Ch 4-6

      Chapet 4 The New Case

        It was three nights after the bank was robbed and David was returning home from the laundry mat with a bag of warm freshly dried clothes. When he entered his apartment, Marty was in his room talking. He heard another voice in there with him. He deduced that Marty must be with a client. He tossed his bag in his room and sat on the couch to watch some T.V. That was when the smell hit him like a freight train. He suddenly sat up. His nose twitched as he sniffed a few more times just to be sure.

        Yes, he was sure. There was a female cat in his apartment, and her scent was just too enticing to ignore. He looked toward Marty's room again. That must be who Marty's new client was. He ran to the bathroom to take a quick look at himself in the mirror. He hurriedly pick up a rag and rubbed out a ketchup stain on his shirt.
       
        So intent was he, on finding the owner of this new scent, he forgot to knock. He only realized this when Marty and the most beautiful Siamese he had seen looked up in surprised as he entered.

        "Ulm, this is my roommate David Wilkins. David, this is Emily Kita." Marty introduced.

        The Siamese looked up and smiled weakly. "Pleased to meet you, I thought I smelled a tom here." She was clutching a few pieces of crumpled tissue in her paw. Marty had set a box of tissue next to her on the desk where it was easily accessible.

        "Is there something I can help you with?"Marty asked showing a hint of annoyance in his tone.

        "Umm. . ." David's mind raced quickly for something to say. "Your soup burning." He blurted, saying the first thing that came to mind.

        "My soup? I was cooking soup?"

        "You better just come in here and check it out because when I go back, there was a pot of soup on the stove just smoking away"

        Marty sighed.  "Alright. Mrs. Kita, if you could just kindly excuse me for two minutes."

        "Okay, this better be good." Marty said when he didn't see any soup on the stove.

        "You gotta introduce me to that siamese in there."

        "What? Is this what you got me out here for? Do you realize that she's my client?"

        "Look, when I come home, I smelled a female in my apartment. what am I supposed to do? I couldn't just ignore it!"

        "I'm sorry David, when I invited her in I forgot I was sharing the apartment with a tom. She was crying when she came to my door and she looked like she needed help badly but I really have to get back to-"

        "Can I help you solve this case?"

        "What?"

        "Look Marty, did you see her? She's beautiful. I want to get to know her more. I'll definitely get to smell more of her if I go along with you on this case. Come on Marty please, just this one case."

        "Do you even have any experience in this field?"

        "No, but I guessed the end to about two or three mystery novels before I finished them."

        "I keep telling you this is not a novel."

        "Come on, you owe me one! Okay, you don't have to buy the coffee table if you agree."

        Marty did agree to buy David another coffee table, but that did not stop him from complaining when he found out how much it cost. It was an expensive coffee table. Marty paused to think about. "So what you're saying is if I let you accompany me, then that means that I'm completely debt free?"

        "Yup."

        "Okay, but You better keep your mouth shut and speak only when your spoken too."


        They returned to his office. "Sorry about that, I put something on for dinner and must have forgotten about it." Marty apologized to Emily. "Mrs. Kita, do you mind if David sits in with me on this one? He sometimes helps me out with some of my cases."

        "No not at all." Emily replied weakly.
       
        "Good then." Marty reached for a cigar. After striking a match and lighting it, he spoke.
     
        "So, Emily, tell me, what can I do for you?"
       
        Emily let out a fresh burst of tears. "It's my mate!"
       
        "You have a mate?" David asked, his heart plummeting.
       
        "He's vanished." She sobbed. "He's been gone for three days. He is never gone for that long without telling me! I don't know if he's okay or hurt, alive or- or- or . . ."
       
        "You have a mate?"
       
        "Now calm down Mrs. Kita." Marty said in a soothing voice. "Here, have some more tissue."
       
        Emily wiped her eyes and blew her nose softly. It took about a minute for her to regain her composure.
         
