A. Renee Art

“High school teens with nothing else to do for the rest of the summer.”

That’s what Athena Avenir called them when her friend Janet Kelly called her after she, Janet, had to cancel her weekend plans to go to Lake Michigan with her and their other friends because she volunteered for an assignment after a colleague couldn’t do it.

“If Dennis hadn’t gotten sick, I’d be meeting up with you now, instead of the Scooby-Doo Gang,” she said over her cell phone, a green Nokia gifted to her by her father as a congratulatory gift on her new job as a Hartford Times reporter, which she started last year. “I mean, no offense to your cousin.”

“It’s a classic cartoon that’s become even more popular now. Don’t worry. Besides, Hermes said he was excited to take his friends out on the road in his new birthday wheels.”

“To meet with a 25-year-old reporter investigating a four-year-old cold case? I’m hoping that this will lead to more assignments. That’s why I volunteered. I haven’t had one on my own since I started. And I don’t know about involving teens in something like this. It’s not a summer road trip; it’s a murder case.”

“Since they are from one state over, it is a summer road trip. Besides, you took this case up at the last minute, and more hands to help means more ground covered in a shorter amount of time. And you technically don’t have to pay them. Plus, Hermes said he and his friends are into unusual things. Remind me, what’s this case again?”

Janet went over it again, almost as a reminder to herself while looking at the locked main gate leading into the town. She had the letter in her other hand from Richard Harris, the Editor-in-Chief at her paper. It was regarding the 1995 murder of Vivan Roberts, the wife of the former mayor of Painscreek, a small Illinois town in the county of Newland.

“And no one knows who did it,” Athena asked.

“No. The whole town’s about to be auctioned off soon. Completely bulldozed. I guess they’re hoping by putting the town in the news again, someone will come forward with new information before then. There’s no one else here, Athena. I’m in a ghost town awaiting a dozen wrecking balls.”

“Wow! A cold case in a ghost town. Sounds like a case for the Scooby-Doo Gang. I’m not worried. It should be safe for them if it’s abandoned and it’s only been two years since anyone lived there anyway.”

Janet chuckled and she glanced behind her as a white Lexus pulled up next to her red Toyota at the abandoned sheriff’s office.

“They’re here. Talk to you on Monday.”

“Can’t wait. Goodbye and good luck.”

Janet put her phone away as five teenagers stepped out. The driver, 17-year-old Hermes introduced himself and his friends.

“Hi, I’m Athena’s cousin. You can call me ‘Merc.’ It’s short for my middle name, Mercury. This is Madeline, Lydia, and the twins, Connor and Caylix.”

After introducing herself, Janet explained the case to them. She also told them that since it was technically abandoned, they could stay at Ann’s Courtyard & Inn for free. The former innkeeper was tracked down and Janet’s boss was able to give her the key, along with a key to the town itself through the locked gate, various files from former Sheriff Howard about the case, accompanying newspaper clippings, and a map of the town. This was all in addition to her own weekend bag, filled with comfortable walking and investigation clothes in lieu of her Lake Michigan wardrobe, along with a flashlight, her press pass, food, and a digital camera, a congratulatory gift from her artist mother.

The teens noted that they were equally prepared as they gathered their belongings from the trunk of the car. Janet was both skeptical of them and worried for them.

“You still don’t have to do this,” she told them, almost like a warning. “This isn’t a normal summer teen road trip.”

“Are you kidding, Ms. Kelly,” Lydia Lee enthused while carrying her bag. “The only thing more normal than a teen summer road trip is said group of teens solving a mystery. It’s not exactly the most original trope anymore.”

“Have you seen The Blair Witch Project yet,” Caylix asked Janet as the group walked to the side gate into town.

“I’m not one for horror movies,” she replied.

“My brother Connor and I saw it five times last month. It has completely flipped the horror genre on its head. It’s a new age for it. And now we’re in an abandoned town in real life! Speaking of, Connor, I hope you’re already filming.”

Connor and Caylix Shields were half-Japanese fraternal twins with dark chestnut hair. Both were into films and film-making. Connor held his luggage in one hand and a camcorder in the other.

“Hope you don’t mind Ms. Kelly,” he said.

“Actually, it’s perfect,” Janet said. “You can pick up things my digital camera might miss. By the way, you can all call me Janet. Let’s go.”

As they began making their way to the inn with help from Janet’s map, Madeline Merriweather, who had been walking behind the group lingered and stared down the left pathway, a dock area next to a creek. A block of houses was on one side, a forest across the way.

Lydia ran back to get her. “Maddie?”

Madeline was startled out of her stupor, making her friend jump too. Janet yelled at the two girls to hurry up.

“Do you sense something here,” Lydia whispered to Madeline.

“Later,” she could only say before running to catch up to the others. Surprised that she was now behind, Lydia dashed after her.