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Victor Timm shook as he locked the door to his office. It was a cold day in Coolsville. An uncomfortable chill flew into Victor’s nostrils and forced a loud sneeze out of him. He hated this time of year, and few things could lift his mood when it was time to drive home in the freezing cold. One of these days he’d get the heater in his car fixed.
“Lousy weather,” he muttered to himself, “and after such a lousy day, too. Everyone’s always blaming me for their problems, but I have a business to run.”
All the lights at the factory were turned off. Victor made sure to be the last to leave, as always. He didn’t trust anyone else with his family company. Brock Timm’s World Famous Fizzy Juice is one of the most renowned carbonated drinks in the world, ever since Victor’s grandfather first founded the company. The success was so much, it was almost irritating. Victor made sure to instruct the tour guides to keep the visitors as far away from his office as possible.
Having tours at the factory was his brother Harold’s idea, of course. What a waste of time, Victor thought. As long as the factories made him money, why waste it on building a tourist trap? He didn’t care about anyone else.
Victor walked down the halls toward the exit, reluctantly ready to drive into the cold, cold highway. He was only halfway there when he heard a noise, however.
“Who’s there?” he asked. His ears perked up. It sounded like someone knocking something over. A janitor, perhaps? He was explicit in his instructions that they were not allowed to stay in the factory at night. Too many attempts to steal his secret formulas to rely on anyone these days.
Victor peered through the dark, trying to make out who was present. Even if it was just a stray cat that got in, he couldn’t leave it running around making a mess of things.
“I’m warning you, if you’re here to cause trouble you’ll regret it!” the crotchety old business man shouted. He knew a thing or two about boxing and could take care of any ruffians running about.
It was unfortunate for him that this was no ordinary ruffian he was dealing with. As Victor turned a corner, looking for the source of the noise, he was immediately greeted by a large figure.
“ Hiss! ”
A pale vampire screeched at Victor as it stretched out its fanciful cape. Its sharp fangs were bared, ready to strike as its large imposing frame shrouded Victor in shadow.
“Ahhh!”
Victor’s screams fell onto deaf ears as the Dracula pounced on him. The vampire would claim its victim.
The Mystery Machine pulled up to the lot, which was expectedly busy.
“Here we are, gang,” said Fred. “The famous Timm’s Fizzy Juice Attraction Center. Doesn’t this look fun?”
Daphne looked out at the long line to get in. “It sure looks busy. People really wanna see that factory tour, don’t they?”
“With how popular Timm’s Fizzy Juice is, I can’t blame them,” said Velma. “Even without the tour, the visitor’s center has all sorts of fun attractions.”
Fred pointed at the small rollercoaster poking out from behind the factory entrance. “Look, they even have a rollercoaster.”
In the back of the van, Shaggy and Scooby were popping open some bottles of Timm’s World Famous Fizzy Juice. They had bought just about every flavour they could get their hands on. Grape. Orange. Mango. Sour Melon. The entire van floor was covered with cases of the stuff.
Shaggy held up his glass to toast. Scooby clinked his own, ready to drink. The two downed the entire drink in one gulp.
“Like, I can’t wait to try some of these fizzy drinks fresh from the factory,” Shaggy said.
Daphne turned to the two in the back and sighed. “You two are going to get a bad stomach ache drinking that much pop.”
Shaggy patted his belly and listened to the loud, hollow thunk. “Stomach ache? I don’t think Scoob or I ever had one of those. We’ve never had a drink we couldn’t stomach, ain’t that right, Scoob?”
“Reah!” shouted the great dane. “Romachs of steel.”
Off in the distance, the group could see the line was only getting longer, and those at the front were getting louder. A few even stormed off in frustration.
“Hey, people are leaving,” Velma pointed out.
“I wonder if something happened,” said Fred. “Let’s go check it out.
At the front gates, as more and more people fled, a lone tour guide was looking exhausted. She kept having to explain to people the factory was closed to all visitors without telling anyone why. All the poor customers demanding a reason were left with nothing. The woman just sighed.
