Black Belt

Seasons Greetings, sleuth-fans! 

This week’s episode begins with Super Secret Jack Spinner the Specialized Sleuth and his spirited sidekick Zachery the Kosmic Kid leaving the Land of Misfit Toys (and - it must be said - a trail of broken lampposts) behind them.

Before departing, the Mighty Duo had set the key of their Super Secret Decoder Wheel to A=S and in a jiffy CVLMZ JML had been translated into “UNDER BED”

“Non-specific clues are a crime-fighter’s worst enemy,” grumbled Jack, back at the North Pole. “Which bed? Doesn’t this villain know how many beds there are in the world?”

A penny dropped.  

“Ohhhh… That’s soooo clever. That’s classic evil genius behavior. Sending us on a wild goose chase to look under billions of beds whilst they get on with sabotaging Christmas. Nicely played, but doesn't fool a sleuth like me.”

“I know what you’ll say,” said Zac timidly. “But can’t we pay a visit to Waldo Elf? After all, it is his handwriting…”

“THAT’S IT!” exclaimed Jack. “Who’s the one person linking all of this together? WALDO. Haven’t I been telling you all along? I’ll bet he’s the meddling mastermind intent on ruining Christmas!”

Our intrepid heroes raced to Waldo’s bed quarters. Super Secret Jack whipped out a roll of ‘DO NOT CROSS’ tape and declared the whole room a crime scene. Soon a small group of inquisitive elves began to form…

“Stand back, folks…” ordered Jack. “Nothing to see…”

“Excuse me,” asked one of the elves. “But aren’t you Super Secret Jack Spinner, the Specialized Sleuth?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny,” answered Jack, blushing with pride at being recognized. “But, let’s just say - have you ever seen us in the same room together? Think about it! Happy to pose for Elfies once the bad guy’s been brought to justice...”

“Hullo!” Waldo Elf strolled up to the Mighty Duo. “What’s up? Are you here to see my Christmas Eve gift for Santa?” 

“GIFT?” shouted Jack. “How can sabotaging Christmas be any kind of gift?”

Waldo reached under his bed, producing a wide black belt. 

“But this isn’t just any belt,” he explained. “It’s a Backwards-Bulbed Belt. Santa’s always saying he wishes he has eyes in the back of his head when I’m around, so I bought him this. It’s got a flashlight on the back of it to help him see what’s behind him…”

The elves began to snicker mercilessly. “Whoever heard of such a thing?!”

“What happens when he turns around, Waldo?” one teased. “I’m not sure you’ve thought your gift through!!”

“Santa’s behind is going to be lit up like a Christmas tree!” scoffed another.

Waldo blushed at the elves’ laughter. If he wasn’t small enough, he certainly felt belittled now.

“Tell me Waldo,” said Zac. “One thing’s bothering me. If all you were doing was hiding a secret gift, why all the clues?”

“That’s obvious,” explained Waldo. “They were to remind me, in case I forgot where I’d put it.”

“I KNEW it!!” exclaimed Jack. “I just knew Waldo was the key to all this. It was the handwriting, you see!”

“Who’d have thought it?” smiled Zac to himself.

Super Secret patted the Kosmic Kid on his head. “An old head can't be put on young shoulders,” he said. “Just follow the clues, Kid. They’ll lead you to the answer every time.”

“Thanks, Jack, I’ll work on that!”

“You know something?” said Jack. “Someone out there is going to have to type up this story and publish it on a website. And it’s not going to be an easy job. It must be tough work trying to make exciting stories out of plain, average, ordinary people like me and you…”

Not quite as tough as you imagine, Jack. Not quite…

And there we leave our prolific partnership. Another Super Secret case solved by Super Secret Jack Spinner the Specialized Sleuth and his Mighty Sidekick Zachery the Kosmic Kid.

Will another curious caper arise next Christmas season? 

Will the Mighty Duo be called on once more to solve the case?

We may not know who they truly are behind those masks of theirs, but one thing we do know is if we need them, they’ll always be there. 

Check back next year.

Same Super Secret Time. Same Super Secret place!