Jennifer wore a tank top and shorts. She hated wearing a vest underneath her shirt. She felt extremely hot. But when Nicki talked to them all, it was near to frightening. It must have been serious. Daniel and Jeremy waited with her, wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts. Nicki finally arrived.
“Well?” They all asked him.
“Someone doesn’t want us to work on this case. Why? Well, a random person would not throw a rock at my window and write be a note, telling us all not to go to the Wisemans’ house and telling the TCT not to work on this case, huh?” Jennifer gasped.
“Are you alright?” He gave her a smile.
“A rock is not going to stop me from solving this case. Have the supplies?” They all nodded. “Camera?” Jennifer handed him a digital camera.
“It’s the Sony Nex digital Camera with sixteen point one megapixels. Twenty-first century isn’t a bad place to live for Detectives, hmm?” Nicki smiled at her and placed the camera around his neck.
“Yes. Now, let’s go see some ghosts.”
  The house was a gray four-story house with crows around it, dead grass and the once beautiful garden contained only dandelions and tall, uncut grass. The trees had all been chopped down, right to their branches. Nicki looked around and snapped some pictures. They walked up the steps and stood in front of the wooden door. Daniel held out his right fist to knock on the door, but it opened by itself. Jennifer quickly took a step back. But the boys entered. She walked behind her boyfriend.
  The place inside had wonderful furniture. Well, it would have been wonderful if not for the piles of dust and cloth covering it. The place looked like a filthy home to live in. Nobody would want to sell this dump…or even buy it.
“Where did they die again?” Daniel asked enthusiastically. Jeremy scowled at him.
“Have some respect, Daniel! They were murdered!” Jennifer and Nicki rolled their eyes.
“In the living room,” Jennifer muttered.
  Nicki walked into the living room and found chalk drawn on the ground of where Mr. and Mrs. Wisemans must have once been, murdered without knowing what happened to their children. Nicki took a picture of the chalk drawings. Nicki sighed.
“We need more clues. Daniel and Jeremy, go upstairs and find anything you can.”
“Money and Jewelry?” Daniel said hopefully.
“Clues, Daniel!” Jeremy bellowed. He dragged him upstairs.
  Jennifer shook her head.
“They were a perfect family. Why would anybody want to hurt them? Who?”
“That’s where we come in, Jennifer.” Nicki said hopefully, still bent over the chalk frames of the late Wisemans’. “We’ll find them, don’t worry.” She smiled.
“I’m never doubting you, believe me.” He looked up and smiled at her.
“Thanks, Jennifer.” He got up. “I just wonder where the children are.”
“Do you think they’re alive still, Nicki?” He shook his head.
“I don’t have one hope of that, sadly.” He said quietly. “Can you blame me?” Jennifer shook her head.
“But…it’s just so cruel! What did the Wisemans ever do?” Nicki shrugged.
“Nothing, probably. What did the Kennedys do? Why did they die? Just because.”
  Then, they heard a terrible BANG sound from across the hall. Jennifer quickly grabbed Nicki’s hand.
“Daniel? Jeremy?” She squealed. Nicki’s expression darkened.
“They’re upstairs. We’re the only ones down here, Jennifer.”
   Nicki started to walk forward with Jennifer holding his hand so tightly, it was completely white. Then, Nicki saw a boy run to the backdoor. “Hey!” Nicki called out. He let go of Jennifer’s hand and followed the boy outside.
  Jennifer was completely alone. She was frightened. Who was her boyfriend after? Who he hurt him? What would happen to Nicki?
“Daniel! Jeremy! Get down here!” She screamed. They quickly came down. “They was someone else in the house! Nicki went after him!”
  Nicki ran with speed. He thanked himself for being so fit to run a couple of blocks until the Santa Barbara afternoon rush hid the boy with the crowd. Nicki panted hard, covered with sweat. He placed his hands on his knees. He had gotten away. Luckily for Nicki, he had took a couple of photos of the boy as he ran. Nicki turned back the other way and ran towards his Mates.
  Nicki met his friends outside the Wisemans house.
“I…lost him...too fast…crowd.” Jennifer sighed.
“Get a description?”
“No need…pictures.” He handed over the camera. Jennifer nodded.
“Let’s get these developed. We might have a few clues.”
  Nicki told his friends to go home. They would continue with this all tomorrow. Nicki and Jennifer took the camera to the nearest shop, inserted the SD card and developed the pictures of their hunt of the Wisemans killer. “I didn’t think anybody else would be there.” Jennifer whispered to Nicki. He held her hand and smiled.
“It’s alright.”
“I thought something might have happened to you. I was ready to call the police, Nicki.” He laughed.
“I’m alright.” He bought them both ice cream and walked while analyzing the pictures. Most of them were blurry from the chase. But then, Nicki spotted one with the boy turning around. His face beaded with sweat and his eyes widened. The face of a criminals? Thought Nicki. He had short-cropped black hair and dark eyes. He was young, probably in his early twenties. But who was he, thought Nicki.
“Criminal or innocent?” Jennifer asked as she licked her pineapple ice bar.
“Hard to tell. Wide eyes, sweat and pale face. Seems to me as if he wasn’t intending to get caught.”
“What are you saying?” Jennifer asked him. He took a bite from his fudge bar.
“I think…that someone wanted us there to solve the case. Someone is helping us. The real question is, who is it and are they related to the Wisemans in anyway?” Jennifer took the photo and studied the boy.
“He does seem pretty scared. Maybe we scared him.”
“Or he scared himself when he made all that commotion.” Nicki added.
“So, he was spying on us while we worked?”
“Trying to see if we were worthy for this case?” Nicki questioned. Jennifer sighed.
“This is a handful.” Nicki nodded.
“Giving up?” He asked. She grinned as she finished her ice bar and threw it in the garbage. As did Nicki.
“Never.” She whispered. They crossed an empty street. Yet. Once beautiful house stood there. Jennifer’s house. She placed her hand behind his head and drew his lips to her. They sealed the day with a long kiss. Nicki could nearly taste her pineapple ice bar. She patted his cheek. “Stay safe, got it?” He kissed her again.
“Got it.” And she left him with a good-bye wave and a door slam.
  Nicki went home and pinned the photos on the CASE BOARD. Any case they were working on and its clues would be posted on the large pin boards. He wrote in large letters on a piece of paper, WISEMANS CASE, and pinned it to the top. He added the picture of the boy, the pictures of the chalk frame bodies and the house itself. Nicki crossed his arm. Not bad for the first two days, he thought. But he wanted to find more, why shouldn’t he? Of course he wanted to solve the case to find the children.
  He shuddered. He watched crime shows since he was three. Yet, seeing a dead body in person, especially young children did not seem very amusing to him. He started to feel sick to his stomach. He couldn’t handle the fact that this case was what he wanted to work on. He went to his room, ignoring the whole case for the moment.
  He went downstairs for dinner. His parents were gone. “Where are Mom and Dad?” He saw his siblings actually getting ready.
“Did we forget to tell you? They made a sculpture that they are displaying in the Art Museum today. We’re going as well. How about you?” He shook his head.
“No, thank you. I feel like staying home.”
“Be careful.”
“Be safe.” They said good-bye to Nicki and left. “Oh!” Jeanette quickly said. “There are some finger sandwiches in the fridge.” He smiled.
“Thanks.” She nodded and left.
  Nicki took out the sandwiches and ate them with pleasure. They were excellent. He ate while he stared at his window. It was repaired. But for how long, he thought. He decided to call Jennifer. He needed to hear someone’s voice. He called her, but his phone displayed a message that there was no signal. He scratched his house. Ho could there not be any signal? He went downstairs and tried the home phone. It turned up engaged. He shook his head.
“What the hell…” He muttered. Then, the lights went off.
  Nicki opened the door and looked around. The other houses lights were on, what was wrong with his house? He grabbed a flashlight and went behind the house towards the power box. He opened it up. Someone had just closed the lights. He snapped them all open. Nothing. He started to panic. What was happening? He snapped every light on, but nothing happened. He called ADT.
“ADT. How may we help you?”
“My house just had a power outage and I went over to the power box, but nothing seems to be working.”
“Hmm, it seems as if your whole system shut down. We’ll sent someone over to fix the problem.”
“Thanks.”
  Nicki found himself with an ADT member. It had been nearly an hour of chaotic drama of figuring out that nothing was wrong. Nicki was about to give up and tell the man to go home when he finally did something that let the house explode with light.
“A few cut wires.”
“Why would someone want to cut my houses wires?” He shrugged.
“Teens. What are you going to do? Have a good night, sir.”
“You too.” But Nicki was going to have anything but a good night.
  As he walked inside, he found a package by the door. He looked around. Nobody was around. He picked it up and went inside, slamming the door behind him. He took a knife and sliced open the tape with a nice clean cut. The box contained a laptop. Nicki felt that if he didn’t open it, he would be stuck with a million questions, as well with a headache.
  He opened the laptop. A Skype video call activated up. Nicki clicked it. The screen showed a dark background with the shadow of a person.
“Hello, Nicholas Williams. How are you?”
“Confused.” He admitted. The man chuckled softly.
“I would be too. But I am here to merely help.”
“So why not show yourself to me?”
“Because of the criminal, Nicki. Come on, your smart enough to know that.” He was from America, Nicki noted. He kept that in mind.
“Are you the boy I was chasing?” He fell quiet. He twisted in his chair uncomfortably.
“You were not supposed to see me.” he admitted in a clipped voice.
“We could have talked in private.” He shook his head.
“Private does not exist anymore.”
“And the rock?”
“That…was not me.” Nicki fell quiet this time. “Nicki, you are the leader of the TCT. You found your great-grandfather’s treasure. You have more experience in any of this Detective stuff than any of your friends. Understand me when I tell you I am in danger. I need your help. But not only that, you are in danger. This man will do anything to keep his crime a secret.” Nicki paused. This boy had just sent him a laptop with his dark face in front of the screen. But Nicki had a small idea of who this boy looked like.
“At least tell me who you are. How are you related to the Wisemans? Are you a Wisemans yourself?” Nicki saw him lower his head.
“Aunt Katherine and Uncle Alex. Yeah…I know them. I want to help find out who killed them and where their children are…my cousins.” Nicki’s eyes widened.
“You’re their nephew? They have an extended family?” Nicki could almost see him smile.
“You are smart, Williams. But yes. The real question is, who is the killer?”
“The million dollar question.” Nicki muttered. The boy laughed. “But do you know the murderer? Any ideas?”
