The Green Ring Conspiracy (Saga)
- This article is about the saga. For the album, see Album 53: The Green Ring Conspiracy.
The Green Ring Conspiracy is a saga spanning albums 53 to 55, with a wrap-up in Album 66 and a further epilogue in Album 75. It is very closely related to The Ties That Bind. The series was written by Paul McCusker and Nathan Hoobler (co-writer of “The Labyrinth, Parts 1 – 3”).
Plot
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Episode Span
Episodes
Day One
#679: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 1”
Matthew Parker and Emily Jones are walking through the woods, arguing. Matthew is going to meet up with his "tinkering group". Emily is upset, so Matthew leaves. After a run-in with Jay Smouse, Emily finds a backpack filled with money and learns about a plane crash. She takes it to Whit's End, just as Whit leaves for the hospital. One of the victims of a plane crash in Gower's Fields mentioned Whit by name before slipping back into unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, Jay goes to look at the crash. While there, the police are less than accommodating to him, because of his uncle's past. Confused, he goes to see his Uncle. Before he gets there, a man named Derk Begs, a former acquaintance of Wally, walks into Haggler's Junk Yard. He is hurt but refuses to receive help from Wally Haggler. Derk even pulls a gun on Wally to stop him from calling an ambulance. Jay walks in, but Wally kindly tells him (by the order of Derk) that he is busy and that Jay should come back later. Wally gives Jay something to give to the Square One Club before Jay leaves.
Matthew meets Nelson Swanson, who is very scared of nature. As they talk, Matthew notices something shiny. He walks over to it, and it turns out to be a smartphone!
As Wally talks to Derk, Derk realizes that he lost his cell phone. Derk eventually falls asleep, and Wally takes the gun from Derk and calls 911 for an ambulance and the police.
Emily talks to Eugene about the backpack. Eugene calls the police, and they tell him to place it in a safe spot until they have time to pick it up.
Whit goes to the hospital. The doctor tells him that his name was the only thing that the person said before he slipped into a coma. The doctors couldn't find any identification on him, so they hoped that Whit could identify him. Whit looks at him and is very surprised. It is his grandson, Monty Whittaker-Dowd!
#680: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 2”
Buck Oliver is moving boxes when Jebidiah Skint comes in. Skint tells Buck that plans have changed and that Uncle Archie wants him to put up posters for the carnival. He continues to say that a plane has crashed in Gower's Field and that two men they met that morning may have been on the plane. Buck is told to go to town and find out anything he can about the crash and to call him if he finds anything out. Before he leaves they notice that there is a message from Dirk on one of their disposable phones. It turns out to be from Derk Begs. So Skint instructs Buck to check out Haggler's Junkyard to try to meet and help Derk. He takes the posters to hang up as his cover.
Back at the hospital Whit calls Jana and lets her know that Monty is in the hospital and that he is in stable condition. Dr. Graham comes in and starts talking to Whit about Monty's X-rays. She tells him that they found a small chip in Monty's arm. They got word from Homeland Security that they'd begun embedding chips in the arms of federal agents. She goes on to say that it appears Monty is an agent for the secret service.
At Haggler's Junk Shop, Matthew and Nelson go to meet for their Square One Club and tinker with the AppleBerry smartphone they found. Jay comes in to deliver a large box with a GPS system in it, that Wally wanted them to look at. Matthew and Nelson try to figure out the password of the Appleberry so they can find the owner. Suddenly they hear sirens from outside the warehouse coming towards the shop. Jay leaves to check on his uncle Wally.
Buck and Mr. Skint head towards the Junkyard, and Buck gets the idea to try to call Dirk's phone. Skint calls the number and the Appleberry that Matthew found starts ringing. Matthew answers the phone and Skint offers a reward if they return the phone privately. Matthew suggests meeting at the police station and Skint hangs up. After Skint hangs up, he explains that they need to get the phone in their possession. Skint lets Buck off and he heads to the junkyard with the cover of hanging posters.
At Whit's End, Eugene is running some tests on the dollar bills Emily found in the woods. After running through different things and studying different things that Eugene found on the internet, Eugene came to the conclusion that all the money in the bag was counterfeit. The phone rings and Eugene tells Whit about the money.
Back at Wally's Junkyard, Buck watches and reports to Skint as Dirk is being loaded into an ambulance. Detective Polehaus approaches Buck and tells him to leave and to stop chewing on toothpicks. Polehaus gets a call telling him about a secret service agent in Odyssey. And he also hears about the counterfeit money at Whit's End.
Jay tries to ask Wally about him being in prison. Polehaus comes in and Wally gets frustrated with the way the conversation is going. Wally insists Jay go home and they'd talk later. Polehaus doesn't trust Wally and insists he has bad blood. Polehaus talks with Wally about the details on Derk. He says Derk was on an errand for the The Stiletto and something went wrong on the plan and that a knapsack fell out of the plane. He also said that Derk lost his phone on the way to the junkyard. Polehaus leaves saying "We're not finished with this, not by a long shot."
Unknown to Wally and Polehaus, Buck was listening from outside the back window and heard every word. He told Skint everything he heard. Including the fact that Derk had put all sorts of info onto the phone. Skint decides that they need to get the phone back and suggests that Buck could easily find the kid by hanging with the other kids and finding out things. They decide that the place that the boy might take the phone is Whit's End.
At the hospital, Whit and Graham are interrupted by the head of hospital security Lou Ross. He tells them that an officer showed up for the special patient but there was no one in the room...Monty Whittaker disappeared!
#681: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 3”
Connie is in an art class at the college and meets a new friend named Penny Wise. Connie is taking the class to help her with Dreams By Constance. Connie and Penny get to be art partners in the class which makes Connie feel a lot less nervous about being there.
At the hospital, Whit, Dr. Graham and Lou Ross are in the security room trying to figure out how Monty disappeared. By watching a security tape, they see that he snuck out of his room, grabbed some clothes from the room next door, and proceeded to sneak out of the hospital. They then knew that Monty had snuck out on purpose. Lou requested that no one know about this until they know more.
Eugene and Emily are talking at Whit's End when Don Polehaus enters. He asks them for their contact information and Eugene presents him with two note cards. They show Polehaus the backpack and he begins checking it for clues. He finds the counterfeit money, a book,and a flight plan for the crashed airplane. The plane had been headed to Chicago, and then changed to head to Atlanta. Also a map of Odyssey, and a sheet with numbers on it. Buck Oliver then enters to hang up posters for the carnival. He then mentions the help wanted sign in the window and that he'd like to apply.
Back at the college, Connie is feeling discouraged because of her drawings. Penny tries to encourage her by looking at her drawings including of a rabbit with fangs. Penny's drawings on the other hand are great according to Connie. Dr. Trask walks up to them and looks at them. Her first two weren't that impressive, but her last one of a rendition of the Mona Lisa was so astounding that Dr. Trask showed it to the class.
At the hospital, Polehaus, Whit, Graham, and Lou Ross are discussing Monty's reasoning for running away. A Lady named Agent Lauren Tanner from U.S. Secret Service. She claims that Monty has gone rogue and is working with the counterfeit ring.
Buck finishes filling out the application and returns it to Eugene. Eugene suggests that Emily update her parents about the situation and she goes. Buck leaves with his posters and calls Mr. Skint. He tells Skint that the backpack was there, but Polehaus has it. He also mentioned that with Emily being an amateur detective it may be a possibility for her to help him find the Appleberry.
