semicolon case chapter 15

Eden's mom called him and asked about the progress of the case. Eden was frustrated and couldn't crack the code on the note. His mom encouraged him to keep trying and not give up. Eden eventually figured out the words were "lemon," "highlighter," and "invisible ink." He gathered his friends and they found a message on the motel wall. They decoded it and discovered the name "Keane" was involved in the murder. They decided to retrace Keane's steps and look for clues. Chapter 15 of the Semicolon Case, Wrapped Up. Eden's mom picked up her phone and dialed her son's number as she talked to her husband. Paris said that she hadn't seen him in three days. I'm allowed to worry if he has been locked up in a room that long. She heard the tone three times before hearing her son's voice. Hey sweetie, you alright? Yeah, I'm fine mom. How are you? I've just been a little worried for you. How's the case coming along? Oh, it's been great. Are you sure? Eden took the phone away from his... took the phone... First typo. Okay, Eden took the phone away for a minute to look at his surroundings. He saw his abandoned case on the side of the TV that was binging the Clone Wars series. Honestly mom, it's not... it has not been great. What happened to work on the case? There's no new information to be found. Then re-researched the old stuff. Like, she stopped to think of the clues that he had told her about so far. What about the note that Mr. Fabian gave you? Eden leaned down from his bed and got the piece of paper that read H-I space H-G space R then L-E-M then nothing else and then space T-T dot space N dot X. This is all gibberish, she commented. It makes no sense. Hey, don't give up on this. So you hit a hard spot. Everyone has. But honey, remember you have gone farther than any FBI agent has in over 20 years. Our lives would be so much different if we all gave up on the first cornerstone. Do you think my time as a teacher was all easy? Not at all. I conquered through and you can too. Okay mom, but she wasn't finished. So you pick up that lazy butt of yours and crack that code. I know you can do it. And with that, she hung up. Jeez, he mumbled. He looked at the letters and then breathed out heavily. He told himself, the only word I can think of, the middle one could be lemon, right? He got another piece of paper and filled out the middle as lemon. The L-E-M. But why would a man write down lemon? He then went back to the first word. He tried guessing for a while, then went to Google. He typed in words that began with H-I and the end letter being R. The results were hipper, higher, tender, high chair, hitchhiker. And as good as the results were, none matched the middle letters. How could high could work, but what is the rest, he said. Every word he could think of that started with the word high in it. Then it hit him. Highlighter! Hey, that might be it. It has no connection to lemon, but honestly, I am too tired to think of any more words. Okay, he told himself. So I have highlighter and lemon. Now the third one. He stared at the few letters for a long time. Think of how a word could come from this. He knew that it could have started with the letters that were provided, but they were farther down the page. In the canyon, it was in the middle. And he guessed that it was in the dash next to the S meant something. That could be two words. On a separate paper, he put down six dashes. Then space, and then four more dashes. In the second two, he put the two Ts. Then at the end of the first set of dashes, he put the N. On the next one, he put the S. And at the very end, he put the V. But from there, he could see how many missing letters there could be. This could be a button, he said, pointing to the first word. He went to write it down, but it got feeling told that it was wrong. But other words are there. A few minutes later, he had given up and moved to the second word. S, blank, blank, B. His eyes widened when his thought process went to the word stab. Then he started thinking straight again when adding the words cotton to the front of the second word. Cotton snob, cotton snub, cotton swab, cotton... He stopped and suddenly jumped to his feet. Cotton swab, he exclaimed. He had gotten all three words. He then ran to his computer with a list of typed in three words. The first result made his head spin. Invisible ink, he read aloud. His stray thoughts still had connected. And like a zap of lightning, he had figured out that he had missed a key. It's invisible ink, he said. He ran out of his room and flew down the stairs. Maverick, Carrot, and Terry were all in the living room and jumped up when he ran down the stairs. He shouted the two words repeatedly. It's invisible ink, I, he shouted while running to the closet. What the heck is he jabbering about, Maverick complained. He then exited the closet with the hoodie half way on while he tried to get his shoes on. Where are my keys, he screamed. He then dove onto the couch and started checking the cushions. They're right here, Harrison said as he tossed them to him. He missed the catch, but then he scooped them up and headed for the garage door. Aren't you forgetting something? He turned around and his eyebrows were racing confusion. He then looked down. Oh right, pants. As quick as he was gone, he was back then gone again. Before he could move, his sheet was in motion. Three waited as they