Just when the crowd seemed to dissipate at last, more people showed up. As the entrance emptied, a group of teens with a large dog approached her.
“I’m very sorry, but we’re closed today,” she explained for the hundredth time. “You’ll have to come back some other day.”
“You mean we won’t get to try the fresh from the factory fizzy drinks?” Shaggy cried.
“What happened?” asked Velma.
The tour guide gave a deep sigh. “I’m not at liberty to say, but you sure missed some chaos in there. Most of the workers had to go home.”
“That’s right,” said a voice from behind the opening doors. A large man in a suit stepped out, and he did not look happy. “Nancy, I’ll take it from here. Things are looking much worse than we thought. I just got word that my brother Victor is dead.”
The gang all responded in unison. “Dead?!”
The tour guide cried crocodile tears as she covered up her face. “Oh no. How could this have happened? Poor Mr. Timm.”
“That’s right,” said the large man. “We all feared the worst when we found him. There was blood everywhere. And he had two large punctures right on his neck. It seems he didn’t survive long enough and was declared dead at the hospital not too long ago.”
“Punctures?” asked Daphne.
“Something bit him?” asked Velma.
“Not just anything,” said another voice coming from inside the factory. A scraggly man in a trenchcoat popped out with a cigar. “This man was killed by a Dracula.”
“D-D-Dracura?” Scooby whined as he clung to Shaggy.
“You mean like a vampire?” Shaggy asked, his knees shaking under the weight of Scooby, and his own fear.
“The very one,” said the older man. “At least, that’s what it looked like on the security camera footage.”
The larger man who emerged first nodded. “Are we done with the questioning here, lieutenant? Now that I know my brother is no more, I have a lot to prepare. I didn’t think I’d be stuck having to manage this whole factory by myself.”
“Of course, Mr. Timm,” said the other man. “Just make sure to stick around. I’ve got a few more loose ends I’m trying to tie up here.”
Fred pointed at the smaller of the two men. “Say, I thought I recognized you. You’re Lt. Columbo of the LAPD.”
“What are you doing way out here?” asked Daphne.
Columbo held out his cigar and nodded at the curious teens. “Oh, me and my wife were here for the tour. We both love Timm’s Fizzy Juice. Of course, once you’re my age you can only drink so much of the stuff before you get a stomach ache.”
“Romach ache? Pfft,” Scooby brushed aside these concerns.
The lieutenant pointed at the larger man and tour lady. “This here is Harold Timm, the deceased’s brother. And Miss Nancy here was the first employee to come in and find the body.”
Nancy spoke up. “He was still breathing when I found him, so I called 911 right away. But it looks like I was too late.”
Nancy sobbed into her hands again. Harold, however, seemed none too bothered and checked his watch. Before anyone could inquire any further, a loud screech was heard above everyone.
“Hiss! ”
A large vampire man was gesturing at the group of people from up on the factory roof. His ferocious teeth ready to sink into anyone else who dared enter.
“Look!” pointed Fred.
“It’s Dracula!” shouted Velma.
Shaggy and Scooby both jumped and hid behind the largest man they could find. “Zoinks!”
Harold grumbled at the two hiding behind me. “Hey, cut that out. There’s the killer, lieutenant. Aren’t you going to shoot him?”
“Shoot him?” Columbo pondered. “I don’t really carry a gun on me. Besides, he’s already gone.”
“Huh?”
The gang all looked at the roof where Dracula was screeching from. There wasn’t a single trace of him.
“He’s gone!” cried Daphne.
Fred stepped forward for the group. “Well, gang, looks like we know what we need to do.”
“Like, get back in the van and drive in the other direction?” said Shaggy.
“Not this time, Shaggy,” Fred said. “We’ve got ourselves a mystery to solve.”
Columbo winked at Fred and nodded. “Well, if you kids could be so kind as to offer me some assistance I’d be quite thankful.”
The gang had entered the factory. It was chilly and barren. Hardly the lively tour they were expecting on the trip over. The lieutenant had just shown them all where Victor Timm’s body was found that morning.
“This is the spot, kids,” said Columbo. “According to what we saw on the security footage, Mr. Timm was just about to head out when he heard a noise, and that’s when Dracula showed up.”