Whit insists that Monty wouldn't turn rogue, but Agent Tanner insists circumstances say other wise. Polehaus gives Tanner an update on what he knows. Polehaus is convinced that Wally is in on the counterfeiting due to his past. Polehaus says that an expert is itemizing and counting the money and that the money is high quality counterfeit. Agent Tanner says that she will explain about Monty's work after at the police station because she wants to see the backpack.
Connie and Penny go to an eatery on the college campus. And Penny tries to convince Connie to start a business selling Connie's replica paintings. In their conversation Connie learns that Penny is a Christian and in a group by Dr. Trask on the campus.
At the station Tanner tells Polehaus and Whit that Monty started in DeMoines, and came across a mom and pop operation involving counterfeits. They sent Monty in, and then they found out that operation had ties to The Stiletto. Mom and Pop counterfeiters lead them to their contact Derk Begs and was sent under cover to be Derk's pal. She goes on to say that Derk recently kept mentioning a green ring. And that the job would involve millions of dollars and that Monty might get a piece of that if he was smart. Because of this and Monty's disappearance, Agent Tanner is inclined to think the worst. Whit still isn't convinced that Monty would go rogue. Whit leaves to go home.
Whit pulls into the garage and notices that the door is open. He walks in shouting to see if anyone is there. He goes in further and finds Monty on the floor!
Day Two
#682: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 4”
At Whit's End, Connie greets Eugene as he is bringing in boxes for Katrina. She is going to start tutoring in the spare room next to Whit's office. In between trips to the car Eugene and Katrina are talking to Connie about events that occurred the day before and Connie is completely lost as to what is going on. Katrina has Connie make them some tea and then they'd explain everything.
Whit wakes up Monty with breakfast in bed. Whit tells Monty what he knows, and Monty proceeds to say that he can't trust Agent Tanner. He tells Whit that he is not part of the ring, but that someone on their team is and they betrayed him and almost got him killed on the plane.
Agent Tanner goes to the station and talks with Detective Polehaus. He says that there was $100,000 worth of counterfeit money of the highest quality. He also says there was finger prints on the plastic wrapping the money; They were Monty's and Derk's fingerprints and a partial unidentified one. They discuss the next step that needs to be taken. Polehaus is going to check out a paper mill in Connellsville. And Tanner is going to drive to Connellsville to check on the pilot.
Mr. Skint drops Buck off near Whit's End. And Skint tells Buck that he has an idea to drop off a bunch of "incriminating evidence" off at Haggler's Junkyard in order to make Polehaus more suspicious of Wally. Buck gets out and heads to Whit's End.
Back at Whit's house, Monty tells Whit more about what happened. he tells him that they stopped in Odyssey at Trickle Lake to get a sample of the counterfeit money. Upon Monty's request Whit and Monty decide to go to Trickle Lake with Monty riding in the trunk.
Buck goes in to Whit's End, and Eugene tells Buck that they would like to interview him for the job and that Katrina would do the interview. Eugene leads Buck upstairs to meet Katrina in the spare room next to Whit's office. Katrina asks standard questions, and then gives Buck an aptitude test for him to take.
Polehaus goes to the paper mill to check on orders placed for the special paper used by the counterfeiters, fibertouch132. He meets the manager Andy Jackson. Andy tells him that a publishing company in Odyssey called Green Ring Publishing ordered it and paid in cash. He said the man was an older fellow with long hair and a beard. The old man drove a pickup truck and had a young boy with him. Polehaus leaves after getting his needed information.
Monty and Whit arrive at Trickle Lake and look around at dock C because that's where Derk and Monty met their contact. Monty tells Whit what happened at their meeting. The man had long hair and a beard, thin and wiry. The man had a key to the boathouse, and pulled out a backpack with the money. He insisted that they put the samples in Derk's backpack instead of swapping. Monty and Whit broke into the boathouse to have a look around. They find the backpack that the man had used to transport the samples. It was empty except for the outside back pocket which held a disk with hearts drawn on it. Polehaus enters exclaiming that they are both under arrest.
Eugene walks up to Connie as she is sketching a pepper shaker knocked over on its side. Connie tells Eugene about Penny's idea of starting a replica business. Then Katrina and Buck come downstairs and Buck leaves. Eugene tells Katrina that she seems concerned about Buck. Her reason is because when she mentioned she needed his guardian to sign a form he looked worried. He wanted to take it with him to have it signed at home, but Katrina decided she wanted to meet his guardian. She said Buck went pale and said he would see what he could do.
Polehaus tells Whit and Monty that they can either tell him what is going on or go with him to the station. Monty explains what happened after they left Trickle Lake. He and Derk went back to the plane where Derk got a call. Derk then changed the flight plan from Chicago to Atlanta. He assumed his cover was blown. Right after the plane took off Derk pulled his gun on him. Monty made a move for the gun, and the gun flew under the seat. Derk opened the door and tried to throw him out. Derk tried to hit Monty with the backpack and it fell out of the plane. Derk grabbed the gun, Monty jumped for it, the gun went off, and the bullet hit the dash board. The pilot lost control and tried to land in Gower's Field where they crashed. Polehaus is convinced that Agent Tanner is the one that tipped Derk off, so he's not going to turn him in to her. They leave Trickle Lake together.
#683: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 5”
Buck Oliver gets into the truck with Mr. Skint and tells him that everything is set for his job at Whit's End except that Katrina wants to meet Mr. Skint to sign a form. Mr. Skint is very reluctant to meet her at Whit's End, so Buck suggests meeting her at the carnival. Mr. Skint thinks that is a great idea. They head to Haggler's Junkyard to drop off equipment, with the intent to tip off Detective Polehaus that there is suspicious equipment there.
Matthew Parker is at Haggler's Junkyard working on the Appleberry and Jay walks in. Matthew is intent on unlocking the Appleberry to find the owner himself instead of turning it into the police. Matthew tells Jay that the GPS system Wally wanted him to look at is in great condition. Wally Haggler enters and tells Matthew that some guys are bringing some equipment by and that he needs Matthew's club to relocate. Matthew says he'll ask Whit if he can use the workshop at Whit's End. Matthew leaves and Jay helps Wally with clearing room for the equipment.
John Whittaker, Monty Whittaker and Detective Polehaus go to Whit's house to look at the disk, and Whit tells Monty to rest. They put the disk in Whit's laptop and finds the poster for Uncle Archie's Carnival. They come to the conclusion that printing companies sometimes print the name on the corner of the poster and that they needed to look at a final one. Polehaus remembers that there is a poster at Whit's End, so Whit calls Connie and asks her to get the poster.
Emily Jones meets Matthew while on his way to Whit's End. She tells him about the backpack full of counterfeit money. Matthew tells Emily that he had some excitement too, but he's not allowed to say what. Emily doesn't like all the secrets. They continue on to Whit's End so he can talk to Eugene about using the workshop.
Skint brings the equipment to Wally's Junkyard in a semi with Buck. (Wally hadn't met either one before). Buck opens the back and Wally sees that it is printing presses and that kind of thing. Wally decides to bring the fork lift to unload the stuff.
Whit and Polehaus go to Ranco's Printing to investigate the poster. Whit notices that the artist who designed it signed it in the curly Q's. It was designed by Penny Wise. They decide that someone from the carnival commissioned Benjamin Trask to have the poster made. And they decide to talk to him.