“My parents did.” He said harshly. “You know what happened to be them and my older sister? Murdered! I escaped. I tried to tell the police, but thought against it. I told a neighbor and ran away from San Diego. Heard about a young boy and his adventure of figuring out lost treasure. Then, your agency spread across the city pretty quickly. It was on the news a couple of times. Ever got an interview?” Nicki smiled.
“Hoping we do.”
“So I thought, why not go to some people with experience? Police, damn them! Sent your girlfriend information and got you hooked. Unfortunately, the murderer tracked me down in a matter of weeks.”
“When was your family murdered again?”
“Two weeks ago. That bastards going to pay!”
“Any information about the criminal? Any at all?”
“He calls himself, The Joker. Get it? From Batman? His sign is a Joker card. He left me quite a few. I quickly escaped.”
“Let us help you. Let me help you. I can help you, really.”
“I know you can. But I can’t reveal myself, not yet. I’ll contact you soon about more information, alright?” Nicki nodded.
“Wait! What about my houses power outage?”
“Hey, a man’s gotta have some fun with this!” And he hung up.

Nicki summoned an emergency and urgent meeting. He called his friends over. While he waited, he filled in his board. He pinned the name, The Joker, with a card of the exact name. He captured a photo of the laptop and posted that up and drew a line with the boy who he had met earlier with the Wisemans and wrote, Nephew. His friends came. He smiled and filled them in on the adventure they missed.
  Jennifer was the first one to respond.
“Are you actually believing this?” She asked.
“Why shouldn’t I? The poor boys family was murdered! We have to help him!”
“Nicki, slow down. What if he is the murderer? Who trusts people who sends packages with video calls waiting and cuts your houses powers? You actually trust this guy?” Daniel admitted. Nicki threw his arms up in the air.
“He’s asking for our help! Are you really going to deny that?” Jeremy got up.
“Hold up. Let me see the note, rock, and the laptop. Maybe I could find some fingerprints.” Nicki handed the objects over. “Give me five minutes. I’ll try and get something.”
  Nicki laid back in his chair, staring at the boy with the wild eyes and the tousled hair. He must be the victim. He must be the nephew of the Wisemans. But who was he? So many questions, what little answers to get from such little clues. Nicki only wished some more information would have been given to him so he could put all the puzzle pieces together. If only that was how life worked, he thought.
  A couple minutes later, Jeremy sighed. “These men’s must have been very careful. They might have used gloves. No prints found.”
“Men’s or men, Jeremy.” Daniel reminded him.
“This boy is a victim. Are we just going to stand around and accuse him?” Nicki exclaimed. Jennifer got up.
“Nicki, I know you want to help him. We all do. But let us all agree that we wouldn’t jump into conclusions until we have more facts, agreed?” She asked them all. Daniel and Jeremy nodded. Nicki crossed his arms. But reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. But I’ll prove it to you all.” He muttered. Jeremy got up and placed the stuff on Nicki’s desk.
“We need to find more clues. Any other ideas?” The laptop started to ring. Nicki smiled.
“I got one.”
  Daniel helped hook up the laptop to the Smart Board and the man’s face was still dark, yet enlarged.
“Ah, I see the entire group is here today. But not all of you seem to trust me, as I recall.” The others flushed while Nicki only cracked a smile.
“Webcam access?” The man shrugged.
“Gotta do something with my life. If you’re looking for more clues, I can help you all with that.” They all stared at the dark figure.
“How?” They all asked.
“Go back to the house and go upstairs into the basement. Answers lie there. But I also need some of you to go to the same store you got those photos developed. I have given you the support of giving you a few pictures. This is all I have to say for now. I must go. The Joker might find me. You must all believe me when I tell you I am in trouble.” His voice sounded nothing more than a whisper. “I think he’s outside.” And he logged off.
  They all looked at Nicholas skeptically.
“Don’t even think about it.” They all told him. He glared at them.
“You have got to be kidding! This boy is asking for our help!” Jennifer sighed.
“I’m going with Nicki to the house. You two get the photos. No further question. We go and get the clues. Take a weapon, be armed and alert and let’s meet back here in half an hour. No more or we call each other.” Jennifer grabbed Nicki and some equipment and dragged herself out with her Australian boyfriend.
  Nicki was smiling at Jennifer. But she ignored him.
“Ever tell you how lucky I am to have you?”
“Yeah, yeah.” She muttered. He kissed her cheek.
“Thank you.”
“We’re a team. If an idiot messes up, all of us idiots mess up.” Nicki cracked up.
  They both entered the house. Jennifer handled the camera while Nicki kept his hand on the butt of his Airsoft Gun. Jennifer had her Taser ready in her pocket, ready to burn someone right down to their bones. They opened a door and climbed down the stairs. The basement was dry and dark. It was very somber down in the basement, like a graveyard. Old boxes laid everywhere with pictures and old clothing. Nicki found a table with files piled up with a note on the front. FOR THE TCT.
  Jennifer went over to it first, Nicki followed and grabbed the files. Jennifer yelped,
“Nicki, no!” But it was too late. The string attached to one file broke and all hell broke loose.
  Jennifer saw the smoke quicker than Nicki did. She quickly covered her face with her arms. Nicki started to chock on the smoke and his eyes watered. Tear Gas. Nicki quickly pushed Jennifer out of the room and then himself.
  Jennifer didn’t seem harmed at all. She was glad that her parents had taught about natural instincts when things could go wrong. Unlike her boyfriend, he was on his knees, coughing. Jennifer hugged him tightly. She couldn’t think of anything else and she was panicking. She started to cry, and not because of the Tear Gas. Jennifer hugged him tighter. She didn’t want to let him go. Nicki finally hugged her back.
“That…bastard.” Jennifer laughed and held Nicki’s head in her hands. She quickly kissed him.
“You are the biggest idiot in the world.” He laughed softly, but it sounded painful.
“I know.”
    Jennifer helped him up and Nicki rubbed his eyes. “It’s even worse than shampoo getting in your eyes.” He admitted.
“Don’t rub them!”
“No, I’ll just let them burn, Jennifer.” He said sarcastically. She took out a napkin and wiped his tears.
“Just stop rubbing.” She said with a smile. He grinned.
“Yes, ma’am.” He grabbed the files and let Jennifer help him out of there. “Ever train at a base? They would use you?” She stared at him.
“You did.”
“I was nearly raised there. Back when my parents hated me, I would mostly stay with one of my Aunt and Uncle there. They trained me there.”
“How long did you stay there?”
“I think it was about eight years. Best eight years of my life. After that, my parents started bickering at me again.” Jennifer frowned.
“They love you, now.”
“I know. But…a little late, don’t you think.” He sighed. “But, who cares? I have them now, great Mates and you.” She smiled as she hugged his arm.
“Ditto.”
  Daniel and Jeremy held their breath when they saw the first picture. It was of a Joker card. They ignored the other pictures and ran to the TCT office.
  Nicki sat in his chair, looking through the files. They were of every neighbor, family member and friend they knew and was still alive. This was a very through summary of the Wisemans house.
“You do you think actually planted the Tear Gas?” Nicki asked, wiping his eyes with a damp towel.
“The Wiseman’s nephew or the murderer/kidnapper?” The door slammed open. Daniel and Jeremy were panting and sweating.
“Nicki! Jennifer! We’re in trouble!”
  Nicki took the Joker card picture and looked at it very carefully. This picture wasn’t just there to symbolize who this person was, but to tell them where he was at. He made it too obvious. The card was behind a sign that said, Los Padres National Park. Nicki sighed.
“Oh no.” He muttered. Whoever this person is, he is trying to get us to come here. The real question is, why?” The others remained quiet. Nicki tried and answered his own question. “Very obvious. Well…two answers appear in my mind. One…he’s leading us to the dead bodies of the children or two,” he allowed himself to pause. “He’s setting a trap for all of our funerals.”
  Jennifer’s eyes widened.
“What the hell does that mean?” She bellowed.
“Meaning, if we are out of the picture, we’ll be off the case for good, leaving him off the hook. And he knows the Wiseman’s nephew will never bother to show his face in public unless he wants to be killed. So we could find the bones or get killed…or even both!”
“Or maybe he’s the murderer/kidnapper.” Daniel muttered. But Nicholas ignored him.
“We’re going, that’s final. This is our case and we joined this agency to prove to the rest of the world that teenagers can solve a crime as well as any adult. That’s why we are here today, Mates.” He placed his hand in the center. “Who’s with me?” Jennifer was the first.
“Till the end.” She told him proudly. Daniel sighed.
“I guess I’m in. You’ll all be dead if not for me.” The others cracked a smile. Jeremy bit his bottom lip.
“Isn’t it going to be dangerous?” He asked.
“Of course! That’s the whole fun of it!” Daniel exclaimed. He sighed.
“You’re all wackos.” He said, placing his hand on top of the others. “But I guess that makes me a wacko as well.” Nicki smiled.
“Detectives, welcome to the breaking line of insanity, which breaks tomorrow. And we’re all going. Why? Because we’re going to prove to everyone, we are the wackos that solved a fifty year case without the help of adults. Us, teenagers.”
  They all went home. Tomorrow was a big day and that meant plenty of rest would be needed for their brains to function and process clues quickly. Jennifer found out her Aunt and Uncle had gone to an engineering convention, their works called. Jennifer told them she would stay over at Nicki’s house. He was more than pleased with that idea. His parents and siblings were out for a few days at an Art Museum in San Diego. So, Nicki had the whole house to himself.
  Nicki made them both dinner. Jennifer smiled.
“I never met someone who could cook as well as you do.” He smiled and shrugged.
“Call me old fashion.”
“Oh, no! I call it romantic.” Nicki felt color touch his cheeks.
“Why, thank you.”
They both sat at the dining table and ate. Nicki was mostly playing around with his food then eating it. Jennifer frowned.
“Lost your appetite?”
“Something like that.” He looked up. “I just wish I knew who sent that picture, who set the Tear Gas trap. Who is the real murderer/kidnapper? The Joker or the Wiseman’s nephew who is pretending to be the innocent victim?” Jennifer didn’t answer for a while and chewed on her piece of chicken for a while.
“Nicholas, nothing is going to be easy for this case. I call tell you that already. But understand this, you are not alone on this one. Just like the last one.” He smiled kindly at Jennifer. Her blonde hair was brushed to one side and her blue eyes locked onto Nicki’s warm blue eyes. “We’ll solve this case. Whoever the bad guy is. But we have to figure out more clues. Which means, we have to go tomorrow.” He frowned.