“But why would a Dracula attack someone in a soda factory?” asked Daphne.
Columbo held out his cigar and winked. “That’s what’s been bothering me. See, the last person was just about to leave. If Dracula wanted to do something unnoticed, all they’d have to do was wait a few more minutes for the place to be deserted.”
“So that means they waited for Mr. Timm, didn’t they?” Velma finished the thought.
“Precisely, Velma,” said Columbo. “I think this murder was premeditated. The only question is why?”
“Let’s split up and look for clues, gang,” Fred said aloud. “We’ll get to the bottom of this yet.”
Fred, Daphne, and Velma went outside while Columbo began searching the factory floor. Shaggy and Scooby followed him, though it wasn’t long before they were preoccupied with other thoughts.
It was hard to recognize at first with the talk about Dracula and dead bodies, but the two were now inside the factory where the famous fizzy juice was made. All the flavours and colours in various vats were held for transporting and bottling elsewhere. It was truly what the trip here was for.
“Like, check it out, Scoob,” said Shaggy, as he gestured toward the taps on one of the large wooden vats. “It’s the free sample area. I’m sure they won’t mind if we help ourselves while there’s no one here.”
“Reah!” said Scooby, as he tried to hide his excited snicker. “Reheeheehee.”
Shaggy placed himself under the tap and pulled. Gallons of orange fizzy juice poured out into his gullet. He slurped it all up and wiped his mouth satisfied. “It’s so much more syrupy. Try it, Scoob.”
Scooby Doo tried the same technique, but in his hubris, he plugged his entire mouth onto the tap before pulling. As he unleashed the geyser of pop, his mouth ballooned, and fizzy drink began pouring out his ears and nose. As he opened his mouth to breathe, more soda flooded the whole space.
Shaggy merely laughed. He was enjoying himself, but he had forgotten what he was here for. Before the two buddies could empty out the fizz tanks completely, the lieutenant promptly reminded them about their mission by calling out.
“Boys, come look at this.”
Shaggy and Scooby entered the side office their companion was checking out. He held out his cigar and pointed ahead of him. The entire room was a mess. Papers and books were all thrown onto the floor. Potted plants and paintings were on the ground, torn up. It was like a tornado had hit the room.
“Like, what happened here?”
“Someone turned this place inside out,” said Columbo. “They might’ve been looking for something.”
Scooby sniffed the ground, gathering a pool of dust around his nose. As it piled up it began to tickle him until he was forced to breathe out in anticipation of a large sneeze.
“Rahhh…raaahh CHOO!”
“Gesundheit, Scoob,” said Shaggy.
Scooby Doo growled and gestured at the bookshelf near where he was sniffing. Whatever itched his nose was in there.
“You’re saying you found something, Scooby?” said Columbo.
Shaggy began taking out the few books still on the shelf and shook them, just to make sure. There didn’t seem to be anything of note. However, once he grabbed a clearly outlined and brighter book, it pulled out of the shelf and made a clicking noise.
The shelf pulled back, revealing another room behind the office. Inside were more vats, like the ones on the factory floor. These ones were sealed, however.
“Zoinks,” said Shaggy. “Just what is all this stuff?”
“Cocaine,” said Columbo, who had cracked a barrel open and was examining it closely. “Looks like Mr. Timm was using the factory tools to store them in large quantities and smuggle them out.”
“Ruh roh!” cried Scooby Doo.
“Like, let’s get out of here,” said Shaggy as he backed away.
Before he could get far, however, Shaggy slipped on a pile of papers piled into the corner. Pink papers went flying everywhere as Shaggy tripped and landed in an emptied plant pot.
“What’s these pink slips?” asked Columbo.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Scoob,” said Shaggy, as Scooby came to try and pull Shaggy out of the container. “I don’t wanna meet any Dracula that’s messing with drugs too.”
Columbo read the slips and examined the messed up room again. “I’m starting to think there’s more to this than meets the eyes. Let’s go find the others. Shaggy. Scooby. Dracula.”
