Children's Book : The Millennium Squad 1: Mystery of the Stolen Amulet (Mysteries, Spy Kids, Cat Detective, Book for kids ages 9 12)

by Amma Lee

  "Here's to the best," Leonne whispered hoping that this unwanted union would prove successful.

  Chapter Three

  "Alright guys, what do you think?" Leonne asked once they had gotten back to their headquarters. Chief Stewarts had to return back to the station for urgent work, and Thomas decided to tag along with the boys.

  "I definitely think that whoever stole the amulet had inside intelligence," Theodore said. "I've used a tracker and an analyzer, and I couldn't pinpoint exactly where we were at," Leonne nodded his head and sat down at the head of the table.

  "Whoever stole the amulet definitely was a magical being. There were traces of magical residue on the pedestal where I’m guessing the amulet was." Dylan scratched his head. "Other than that, I'm completely stumped. I didn't see any footprints to see what direction they came from or exited. The magic residue was only in one spot too."

  "Theo, could you pull up any fingerprints?"

  "Negative," Theodore said shaking his head. "Whoever took the amulet cloaked their appearance somehow, which leads me to believe that Dylan is right when it comes to the crook being a magical being." Thomas listened to the children give their reports as he looked around their high-tech treehouse. Thomas wasn't impressed easily, but he couldn't help but give the boys credit for their layout.

  "Are you sure there wasn’t anything else around the crime scene?" Thomas decided to add his input then, and the boys stared at the cat.

  "Look who finally decided to join the conversation," Dylan said sarcastically, and Leonne glared at him. No matter how much they hated the situation they were in, they still needed to show Thomas respect. Dylan saw the angry glare directed towards him and promptly closed his mouth.

  "Ah, I was just waiting my turn that's all," Thomas said confidently. Leonne frowned. He just wanted Thomas to hurry up and tell them what he found at the crime scene.

  "Thomas… we're listening." Leonne said, giving Thomas his undivided attention. The cat grinned in delight.

  "I'm not a dog, but my nose never fails me," Thomas said, and Leonne raised his eyebrow impatiently. "You're right that there wasn’t much magic residue at the crime scene; however, my nose took me further away from the crime scene towards a vent."

  "I didn't see a vent down there!" Theodore raised his voice then, but Thomas remained calm and clear headed.

  "It was a dark enough area that humans wouldn't be able to see without light," Thomas responded. "I agree that the culprit is magical; however, I don’t believe it was an inside job. I do believe they traveled through the vent and not via a teleporter.” Leonne thought Thomas' observation was right, but did the cat have any proof to provide to them?

  "Do you have anything to show us to back up your claim? Unfortunately, we probably won't be allowed back at the crime scene." Even though they were detectives, the government really did not like the idea of detectives investigating a place that was so private.

  "Ah… my word isn't enough?" Thomas asked with a chuckle and jumped down from the table. He knew that he wasn't welcomed by the Millennium Squad and that was quite alright with him. By the way things were going, they'd need him way before Thomas needed them. "Here," grabbing something out of his bag with his teeth, he casually tossed it over to Leonne.

  Leonne took the chip and gave it a once over before handing it to Theodore, "Theo…" Leonne didn't have to say anything more as Theodore pushed the chip into his multi-tool that acted as a phone, a self-defense weapon, a hacking device, and so much more.

  "Roger boss," Theodore said and waited for the information on the chip to be uploaded to his multi-tool. "It'll be a few moments," Thomas jumped back onto the table and waited for the information to load with a grin on his face. Whatever the boys thought about him didn't change the fact that Thomas was an elite private detective. After a few more moments, a recording was transmitted through a hologram.

  "Here's your proof," Thomas said, and the boys' eyes went wide in surprise. None of their electronics worked down there, so they were not able to record any of their findings. How in the world was Thomas able to pull that off? They watched as the cat made slow movements away from the crime scene over to an extremely dark corner.

  "What the?" Theodore said once the screen was made brighter for them to see a vent that had traces of magical dust on it. "How did you know to brighten the screen? Surely your eyes could have adjusted to the dark." Theodore asked astonished.

  "Something told me that my word and memory wouldn't have been sufficient enough for you three. Plus that'll help you with your end report." Leonne, Dylan, and Theodore looked at Thomas in awe. Apparently, the cat was one step ahead of them. "Anyways, here's my report," Thomas said and the Millennium Squad gave the private eye their undivided attention.

  ****

  Thomas was very detailed oriented and very cunning. Theodore tried to sneak recordings of the scene only to find that none of the Millennium Squad's equipment worked. Thomas, on the other hand, had already planned for that. The cat created a tool that could override and hack into anything. Theodore needed this information because that'll definitely make the Millennium Squad's job easier.

  "So how exactly will this vial of magic dust help us find where the culprit is?" Leonne asked Thomas. Thomas got a sample of the dust on the vent and said that this sample will pinpoint where the culprit is, but Leonne didn't quite understand how a sample could determine this.

