Chapter Text
Author's Note: Following the completion of my remastering of my early Dimension Four works, including the reworking of D4 Secret of the School Library into D4-D8 A Tick of the Missing Clock!, and embarking on remastering my Dimension Seven series, starting with the successful remastering of D7 City of Mysteries: The Mark of the Werewolf, I have reached the conclusion of making some story updates to A Study in a Missing Will to better fit with the world-building I have came to establish for Dimension Seven.
As such, some minor changes will be made as part of this remastering. Specifically, Garfield's surname will be updated from Wu to Ngôo, on account of the setting of Dimension Seven that is way different than the real world, similar to in Dimension Four.
Similar to in Dimensions Four and Eight, in this alternate version of Taiwan, not only is Hokkien (閩南語) the dominant language, it is also one of the two official languages alongside Japanese.
Considering that Garfield has Hokkien roots, it is more realistic in-universe for Garfield's surname to be spelled as Ngôo, as "Ngôo" is the Hokkien spelling and pronunciation of the surname 吳, which is spelled and pronounced as "Wu" in Mandarin and "Ng" in both Hakka and Cantonese.
On the same token, expect the English spelling of Taiwanese place names to utilize the Hokkien, Hakka, indigenous and Japanese spellings in place of the Mandarin ones in real-life.
For example, the southern city of Kaohsiung (高雄) will be known as Takao, which is derived from the indigenous name Takaw or Takau and subsequently adapted by Hokkien settlers along with the name of 打狗, which is pronounced as Takao in Hokkien. Takao is also the exact Japanese pronunciation of the characters 高雄, hence how 打狗 became 高雄.
Another example is that the town of Puli (埔里), located in the geographic centre of Taiwan, will be known as Purisia, which is an indigenous name of the area the town is located at.
As with all entries of the Garfield Stephenson Ngôo series, his namesake is the title character of the comic strip Garfield.
Therefore, as a disclaimer, the Garfield featured in these stories is Garfield Stephenson Ngôo, NOT Garfield the cat from the comic strip of the same name.
In spite of the similar setting as Dimensions Four and Eight, Dimension Seven primarily combines the gritty, darker and realistic setting of Dimension One (Couple with references to real-world events) while maintaining the period 1960s and 1970s setting of Dimensions Four and Eight.
On that account, unlike Dimensions Four and Eight, there's no floating timeline for this series and at the time of this story's setting, the Cold War was still ongoing, though just like Dimension One, there are still some differences between Dimension Seven and the real world.
As was previously noted, this story is based on the first Nancy Drew story The Secret of the Old Clock.
Prologue
June 26, 1962
Location: Purisia Town, Ramtau Prefecture, Anglo-Japanese Taiwan (英日臺灣南投縣埔里町)
The night sky was mostly calm with some light breezes with the night markets bustling with activity, and the A Maiden's Prayer can be heard throughout the streets of Puli as residents are alerted to the presence of the nearby garbage truck.
One particular garbage truck comes to a stop in front of a three-storey apartment, and the waiting residents immediately moved to have their garbage collected.
As that was happening, the scene shifts away from the people tossing their garbage into the trough at the rear of the truck and towards the dark, dimly-lighted alleyway nearby.
It was mostly crickets and silence while the full moon and the stars could be observed in the night sky.
All in a sudden, the silence was broken when footsteps can be heard racing past the bushes and a man was seen running away clutching a large purse.
The man in question was also holding a knife, and he was followed by a woman holding onto her ribs.
"救人!" (救命!) (Help!) The woman wailed as she chased after the man clutching her purse. "喊警察!" (叫警察!) (Call the police!)
Fully aware that the victim of his latest robbery was well behind him, the man continued running, intent on losing the woman that doesn't seem keen on giving up on her purse.
The scene then shifts back to the main street with the garbage truck, where another group of residents were grouped together a few blocks down the street and waiting for the garbage truck to arrive.
Among the group of residents waiting for the garbage truck were Melissa Lee (李宜月) and her four children, who were all holding a garbage bag.
As Melissa waited patiently for the garbage truck to approach, she turned towards her four children and saw David and the two sisters playing near the curb of the road.
"廣輝、俊玲和國芳!" (David, Diana and Emma!) Melissa said sternly as she put down her garbage bag and walked towards the three children. "不准任車路邊奕!" (不准在路邊玩!) (Stop playing on the side of the road!)
As the siblings continued playing, Melissa stepped in with her arm reaching to them and continued, "車路上有車，若無張持，恁會著傷的!" (馬路上有車子，若不小心的話，你們會受傷的!) (There are cars on the road, if you're not careful you will get hurt!)
