusted
his glasses.
"Have the police made any progress?"
"Actually, we have," Detective Tremain said, looking at Inspector Hewitt.
Inspector Hewitt understood Detective Tremain's cue. "We've concluded that Molly Hardy has been kidnapped by the ENIGMA organization."
"Why?" Mortson asked.
"ENIGMA wants the Magna Carta ruby ring," Inspector Hewitt explained.
"They'll trade Molly for the ring."
"I've heard of this ENIGMA group," Mortson said. "They're a group of mercenaries, correct?"
"They are," Inspector Hewitt confirmed.
"Did they leave any instructions concerning the release of Miss Hardy?" Mortson inquired.
"They left us a number to contact them," Inspector Hewitt replied. "244-3473."
"I see," Mortson said. "Have you contacted ENIGMA yet?"
"Not yet," Detective Tremain said. "We just figured everything out."
Mortson thought for a moment. "Mr. Hardy has given me authority over this matter. I can get the ruby ring and then you can call ENIGMA."
Detective Tremain nodded. "Agreed. We'll make the call later. We need to get some tracing equipment ready."
"Very good, gentlemen." Mortson opened the door. "I believe the ruby ring was donated to the museum for a week. I'll go there and get it. I'll call you when I have it."
Mortson was about to leave when Detective Tremain stopped him. "I'll come with you. I have an idea to make sure we get both the Hardy girl and the ring back."
"If you insist, Detective," Mortson said.
"Get everything ready while I'm gone," Detective Tremain told Inspector Hewitt as he left the office with Mortson.
Inspector Hewitt addressed his son and his friends. "Thanks for your help, guys, but it's time for the police to do its job."
Blake stepped up to his father. "Okay, Dad," he said, patting
Inspector Hewitt on his shoulder. "I'll see you later at home."
"Okay, son. Take care."
Blake led Shirley and Bo out of the office and the police station. As they were mounting their bikes, Shirley asked, "Well, Blake?"
Blake grinned. "The bug's been placed on Dad. We'll be able to listen in when the police call ENIGMA."
"Are you sure this'll work?" Bo asked Shirley.
"It has to, Bo," Shirley said, putting on her helmet. "It has to."
END OF PART FIVE