Marcie and I didn't say a word to each other until we reached that restaurant, where Daphne was waiting for us at a reserved table.

Daphne: Hi girls, glad you came early!

We greeted Daphne, but we still ignored each other's presence. Sensing that something had happened (and Daphne's intuition never fails), Daph looked at me, and then at Marce and kept shifting the look, waiting for either of us to say anything. Obviously, Marcie did, just to annoy me:

Marcie: Wow, Daph,  you look great! Are you trying to get someone's attention with this dress?

The totally inappropriate comment made Daphne blush and made me step on Marcie's toes angrily. Instead of complaining, Marcie smiled and hugged me, thinking that my gesture meant that everything was ok between us, but I continued to ignore her.

Daphne: Oh, no way, Marce! What makes you think I get someone's attention with this dress?

The fact that all heads turn to you, perhaps? I think Marcie, like me, also answered Daph's question mentally, because after my kick she didn't say anything. Daphne, however, started talking, ´cause she wanted so much to change the subject and not to make it (even more) evident that she had dressed for Fred Jones.

Daphne: Did you finish your cards, Marce? Can you believe that right after we bought those recycled paper cards I found beautiful bioplastic cards, I think we should buy some, don't you think?

Yes, I'm the last one to know! That's what I told my fiancée, screaming telepathically.  I shot Marcie with an angry look, and luckily she understood my non-verbal language. Daphne, with her keen intuition, realized that she overshared, and again started talking about random subjects that could make me forget about it. I tried to look on the bright side of the situation: at least we are not paying for those stupid cards. Or maybe we are? After all, Daphne's wealth comes from the abusive fees that her banker father charges us, his poor customers. When a normal talk finally started, we saw Shaggy waving at us at the door with an Alice in Chains shirt, a short beard and a huge smile on his face. When he arrived, he gave us tight hugs that cracked our spine joints while  the sound of loud, low-pitched barks could be heard from outside the restaurant.

Shaggy: Sorry girls, Scoob won't let me stay here with you, he'll be barking til I leave so, like, I just dropped by to say hi...

Daphne: Oh, no way, I need you to stay! You need to hear about my new case. You can sit here by the window, so Scooby can see you…

Shaggy agreed and took his place by the window. When Scooby-Doo saw him, he went wild, barked, and started jumping so madly against the restaurant's window that security guards had to intervene.

Shaggy: Wow, Daph, did you dress to receive an Oscar?

Shaggy's comment made Daphne blush again, as it confirmed what Marcie said about he dressing to get Fred´s attention.

Shaggy: Like, hey, Vel! Hey Marce! How is the card-making process?

I'm definitely the last one to know about the damn cards . This time, Fleachy replied “ Well, thanks ” and smiled awkwardly at Shaggy. She avoided looking at me because she knew this time my angry look would be as deadly as an atomic bomb.

Shaggy: So, tell us about your case, Daph! Like, meanwhile, I'll choose the food because I'm starving…

Daphne: Well, this case is different from anything I've ever seen, and I´ll need your help... but, let's wait Fred and my client arrive, so I tell you the details once...

Shaggy responded with joy, but I wasn't sure if his reaction was due to what Daphne's said or due to the menu he was analyzing. I started mentally elaborating a polite refusal, because I didn't feel like spending my vacation working so Daphne could spend days seducing Fred Jones. I have a lot of skills, but none of them are “being a f*cking cupid”.  When the waiter came to get Shaggy´s list, Marcie asked some Yuzu Margaritas and I ordered a Mojito, so the mint could boost my patience and the rum could help me deal with all the sh*t I would have to deal with until the end of that night (including the presence of Captain Jones). I love my friends, but sometimes they only make some sense when they're accompanied by a good dose of alcohol. Daphne didn't order any drinks ´cause she´s alcohol-weak (she gets completely drunk with Coors light), and Shaggy ordered and ate so many things before my Mojito arrived that I couldn't even count.  Scooby was watching us from outside the window, suddenly, he pricked up his ears, looked around carefully, and ran away. Shaggy left quickly to follow Scooby, at the door, he saw the dog euphorically barking and circling Captain Jones.