She then tugged the trio back to the sidewalk and continued, "知無?" (知道了嗎?) (Understood?)
David and his younger sisters only looked at their mother before nodding.
During this time, the oldest sibling, nine-year old Garfield, was holding the garbage bag his mother had discarded to him in order to go over and discipline his younger siblings.
As his mother pulled his brother and sisters back onto the sidewalk, Garfield perked up when he heard running from the nearby alleyway.
"喊警察!" (叫警察!) (Call the police!) A woman's voice yelled from the alleyway, and Garfield turned towards the alleyway.
At that moment, the garbage truck pulled up, and as the crowd rushed over to toss their garbage into the truck, Melissa was about to have David and the sisters join her and their brother at the crowd when she saw Garfield wondering off into the dark alleyway.
"廣慶!" (Garfield!) Melissa shouted, though Garfield didn't stop as he continued into the alleyway.
Seeing that Garfield wasn't listening, Melissa swiftly grabbed David, Diana and Emma by the hands and tugged them towards the garbage bag Garfield had discarded.
"恁扞糞埽橐仔。" (你們扶著垃圾袋。) (You three hold the garbage bag.) Melissa instructed before turning towards the dark alleyway, though it was that moment that it happened.
In the moment Melissa turned towards the alleyway, she, along with a few residents that had just finished tossing their garbage into the truck, spotted the man from earlier tripping over as he ran past a utility pole.
What drew her attention was the culprit responsible for tripping the man, which became apparent as Garfield emerged from his spot behind the utility pole after having had tripped over the man.
Immediately, Melissa marched right over to her eldest son as a few of the residents looked on.
"你是任變啥物?" (你是在搞什麼?) (What is it with you?) Melissa demanded as she placed her hands on Garfield's shoulders and stared at him sternly.
Garfield simply pointed right on the wanted poster on the utility pole before pointing at the man he had just tripped, and Melissa and the elderly couple standing nearby looked at the poster.
The man Garfield had just tripped over had his mugshot on the wanted poster posted by the Ramtau Prefectural Police, and the poster itself detailed the man's physical description and the charges he is wanted for.
Further reading of the details on the poster revealed that the man was wanted by the Nagasaki Prefectural Police for extortion and armed robbery and was considered to be armed and dangerous.
Melissa then turned towards Garfield as two of the bystanders immediately moved to restrain the man Garfield had just tripped, though before she could say something, the woman that was robbed earlier emerged at the scene.
Noting the way the woman was clutching her ribs, one of the residents who had just finished throwing his garbage rushed back towards the garbage truck and urgently knocked on the cab door.
The driver was about to pull away when the resident knocked on the door, and he peeked out.
"打110。" (Call 110.) The resident advised as he pointed towards the scene.
Seeing the downed man restrained by some bystanders and a few more bystanders tending to the robbery victim, the driver nodded before shifting the truck to neutral and picked up the radio in the cab, connecting him directly to the dispatch centre.
A short while later, police were at the scene where the robber was handcuffed and taken to the back of the cruiser while paramedics look over the victim and patched her up.
Witness accounts soon led the officers to Melissa and Garfield, where the latter that was credited with his quick-thinking that stopped the armed robber from making his getaway.
"你是一个誠在膽的囡仔人。" (你是一個很勇敢的小孩。) (You're a very brave boy.) The police officer, whose nameplate read "葉國朗" (Wilson Ia̍p), praised as he gently patted Garfield in the shoulder.
As Melissa looked at Garfield proudly, Officer Ia̍p gestured towards the man as he continued, "你是按怎知欠要阻止彼人的?" (你是怎麼知道需要阻止那位先生的?) (How did you know that you need to stop that man?)
Garfield simply shrugged. "我聽著有人喊「喊警察」、亦斟酌彼張通緝海報上有彼查埔人的入案相片。然後有斟酌伊攑一個明明袂屬於伊的荷包。" (我聽到有人喊「叫警察」、也注意到那張通緝海報上有那位先生的入案照，然後有注意到他拿著一個鐵定不屬於他的錢包。) (I heard someone yelling "Call the police", noticed his mug shot on that wanted poster and observed the purse he was clutching that didn't belong to him.)
Ia̍p nodded thoughtfully and prompted, "那你是按怎知伊攑的荷包是搶來的?" (那你是怎麼知道他拿在手上的錢包是搶劫來的?) (Then how did you know that the purse he was clutching was robbed by him?)
Garfield's eyes twitched briefly before his eyes darted first towards the arrested mugger and then the victim with the purse.
GARFIELD'S FLASH VISION
As the flash vision closes up onto the victim's purse, Garfield's voice echoed.
