[b]Part 10: Finale[/b]

I know this has been waaaaay overdue. Over the years and in the recent weeks, I’ve received a barrage of mails from Five Find-Outers fans all over the world begging me to finish up the story already. In fact, I met one such fan the other day who promptly demanded, “When are you gonna write up the finale?? I wanna know who Betty ends up with!”

Well, here it is. At long last. I’m thrilled to see that a lot of Five Find-Outers fans are still up and about. I hope this is a fitting tribute to the original Five Find-Outers and Dog series which I dearly loved. Enjoy.

[i]Continuation from:
1. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P222]The First Engagement[/url]
2. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P225]Old Clear-Oof to the Rescue[/url]
3. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P226]Dog Tricks[/url]
4. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P229]Serving God, Queen and Country[/url]
5. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P232]Vern’s Dilemma[/url]
6. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P240]Betty’s Woes[/url]
7. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P254]The Mysterious Whistler[/url]
8. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P260]The Truth About Fattie[/url]
9. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P302]The Whistler Strikes[/url]
[/i]

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing more we can do for him,” the surgeon said sadly. Dottie and Bettie clung to each other, too shocked to even weep.

Bettie saw Fattie. He looked very peaceful lying there. As if he was just asleep. Isn’t that how dead people are mostly described to look like? Like they were asleep or something.

She felt a choke building up in her throat. He was still young and would have had many happy years ahead of him. Many happy years beside her… She couldn’t believe that he was now dead and gone from her life forever.

“Oh, Fattie! How could you live me like this?”

[b]Part 9: The Whistler Strikes[/b]

[i]Continuation from:
1. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P222]The First Engagement[/url]
2. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P225]Old Clear-Oof to the Rescue[/url]
3. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P226]Dog Tricks[/url]
4. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P229]Serving God, Queen and Country[/url]
5. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P232]Vern’s Dilemma[/url]
6. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P240]Betty’s Woes[/url]
7. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P254]The Mysterious Whistler[/url]
8. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P260]The Truth About Fattie[/url]
[/i]

“Oh blast it, Fattie! You’ve let the Whistler go!” Larrie groaned in frustration.

“Didn’t you know that the Whistler can’t be bound by ropes or handcuffs? He’s a pro at freeing himself from things like that. Why do you think we have had such a hard time nabbing him?” Vern said. “You are not very intelligent after all, are you?” It was so unlike the normally good natured Vern to say things like that.

Poor Fattie. For the first time in his life, he felt dumb under the wrathful looks of his friends. It was a most unpleasant experience.

“I’m sorry, guys. I…,” before Fattie could continue, he felt something pressed against his back.

“Drop your guns,” a smooth voice said behind him.

Larrie and Vern looked dazed with shock and anger. How could they failed to see the Whistler sneaking up behind Fattie? They put their guns slowly on the ground.

“Now, step back and get into the shed. All of you,” the Whistler continued in a deadly calm voice as he pressed Fattie forward with his gun.

The three men marched glumly towards the shed. The Whistler will get away yet again. This was too awful to contemplate. They glanced at each other helplessly, they must do something!

Suddenly, a miracle happened. They heard the sweetest and most welcomed voice ever.

“Oi, what’s going on ‘ere?

Goop was awake!

Bettie was sitting by her window sill, wondering on earth had what happened to the guys, when Dottie suddenly burst into the room. Her chubby face was pale and her ample frame was shaking.

“What is it, Dottie?” Bettie cried out in alarm. “What happened?”

“There was a shootout at Goop’s. Fattie, John and Vern were somehow involved in it and now they are at the hospital. Goop called and I tried to get more details from him but he wasn’t making sense after a while. He kept slurring and sounded like he was on drugs or something.”

Bettie felt faint and clutched at her bedpost to keep from falling, “W-why are the guys at the hospital? Are they hurt?”

Dotty looked at the younger woman with a pang of pity. She shuddered to think if Phil was one of the guys sent to the hospital. She felt very sure now that Bettie had given her heart to one of the men. But now wasn’t the time to find out exactly who it was.

“Come, Phil’s outside waiting in the car for us. We’ll find out the truth at the hospital,” she said as she led Bettie out of the room.

