The Jr. Crime Fighter: The Last Case

The Jr. Crime Fighter Series-The Last Great Case
This is purely fictional, names and places that are familiar have been twisted for my artistic use and I meant no harm by it

Volume I

Chapter 1
Four years. It had been nearly four years and yet here she was, standing in the Armstrong Cafeteria with her cape about her shoulders and a hat jammed on her head. Clenched in her hand was the badge. It’d been four years and Armstrong high school was quite use to seeing the cloaked self proclaimed detective wandering the halls and none bothered her. Why should they? She was Rowan, Jr. Crime Fighter.
Nearly four years ago Rowan had entered Armstrong as a fresh faced freshman with ideas about law, crime and teenagers. She’d established her own private detective agency in the annex, had a partner in Thomas and solved her very first case. It had been some missing homework that had led to a conspiracy within the student body. She’d dived into it even though everyone had been against her, had not liked it. She’d strayed from the beaten path and not just taken choir like a normal person.
She’d solved that case too, jumpstarted her business, developed some enemies, established a reputation and inspired others.
Now Rowan sank into her chair and gazed at the lunchroom, she’d used to have a pipe that blew bubbles in her mouth right about now but the school had put a stop to it.
She was a senior now, an expert on the running of the school, went around like she was important (thought she wasn’t tall enough to subsistante it) She was planning for college, focusing more on the future. On “growing up”.
Maybe, just maybe it was time to give up the business for good. She had so much going on; could she really afford to solve adolescent high school crime at the same time?
Rowan drifted from her lunch table to the hall. She wandered down, dodging other students with the swish of a cloak. At the end of the hall was a space formally occupied by lockers. It had been empty of them ever since Rowan had arrived at the school.
After solving several cases Rowan had gotten use to carrying her files and important things with her. She was always on the go anyway so what was one more bag filled with paper to her? But her workload had soon grown too large to simply carry around with her or to keep in her locker. In a large suitcase Rowan keep all the files of every case she had ever worked on, in an outer pocket of the suitcase she kept a folding desk. Attached to the back of the case was a folding chair. In between classes, at lunch and during her honor study the annex became her temporary office with students dropping in whenever they felt like it. She couldn’t’ leave it there because she didn’t trust the janitors at night.
Now Rowan pulled out her desk, unfolded the chair and arranged papers accordingly. She pulled off her cloak, tucked it over her chair and sat down. Students passed by on their way to lunch or to class and they waved in eager acknowledgement of their local hero. For Rowan had saved many of them on countless occasions.
Rowan sighed and put her head down on her desk when the stem of people slowed down. Well maybe she didn’t want to be a hero anymore.
“Excuse me.”
Jumping up at the sound of that quiet voice Rowan nearly knocked back the small mousy boy who had been bending over her.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” The boy said, taking a few steps backward as Rowan picked up the fallen cardboard table.
Rowan shook her head,” No, its fine. Now, “She straightened up.” Can I help you?”
“Erm”. He had her full attention but probably because he had nearly knocked her over the boy seemed shy, “I um, you are Rowan, Junior Crime Fighter?”
Rowan nodded. The boy swept colorless lanky hair out of his even more colorless face.
“Well I have a case for you.”
A case? Oh joy. Rowan nodded and pulled out a pen and pad of paper from her bag. “Involving what? Theft? Extortion? Kidnapping? Murder?”
If he noticed the slightly sarcastic air of her voice the boy did not comment on it. “The first one. Theft.”
“What was stolen? You’re Ipod? Your not suppose to have those at school you know.”
“No it’s nothing like that. It’s-its homework.”
Rowan put down the paper and pencil. She knew kids like this one. Every year along came a new group of 9th graders who heard about Rowan and assumed she was just a school pride booster who didn’t really do anything but sit around wearing a silly costume. So here this little thing was trying to test her, well she had to admit usually they had better cases then lost homework.
“I’m a detective, I do real work. You can’t just come here trying to play pranks on me. Well you can but it ticks me off.”
Now the freshman grew agitated. “No I swear this is real, my homework it’s valuable and my locker was broken into-“
Hmm, he seemed legitimate. Maybe he was really good at math or something and so other kids wanted his work.
Taking up her pen again Rowan resumed her questioning-“What was said homework about?”