At Haggler's, they finish unloading the truck and Wally goes to get Skint's receipt. on the way in, he pulls Jay aside and asks him to put the magnetic GPS tracker on the back of the truck. While Jay does this he almost gets caught by Buck, but cleverly makes up an excuse. Buck and Skint leave and Wally tells Jay to get in the truck so they could follow them.
Matthew and Emily arrive at Whit's End and find Eugene working on the train set. Emily leaves annoyed by Matthew's knowledge of trains. Matthew asks Eugene about using the workshop for their club. They go down to the workshop and Matthew shows him the Appleberry. Matthew tells him he wants to find out the password so he can give it back to the owner personally. Eugene explains that he invented a password recovery program that runs through various combinations of letters and numbers until it finds the right one. They hook it up and start the program.
Skint and Buck pull up to a house and Skint says it's the one that he had Buck put on the application. They go inside and take the sheets off the furniture. Wally and Jay watch followed them to the house and watch from a distance wondering what they are up to.
At the college Connie Kendall shows Penny Wise another copied piece and Penny shows Dr. Trask. Dr. Trask is impressed. Penny once again tries to convince Connie to start their own business when they see Whit come in with Polehaus. They talk to Trask and then walk over to Penny and Connie. Trask tells them that they want to ask her questions about the poster.
They go down to the Agora Cafe and starts asking questions. Penny tells them she met with a man with long stringy hair, beard and southern accent. She met him three times at Hal's Diner and the carnival sent a check. Polehaus is satisfied and they leave.
Wally had Jay take notes, but it was slightly messy due to it being written on a receipt. Wally is convinced that Skint and Buck are up to something, and is determined to find out what it is.
#684: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 6”
John Whittaker and Detective Polehaus go back to Monty Whittaker at Whit's house and bring Monty up to date. Polehaus believes that Uncle Archie's Carnival is a front to move the money with all the carnival equipment being sold. Monty points out that everything is pointing to the carnival and that they needed to pay a visit to the carnival. Whit protested, but Monty insisted that he has to go and that he'll be disguised as a clown selling balloons. Then they agreed, they would go to the carnival.
Connie Kendall and Penny Wise are at the college talking when Wooton Bassett walks up. Wooton is there to do a talk about comic books. After chatting with Connie and Penny he invites them to meet him at the carnival later that night.
Eugene Meltsner and Matthew Parker are at Whit's End and Emily Jones walks up and asks Matthew if he's going to the carnival and he says he hadn't decided yet. Emily leaves and Katrina Meltsner enters. She mentions that she is going to the carnival so Skint can sign that form. Eugene is more than willing to go too, and Matthew decides he'll go so Emily will stop being mad at him.
Later at the carnival, Polehaus, Monty, and Whit park a ways from the carnival and walk from there. After giving basic instructions and going over what their doing, They go their separate ways. Whit and Polehaus are going to Archie Haggler's office, and Monty is going to keep a low profile and scout around.
Wooton meets Connie and Penny at the carnival and Penny and Wooton hit it off right away and are super excited to ride all the rides. Connie follows behind them.
Whit and Polehaus follow a sign that leads them to Uncle Archie's office, a large gypsy wagon. They knock on the door and Archie answers. They introduced themselves, and Polehaus tells him that they've found a link between the carnival and a counterfeit ring. The link being an employee of his who commissioned the making of the posters. Archie says that he'll have his secretary look into it.
Buck Oliver finds Katrina and says Mr. Skint is waiting in the truck behind the maze of mirrors. Buck leads her to him.
Penny, Wooton, and Connie finish riding a ride and Connie is ready for a break. Penny starts to agree, but Wooton wants to go on the Whiplash Roller Coaster. Upon mentioning it Penny gets really excited and runs off with Wooton to go on it. Connie stays behind and waits on a bench.
Katrina meets Mr. Skint and talks about his job a little bit and then Skint signs the papers. She tells him that he can start work tomorrow. Skint tells Buck that he can enjoy the carnival and to meet him back later. Katrina thanks Mr. Skint and leaves. Right after, Monty appears and approaches Mr. Skint. After some small talk, Monty gets hit from behind. Mr. Skint tells someone to put him in the back of the truck.
Buck runs into Emily and Matthew. Emily invites him to go with her and Matthew. Upon mentioning the Whiplash and it's really long line, Buck says that he can get them to the front because he has connections.
Wally Haggler and Jay Smouse bump into Archie. Wally requests that he not be involved with whatever Archie is up to. He brings up his goons and the equipment that was dropped off and again tells him to leave him alone. Polehaus and Whit walk up as Wally and Jay leave. Polehaus asks about the name but Archie's secretary couldn't find anything. They leave to look for Monty.
Emily and Buck lost Matthew and Buck won Emily a stuffed dinosaur at the shooting gallery. Buck asks Emily if she can help him with finding his phone that he lost in the woods. Emily says yes.
Eugene finds Katrina at the carnival and is ready to ride rides. Katrina on the other hand has other business in mind first. Her whole meeting with Skint left her suspicious. She is insistent on seeing where Buck lives and Eugene agrees to go with her.
Matthew finds Connie sitting on a bench and sits with her. They exchange talk about feeling like a third wheel. Wooton runs up frantically to Connie exclaiming that he lost Penny in the hall of mirrors and needs her help. Connie goes with Wooton and leaves Matthew alone. Jay calls Matthew from behind a trash can and tells Matthew Buck shouldn't be trusted. Then he disappears into the trash cans. Matthew is convinced that things are getting weird.
Katrina and Eugene check out the address that Buck put on the application, and Katrina isn't convinced that it's their real house. Eugene thinks she's being obsessive, and since they're done with that they go back to the carnival and ride the Tilt'n'Whirl.
Whit and Polehaus look for Monty and only find traces of his clown outfit. Polehaus thinks that he's done his disappearing act again though Whit think it wasn't by choice. Whit finds some traces of face paint on the grass, evidence that Monty was taken by force. They theorize that the reason Monty left the main grounds was because he saw someone he knew; namely the man from the dock. Whit says a prayer of protection for Monty.
Day Three
#685: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 7”
Agent Tanner is angry with John Whittaker and Detective Polehaus for their plan at the carnival. She wonders why they didn't let her in on their plan and then figures it out; because they don't trust her. Whit states that someone blew Monty's cover and asks Tanner if she did. She avoids the question, and she says they have to work together to find Monty. She tells them that she is going to talk to the pilot and that they can continue with their investigation. Polehaus gets an anonymous tip off about some suspicious equipment at Haggler's Junkyard and he says he'll look into it.
Once she leaves, Whit states that he wants to look into the chip implanted in Monty, convinced that it could be a tracker as well. Polehaus mentions that a toothpick was found at the location where Monty went missing. He asks Whit to have one of his employees get a spit sample from Buck to see if it's a match with that toothpick. Polehaus leaves to check out the lead at Haggler's.
At Whit's End, Wooton Bassett brings Connie Kendall the mail early, and Connie figures that it's because Wooton likes Penny and wants her to find out if she feels the same way. Connie says she will, and then Wooton leaves as Whit comes in. Whit asks Connie if Eugene is in, and Connie says he won't be in till later. So Whit says he'll have to call him. Connie feels left in the dark, but Whit says he'll answer questions when he can.
Polehaus goes to Haggler's Junkyard to follow the tip off and talks to Wally Haggler. He explains he got an anonymous tip off about some printing equipment in the storage shed. Wally reluctantly takes him there.
