Free Ticket To Nowhere — Chapter 20 (conclusion)
A Stark Mystery
Me and the whole motley crew raced after De Toit. She beat us to the farmhouse and closed the door behind her. Rambo Lion shouted, “They drew first blood” and crashed shoulder-first through the door.
Apparently, he had a change of heart about his old boss.
The rest of us gingerly stepped over the jagged, shattered boards of wood left in the doorway and entered the farmhouse. We may be in a hurry, but that’s no excuse for getting a sliver.
Inside, we found Rambo Lion with his paws around De Toit’s neck. And standing next to them, looking like they had just been discovered behind a curtain, was Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the old Wizard himself. The Ozster. Dr. Ozone. The Wizard of Oz.
Dorothy had a glazed look in her eyes. I knew she must be under the spell of Oz. I had to act fast. Come on, magic pipes, don’t fail me now.
I’ve been walkin’ these streets so long Singin’ the same old song I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway
Where hustle’s the name of the game And nice guys get washed away like the snow and the rain
There’s been a load of compromisin’ On the road to my horizon But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me
Like a rhinestone cowboy…
It worked! Dorothy shook her head, and the spell was broken. Her stink eye gaze was now firmly planted on Oz.
The Wiz was caught up in a moment of disbelief. He had obviously never heard such mellifluous singing before. It was the break we needed. Dorothy clicked her heels together, and the shattered boards from the front door flew across the room and pinned Oz against the wall.
Meanwhile, the Tin Man made a break for the back door with the pot of gold. But Dorothy wasn’t done yet. She clicked her heels again, and the kitchen sink doused the Tin Man with a stream of water. He only made it about 100 yards before he started rusting and froze up.
Jack and Fred hauled the metal moron back inside.
We had them. Finally!
Dorothy looked at me and said, “Stark! I am so glad to see you. And hear you. What happened? I feel like I have been dreaming for a month.”
“You probably have. Oz put you under a mind-control spell. You can never trust a wizard. Except for Gandalf. Anyway, it seems the Wiz and De Toit were partners in a nefarious plot. De Toit had the cash, and Oz had the wiz juice. Krystal, why don’t you fill us in on that part.”
“Sure, Doll. As you know, I was doing PR for Wiz Gang Inc. when I learned the truth behind their plot to construct a housing development called Emerald City Estates. Which was actually a scam to get an entire town of people under their mind control. A whole village of minions. I couldn’t let that happen. I tried to record some of their conversations, but De Toit caught me. I was forced to flee and go into hiding. De Toit knew about my relationship with Jack. So she wrote her book manuscript to discredit me. I stole it, knowing she would hire Stark to get it back. Which was exactly what I wanted her to do.”
Then, Fred stepped up, literally, on the sofa, and began to tell his side of the story.
“Me and the furball over there got worried when Dorothy went missing. So Rambo went under-cover in the Wiz gang organization. And I kept an eye out on the outside. We figured they had Dorothy, but we couldn’t find out where. When Snark showed up, we figured he might be able to crack the case, so we stayed close to him.”
I then took over the rest of the obligatory mystery recap.
“That’s when I came on the scene. I should have known I was being played like Grandpa’s old fiddle. The signs were all there. But money makes you overlook the obvious sometimes. Eventually, the old instincts kicked in, and I pieced it together. Dorothy, the Wiz obviously put you under a mind control spell to prevent you from using your powers.”
Krystal interrupted. “He was also planning to use your pretty little face as the face of the development, to attract buyers.”
“Well, you’re free now. Welcome home,” I added.
Fred got on the blower and called the Superhero police to come and get the evil duo of Gwen De Toit and the Wizard, plus their lackey the Tin Man. We figured they would likely have a facility strong enough to house the Wizard.
Then we all split the pot of gold evenly. It turned out to be a decent payday, after all.
As I was heading out to Fred’s car, Dorothy stopped me.
“See, I told you you would sing.”
“You were right. Thanks for that. And for the gumshoe travel power. It will come in handy, I’m sure.”
“About that. I have taken away your travel power. It is too dangerous. Sorry. But I am leaving you with your singing ability. You may not run into many mind control spells in the future, but you will always be able to wow a crowd.”
“Thanks, Doll. I guess. Hey, where was the Straw Man during all this.”
“Oh, he moved to Miami. He likes the humidity. Keeps him moist, he says.”
“I have some bad news about Toto. Fred was forced to shoot him back at the hotel when he attacked us. I’m sorry, Peaches.”
“Toto attacked you? Ha, ha! My heavens, Toto would never do that.”
Suddenly Glinda appeared. “That’s right. Toto is safe at home listening to his favorite song, Africa. What Fred shot was one of the Wizard’s magic stuffed wolves.”
“Hey, where were you when we needed you?” I asked.
“You think you’re the only person with problems? Good witches are in short supply. I knew you could handle it. Besides, if I fixed everything, it wouldn’t be much of a story, now would it?”
“Whatever. I’m just glad it’s over.”
“You saved my life back there. How can I ever repay you?” Dorothy said.
“Well, I wouldn’t turn down some powdered sugar donuts. And if you are ever in my fleabag part of the country, stop in, and I’ll treat you to the best dinner a sawbuck can buy.”
“Ha, ha! It’s a deal.”
Another Stark mystery comes to a close.
Special thanks to all the story contributors:
Mark Starlin • Glenda Thompson • Lon Shapiro • Terrye Turpin • John K Adams • Dan Leicht • Tommy Paley • Jeff Suwak • P.G. Barnett • A Maguire • Indira Reddy • Kirk Nelson • Michael Stang
It was a fun ride.
Previous Chapters:
Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 • Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13 • Chapter 14 • Chapter 15 • Chapter 16 • Chapter 17 • Chapter 18 • Chapter 19