Silence reigned; he didn’t want to tell her. Something inside Rowan flicked on; there was something more to this. “What was it about?”
Even if she was short it didn’t mean she couldn’t give off intense looks. And it wasn’t hard the 9th grader was already so scared and flustered that it spilled right out.
“All right so it wasn’t homework. I’m a bit of a researcher and I was doing a project. The conclusions have the power to turn this high school upside down. “
Rowan tilted her head and he went on.” I have reason to believe that this school may contain a third floor pool.”
At these words Rowan jumped up and pulled the boy closer. “Don’t you mean fourth floor?”
“No, I mean third floor.” At this he seemed fairly certain.
“And someone got hold of your research, a student? Not a teacher?”
“I have no doubt it was a student.”
Rowan thought it over, this was serious, the fourth pool joke was supposed to be just that, a joke. But if it was real, it could lead to a major upheaval of the student population and no one wanted that.
Folding her table and attaching her chair to her rolling luggage Rowan spoke over her shoulder to her latest customer.” Where’s your locker?”
“The locker bay.”
“Then away we go. By the way what’s your name?”
“Me, Tom, my name is Tom.”
Rowan swallowed a lump in her throat.” Tom? Nice to meet you, away we go.”


Chapter 2
The locker bay contained row upon row of blue lockers, shined up over the summer so the place was now relatively clean and as it was lunch time empty of students and hall monitors.
It was easy to spot Tom’s locker. The door had literally been burned off its hinges with the door leaning against another locker while papers were strewn around. It seemed Tom had tried to shove some of them back in but had failed and instead placed his coat over it to deter people from going through his things.
“Usually it’s so neat.” Tom said uncertainly as Rowan tilted her head at the sight of the locker door.
Deciding she wasn’t going to bother saying they had been in school a day or so she said, “Everything else except your notes have been accounted for?”
“Yes.”
Rowan pulled out gloves from her backpack and a digital camera. She took a few shots then examined the locker door at length. Usually the school lockers were so dirty that she no qualms about touching them without gloves but as it was the beginning of the year…
“Grazing gazelle,” Rowan murmured. It seemed that something had been applied to each hinge to make them almost melt. It would have had to have been something powerful, something that wouldn’t set off the smoke alarms and it was obviously done very recently. This was definitely the work of a student. A teacher could have the locker opened by the janitor if they so wished.
While Tom hovered Rowan pulled her gloves off, if she was correct she would not find the culprits prints on the door. They would be too smart for that. Only one person could be willing to go through so much trouble and have such materials at their deposal.
“Follow me,”
“What about my locker?” Tom asked a whine in his voice.
“No one wants your college ruled sheets.”
Rowan strode down the hall again back a few rows from where’s Tom’s locker was. Where two rows of lockers connected back to back was a garbage can. Rowan pulled it from the locker wall. She had to because it almost stuck there. She looked back and forth along the locker bay then motioned to Tom.
“We have nearly twenty minutes until class; can I count on you to stick with me until then?”
He nodded solemnly and Rowan was satisfied. She took one look around then pulled up the floor where the garbage can had previously sat. A flight of stairs led down into the darkness.
Tom gasped but Rowan said nothing. She gestured to Tom to go down the stairs but when he stood balanced on the top step, looking down with his face the color of milk Rowan pushed him.
Adjusting her cloak Rowan swept into the stairs herself, using both hands to pull the section of floor and garbage can back over them.
Turning around she found Tom was using his cell phone to illuminate the short passage way down.
Rowan grinned then led the way into the short passage. The locker lair as it was was actually just a few feet under the locker bay and if one followed the way the lockers were set up they could know so to say where everything in this strange room was located.
A figure moved up ahead of them but neither Tom nor Rowan said anything. It was what Rowan expected and Tom just seemed to have lost all power of speech.
“Who are you?”
The practiced twelfth grader held up her badge. “Rowan, Jr. Crime Fighter.” The teen stepped into the light of Tom’s cell phone and Rowan bit down on her tongue.
It was her old partner Thomas.
Thomas stopped in his tracks as well but he was quicker to recover. “I suppose I should have known. Follow me then. But my mistress will not be happy.”
“She still makes you call her that?” Rowan said recovering her wits.
“Eh, it sounds pretty diabolical. I like it.”
Tom trailed behind them like a puppy dog. Tiles and plaster formed the basis for this strange hideout.