Eugene hangs up the phone after talking with Whit who asked him to come in to Whit's End. Katrina has been on the computer all morning looking into the house they looked at last night. She's concerned that Buck is in a bad situation. She found that the house is rented to a company and the key was giving to a local company to do fix up work on it. No one is supposed to be living in it right now. She plans to talk to Buck about it.
Emily Jones walks in to Whit's End and tells Connie she's gonna meet Buck to look for his missing phone. Connie asks her to make sure he's back on time for his first day on the job and that she has to go to the college early to because Dr. Trask wants to talk to her. Buck Oliver comes in and leaves with Emily.
Buck and Emily cross a creek across some stepping stones to look at some shoe prints. She notices two sets, kid sized with an eagle brand logo. Jay Smouse appears from the bushes exclaiming that he saw the whole moment with them holding hands across the creek. He was on his way to the junkyard. He tells them the shoe prints are Matthew Parker's and tells them about the phone he found. Buck mentions that maybe the phone Matthew found is his missing phone. Buck has to go back to Whit's End for his job, and Emily decides to go talk to Matthew.
Wally shows Polehaus the storage shed but there is no printing equipment. Polehaus isn't quite convinced that there wasn't equipment in there at one time. Jay comes in and Polehaus tricks Jay into revealing that there was equipment in there the day before. Wally says he'll cooperate if Polehaus doesn't treat him as if he's done something wrong. Wally tells him that he did some checking of his own. They describe Skint and Buck, and show him the printing equipment and tell where skint and Buck are holding up.
Whit is downloading a program of some sort as Eugene comes in. Whit tells him that Monty is missing again and that with the help of the chip implanted in him he plans to try to find him on his own. Whit talked to a friend on the phone who created the chip technology and she sent him the program. Whit asks Eugene to help him finish setting up the program and configure it with the satellite on the roof. Connie interrupts on the speaker phone to say that she has to go to the college soon. She tells Eugene to give Buck a tour of the shop. Then Whit tells Eugene that Buck may be in on the green ring conspiracy and that he needs to him do something else too.
Emily rings a doorbell and Matthew Parker answers it. She apologizes for ditching him at the carnival. Matthew tells her that he doesn't trust Buck, and Emily thinks it's because he's jealous. She tells him that Jay mentioned that he had found a phone and that Buck thinks it's his. Matthew realizes that since Buck started working there, he may have access to the basement. Matthew decides to go to Whit's End to meet Buck.
#686: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 8”
John Whittaker comes down from his office and tells Eugene Meltsner that he may have gotten a lead on Monty using the tracking chip and program. He reminds Eugene of the task he wants him to do while he's out; get Buck's saliva sample from a cup, or a spoon without him knowing Eugene wants it. Buck comes in and meets Whit as he is heading out. Eugene tries to get Buck to drink something before they start their tour, but he politely refuses.
Connie Kendall is at the college talking with Dr. Trask. He tells her more about their group on campus and that not every is invited because some don't like what they're doing. He explains more about their group and then invites her to come. She says she'll be there.
After Buck's tour, Eugene finally pushes Buck into having some lemonade. Buck asks about a door and Eugene says it goes into Whit's workshop which is locked right now due to a special project. Buck is interested, but Eugene still wants him to try the lemonade. Right before Buck takes a drink, Matthew Parker comes in and starts talking to Buck about the phone. Matthew wants to show him it to see if it's really Bucks. Eugene says no one is going anywhere until Buck tries the lemonade. Just as Buck was going to do so, Katrina Meltsner comes in stating that she needs to talk to him privately. She tells Buck to get rid of his toothpick, and Eugene hurriedly asks to have it. After Buck leaves with Katrina, he calls Detective Polehaus to tell him he's got the sample.
(Still at Haggler's Junkyard) Detective Polehaus hangs up from talking with Eugene and sends someone over to Whit's End to get the spit sample. Polehaus calls Whit and tells him about the lead at Haggler's. They found that the printing presses used fibertouch132 paper, the same as the color ink on the counterfeit money. They also got an address from Wally as well. Polehaus also tells him that Eugene got the spit and an officer is going to get it now. Whit tells Polehaus that he's following a lead on Monty, and that he may be a old building on the edge of an industrial park just outside Connellsville. Whit tells him that Agent Tanner just pulled up to the building. Polehaus tells Whit not to do anything until he gets there, but Whit doesn't make any promises.
Buck and Katrina talk about Buck's fake address. He tells her that he didn't want her to know that he lives in a dump and that he's poor. Buck insists that he has to talk to Mr. Skint before he can reveal where he really lives.He steps outside and calls Mr. Skint. Katrina comes down and talks to Eugene and he tells her about the toothpick. Outside, Buck tells Skint that Katrina wants their real address. He also tells him that he found the Appleberry and that it's in the workshop of Whit's End.
Penny Wise and Connie are in class and they talk about her invite to their group. Connie asks her if she likes Wooton, and she says she does. Penny says that she'd like to do something special with just the two of them. Connie agrees that that is a fun idea.
Whit confronts Agent Tanner and asks her where Monty is. She says she doesn't know. She says that she kidnapped Monty for the operation. She had to gain the Stiletto's trust so he would keep in touch with her. Whit demands that she tell him where Monty is. The Stiletto comes in and says that he would love to have a nice little chat with them.
Back at Whit's End Eugene and Katrina are worried about Buck. Buck comes in and says that Skint would like to talk to Katrina and gives her a number. Katrina leaves as Jay comes in. He accuses Buck of trying to frame Wally with Skint's help. Buck denies everything, and is tired of feeling accused by everyone. He goes downstairs to try to get his Appleberry. Eugene asks Jay to watch the counter.
Whit asks The Stiletto about Monty, but first he orders his men to take Agent Tanner out of the room. He tells his boys to leave, and Whit and The Stiletto are alone. Whit asks him how long he was going to wait to take off his disguise. The Stiletto takes off his disguise, surprised that Whit knew who he was, and reveals himself to be Jason Whittaker.
#687: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 9”
Jason Whittaker reveals to John Whittaker that he is The Stiletto. Jason tells him that his boys took Monty back to the hospital. And he says he'll tell Whit what's going on in case things go wrong.
Buck Oliver goes down to Whit's workshop to get his phone from Matthew Parker, but he's not convinced that it's Buck's. Matthew explains that the phone is hooked up to a program on Whit's laptop in order to figure out the password so they can find the proper owner of the phone. Buck insists that it is his. He says it is his, but refuses to type in the password. Eugene Meltsner comes down ordering Buck not to touch the phone. The computer starts beeping and Eugene says that the computer found the password so now they can found out who owns the Appleberry.
Jason tells Whit that the FBI found the real Stiletto ten years ago, so they made a deal to swap what he knew in exchange for his identity. And so Jason stepped into the role. He stumbled onto a espionage ring while vacationing in Hong Kong. This espionage ring are financial terrorists that want to destroy America through technological attacks and counterfeit money. Jason met Mr. Grote as The Stiletto and agreed to pull together a network of counterfeiters in America. Jason tells him that the auction for Uncle Archie's Carnival is a cover. The counterfeit money will be transported with the equipment in trucks. Jason says that Monty's undercover operation made them very nervous. Derk tried to kill Monty to help him after he contacted him, but Derk was supposed to bring Monty to him in Atlanta alive. Jason says he needs twenty-four hours, after the auction, then they make their move. Whit tells Jason that Detective Polehaus is on his way, so Jason says he'd better head out and that Whit won't hear from him again until the operation is done unless something goes wrong.
