Mysteries of Lawndale - Night of the Coffee House - Part 1

 Night of the Coffee House Part 1

Lawndale

Sunday, 12 October 1997

It was late at night in Lawndale. It was quiet. It wouldn’t remain quiet for much longer. A small group of people approached a shopfront. Soon, a window was broken and an alarm went off. The group of people scattered, albeit not without a substantial load of computer hardware...

 

 

 

Monday, 13 October 1997

At Lawndale High, Language Arts teacher, Mr. Timothy O’Neil was telling his class about the previous night’s ‘disturbance’. “I thought today we would take a break from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to talk about the real life tragedy last night right here in Lawndale. Let's share our feelings of violation following the loss of our beloved cybercafé, alt.lawndale.com. Who would like to start?”

 

‘I wouldn’t,’ Daria Morgendorffer thought. ‘Even so, I don’t want to solve the mystery of why you are like this.’

 

O’Neil continued, looking at Kevin Thompson. “Charles? Charles did you hear me?”

 

‘You’ve got it wrong!’ Daria thought. She still wasn’t particularly interested in O’Neil’s idiosyncrasies. She had enough on her plate regarding the rest of the school, not to mention Lawndale at large.

 

“You mean, Kevin,” the quarterback said.

 

O’Neil looked at his seating chart. “Kevin. I’m sorry. You, uh look like someone else. What do you have to say about last night’s horrible event?”

 

‘You’re asking the wrong person,’ Daria thought. She had her own opinions about who might have broken into that cybercafé.

 

“I was home all night. You can ask my parents. Besides, I already have a computer,” Kevin answered.

 

“No, Kevin, I mean how did the theft make you feel?”

 

“Um... Sad?” Kevin said in confusion.

 

‘You’re definitely asking the wrong person,’ Daria thought. It was no mystery why Kevin was the way he was. He had been hit on the head too many times out on the field.

 

“Are you asking me or telling me?” O’Neil prompted.

 

“Angry?” Kevin asked.

 

The teacher decided to ask someone else. “Jodie, how about you?”

 

“I think the cybercafé served one very particular segment of the community but it pisses me off when people take what isn’t theirs,” Jodie Landon answered.

 

“That’s how I feel!” Kevin interjected.

 

“Thank you, Kevin, Jodie,” O’Neil said. “About that word, ‘Community.’”

 

Daria may not have been in Lawndale long, but she knew where this was going ‘uh oh!’

 

“Is that the whole idea of a cybercafé? To jack us into the global community? I think what’s so disturbing about this crime is the symbolism involved.” He paused. “Don’t you agree, Jane?”

 

“No,” Jane Lane answered.

 

“Suddenly we are cut off. We can’t hail our friends across the globe and say ‘It’s a beautiful day in the cyberhood.’ They didn’t just steal a few computers. They took the symbol of our virtual community. To visit alt.lawndale.com was to come together with the planet,” O’Neil continued.

 

Daria had enough. People didn’t go to cybercafés for any of those reasons! “Oh, come on!” she said.

 

“Yes?” O’Neil asked.

 

“Come together with the planet? By staring at a screen for hours? Sitting in a room with people you never say a word to?” Daria asked.

 

“Hmm, Interesting point, Dorian.”

 

“Daria.” She was annoyed that he had got her name wrong.

 

“Uh, damn spiders. Daria, you believe that while connecting Lawndale citizens to our global neighbors, the cafe was alienating us from each other.”

 

“I’m saying. If you really miss the place, put a Mr. Coffee in the computer lab.”

 

“So, in your opinion, what we really need is a return to the traditional coffee house of yore, where you’d watch some performers and share a cup with your friends face to face?”

 

“You’re a visionary,” Jane said with sarcasm.

 

“Right here and now, let’s pledge to make Daria’s dream a reality.”

 

“You mean where there is no crime?” Daria asked.

 

“The coffee house! We’ll plan it, locate it, raise the money and open it.”

 

Daria sighed again.

 

That afternoon, the Mystery Club (except Alecia Nibblett and Corey Bateman who had other commitments), Daria’s sister, Quinn and Jane’s brother Trent met at the Lane house.

 

“I’m sure you’ve heard of the break-in at the Coffee house by now,” Daria said.

 

“Yes,” Trent said.

 

“Of course,” Quinn answered.

 

“It is a crime that should be easy to solve,” Daria said.

 

“Wait,” Jane said.

 

“What?” Daria asked.

 

“You want to find who broke into the cybercafé?’ Jane asked.

 

“She has done it before,” Quinn pointed out.

 

“Yes, Jane. And, as Quinn said, I have done it before,” Daria said.

 

“Does that mean we will have to examine the scene of the crime ourselves?” Stacy Rowe asked.

 

“Yes,” Daria answered.

 

 

“Cool!” Stacy said. “But will the police allow us?”

 

“They will. I just have to make a few calls,” Daria said. “Trent?”

 

“All the phones work. I use them when I have to call the band,” Trent said.

 

“I’ll be right back.”

 

 

After several calls, Daria came back to the group.

 

“The police will meet us at the Cybercafe,” Daria said.

 

“Must have been rather effective calls,” Stacy said.

 

“She worked with several officers in Highland,” Quinn said.

 

“OK,” Stacy said.

 

“When are we going?” Jane asked.

 

“They’ll meet us in half an hour,” Daria said.