“I don’t want you all to get hurt.” She smiled sympathetically.
“Oh, Nicholas. We wouldn’t. We are a perfect team! If all, I’m worried about you.” Nicki flushed. “People know you more. They’ll target you often.” Nicki shook his head.
“We’re a team.” He said hastily. “Nothing more and nothing less.” His voice told Jennifer he was done talking. He took his unfinished dinner to the kitchen. Jennifer followed him and helped him wash the dishes.
“You know…at first I always thought of you as a little brother. You were so open with me. I was certain you would have a girlfriend. A person like you should have a girlfriend. Better than me, even. I always thought of you as a kind person the day I met you and we both helped each other around. No matter how confused we were the first day of school.” He laughed. “I hated my brother. I knew he had killed our parents. I knew he did it, just because. But I never thought what he was planning to do. He told me to track a person down named Nicholas Williams. I told him, I know him! We’re great friends! He was more than proud of me. I hated his nasty sneer. But he held a gun to my temple and told me, ‘You better get your hands on that boy. Do whatever you have to and get him to me.’ I had no idea what he wanted. But I obeyed.”
  Nicki fell quiet. The water ran, but his hands didn’t wash any dishes.
“I was just a pawn.” He said softly. He turned off the water and whipped his hand with a dish towel and opened the fridge.
“That’s how my brother saw him. I hated looking into your eyes and lying to you. I hated pretended being your girlfriend so quickly. I hated kissing you as if I meant it.” They hopped on top of the counter and ate some Key Lime Pie together. “It was terrible, lying. I can’t believe how I did it with you, Nicki! It was terrible! My chest hurted every time I looked at you. How your parents looked at you every day and hated you, I have no idea. I hated myself whenever I looked at you.” Nicki let his head drop and smiled. “When I finally figured out he had got you and what he was planning to do, I begged him to stop. Treasure did not mean kidnapping a boy and his friends for it. He finally got you…I couldn’t believe what you had been through. You looked terrible, beaten, worn down. My brother got his greedy hand son you and I really felt sick to my stomach.”
“What about when I met you?” He asked.
“A terrible experience. I thought you would never forgive me. When Harrison finally captured you, I wanted to stick some bullets into his twisted brain. He had captured you, your friend’s and your cousins. Only someone as twisted as him would actually do that.” Nicki played around with the pie before finally taking a bite and sighed. He stared at Jennifer. His brown hair seemed even lighter under the light and his bright blue eyes seemed calm and soothing to Jennifer.
“Don’t blame yourself, Jennifer. I don’t blame you for your brother’s actions. You helped us all and saved my life.” He said with a mischievous grin. She held his hand tightly.
“It was my fault.  Played you. The least I could do was save you. I really am sorry?” He smiled and kissed her hand.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. And never do. Don’t ever think you ever do. Now, come on. We have to get some rest.”
  Nicki offered to sleep on the floor and gave Jennifer his bed. His mind blinked out instantly and Jennifer only heard his soft and peaceful snoring. She smiled. It was like a soothing sound to her. Like a bird chirping. She looked down. He looked worn down to her. He looked tired, exhausted. He had been working too hard. She let her fingers brush his hair back before she laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. It was painted with bright white clouds and tiny little stars. Nicki had told her his sister had done that for him when he was little. Just for the hell of it. Jennifer smiled again. Nicki had a nice family. He had people who loved him. Jennifer only wished she could have killed her brother before he killed their parents.
  But what good would that had done? Blood of her brothers, never to be washed out? None of this would have ever been for good! She wasn’t there when she heard about her parent’s murder. She was at camp. Her brother came crying, telling her he done it in self-defense. The cops bought it, but Jennifer was smarter then all of them. She found her brother smiling at his parent’s picture. Not a sad or kind smile, but a smile that said, I got you! She never loved him. The minute she could pronounce his name, she found him to be dangerous. He would sometimes hurt her for fun, he would kill other neighbor’s animals and blame it on others. He was a twisted person, but hid it from his parents, being their little perfect boy.
  She only wished she had the time to go back and warn them about what would happen. But how could she? The past was the past. Her entire family was dead. She now had an Aunt and Uncle and great friends. Not to mention the perfect boyfriend. She looked down once more. He was silently sleeping. The moon showered down on his face to let Jennifer see his features. His pale face, his thin lips, his nicely chiseled nose and his black circles under his eyes. She smiled.
“Good night, Nicholas. Sweet dreams.” She kissed her hand and placed it on his cheek before turning around and going to sleep in the cold and dark room. Yet, it seemed warmer with the two teenagers together.

Jennifer Addison woke up first. She found Nicki still asleep. She smiled and took a quick shower to sharpen her mind. She changed into a short pink summer dress. She tied her hair in a ponytail and grabbed the pillow from her bed. She threw it and Nicki, who woke up immediately.
“Joker!” He yelled. Then, stared at Jennifer. “What are you doing in my house?”
“Slept over, remember?” He rubbed his eyes.
“Oh…oh, yeah.” Jennifer helped him up.
“Go get ready. We’ve got to go.” She told him.
“Go? Go where? What country? City?” She laughed.
“No, you idiot. Just get ready.” She pushed him out of the room.
  She waited downstairs with their equipment. Nicki came down wearing a plaid shirt and jeans. Jennifer felt her heart do a little tap dance. His hair was brushed to one side and his smile was brighter than the blinding sun. She handed him his bag, unable to take his eyes off him. “Ready?” He nodded and tossed her an apple.
“Want me to crack a joke about apples?” She smiled as he placed his arm around her.
“Amuse me, Nicki.” She said.
  They all met at Daniel’s house. His mother greeted them all. Nicki thought she was pretty and very kind. Maybe too unbelievable to be Daniel’s mother. He finally came down and met the others. They walked to the nearest bus stop. They needed to travel from Nolenta to Goleta.
  They reached the Los Padres National Forest. Jennifer had a terrible fear of forests. They went on a camp out once. Her brother decided to play a game of hide-and-go-seek. He told Jennifer to hide far, far away. She did. But as it turned out, she got lost for hours. Her parents had called the Park Ranger and they finally found her, tears still running and sobbing with terror. Her brother only shrugged and said, “You’re not good at this game.”
  Jennifer immediately held Nicki’s hand.
“We’re not splitting up, are we?” She asked. Jeremy shook his head.
“We have to and should stay together.” Daniel laughed.
“Why? You scared the Big Bad Wolf will come and eat you up? Gonna get your boyfriend to protect you?” Her face turned red and she stood near Daniel.
“Shut the hell up, Anderson! I’ll snap you like a twig.” He sneered at her.
“I’d like to see you try, Addison. Let’s see what a female can do.”
  In the blink of an eye, Daniel was pinned on the floor and Jennifer was ready to slap him around a bit, if not for Jeremy screaming for them to stop and Nicki who got in between them both.
“Guys! Calm down! We’re all afraid to be here! So am I! But don’t try and kill each other over it.” He begged. He helped Daniel up and got in between him and Jennifer. “Just try not to kill each other, alright? We’re a team.” Daniel made a bellowing voice from behind his throat and Jennifer had her fists clenched by her side. She withdrew from Nicki’s grip.
“Whatever.” She growled.
“I could care less.” Daniel muttered. They all walked ahead.
  Nicki looked around. The air around him didn’t feel contaminated. It felt…fresh. He felt as if Santa Barbara was a different place here in the National Park. Nicki felt alive over here. The trees were all around them and mountains erupted around the perimeter of the park.
“How do we find what we’re looking for?” Jeremy asked. Nicki rolled his eyes.
“That’s easy, Jeremy. Just follow the Joker.” He pointed at the tree. They had a Joker card. Nicki went over and the others trailed behind him.
  Nicki went over to every tree, checking for the card. When he or his Mates would find one, they would head forward in that direction. Their hearts started to pound harder and harder on their chests. Sweat beaded down, even though the weather was pretty nice today. They all felt the tension in the air. Jeremy and Daniel looked around for anything suspicious and Jennifer and Nicki looked for the Joker cards to guide them to God knows what.
  Nicki finally saw an identical picture of the card they had gotten developed. Nicki took it and flipped it over. Behind it was the picture of the whole Wisemans’ family. The parents had been crossed out, but the children had been circled. In marker, it said, WHERE ARE THEY, TCT? Nicholas’ expression darkened. “Oh, we’ll find them, Joker. Just you wait and see.”
  From a faraway distance, the Joker stared at them from binoculars. They were smart. They were alert and armed. They were four of them. But there was one of the Joker. He smiled. He didn’t care. He was smarter than them all! He was stronger than four teenagers, no matter what they thought! His guy laid on his stomach, ready with the weapon in his mouth, ready to blow and aim it at the Australian boy. He was their key. If he had him, the case was off and they were home free. They would torture him until he gave them the answer. They would fight him until he spilled everything he knew. He was the key.
“Now?” He shook his head.
“Let them discover the body first. Then…aim and let all hell break loose!” He laughed at that joke. He brushed his green hair back and applied more white make-up. It was time for the Joker to appear in person. It was time for the Joker to show the whole world who he was! What he was about to accomplish!
  Nicki looked around until he found a spot where the grass was removed and only bare dirt was visible. A joker card laid there as well. Nicki sighed as Daniel handed him a shove. The two boys headed to work with digging up the dirt. Jennifer stood next to Jeremy. They all wanted to see what was under the pile or dirt…but at the same time, they wanted to get the hell out of there!
  Daniel hit something. He faced Nicki with a blank expression. His Australian friend gulped and nodded. They placed the shovel down and got on their knees. Nicki held out his hand and Jennifer silently handed him the digital camera. Daniel brushed the rest of the dirt off and finally reviled a black duffel bag. He got up and took a couple of steps back. Nicki unzipped the duffel bag. Immediately, a terrible stink hit their nostrils. It smelled like rotten eggs and sulfur. Nicki placed on elastic gloves and held up the objects inside the bag. He sighed. Little bones. Children bones.
  Jennifer clapped her hand on her mouth and quickly looked away. The boys took a couple of steps back. Nicki couldn’t find the courage to take pictures. He threw the camera on the floor and cussed. He knew they wouldn’t be alive, but he never actually wanted to see the children. He rubbed his forehead. This was not how this was supposed to end, he thought. This was not how children were supposed to die. They were supposed to grow up, have their own children and have grandsons. Not end their life at their childhood!