Bettie nodded silently. Tears threatened to course down her cheeks and she tried her best to hold them back. No use worrying unnecessarily until the facts are proven. She kept chanting that to herself until her mind went numb. But the icy hand that gripped her heart remained.

[b][i]To be continued…[/i][/b]

Sorry for the long silence! Thanks for the encouragement and reminders to put up Part 8, guys ;)

[b]Part 8: The Truth About Fattie[/b]

[i]Continuation from:
1. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P222]The First Engagement[/url]
2. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P225]Old Clear-Oof to the Rescue[/url]
3. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P226]Dog Tricks[/url]
4. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P229]Serving God, Queen and Country[/url]
5. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P232]Vern’s Dilemma[/url]
6. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P240]Betty’s Woes[/url]
7. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P254]The Mysterious Whistler[/url]
[/i]

Betty woke up from her afternoon nap, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the irksome, though rather flattering guy problem she had on hand. She thanked the Lord that Dotty had the sense to tell the guys that Betty just needed some time to think things over, instead of dismissing them with the original message – that Betty would not choose any of them.

Betty knew in her heart who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Her restful slumber brought her heart-felt dreams to surface and there was no shred of a doubt of whom she would be the most happy with.

Now, all that remains is to break the news to the three men. Oh, the other two would probably be miffed but they would get over it soon. Guys often do recover from heartbreaks at almost the speed of lightning.

With a sweet and confident smile, Betty walked to the patio – only to discover that the garden was empty.

No broken bones, no black eyes and no guys.

Just an empty garden.

“Oh,” was all she could say. So much for being a modern-day Helen of Troy who had men fighting tooth and nail just to behold her beauty. She should have known that guys were not that valiant nowadays. Why, they were probably snacking at the tea shop round the corner, discussing things in a most boring and civilised manner.

“Gah!” she said as she stormed back into the house. And if anyone dared to tell her of how awfully she sounded like Mr. Goop, she will tell that person to Clear-oof! Continue Reading »

[b]Part 7: The Mysterious Whistler[/b]

[i]Continuation from:
1. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P222]The First Engagement[/url]
2. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P225]Old Clear-Oof to the Rescue[/url]
3. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P226]Dog Tricks[/url]
4. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P229]Serving God, Queen and Country[/url]
5. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P232]Vern’s Dilemma[/url]
6. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P240]Betty’s Woes[/url]
[/i]

“Tweeet-ti-ti-tweet-tooo!” A sharp, piercing sound floated into the garden.

The three men cocked their ears simultaneously at that and held their breaths.

“Tweeet-ti-ti-tweet-tooo!” The sound came again, this time, slightly fainter.

Larrie and Vern glanced excitedly at each other, their recent vendetta forgotten for the moment. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Larrie asked.

Vern nodded briskly, “There’s no mistake in who the whistler might be. I say we trail and nab him, Sir.”

“Who would have thought he would appear here, in Peterswoon of all places!” Larrie shook his head. “But let’s hurry before he disappears.”

He turned to Fattie who must have been puzzled with his conversation with Vern, to excuse themselves, but Fattie was gone.

“Whoa, he disappeared into thin air!” Larrie said in surprise.

“Maybe he snucked off to talk to Betty,” Vern said darkly.

Larrie was already trotting towards the garden gate, “Come on, Vern. We can’t afford to let the Whistler slip out of our hands again. Keep your wits and focus about you and don’t waste them on Fattie. C’mon!”

With that, the two men rushed out of the garden in hot pursuit of the strange whistler. Continue Reading »

Part 6: Betty’s Woes

Continuation from:
1. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P222]The First Engagement[/url]
2. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P225]Old Clear-Oof to the Rescue[/url]
3. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P226]Dog Tricks[/url]
4. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P229]Serving God, Queen and Country[/url]
5. [url=http://www.coolcatalyst.com/index.php?id=P232]Vern’s Dilemma[/url]

That very afternoon, unbeknownst to each other, three guys left tokens of their undying devotions to Betty. Two items were slipped through the door of her bedroom and one item was artfully dangled on her pink doorknob.

Betty stared at the box of chocolates from Fattie, a piece of paper containing a poem of undying love from Vern and a charming locket from Larrie on her hands and gave an unladylike howl.

“How could they do this to me?” she said pitiously to Dotty who was with her. “How dare they jest with my feelings?” Continue Reading »