At Trask's group, Penny Wise and Connie Kendall talk about a profound thought involving a crack in a window. Dr. Trask comes in and welcomes Connie to the group. Trask says that they are going to be studying Salvador Dali and his tarot collection. Connie protests this because tarot cards are satanic. Trask argues that they aren't using the cards, just looking at God in them. Trask goes on to "appeal" or pray to open their group.
Whit alks about Monty to Dr. Graham over the phone and she insists that Monty must stay in the hospital and for him not to come because it would just rile him up with all the cops and robbers stuff they have going on. Whit hangs up and Polehaus and his men show up at the place out side Connellsville. Whit tells him that Monty is at the hospital now and that agent tanner is no longer there. He explains to Polehaus that Tanner grabbed Monty so she could make a deal with the Stiletto. Polehaus tells Whit that Buck's spit matched the DNA found on the toothpick at the site where Monty disappeared. Also they found a match on the unidentifiable finger print left on the plastic that was on the counterfeit money found in the backpack; It's Buck's. Polehaus tells Whit to have his workers keep an eye on Buck. Polehaus has another lead, the old Ross compound near Trickle Lake. Polehaus gets a call saying that a truck just pulled into the Ross compound is about to head up there.
Katrina Meltsner enters Whit's End to find Jay behind the counter. He tells her that Buck is trying to get the Appleberry from Eugene and Matthew in the basement. The phone rings and Katrina answers to find it that it's Whit. He wants to know where Buck is and she says he's downstairs in a debate about an Appleberry. Jay tells Whit that Matthew found an Appleberry in the woods and Buck says it's his. whit realizes that the phone is Derk's phone, and says he's on his way. He also says not to let Buck or the phone out of her sight.
In the basement, Matthew decides to put in the password which turns out to be Stiletto. The phone unlocks and Buck starts wrestling with Matthew to get the phone. Katrina enters and breaks up the madness. She tells Buck she is making a citizens arrest under Whit's instructions. Eugene asks Buck to hand over the Appleberry and he destroys it by throwing it against the floor. Buck runs upstairs as all of them are trying to collect the pieces. Upstairs, Jay threatens Buck with an ice cream scoop in order to keep him from leaving and then Whit enters the shop and stops Buck. He takes him up to his office until Polehaus gets there.
At the Ross Compound, Mr. Dausch tells Mr. Skint that a cop car is down the road a ways watching the place and it's making him nervous about the delivery. Mr. Skint tells him to continue as planned and he'll have one of the boys send the cop one of his special cups of coffee.
After the meeting, Connie and Penny talk a little about it. Connie isn't comfortable with what Trask is teaching because it's not supported by the Bible. Penny says they can talk about things the next day on their hike.
Whit tells Polehaus they have Buck in his office at Whit's End and Polehaus says he'll be there right after he's done at the compound. Polehaus approaches the cop car at the compound and finds his officer asleep and connects it to the coffee that was given to him. Martin did get the license number of the big truck and it was registered to Uncle Archie's Carnival. Polehaus says he's going to get a look inside the compound by returning the coffee mug.
Buck calls Skint telling him that Mr. Whittaker caught him and that he's at Whit's End. Mr. Skint says he can't help him and hangs up.
At Archie's office, Archie is informed that The Stiletto is there to visit him. They talk about the plan for the transportation of the money, and Jason Whittaker as The Stiletto learns that the money is going to be transported in a different way than in the trucks with the equipment. Archie says that Derk was given the information. Archie also says that Mr. Grote is around, but he cannot say more because he will not speak for them. The Stiletto leaves. Archie then picks up the phone and calls someone. He informs them that he thinks that Mr. Grote was right for not trusting the Stiletto, and that he should be removed from their plan... or altogether.
Day Four
#688: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 10”
Buck Oliver is in Whit's office with Detective Polehaus. Polehaus is interrogating Buck about the money and Buck is releasing very little information, aside from little things they already know. Katrina Meltsner comes in and asks to talk to Polehaus privately. Katrina is concerned that Polehaus shouldn't be asking Buck all sorts of questions without his guardian since he is a minor. Polehaus says he's going to let him go because maybe he will lead him to Mr. Skint.
Eugene Meltsner is in Whit's workshop working on the Appleberry that Buck tried to destroy. John Whittaker says that he's headed to the hospital to see Monty. Eugene and Whit feel like the bad guys are running circles around them, but they know it's with God's help that they will win over evil.
Connie Kendall knocks on Wooton's door and he answers. They sit on the bench to talk. Connie says she talked to Penny about him. Wooton is in Connie's words "still in the anxiety stage". Connie tells him that she and Penny are going to go on a hike the next day and he invites himself to meet them at Montogos Peak and they could have a picnic. Connie tries to tell him about the Trask's group, but Wooton keeps interrupting and talking about the picnic.
Polehaus finishes with Buck and he leaves. He tells Katrina that Buck is supposed to come back with Skint the next day. Neither of them think they will, but Polehaus has men all over the area. If Buck tries to get away, his men will follow him. Unfortunately his men lose Buck. Whit assumes that Buck will be going back to Skint. Polehaus leaves as Eugene comes up from the workshop. Eugene plans to stay and work on the Appleberry, and Katrina wants to go find Buck.
Buck loses the police and meets up with Mr. Skint at Trickle Lake. In their phone call earlier, Skint had told Buck a code. He said "This is just like Detroit my boy. Just like Detroit. Do you understand? Their using you as bait. I can't help you." He was saying to remember what happened in Detroit, and bait meant Trickle lake dock C which is where it all started. Buck tells Skint that he confirmed what the police already knew, while admitting to nothing else. Archie Haggler shows up slightly uneasy about the way some things are going. He tells Skint to shave his beard, and trim his hair. Gives him keys to a car, and says not to stay at the compound. They will use a trailer at the carnival instead. Archie also tells him to get the two Whittakers and Polehaus out of the way by whatever means necessary.
Whit and Eugene are at Whit's End bright and early. Eugene found small pieces of text messages, one of which was numbers similar to the ones found on a piece of paper in the back pack. Whit decides to close the shop for the day in order to focus on the case. Matthew Parker and Emily Jones come in and ask why Whit wanted them. Whit requests that they do some research. He says there might be some information at the library that would give them information on someone connected to presses in some way. Eugene gets a pair of earphones designed by him and Whit. It works similar to walky-talkies and it's how they will communicate with the kids while at the library. Eugene leaves the room, and Emily and Whit talk about how Buck used Emily.
Skint wakes up Buck and Skint looks really different; shaved, hair cut, and a tie. Buck is concerned about the others and about what Archie said. Skint says it's all about staying alive. Buck mentions that the reason that they've had so much trouble is because people care. Buck and Skint continue talking about things and then Skint says, "Get dressed. Everything that we've been working for happens today."
Polehaus has a meeting with his officers telling them how the mission should go. His officers take their positions around the carnival site. Whit tells Polehaus that he found something in Polehaus' office. Whit tells Polehaus that the numbers found in the backpack match a set of numbers found in a text on the Appleberry. Martin comes in tells him the truck from the compound went to the carnival site. It also stopped at Burger World and Trickle Lake Concrete. Martin also says the compound is owned by The consolidated arts company and Archie's Carnival.