  Then, Nicholas felt like he was in hell. He gasped as he got up. His friends turned to where he was looking and were too stunned to speak. There, on top of a hill, was a man with green hair, dressed with white make-up and a disgusted, painted red smile. Black circles were dressed around his eye and he was dressed in a black tuxedo. He held a megaphone in his hand.
“Welcome, Nicholas, Daniel, Jeremy and sweet Jennifer!” What a delightful surprise!” The man spoke with a snake-like voice. Nicki shivered. His worst nightmares had just been realized. “What a wonderful surprise to see you here! Well, I know you’d be probably accusing me of leading you here. True, true. But you came by your own will.” Nicki felt his hands draw into fists.
  Jennifer yelped. They looked around. They were surrounded. Men with black ski masks and entire black apparels appeared with guns. Nicki quickly stepped up.
“Why don’t you face us yourself? Reveal yourself to us and answer our questions!” Nicholas yelled. The Joker only laughed.
“You do get into peoples mind, young Aussie. But to answer your questions, I would have to reveal yourself to you. Now why would I do that?” The men sprang into action and attacked the young Detectives.
  Nicki punched a man in between his eyes and then did a back kick and the man crumbled onto the ground. Jennifer did a split in mid-air and got two men to the ground. The others joined in. But as soon as nobody was attacking Nicki, he looked up. The Joker smiled and turned around. Nicki couldn’t let that happen. But he’d get into trouble. He didn’t care. He grabbed his phone and turned on the voice recorder and kept it in his right hand. He went and followed the Joker.
  The Joker had turned around, but he hadn’t moved. As Nicholas approached him, he turned around to meet the youngster’s eyes. Nicki saw that he had cold and soulless green eyes and he had a green ponytail behind his head as well. Nicki stood still.
“You killed the Wisemans. You killed the young couple and their children.” Nicki said in a clipped voice. The Joker only grinned.
“Go on.”
“But why? What was your motive?” The joker frowned.
“Where’s the Wisemans nephew, Nicholas Williams’. Tell me!” His voice sounded even harsher than a snakes. It was terrible to even listen to. Nicki took a shaky breath out.
“So you’re not him. He’s innocent. You’re someone else. But who? And why do you want the entire Wisemans family dead? Why did you kill the poor boy’s entire family?”
“Boy, I’m asking for the last time. Where. Is. He.” He said through grinding teeth.
“I don’t know.” Nicki admitted.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not!” The Joker shrugged.
“You know something and don’t want to tell me. You know something.”
“Even if I did, what would make you think I would tell you?” The Joker grinned.
“Three…two…one…” He counted and then smiled even wider. Nicki felt a sting on his neck. He yelped in pain. He felt his neck and took out a dart. “A drug dart, enjoy your little nap, Nicki.” Nicholas sprang into action and tried to take the man down. The man placed up a tough fight as well.
  Nicki tried to pin the man down on the floor, but the message was the opposite. The men had Nicki in a head lock. He cut off his little oxygen supply he had. Nicki started to chock. “You know, it was a mistake trying to become a Detective, Nicki. Just wait till your friends see you again. You’ll never see the next sunrise!” The man laughed harshly. Nicki felt his whole world spin around. He wanted to stay awake, to put up a fight. But black spots danced around his eyes, taking over him. He finally gave up and lost consciousness. The device in his right hand fell, and the Joker smiled and picked it up. 
  Jennifer took down the last men. The three of them turned around and gasped. The joker raised his hand in a salute as he carried Nicki behind his back and ran away. Daniel looked around and found the men gone. Jeremy rubbed his forehead hard.
“What do we do, what do we do now!” He yelled. Jennifer started crying and Daniel started cussing. This was all going wrong. This was not how they had expected it to be. Jennifer quickly took out her phone and dialed nine-one-one.
“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”
“M-my boyfriend! He was kidnapped!” Jennifer spat out.
  Daniel took the bag of bones and tossed it around his shoulders as Jeremy filled up the dirt hole. They were only going to need the help of police to find Nicki. The rest of the case belonged to them and them alone. Police, ambulance and Park Ranges came towards the young teenagers.
  Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova and her partner, Detective Ryan Harris came to the scene. Sergeant Casanova had natural curled chestnut hair worn long with amber eyes. Her face was hard as stone and didn’t show a sign of any kindness. Her partner was the good cop. He had a sweet face, dark hair worn in a long ponytail and dark brown eyes hidden behind dark shades. He had the look or an artist or a famous lawyer that everybody would like to hire. They made a perfect team, good cop, bad cop. Yet they never let both of their love life interfere with their work. Today they were Detectives, tonight, hopefully, they could start their first date.
  The Detectives reached the scene. Sergeant Casanova spotted three teenagers being questions. Blonde girl who seemed like she was crying, the actor’s son with dark hair and a short boy with red hair. What an odd couple, thought Artemis. What the hell had gone out here?
  They made their way in and took the three aside.
“Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova. This is my partner, Detective Ryan Harris.” He flashed a smile and waved hi. No waves returned back at him. “What’s the problem?”
“Our friend was kidnapped.” The actor’s son acknowledged.
“Introduction, please.” Detective Harris said nicely. Daniel took charge.
“I’m Daniel Anderson. Jennifer Addison is the victim’s girlfriend and that’s Jeremy Johnson. Victim’s name is Nicholas Williams’.” Bad cop came in with a pencil. She pointed at Daniel first.
“Actors son, both Detective Johnson’s son, know you. Girl…seem familiar. And…Nicholas Williams’…” She tapped her lips with her eraser. “Sounds familiar. Any information?”
“Artists son?” Good cop asked. She shrugged.
“There’s more.” She eyes the teens coldly. “Anything?” They remained silent. She sighed. “Fine, back to the boy. What happened? Who kidnaped him?” Jennifer pointed at the hill.
“He was kidnapped over there. Kidnapper refers to himself as the Joker. He dressed entirely as one.” Detective Harris scratched his head.
“From Batman?” The teens nodded. “Red painted face, black circles around his eyes and green hair?”
“All that was present, sir.” Jeremy answered. Sergeant Casanova shook her head.
“How do you know his name?”
“He told us through a megaphone.” Daniel told them.
“Any motive?” Daniel and Jeremy quickly faced Jenifer. She bit her lips.
“Just a boy walking around. No motive.” She responded. Both Detectives had saw her hesitate and she was hiding something.
“Why were you here?”
“It’s Summer. Staying indoors isn’t going to pass the time.” She pointed at the two boys.
“What are you two, a third wheel trailing along Addison and Williams’?” Daniel’s blue eyes turned from fear to anger in a flash.
“Listen here, we were all friends walking around a park. He was kidnapped and that was all. Why don’t you stop your questioning and get to work!” Detective Harris quickly stepped in.
“Why don’t we all see the crime scene spot? There might be some evidence over there. You three, stay here. We’ll be right back.” He pushed Artemis over to the spot.
  Artemis released herself from Ryan’s grip.
“Some big mouths we got.” She muttered.
“The boy wasn’t just kidnapped, Artemis. He was kidnapped for a reason.”
“Those four names sound very familiar. I want a whole search done of them.” Ryan nodded.
  They went over to the scene and spotted a phone. Artemis was handed gloves as she reached down and picked it up. She opened the phone to find a voice recording left behind. She looked at Ryan, who gestured her to go on. She sighed and pressed the Play button.
  Ryan and Artemis listened closely.
“You killed the Wisemans. You killed the young couple and their children.” A boy said seriously.
“Australian accent.” Ryan reported. Artemis fell quiet.
“Go on.” A man’s voice said.
“But why? What was your motive?”
“Where’s the Wisemans nephew, Nicholas Williams’. Tell me!” The voice was so intense, Artemis nearly dropped the phone. Who was this guy and what did the boy get himself into? Artemis thought.
“So you’re not him. He’s innocent. You’re someone else. But who? And why do you want the entire Wisemans family dead? Why did you kill the poor boy’s entire family?” The boy didn’t seem to be giving up that easily.
“Boy, I’m asking for the last time. Where. Is. He.” The voice grew with agony for the two partners in crime.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not!” The boy protested.
“You know something and don’t want to tell me. You know something.”
“Even if I did, what would make you think I would tell you?”
“Three…two…one…” As the man counted, the Detectives drew a sharp breath. What was he counting for? The boy’s death? Then, the boy yelped. “A drug dart, enjoy your little nap, Nicki.” Then, the victim and the kidnapper seemed to have gotten into a fight. The man barked a laugh and the boy started to chock.  “You know, it was a mistake trying to become a Detective, Nicki. Just wait till your friends see you again. You’ll never see the next sunrise!” The man laughed harshly. Then, the boy was silent. Artemis clutched the phone with two hands. “Let this be a reminder, TCT. I will get the answers I demand for the life of your boy. If you are listening, good luck and good bye! To you and your little friend!”
  Artemis fell silent as the voice recording ended.
“Who the hell are these teenagers?! What the hell do they do for a living?!” Artemis bellowed. Ryan shrugged.
“Only one way to find out.” He took the phone and headed to the teenagers.
  After Ryan played it back for the teenagers, they all sighed. The two boys started cussing underneath their breath while the girl was in shock.
“Who the hell are you children?!” Sergeant Casanova demanded. Jennifer looked up and responded first.
“Read the Fifth Amendment, Detectives! ‘No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury.’ In other words, we’re not going to talk or say anything unless a grand jury requires us to. You wouldn’t help us find Nicholas Williams’, I’ll be the leader of this case and take over for him. We’ll find him and our real criminal.” She grabbed both boy’s hands and walked away.
“You’ll regret this, Jennifer!” Artemis shouted back. They never turned once and left.
  After they left, Detective Ryan cracked up.
“That girl had some strength repeating the Fifth Amendment. Technically, she is protected. They are protected not to answer that question.”
“Do a back ground research on the boy and the whole four teens. And get me a Search Warrant for the Williams’ residence.”
“What about finding the boy?” She sighed.
“Sent out an Amber Alert. Not his fault his hard-ass girlfriend wouldn’t admit anything.” He nodded.
“Anything else?” She faced him.
“I think we might to get a rain check for our date tonight.” He smiled.
“No problem.”

The TCT quickly hid the bones at Daniel’s house and quickly ran to Nicholas’ house. They went to their office and locked up the pin board with a key and Jennifer tied it around her neck. They all quickly hid any evidence of the TCT.