Daphne: Fred is here!

I understand that Daphne has her personal reasons to celebrate Fred's arrival, but I gave her a fierce glare anyway. Due to the case solved hours earlier (and shown at all channels), Fred Jones was a celebrity. He couldn´t even walk to our table without being interrupted by people waving, clapping and even asking to take pictures with him. Daphne, as usual, greeted Jones with smiles, with arms wide open and a kiss on his cheek; Shaggy did his indecipherable handshake, and Marcie repeated the cheap flattery everyone was giving him. I just said hi, downed my Mojito, and hoped the therapeutic properties of the mint and rum would make an immediate effect in my mood.

Fred: Hey gang, what a day, uh? Looks like the whole NY city is celebrating our case solved.

Marcie: You guys are amazing! People admire you guys! By the way, have you noticed how beautiful Daphne is tonight?

Daphne's face turned as red as her hair. I tried to kick Marcie to make her stop talking, but when I got an accidental kick from Daphne, I realized that someone else was also trying to make Fleachy shut up. Obviously, Fred had already noticed Daphne, but after Marcie's words he analyzed every inch of her again and ended his analysis by looking deep into her eyes.

Fred: She is not beautiful tonight... she's beautiful everyday…

Daphne smiled, but Fred Jones is an asshole so he didn't continue the courtship. He suddenly started talking about the damn details of the case he solved. Rather than helping me to relax, the quick addition of alcohol into my bloodstream gave me a horrid state of mind. During the conversations, I was distant, silent and everything irritated me.  I was distracted looking to the image of Scooby-Doo sitting on the sidewalk when, suddenly, the dog raised his ears and repeated the gesture he did when Fred arrived. This time, he didn't run away, he put his paws in an alert position and began to bark. Shaggy asked for silence more than once, but Scooby didn´t stop. Without hesitating, Shaggy opened his dog language app to discover what his best friend was saying. The app translated the barks to the english words “Get away!” and “Killer”. Daphne, Marcie and Shaggy looked at each other and shuddered at the ominous message. Jones and I, for the first time in our lives, agreed at one thing: we laughed at Norville's app.

Fred: Come on, gang, it doesn't mean anything! We all know that this app is just for entertainment…

When the barking and the scary “translations” stopped for a while, Shaggy looked at me and asked my personal scientific opinion.

Velma: Fred is right, this is ridiculous, there is no scientific basis for this app and dogs have no verbal language.

My words soothed them and made Shaggy close the app. Scooby continued to bark, the  restaurant security guards approached to make him stop and Shaggy had to leave the table to make the dog calm down. I couldn't pay attention to the next random topic that Fred, Marcie, and Daphne were talking about because I was distracted by the image of a mortal, american, blond version of a greek god getting out of a type of car that, to me, only existed in Fast and Furious movies. I don't usually care about cars, let alone men, but this time both called my attention. Obviously, everyone at the restaurant noticed the arrival of that New Yorker Apollo and followed his steps into the restaurant. For my surprise, his destination was exactly our table, Daphne got up and greeted him.

Daphne: Guys, I want you to meet my client, Mr. Alan Mayberry.

“To me, his name is Apollo ,” was the thought I  had when I offered my hand to charming Mr. Mayberry, having an inexplicable straight-woman smile on my lips. I didn't feel guilty for that because my fiancée did the same thing (so that b*tch also notices handsome men?), and after her, Daphne did the same, but her hand was pulled by Apollo's strong hand and he gave her a hug. The only one who wasn't impressed was Fred Jones, who refused to step down from his ego's pedestal to greet Mr. Mayberry. With his manhood bruised due to the presence of another alpha male, Captain Jones just waved and glared.