“ Hiss! ”
Columbo and the boys all leapt up as they realised Dracula was in the room with them. Shaggy, his butt still stuck in the pot, simply got on all fours and began drumming his way out the room. Scooby followed with a similar motion.
Dracula hissed out loud and began chasing Columbo out the room. A crash followed as the two ran past Shaggy, who ran head first into a wall. At least he was free now. Seeing the easier target, Dracula turned around and waited for Shaggy to see him.
“Dracula!” he shouted.
Shaggy ran toward the soda vats, hiding behind one as Dracula followed. Every time Dracula inspected one, Shaggy would pop out behind a different vat.
“Like, help, Scooby Doo!” Shaggy shouted.
Scooby Doo looked around desperately. The only thing he could see was an emergency fire hose and axe. Not very useful, but that never stopped him before. Scooby pulled the glass door open and dragged the hose away.
As Dracula peeked around more vats, Scooby Doo ran up to the tap he had drank from earlier and plugged in the hose. Turning the dial all the way, he let the soda build up into a big balloon inside the hose behind him. He had unfortunately not noticed he was stepping on the hose.
After a few seconds of buildup, Scooby began to inspect the hose in confusion. The expanding hose hissed behind him, growing bigger, until eventually, Scooby turned around and screamed. The hose let out a giant burst of fizzy juice drink, and the entire floor was covered in the stuff.
Dracula only barely got to react before the burst of soda pushed him out a window. The vampire was dealt with.
Shaggy examined the window to see the outside area. There was no trace of Dracula. “He’s gone again!”
Columbo held out his cigar using the same animation as before. “Let’s get going, boys. This Dracula’s got some tricks up his sleeves.
A ladder held itself against the roof. Shortly after, Fred’s head popped up from below.
“I think I see something, girls.”
The trio had decided to examine the rooftop where Dracula was last seen. After searching for something to climb on, Fred was able to grab something strange and climb back down. He held out his hand, revealing a small device with a needle.
“A syringe!” said Velma.
“What would something like this be doing up there?” Daphne asked.
“I don’t know, but I bet our Dracula must’ve dropped it while he was up there,” said Fred. “We need to keep looking.”
“Hey, kids,” said the voice of Columbo.
“Hello, lieutenant,” said Daphne. “Did you guys find anything?”
“Like, you guys aren’t gonna believe what we found!” shouted Shaggy.
Before he could continue, however, the fence to the outdoor area creaked open. The tall silhouette of Harold Timm entered the frame.
“Did you perhaps find something about that Dracula?” he asked.
“You’re still here, Mr. Timm?” asked Velma.
“Of course,” said Harold. “My brother dies and now my company is terrorized by a Dracula. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
Columbo winked as he waved his cigar. “Just the man I wanted to see actually.”
Scooby Doo was sniffing the area outside like before. Just like the indoor area, he sniffed up a large pile of dust that summoned another sneeze out of him. He opened his mouth, ready to make a big pop of a sneeze, but at the last second, a hand held out a finger and pressed up against Scooby’s nose. The sneeze subsided.
“Rank you,” said Scooby.
“No problem, bud,” said Shaggy. The two enjoyed their two seconds of silence before Scooby’s sneeze came back with a vengeance.
“RAH-CHOO!”
Harold Timm was drenched in dog slobber. He didn’t particularly like when that happened and looked at the group sternly.
“Sorry,” said Scoob, before giggling at his embarrassing faux pas.
The large man pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping himself. “Just what exactly is going on here, lieutenant?”
“That’s what I was about to mention,” said Columbo. “You see, we found some drugs behind your brother’s office.”
“Drugs!” cried Daphne.
“Now that’s preposterous,” said Mr. Timm. “You’re not accusing my brother of concocting some kind of drug ring in here, are you?”
“Oh, not at all, sir,” Columbo said.
“You’re not?” asked Velma.
Columbo made his way over to Scooby Doo and gestured as the poor dog wiped his nose. Scooby was done sniffing out clues for now.