paced around, wondering when he would call. I wish you would let us track his phone, Harrison muttered. That's another quote for the wall, Maverick said as he headed for the board that read, Who said it, Harrison or our moms? As he wrote it down, Terry's phone buzzed. Good gosh am I, she exclaimed. What's going on? She let him talk, and as she did, she motioned the guys to get in the car. Okay, yeah, yeah, we'll be right there. What is our heading, my lady, Maverick asked. The motel, Ethan found something. Fifteen minutes later, they were there at the motel in the room at the scene of the crime. What did you find? Turn off the lights, he instructed. Once that was done, he turned on the camera, where he had a setting that made it turn to blacklight. He then shined the light on the wall, where a message was planned as day to see. It said, Wow, Maverick exclaimed, wore a fake smile for a moment, then he shook his head. Okay, what is that supposed to mean? I was confused too, till I remembered this, he said as he went to the library book that was found in the room. There was a page marked here that showed a code, a code that decodes this message. What does it say? I used to be with Endgame, and need help, he decoded. So we have to watch Endgame, Maverick questioned. The movie wasn't out back then, he reminded. It must be some gang group or something. But it's progress. Did you show Meg? Sure did, she said she never saw it before. Just then, she came in and had a camera with her. But you would want to have this picture to take to place the ad to the evidence, she explained. She handed the camera and started to leave, but stopped in the ad casually. Oh, I don't think this is important, but I remember the name of the guy who was here that night. He said his name was Keane. Ethan, Harrison questioned. Ethan was staring at the wall, his expression completely blank. But he could see that the wheels were turning in his head. Oh my gosh, he muttered. What? Oh my gosh, he said again. What is it? Oh my gosh, he explained. It makes so much sense. Oh my gosh. What is? Oh my gosh, Harrison questioned. Keane, he explained. This was the name of the drivers from the ambulance. But he wasn't a driver and there wasn't there by mistake. He was a fraud. Are you saying the extra hand is part of the murder, Maverick asked. Ethan nodded as he held his head. So much information at once. I have so much to do. What can we do, Perry questioned. He racked his brain for how to organize the chaos. This morning he was begging for clues and now they had burst through and there was too much for him to handle alone. Okay, Maverick and Perry, you two take the evidence to the police station. Harrison, you're coming with me. What are we going to do? Retrace the steps of Keane. Do you have your notebook? In answer, Harrison held up the blank little notebook that was always in his back pocket. We are timestamping everything. Ethan got to the jeep and set a timer on his phone and used Harrison's phone to record as they started off. Alright, role play, Ethan said. It is 9.07 and we leave the motel, he said, going back to the time the event happened. They rolled out the motel driveway and headed down the road, taking the exact route that the ambulance would have. Four minutes later they were at the location of the place the camera had gone dead. Okay, the cop said that Mr. Drew stopped for 15 minutes while Mr. Keane, air quotation, called for help, air quotation, stopped. He said using air quotations. I really need to read my head before I start to do that. But I bet he was really dumping the body, Ethan. They exited the jeep and lay on the ground. Okay, Harrison, I need you to drag me through the woods. Harrison fixed his glasses and blinked rapidly. Excuse me, what? We have to role play everything, he explained. And I bet Keane had it planned for the tire to pop at a certain place so that he could go somewhere where he already had a place to bury the body and have it ready. Harrison sighed, then rolled his eyes. So, this is what 13 years of friendships have led to. And with that, Harrison grabbed Ethan from under their arms and started dragging him into the woods. He could have gone as far as possible, Ethan said. Keep out, dragging, he said as his foot hit a roof. How will we indicate where the body is supposed to be buried? Harrison questioned. He could have stopped anywhere. Maybe he even had help to bury the body, which would cut a lot of time. You're the math guy, Ethan mumbled. He figured it out. Harrison dropped Ethan and then stared off as he started doing math, he said. Okay, he said a minute later. First off, let's assume he did have help. This all happened in 19 minutes, correct? Just about, yeah. Ethan did the calculation and made it out of the spot where it could have been. So, it would be around here if he had help. Ethan asked as he washed the dirt off his shorts. But that's just assuming he did it on his own. And we don't even know what direction he went in. Stay here, Ethan said. A few minutes later, he was back with string, a paper copy of the map, and a pencil. Why do you have these things in your jeep, Harrison questioned. Never know when you might need them, he shrugged as he tied the pencil to the piece of string. Can never be too prepared. Hidden through the circle wall, Harrison held the middle of the string to where the car was parked. There, Ethan