"荷包有汗水。目前天氣寒，所以荷包上的汗水是歹人由被害人逃走時留在荷包的。" (錢包上有汗水。現在天氣很涼，所以可以說錢包上的汗水是歹徒從被害人跑走期間留在錢包的。) (There was sweat smeared on the surface of the purse, and considering the cool temperature right now, one can surmise that the sweat came from the robber as he ran off clutching the purse with the victim in pursuit.)
Then, the flash vision shifted to the robber's clothes, during which Garfield continued.
"𪜶衣有土，遮解釋伊過的所在。既然荷包無累積伊過的所在的土，遮表示荷包是歹人今仔搶的。" (他衣服上有一些土，這會告訴我們他去過的地方。既然錢包上沒有累積他去過的地方的土，這表示錢包是歹徒剛剛搶到的。) (Traces of dirt were smeared on his clothes, which pinpoints the locations he has been at previously. None of the dirt from his previous locations were present on the purse, therefore, the purse must've been recently taken by the robber.)
Soon, the blade of the knife held by the robber came into focus.
"歹人的刀有血。" (歹徒手上的刀子有血。) (The robber's knife is smeared with blood.) Garfield echoed, during which the scene shifted immediately to the victim as she clutched her ribs and he continued.
"另外，被害人已經超越月經的歲頭。伊又攑一張有鮮血的布，就按呢伊是佇強搶時予歹人刺傷矣。" (另外，被害人已經超越月經的年齡，她手又拿著一張有鮮血的布，因此她是在搶劫過程被歹徒刺傷的。) (In addition, the victim is already beyond the age where a period could be expected, she's also holding a cloth with blood, which means that she was stabbed by the robber during the robbery.)
END FLASH VISION
Ia̍p looked quite impressed as Garfield finished his explanation, and he looked at Melissa firmly.
"我無知恁心意是啥，但我會使講恁囝兒後擺有個偉大的前途，李婦。" (我不曉得妳的看法是什麼，但我可以說您兒子將來會有一個偉大的前途，李小姐。) (I don't know about you, but I can say that your son's got a bright future awaiting him, Ms. Lee.) Ia̍p said to her.
Melissa smiled. "多謝恁褒嗦，葉警員。" (謝謝您的讚獎，葉警員。) (Thank you for the kind words, Officer Ia̍p.)
Ia̍p nodded as he tipped his cap as they turned towards Garfield, who was looking at the squad car holding the robber as it pulled away from the scene.
Chapter 1: First Day of School
September 3, 1968
Location: Ottawa, Canadian Capital Territory, Canada, Commonwealth Federation
Fast forward to six years later, the now-fifteen year-old Garfield Ngôo was crossing the Bronson Avenue Bridge over the Rideau Canal at 8:07, on his way to his first day of school at Glebe Collegiate Institute.
In the years following the night he stopped a wanted robber from making his getaway, Garfield had experienced a lot of changes in his life.
Before getting on with how he came to be crossing the Bronson Avenue Bridge on his way to his first day of school at Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, it is necessary to dive into his background.
Born Garfield Stephenson Kóng-khìng Ngôo (吳廣慶) on June 23, 1953 in the Civic Hospital in Ottawa, he was the oldest of four siblings, with David following two years later on December 15, 1955, followed by Diana and Emma ten months afterwards on October 7, 1956.
Their parents were Gordon Su-guân Ngôo (吳舒源) of Pakmn̂g Township (北門村) in Tailam Prefecture (臺南縣) and Melissa Yi-yuè (Gi-gue̍h) Lee (李宜月) of Qūdònɡ Town (曲硐鎮) in Yongping County (永平縣) of Yunnan Province (雲南省) in China.
At the time of Garfield's birth, Gordon was completing his doctorate studies in Ottawa and working as a graduate teaching and research assistant.
When Garfield was six in 1959, the family moved back to Taiwan as Gordon was offered a teaching position at a then-new international university in Purisa (埔里).
The family settled down in the small town, where Garfield spent the first half of his childhood, during which he began attending school and started taking up violin lessons while continuing his piano lessons.
Shortly after Garfield turned nine in 1962, the family moved to Taihuku (臺北) when Gordon got a job transfer, which saw him teaching law and political science in the university he attended and graduated from years ago before taking an international exchange opportunity to Canada in 1947.
It was that international exchange that introduced Gordon to Canada and he made several friends, including a middle-aged couple who will eventually witness Garfield's birth in 1953.
That middle-aged couple were Garfield Thompson and Arlene Kelly, who had no children of their own but had took in many university students in the past, including Gordon, who they came to view as a son of their own.
