The Madness of Dr Dream

By Richard Pinkerton

Dr Dream is back and his memory has been restored. He also has a new amazing invention which propels the RCI into a bizarre alternative universe where they are lost, bewildered and have Dr Dream’s squad hunting them down.

Even more bizarre, the universe they find themselves in is running backwards.

Book 22 in the RCI series

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Pinkerton
• Release date: Mar 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005556082

Richard Pinkerton

I am in my early 50s and have been writing now since I was 12. I prefer to write light-hearted drama but have written a little fantasy horror and science fiction too.I have an entire series of high school novels (19 of them so far) set in New Zealand (The Mob from TAC series), which I will gradually publish if there is a demand.I prefer to use a mix of quirky and outrageous characters you would never come across in reality and also your every day Joes.My writings are aimed at teenagers mainly, but also young adults.I have also written a series of detective novelettes, most of which can be found on my website. The majority require work, to be able to be published here, mainly due to copyright issues.Please do leave feedback or contact me if you want to know more about my books.

Book preview

The Madness of Dr Dream

(Book 21 in the Rex Cassidy Investigators series)

Published by Richard Pinkerton at Smashwords

Copyright 2021 Richard Pinkerton

Other books by Richard Pinkerton

The Rex Cassidy Investigators

The Curse of the Witchdoctor

The Secret of the Devil’s Triangle

The Gruesome Murders at Manhattan High

The Case of the Cattle Rustlers

The Mystery of the Moving Statue

The Secret of the Phantom Clown

The Case of the Landmark Terrorists

The Great Prison Break

Doppelganger Madness

The Angel and the Hag

Aliens in Atlantis

The Revenge of Dr Dream

The Return of Fingers McGraw

The Angel Cassidy Rescue

Silhouettes of a Moving Statue

The Second Great Prison Break

The Legacy of a Roving Buccaneer

The Return of Fingers McGraw II

The Isle of Bad Dreams

Others

Dead End High

Dead End Town

Time Warped

The Mob from TAC series

CHAPTER 1:

Serious Consideration

The new Cassidy mansion

Rex Cassidy had been in his new Bel Air Mansion now for three weeks, along with his gorgeous wife and their children. Rex had to admit, it was great having their own place to themselves, even though they had always had their own private accommodations at the RCI estate. It felt like it should be, just them as a family; Vanessa, Rex and their children.

He sat that evening in his lounge. Oliver was in his room playing, while April played with toys on the lounge floor. Vanessa relaxed on the couch with her feet up on Rex’s lap.

‘It was time to move on,’ Rex said. ‘When we came to the USA nine years ago, we all needed each other. It was foreign to us and we were like a big extended family exploring a new world, but we’re all well and truly part of the culture now. Oliver is six. April is four. They need to have a normal family environment.’

‘They do,’ Vanessa had agreed. ‘And I’m so happy it’s just us now… oh and of course our housekeeper, Rhiannon. Not that I wasn’t happy before, of course I was, but it’s like it should be now. Just you and me together and our kids.’

‘And the housekeeper?’

Vanessa laughed. ‘You have to admit, she is lovely and a pleasure to have around.’

‘That is true.’

‘And so much more pleasing on the eye than the RCI’s old butler, Max. Ooh la la.’

Rex chuckled. ‘Right again. Positive changes all round.’ He sipped on a glass of wine and stared for a moment at the ornaments on the shelf opposite them, other thoughts crossing his mind. ‘There’s something else I’ve been thinking that needs to change too.’

Vanessa rose her eyebrows. ‘What?’

Rex sighed. ‘I’m thinking about the RCI… Maybe it’s time I stood down as leader.’

Vanessa’s eyes widened. ‘Seriously?’

He’d mentioned the possibility many times before, but had never gone through with it. ‘I think it’s time.’

‘But, darling! Detective work is your life. You love it.’

‘Mmmmm,’ Rex said. ‘I love it most of the time, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately and there are aspects of it that you know have been an issue for me for a long time now…’

‘I know,’ Vanessa said. ‘Your fear of us being harmed.’

‘That’s right. I know we’ve put a lot of security measures in place, but you know that sometimes they’re not enough. In the past, there’ve been breaks in the chain and it’s resulted in some close calls, especially when you were abducted by ninjas that time and Tiny Flynn kept you prisoner—’

‘And you wiped out almost his entire gang to rescue me.’ Vanessa smiled.

‘I don’t want anything like that to happen ever again. I realise that we’ve made enemies and that some of them are still out there, so we may always be in a certain amount of danger, but I’m at the point now where I really don’t want to make anymore. I want you safe, Nessie. And the kids too. Oliver’s in school now and it won’t be long before April is too. I hate the thought of them being targeted.’

‘I know,’ Vanessa said. ‘It worries me too.’

‘And it’s not only that, but all I want to do now is be with you two and the kids. The world is our oyster and there’s still so much we haven’t done. Life is short and I don’t want to waste any of it. I want to spend every minute I can with you guys. I don’t need to be off places tracking down scumbags all the time. Not anymore.’

