Diamonds in the Ruff

a Velma Adventure by John Likeglass

With apologies to Warner Brothers, Hanna Barbara and anyone else who might hate this story. (although I believe any true Scooby Doo fan will love it!) All borrowed characters have been safely returned intact and healthy. This is a Scrappy free story. It's a long one, so, feel free to print it out and save it for later reading!

Part Two:

Freddy looks around the cell, and through the bars across the room. "Not a window in the whole building! Velma, what do you think you found?" Velma is busy looking at the metal air grate near the top of the wall, the bright full moon is shining through it. "Did you notice the safe he has in the front office?" Daphne looks disappointed. "That's the clue? The guy has a safe?" Velma is shaking her head. "No, no... Not that he has a safe, but that the safe looks brand new! Like it's was bought within the last week or so." Now Freddy is shaking his head. "I still don't get it. So what? Obviously it means something to you, I can see the gears turning in your head!" Velma smiles. "The man suddenly has something of value he wants to keep safe!" The smile now spreads to Freddy. "Like something he may have stolen out of Becky Sue's house!" "Exactly!" Velma exclaims. Shaggy is not smiling. "But if this guy is the crook, then we're being set up as the scape-goats for a murder! And you guys are smiling? Have you looked at your hands lately? Not only are we cuffed and chained, we're also in jail!" Again, Velma chuckles. "Oh, that's not a problem! I'm more worried about how to open the safe! Hey Scooby! Don't you think it's about time to open up that stupid dog cage he put you in?" In an old metal dog cage across the room, sits Scooby. He slides one claw through the front grate and lifts the drop latch. "He heee he he he!" Scooby walks over to the wall where a key ring is hanging, reaches up and grabs the ring and brings it over to the jail cell door. "Ok Scoob, give it a good toss over to me." Velma says. The keys come sliding across the floor and stop at Freddy's feet. "Thanks Scoob!" he says. Freddy picks up the keys and unlocks the cuffs and chains. He tries several keys on the cell door before finding one that works. No one is sure wether Jake sleeps upstairs or not, so the gang moves quietly to the front office. "There's our stuff." Freddy whispers. Velma moves over to the table and grabs the flashlights and hands them out. Inside the duffel bag, she finds her stethoscope, and starts to work on the safe. "Don't you think we should be getting out of here?" Shaggy whispers. "Not quite yet." Velma replies.

While Velma works on the safe, Freddy is checking the room out. "No windows! There is a front and back door. I guess this guy doesn't like people to see what he is doing! Just metal grates near the ceiling that let a little light and air in." Shaggy is chattering in the corner. "Maybe he's trying to keep things out! Like bears and alligators!" "Quiet guys!" Velma whispers, "I think I've got it!" With that, the safe door opens. Inside is a small cloth bag. Velma grabs the bag and opens it up. Daphne's eyes light up! "Diamonds! It's a bag full of diamonds!" Velma picks one out of the bag and inspects it. "We need to find out if these are real..." Daphne grasps the diamond from Velma's hand. "I just want to feel it just in case it is real!" Daphne stairs into Velma's eyes. "Hey! I know how we can tell! Diamonds can cut glass!" Velma reels backward. "I don't like the way you're looking at my glasses! Don't get any bright ideas! Why don't we use your makeup compact instead." Somewhat bummed, Daphne reaches in her pocket and pulls out her compact and hands it to Velma, who flips it open. Velma uses the diamond to make a scratch across the mirror. She taps it with her finger and it breaks in two. Daphne moans, "Awww.. That was my favorite compact! Well, you just got yourself seven years of bad luck!" Velma laughs, "No thanks! Already had that! We'd better get out of here." She places the diamond back in the bag with the others, and carefully puts the bag back in the safe, closing the door. "You mean we don't even keep one?" Quietly, the gang sneaks out the back door and into the woods. Freddy leads the way. "That Jake is going to be as mad as a hornet when he finds us gone!"