  "I'm glad that you asked, Leonne," Thomas said and went back to his bag of tricks and pulled out another vial with a liquid in it. Leonne and Dylan didn't have any scientific bones in their bodies, so Theodore was the most interested in what happened next. "In this vial is wolf and cheetah DNA. Both species have incredible senses. If I pour the vial with their DNA into the bottle with magic residue, a chemical reaction will happen to create a map of the last several places the individual who used this particular magic has been."

  "Is that even possible? I've been juggling ways to create something like this, but I have not been successful." Theodore said out of breath. Even at the young age of twelve, Theodore has earned the title of being one of the smartest people alive. Theodore hadn't heard of Thomas until today so how did a cat surpass him in knowledge?

  "Anything is possible when Private Detective Thomas Fe'line is on the case," Thomas said with confidence. "I like to be incognito when I work because most private detectives don't like over the top recognition. It's not surprising that you didn't know that I was a top-notch private detective and a top notch scientist."

  "That's all great and all," Leonne said cutting in. "I'm sure Theodore would love to pick your brain further, Thomas, but we need to focus on the task at hand." Leonne was just as amazed by Thomas' abilities as Theodore was, but now wasn't the time for show and tell. "How long will the chemical reaction take?" Thomas looked from Theodore to Leonne.

  "A few hours, but if Theodore is so kind to allow me to borrow his fancy station, I should be done in a few minutes." Theodore nodded enthusiastically.

  "You may use my station, but I get to watch and take notes of everything that you do," this would be a great learning experience for Theodore. Theodore could use some of the cat's knowledge that he possessed.

  "Deal, but please do not get in the way. I need to concentrate." Thomas jumped from the table and made his way to Theodore's station. Theodore followed behind like a child excited to get on the big kid ride at an amusement park.

  "What do you think boss?" Dylan leaned over and whispered to Leonne. "Do you believe that we can trust that cat?" Leonne bit his lip as he considered Dylan's question.

  "As of right now we have no choice, but to trust him." Thomas had knowledge that the Millennium Squad needed. The cat appeared to be somewhat arrogant, but if Thomas could help them get the job done, then they'd need to grin and bear it.

  Chapter Four

  "Ingrid's Forest, Wichita's Isle, and the swamps north of Ellington," Thomas said as he jumped down from Theodore's chair. It didn't take Thomas long to pi
npoint some locations where their culprit might be.

  "Amazing… that was truly amazing," Theodore said in awe and closed his notebook. There weren't many people who still took notes by hand, but Theodore enjoyed writing in his journal.

  "Theodore, you've monitored Thomas' work in close collaboration, do you agree with his assumption?" Leonne asked. They were not going to go to three of the most dangerous places in the world just because some cat told them to. Theodore furrowed his brow.

  "Though I don't completely understand how Thomas developed this way of tracking someone, I do believe his hunch on the whereabouts of the culprit is accurate. The culprit may not be where we choose to go first, but we may be able to interview the people of the neighborhood and see if they saw any suspicious individuals."

  "Alright, so where to first, boss?" Dylan asked folding his arms. He didn't like the fact that Thomas was playing a significant role in their investigation. He still did not completely trust the cat.

  "May I make a suggestion?" Thomas interrupted as he jumped onto the table. Usually, Thomas would take a seat in the chair, but when he really wanted his voice heard, he stood on the table.

  "Yes?" Leonne asked.

  "If we're dealing with magical beings, I do know witches and warlocks have a preference for swamps. There's a lot of herbs and ingredients in the swamps for their spells so the swamps of Ellington would be a great starting place."

  "I agree with Thomas. A lot of ingredients can be found in swamps that would be the most useful to magical beings," Leonne nodded his head at Theodore. Leonne and Dylan didn't know too much about magical beings other than public knowledge, so if Theodore and Thomas were saying go to the swamp, they have no choice but to go.

  "Alright boys, let's take an hour break and go over our plans for nabbing the culprit!" Leonne said enthusiastically.

  "Sir!" Dylan and Theodore said, and Thomas grinned. Thomas wasn't put off by the fact that the Millennium Squad wanted to take a short break before heading out, as it was a very human thing to do. Thomas walked behind them listening to them chat about other things and Thomas couldn't help but think how much light the children added to his dark life.

  ****

  "Madam… some of my pupils have told me that the Millennium Squad are investigating the Restrict Amulet theft." A chilling voice said. A concealed woman turned her head around so that she could face the hooded man covered in black.

  "Humph… it doesn't concern me," she said.

  "But madam…" the man was quickly cut off.

  "Do you honestly believe that those pathetic children can best me when I have this?" the woman held the amulet high so that the man could see it. "With this, I am unstoppable. With this, witches and warlocks will no longer be confined to only using white magic! With this, we will show humans exactly what we're capable of!" the woman yelled, and the man shook slightly.

  "Yes, madam. I will keep you posted." The man backed up and disappeared into the darkness. The woman turned back to her task and pulled her own hood off of her head exposing long red hair.

  "It's only a matter of time before I figure out a way to release the magic from this amulet." She scraped the amulet with her long red fingernails. "I've never agreed to this peace treaty between humans and magical beings. We are superior to humans, so why should we lose our powers?” The woman always detested humans because they were so weak and fragile. She believed humans shouldn't have called the shots on the peace treaty when humans were incapable of protecting themselves.