said. There is our line of possible places. So now we are supposed to dig up a trench till we find the body? You make all my ideas sound so boorish. But that will be later. Let's go see how Perry and Maverick are doing. They got to the police station and found Maverick and Perry in the waiting room. Perry stood up and walked over to him when he entered. Did you find anything? They might have found a location of where the body could be buried, Harrison said. But just the circumference of it. Perry turned to Ethan for an answer. We are close, he translated. How about y'all? We took the evidence to Officer Reginald, as you told us to, and he is processing it now. He said it might take a while. Okay, let me talk to him real quick. Then we will return to the house to get some supplies. Harrison, will you go home to the Home Depot to get some things? Harrison shook his head. I can't believe I'm doing this. Thanks, buddy. That afternoon, the four went out to the woods with metal detectors that Harrison had modified to find anything out of the ordinary. You and Dawn have been spending more time with each other, Maverick pointed out. I'm glad to see it. Me too, Perry agreed. It's strange when we are so different now, but I'm glad that we can still hang out. Don't know why she doesn't want to hang out with us, Maverick said with a wink. Guess we are just too cool for her. More like gross, she corrected. Remember when she walked in during our paint war? He grimaced in memory. I still have a mark at where she slapped me. I watched Perry laugh. He watched Perry laugh and said, But I am glad there is at least one cool girl on this planet, she bowed dramatically. The pleasure is all mine. Guys, Ethan's child, come here. They all raced over to where Ethan stood with the metal detector now beeping rapidly. Time to whip out those mad digging skills, y'all, he said as he picked up a shovel. My sink half a billion talent has led me to this moment, Maverick said. To dig up a body? You never know when the skill can come in handy. But all hopes dropped when five minutes later they found just a scrap of metal that had been thrown out. This happened multiple times and eventually they had to call it a day. Don't let your hopes fail, Ethan said as he trudged inside the house. This is a body after all. Didn't expect us to find it on the first try. I better be going back, Perry said as she grabbed her backpack. Okay, you can meet us tomorrow at nine. Dude, tomorrow is Monday. I have class. What? No, it's only Friday. You don't know how long you've been in your room, do you? Harrison questioned. Fine, we can meet after class. See you then. She saluted him and then headed for the back door. My last class is at two, Harrison said. I can meet you there. Then I'll drive straight from school, Maverick chimed in. Alright, well I'm going to grab a quick snack then head right to bed. See you in the woods. Ethan grabbed a box of cereals and ran up to his room. Ethan opened his eyes as the Star Wars themed alarm clock went off. He quickly leaned over and picked it up himself, shutting off his alarm. As he did, he also saw a text from his professor. Class cancelled, it read. He smiled as his eyes drifted over to the shuttle. Thirty minutes later, Ethan was back in the woods, waving the metal detector back and forth while singing his song in the wrong pitch. He stopped mid-word when the metal detector went off. He soon went to digging, but as he got deeper, he found no scrapes or bolts that had been lost. Minutes passed as he got more profound and the metal detector buzzed louder the farther he got down. His excitement was his fuel and his sweat on his brow motivated him to go deeper. Then he hit something with a STINK! Ethan looked down his five feet deep hole and breathed heavily as he saw what he saw. No way, he whispered. In the middle of ethics, Harrison's phone chimed. He glanced up at his professor, whose back was turned, and then he lifted his phone to see its text from Ethan. I found something. Harrison glanced up at the clock and saw it only had fifteen minutes left, which would most likely be spent by the professor talking about his ex-wife. Harrison quickly collected his things when the professor was looking and slipped out. This was the highlight of sitting in the back by the door. When Harrison exited the car, he watched Maverick Carpool up. He and Perry jumped out, and together the three walked into the woods. How are you guys here? Harrison questioned. It's a lunch break, Maverick explained. Ethan and Perry called. Over here, they followed his voice. In the three sounds, Ethan covered from head to toe with sweat and dirt. Wow, now that's a hole, Maverick said. How long did it take you to dig that far down? About two hours, he said. What did you find? In answer, he jumped out of the hole to reveal what looked like the top of a crate. Well, don't just stand there. Grab a shovel. Shouldn't you be heading back to school soon? Harrison asked when they were half an hour back into digging. When we end up on the news for helping Ethan find your body, I think they will understand. What about you? Don't you have another class? It's not intended. I'll be fine. Three hours in, they had almost a six-foot crate with a metal trimming and wooden base. I think it's about time we call Officer Reginald, Harrison said. Ethan pulled out his phone and pushed in the office number. After