The English-born Garfield Thompson, who eventually became Garfield Ngôo's namesake and adoptive grandfather, worked as a locomotive engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway and was frequently out of town, while Arlene Kelly worked as a secretary in the Canadian Army headquarters.
In his stay with the Thompsons, Gordon became familiar with Ottawa and acquainted with the Thompsons' family and relatives, and it was the generosity of the Thompsons that contributed to his decision to name his first-born son after Garfield Thompson.
Over the course of his growing up in Taiwan, Garfield became fluent in Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka and Japanese, in addition to the brief level of English introduced to him during kindergarten and the English classes in school.
Shortly after Garfield graduated from elementary school in 1965, a week after turning twelve years old, Gordon received an offer to take part in a two-year exchange to Canada, which will see him teaching international relations at the University of British Columbia during those two years.
After Gordon and Melissa had several in-depth discussions about the offer, the family decided to move back to Canada.
Arriving in late-August, the family decided to settle in a small apartment in Metrotown, one of the neighbourhoods of Burnaby.
As the family settled in Burnaby, Garfield and his siblings were enrolled in the nearby public schools.
It was during that time that Garfield also joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, a youth organization that promotes interest in aviation and joining the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Having had made a lot of friends in school, Garfield naturally felt sad about leaving them when his father's exchange term ended in the early summer of 1967, which was the year of the centennial of Canadian Confederation.
A series of turbulent events in the East Asia region contributed to Gordon deciding that the family should move back to Ottawa after further discussions while he returns to his work in Taiwan.
Boarding the Montreal-bound Canadian at Vancouver's Waterfront Station on June 25, 1967, the family had managed to pack their luggage and informed the Thompsons of their return in the days leading up to the four-day train journey.
Arriving at Ottawa Union Station on June 29, 1967, Garfield Thompson picked the family up and invited them to stay at their place in the interim while Gordon and Melissa searched for an apartment to rent.
On the topic of the family's train ride from Vancouver to Ottawa, it is worth mentioning that Garfield has a huge passion in trains and anything transportation-related.
As a young boy, he will often drag his parents to the nearby streetcar terminal to watch the streetcars and buses go by. His parents will also take him to downtown at times so he can watch the trains pulling in and out of Union Station and he enjoyed watching airplanes taking off, landing and taxiing during air trips when waiting for their flights at the airports.
Most of his toys were buses, tractor trailers and trains, and his drawings typically consists of buses, trams and trains, and he also enjoyed collected model trains, mainly in the N-scale.
He also had the pleasure of taking a ride on the then-brand new Shinkansen in Japan when he accompanied his father to a conference in Tokyo in the winter of 1965, and as a souvenir, he bought a N-scale model of the 12-car bullet train.
In addition to transportation, Garfield came to develop an interest in detective stories.
Particularly, he had a collection of Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin stories that he would read from time to time in his downtime, whenever he is not drawing vehicles or practicing the piano and violin.
As well, Garfield was a fast learner in martial arts, as evident by his frequent attendance of martial arts clubs after school during his youth, on top of looking up to the likes of Yip Man and Bruce Lee.
In enhancing his moves, he frequently practices in the front yard, and more often than not, he would engage in practice matches with his brother David, who likewise shared his passion for martial arts.
It was with Garfield's continued passion for martial arts that also contributed to the family renting a small house in the Alta Vista neighbourhood, which has a backyard for Garfield to continue to practice.
Enrolled in Hillcrest High School for the 1967-1968 school year, Garfield's transfer to an Ottawa-based Royal Canadian Air Cadet squadron from his old squadron in Burnaby was also approved with the new squadron based in RCAF Station Uplands, located in Gloucester South near the new Ottawa Uplands Airport.
The family only lived in the Alta Vista neighbourhood for year, for in the spring of 1968, Melissa, who by then was now working in the Ogilvy's department store branch in the nearby Billings Bridge Plaza and with support from remittances Gordon has sent from Taiwan, bought a house in Old Ottawa South just a few blocks from where the Thompsons lived.
As a result of the home purchase, the family moved back to Old Ottawa South in the summer and the kids subsequently transferred schools.
Which brings back to how Garfield found himself walking northbound along Bronson Avenue at 8:07 in the morning, about to cross the bridge over the Rideau Canal, en route to Glebe Collegiate Institute, where he had transferred to.
In spite of having had transferred schools in less than a year, Garfield was nevertheless feeling anxious as he walked along Bronson Avenue. Watching a streetcar speeding by, he was thinking what kind of interesting people will he meet and befriend in Glebe.
Those thoughts continued to remain in his mind as the school building slowly came into view, and Garfield prepared his resolve as he approached the main entrance door.
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