Back at the Mystery Machine Velma feverishly types her latest notes into the laptop, along with a plea for help. Becky Sue has joined them. "I thought you guys got lost in the woods. I was going to drive into town to get Jake." With a concerned look, Freddy explains the night's events. Velma finishes her typing. "Becky, do you have a phone line?" Becky looks a little embarrassed. "No.. We don't have many out here. I had a line, but last week it went out. I had to drive over to Clearwell and use a payphone to report it. They said they could check it out next Monday." Velma, who is already setting up the satellite phone, explains the next step in the plan. "We may only have a few minutes. I have the Email address of the chief for the state police in this region. I'm going to send him all the info we have, then, if we have enough time, follow it up with a phone call." Freddy asks, "Becky, is there any other road out of town other than the one we came in on?" Becky thinks for a second. "No.. Wait.. There is a road, but it does not cross this one. It's on the other side of the graveyard. It leads out to an access road that will take you out to the highway about five miles down. There's just no way to get on it." Velma is frantically working with the laptop and satellite combo. "Come on! Connect.. Connect.. There! Now if I can just send this file..." Shaggy shouts out, "Zoinks! We've got company!" In the distance flashing lights are visible! "Velma! The file?" Freddy shouts. "Not yet... any second.. It's uploading.. Just a few more seconds.." Freddy has jumped in the driver's seat and has started the van. "Becky, you'd better go hide in the house! Velma, we don't have a few more seconds!" He starts to back the van around, pulling the cord to the satellite phone. Velma grabs the rig and jumps in the open back door. "I think the file went out ok... I hope.." she says as she slams the door shut behind her. Freddy floors the van and all scramble to hold on to something as it takes off. He speeds down the driveway, just as Jake's cruiser rounds the bend in the road. The van flies down the dirt road, heading for the graveyard with Jake in pursuit. Freddy turns sharply into the drive. Daphne is screaming in horror! "If he kills us, he'll just say we were escaped criminals!"

Jake laughs to himself. "They just took a dead end road! Ha! That's a good one! DEAD END!" Freddy swings the wheel to one side, the van leaves the path and he finds himself dogging tomb stones! The right fender clips one of the stones, everyone is thrown forward. "Yipe" yelps Scooby! Freddy regains control just in time to hit another one! Jake's luck is no better as he slams into stone after stone. "What are those crazy kids doing?? They must be nuts!" As Freddy turns to the left, the Mystery Machine heads down an embankment into a drainage ditch. Once again, all are thrown forward as the van bottoms out in the ditch. Freddy glances up just in time to see them crashing through a fence, then plunging down another hill, and again bottoming out on leveled off section. His heart is pounding as he attempts to regain control over the badly damaged van. "It's the road, I think...." Behind them, Jake's cruiser has just hit the ditch, breaking an axle and sliding to a dead stop next to a mausoleum.

Steam is pouring out of the front of the van, as they make their way along the old access road. The wheels are bent and the sound of scraping metal can be heard. Top speed is about ten miles an hour. About four miles down the road, next to a swamp, the van finally dies. "Well, I guess that's as far as we go! Velma, see if you can set up the phone." Freddy says. Velma looks back in the corner of the van at the mangled mess that used to be the antenna for the phone, then out the window at the swamp next to them. "Got any other Ideas? The phone's history, and I think we finally found those alligators Scooby's been talking about!" Freddy sits, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "We're probably only a mile or so from the highway, but Velma's right, there are probably gators out there." The headlights slowly dim out. "And I think the battery's cracked. So I guess we just sit. It's four in the morning, the sun will be up in two hours." Daphne pulls out the cell phone but it is still out of range. "What about that CB radio?" she asks. "Need battery", Freddy answers. "What are you staring at Velma?" Velma places a finger on her lip in a contemplating fashion, "Telephone wires... That pole to the right of us.. If we could lean our ladder from the top of the van, against the pole, I should be able to splice into them and place a call using the handset in our electronics kit!" Scooby and Shaggy are huddled in the back. "She's nuts! I lover her but she's nuts!" Freddy works his way over the seat to the back of the van. "I don't know how fast Jake can walk or if he even is still following us, or even if this idea will work, but it beats sitting here and finding out!" Cautiously opening the back door of the van, Freddy and Shaggy slip the ladder out and climb up on the roof while Daphne watches for movement in the grass. Velma digs through the supplies until she finds the equipment she needs.

"The blue and white pair are dead, I'm going to try the next line" says Velma, perched at the top of the ladder. She has opened up a junction box on the pole and is digging through the wad of wires inside. Freddy and Shaggy are standing on top of the van holding the ladder. "Wait.. Wait.. I have something, yes! I've got a good line!" Velma begins dialing, and soon is in contact with the local branch of the state police. After a few minutes, she descends the ladder and all return to the safety of the van. "I talked to a Sergeant Jones, he said they had gotten our Email. Apparently the state police have quite a file on this Jake guy, but never had enough solid evidence to do anything. I told them what had happened and where we were. He was more then a little surprised but he did indicate that he knew about where we are and that it was about a twenty minute drive. Because of the time, there is no one on patrol in this direction, but he was going to round up two officers and the three of them are heading out now. He also was going to radio another dispatch center to have some officers raid the jailhouse. Sine it is property of the state, no warrant would be needed." Daphne shakes her head in amazement. "As long as Jake and his shotgun don't find us first!"

