HubNugget Mystery Theatre - The Case of the Missing KoffeeKlatch Gals

It was that time again - time to write another roundup hup to showcase HubPages newest writers. Jason and Maddie had finally chosen the categories for the week, but as the week wore on, no one claimed ownership of the hub. (For those of you who are new to HubPages, claiming ownership is another way of saying who will write the roundup hub for the weekly HubNugget nominees.)

"Any luck yet?" Simone asked, as she flopped into the chair across from Jason.

"Not a peep." He answered. "This is most unusual! The week is almost up and the nominees haven't been chosen yet, and no one has claimed the hub as theirs! I don't know what's going on, but this just isn't normal!"

"Maybe Maddie and I should swing by the clubhouse and find out what's going on." Simone said.

"Excellent idea, Simone, I'll leave you and Maddie to sort this out."

Maddie and Simone packed up their gear and headed to the clubhouse. It was a glorious day for a road trip and both of them were looking forward to getting out of the office for a while.

After four songs and two games of 'Eye Spy', they arrived at their destination, but the clubhouse looked deserted. There were no cars in the parking lot, and only one small light shone from the kitchen window.

"It doesn't look like anyone is here," Maddie said. She unlocked the door and turned on the light. The living room was empty, but it looked like a hurricane had swept through the place.

"My goodness, what a mess!" Simone said. "I'll straighten up while you phone the team and find out what's going on."

Maddie grabbed the phone and started dialing. She started going down the list of names - RedElf, no answer, Enelle, no answer, ladyjane1, no answer. Finally, on the fourth phone call, Patty answered.

"Hi Patty, this is Maddie. Say, do you know whose turn it is to write the Nugget hub this week?" She asked.

"I just published mine, so it isn't me. I think it's RedElf's turn isn't it?"

"I thought she published the week before. Do you have the order list there? I can't seem to find it," Maddie said.

"Here it is. Just a minute. ladyjane1, Enelle, RedElf, me, then Gals. So it's Gals turn to write the hub." Patty said.

"Thanks Patty, I knew you would know! Talk to you later." Maddie said and hung up. She found Simone tidying the kitchen and told her the news.

"Great - we'll just give Gals a call and see if she needs a hand with the hub. It's always fun helping with the nominations, and everybody is just so busy lately.

After several attempts to reach Gals failed, Simone decided it was time to assemble the rest of the team.

"Ladies, we need the Baker Street Irregulars, or Originals or whatever their names are! This is an emergency! Gals is missing! She hasn't answered her emails, or phone calls or texts! We have to find her!" Simone said.

"I'll warm up the plane," Patty said, gathering her keys. "We can be there in half an hour...sooner with a good tail wind!"

"Be where?" RedElf asked

"Why Gals house, of course." Patty replied.

"But what if she is visiting family?" Enelle asked. "Shouldn't we check that out too?"

"Good idea, Enelle," ripplemaker said. "I think we should spilt up. We can cover more ground, er...air, that way. I'll warm up the Ripplemachine!"

"I can have the Gagaglider on the tarmac in ten minutes," ladyjane1 announced.

"Awesome! Let's get a move on ladies!" Simone said, leading the way. "ladyjane and I will head over to Gals' sisters' house, Patty, you and RedElf check out Gals' place, and ripplemaker and Enelle will go to Gals' mother's house. Somebody has to know where she is!"

"Wait a minute," said RedElf. "Maddie sent me a text - someone's sent her a list of six HubNuggets Nominees!"

The team was in the air within minutes of reading and voting, zooming off to the far corners of the globe - well, zooming off to the homes of Gals, her mother, and her sister. Moments after landing, they arrived at their various destinations and checked in with Maddie.

Patty and RedElf, called from Gals' place. "There's no sign of her here. Any luck at your end, Maddie?"

"No, but the weirdest thing just happened. Another batch of nominees just popped up."

"Well, you go ahead and check them out while we take another look around."

Maddie had no sooner finished reading the first batch of nominees and voting for her favorite than the phone rang again.

"Hi, Maddie," said ripplemaker. "Enelle and I have struck out here. Gals' mother hasn't seen her all week."

Just then, Maddie's computer chimed. "Hang on a sec, guys," said Maddie. "I've got mail." Maddie checked her inbox. The new email had an intriguing subject line: <An important message from an absent friend>

Maddie hesitated. What if it was a virus - or, worse, a spammer? "...and what if it's more HubNugget nominees?" whispered a little voice in her head. Maddie opened the email. "Oh, my!" It contained a list of six more nominees for the weekly HubNuggets Contest.

"That's too weird, Maddie!" ripplemaker and Enelle were just as mystified as Maddie. "Do you think KoffeeKlatch Gals could be sending you the nominees?"

"I'm trying to track the I.P. address, but I've had no luck so far!"

"Well, you'd better check out the nominees while we figure out our next step."

The mood at the clubhouse was somber. ladyjane1 and Simone had nothing to add - Gals' sister hadn't any idea about Gals' whereabouts either. No-one had turned up a sign of KoffeeKlatch Gals, and the whole team was worried.

"There must be something we've overlooked - some clue we missed."

"Do you think these brochures mean anything?" ripplemaker held out several colorful "Travel Africa" pamphlets. "I found them under this safari hat."

"Safari hat? Africa?" Patty grabbed the hat and tossed it to Enelle.

The kitty gravely removed her trademark chapeau and donned the safari hat, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "You know what this means, don't you?" she asked.

"Road trip!" chorused the team.

...and so, the adventure continues. Will the team find Gals? Will the team find Africa? Tune in for next week's installment to discover the answer.

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