a short ringing, he said, Hello, Officer Reginald. We found something, and I'll send you our coordinates. An hour later, the place was swarmed with police officers, FBI, and other forces that Ethan couldn't name. As men started digging up the rest of the crate, Ethan stood on the edge, talking to Officer Reginald, explaining everything that had happened. Good job, Devin Ferguson, but you know that digging up public property is not a good idea to do twice, right? I understand, but as far as I'm concerned, I'll let you do this. Ethan smiled. Thank you, sir. Then he picked up his phone when he got a call. Excuse me for a moment. He held it to his ear after stepping away. Hello? This is Fabian, Ian Fabian, said from his line. Oh, hello, sir. Hey, kid, just wanted to let you know that I think I found another clue. Really? What is it? It was with the evidence, but I guess it slipped out. It has the motel logo on it, so I guess it had to be with him. But there's nothing on it. It might be nothing. Wait, do you have a blue light with you? Hold on. There was a bit of shuffling as the door opened. Yeah, I have one right here. Shine it on the paper. Oh, great, happens, Mr. Fabian whispered. What is it? What does it say? I'll send you a picture if I can figure out how it works. Hold on a second. A few seconds later, he got the picture in the text. Ethan looked at it. It was coordinated. Thank you so much, Mr. Fabian. This might be a clue. Let me know if it does help. Will do. Thank you again. Ethan ran back to the office and showed him the picture. Perhaps these coordinates can help on it. I was wondering, Grace, as he crisscrossed on the ground. How will we know if this is the guy? Like, I know the coincidence of someone else's body being buried is unreal, but how will we know it's the guy? There were no records of this guy recorded. That's an excellent question, Harrison pointed out. And I might have the answer, Ethan says, he joined them. Mr. Fabian just said he found another clue. It's coordinated. Maybe that can lead to his identity. Davenport, Officer Regin called. The four who joined them over were a cop car that had just brought it through a clearing. And at the computer, they had the coordinates set in. The coordinates point to an old abandoned bunker in Dalhousie, Florida. I'm not sure if the squad group is close to the location to check it out. Make a code red, and officer said he joined them. Ethan's eyes widened when he saw it was a general. This looks a lot more serious than he had dreamed. We did some digging on the name Endgame that was given to us yesterday. It's a lot bigger than we expected. Apparently, it's a mafia group. Maverick had to hold onto Perry's arm from her falling. She was big on mobster movies, but this being real life, she's a little too excited for it. A long time ago, the general continued, nine agents went rogue and fled. There hasn't been a trace of five of them, and one of them turned themselves in and now works for us. Where is he, Maverick suddenly asked. Perhaps he could help. He is incognito, at the moment, the general answered, addressing the team for the first time. But we are doing everything we can. Skipper, a man who was shelving, called. We are ready to lift it up. An hour later, the crate was lifted and put on the ground, and sin men were using tools to open it up. They asked the, asked the, the, what does it say? The men finally got the crate open and could see what was inside. Ethan and the others stood at a distance, right outside the police area that had been set up. One of the masked men walked up towards them and to Officer Reginald, he said. It's a body, Ethan could finally breathe again. He was still tense, but none of his clues were correctly revealed, correctly relieved him. Soon more cars were there, and Ethan and the others went home as they wrapped it up. Ethan, Officer Reginald said as they returned to the jeep. I don't know what to say except good work. Thank you for believing me, sir, he said. He got in his jeep and started forward with his eyes wide. Did he really, did this really just happen? Had he found the missing body from the cold case in 1998? It felt unreal, it felt off. But he wouldn't just wait around at home as he waited for the last pieces of information to get to him. It would set out what he first meant to do. It would be challenging, but he made himself do it. Writing the essay, edited after all information was given. The Cold Case of 1998, Unlocked The Cold Case of 1998 has little information to begin with. All that was known was that an unknown man stayed at the U Motel, and after half an hour later, the man called for help. He was invisibly in the ambulance, but when the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the body was gone. For 22 years, no information has been dug up or explored. Until now, that is. Here is the whole story. Rewinding to the year 1998, a man whose name was discovered to be August Keane was on the run from the Mafia group in-game. The Mafia had strict rules of banning his clients and would cost him his life. This is why so little information was given. When August arrived, he paid off the front desk so he wouldn't have to give his name. Then went to his room. However, that is where his plan for leaving hid started. With little supplies, he made invisible ink, and on the wall he used a code that said he was part of the Mafia