Matthew and Emily check in with Eugene as they enter the library. They decide to start with any counterfeit cases in the area.
Jason Whittaker as The Stiletto meets with Archie. They start to tape him up, he resists, and for extra enforcement Archie pulls out a gun. They continue to tape him up. Archie asks if they took care of the other matter and they say the engraving plates are at TLC. They proceed to take The Stiletto away.
#689: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 11”
Penny Wise and Connie Kendall are hiking up to Montague Point and talk along the way about how Penny has been up here before with Benjamin Trask and the group.
The auction is starting and everyone is in place. Whit wonders why Archie's men stopped at Trickle Lake Concrete, but Detective Polehaus doesn't seem to think much of it. Whit gets a call from Monty Whittaker to say that Derk is out of his coma. He plans to sneak into Derk's room and get some info, and Whit asks him to ask Derk about the numbers they found in the backpack and in the cell phone. Whit starts to mention that the Stiletto is in town, and then Monty hurriedly hangs up the phone because the nurse is coming back.
Mr. Skint tells Buck Oliver to stay in the trailer during the auction, afraid that the police would connect Buck with him. Skint leaves and then Katrina Meltsner enters intending to save Buck. Buck tries to get her to leave, but Katrina tries to get him to realize that he can make better decisions than the ones he has been making. Katrina tries to get him to come with her, and then Skint comes back. Skint says that she has to stay around, and proceeds to bind and gag her.
Monty sneaks out of his room and into Derk's. Monty tells him he has his phone and tells him to explain the numbers. A nurse comes in and tries to get Monty to leave. Monty tells Derk that the Stiletto is back and then leaves as the nurse requested.
Matthew Parker and Emily Jones found some articles that mysteriously enough pointed out that counterfeit money always seems to show up soon after Uncle Archie's Carnival has been in town. Matthew did a search on Uncle Archie and found a picture of him with Benjamin Trask on the day they opened a company call The Consolidated Arts Company. Matthew also did a search about Trask's work history. Matthew sends Eugene an email. Upon reading the article Eugene calls Mr. Whittaker right away.
Eugene tells Whit that Trask was a printer and engraver from the US mint. So Trask has the knowledge, experience and the means to carry out The Green Ring scheme. Eugene mentions that he's worried about Connie because she is spending the day with Penny. He thinks that since she made the poster for Dr. Trask that it's possible that she is in on the scheme as well. whit says he'll give Connie a call.
Penny and Connie are still on their hike. Penny brings up the idea of starting their company again, and says that Trask is willing to help it get started. Connie gets a call from Whit, he tells her about Trask being in on the scheme and maybe Penny could be too.
Whit and Polehaus are talking at the auction. Whit tells him about Trask, and Polehaus doesn't seem surprised. Polehaus is more concerned about the auction how no buyers are getting more than one thing and is convinced that it's rigged.
Connie and Penny start heading back upon Connie's insistence. Wooton jumps out of the bushes and surprises them. Connie forgot about meeting Wooton and still insists they go back. Penny doesn't want to take another step without knowing what is going on. Connie decides to tell Penny about Trask and his involvement with the green ring. Wooton joins them and Penny says she knows a shortcut that will lead them to the truth.
Buck starts to leave from the trailer, and Katrina says something that he can't make out. Buck takes the gag off so she can talk. She tries to convince him that he still has a choice. She tells him that she will pray for him every day. Buck tells her that when it's all clear he'll let Eugene know where she is. Buck slips the gag back on her and leaves the trailer.
Polehaus and Whit watch as they move the trucks out. They try to figure out how the money will get on the trucks.
Penny leads them to Trask's property where Penny intends to get the truth from Dr. Trask. A man meets them telling him Trask has a house on the other side of the property. Skint comes up from behind, and Penny recognizes him as the one who commissioned her to do the poster. Skint has Mr. Dosh draw his weapon, and has him take them to a bunker.
Polehaus gets word that there are 8 trucks going out of town that won't pull over.
Wooton and Penny decide to have their picnic in the bunker. Connie is more concerned about how to get out. They see that the money is hidden in the bunker where they are, so Wooton figures someone will be back. The door opens and Skint orders the boxes to be moved. Dr. Trask comes in as well and talks to them. Penny asks how he could do all this, and Trask's answer is more focused on the millions of dollars he'll be getting. Trask says that they can't let them go and that they'll be moved with the money in a different method than on the roads.
#690: “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 12”
Detective Polehaus is ecstatic, the money was not on the trucks nor was it in the compound. He calls John Whittaker and they party line with Eugene Meltsner, Matthew Parker, and Emily Jones. Emily tells them that The Old Ross Compound has five structures. Polehaus knew of four, the fifth being an underground bunker hidden in a hill. They decide that it would be the ideal place for the ring to have hidden the money.
Polehaus, Whit and Martin get to the compound. They don't find the money, but instead they find hay bales and pieces of a picnic meaning Connie, Penny and Wooton could be wherever the money is. They decide that the key is in the set of numbers that was found in the phone and backpack.
At the hospital, Monty Whittaker gets out of his room again and goes to Derk's room. Derk tells him that Skint texted the numbers to him and he was supposed to pass them on to the Stiletto. The numbers on the text were numbers for a private freight train. Monty relays the information to Whit, who calls and tells Eugene. Looking at a map, they make out a pathway that the counterfeiters most likely used to get away. Monty leaves after getting the information he wanted.
Mr. Skint and Buck Oliver see the train leave and Skint is relieved. Buck is concerned about Connie, Penny and Wooton but Skint just brushes it off. Skint says there's one more loose end they need to tie up before they can get out of there.
Connie, Wooton, and Penny are locked up in the freight train with the counterfeit money. Connie is trying to find a way out, while Penny doesn't think there's any point. A crate in the corner starts making noises as if someone is trying to get out. They go to it and manage to get the lid off. Inside is a mysterious man (Jason Whittaker). He loosens some bolts on a door so he can get out, but before he leaves he says "Connie, tell Mr. Whittaker the plates can be found at TLC." He also says that he's going to find someway to stop the train.
By the time Whit, Polehaus and Martin get to the tracks the train was already gone. Matthew, Emily, and Eugene tell him the tracks go right by Haggler's Junkyard before going off into open country at full speed.
Eugene calls Wally Haggler and he and Jay Smouse go near the tracks. They hear the train coming but have no clue how to stop it. Looking at the map, Emily and Matthew see that it goes into a Y. The main track splits off into a separate track that goes into the junkyard. Matthew says that there should be a switch that switches the tracks over. Wally and Jay go over to it and work on moving the switch.
Jason makes his way to the front of the train, and wrestles with one of the guys trying to get the train to stop.
Jay and Wally get the switch moved, and realize that Wally will probably lose the storage shed. On the train Jason and the two guys wonder what "two guys" did, and then realize that they're gonna crash. The train crashes into the storage shed.
Wally is frantic about the storage shed. Archie Haggler was in the crash too and Wally says that Archie won't be getting out of this one.
Penny, Wooton, and Connie made it through the crash, and Connie realizes the mysterious man was Jason Whittaker.
Skint and Buck go back to their trailer at the carnival for "some insurance". Skint wants to take Katrina as a hostage, but Buck protests and refuses to take Katrina with them. Skint says either Buck goes with him and Katrina or stays here with Katrina. Buck chooses not to go with Skint. Katrina is grateful that Buck made the right decision.