“Again, why are we doing this?” Jeremy asked.
“They’ll get a Search Warrant for Nicki’s house. Meaning if they come up here, everything will spill. We can’t tell them about the TCT.”
“But they’ll find out eventually.” Daniel told Jennifer. She faced him with sad eyes.
“Let’s just hope they hate Rats. Anyway, we have to get all the evidence to Daniel’s house and continue the investigation from there. We find Nicholas, the Joker and the Wiseman’s nephew. But we also have to hide it all from Santa Barbara.” The boys nodded in agreement.
  Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder.
“We’ll find him. He’s tough, don’t underestimate him.” She flashed him a smile.
“I know. Your right. Let’s just hope he’s holding up like we are.”
  Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova had everything she needed. She smiled. Happiness in a case like this. She had everything she needed. An Amber Alert was out for the young Australian boy. Her Search Warrant for the boy’s house was nearly done and she knew who they were now. Those teens were part of a little Private Detective Agency named, The Three Convergent Thinkers. She had been given the information by Detective Johnson’s.
“Our sons got a hobby and friends. What better is there?”
“What about Nicholas Williams’? Who’s he?”
“The entire leader of their friendship and the agency. He keeps everything together. Very sweet boy, thought.” Artemis Casanova had to smile. She had had them. She had gotten more information from one of her fellow SB police officer.
“They helped me out with a case once. My dog had died in our backyard with blood everywhere. They solved my case in less than a week. It was that rotten boy that lived next to my house. I offered to pay them but they refused. Told me friends didn’t count. They were very kind. Never gave up. I called them from their experience they had in Australia, Sydney. Check out the paper from there, two weeks ago.”
  When she got the paper, she was shocked. The boy had solved and found treasure, with the help of his friends. She called her partner.
“Can you believe this? The boy solved a case on his own with no help from any cops or adults!”
“That’s why they made the agency, Artemis. They did it to prove to us who teenagers could be. They’re now working on anew case, that’s why the boy was kidnapped. That explains the recording he made.”
“But what case? What the hell have these teens got themselves into?”
“Trouble that they want to solve by themselves.” She scowled at the paper and threw it on her desk.
“I want a Search Warrant for the boy’s house!”
“Done.” She sneered.
“Wonderful. Got a picture of the boy?”
“Got one from the paper.” He handed her a picture of a kind boy with pale skin, brown hair and bright blue eyes. Ryan saw Artemis’ sneer turn into a frown. “I know. Not what I expected either. From the way he talked, I thought he would look a little tougher. Just a regular honors boy from Santa Barbara who first wanted to prove to his parents he didn’t want to be an artist to proving to the entire world that teenagers could be just as powerful and intelligent as us.”
“But…what the hell did this boy do? He doesn’t even look like one to cause trouble!”
“He doesn’t. But trouble comes to him with the business he’s at. Nicholas Williams’, called Nicki by his friends is a typical fourteen year old boy from Australia with an agency that seems to be biting him with every single case they get.” Artemis sighed.
“I want to go to his house, now.” She begged.
“Then, come on. We just got approval.” Artemis got up right then and there and headed for her car.
  Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova never expected the boy to have such a huge house. But from a family of famous artists, she didn’t expect anything less. She knocked on the door.
“SBPD! Open the door!” Detective Harris urged her.
“Families not home. At an Art Museum in San Diego.” She stared at him.
“Then who is in here?”
“Nicki’s friends.” She smiled.
“SPBD! Open up! We know you’re in there, TCT!”
  The door finally opened up. Jennifer stood there. Artemis presented her papers. “Search Warrant. Read it and weep, girly. We’re coming inside whether you like it or not. So step aside.” Jennifer scowled at the Detective, but moved out of the way. A whole team ran inside the house and nearly tore up the entire house.
  The three teenagers sat on the chairs in the kitchen, silently whispering to their selves.
“You sure you locked the door?” Daniel asked again. Jeremy nodded and handed him the keys. Jennifer took them and added it to her other key around her neck.
“Don’t spill anything. They can get in your minds, but we have the Amendments to protect ourselves.” They all nodded and watched the Santa Barbara police and detectives destroy Nicki’s house.
  Detective Ryan Harris went over to the TCT.
“We know about the boy. We know what you four are. Very amusing that you would be little Detectives of your own.” Daniel shot him a glare.
“Don’t ever say that again or you’ll regret it.” The Detective quickly stood up.
“Alright. But we really need to find the Joker and your friend. Can’t you help us rookies out?” They all crossed their arms and said nothing. He sighed and walked away.
  Artemis looked around. Nothing stood out. She had been to the boy’s room. Just a simple room. There was nothing that stood out. She nearly lost it.
“Tell those little brats downstairs to get their asses up here!” A cop quickly ran down.
  The teenagers came up. “You better spill it or we’ll never find Nicki. Forget about the case for a moment! He’s your friend! This guy could be serious mental! He’ll kill the boy!” Jennifer looked at the boys. They were ready to spill it.
“Fifth Amendment.” Jennifer said again. Artemis’ face turned red.
“Forget about the damn Amendment! Jennifer, don’t you want your boyfriend back! I know I would if something happened to mine!” She didn’t answer.
“Sergeant Casanova? We found an attic, but it’s locked.” She immediately stared at the teenagers.
“Where’s the key?” She said harshly.
“Nowhere.” They all responded. She scowled at them.
”Break the door down!” She yelled. The teens stared at each other with shock.
  The door collapsed inside and they all entered. Artemis and Ryan gasped. This was unlike any attic they had seen before. Four separate desks, little offices, were set around at cardinal directions. There was a whole pin board locked up. The place was well organized and pictures of wanted people around Santa Barbara was posted everywhere. A huge sigh hung from about. THE THREE CONVERGENT THINKERS. It said. She stared at the teens. “What the hell is this place?” Daniel spilled it.
“Our offices of the TCT. We meet here to discuss our latest cases. Nicholas, Jeremy and I are the Detectives. Jennifer’s the Secretary. She finds us the cases and helps out as well.” He gestured towards Jennifer. “Just hand them the key. This case can go rot in hell. We have to find Nicki, Jennifer. Don’t you want him back?” She stared at Daniel, then, reluctantly handed him the keys.
  Daniel opened up the pin board and told the two Detectives the entire story. From the story of the Wisemans, to the killers, the kidnapping of their children and his nephew.
“The bones are in your home?!” Artemis gasped.
“For a reason,” He quickly said. It was to protect the evidence. The Joker is the name for the murderer. Nicholas believed the murderer/kidnapper and the nephew were two separate people. We thought that they were one person. He proved us wrong. The nephew is now running for his life as the Joker might get to him. He might been have him right now. His entire family was murdered, you know. The poor boy doesn’t have anywhere else to go to. We were the only ones who could help him.”
  Then, the laptop ringed. They all looked at the laptop and the Smart Board. Daniel switched it on and the screen showed a man. The Joker. Everybody stared at the board.
“Ah! Well, I see the whole gang is here now! How are you all?”
“Where the hell is Nicholas?!” Everybody shouted.
“Nicki…Nicki…hmm. I’ve met quite a few Nicholas’ in my days-”
“Shut the hell up and tell me where my boyfriend is!” Jennifer shouted.
“Alright, alright.” The view changed and the camera showed two boys tied in chairs. Their heads rested on their chests. One had brown hair and the other had dark hair. Nicki was surely one of them, but who was the other? “You know who your boyfriend is and surely you know who the other one is.”
“The Wisemans nephew.” The TCT all muttered.
“So you have the nephew, now what?”
“I still have clues I still need. I don’t know if this is him or not! I’ll get both boys to tell me everything, from the beginning. Let’s see them not with the torture I have planned for them.” He turned the camera back to the unconscious boys. “Say good-bye to these two. Because they will be dead the next time you see them.” And the voice chat ended.
  Jennifer slammed the laptop close and felt warm tears escape her eyes.
“Now will you help us?! We’re forgetting about the damn case! Just help us get Nicholas back!” She begged. The Detectives nodded.
“Don’t worry. We will.” Then, a SB police officer came up from behind. His face as white as chalk.
“There’s someone to see you all. He claims to be the nephew of the Wisemans.”
  They all ran down and saw a boy in his early twenties. He had dark hair in a ponytail and dark eyes. He faced the three teenagers only. He laid them a kind smile.
“I’m very sorry,” He stated. “I didn’t acticipated the Joker to kidnap one of you.” Jennifer stared at him, her face as pale as the others.
But…we saw a guy unconscious and held captive with Nicki! Who are you and who is that?!” She exclaimed.
“My name is Morgan Wisemans. I am the only nephew of my former family. The other guy is a very wise and helpful friend named James Russell. He’s an old friend of mine and a CIA Agent. Believe me when I tell you he’s not going to say anything. He’s the undercover Agent at work.”
“Alright, Morgan. Now why the hell have you confessed about the murders of the Wisemans to teenagers?” He shrugged.
“They seemed trust worthy. I don’t trust cops.”
“You trusted James.” Artemis pointed out.
“He worked for me as a friend. Nothing more and nothing less.”
“I need the bones of your cousins and I need a whole information about the Wisemans.” Morgan quickly faced the TCT.
“They’re…dead?” They nodded slowly.
“We’re sorry, Morgan,” Daniel told him. “We and even Nicki believed there was no way they were alive.” He nodded slowly, his eyes were far away.
“Let’s so catch this son of a b****.”

Nicholas Williams shook his head only once and that alone took too much effort.
“Nicki…Nicki…” He swore he heard someone call his name. But who? He opened his eyes slowly and found himself tied up in a chair, wrist and all. The chair was wooden and rough on his skin. The room seemed to be the worst. It smelled like blood and sweat. The place itself was small and dark. “Nicholas…” He looked to his left and found a young man in his early twenties. He had a kind smile on. He had dark tousled hair and dark king eyes.
“Are you…”
“Wisemans nephew? No. I’m Morgan Wisemans’ friend and a CIA Agent. James Russell.”
“Little young.” Nicki noted. He chuckled softly.
“Fun to join the agency at a young age.” Nicki tried to sit up, but it took a lot of effort.
“If you’re not Morgan…where is he? And who was the picture I captured of?”
“Safe and helping us out. And that picture of was me. But I’ve been in tougher situations than this. Don’t worry. ” Nicki shivered.
“I’m still new at this.” The man barked a laugh.
“Oh, I know you. Very brave things you’ve been doing. A nice team you recruited for your agency.” He shrugged.
