Mysteries of Lawndale - Esteem of the Investigator - Part 3

 Mysteries of Lawndale – Esteem of the Investigator – Part 3

17 September 1997

Daria entered the office. “Can I help you?” the receptionist asked.

 

“I would like to know what the procedure is for forming a school sponsored club.”

 

“Well, the school already has a great number of clubs. Perhaps you would like to join one of them?”

 

“No, but a list would be useful in future.”

 

“Oh. I can give you the list of clubs, and the paperwork that the School District requires for the formation of a club, although it is the Principal who has the final approval.”

 

“I see,” Daria said. She thought for a moment. Would she risk having an informal club? ‘No, Only if Ms. Li doesn’t approve it,’ she decided. “I will have that list, and the paperwork. I’ll have it back by the end of the day.”

 

“Very Good, Ms. Morgendorffer,” the receptionist said. She quickly gave Daria a copy of the list of all the existing clubs in Lawndale High and the Club Foundation paperwork.

 

 

At lunch, Daria and Jane looked at the paperwork. “Gee, Daria, this is complex. Just for forming a sponsored club!”

 

“Not that complex.” Daria turned back to the first page. “Name: Mystery Club.” She wrote that down. She then filled in the description field.

 

“That’s a long description.”

 

Daria looked at the list of existing clubs. “I’m sure all these have similar lengths.”

 

“Probably,” Jane said.

 

 

Quinn entered the room. “Welcome, Quinn,” Jenna Swartz, the President of the Anime Club said.

 

“Hi, Jenna.” Quinn entered. The first thing she noticed was a large number of Sailor Moon posters. “We talk about more than Sailor Moon, right?”

 

“Of course, Sailor Moon is just the most popular. There is also Dragon Ball Z, Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Ranma ½, among others,” Jenna said.

 

“Cool, although I don’t think Ranma is, like, eew!”

 

“Each to their own, I guess,” Jenna said.

 

“Kimba is cute, don’t you think?”

 

“Certainly,” Jenna said.

 

Quinn sat down and saw three cute, albeit slightly geeky boys enter.

 

“What’s your name?” the first asked.

 

“Quinn.”

 

 

Later, Daria and Jane passed Quinn in the hall. “So... like, what do you like to do after school?” a boy asked her, after they passed.

 

“Nothing special. Like homework or practice for the various sports activities I’m involved in,” Quinn answered.

 

“Oh...”

 

“I do go out to the movies, or, like, a theme park... or out for a really fancy meal now and then... or maybe go to a concert, if, like, I know somebody's got good seats and is renting a limo and stuff.”

 

“Cool,” the boy said.

 

“You hear that? He hasn't got a prayer,” Jane said.

 

“Tell me about it. That's my sister.”

 

“Oh. Bummer,” Jane said.

 

“It’s not that bad,” Daria said.

 

“So, you've got any brothers or sisters?”

 

“An older sister. I occasionally help her with her mystery solving.”

 

That got Jane’s interest. “She helps you?” she asked.

 

“Note the word ‘occasionally.’ She has occasionally noticed something I had missed.”

 

“Ah.”

 

 

Later that night, Daria went over to Jane’s again. First they watched Sick Sad World.

 

“U.F.O. conventions, once sneered at as the domain of so-called "kooks," have become big, big business, drawing hundreds of thousands of people each year, people as sane and rational as you and I, who come simply to satisfy a normal curiosity.”

 

“Hi! I'm Artie.”

 

“Artie, hello. Tell me, what brought you here, Artie.”

 

“It was a cone-shaped craft about 15 feet long, with an air speed of, oh, I'd estimate mach 12. They kidnapped and stripped me, examined me briefly, returned my clothes, and dropped me here.”

 

“You know, that guy is from Lawndale. He works for various Pizza places,” Jane said.

 

“Interesting, but before we investigate the town and its crazier inhabitants we need to get out of that self esteem class,” Daria said.

 

“Sure,” Jane said.

 

“You know all the answers to the questions on the release test, right?”

 

“I've got them in my notebook.”

 

“So, we can take the test tomorrow,” Daria said.

 

“And then spend my afternoons solving mysteries,” Jane said enthusiastically.

 

‘She is a little enthusiastic. She could be hiding something. But what? I already know that her parents are hardly here,’ Daria thought. She had already had similar thoughts since the previous day, but had decided to wait until she knew Jane better before prying. She had no close friends and didn’t want to lose the opportunity. “Let’s prepare,” she said.

 

 

After the preparation, Jane then showed Daria her wandering siblings rooms. “Maybe, there is a clue here as to where she went,” she said as she lead Daria into her sister, Penny’s room.

 

“You don’t know?” Daria asked.

 

“Last I heard, she was in Mexico City, eight years go,” Jane answered.

 

“Interesting,” Daria said. She looked into the room. It would have to be a long term project. Whatever clue Penny Lane had left wouldn’t be easy to find.