Monty meets Whit at the junkyard. Whit tells him that all the money was in crates on the train, and Archie and his gang are being rounded up by Polehaus. Then Connie runs up to them exclaiming that she saw Jason on the train. She tells them that he was in sunglasses and a beard and was in a crate. She also says that he gave her a message to pass on to Whit; TLC and something to do with plates. Monty figures he meant the engraving plates. If they don't find them, anyone could use them and start another green ring.
Eugene thanks Emily and Buck for their help. Katrina and Buck come into to Whit's End. Katrina tells them that Buck saved her. Eugene thanks him for doing so. Buck apologizes for his lies. Katrina and Buck leave for the police station.
Polehaus tells Whit and Monty that they have everyone booked except for Trask and Skint. They continue to try to figure out the meaning of TLC. They talked to the guys at Trickle Lake Cement and was told that the cement was for a patio. but they didn't find a cement patio at Archie's house or plans for one. Monty then figures out what TLC means.
They go to Trickle Lake Dock C to look for the plates. They determine that the counterfeiters put them in a case, enclosed them in concrete and dropped them in a lake attached to a chain. Then they hear the sound of something or someone falling coming from the shed. The investigate and find Dr. Trask. Polehaus arrests Trask, although Trask denies everything. Whit congratulates Monty on a job well done.
Whit enters his house and finds Jason. He tells Whit that Mr. Grote was trying to get rid of him, and now he's going to go after Mr. Grote in Hong Kong. After saying he'll be back, he leaves and Whit says, "Case closed...for now."
#692: “A Penny Saved”
- This plot section is too short and should be expanded. »
#703: “The Labyrinth, Part 1”
Agent Billings and Agent Florin, agents working for MI5, are in a van nearby waiting for an agent to show up to meet with Reggie Fingers. Agent Billings sees a man with a mustache, sports jacket and hat (through a camera monitor) and tells Florin that he's the one, Jason Whittaker. Jason enters the fish and chips restaurant and Agent Billings tells Agent Florin that he's their man. Billings explains to Florin that Fingers had been in contact with Grote about something. So Interpol, American Intelligence, and MI5 are working together to take him down. Florin questions if Jason is the right man for the job, and Billings reasons that Jason has been undercover all over the world and has been after Grote for a long time. Florin is suspicious that Jason may really be working with Mr. Grote. Billings points out that they've taken Whittaker to the back of the restaurant.
Once inside the restaurant, Jason Whittaker, disguised as The Grinder, is escorted to a back room where his hat, coat, and gun are taken. Reggie Fingers then begins to talk with The Grinder. Reggie mentions that he is better about making sure that there aren't any moles or double crossers that work with the government. Mycroft comes in and tells Reggie about a van. Reggie is unsurprised and has Mycroft get the girl and to tell Dennis to tend to the van as planned. The Grinder, unclear of what they are talking about, asks Reggie. Reggie Fingers explains that they suspected MI5 to be watching them from a van. He further explains that "the girl" is Agent Billings daughter, who they have kidnapped as insurance. Reggie tells The Grinder that it was Grote's idea to include him on this ordeal because Grote had no idea that The Grinder was in London and it makes him nervous when supposed allies do things without telling him first. Mycroft is ordered to take The Grinder to another room until they hear from Mr. Grote.
At the van, Florin is getting anxious. Billings expresses that all they can do is wait until they hear from Whittaker. Someone knocks on the van door. They're suspicious that Jason would be back so soon. They check the monitor and can only see someone in Jason's hat and jacket, but they can't see his face. Florin opens the door and the person at the door gasses their van knocking them out.
Mycroft leads The Grinder to a room and releases the girl from the refrigerator. She is very frightened and does not understand what is going on. The Grinder finds out the her name is Sue. The Grinder knocks out Mycroft, and they head down a hallway and toward a door. Just before going through, Jason tells Sue to hide. Reggie Fingers appears and says he saw the whole thing on camera. He goes on to say that Mr. Grote suspected The Grinder was Jason Whittaker, and figured that a damsel in distress would be just the thing to draw Jason out. Reggie has Sue come out and Jason realizes that Sue was hired and not actually Billings' daughter after all. Reggie acknowledges that he knows Jason's name and Jason drops his "Grinder voice". Reggie leaves Jason and Sue after locking the door. Sue shows Jason a vent, hidden from the camera, that serves as a way of escape.
The duo make their way out of the building and Sue wants to go off on her own. Jason convinces her to stay. They hear sirens and Sue guesses that they are headed to the van that Reggie knew about. Sue offers to go in and find out what's up. She asks the officer what happened to the people on the stretchers. She's told that someone gassed them. She also finds out that the police think it was Jason that gassed the agents thanks to Reggie Fingers. Jason borrows Sue's cell phone and calls his father, John Whittaker, to get help.
Jason knocks on a hotel door and Dale Jacobs answers. Dale and Ann Jacobs are in London due to a journalism symposium. Jason explains that he needs Dale to go with Sue to break into his hotel room to get a briefcase. He can't get it himself because his room is more than likely being watched. Jason explains that he booked two adjoining rooms under two different names, and his top secret belongings are in the second room in the bathroom in the vent above the sink. He figures that if Sue goes with Dale then they can pose as Father and daughter.
At the hospital, Billings talks with Florin. Billings explains to Florin that on the security recordings all that he can make out is a man with a hat and a coat, but his face is obscured. Florin is positive that the man was Jason. Billings trusts Jason though and knows that Jason wouldn't turn on them. Florin suspects that undercover agents, even Jason, can be turned if they get lost in the labyrinth and states that the sooner they capture Jason the better.
Dale and Sue get to the hotel room and, sure enough, an officer is watching for anything having to do with Jason's room. While Dale is talking to the officer, Sue is getting the briefcase from the bathroom. The detective leaves after he gives Dale his card. Dale figures that the detective would be suspicious if they left right away so Dale pretends to be putting valuables in the safe. The officer is suspicious and radios to another officer to watch for Dale and search him when they get off in the lobby. Once in the elevator, he lets Sue out of the suitcase. They get off on the second floor and take the fire escape to the back. Once on the ground, they're spotted and run off into the streets of London. (Continued in #704: “The Labyrinth, Part 2”)
#704: “The Labyrinth, Part 2”
Dale Jacobs and Sue return the briefcase to Jason Whittaker who opens it and shows them the contents: a notepad, a laptop, and in the secret compartment, a tracking device, concealed camera, lock picking device, fiber-scope, binoculars, listening device, make-up kit, and a piece of paper that looks like a traffic itinerary. Jason explains that it's not how it appears but that it's a bunch of codes that he calls his "Alamo" if anything goes wrong. Jason asks Ann Jacobs to hide it from him in case someone asks him where it is. Jason decides to explain the whole story and catch Ann and Dale up on the whole situation.
Jason explains that his next move is figuring out what Mr. Grote is up to. Jason mentions that one of Reggie's men mentioned a "Julia's house" but has no clue who Julia is. Ann finds a brochure for Julius House, an auction house and figures that that must have been what the man was talking about. Jason suspects that since Grote had planned to use an auction to get the money out in Odyssey, that he may be planning something with this auction too. Upon Ann's insistence, Jason and Sue stay the night in Dale and Ann's hotel room.
The next morning, they begin to head out and find a note from Sue: Thanks for everything. See you around town. Heart, Sue.