“New hobby I invented.” They both shared a smile. “So, where do you think the Joker is?”
“Probably planning something.” Nicki smiled.
“Who are you going to be in this scene? Batman?” James grinned.
“Batman’s avenge for trying to kill my best friend and his family. But mostly trying to kill you as well.”
“Are you going to tell him who you are?”
“Nah. I’ll just say I’m Morgan.”
“Bravo!” A voice bellowed. Both men sighed.
“One-way window.” They said at once.
  The Joker walked in. But his make-up was lost, as was his green hair. He had bright green eyes that lit the whole room. He had blonde hair tied in a ponytail.
“My fellow hostages! Welcome to my secret hide-out! Welcome…to a little game I like to call, Joker versus Batman!”
“Who are you really?” The CIA Agent asked.
“Me? I’m the Joker. But that’s my fantasy name. My reality name is Harlem Hanger.” The CIA Agent gasped.
“You’ve been on our wanted list for the past few years! You’ve escaped our grip so many times! You little bastard! You’re trying to kill innocent people!” The Joker looked hurt. He sat across the hostages.
“It’s not for nothing, if you must know. I have my reasons. Morgan’s Uncle, Alex Wisemans was a famous architecture and Katherine Wisemans was a ‘wonderful teacher.’” He snorted. “They were terrible! Alex had made a structure for a new building. I was merely a teen. I was walking with my parents. Do you know what happened? His thirty-two story building started to wobble. My parents and I were having too much fun to realize what was happening. We were the only ones under it. The building collapsed on top of us.”
  Nicholas stared at James. He shrugged.
“Alright, so a building collapsed. And?” Harlem’s eyes turned dark and frightening.
“My parents and I were under it! My parents died because of a structure made by Alex Wisemans. Do you think I was going to let him live after he killed my parents and nearly caused me a leg?!”
“So what did the children do, huh? What did the wife do?!” Nicholas screamed. As soon as he did, a gun came pointed at him. James scowled.
“Don’t you dare pull that trigger!” The Joker smiled. His green eyes locked with Nicki’s widen blue eyes.
“Or what? But, you’re right. I still need him and I’m not done with my story yet.” He placed the gun away and both hostages sighed with relief. “Anyway, the children were Alex’s children. Sure they didn’t do anything. But once you’re related to a killer, you are a victim.”
“You killed in your young teens?” The CIA Agent asked. The Joker shrugged.
“Why not? After that, it became a game of cat and mouse. I began tracking every single one of the Wisemans. Killed them all, except one. Guess who?”
“Morgan.” They both said. Harlem nodded.
“Exactly, Morgan Wisemans. But he was a hard one to keep down. He put on a hell of a fight. He ran away and I never saw him again. Tracking him down became harder and harder. So when I found out he trusted a bunch of teenagers. Well, that became the perfect trap.” He took out a knife and pointed it under Nicki’s chin, raising his chin a bit. The young Australian boy gulped and James was ready to explode.
“You kill him, I kill you!” James yelled.
“What a nice little accusation. But false. You can’t. I can’t kill you, Agent. But the boy, why not? He doesn’t have much information.” He quickly got up. “But I have a way to let you both give me my information. Look under your chairs, gentlemen.” They did. James and Nicki gasped. There was a wire beneath their chairs. They started to scream, but the Joker quickly placed a gag around their mouth. “Let’s see if you will tell me after this shock.” He pulled a lever and both men started to dance.
  The electric chair was more painful than Nicki ever expected it to be. His whole blood nearly boiled and his flesh had a terrible smoking aroma now. His mouth felt completely dry. The electric chair stopped and the men were both breathing hard. “Well? Anything?” Both hostages remained silent. The Joker shrugged. “Batman and little Australia boy. I hope you two rot in hell.” He pulled the lever again and the screams passed right through their gags.
  The lever was pulled down. Nicki was panting and screaming something. The Joker smiled and went over to him. He removed his gag. “Yes?”
“I’ll…tell you…I know!” The Joker smiled.
“I always get what I want. Now, boy, tell me.” And Nicki told the Joker everything.
  The Joker left to his destination and kept one of his men to baby-sit the two gentlemen. Nicki smiled at James. The CIA Agent winked at him.
“Ever thought about joining the force with that kind of lie you told the criminal?” They both broke out into laugher.
  Nicholas laid back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. A single flash light hung from above.
“Any plans to escape?” He asked after a while.
“Not much. You?” Nicki shrugged. “Seem pretty calm?” Nicki grinned.
“Fear is something that doesn’t exist inside of me anymore. Believe me.” James nodded.
“I can.” He turned towards Nicki. “I’ll get you out, Nicki. I’ll get us both out.” The Australian boy smiled kindly.
“I know.” He said softly and stared at the ceiling again.
  James Russell wanted to get out. He had a duty to protect Nicki and a girlfriend to get back to.
“Nicki!” He suddenly said. “I’ve got it!” He leaned over and whispered his plan in Nicki’s ear. The young Australian boy felt a smile spread across his face as he nodded.
  The CIA Agent got ready. He stretched out his whole body out on the chair and closed his eyes, his mouth wide opened. Nicki opened his mouth and screamed.
“Help! Oh God, someone! Please, help!” Three men quickly came in.
“What the hell is going on in here?!”
“James…he had a seizure! I think he’s dead!” All three of the men crowded around James. They checked his pulse and opened his eyes. Then, a smile flashed across his lips.
“Surprise!” He kicked one of the men between his legs and he crumbled down to the ground.
  Nicki quickly kicked a man in between the eyes and he fell backwards. Both gentlemen’s got up in their chairs and used it as a weapon to injure the last remaining men. Nicholas slammed the chair into the man’s stomach and he collapsed on his knee. The CIA Agent stood over him. “CIA, put your hands up.” He kicked the men near the temple and his eyes rolled over his head and he collapsed on the ground. Nicki smiled.
“Or not.” They found a piece of glass on the floor and Nicki used it to cut open the CIA Agent’s wrists. He then helped Nicki. The two hostages had escaped. Nicki and James both grabbed a gun from the men. James eyes him carefully.
“A little young to be carrying a gun, don’t you think?” He smiled.
“I’m just going to scare people off with it. Trust me.” The Agent grinned.
“Have it your way. Let’s go.”
  They exited the torture chamber and found themselves surrounded.  CIA Agent James Russell stood in front of Nicki and shot every single one of the men down to the ground without letting them even reach their gun. Nicki looked forward. The door was locked. He searched one of the men and found a pair of keys. He opened the door and was stuck in a head lock again.
  The CIA Agent raised his gun. The men was invisible beside layers of black clothing.
“Drop the gun, Agent.” The men held a gun near Nicki’s temple and his meaty arm was chocking the poor boy’s neck, cutting off oxygen. Nicki started to chock. “The Joker warned me about you. He knew that you would try to escape. But will you? I am giving you the option to escape, for sure. But will you actually leave the boy?” Nicki’s knees wobbled. The Agent had a blank expression on his face that was hard to read. Then, he shot the man twice on the leg and the man screamed. He let go of Nicki and a shot fired.
  The CIA Agent helped Nicki up.
“You alright?” Nicki rubbed his shoulder. Then, his face turned white.
“Define the meaning of, alright?” He said quietly. James looked at his shoulder. He gasped. Nicki had been shot. Nicki managed a smile. “Not that bad. Barely can feel it.”
“That’s…not good, Nicki.” He shrugged, which took a bit of work.
“We’re out. That’s all. We need to go back to my house and grab some equipment. Then, we travel to San Diego.” The Agent stood there for a few seconds. Then shrugged and followed the wounded boy.  
  They saw a sign that explained where they were. They weren’t far from Nicholas’ house, just a couple of miles. They waved down a truck driver and when he found out who James was, he rushed them to their destination.
“Aren’t you the boy who had gone missing?” The man reported.
“I guess so.” Nicki shrugged. “I don’t read much news.”
  They got home and Nicki thanked the driver as he left. They entered the house and went upstairs. James Russell helped dress Nicki’s wound. He helped apply pressure on the wound for about ten minutes, then wrapped it up, but not too tightly. Nicki changed his bloody shirt and escorted the men up to his office. The man whistled.
“Some place you got here. Room for me?” Nicki managed a smile.
“We need to gather as much as we can.” He looked down at his door. “Why on hell is my door on the floor?” He shrugged it off and went over to the pin board. He looked at the clues. Something was still missing. Everything was not quiet fitting in the puzzle. The pieces were still not put together. One or two were still hidden. “The bodies…” Nicki began. He turned towards the CIA Agent. “What happened to Morgan’s families bodies?” The Agent shrugged.
“Never found them.” Nicki turned back to the board.
“Someone’s helping the Joker. Someone else is also included in this.”
“What do you mean?” Nicki paced around the attic.
“Well…the man couldn’t have been everywhere. He killed the Wisemans fifty years ago and now. The man isn’t that old. Can you estimate the Joker’s age?”
“About late thirties.”
“Exactly. His story…it doesn’t seem right, don’t you think?” The CIA Agent eyes narrowed towards Nicki.
“What are you saying, Nicholas?”
“Someone else is part of this all. Someone else is helping the Joker.”
“Alright, so we go find them, easy.” Nicki shook his head.
“Someone else is going to die.” He sighed. “And I have a pretty good hunch who it is.” The CIA Agent’s eyes widened.
“Got a car?”
“Let’s drive.”
  Nicki called his friend’s phone. He tried Jennifer first. She responded on the third bell.
“Hello?”
“Jennifer? Are you alright?”
“Nicki! Where the hell are you?! Are you alright?”
“Fine…” He looked at his shoulder once and then shook his head. “Yeah, I’m fine. We both are. Listen, where are you all?”
“Santa Barbara Police Department.”
“Well, change your plans. Get a whole team and drive over to San Diego.”
“Why?” His girlfriend asked.
“How much do you trust me?”
“With all my heart.” She answered immediately.
“Then trust me with all your heart that this is for a good cause. Bring Morgan as well. And Daniel and Jeremy. Got some Detective mates on you?” He could almost imagine Jennifer smiling.
“Don’t worry about me and I wouldn’t worry about you. Where do you want to meet?”
“You guys take a plane and get to the airport. We’ll meet you there.”
“You’ll be driving for nearly four hours while we fly for an hour?”
“Don’t worry,” James told them both. “We’ll get there in half the time. Just hang in there.”