“I noticed when Scooby tried sniffing that it was real dusty by that shelf,” the lieutenant explained. “Given how someone trashed the place, it definitely looked like they were looking for something. But they had barely touched the bookshelf. Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t think that’s odd,” said Mr. Timm. “Why would anyone go through the office bookshelf?”
“I just think it’s strange. See, if Dracula wanted to search the place so thoroughly, why would he stop short of checking the bookshelf? It’s almost like he already knew something was there.”
The large fizz heir hummed at himself. “Maybe Dracula didn’t want to stick around for much longer. The sun would be coming up. Not to mention the morning employees would also be arriving eventually.”
“That’s true,” said Columbo. “Maybe he just didn’t have time. Though it still strikes me as odd.”
Columbo began walking away. He seemed like he had something on the tip of his tongue, but he was missing some vital clues.
“Oh, one more thing, actually,” the lieutenant said before stepping too far away. “I was about to ask what you kids found there.”
“Syringes, lieutenant,” Fred answered.
“Well I’ll be, isn’t that just stranger and stranger,” Columbo said. “You think maybe that’s how the victim was killed?”
“Not unless you think it was a real Dracula,” said Velma.
“D-D-Dracura!” cried Scooby.
Velma held up the syringes so the needle was pointed down. “With two punctures from this, you could easily drain a victim’s blood and make it look like they were bitten. But the real culprit probably used some other method to kill the older Timm brother.”
“But he didn’t die until he got to the hospital,” said Daphne. “Why would this so-called Dracula not finish the job right there?”
“Maybe he only thought Mr. Timm was dead,” said Fred. “He tried inspecting the room but heard a sound and ran off. Unfortunately, his victim still died of his injuries before he could tell us much of anything.”
“Well, that’s quite a shame,” said the younger Timm brother. “Although I don’t think it would do us much good if he told us that he was attacked by a Dracula.”
“You’re all right,” said Columbo. “There’s still something we’re missing, but I think I know what to do. We just need to catch this Dracula first.”
“Well whatever you do, do it quick,” said Mr. Timm. “Find my brother’s killer, lieutenant.”
Scooby Doo was sniffing around the amusement park area. Every few steps he’d feel another sneeze coming, but would try to hold it in. There was too much bad smell everywhere, it seemed.
This section of the factory was made just for tourists. It was mostly the line to the rollercoaster and a few attractions, as well as a food court. A perfect end to the factory tour on days where a dead body wasn’t found.
“Hey, Scoob, you find anything?” said Shaggy, who had just made himself a multi-layered burger from the food he pilfered out of the food court. This was enough to summon his companion.
“Ruh-uh,” said Scooby. “Roo hungry.”
Columbo chuckled to himself watching the boys salivate over their makeshift sandwiches. “You know my dog is also a pretty big eater. The poor lug barely moves, but as soon as it’s dinner time he comes running.”
Scooby Doo scarfed down all the layers of Shaggy’s large burger. After a pause to try and bite it all down, he gestures at his mouth.
“Right, right, buddy,” said Shaggy, as he grabbed some condiment bottles. “I forgot to add ketchup and mustard.”
The sauce was sprayed down Scooby’s mouth as he gulped the mess of a burger whole. He licked his lips to wipe off the mountain of red and yellow that splashed onto his face and giggled.
“Of course, not even my dog can eat as much as you, Scooby,” said Columbo.
Fred and the girls came up to the trio, ready for action.
“Okay, gang. I think we’re ready to catch us a Dracula. We just need to lure him out.”
“Let me guess,” said Shaggy. “You’re gonna want us to do it.”
Velma pulled out a box of Scooby Snax and shook it. Shaggy and Scooby looked at each other, contemplating their fates. There was only one option.
“Alright, but we want another bottle of fizzy juice to go with it.”
“Reah!”
Columbo chuckled once again. “My dog also tries to negotiate like that.”
Dracula was prowling the factory exterior. He was ready to strike once again. All he had to do was make sure those pesky kids didn’t ruin his plans.
“Hey! Dracula!” shouted someone.
Shaggy waved his arms while jumping up and down from atop one of the attraction stalls. Scooby was bouncing alongside him. The two were very hard to miss.