Dale, Ann, and Jason go to the auction. They check the catalog of the items being auctioned for anything suspicious, and come across one item that seems suspicious: two crates of vases from Hong Kong that need to be climate controlled. Dale notices that they are also from a supplier called the Prominent Company, which Jason identifies as an obscure company from Russia. A bell rings to signal the start of the auction.
Ann notices that one person seems to be buying all of the items from the Prominent Company and comments that if he were a true collector he'd buy from other dynasties as well. Jason agrees with Ann that it is suspicious and decides to talk with Lord Brownlow. Jason asks him several questions and finds out that the antiques he bought are for the British museum for that night because the president of the U.S., the prime minister, and several other leaders from Asian countries were going to be there. He bought the antiques as last minute additions. Jason leaves and lets Lord Brownlow go.
Jason meets back up with Ann and Dale and tells them what he found out. Suddenly, an alarm goes off, and they are told to evacuate the area due to an accident in the loading bay area. One of the workers collapsed due to something potentially toxic. Jason, Dale and Ann leave the area. Jason is suspicious that the toxic chemical may have to do with Mr. Grote.
Jason decides he needs to go to the hospital to find out more about the toxic chemical. Dale wants to go with him, but Jason asks him to input the codes into his computer instead. He says it's time to initiate his "Alamo". Dale then reminds him that the real Alamo ended in tragedy. Jason replies that he knows, and the scene changes. Jason calls a taxi to take him to the hospital, and Sue joins him for the ride. Sue tells Jason she saw the accident at the auction house. She tells him they were putting a crate onto the truck and it dropped. One guy opened the crate to make sure it was all right. As he looked inside, he yelled and then passed out. She tells him that the men in the "space suits" took the crates away.
At the hospital, Jason finds out that Craig Robinson is in intensive care and they won't let him in unless he's a relative. Sue shows Jason a back way in and tells him that she'd be unwelcome there. Jason continues through the door without her and bumps into Agent Billings. Billings takes Jason back into the stairwell because the place is crawling with police. Billings pins Jason against the wall and asks why he gassed them in the van and ran off. Jason explains that he was framed and he's been trying to figure out what Grote is up to. Jason breaks loose from Billing's grasp. Billings explains that Craig inhaled a deadly bacteria called Koflax. Apparently Koflax was developed in a lab in Russia, and some thieves stole vials of it. Billings made a connection with Grote when he heard about Craig. Jason thinks that Grote's plan is to hurt or kill the president, the prime minister, and the other heads of state that are attending the museum that night. Jason asks Billings what the research teams have found out about the crate. Billings tells Jason that the team that took it away wasn't with the government, but with Grote and Reggie Fingers. Billings says they need more evidence to be able to call off the event. They don't know how Grote plans to release the Koflax, but Jason is determined to stop him.
Jason exits the hospital and runs into Sue who apologizes to Jason before Reggie Fingers knocks Jason out. Jason wakes up to find that he is in a hotel room with Reggie Fingers and Mr. Grote. Jason and Mr. Grote talk and then he jumps on Mr. Grote. Mr. Grote questions Jason about what he knows about their plans. Jason explains that MI5 agents are scouring the museum looking for the crates. Jason also tells him that back in the days when Grote trusted him, Jason installed a worm on his system. Jason explains that this worm will take over the system, send all of Grote's files to every authority in the world and then destroy his system and it will become active at midnight. Grote has Reggie take Jason to the warehouse and question Jason to make sure that he isn't lying about the code. He tells him to "Use whatever methods you need to get the truth." (Continued in #705: “The Labyrinth, Part 3”)
#705: “The Labyrinth, Part 3”
Dale Jacobs and Ann Jacobs are in the middle of a mystery in London. They return to their motel after checking something at the British museum. At the motel they see some men forcing Jason into a van. Dale has the cabby follow the van.
In the van Jason Whittaker is talking to his captors. He talks himself through what is happening. He soon realizes that the vases are made out of the Koflax and that the powder will be released at room temperature. Reggie Fingers is getting frustrated with all the talking, but Mycroft Thugg is concerned about what Jason is saying because his daughter is going to be at the museum later that night.
Dale and Ann follow the van to Reggie's warehouse. As they start to all the police a man taps on the window of the cab and knocks them out with a type of gas. Inside, Mycroft leads Jason into a separate room. Jason tries to get Mycroft to tell him where the vases are, but Mycroft remains silent.
Mycroft locks Jason in the room, but before he leaves he tells Jason the exact location of the vases. Once he's gone, Sue comes out of hiding. She apologizes for giving him over to Reggie. A few minutes later, Dale, Ann, and the Cabby are thrown into the room with Jason. Mycroft discovers Ann's cell phone, but lets them keep it. Dale gives the phone to Jason and they call the authorities.
Agent Billings receives Jason's call and makes orders to get help to the warehouse. He also sends officers to the museum to locate the vases and get everyone out safely. Billings is relieved that Jason came through for them.
Reggie, and Dennis try to get the code from Jason to stop Jason's worm from working. Jason refuses, and just as they are threatening to hurt Dale, they hear some sort of siren coming from outside. Dennis reports that a helicopter, a dozen police cars, half a dozen unmarked cars, a swat team van and a tank have arrived to save Jason and his friends. The authorities release Jason and company, and take Reggie and his crew into custody.
Sue tells Jason that she'll be forced to live with her foster parents. She prefers the streets, and knows she will have a hard time settling down. Billings tells Jason that the second crate is missing. Reggie won't tell them anything without his lawyer. Billings also says that Mr. Grote is still on the loose and they fear that he'll get to the second crate before they do. Jason tells Billings that he put a tracking device on Mr. Grote. He hopes that Grote and the crate are in the same place.
Mr. Grote is at a warehouse moving a coffin containing the missing Coflax vases. Jason and Billings arrive and Jason asks Billings to call his agents. Billings has a different plan in mind. He orders Grote to undo the latches on the coffin. Grote does so, and Billings orders him to open the lid and climb into the coffin so he'll be exposed to the Coflax. Billings reveals that he is doing this to get revenge on Grote for killing Billings' former partner. Billings continues to wave his gun and Grote does what he says. Jason tries to talk some sense into Billings, but is forced to latch up the coffin. Jason refuses to let Billings kill Grote. Billings threatens to shoot Jason if he lets Grote out. Jason is determined to let Grote live anyway.
Jason visits Dale and explains everything that happened. He explains how draining it was and that he's done with the Labyrinth. He's ready to get back to Odyssey and get closer to God again. The clock strikes midnight, and Jason comments at how the Alamo worm is activated and will wrap up this adventure. Dale prays with Jason for peace and comfort.
#859: “The Long End, Part 1”
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#860: “The Long End, Part 2”
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#861: “The Long End, Part 3”
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#964: “As Far As It Depends on Me”
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Related episodes
- #182: “The Scales of Justice” – The events of this episode are alluded to in part 4, when Whit mentions to Monty that there was "a situation (regarding counterfeit money) a few years ago, but it didn't lead to anything."
- #674: “Square One” and #675: “A Thankstaking Story” – These episodes explore and give more background to Wally Haggler, Haggler's Junkyard, and the Square One Club.
- #697: “A Penny Earned” and #702: “Childish Things” further chronicle Penny's search for a career.
- #724 – #725: “Home Again” – Jason returns to Odyssey.
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