Alan: Client? Please! I am not a “client ”. Daphne and I are friends… we're neighbors, actually. I live next to Blake Tower, I can see her from my window. And she is always working, she's incredibly talented. Daphne is the only Blake girl who has the competence to lead George's empire. BTW, I owe everything to George Blake, a great man who taught me the path to success…

Apollo kept praising and praising Daphne for five minutes. And the bad trip caused by the Mojito made me feel depressed that I was wasting my money and my time watching another stupid male tryin to get a relationship with Daphne Blake. My only amusement in those wasted five minutes was Fred's angry, jealous face as he watched the scene. Fred Jones doesn´t want to have a serious relationship with Daphne, he doesn´t  even care about her enough to tell her his real intentions. But Fred Jones doesn´t want any other man to have it either. He wants to keep Daphne in “ standby mode ”, always at his feet, after all, a completely-in-love Daphne is a beautiful trophy.

Fred: Well, Daphne, can you please tell why you brought us here?

Daphne smiled when the jealous Fred abruptely interrupted Apollo. She waved at Norville to make him return to the table, Shaggy waved back and started walking, but Scooby ran after him, bit the bottom hem of his shirt and pulled him out again.

Fred: I don't think Norville will mind if you start without him, Daph. We'll explain it to him later.

Daphne: Okay! Gang, I brought you here to talk about an exceptional case I took recently and I would like your help to solve it. Mr. Mayberry…

Alan: It's Alan, Daph... for you, it's Alan...

Daphne: Okay, Alan, my client…

Alan: I´ve already told you we're friends, Daph, and also neighbors...

Daphne gave Alan a reproachful glare to make him stop interrupting her. Mr. Mayberry got the message and smiled disconcertedly, then made a gesture for her to continue talking.

Daphne: So, Alan is the CEO of a huge fintech in Manhattan and claims that a brokerage company called Liberty stole his money…

Fred: So we're wasting our night because Mr. Mayberry is an incompetent investor?

Fred´s words were violent, but instead of offending, they made Alan laugh derisively.

Alan: No, Daphne knows I have a lot of experience …

The mischievous tone of Mayberry's reply made Daphne blush and stutter while she angrily explained

Daphne: No! What… what Mr. Mayberry means… is…that... that he worked for my dad for many years. He was Blake Bank´s director for many years before starting his own business, that's what he means when he says that “I know he has lots of experience”. Oh, nevermind, let me finish… Last year, Alan gave Liberty the sum of 2 million dollars to invest in bonds, but  the person in charge disappeared with his money last month. So, Mr. Mayberry wants to sue him for the loss, but while I was studying the evidences to build the case, I came across a mystery…

To me, the only mystery is: why a person who spends about 4 million dollars in a car wants to sue someone for losing “only” 2 million? Unless the lawsuit is an excuse to flirt with Daphne Blake and become George Blake's son-in-law. Well, looks like I've already solved this mystery.

Fred: And what's so mysterious about that, Daphne? Financial scams happen all the time, you just need to be stupid enough to be caught…

Alan: So you're saying Daphne's father is stupid enough, Jones, because he's a victim of Liberty too...

Fred was kind of embarassed by what he said, and immediately looked at Daphne to confirm what he had just heard.

Daphne: Calm down, I'll explain about my dad. Let me finish, yes? I need your help because the crime happened in NY, so it's your jurisdiction, Fred. I found out that the place where Liberty is supposed to be operating has neither business licenses nor employee records, nor anything that proves that a huge investment management company really exists at that address. Furthermore, I found out the Liberty manager who was responsible for Alan´s money is a missing person in his country, South Korea. His name is Cho Sang-woo and local police says he´s been missing since June 2020.  On the other hand, Interpol says his last bank operations occured in NY city last moth at a Liberty branch in Cedar St., so this city is the last place where Cho Sang-woo was before dissapearing. I couldn´t find Sang-woo´s missing report at NYPD missing person department, so I need you to do it.

Fred: It´s a classic case of embezzlement, Daphne. Fake companies appear all the time offering millions quickly and magically, and unprepared jerks  end up falling for their promises. Its obvious that the person responsible disappeared, all thieves hide after a robbery.

Daphne: Liberty is not a fake company, Freddie. It was founded more than 20 years ago, it has offices all over the world and lots of customers. But Liberty´s biggest office here in NY, at Cedar St., has no licenses. Isn´t it weird?

Fred: Honey, trust me, I´m in NYPD for years and it seems that your case is not a mystery. It's just a financial scam. Velma can digitally track the money… if we find the money, we find the thief, case solved.