        "Now start from the beginning and tell me everything. Don't leave out a single detail." Marty instructed her
.
        "His name is Gary Robbins. We met online. My parent didn't approve of our mating because he didn't have too much money, but it didn't matter because we were in love. Anyway, one night we were supposed to eat out at a restaurant, but he never came to pick me up. I knew he would never stand me up like that so I was a little worried. So the next morning I called him to check on him but he didn't answer the phone. So later that afternoon I went over to his house. Only his younger sister, Carla, was there. She said she hadn't seen him ever since yesterday afternoon but she wouldn't say much to me because she didn't like me too much.

        "Their family was in a car accident when they were very young. Their parent, brothers and sisters died. They were the only survivors, so there were close. So they live together and Carla's finishing her education cycle.

        "Anyways, he hadn't returned to his house yet and neither me nor Carla has seen him or was able to contact him. Carla wouldn't tell me but I have a feeling that she's pretty worried too. I have tried calling his cell phone countless time, but it had been turned off."

        "Does Gary know anyone other than you and Carla?" Marty asked.

        "Oh yes, he has plenty of other friends, but I try to avoid most of them because many of them are a bit on the shady side, and a few of them even like to brag about their criminal records."

        "Does Gary himself have any criminal records?"

        "No, but he has admitted to me that he was involved in a few minor thefts and burglaries but he swore to me that he'd get a honest job and never break the law again."

        "And did he keep that promise?"

        Emily sighed. "Not exactly. I still had my suspicions that he was planning something else. One time I walk in on him while he and his buddies were playing cards and when I entered. The room had grown suddenly silent. I questioned him later and eventually he admitted that he was planning something. I couldn't get him to tell me what it was but he promised it'd be his last job."

        "Do you have a picture of him and a smell stamp?"

        Emily reached in her bag and withdrew a photograph and a piece of paper containing a smell stamp. Smell stamps were about the most important source of identification in Geltempo. Smell stamps were small stamp sized scratch and sniff sticker containing the creatures's own individual scent. There were at least three copies of smell stamps for every creature. One was on stamped on the creature's identification card, another copy was given to the individual to keep at home and the other was kept on record by the police.

        Marty looked at the picture briefly and then after passing it to David, scratched at the smell stamp. Ever since he heard the word mate, David lost most of his interest in the case but he half heartedly accepted the photograph anyway, just to be polite. In the picture was a black cat with a sly grin standing on a pier with the vast expanse of the Geltempo Bay behind him. He was proudly displaying a large salmon to the camera.  David had to admit, for a cat he had a lot of guts being around all that water. He handed the picture back to Marty.

        "Do you think I could get a look at your mate's house since it seems to be the last place he was seen?"

        "Yes, sure. I think I can arrange that." She said scribbling an address down on a piece of paper. "I'll call you later when I figure out a good time for you to come." She handed it to Marty.

        "Can I keep these on file temporarily?"

        "Keep them as long as you need them."

        Marty drew a manilla folder and wrote Gary Robbins on the tab. He put the address, picture and scent stamp inside and then swiveling around in his chair, put it in a filing cabinet behind him.

        "Please find him." Emily sniffed getting teary eyed again. "If anything happens to him, I don't know what I'll do!"

        "I'll do the best I can." Marty said walking her to the door.

        About thirty seconds after he closed it, a loud thudding sound came from the door. Marty got up and opened it. In the doorway an enormous mountain of fur loomed over him. David had to look for a while but he was finally able to guess that this looming beast was a Persian long-haired cat. Beside his size, the most striking part of his appearance was that every inch of his long white fur was done in dread locks.

        "May I help you?" Marty asked unperturbed by the cat's size.

        "So, you must be Marty Mask." He said. "I heard about you before, you're known a whole lot for sticking your snout where it doesn't belong."

        "Thanks, it's always nice to know that I'm still well know amongst the underworld of Geltempo."

        "Alright, let's just cut to the chase. What has she told you?"
       
        "Who?"
       
        "You know who! That siamese that was here earlier."
       
        "I sorry but private cases aren't one of the things I usually talk about with random stranger who come knocking on my door 10o'clock at night."

        The cat grinned menacingly. "I could beat it outcha' if I wanted to but that's okay because I know the general gist of it. She wants you to find her poor missing mate who has been gone for a pretty long time and she is rattled with worry. Am I right so far?"

        "I think it'll be in your best interest to leave."