The Grim Reaper poured himself a nice cup of tea. His brother had just called. What a wonderful younger brother he was. What a kind fella he was to his older brother. He had been the one to help start the life of crime. He sipped his tea and sighed with joy. This was the life. Then, the phone rang. He answered it.
“Wilson hanger, how are you?” The Grim Reaper’s eyes filled with joy.
“My dear brother! Harlem, how are you?”
“Wonderful! A favor has come up, though.”
“Anything, little brother! After all, you were the one who helped kill the Wisemans for killing our parents and nearly letting me lose a leg.”
“I remember. I’ll never forgive them for that. But we have little Detectives and big Detectives headed towards us.”
“Hmm?”
“Meaning, wanna-be Detectives and ass-hole Detectives.” The Grim Reaper smiled.
“Ahh. So, what do you want to do?”
“Kill them all. Get the last Wisemans and a young Australian boy named,”
“Nicholas Williams. Who hasn’t heard of him? Found treasure, artists son and has been missing for a couple of hours. He’s a famous person. We get him, we could have him held hostage and demand a ransom!” He sipped his tea again, joy with every sip.
“Right, but we have the kill the nephew.”
“Don’t worry. So, is it time for Halloween?”
“Oh yes, big brother. It’s time to dress up. We are going to enjoy ourselves, believe me.”
“I haven’t doubt you yet, Harlem. Never have and never will.”
“Wonderful. I’m almost at San Diego. Then, we catch those bastards.”
  Nicki felt the night drawing closer. He nearly dozed off if not for the speed bump they hit. He woke up instantly. He laid in his seat though. His right arm felt as if it weighted a thousand pounds. It felt cold. He shivered. He needed to get his shot seen. But he would live. Of course he would. The good guys always win…right?
  CIA Agent James Russell was ready to quit his job at an early age. But that would mean he let evil get the best of him. The truth, he was just cranky. He ate a protein bar that Nicki had gotten from his home.
“You really should eat. It’s for your own good.”
“Not really hungry.” Nicki admitted, facing the window. James eyes the road.
“Neither am I. But strength will come in handy. Especially for you.” Nicki closed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was a lecture. But reluctantly, he ate a bar as well. James smiled. Things always went his way. That was the way he wanted it.
  Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova and Detective Ryan Harris were now at the airport for nearly an hour. Three teenagers were sitting with them, along with a few other Detectives. Artemis was angry, frustrated rather. She sat with her arms crossed. If she believed for a second that Nicki and the Agent were safe, she would go mad. Morgan Wisemans sat cross-legged. His hands were folded, but he wouldn’t stop fiddling them.
“Are you sure he called?” Jennifer sighed. The Detective had been arguing with her the minute they got on the plane.
“Yes, Sergeant Casanova.  Believe me when I tell you I recognize my boyfriend’s voice. It was him. Pained, but he sounded alright.”
  Soon enough, Jennifer saw something in the crowd that caught her eye. Two men. One was a young fellow with dark hair and dark eyes. The other, was a boy. He looked familiar. Then, Jennifer smiled and ran to the boys arm, squeezing the life out of him. The boy smiled. Nicholas Williams and CIA Agent James Russell had safely arrived in San Diego.
  Artemis couldn’t help but noticing the boy. He was handsome and attractive, aside from his age. He had a kind, yet painful smile. Even after everything he had been through. He had dark circles around his eyes and his right arm looked limb. She leaned over towards Ryan.
“Think he’s been shot?” He nodded.
“I’ve seen victims shot like that. Dress up the wound and try to hide it. Brave and strong, that boy is. Brave and strong. Reminds me of you, Artemis.” Color touched her cheek as she got up.
  She shook the former hostage hands and smiled brightly. The boy’s touch was light and soft.
“Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova. This is my partner, Detective Ryan Harris. SBPD.” She informed them. Nicki smiled.
“Ah, Irish.” She was impressed.
“What gave it away?”
“Both first and last name. Artemis is a Greek name for the goddess of hunt, but Irish named. And Casanova…I believe that is Italian. So you must be part Italian and part Irish, aye?” She smiled brightly. Nobody, not even Ryan had figured that out.
“Not bad for a teen.” He shrugged painfully. “You both alright?”
“Peachy.” The CIA Agent grumbled. Only Nicki nodded.
“But we have to go.”
“Where?” They all asked. Nicki flashed a smile.
“To set the bait, of course.”
  Nicki told them all their plan in the car. Nicki took out a map from the dashboard. He had searched up every detail and every street for this little treasure hunt for criminals.
“How can you be so sure?” The Detective asked.
“Believe me. I know. Now, take a right.” He told James. He did. “The key is the last standing. Which is the nephew of the Wisemans. Both the criminals want it.”
“So…who is the Joker?” Detective Harris asked.
“Ah, who isn’t he? A master of disguise, a really good liar and imitator. The Joker is Harlem Hanger. Younger brother to the famous Wilson Hanger. The real teenager in the story he had told us. The Joker was the younger brother. Wilson was the teenager who almost lost his leg and realized his parents had been murdered. After that, Harlem took over. As Wilson was only fifteen, Harlem was ten. He committed the crime of the century. He was the one to help kill the Wisemans. The mistake, they were too sloppy. They were too young. They got the sign that they had the kill the rest of the generation. Do you know how many they had killed?” Nobody answered.
“They had an extensive family,” James filled in. “Grandparents, Aunt, Uncles and even cousins. All down the drain. But the real question is, why weren’t they ever reported in a newspaper? It’s because, ‘no body, no crime.’ The whole generation just died out. So what was there to investigate? Where did the bodies go?”
“The bodies are kept by the Hangers. The real question, where?”
“Well, Nicki and James. I really do hope you know where.” They both nodded.
“Take a left and then drive straight at that street light. Then, take a left.” He looked back and grinned. “Where exactly he buried the others? The exact same spot he committed the recent crime. Here is San Diego. Morgan Wiseman’s backyard.”
  The trap was simple, yet crazy. Nicki told Morgan to wait inside. Detectives, police and EMS with ambulances covered the entire house. Morgan was uncomfortable with the plan, but Nicki told him to trust him not as victim and Detective. But as a friend. He agreed and went inside.
  Nicki rubbed his right arm again. Jennifer noticed he had done that for the last hour. He stood next to her with binoculars. The others were spread out somewhere else. Jennifer touched his arm and he winced.
“What happened?” She asked. He lowered his binoculars and faced Jennifer with a slight smile.
“Nothing.” He managed.
“I’ll squeeze your arm. Don’t think I wouldn’t.” Nicki sighed.
“Just got a little shot. That’s all.” Jennifer gasped. “Please, don’t make a big deal about this.”
“Just wait till I meet your parents.” He managed a smile. Then, eh heard a scream. He raised his binoculars. Game on, he thought.
  Three people came out with guns drawn. The one in the middle was Morgan. His eyes widened with fear. To his right, was the Joker. All dressed up in a baby blue tuxedo. The man to his left, Nicki held back a gasp. A living hell he was in right now. He only wished it could stop. The man to his left, had on a full black robe and carried a five-foot silver scythe. The Grim Reaper. The Joker smiled and spoke into a megaphone.
“Citizens of Santa Barbara, San Diego! Welcome, to the show of a life time!” The Grim Reaper kept the gun pointed at the last Wisemans. “To be fair, I will take you to the official spot where the entire Wisemans’ family is buried! But, I need something in return!” Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova took out her own megaphone.
“This is Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova! Put the gun down!”
“So, you don’t want to see the bodies.” Ryan took over.
“Detective Ryan Harris. We do want to see the bodies. What do you need?”
“I’m going to drive with the nephew. But, I’m also going to need another passenger. Know anybody named Nicholas Williams’?”
  All eyes turned towards the young Australian boy. He frowned and lowered his binoculars. Nicki sighed.
“What is this guy and me?” He walked towards Detective Harris. “May I?” Before he could answer, Nicki took over with the megaphone. “Right here. What do you want with me?” The Joker smiled.
“Why, my dear boy. We’re just going to go for a ride. Wouldn’t you like that?”
“Not really, no.”
“Come on. I know you want to find the bodies.” The Grim Reaper and Morgan Wisemans were both seated in the back of a black Nissan. The Joker grinned at the entire residence of San Diego. “Come on, little Detective. Prove to me that you have a spine. Solve this case.” Nicki handed the megaphone back. Artemis placed a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“It’s not worth it, Nicholas. Sty right there.”
“Tick-tock!” The Joker said impatiently. “I’ll just shoot Morgan if that’s what you want! The bodies of the Wisemans will remain missing forever if I don’t have the Australian boy in less than ten seconds.” Nicki quickly faced the Detective.
“It’s fine. You will all be driving behind us.” Ryan shook his head.
“This is not your option.”
“One…Two…Three…” The Joker began counting. His Mates came up.
“Not worth it, Nicholas.” Daniel and Jeremy said.
“Don’t even think about it!” His girlfriend said firmly.
“Four…five…six…”
“The bodies are going to remain lost. I’m going. Morgan’s going to die if I don’t.” The Joker was on nine. Nicki stepped out of the crowd and stepped towards the Joker. He smiled.
“Wonderful! Let’s go.” He helped Nicki into the front seat of another car and saluted once at the Detectives and drove off. The others followed the example.
  Nicki glanced back once and saw the Grim Reaper smile at him from the car behind them. He quickly faced front.
“Who’s the Grim Reaper?” The Joker grinned.
“Guess.”
“Your older brother. Wilson Hanger. He was the teenager in your story. You lied.” He merely shrugged and accelerated another fifty miles on the speedometer.
“Had to keep the story funky. But there are still pieces you’re still missing.” Nicholas twisted in his seat and winced. His arm hurted even more. The Joker smiled with joy at the injured arm. “Shot?” Nicki scowled at the man.
“What are the other pieces?” The Joker turned towards the boy. His expression was serious as hell.
“Where is your family, Nicki?” He said in a mimicking tone of an innocent child.

Nicki felt it hard to breath in the car now.
“What the hell did you do with my family, you f*ing bastard! Where the hell is my family?!” The Joker drove faster, then took an illegal left turn and they were now in an ally. The sounds of police sirens were all around them. The Joker faced Nicki.
“I’ll give you a choice. I’ll let your family go if you come with me. Wilson can take the others to the Wisemans body. I don’t give a s*** about them anymore. You come with me, your family will be safe and I’ll let this whole damn thing about the Wisemans go.” Nicki held his breath.
“What do you want with me?”