The lovely “dear, trust me” made Daphne melt and sigh, but it didn't make her give up her arguments.

Daphne: I know where the money is, Fred, and this is the weirdest part.  Alan said my dad recommended him Liberty´s services last year, after he did a 36 million investment. I went through my own sources and found bank receipts for 36 million going from Blake Bank Inc.´s account to Liberty´s Applegate Bank account, so this information is true. Then, Alan invested his 2 million… but last month, the all the money disappeared. The impressive amount of 38 million dollars - 2 million is Alan´s and 36 milions is dad´s - left Liberty´s Applegate Bank account in NY and ended up in several Applegate Bank accounts located in Silmido, a desert island in South Korea. DESERT ISLAND, Fred. And then, all the money was withdrawn from ATM machines on that same island. Is there a logical explanation for 38 million being withdrawn from ATMs in a desert island?

Shaggy: Maybe wild animals are learning bad consumerist habits?

Norville made the infamous joke and finally sat down at the table. Apparently, he heard a bit of the conversation.

Shaggy: Sorry guys, Scoob don´t want me to be here, he said “It's dangerous”!

Alan didn't know about the app and when he heard that "a dog said the place is dangerous" he doubted at Shaggy´s sanity. We just ignored the damn app one more time.

Fred: Daphne, sweetheart, it's a classic financial scam, believe me. Obviously, this island must be a tax haven and maybe it´s not really uninhabited. Liberty´s smart-ass just managed to put  the money he stole in a safe place far from police and from taxes. Don't worry, we'll catch him. I'll get you a warrant and tomorrow Shaggy can take the dogs to the scene. And Velma can manage the digital forensics, we will solve this easily. Don´t worry.

Daphne: Frederick Jones, listen to me!  Silmido has NOTHING, the South Korean army says there is no kind of construction or human activity there! And Interpol and Google satellites confirm it. How can a place without internet or modern buildings have ATMs or bank branches?

Shaggy: Like, you said a korean name when you mentioned the manager's name, didn't you Daph?

Daphne: Yes, Shaggy, the manager is called Cho Sang-woo, and he's from Seoul.

Shaggy: Like, I thought maybe he might be somewhere else in South Korea withdrawing that money, but he purposely altered the place to hide his location… like, those VPN programs for games… I just need to find out if bank systems could behave like this too…

As I said, a genius.

Velma: If online banks can do it ? Absolutely Shaggy. So, apparently we're dealing with a hacker embezzler, Daph. Something not very simple for a police captain to solve ALONE, as it requires an exhaustive work with forensic experts, right Fred?

Daphne: There's more. As I said, the money left NY and went to several Applegate Bank accounts in Silmido. Applegate Bank has filed for bankruptcy after some financial scandals, my dad is Steven Applegate´s friend and helped him to recover so far, but  the government and the federals are still keeping an eye on his company.  So, a bankrupt bank involved in financial scandals before suddenly  transfers 38 million to a desert island and FBI does nothing?

Shaggy: Like, we could have corrupt feds, Daph. They just pretend nothing happened.

Fred: Or maybe it´s some kind of money laundering…

Velma: Or maybe we have another Deacon Carlswell, Fred, remember? He was a bank manager, just like Mr. Cho Sang-woo, and had a complex scheme to steal from the bank he worked for.

Alan: Anyway, I just want the motherf*cker arrested and my money back. That's why I hired the best lawyer in New York city…

Daphne tried to ignore, but her cheeks inevitably flushed.

Daphne: So, I need your help to go ahead, gang. I cannot accuse Liberty of theft or embezzlement having only the little information Alan has given me. Also, I need you to find where Sang-woo is. I'm sure the best police team can hel…

Fred: No! No way, Daphne. I cannot start a case about a huge company without real evidence. It´s very clear that this was a financial scam, and Mr. Mayberry fell because he is… unskilled.  Plus, this is a case for cyber crime department. All we can do is to fill a report and case closed...

Daphne: Fred! Please, I can't miss this case! Alan is a very dear person to my family, and the other victim is my own father, can you understand how important it is to me to solve this mystery?