        "And I think it'll be in your best interest to shuddup and listen. As I was saying, this case you will just have to mark down as an unsolved case. Gary Robbins stays missing. Got it?"

        "Marty laughed. "I love it when beasts think that just because they're a little bit bigger than me that they just can order me around."

        "Oh it's not just my size you have to fear Marty." Dread locks draped down from his arms as he held out both of his paws and flexed them. Four sharp long metal sickles shot out of each paw. "Like my claws? One hundred percent pure stainless steel, you see, they declawed me when I got out the slammer. Thought that might stop me from causing any more trouble. But I have connections you see, found someone who fixed me up with these beauties. Watch this."
       
        With a sudden swing of his paws he attacked to door. His claws sliced through it like butter.
       
        "Now that." He said indicating the deep gouges he left on it. "That can just as easily be your throat."

        Suddenly the clicking of a gun was heard. Marty had swiftly drawn his weapon and had it pointed at the cat's head.

        "Now I'm am used to creatures coming to my door trying to scare me off a case. It's happened many times before." Marty growled. "But you know what I really can't stand? I can't stand beasts who feel that they must mess up my apartment while they're at it. Now you have five seconds to get out of my sight though I probably won't count that long."
 
        The cat chuckled. "You think you can scare me with that thing?"

        "Five."

        "Alright, alright I'm leaving but just remember. This case is closed." And with that he silently disappeared from the doorway.







Chapter 5 The Geltempo Pits

      "Craving some salt? Then grab a Salty Sam's salt lick pop for a deliciously salty treat."

        Click.

"Don't lie to me Franklin I smell her scent all over you!"

click 

        Try our new wormy sandwich special. Made with the juiciest fattiest worms we could find served up with a side of wriggling grubs! Only at Bobo's Bug Shack!

        Click.

      "And now Dr. Grimper will be discussing his new book, 'twelve important steps for a healthy hibernation'."

      Click.

      "But after one week of using Sleek Sheen, I now have beautiful, thick, glossy fur."

        Click.

        "Can't let you do that Starfox!"

        Click.

        "In other news, homosapologist Dr. Fernando Flinch, has a new theory as to what led to the disappearance of humans."

        Click.

          "Wait, wait. Go back to that thing about the humans." David said.
       
David's friend, Larry, from next door, replied. "Big deal, a new theory about the humans.Do you know how many theories there are about the disappearance of human? Millions of them, you know why? No one really knows what happened to the humans. They were here one minute and then gone the next. We don't know because during Human Age we were all still on fours, running around in the woods, naked, and eating each other! We weren't fully evolved yet back then.Got any more chips?"

        "I'm not one of your students Larry.  You don't have to give me a whole lecture on humans. I was just curious anyway. I don't really care about something that happened two million years ago"

        "Yeah yeah yeah, You have any more chips? There's still some dip left and it would be a shame to have to eat that dip without any chips."

        "Well we don't have any chips because you hogged them all!"

        "Hey, I'm a growing hare. I'm just trying to keep myself well nourished."

        "Sometimes Larry, I think that you just come over here to eat my food."

        "Well I got some papers to grade so I better get going."

        "Bye then."

        "Bye, um . . .  You don't have any more chips so I was wondering-"

        "Just go ahead and take the rest of the dip Larry."

        "Thanks. See ya later."

        Picking up the onion dip, Larry left the apartment. 

        Five minutes later, Marty entered. "Emily just called, she said 2:30 is a good time and it's about the time it'll be when we get there if we leave now, you ready to go?"

        At first David had decided to just stay home that day. Especially after the cat with the dread locks visited them last night. He promised his mom he'd look for another job that day but like every other  he never got around to it and ended up wasting the late morning on the couch with Larry watching T.V. While Larry commandeered the remote and began to relentlessly flip through channels, David was thinking about Marty's case. In the end he decided what the heck. He wasn't going to do anything else that day and he was beginning to get bored out of his skull.

          "You got a gun?"  Marty asked.
 
      "Yeah I have one."David always kept a gun in the night stand by his bed. In Geltempo, there was no such thing as too safe.

        "Go get it then. 'Cause you might need it if we run into tinsel claws again."