“You will be very useful to me.” The car that held the Grim Reaper and Morgan stopped in front of the car. Nicki saw Morgan staring. His mouth was gaged and his eyes were wide and afraid. He had the right to. Nicki faced the Joker.
“I don’t believe you.” He said through grinding teeth. The Joker honked once and the car next to them honked twice. It took off.
“I’m your only choice. They’re home, safe and sound. They’re asleep. A man is near them with a gun. Your call, Nicki.” He held up an iPad and showed the video surveillance of Nicki’s house. His family indeed was asleep and there was a man in every single room of their house. With a gun pointed at every single one of Nicki’s family. Nicki gasped.
N-no. Take me. Leave them. They did nothing. Call it off!” He begged. Tears started to flow down his cheeks. The Joker shrugged.
“Your choice.” He produced a cell phone and called one of the men. Form the surveillance, one of them picked up. “Men, leave the house. Don’t kill them. Meet me back at the headquarter.” Nicki saw all of the men put their guns away and walked out the front door. As Nicki watched the surveillance, he was unaware of the cloth in the Joker’s hand. The Joker placed it hard on Nicki’s mouth and the boy began to scream with all his might. But screaming only led him to let the world spin around faster. He tried to escape the Joker’s grip. But slowly, Nicki’s eyes lowered and his screams became silent.
  The Joker got the boy out of the car. The man standing in front of the car took Nicki.
“Take him to the other car. Drive and don’t stop till you reach your destination.” The man nodded. “Then, kill him. Leave the message of who did this. Leave him in plain sight that we will return.” The man nodded once more and left. The Joker then got out his gun and pointed it at his temple. He stared at the sky and the moon. He smiled. He knew he was going to hell. Yet, the life he lived here, it felt like heaven. He pulled the trigger.
  Detective Artemis Casanova started to chew her nails. She was certain she had lost that habit at the age of three. But it came back to haunt her again. Her partner drove. But what were they really going to look forward to? They could barely see anything in the dark. The two cars headlights were closed and the lights behind them didn’t work either. They drove, not knowing what they were getting themselves to. Where were they going? She had two Detectives, formal friends, doing a background check of the two brothers. Any addresses, and extended family would be the most useful information she could get of the Joker and the Grim Reaper.
  The teenagers and the CIA Agent sat behind the car. Tension was built around them all. They had been driving for a few hours. Where were they going? Artemis’ phone finally rang. She picked it up.
“Sergeant Casanova.”
“Artemis, its George. I believe they’re headed towards Los Angeles.”
“Why?”
“They have their parent’s house there. They must have buried the bodies there. Why? Asked a psychologist and he says that he might have buried the Wisemans bodies as a sacrifice or a gift for his parents. Saying, ‘here mom and Dad! I killed the people who got you killed!’”
“What the hell…” She mumbled.
“I know.”
“What about the Australian boy? What does he have in all of this?”
“Junior Detective protecting the last Wisemans and figured out all the pieces to the puzzle before anybody else ever did. He beat us to the pieces, Artemis. He’s going to pay.”
“S***.” She spat.
“Yeah. Better get there quick. I’m contacting LAPD right now. Getting the place surrounded. One more thing…are you sure there are two cars?” Artemis’s expression darkened.
“Why?” She asked hastily.
“The boy and the nephew are in separate cars. Know what that means?” The color drained from Artemis’ face.
“Get police all around this damn state! Get to the Williams’ house, get to the Wisemans’ house in Santa Barbara. Go!”
  They reached Los Angeles at nearly dawn. The sun was nearly up. It was the hour of Twilight, her loving mother always told her. “During this time, it would be better if no one was out. During this time, danger alerts just as fast.” Artemis wished she listened to her mother. Especially now. They stopped at an old fashion house. It was a four-story house that looked half-demolished with dirt and broken bricks.
  The car (cars?) parked behind the house and the passengers walked towards the widen open space of the backyard. There was no grass and the dirt was only visible. The Detectives got out to find only Morgan and the Grim Reaper standing. Morgan was gagged and the scythe was placed around his neck. The man had let his hood fall down to reveal a face that was old. He had gray hair and dark eyes. He sneered at everybody.
“Welcome to the party.” His voice sounded just like his younger brothers.
“Where is Nicholas?!” Jennifer cried.
“Where’s the Joker?!” Detective Harris bellowed.
“The Joker…dead. Nicholas…dead. No hope for them. Let them go.”
  There was dead silence now. The CIA Agent stepped up.
“Let my friend go before I take that scythe and cut off your head with it!” He held up his gun towards the Grim Reaper. Morgan was the only one in between the two. They were only inches apart.
“James, don’t!” Detective Casanova yelled.
“You wouldn’t tell us where the boy is, I’ll give you to the count of three to tell me where the boy is or I shoot.” The Grim Reaper smiled.
“Who’s underneath me, James Russell?” James scowled at the man.
“You are a sick person, Wilson! You and your brother! Two murders and you two go berserk?!” The Grim Reapers eyes turned deadly.
“My parents died!”
“So did mine! But you don’t see me going around killing criminals until I find my parents killers! You let it go! You leave it behind you! You don’t go after their family!” The Grim Reaper smiled sadly. He seemed almost like an innocent old man who wanted to apologize for his actions.
“Maybe your right. But no one can save any one now. We’re all dead.” James tilted his head.
“We’re?” The Grim Reaper produced a gun on Morgan’s back and pulled the trigger. He tossed him on the floor and held the gun at his temple. He smiled.
“Good luck finding the boy.” And he shot himself.
  James quickly ran for his friend. He applied pressure to the bullet hole until the EMS team arrived. James helped remove his gag and he shook his head.
“Find…the boy. I’ll…live.”
“But-” Morgan grabbed James collar.
“Go!” James let his best friend’s life be trusted with the EMS crew and he got up. Blood on his hands, but he wiped it on his jeans.
“Let’s go to Santa Barbara.” He looked back at the Grim Reaper. Wilson Hanger. He still had a smile on his face. “May that bastard rot in hell.”
  They flew all the way to Santa Barbara. In less than an hour, there were SBPD’s all around the city. Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova and her partner had no idea what to do now. They had options, but which one would lead them to the right answer? Which one would help find the young boy?
  They drove to the boy’s house. They ran inside while the Detectives ran around the perimeter of the house. They found Nicolas Williams. Blood was splattered all around the grass. The blood seemed to be coming from the boy’s chest. EMS team quickly ran over and carried him on a stretcher. Artemis rubbed her eyes. This was not what she had wanted. This was not it.
“Breathing?” She asked the EMS crew as they placed the boy in the ambulance. The woman sighed.
“Barely. Might not make it, that’s for sure.” She handed the Detective a note. “This was next to him.” And she got in the ambulance and left. Ryan stood next to her as she opened the note. A card popped out. A Joker. Then a picture of the Grim Reaper. Typed up was a note.
This is not the end of the Joker and the Grim Reaper. We will come back and we will end all of you. This is not the end.
  Artemis rubbed her eyes.
“I failed.” She mumbled. Ryan placed a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.
“You failed nothing, Artemis. The boys not dead. Have some hope.” She shook her head.
“No. I failed the whole damn city that I represent! I couldn’t even protect one men and a boy, then how can I protect a whole city?” Ryan knew never to argue or comfort Artemis. You would just get beaten up in the end. But he didn’t care. He placed her head on her shoulder and stayed quiet. For once, Artemis didn’t object.

Nicholas Williams knew his parents were going to kill him once they found out the whole story. For now, he left it that he was kidnapped. But he could only hope that they didn’t make him quit his days from the TCT. His friends had been by him the whole entire time. Supporting him and cheering him up. He forgot all about what had happened the in the last few days. He let that become the past.
  But that didn’t stop him from catching the news. He found out that they discovered the Jokers body. He frowned. He wanted to see both the Joker and the Grim Reaper at court to get justice for all they had done to the Wisemans. But he was at least glad they would be going to hell and that Morgan Wisemans was alright. He was also glad his Mates were alright. He was also glad he was alright too.
  After he left the hospital a week later, he was grounded for two weeks. Which meant no TCT, so seeing friends and no more cases. His parents had made it that clear. He was fine with that. He was glad that he didn’t have to quit his days as a junior Detective. He was glad that he still had his friends. He could survive in being in bed for two weeks with nothing else to do but read. His chest still ached and his right arm hurted. But he ignored that pain with the feeling if success.
  On the week after Nicholas was released from his grounding, he and his Mates were out, enjoying their days of Summer when they bumped into Sergeant Detective Artemis Casanova and Detective Ryan. They looked like an everyday couple walking down the streets. If not for their gun and badge attached around their waists.
“Well, what a surprise meeting you four here!” Ryan exclaimed. Artemis only rolled her eyes. They had their arms linked.
“Not surprising enough for me. Out another case?”
“Not yet.” Daniel said with a sneaky smile.  
“Don’t involve us in it again.” Artemis protested.
“Why? We all had a great time!” Jennifer cheered. The others cracked up, except Artemis.
“Great time? The worst time.” Artemis muttered.
“You know. We have a couple of old files at the station. They never get solved and are just stowed away. We could give them to you sometimes. To keep you active. Who knows? Maybe you four might actually become Detectives one day!” Ryan cheered. Artemis glared at her boyfriend.
“What?”
“Oh, come on. Their way old. Nobody ever solves them. If they can solve it, that’s something to be impressed about.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you.” Nicki said with his bright blue eyes. Artemis stared at him.
“You still wouldn’t quit?” He shook his head.
“I worked hard to get this far. I’m not going to let myself quit because of a couple of injuries. I’m sure my Mates can agree with that.” They smiled. Artemis raised a brow.
“You four are something.”
“In a good way or a bad way?” Jeremy asked.
“Little of both.” Artemis decided. He sighed and placed on her shades over her eyes. “As long as you don’t bug me, by all means, take the unsolved cases.” Daniel winked at her.
“Gotcha, Sergeant.” She sneered at him, but walked ahead. They waved good-bye. But they all knew it wouldn’t be the last the two Detectives hear from the Three Convergent Thinkers. Nicki stared at his friends.
“Let’s go get some ice cream. On me.” The others smiled.
“Alright. Since it’s on you, I’m getting about five ice creams. I think I deserve it.” Daniel said. Jeremy rolled his eyes.
“Sure.” He said sarcastically. They all laughed. Nicki smiled. His Mates were going to be there for him…forever. He could only hope their friendships could stay forever.

                     THE END