Fred: …and it's also very dangerous for you, Daphne. If it's really an international money laundering scheme, we'll have to deal with dangerous people, only an asshole would get you involved in such a thing…

Then Daphne looked at me, begging my intervention to make Fred change his mind.  I didnt want to intervene because I had lots of plans for my vacation and I wasn´t really in the mood of seeking stockbroker freaks on internet, but… DAMN IT, Fleachy was so right! How selfish it is to prioritize your own wellness while a loved one needs your help? I knew the answer to the question was “f*cking selfish”, and I knew my own mind would be calling me “selfish b*tch” all summer if I didn´t help my best friend. So, I made my choice…

Velma: Fred, Shaggy and I can go to Liberty branch at Cedar St. tomorrow and gather some evidence, right Shags?

Shaggy: Like, sure, Vel!

Velma: Great. Also, I´ll ask the cybercrime department to check for more information. Now, Jones, please get me the fucking warrant ASAP.

Apollo and Daphne celebrated my verdict, while Fred Jones frowned at me and only answered monosyllabically until the end of our dinner. Marcie hugged me gently and gave me a sweet, proud smile because I did the right thing. Not long after, my cell phone vibrated and I was surprised by a message from Fred Jones secretly asking me “why are you following an asshole's orders? ”. As soon as I finished reading, he kicked my foot and looked at me with a disapproving expression. I replied sarcastically “ because is he my captain” and laughed at my own joke. My answer only made Fred's mood become worse, and he didn't answer me anymore. Then, we started to order some food. Outside, Scooby-Doo started barking again, this time he barked for minutes and pulled the traffic sign he was tied to so hard that he almost got off the leash. Shaggy hesitated to consult the app after Fred and I laughed at him, instead, he left us one more time to calm the dog down.

Fred: Hey, you're spoiling him, Shaggy. He's a police dog, not a pet. You cannot whatever he wants, he will unlearn all the lessons and good manners he received in training.

Shaggy: Like, I dont know what the hell he's quite agitated here, Fredster, Scoob isn't like that... there's something weird going on and he's trying to warn me...

Daphne: Freddie is right Shaggy, Scooby will be fine. We're in NY, he must be sniffing out someone carrying drugs or something...

Daphne and Fred convinced Shaggy to sit down again and wait for the food. In few minutes a huge portion of food began to be prepared right before our very eyes. Shaggy looked at all the ingredients on the griddle like a dog. Well, looks like Scooby is not the only one who needs to relearn good manners. When the food was ready, Marcie, Fred, and I hurried to get it before Shaggy. Apollo wasn't so smart (because he didn't know about Shaggy's habit of stealing other people's food), so he lost all the dishes he ordered. Daphne does not eat gluten, lactose, carbohydrates, meat, animal derivatives, or fried foods. Which, in practice, means that she eats only fresh vegetables & fruits, dishes from restaurants that charge more than $500/meal and that kind of exotic stuff nobody likes. Her bad eating habits come from a mother who was too lazy to feed her in the absence of babysitters (and encouraged her to eat quick and easy things, like blueberries and grapes), a financial condition that made her get used to eat in the best restaurants and an entire adolescence carrying the burden of being school´s prettiest girl. 

So, when Daphne´s weird food was ready, she didn´t have to hurry since not even Shaggy wanted it. Outside, Scooby was still agitated, barking a lot and pulling the leash. Suddenly, the leash broke and he ran quickly and happily. We all were startled by view of the giant, 110-pound Scooby Doo running in high speed towards us, but we had no time to stop him: he jumped through the open window and landed on our table, kicked the glasses and drinks, stepped on plates and scared all the customers and the sushimen. If it wasn't bad enough, the clumsy Scooby continued his destruction, he jumped up on my head and sniffed me out until my glasses fell on my plate, Fred grabbed him by the tail and Scooby bit his forearm. Then, he jumped up on Marcie's lap right after stepping on the soy sauce spilled on the floor, which made sauce marks in the shape of giant paws in her clothes. Shaggy tried to hold him, but he broke free and jumped up on Daphne till she fell in a wine puddle.  Scooby only calmed down when his snout found Alan's suit hanging on the chair. He sniffed it calmly for a few seconds and then began sniffing Mayberry as carefully as he sniffed the suit. Shaggy tried to hold him again by the leash, but Scooby escaped one more time. Concentrated and serious, Scooby showed his big sharp teeth and started growling and barking loudly at the suit.  Mr. Mayberry backed away from the dog, Shaggy told him to stop, but Scooby was so angry that he couldn´t listen to his owner. The other customers began to scream and run away from the big brown beast, security guards approached, surrounded the dog and threw chairs and objects to make him stop.