  Walking over to her magical mirror, she waved her long delicate fingers in front of it. What appeared were three children known as the Millennium Squad.

  "You can come for me all you want, but you'll be too late. I'll make you and all humans pay for embarrassing my brothers, sisters, and I. Everyone will bow down to us, and I’ll be the ruler of the world! I, Melanie the witch, will be the Queen of Earth!" Melanie held the amulet high in the air and laughed a demented laugh. No matter who tried to stop her, no one would stand a chance against her once she released all of the black magic from the amulet into herself.

  ****

  "Is everyone ready to go? No bathroom breaks, bottle breaks, or kisses from your mothers?" Thomas joked, and Dylan snarled at the cat.

  "We're not babies, cat! Besides, shouldn't you be running to the litter box? I saw you eating our bread crumbs that fell to the floor." Thomas had refused food from Leonne when he offered him food. But at the end of the day, Thomas was still a cat. Any crumb or piece of ham that fell to the floor, it was in his cat nature to tackle and eat it.

  "Ha! No, I'm good." Thomas enjoyed getting under Dylan's skin because the taller boy was easy to agitate.

  "Dylan… knock it off. We can't be arguing back and forth because we need Thomas' help," Leonne hated to admit this, but it was true. The cat had skills that they needed badly for this mission. Dylan sighed and folded his arms.

  "He started it," Dylan muttered, and Leonne couldn't help but smile. Leonne could tell that Thomas was getting under Dylan's skin on purpose, and Leonne had to admit that he thought it was slightly funny. Their everyday investigative work was the same day in and day out. Thomas added a little more variety to the place.

  "Alright everyone," Theodore said entering the treehouse. "Chief Stewarts gave us a portable teleporter, and I loaded the coordinates for the swamp outside of Ellington into it. With a push of a button, we'll be there in no time."

  "Right," everyone said in unison and moved closely together. Thomas went completely serious then.

  "Alright boys," Thomas began. "This isn't one of your ordinary little girl's toy went missing mission. We're walking into enemy territory who probably is not a fan of humans. We cannot afford to take this task lightly." Fun and games were over, it was now time for the four of them to be serious.

  "We know, Thomas," Leonne said. "We are aware of the consequences of making the wrong move. We will act professional, and I'm sure that you will too," Leonne casually looked over to Dylan at that moment. Dylan nodded his head. Dylan knew the risks of losing his temper, and he would not let his team down.

  "Leave it to me," Dylan said, pounding his chest. Leonne nodded to Theodore then. It was time for the Millennium Squad and Private Detective Thomas Fe'line to go. Theodore pushed the button, and the world's best detectives disappeared.

  Chapter Five

  "Ugh… is this the swamp?" Theodore asked pushing up his glasses and wrinkling up his eyebrows. Dylan side glanced Theodore and sighed.

  "Of course, Theo. You've never seen a swamp before." Theodore was interested in high-tech and science related things, but when it came to insects, reptiles, and moist areas, Theodore was not a fan.

  "I've… seen swamps, but it's just too… nerve-wrecking to actually be here." Theodore stuttered. He was actually starting to regret going there first even though it was initially his and Thomas' idea.

  "It's too late now, Theo," Leonne said as he looked at the dark land. It was day when they left, so why was it so dark now? It more than likely took them less than 20 seconds to get there.

  "Be quiet!" Thomas hissed and ran towards a rock protruding from the earth. Dylan had it in his mind to tell the cat no, but he paused when he saw Thomas looking serious. The cat looked from left to right, left to right before looking back at the boys. "This forest is enchanted," Thomas said jumping down from the rock and walking back to the boys.

  "Explain," Leonne said. Thomas nodded his head and looked all three boys in their eyes before proceeding.

  "This swamp has been shrouded with magic. To be more specific, a sort of weakened black magic. When a magical being goes to great lengths to cover a place with magic that generally means they're trying to hide something. I’m guessing one the magical beings’ black magic wasn’t completely restricted." Thomas looked around to make sure they weren't being watched. He didn't sense a presence, so he continued. "I believe this magic can also help these beings pinpoint exactly where we are."

  "How do you
know all of this?" Theodore asked. He was aware of a few things about magic, but not to the extent that the cat knew. Thomas looked at Theodore and exposed tiny sharp teeth.

  "Experience boy," turning around, Thomas started walking deeper into the swamp. "Stay close and try not to get separated. We're on an amulet hunt, not on a kidnapping mission."

  "Humph," Dylan sighed, but he heeded Thomas' warning. Leonne looked around as they walked around the swamp and he felt that something was off. He knew what they were dealing with as soon as they investigated the crime scene, but this change of events was somewhat unsettling to him. Leonne couldn't shake the feeling that something absolutely terrible was going to happen.

  ****

  "So… the fools actually decided to come here? No matter, because they won't make it far," Melanie said as she stared at a magic ball showing the Millennium Squad walking through the swamp. "Heh… they've brought a little fur ball with them? They couldn't leave the little fellow at home?" Melanie snickered as she noticed the cat walking in front of the boys. To Melanie, it was just a simple cat, but little did she know that the cat had a name and an agenda.