are exiting the building with their father and lawyer.
“Oh, this is surprising. Dr. Rodney Klinger is also leaving the building and joining the Higleys in their car. And here comes Detective Jay Santoro.
“Detective, Murielle duPluie from WLEO. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
Dad drives the pickup out of the parking lot slowly as we all listen.
“Here is what I can tell you, Ms. duPluie. First and foremost, the safety of the members of this community and our visitors is our highest priority. While the investigation is ongoing, I can confirm that the victim in this case, Cassandra Winterhalter, also known as Meredith Maxwell’s number one fan, is now in stable condition. The suspect who was being questioned for stalking Meredith Maxwell has been released, as those allegations were completely without merit.”
Dr. Rodney asks, “What I want to know is, did everyone think I was some major Meredith Maxwell fan?”
“You might not know this,” I say, “but you have sort of a vibe that some people might not totally be able to read—”
“Shh,” Laney interrupts. “There’s more.” She turns the volume up.
Santoro continues. “In addition, we have issued three arrest warrants, one for Mayor Paul Lopez for endangering the welfare of this community and its visitors, and a second for Mrs. Gabriella Gardiner for illegally dumping toxic substances into the ocean. The third is for the pop star Meredith Maxwell for insider trading.”
We pass Booth driving his police cruiser, with Meredith Maxwell in the back.
duPluie: What about Meredith Maxwell’s allegations that Stella and Josephine Higley kidnapped her?
Santoro: No charges are being filed with regard to any alleged kidnapping. I cannot comment further as there are elements of this that are ongoing.
duPluie: Can you tell us the future of the Smoothie Factory?
Santoro: I have to get back into the precinct, but I understand that the Flying Fish are issuing an announcement shortly. I think your listeners will find that interesting.
duPluie: Thanks for the tip. WLEO listeners, please let me introduce my new intern, Dario Imani, who is on location at Karleigh Park with the Flying Fish rock-and-roll band. Over to you, Dario.
Josie and I clap with excitement about Dario’s new internship.
Dr. Rodney reaches a hand to each of us and gently stops our applause so that we can hear.
Imani: Dario Imani here with WLEO News, reporting live from Karleigh Park, where Evan Roberts, lead guitarist of the Flying Fish, is walking to a podium. The next voice you hear will be the great Evan Roberts.
Roberts: Thank you for joining me. There’s only one thing performers hate more than disappointing their fans, and that’s finding out that one of their trusted bandmates is poisoning the ocean in the name of profit. For this reason, Austin, Lucien, and myself have chosen to cut all ties with Meredith Maxwell and dissolve the Flying Fish.
There are sounds of groans from the crowd, and also in the car.
Evan Roberts: “While that is certainly sad news for you to hear, we hope you’ll be pleased to know that me and the guys are forming a new group, Sea Vacuum. And this is more than a music group. It’s also an ingenious invention that sucks oil and pollution out of the ocean. It was invented by a local scientist named Dr. Rodney Klinger.”
We all look at Dr. Rodney. Dr. Rodney holds his hands up. “What can I say? I’m a scientific genius. Maybe that’s the vibe some people aren’t able to read. And, mark my words, the sea vacuum has the potential to transform our oceans.” Then he says, “I’ve been talking to Roberts about this for a while. I’m friends with his dad.”
Evan Roberts: “The mission of our new band is not only to bring our fans the best music, but also to raise awareness of the need for ocean cleanup. To launch our new band, we’ll be hosting a free concert right here in Karleigh Park. We hope everyone can make it.
“To give you a taste of what to expect, the boys and I are gonna play a quick song for you.… Two, three, four!”
And the car fills with rock music as Evan belts out the new song.
Dr. Rodney jams on air drums, me and Josie on air guitar, Laney on air keyboard. Dad bops his head up and down to the beat.
Our jam is cut short with a chime from Laney’s phone.
She takes the call:
“Yes, sir.… I see.… I’m on my way.”
Dad asks, “What was that about?”
“Is there any way you can take me to