Making a right turn where the lockers might turn they a saw a blond head turned away from them. She was sitting with her legs drawn up in a folding chair with a lamp hanging over her, its yellow glow making her hair seem more bright and golden.
“Damn it all…”
“Anna-“Thomas said in a kind of warning voice. The girl did not seem to hear; now Rowan could see she had a permanent marker clenched in her hand and her right jean pant leg was rolled up. Squiggly lines and arrows were drawn strategically on her leg in black sharpie.
“Oh come on, I just have bones everywhere now don’t I?”
Anna!”
The girl called Anna looked up and dropped the sharpie at the same time. Tom was looking quizzically at Rowan who seemed to expect nothing less.
“Ah detective, so nice of you to er barge in.”
“Yes, yes cut to the chase. Anna have you been doing any locker break-ins lately?”
“Locker break-ins?!? I’m working on making my leg into a weapon of mass destruction but my stupid leg has so many bones I can’t fit in the weapon anywhere.”
Saying this Anna pointed to her kneecap and ankle with a look of deep annoyance. Tom appeared perplexed but Thomas and Rowan knew better.
“But you’re the only one with such locker expertise as to be able to burn a locker door off its hinges.”
Anna rolled down her pant leg and motioned to Thomas. Ever the obedient butler/criminal mastermind assistant he retrieved something from another part of Anna’s locker lair.
He came back with a small bottle; it looked like it could have held a sample of a shaving cream but Anna had taped another label over it.
“Hinge Cream: For unhinging”
Rowan held the sample in her hand and glanced at Anna who shrugged. “It’s a work in progress, I haven’t thought of a clever name yet.”
“And you’re selling this to students?”
“Only about 2/3 of them.”
“Anna if I wasn’t looking for something more important I’d put a collar around your neck and take you down to the principal’s office. Now who have you sold this to?” Rowan said rummaging in her messenger bag for her good old pen and paper pad.
“I just like said.” Said Anna twirling a strand of her blond locks.
Rowan looked up with her eyebrows raised.
Anna had no patience she rolled her eyes and screeched “Practically everyone!” Then she suddenly smiled in the midst of her rage. “Would you like one?”
A thought had struck Rowan. “What about Kristen?”
Anna frowned. “That girl ruined my last plan for world domination when she didn’t take math with me.”
“A yes or no will suffice your imperial viciousness.”
“Yes. Would you be so kind as to get out of my lair?”
“All right, I’ll be back later after I report you to the principal.”
“Oh please then who will be the super villain of this school?”
“Kirsten.”
“Get out of my lair.”
Thomas escorted them out as Anna swung back in her chair, rolling up her pant leg and pulling a new sharpie out of her sweatshirt pocket.

Chapter 3
Once back to the light and cleaner air of the locker bay Rowan turned to Tom who had said nothing for the past several moments.
“I think for now we can rule her out. She didn’t react at all when she saw you; then again it was pretty dark down there.”
“Who is she exactly?” Tom said, he was putting his cell phone into his back pocket.
“Anna? She’s a fellow senior. Soon after I started my detective agency she decided that she might as well start trying to take over the world. She’s a bit loony. We’ve had our clashes but she’s mostly more help then a hindrance.”
“And that Kristine she mentioned?”
“Her names Kirsten. She’s much more dangerous. Anna and she go way back but that girl lives for mischief.”
Tom nodded and Rowan readjusted her bag. ”Listen lunch is almost up and I doubt you have 6th honor study?” Tom shook his head. “Then I’m going to try and interview Kirsten on my own. I don’t want to put you in danger. “
Again Tom nodded and began to set off to his class. The bell rang but Rowan grabbed Tom by the arm. People swarmed around them as they stood in the middle of the hall. Angry insults were hurled at them but Rowan was too use to it to care. “If you can remember anything else, anything at all tell me the first chance you get.”
Before Tom could reply Rowan had disappeared with only her green plaid cloak whipping out of sight to show she had been there.
----
The main hall in the second floor was a nightmare to cross. Rowan pushed and shoved her way through like any good senior student would do. At last she passed through the groups of gossiping girls and teachers with carts full of supplies to end up at Kirsten’s locker.
Right next to it was a patch of wall and it did not surprise her at all to see Kristen simply standing there, no school supplies in her arms or anything. She had one leg bent resting on the wall with her arms folded and she was waiting for Rowan.