"How long has it been?" Shaggy asks. "Twenty five minutes." Daphne answers, "They should be here any second." Velma, who has been looking out the rear window suddenly speaks up. "Uh oh! Here comes trouble!" All five clamor to the back of the van. In the distance, a figure is stumbling down the street. "Sherif Jake!" all five say in unison. "Velma, I hope you have something else in that bag of tricks!" Daphne says. Freddy spins around and says, "I've got an idea!" He opens up a case and grabs four walkie-talkies. He sets one to channel four and says, "Scooby, I need you to run about fifty feet to the right of the van and drop this one in the woods." "Rallrerators!" Freddy shakes his head. "I haven't seen any yet, but I'm more worried about Jake's shotgun!" Scooby takes one in his mouth and slips out the side door. Freddy sets the next one to channel five. "Shaggy, I need you to do the same in the opposite direction." Shaggy grabs it and heads out the other door. Meanwhile, Velma has been putting something together herself. "What have you got?" Freddy asks. "High power photo-flash unit. Should blind him for a while!" Freddy sets the channel switches on the remaining units, as Shaggy and Scooby slip back in the doors. Velma is taping the flash unit to the rear window of the van. "Looks like he's about one hundred yards away. Here's the plan." Freddy says, "he only has two shots in that gun, then he has to reload, here's what we're going to do..." Freddy explains his plan as Velma moves some cases up against the back door for protection. "He's shouting!" Daphne says. "Can you make it out?"

"Come out with your hands up! You are escaped criminals and I will be forced to exercise my rights as a law enforcement officer in using any means to bring you to justice!" Shaggy and Scooby are huddled together whimpering. "Ok Velma... just a few more feet... he's rasing his gun.. Ok everyone, close your eyes!" POOF! Velma hits the foot-switch and fires the flash! They all look out the back window. Jake is spinning around, blind as a bat from the flash. Freddy turns on his walkie-talkie, "Quick! Into the woods!" Jake hears the sound and spins to the left pointing his gun in the direction of the sound coming from the walkie-talkie Scooby left in the woods. BOOM! He fires off a shot into the woods! Freddy turns to Shaggy. Shaggy turns on his and says, "Zoinks! Head this way!" Jake spins around in the opposite direction and fires the other shot off! "It Worked!" Freddy says, as the five of them pile out of the van and tackle Jake, who is fumbling to reload.

As Daphne ties the final knot on the rope they have around Jake, the state police show up! Sergeant Jones steps up to Daphne. "Are you Velma?", he says. Daphne points over to Velma. "Oh, sorry, Velma?" Velma nods. "I already got a call back from the other division, they found the safe with the diamonds just were you said it would be. Sorry we missed the fun here, but it looks like you guys did an incredible job rounding up Jake!" Sergeant Jones radio crackles. He takes the call. "There is a girl named Becky Sue with the other officers. She says she found her grandpa!"

Seven figures sit around the breakfast table at Amos Swampsnapper's house. Becky Sue speaks first, "I want to thank you all! Once you told me Jake was probably the one, I put two and two together and figured Amos was hiding out at the old fishing cabin!" Amos continues the story. "Jake wacked me over the head with the shovel, dragged me into the woods, and buried me thinking I was dead. When I came to, I climbed out. It was a very shallow hole. Figured I'd better go into hiding for a while. As you know by now, my money is all in the diamonds." Amos reached into his pocket and lifted out one of the diamonds. "The state will be paying to have you van fixed since this whole thing was caused by a so-called officer of the law. But, without you people, and my lovely Becky Sue, I might as well have been dead, and the diamonds would be gone. I want you to accept this as payment for the great work you have done!" Amos hands the diamond to Freddy. "Wow! This must be worth about ten thousand dollars! Thank you, Mr Swampsnapper!" Freddy hands the diamond to Daphne to hold for safekeeping. "Freddy! It's supposed to go in a ring!" Daphne says secretly under her breath. Velma chuckles, and whispers to Daphne "Someday Daphne... Someday!"

The End!

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