group. He had gone AWOL. Why not simply tell someone? Mafia is very serious, and this one slip can get you killed, and he didn't want to take any chances and use invisible ink. They would not be able to see any tracks he left behind. August then asked for room service, and after it arrived, he took a shower where the trouble began. Jude King, member of the Mafia and brother of August, pretends to be a staff member at the U-Motel and steals a spare key and gets into his brother's room, where he proceeds to poison his drink. He hides out until August calls for help, and Jude becomes one of the ambulance drivers when the ambulance arrives. Information has also led us to show that Jude King is a spy for the Mafia in the Auburn area, working for the hospital so that he could track down August so quickly. Before they had left, Jude had sabotaged a truck so it would break down in a place where the road camera had broken so that they could dispose of the body. When they had gotten to the spot, the other driver, Mr. Drew, was lamented about what he was going on and thought Jude was calling for help. Telling them their stats as he fixed the tire. But in reality, Jude had taken the body out of the ambulance and dragged it into a location where he had already had a crate raked in the whole dugout. All the information on the Mafia group of the Mafia knew August would be going to that location is still unclear, but this shows how clever the Mafia can be. After the crate with the body is buried, Jude races back to the ambulance where he is in the clear. They got to the hospital with the body gone and unknowing to all that it was buried just a few miles away. But what Endgame doesn't know is that in his room August had put an invisible message that he was with Endgame and needed help and he also gives the location of where Endgame was located. The bunker has been cleared and dialogue Orlando to the little-known Mafia group Endgame is being hunted down now and their base has been confiscated. August Keane will be given a proper burial and a funeral, dying a hero for doing what was right. This is closing the case of the murder of August Keane. Thailand, treat them mean, keep them keen. That is it, Professor Wright said as they closed the book for the last time for the semester. I'll see most of you next semester. Oh, and your score will be posted this afternoon. Keith had collected his books and started heading to the door till the professor stopped him. Mr. Davenport, he said with a stern, straightforward tone, I want to speak with you about your final essay. Ethan Gleick says, watch. Uh, sure. Let me guess, I forgot a comma? Multiple times he grumbled. He went behind his desk and grabbed a folder. I read in the news that you had uncovered the cold case of 1998. It was actually the final paper that got me to do it, he explained. I wanted to do something worthwhile and hopefully get a good grade. That's what I want to speak with you about. I said I would post the final grade this afternoon, but I need to see it now. And you know that you need a good grade for the final. Good. Sorry, there's an ad on the background music. This is embarrassing. Okay. Back to it. I want to speak to you. You need a good grade. You need a good grade to secure your future, correct? Yes, sir, he said as he messed with the strap on his backpack. Professor Wright held out what looked like to be Ethan's paper. He hesitated at first, but then handed it to him and quickly returned to his desk. Ethan flipped over the paper and his knees went weak as the smile grew on across his face. 110, the professor's face didn't change. 10 extra points for creativity. You did, he paused, trying to get the words out. You did good, Davenport. I suppose I won't be seeing you next semester then. Thank you, professor, he said with a grin. And with that, he walked out of the room, but not without clicking his seal at the door. Ethan would see the professor again the following week when the police station and award ceremony was set when Ethan would be given the Medal of Honor. After the medal was placed around his neck, Ethan gave a speech to both the small crowd that was gathered and the newscast. I don't know what to say, he scoffed. Well, first off, I know I wouldn't have gotten this far without help from my old friends, he said, Glenson, his sister, and the other two. And new friends, he added as he smiled at Officer Reginald and Mr. Fabian. This wasn't an easy case, and not pleasant at all. I'm just glad that I could settle the case for August King, and hopefully he can now rest peacefully. And with that, he stepped away, letting the general do the rest of the talking. Before they left, Reginald pulled Ethan aside and told him something that would change his life as he knew it. That was some pretty good work you did there, Davenport. Thank you, sir. Have you ever thought about joining the forces? It wouldn't be that exciting every day, but it's never a dull moment, Ethan shrugged. I never even thought about it before, but he paused and glanced around at the officers who had just looked like protectors of the law, but now looked like noblemen who had served the country and took the risk to do what was right. His heart began to swell as the new opportunity started to seem like a good idea. So, Ethan smiled. Where do I sign up? And that is the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoy it.