“ Hiss! ”
Dracula began moving. He was agile and slim, able to climb up quickly. Thankfully, the bouncy tents were enough for Shaggy and Scooby to bounce away.
“Like, bet you can’t catch us!” shouted Shaggy.
“Nee ner nee ner,” mocked Scoob.
Dracula hissed at the two and gave chase. Shaggy and Scooby managed to get away by running into the rollercoaster area. It wasn’t enough to escape a vampire, however. The dracula ran in after them, but failed to notice the rope on the ground.
“Now!” shouted Fred.
He tugged at the rope while Daphne and Velma pulled on the other end, raising it off the ground. Dracula ran straight into it, tripping and falling directly into the rollercoaster ride. In the seat ahead of him, Shaggy and Scooby secured themselves onto the ride.
“Fasten up, little buddy,” said Shaggy. “Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.”
With a loud ding, the rollercoaster car hissed and began slowly inching forward. The ride had begun. Up the hill it went, with Shaggy and Scoob waving their arms in excitement. Dracula, who had fallen in upside down, could only barely poke his head back up in confusion. He let out another loud hiss.
“ Hiss! ”
But before he could strike, the rollercoaster had reached its peak and began zooming downward.
“Reeeee!” shouted Scooby.
Behind him, Dracula, who was not strapped in, was holding on for dear life. The rollercoaster went up and down, with enough force to send the Dracula flying once it turned its last corner. The vampire crashed with a loud thud against the side of the factory.
Dracula was in a daze. Little cartoon bats floated around his head as he tried to compose himself. Several brooms and pieces of lumber had fallen onto him, making his potential escape too slow to pull off as Columbo stepped up next to him.
“I believe they said to keep your hands and feet inside,” he said.
With Dracula unable to get away, several others made their way to the crash site. Fred, Daphne, and Velma came from one side, while Shaggy and Scooby came from another, complete with Timm’s Fizzy Juice memorabilia they had grabbed on the way out.
Rounding out the full group was Mr. Timm, who came in clapping.
“Good job, everyone,” he said. “You caught the Dracula. Now this whole case has been resolved.”
Fred stepped up to the vampire. “Now let’s see who’s behind all this.”
With a quick gesture, the Dracula mask was pulled off, revealing a slimy thin man with a goatee.
“Like, it’s some guy!” cried Shaggy.
“Who is that?” asked Daphne.
“I believe that’s Mr. Drake Filbert, the company lawyer,” explained Columbo. He had pulled out the pink slips he had found in the office earlier. “According to these, he was fired a few weeks ago.”
“Why that’s right,” said Mr. Timm. “I can’t believe he’d kill my brother for revenge. Arrest him, lieutenant.”
“Oh I will,” said Columbo. “But I think I should make one thing clear. He’s not your brother’s killer.”
The entire gang cried out in confusion. The strange Mr. Filbert shook his head clear, finally ready to speak after his crash.
“That’s right,” he said, pointing at the Timm brother. “That’s your killer right there.”
“Me?!” cried Mr. Timm. “That’s preposterous. I’m not the one running around dressed like a bat.”
Columbo signaled at a pair of police officers hiding behind the fence. They both came in to handcuff the two bickering men. Neither seemed happy with the situation.
“I got a call from the hospital,” said Columbo. “Your brother had some of his blood drained, but that’s not enough to kill him. That was just part of the vampire act. The real cause of death was blunt trauma and asphyxiation.”
“You mean someone choked him?” asked Daphne.
“That’s right,” Columbo explained. “There were also bruises all over his arms, see. I think someone held him down while Dracula here punctured his neck with that syringe. It had to be a big fella, however. Kind of like you, Mr. Timm.”
“Where’s your proof?” asked the larger suspect. “How do you know Filbert couldn’t have done it by himself?”
“With these arms?” said the man in the Dracula costume. “I could barely hold down a dog. I definitely had help.”
“He’s lying!” cried Harold.
Scooby sneezed another loud sneeze. This was enough to clue the others in.
“Of course, the dust,” said Fred. “Scooby was smelling it everywhere once we met up with Mr. Timm. He must have been smelling the drugs on him.”
