“Hay! It’s you!” a voice called out.
“Mister Novac,” Velma said turning around, “How are you?”
“Much better since you teens got rid of that sea monster,”
the old man smiled.
“We were just trying to help out,” Daphne smiled.
“Well I have to say,” Mister Novac smiled, “Since you busted
that pain, business at the shop has been great.
It’s too bad the State investigators arrested most of the town
officials.”
“Like why did they arrest the police?” Shaggy asked, “Isn’t
that what the lady at the town hall told you Daphne?”
“Oh that,” Mister Novac signed, “The charges are that the
Chief and the police officers skipped training, and forged certifications, and
so on.”
“So what about the Coast Guard?” Daphne asked poignantly.
“After the first batch of them came in to do an official
investigation, what messing with federal property and all that, they left and
then a week later another crew came in and when the State suspended and
arrested the whole town administration,” Mister Novac gave a heavy sigh, “The
acting mayor met with them and accepted their offer to stand in as the cops.”
“So they just moved in?” Fred asked.
“No, they pulled up,” Mister Novac pointed out into the
ocean at boat off shore, “They come in and off of their cutter. I swear, they must have upped the pay in the
military. Back when I was in the Navy
only the officer had money to spend like they do.”
“Do any of them seem off to you?” Daphne asked, “Since
you were in the navy?”
“All Coasties are off dear,” Mister Novac smiled, “But
since you mention it, I am pretty sure some of them are prior service as
Marines, Army, Navy… But they won’t admit it.
That is the weird part. Almost
every Marine boasts about being a Marine, but these guys don’t. I even saw the Eagle, Globe and Anchor
Tattooed on one trying to impress my daughter, but he claims he has always been
a Coasty.”
“Jeepers,” Velma chimed in.
“Ah,” Mister Novac waved his hand to dismiss the topic, “Tell
you what, when it’s dinner time, come on over and have dinner on the house!”
With that Mister Novac lifted his hat and turned to
leave. Daphne, Fred and Velma waved,
while Shaggy and Scooby went to follow Mister Novac.
“Ah.”
“Later Shaggy,” Daphne shouted, “At dinner time, dinner
time for normal people.”
“Rooo,” Scooby moaned.
“Let’s go you two” Fred called, “Help me with the girl’s
tent and then we will get ours.”
Reluctantly Shaggy and Scooby went back to setting up the
purple tent. Daphne and Velma turned
their attention to the cutter off shore.
“That’s odd,” Velma said, “That cutter doesn’t have the Coast
Guard Red Stripe.”
“I can’t see the life preserver crest either,” Daphne
noted.
“Rhat Roes rhat rean?” Scooby asked looking out at the
boat on the water.
“All Coast Guard ships are painted with a big red stripe
going up their hull since the sixties,” Velma explained, “And they also have circular
emblem that looks like a life preserver with the coast guard crest in the
middle laid over a pair of crossed anchors. It was done so everyone knows that
the approaching boat is from the Coast Guard and is a rescue and law
enforcement ship.”
“It’s so if there is a problem,” Daphne scratched Scooby’s
ears, “You can tell they are there to help.”
“R’oh.”
“That looks like a cargo ship,” Daphne noted.
A rumbling behind them caught their attention. Daphne and Velma turned and caught a sight of
the big black pickup truck heading to the docks near the beach. Daphne noted the big green plastic cargo pod
in the back. It went down the docks and next
to a white boat with a red stripe on it with another green cargo pod on the
back. Some of the Shore Patrol people
were standing around and helped to switched the two. Daphne noted the box coming off the boat was
heavier than the one from the pickup truck…