‘Wow…’ Vanessa stared at him. ‘You’re really serious, aren’t you?’

‘I am.’ He rubbed her bare leg. ‘If anything were to happen to you… to the kids. I’d never forgive myself. You’re the most important things to me in the world. You’ve already been put through too much as it is. I’ve nearly lost you several times. I don’t ever want to be in that situation ever again. You understand, right?’

‘Of course, I do and you know I’ll support you no matter what you do, but… but how will the RCI cope without you as leader?’

Rex chuckled. ‘They’ve been doing fine without me… the times they’ve taken on cases without me involved. Colin is more than capable of leading the squad. He’s developed a strong reputation too. The Rex Cassidy Investigators will continue to thrive even without Rex Cassidy.’

Vanessa sat up and placed her feet back on the floor. Her alluring sapphire-blue eyes gazed into his. ‘I’m still trying to get to grips with this. Are you seriously considering retiring? Really?’

Rex placed his hand on hers. ‘Yes. I’m really considering retiring from detective work for good.’

* * *

The Rex Cassidy Investigator’s Estate – Hollywood

‘I think… therefore I am…’ The hugely obese Tucker Pyles stood before his fellow RCI in the communal lounge of the RCI estate, while they watched the news on television.

Pete Cook looked up nonchalantly as his pal who stood there with his finger raised in the air as if it was his own quote; his own profundity. ‘Well… I guess that explains why you haven’t advanced very far up the evolutionary ladder.’

‘URRRrrrrbbarrrrrrr!’ Tucker snarled. ‘How dare you make fun of Tucker Pythagoras, the greatest philosopher in the world.’

‘I thought Pythagawiss was a mathematician,’ said one of the more eccentric members of the RCI, Super Val. He was dressed as he normally was in tights and a cape with the letters SV on the front.

‘He was a philosopher as well!’ declared Tucker. ‘What was it he once said? The square left-angled triangle is equal to that of the right-angled square.’

‘I think you fucked that one up a bit,’ the burly Will Ullman grumbled.

Tucker paced the room, a frown on his face as if trying to rack his brains for more profound statements. He pulled to a halt. ‘The king’s leg is very short… and his arm is very long.’

‘That doesn’t make any sense at all,’ said SV.

Pete snickered. ‘Yeah, well neither did that rumour about Tucker being born of a human, but he’s here isn’t he?’

Tucker glared. ‘URRRBBARRRRRR! You’re going the right way for an ubbering, Cook!’

‘That’s an intelligent comment coming from a philosopher.’

Tucker clenched his fists. ‘You want intelligence? I’ll give you intelligence.’

‘No thanks, I’m not that hard up.’

‘Pythagoras’s theorem! I thought of it myself. A squared times B squared… equals C circled!’

Pete drew back. ‘What?’

‘A squared times B squared equals C circled. That’s Pythagoras’s theorem.’

Pete rolled his eyes. ‘It’s A squared times B squared equals C squared you idiot. Even I know that and I failed Level One maths.’

‘That doesn’t make any sense,’ Tucker growled.

‘Yours make even less sense.’

Will… or Wal as he was better known, snickered. ‘Well, he did say it was his own theorem,’

‘True.’

‘I was right then,’ Tucker declared. ‘It does equal C circled.’

Pete shook his head and let out a sigh.

Rog Shepherd, better known as Sheep entered the lounge. He was an old high school buddy of a number of the RCI and had been a guest now for two months, enjoying an extra-long holiday.

‘Oh-oh, Sheep,’ Pete said. ‘Better watch out and keep your ears open. We have the great philosopher Tucker Pythagoras in our midst and he might say something profound.’

‘What?’ The athletic blonde man snickered. ‘The fatter you are, the stronger you are? I’ve heard him say that enough times.’

‘You got it. Plus his other favourite saying, If it’s food, eat it.’

Everyone but Tucker laughed.

The fat man scowled. ‘Don’t laugh! Those are deep and meaningful quotations.’ Profundities! They don’t call me the Great Philosopher for nothing, you know. Just look at all those philosophers who are related to me.’

‘Like who?’ Sheep snorted.

‘Like…’ Tucker paused and scratched his chin. ‘Aristyles!’

‘Aristotle?’

‘No, Aristyles was his real name. One of my ancestors. There there was Heitucker.’

‘Heidegger,’ Pete said softly.

‘Socropyles.’

‘Socrates,’ Pete translated.

‘You see?’ Tucker said. ‘I have heaps of famous ancestors who are philosophers.’

‘Sure,’ Pete said. ‘And they all hated food.’

Some late-breaking news came over the air, so all their attentions turned to the screen.

The notorious Dr Sid Dremain, AKA Dr Dream, has escaped from the psychiatric wing of the Los Angeles Penitentiary three hours ago…

Pete groaned. ‘Shit! That’s all we need is that psycho on the loose again!’

Prison guards have no idea how he managed to escape from his locked prison cell and they are totally baffled. After a thorough search of the facility, he was not able to be