Only a month after Mallory's return, Adventure Bay is faced with a bigger problem. On her fourteenth birthday, Everest's birthday cake is injected with a lethal dose of Pentobarbital, and she is killed. But the thing is, is that the only ones at the...
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Marshall and I shared a confused look. Why would Chase leave a message that just said "Vintage"? He must have thought we would figure it out. "What do we have that's vintage?" I asked Marshall. "I don't know, we have a DVD player, but that's about it." My eyes lit up. "Of course! The DVD player!" It didn't click with Marshall, he just stared at me blankly. "Just follow me."
I drove 30 KPH over the speed limit on the way home. I was in the air so it didn't really matter anyway. My heart was racing the whole way. If this was really what Chase meant as "Vintage", I would finally be closer to solving all this, closer to getting Chase back.
As soon as I landed in my spot, and reverted my helicopter back to my pup house, I met up with Marshall out front. "I really hope I was right." I said
"Where were you guys?" Ryder questioned us as soon as we stepped foot inside the lookout. I scrambled for a lie. "Uhh, we were...helping Mr. Porter with...things!" Marshalled face-pawed behind me. "Well, okay. How are you feeling?" He only asked the question because he knew that I needed Chase. "Great!" I exclaimed, a little too loud. Ryder sported a sad expression. "I know it's tough, but you're better off without him." I snapped. "Enough of that! Chase did absolutely nothing! He took the fall so I could keep my pups. Don't you EVER talk about Chase like that, ESPECIALLY in front of me." Ryder's mouth hung open, . "He did?" I didn't bother answer, I just walked right past him, and went to find the DVD player. It was right next to the tv, although we didn't really use it, we just used our cable. I searched the area, and found a CD under the DVD player. Hopefully this was what he was talking about. I held it up to Marshall, who had followed me. "This is it."
I pushed it into the DVD player and Chase appears on the screen. "Yes!" I celebrated. I had done it.
"Skye," Chase was staring directly into my eyes. "I knew you'd make it here. I'm sorry it had to be so complicated, but I couldn't let the police find this before you did. The killer is still living in the lookout. You have to get out of there. Ryder's rich, you know where he hides his cash. Find a nice hotel near adventure bay. And under Mr. Bear in my pup house, I have written a phone number. This is the number of a dark web seller. It's the only way the killer could have possibly gotten their hands on the poison. I need you to call that number, and ask whoever answers who bought Penetrobalia in August of 2029. You will find the answer there. I love you Skye, and I know you've got this."
Under Mr. Bear? I didn't notice anything last night. I looked over at Marshall, but he was already gone. "Hey, wait up!"
Marshall was already holding the piece of paper by the time I got to Chase's lookout. "What took you so long?" He asked. "I'm about to give birth, cut me some slack. Jeez." We stood there for a couple seconds. "What now?" I asked. "Ryder's here, we can't sneak onto his phone, and we can't leave without calling that number." Marshall raised his paw in the air as if he had an idea, and then quickly lowered it. "Yeah, I got nothing."
We mindlessly drifted throughout the lookout for hours, waiting for Ryder to leave, waiting for our time to pounce. We finally joined the pups in their daily activities and games just because we were so bored. The last few days had been full of sleuthing, there was no time to think about anything else.
Rocky, Rubble, and Zuma had been their usual selves these past few days. They carried on like nothing had happened. And one of them killed Everest, and had the nerve to act as though it had never happened. When we find whoever did this, I'll ask to pull the lever on the electric chair. Nonetheless, all of them made me sick. They showed no remorse and no sadness. They seemed to have forgot everything we've been through together as teams, and they let the eternal bond between us be broken. As I sat there, hiding from Zuma who was it for hide and seek, I realized I didn't really want to play anymore.
"PAW Patrol, to the lookout." Ryder sighed. "Ryder needs us!" Rocky and Rubble exclaimed. They raced to the elevator, and I walked. I figured I would just wait for it to come back down after they went up. Marshall stayed behind with me, and I wished it was Chase instead. It would have seemed a lot more sweet if he had done it.
I knew why we had been called up there second we got to the top floor of the lookout. Another message on the screen.
You really thought you were out of it? Just because Chase was caught doesn't mean it's over.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" This was the first time we've ever hear Ryder curse. Most teens swear at every chance they get, but Ryder wasn't most teens. "Whoever is doing this, haven't you've had enough? You've ruined our lives, ruined the PAW Patrol, took Everest and Chase's life, why haven't you had enough yet?" Dead silence swept over us as Ryder broke down. I felt anger flaring inside of me. You make Ryder cry, we've got a problem. Everyone had the same scared expression, and I wondered if one of them actually did kill Everest. But who else would be capable? Nobody, that's who. "You make me sick." That was Ryder's final words, before he buried his hands in his face and ran into his room. The other pups turned around and left, all of them looking at the ground.
Ryder had left his pup-pad on the floor. This was our time. "Marshall, so you have that number?" I asked, frantically. "I left it in Chase's pup house, let me go get it."
He came back a couple minutes later holding the sheet of paper. Ryder's pup-pad didn't have a password, so all I had to do was type the number and hit dial. I turned the volume way down low so Ryder wouldn't hear from his room.
"Hello?" The voice on the other end called. "Hi, do you have a purchase record?" I cut right to the chase. "Yeah but it'll cost you." The guy sounded annoyed. "Name your price. I'll e-transfer to you." I could feel his face lighting up, even thought I couldn't hear it. "300$" Yeah, I was about to make Ryder broke. "I got this." Marshall said.
Marshall stayed on the line with the guy while he sent him the three hundred dollars. "What do you need to see?" I thought back to what Chase had said on the CD. "We need the purchases of Penetrobalia for August 2029." I heard him tapping his phone and humming. "We only have one purchase this month." He concluded. My heart rate spiked. "Who?!" I held my breath, this was it.
"Ryder Smith."
"What are you doing?" I looked up and saw Ryder, who had just opened the door to his room. He stared at me with eyes that were pretty white for someone who had just been crying. I hung up the phone call immediately. "We were playing Subway Surfers, that's all." I said, faintly. All of this all of a sudden was very alarming. "Alright, well I need that back now." I handed it to him, and he turned back and shut the door to his room. "Oh my god, Ryder ordered it." Marshall gasped. I felt light headed. "Come on, let's go." I instructed. "What? Where?" Marshall questioned."
"We've got to get as far away from here as possible, but first, we're busting Chase out of jail."