Shaggy desperately begged them to not hurt his dog. Marce and I picked some sushis on the floor and we tried to make Scooby eat and calm down, but he insisted on growling and chasing Alan Mayberry. Fred took advantage of Scooby's distraction and approached, then he grabbed him by the leash, said some command words used in training, and Scooby finally obeyed. Shaggy ran, hugged Scooby and scolded him, in the same way that a distressed parent does with a small child after doing something wrong. The customers returned to the (partially destroyed) restaurant and we could feel the weight of their glares against our shoulders. The security guards and the restaurant owners yelled at us, and Fred told us to leave so he could solve the situation. Mr. Mayberry apologized for the confusion and handed the restaurant owners a black credit card to cover all the damage and end the mess immediately. Daphne gathered our belongings and we left with our heads down, Shaggy followed us, pulling Scooby on a leash. On the way to the door, Scooby ate all the food he met on the floor and left the place with his snout up, wagging his tail in happiness. 

Daphne: Scooby! What the heck happened to you, honey? Did you get hungry?

Marcie: I think he sniffed some kind of… uh… an exotic cigarette in Mr. Mayberry's suit. Or some flour that can´t be used in cakes, if you know what I mean. After all, he is a police dog.

We all laughed at Marcie's suspicion and greeted Scooby, who seemed to be smiling.

Shaggy: Like, I thought the same thing, Marce. Scoob came from DEA, and you know the noses of these Wall Street yuppies consume more flour than Pizza Hut and Domino's together.

We laughed one more time, and we only stopped because Fred Jones arrived to spoil any kind of fun we could have.

Fred: What the f*ck was that, Norville? Bringing a K9 to a restaurant? How many times do I need to tell you to leave this stupid dog in the kennel? Can you imagine all the sh*t this mess is going to cause me?

Daphne: Freddie! You can´t talk with Scooby and Shaggy like this,  apologize immediately! It wasn´t their fault!

Shaggy: That's right, Jones, if you are having any trouble with me, just tell me and we can solve it between us! Now, if you say loads of sh*t about my dog I´ll punch you until y…

Velma: Hey! Calm down you both! And take it easy, captain. The dog was  tied in a proper place, probably he did what he did because he sniffed something suspicious inside of the restaurant. Accidents happen.

Marcie: Yeah, we think Scooby sniffed drugs in Mayberry's suit...

Velma: Or somewhere inside the restaurant. Maybe someone there is hiding drugs, as Scooby is a drug-expert, he found it…

Fred liked the theory of Mayberry having drugs in his suit because it was a great way to defame the one who threatened his leadership and his monopoly of Daphne´s attention. Alan Mayberry approached slowly, and Shaggy took Scooby for a walk around the block to avoid another attack.

Alan: Well, since this dinner has failed, we could go somewhere else… there's a great restaurant on 76th, it's just a few blocks from my tower, so after dinner we can have some drinks at my place…

Marcie and I both nodded in agreement, but only a second after we did it, we realized Alan's invite was only for Daphne. 

Daph: Alan, that would be great, but I have a web conference with District Attorney Reyes about that Hell's Kitchen crime, so I´ll have to decline.

If Daphne had known that Amanda Reyes slept with Fred Jones more than once, she would never have used that excuse to turn down a date. Since she can´t even fathom that, that was the most credible excuse she could find. Alan then said goodbye and left in his multimillion-dollar car. Fred Jones had a pathetic victorious expression in his face, so, of course, I HAD to provoke him.

