The Mystery of Tad Strange [Complete]

Part 3

Tell me if there are any obvious mistakes... hopefully there aren't.

"Tad already left. Are you talking to yourself again? Ya dork." Mabel smiled, skipping happily into the room. "So. How'd it go?"

"Perfect, Mabel. Now I know for sure he's hiding something." Dipper circled a picture on his board with a big red marker. "And you're going to help me proove it."

"What? But he said it went well! Dipper, what did he possibly say or do to make you think that?"

Dipper snapped towards her and pointed. "He doesn't want me in his yard. That has to be worth something!"

"Dipper, finding Fordsy was one thing, this thing? It's eating you alive brobro." She frowned to the board. "What's your beef with him anyways? He's a great guy and-"

There was a pause.

Two sets of eyes landed on a piece of paper on the floor, one after another.

The former set of eyes became panicked when Dipper noticed his twin notice something on the board. Uh oh.

"Dipper." Mabel walked right up to the board and snatched a notebook page off it. The words 'break in' written clearly. "Seriously? Ya gotta let this one go. No wonder he doesn't want you on his property. This is... this is just creepy."

Dipper sighed. "You're right... It's been what? 15 minutes since I got up and I'm already freaking out?"

Mabel smiled. "Let's go watch ducktective."

Her brother smiled, gently flipping the corkboard, revealing the Mabelcorn again.

They both shared a laugh.

"Yeah. Let's do that. I can finish this another time."

She grabbed his hand and they both giggled as she hauled him downstairs.

The gentle wind blew and the color draining from the world went unnoticed. The attic window creaked open and from upstairs, Bill could hear them laugh and enjoy their show. Almost feel their happiness. He looked at the forgotten page blankly. So, they were going to break in? It'd be hilarious to see them try. Cute, even.

-

"What do you mean-" Dipper mimicked his sister's voice, pretty well, actually. It was almost scary... " 'You actually thought I was going to break into a house with you'?"

It had been only that morning he watched ducktective and thought about giving up. Until he realized that that was what Tad wanted.

"Dipper. You have to let this go."

"No, Mabel. I swear, he has control of your mind or something. Does that not- does it not bother you?" He asked as he dug through his Grunkle Stan's burglary kit.

It was before Mabel came in he had already put on the black suit, by now he was just double checking his supplies.

He slung a black bag over his shoulder.

"I know this is important to you, but ask yourself, if he really is a demon thingy, do you really want to be caught sneaking onto his property?" Mabel reasoned.

Dipper sighed, at the door. He loosened his grip. "Mabel, I-" don't want to go alone.

He took a sharp breath in before tightening his grip and flinging the door open. "I'm going to do this. If he's a demon then we'll need to find some sort of protection against him, right? Plus, that's not the main reason I'm going to break in. He can be anything, Mabel. He's keeping secrets and I'm going to find out what."

He snuck out in the midst of the night. Mabel watched him afar from a window. "Why can't he just take a break?"

"Because he's stubborn." Mabel's eyes widened as she jumped slightly in light surprise. She flipped around.

"Stan?"

Stanley gave her a small nod. "Kinda like me and Ford, I suppose." He took a sip of his Pitt Cola.

Mabel looked at him with concerned eyes before watching her brother stumble on the dirt road, longingly.

Stan squinted when Dipper got in the car. "Wait... is that my car?!"

Mabel laughed nervously, touching the tips of her fingers together nervously.

-

Dipper picked the lock to the car and hotwired it like his Grunkle Stan taught him.

In minutes, he was off. He parked on the curb on the road, a street away from his target. He snuck towards the house, attentive of streetlights and people.

He stumbled over the fence and made a soft oof. He wiped himself of pieces of grass before approaching the house. The only light that was on was the one on the 2nd floor.

Bedroom, he guessed.

He suck to his kitchen window. It was locked.

"He must have anticipated my investigation." Dipper mumbled to himself.

He grabbed a blow torch from his bag and started to soften the glass. He continued and used a metal stick to open it up more.

After an extremely boring half hour, the hole was big enough to get through.

He laid padding on the hot glass so he wouldn't burn himself. Making sure it was secure, he left it for an easy escape.

It was a standard kitchen. Nice, actually. The cupboards were white and the counters were a sleek black. There was an island in the middle that seemed to connect to the other open room. The dining room, he guessed.

He took a peek in the cupboards to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. Human children, souls, dead animals... the works.

Normal enough, all there was was bread. I mean... it was still kinda weird he had cupboards filled to the brim with bread though. He closed them.

Under the sink? Bread. Huh.

In the pantry? Bread... and other wheat related products.

Under the island? Bread.

Dipper was beginning to notice a pattern here. The weirdest part was that he'd never seen the brand in Gravity Falls before...

He moved onto the next room... it was worse. The living room was full... to say the least.

"This can't be it." Dipper said to himself. It was just- THIS could not be it.

The boy sighed, the feeling of emptiness started to tug at him.

This can't be it... can it?

but it was.

Dipper retreated, unsatified with his work.

Tad sighed, watching the kid mope over his fence. He shook his head. "Here I thought he'd find out."

He slid off his tie and it sizzled into the ground.

He smirked with each step, his body burned into anew, his hair turned a deep purple as he slid on his blazer.

From atop a pile of bread, a bowler hat floated to his hand. He slid it on.

His friends should be here soon.

The brim of the hat shaded his face. "It'll be one heck of a party." He smiled up to his floating triangular acquaintance.

His aquaintance's eye crinkled up in a small smile.

Just out of earshot of Dipper, the two barked out a laugh.

The boy cleaned out his ears, looking back to the normal bread infested house. He shrugged. "Probably nothing."