Rowan approached her, ever wary. Nearly 5 years of acquaintance with Kirsten and she still had to be careful. When the two stood in front of each Rowan had to seize her up, any case that involved Kirsten was an exhausting one. She was golden haired like Anna but that wasn’t what most people remembered about her.
“Hey, I wanted to ask you about a locker-“
“You are not worthy to wear that!” With one sharp movement Kirsten removed Rowan’s plaid cloak and wrapped it about herself. She fastened the green buttons under her chin and gave Rowan a haughty look.
“That was my cloak. It’s part of my uniform. Standard issue.”
“Your not worthy.” Kirsten repeated.
“Please give it back.”
“Prove your worth.”
Rowan sighed and tried to think. The bell had rung and 6th hour had begun. “What do I have to do?”
Kirsten pointed down the hall. On the floor, mircauslly unmoved by the flood of students that had passed through before was a stack of books removed from the school library in a red wagon.
“Take them back to the library, then complete the tasks that follow.”
Rowan was trying to keep her two parts of her jaw together. She wanted her to do what?
Finally she spit out, “Then I’ll be worthy? Of more then my cloak?”
Kirsten dashed to the corner and looked out around it, “ We will see.” And like that she was gone.
Rowan made a hesitant move down the hall to the wagon before she realized Kirsten had taken her book bag with her. Cursing softly she proceeded to the red wagon. It sat there innocently.
Kirsten must know something that was the only explanation. And if she wanted any information, more importantly if she wanted her bag with her English essay in it she would have to play the game by Kirsten’s rules.
The wagon proved to be more difficult then she thought. In order to go the library she would have to drag the wagon up a set of stairs. The wagon was loud, it creaked and inched forward despite the fact it had only four books in it. When ten minutes later Rowan had pushed it in to the school library with the help of a puzzled but amused hall monitor she set to work trying to figure out what to do next.
Behind the front desk the woman there insisted that Rowan must put the books back herself. This Rowan did. In each spot where a book was suppose to be there was a sheet of paper with a letters on it. After putting back each book Rowan sat down at a table, uncomfortably aware of her lack of a cloak. Together the scraps of paper spelled Pottery.
Rowan stood up and ran to the pottery room on the opposite side of the school. In the room she found the confused and slightly irritated pottery teacher at her computer with a rope in her hand. Taking the rope Rowan nearly cursed when she saw what was written on it, “Property of Armstrong high school athletics department.”
She was running out of time. Running to the gym Rowan gazed around, unconcerned at the stares she was getting.
A thorough sweep of the gym and she found what she was looking for. In an upper balcony, hanging in a net over the bleachers was her bag. Her mission was obvious. Retrieve her bag.
On the balcony Rowan tried climbing up onto the stairs of the bleachers but it didn’t quite work. Using stairs and the rope Rowan managed to get herself on the top of the bleachers. Several minutes of frantic jumping and cursing and Rowan had miraculously gotten herself on the net. Her plan had been to pull herself up onto it but that part didn’t happen. With one snapping noise Rowan and the net fell. Thankfully Rowan fell on the bleacher, though it was rather painfully. Standing down below her, the net covering her was Kirsten.
Rowan jumped down, picked up her bag from the middle of the net and helped Kirsten pulled the net off.
“So-am I worthy?” She asked when Kirsten was uncovered and was dusting the cloak off.
Kirsten looked up slowly and Rowan tilted her head.
“Er… well.. I.” She trailed off and Rowan shook her head.
“You don’t know anything do you? “
Kirsten grinned feebly ,” Nope.”

Rowan left the gym and walked to the annex. Dejected she leaned against the wall and sank down to the floor. Her misery was intensified when she saw her former partner walk up to her.
“Hello.”
“Thomas.” Rowan said coldly, struggling to stand up.
“I understand you’ve had some rough patches in your case.” Thomas said quickly. Rowan paused as she swung her book bag over her shoulder and nodded.
“Maybe you should try to talking to a fellow detective.” Rowan stared, uncomprehending.” Maybe someone like … Shane?”
A smile spread over Rowans features, about to dash off she paused and gave Thomas a hug.” Thanks.”
He smiled too and watched as she ran off, trying to hold on to her cloak, bag and keep her pants up at the same time.