Velma: Wow, Daph, he's gorgeous! Did you notice those arms?

Daphne blushed and Fred looked at me angrily, telepathically asking me “so now you notice men, really?” with his jealous eyes. 

Daphne: Ah… yes, Vel… but… I don't trust him very much… because…

Fred: Because of the drug stuff?

Daphne: What? No, Fred! Alan is not like that!

Fred: Don't be ingenuous, Daphne, why would Scooby attack him?

Daphne: I don't know, Fred, Scooby may have sniffed something… but I´m not talking about this accident when I say I don't trust Alan very much...

Velma: And why wouldn't you trust a strong, polite, multi-millionaire greek god, who watches you from his apartment window and who wants so bad to ask you out? He seems to be way better than the jerks you've ever wanted to date, doesn't he?

Daph: Vel, there's nothing wrong with the way Alan look, I just don't fully trust him. I can't explain it exactly, maybe it's only my intuition… there's something about him that is not trustworthy, you know? Plus, I have evidences that there's something wrong behind his façade of charm and success. I've searched about his wealth over the last two years and I've noticed that there is a 2700% increase. Even the luckiest and most experienced investor would not have such exorbitant gains in such a short time. During this period, he founded his own company, he certainly had a lot of expenses, how did he manage to become so rich? I mean… it's not possible that Alan did it with honest work and fair play, there must be something else. His financial life has clear corruption signs. And that's why I called you before I take on this case, I want you to investigate him. I can't risk my career defending a corrupt person.

Fred: Absolutely, Daph, we'll investigate him. Maybe his money is coming from drug dealing, maybe Scooby's attack wasn't  an accident... You know, when I first saw him I thought he looked suspicious…

“He looked suspicious for spoiling your leadership”, I said to myself. Daphne smiled for finding some reason to work with Fred Jones again and hugged him gratefully.  Suddenly, Shaggy and Scooby arrived smiling, munching on a pepperoni pizza they bought during their tour.

Shaggy: Hey, gang! Let's eat something somewhere else? My stomach is killing me.

Daphne: Sure! Can we meet in an hour? I need a bath and clean clothes…

Shaggy: Like, we need a pet friedly place…

Marcie: How about a dinner at our house? Scooby is welcome!

The good thing about knowing your friends since childhood is that they know you enough to read your thoughts. As soon as Marcie invited, everyone looked at me, waiting for my verdict about the questions “Can we go to your place?”, “Can we have dinner there?” and “Is Scooby welcome? ”. Considering  my utter horror of food crumbs and pet hair on the floor (I have a high standard  of what “clean” looks like), my automatic reply to the second and the third questions was NO WAY. And considering that I couldn´t do my daily cleaning routine because Marcie spread stupid cards all over the place, the answer to the first question was NO. Fortunately, my telepathic negatives were understood before I verbalized them.

Daphne: Sorry, gang, it can't be at home. Alan can see us from his window, and he may be offended that I said no to him.

Fred: So he really watches you from his window? What a maniacal son of a b*tch!

Said the guy who turns his head towards to check every woman out.

Shaggy: Like, it can be at home then. In an hour?

Fred: I´ll need more time, Shaggy. I need to take care of my arm.

I've seen Fred Jones suffer horrid fractures and concussions in football and still stand up like nothing happened. But when there is a beautiful woman around, he becomes a helpless victim pretending to be on the verge of death by a mere superficial scratch. This time, he was suffering for a bite-shaped bruise. Daphne obviously took the bait and offered her help. Something quite ridiculous, since Daphne let the dummy die during all first-aid training classes at school.

Velma: I think Fred can handle this, Daph, it's nothing serious. So, see you all in an hour? We will have a long forensic work tomorrow and I need to rest my neurons.

Daphne was confused with my intervention, but she trusts me more than her own family, so she understood that whatever I was doing was the right thing to do. Scooby started playing with Shaggy´s keys again and Shaggy left us quickly, without saying goodbye. Daphne hugged us, gave Fred her traditional kiss on the cheek, and said a shy “ I'll see you later ”. Marcie, as a good girl, realized that there was a pending argument  between Fred and I and she decided to go in front.