“I’m sure if the police dusted him off they’d find some traces all over his suit,” lectured Daphne.
“Preposterous!” cried Mr. Timm.
“You and your lawyer here were both working on this drug operation together,” explained Columbo. “But not in the office. That shelf was too dusty to have gotten any use recently, but it still set off Scooby’s nose. That tells us those barrels were moved in recently. Probably right after you knocked out your brother.”
“But he wasn’t dead yet,” concluded Velma. “When you heard him stirring, you two ran. You were both planning to pin the blame on a dead man, but then he woke up. You had to give him one last conk on the head and get out of there before the morning workers showed up. Then you stuck around, to make sure he was really dead this time.”
“You left behind cocaine, Mr. Timm,” said Columbo. “But that wasn’t all you left for us to find. Those pink slips were left out intentionally. You wanted me to know that Mr. Filbert was recently fired so I could suspect him. There were too many loose ends, and you wanted to wash your hands of this drug ring for good before things got too risky.”
“Nyah!” cried Mr. Filbert. “He told me his brother was still alive in the hospital and that I had to keep you folks busy here while he snuck off to finish the job. I didn’t know the old coot was already dead.”
“Oh yeah, well, well…” Mr. Timm looked dour. “Oh what’s the use? You’ve caught me. I only agreed to all this in the first place cause my brother said he’d never let me run the company. He was too protective. He wouldn’t even let me have any of the family fortune. I resorted to drugs so I could one day pin it all on him and inherit the business all for myself. This place meant the world to me. Have you tried my grandpa’s formulas? They’re delicious.”
Shaggy rubbed his belly. “Well he has great taste, at least.”
The culprit stared at the ground. “So much for my plan. Before I could do anything, my brother went and fired Drake. I left all the deals to him. Now I had a mountain of drugs and no idea what to do with it. I had to make a move, so me and Drake planned to kill him. And we would’ve gotten away with it if it wasn’t for the police.”
“Oh, let’s be fair here,” said Columbo. “I did have some help, from a couple of meddling kids.”
Nancy the tour guide was flabbergasted. She couldn’t believe what a mess was left while she had stepped away. The future of the company was now uncertain. Timm’s was too big to shut down, but with no heir, the business would go to whoever was willing to buy the factory assets.
It would be pricey, but her lawyer cousin was always encouraging her to invest in a new career. And she knew the factory like the back of her hand. The auction would be in a week, but she was making sure to secure all that she could to perhaps take over and make sure no more drugs or draculas messed the place up.
“I can’t believe Mr. Timm was killed by his own brother,” she said.
“There’s a lot of killers in this world,” said Columbo, cigar in his mouth. He held it out as he looked over the factory grounds. “People kill for all sorts of reasons, and if they find a way to justify it, they can even kill their own family.”
“I’m just glad this trip wasn’t a complete waste in the end,” said Daphne. “Shaggy and Scooby even got that tour they wanted.”
Off to the side, Shaggy and Scooby were drowning themselves in fizzy juice. It was Nancy’s thanks for saving the factory. One entire vat for the two of them.
“Like, can we maybe get free samples of the other flavours too?” asked Shaggy.
“Reah, rike remon,” said Scooby. “Reheeheeheehee.”
Scooby put his mouth onto the vat again and filled himself with more juice pop. His stomach was full, but he couldn’t pass up a chance to drink this much fizzy drink in one go. Just then, however, Scooby began to feel something strange. A rumbling in his tummy. A mild pain in his stomach that he’d never felt before.
“R-Raggy!” he cried. “Romach ache!”
“We told you not to drink too much soda, Scooby,” said Velma.
“What’d I tell you kids,” said Columbo. “Once you get older, you can only drink so much of the stuff. You better enjoy your youth while you can.”
Scooby rubbed his belly and nodded. If things would only get worse, he’d do what he could, and he began to drink more fizz juice. Around him everyone chuckled at the audacity of this dog’s insatiable greed. No stomach ache would stop him from satisfying his thirst.
“Scooby Dooby Doo!”