Alice kept driving, her knuckles white on the steering wheel and visibly shaking.
"Mom, are you ok?" Karen asked.
"I'm just upset that the medallion is gone again" Alice said.
"Dr. Mezzner said she wouldn't take it today though" Stephanie said. "She even gave it back to you when she took it out of your pocket."
"It wasn't Dr. Mezzner who took it honey" Alice said. "Two guys had bumped into me when we went into the toy store. It must have been them. I'll say this though, they were good. They took the medallion off of me and put this one on without me realizing it."
"Can Dr. Mezzner get it back for us?" Daisy asked.
"I don't think she can" Alice said.
"But you're going to call her anyway" Denise said.
"Yes I am" Alice said. "If nothing else, just to let her know that the medallion is gone."
In a few more minutes they arrived home. The blizzard wasn't here yet but they wouldn't be going anywhere for awhile. Alice knew that they would be losing power before the night was over. It was a good thing that they had a generator for the heat as it would get really cold.
"Karen, Denise, would you girls help me get Steph's bed into the house and upstairs?" Alice asked.
"Sure thing Mom" Karen and Denise said.
"Steph, Katie, Daisy, I'd like you three girls to start taking bags in" Alice said.
"Ok Mom" Daisy, Stephanie, and Katie said.
"Remember to take off your shoes before you go through to the kitchen" Alice said.
"We will" Daisy said.
They got out of the van and gathered up what they could. Once they had everything inside and put away they all went into the living room where they were brought up short.
"About time you came home and in here" Dr. Mezzner said.
"How did you get in?" Alice asked. "The security system was on."
"I'm not at liberty to say how I got in" Dr. Mezzner said. "I did want to surprise you and I succeeded."
"How did you get here?" Alice asked. "I didn't see any cars around."
"I took a cab" Dr. Mezzner said.
"Why are you here Dr. Mezzner?" Stephanie asked.
"There are two reasons" Dr. Mezzner said. "The first is that I wanted to tell you that you are now the adopted daughter of Miss Punnit. Everyone now knows you as such."
Stephanie and Daisy cheered at this news. When they stopped Alice asked "What's the second reason?"
"I came here to get the medallion" Dr. Mezzner said.
"You said you wouldn't take it today" Alice said.
"Circumstances have changed" Dr. Mezzner said. "The brotherhood found out that I had given it back to you when I had it in my hands. They demanded that I get it back."
"You're too late" Alice said. "A couple of your associates already took it and replaced it with a fake."
"You say they replaced it with a fake?" Dr. Mezzner asked with a quizzical look on her face.
"Yes they did" Alice said.
"Then they weren't members of the brotherhood" Dr. Mezzner said.
"How do you know?" Alice asked.
"Because they replaced it with a fake" Dr. Mezzner said. "We don't replace the medallions we take with fakes. People think that the medallions simply disappear when we take them. If we left a fake in it's place than people would know that someone had taken them. We prefer it when people think they have lost them or that they have simply disappeared. Besides, it would be just plain stupid to leave behind something that could have our fingerprints on it."
"Then who were those guys?" Alice asked.
"I have no idea" Dr. Mezzner said. "Shit."
"Dr. Mezzner please, there are little kids here" Alice said.
"Oh, sorry about that" Dr. Mezzner said.
"Katie, Daisy, Steph, you girls go upstairs and play" Alice said.
"Why don't Denise and Karen have to leave too" Daisy complained.
"Because they're older" Alice said.
"I used to be as old as Karen is now" Daisy said.
"You are a seven year old girl now Daisy" Alice said in a stern voice. "As such you will listen to me. Now go upstairs and play."
"I have some things I need to put away anyway so I'll go up too" Karen said.
"I will too" Denise said.
"Come on Daisy" Stephanie said pulling on Daisy's arm. "Let's go play."
Daisy allowed herself to be pulled along by Stephanie. When they got up to Daisy's room they noticed that Stephanie's bed was up there though it wasn't assembled yet. It made sense that it would be in here since both of them are the same age.
"I'll come and put your bed together after I put my stuff away" Denise said.
When it was just Katie, Daisy, and Stephanie they looked at each other and Katie asked "So what do you want to play?"
"Let's play dress up and have a tea party" Stephanie said.
"Sounds great" Katie said. "I'll go get my dress up box."
When Katie left Stephanie looked at Daisy and said "I wonder who will get the medallion now."
"Me too" Daisy said.
Who finds the medallion next?