Later, at the Arabiflora party in the Ohio Student Union, the Conehead parental units remained far apart, often staying on different floors. At the time, most people just thought the family was trying to take advantage of the opportunity to promote their arabidopsis business ventures. Indeed, Beldar spent a great deal of time at the party selling commemorative photographs such as the one shown below.

When the party was coming to an end and it was time to start cleaning up, several of the Arabiflora volunteers were astonished to find that Prymaat was missing. The premises were searched inside and out but there were no signs of here whereabouts. At that point, interviews with Beldar and Connie led the staff to believe that Prymaat may have been abducted. Thus, began an investigation that would extend around the world to Australia.

The investigation was followed by the Arabidopsis community on the Arabidopsis News Group on the Internet for a short time. A search of the AtDB BioSci archives found the internet correspondence listed below.

Message #1

Subject: Desperately seeking Premaat Conehead (wife-unit of Beldar, mother-unit of Connie)

We are getting desperate. Ever since the disappearance of Premaat from the Arabiflora party in August, life has been rather depressing around our lab. Her charming daughter Connie, who was showing such great promise with her 2 dimensional art, is distraught. She hasn't been able to complete a drawing since her mothers unexplained disappearance and has become distant from her loving father-unit, Beldar (she appears to be blaming him for Premaat leaving the family). A few weeks ago, Connie ran off to live with our dishwasher. Rumors have been spreading around campus that she has been having 2 dimensional sexual encounters (apparently referred to in their home country as 'honing her cone') with many of OSU's young students. We would dearly like to have her return to her senses.

In addition to dealing with the pain from Connie's accusations and rejection of him as a father-unit, Beldar has been traumatized by the loss of Premaat. They had been inseparable until the night of the party. Beldar use to be a wizard in the laboratory, but now his only contribution is to hold the dart board against his chest while we play our usual afternoon dart game (perhaps hoping a stray dart will pierce his stately cone and end his misery). This behavior and his increased consumption of excessively vast quantities of beer is really getting on our nerves.

The investigation that has been conducted by the Arabidopsis Secret Service (ASS) has provided some solid leads. It seems that Premaat was abducted by a group of Fiendish Arabidopsis Researcher Thugs (FART's) sometime near the end of the Arabiflora party. According to the chief investigator from ASS, an important clue was left by the kidnappers. It seems that several party animals near the scene of the abduction reported a cheesy smell lingering in the air in the vicinity of her last know whereabouts. Her purse was recovered, but it was empty. Not even her cosmic cosmetic kit or conedums were left. Although they have a variety of circumstantial evidence, the investigators are in need of some physical evidence that will provide a firm link between the crime and the suspected FART's. Please help us if you have any further information. Beldar promises that a generous award will be provided to the person or persons who provide information leading to Premaat's safe return.

We are confidant that the ASS squads will eventually capture the perpetrator's of this extreme act of senseless violence against our honorable dignitaries from France (at least that's where they say they are from). With the help of the Arabidopsis community, we hope that we can rapidly reach the end of this fiendish ordeal and the Conehead family unit can return to their usually unusual activities. According to the chief ASS agents, there is no place left for the FART's to hide, not even Wisconsin!

Your help in solving this mystery will be much appreciated.

The Hangarter Lab

Message #2

To "Desparate", this article appeared in a recent National Inquirer issue:

Locals are distraught over the recent disappearance of Premaat Conehead from the Arabidopsis bash in Columbus, OH. One of our reporters has been investigating and offers the following leads which may suss out the problem: Arguing that Premaat would be hard to conceal on an airplane, she most likely was absconded by automobile. Thus focusing the search on a restricted area, our investigator uncovered a rumor of a sighting at a party close to a rather large lake, where an abundance of Old Milwaukee beer and cheese curd was served. Such goings-on may well be associated with FART activity, apparently under the auspices of an Arabidopsis training grant. Despite this fiendish assault, Premaat was reportedly fairing well, although board to death. There were murmurings that to avoid capture, she might be transferred to a sunnier location on a cliff overlooking a nudist beach in southern California. This rumour has not been confirmed.

Message #3

Subject: Premaat- wife unit of Beldar update

I have received the following message from an anonymous second party and am posting it as requested.

"Being that I am a member of the Secret Society of the Arabidopsis Training Grant (much more respectable and clandestine than the rumored FART's), I personally cannot confirm or deny any statements pertaining to our operations in the Land of Cheese. The intricate web of vows that ties, binds and gives us strength prevents me from doing so. However, through much deliberation the Exalted Silique and High Council has granted me ability to make a token press release: Premaat did not translocate her being in the van of Suss. Further information will be handed down at the discretion of the Exalted."

Any additional notices I might receive will be passed on.