        David went and fetched it. "Can I hold it?" Marty asked. David handed the gun to him and he examined it. "Ah, the 38. angry wasp. A good reliable weapon though I personally prefer my model 27. You ever shoot this thing before?" He asked handing it back to David.

        "I've been to the shooting gallery a few times."

         "I mean at live targets, the kind that move and shoot back at you."

         "Well, no."

"Hrmmm well if you stay in this business long enough you'll learn. Just remember to aim for the head."

"Won't that kill them?"

"That's the idea."

"but-"

"Listen to me David, if we ever have to use our gun it'll be most likely against murders and criminals, the filth polluting this hellhole of a city, you get rid of one scum and you'll be doing everyone else a big favor don't you forget that."

He shoved a clip in his own gun and tucked it inside his coat. "Let's get going now, I hate being late."

         They took a taxi to the West Side of Geltempo, or more commonly known as the Geltempo Pits. This area had the lowest property values in the whole city. It was hard not to see why.  Just about every beast they past seem to leer at them as if checking them out, determining if they had anything worth robbing. Gangs had sprayed their territorial marking all over the place so that every block stunk of them. David remember passing on tree that had something that suspiciously looked like a tail nailed to it. 

         As the walked down the street the door to a small dirty house was flung open and a possum hurriedly rushed out and then deliberately flopped down on the sidewalk. A few seconds later, a fat, angry, female, gun wielding possum arrived in the doorway glowering at him.

         "YOU AIN'T FOOLIN' NOBODY SHERMAN!!! I KNOW YOU AIN'T DEAD, SO GET UP AND START RUNNING!" She bellowed. The possum got up and shot off as fast as his four limbs could take him.  "AND IF I EVER SMELL YOUR DIRTY, ROTTEN, LAZY, TWO-TIMIN' SCENT AROUND HERE AGAIN I'MA FILL YOU UP WITH SO MANY HOLES THAT I JUST MIGHT HIT THAT PEA SIZED BRIAN OF YOURS!!!".

         "Nice place to retire, don't you think?" Marty said.

         As they walk down the street, a homeless otter approached them.

         "Hey mister you got a five?" He asked gruffly.

         Marty reached for his wallet and pulled out a five-amina bill.

         "Thanks."

         "Hey can you by any chance, tell us were Gary Robbins live?" Marty asked. 

         The otter looked somewhat surprised. "What business do you have with him?"

         "They're private matters."

         The otter looked as if he had something else to say but he decided to just say. "The apartment building one block down with the busted window, you can't miss it."

         "Thanks I have a number and I think I can take it from there."


          "Awful nosy for a bum." Marty said as they walked away from the the otter.

         "Maybe he was just curious."

         "Maybe but he was a little hesitant in answering my question"

         They then came across the apartment building. Surely enough as the otter said there was a big jagged hole in one of the bottom windows. A very shoddy patch job was done on it with some tape. A gang of about five weasels were siting on the steps. There was a particularly big weasel slurping noisily on a Salty Sam in between taking swigs from a bottle of Captain Clog's. David guessed that he was the leader of the gang because at his nod he and the rest of the weasels got up. They walked toward Marty and David. David reached in his coat and nervously pawed his gun but Marty stayed his arm. "These lowlifes aren't worth wasting bullets on. I'll handle this." He whispered.
         
The leader popped his Salty Sam out of his mouth and said. "So, you're a new
scent, I ain't smell you around here before."

         "Yeah there's a good reason for that too. Now if you could please move to the side, you're kinda blocking my way."  Marty said.

         "Awww. Is bad ol' Big Moe in the poor widdle racoon's way?" Big Moe jeered. The rest of his gang dutifully laughed, knowing the consequences if they didn't.

         "Yeah, I would try to squeeze past out but your fat behind is taking up the whole sidewalk."

         "Oh, so we got ourselves a smartmouth do we? Now gimmie yer wallet and I"ll consider forgetting what you just said."

         Marty then punched Big Moe squarely in the face. Big Moe reeled back squealing with pain. The rest of the weasel started to advance on Marty.

         "STOP!" Big Moe roared. "HE'S MINE!!! NO ONE HITS BIG MOE LIKE THAT AND LIVES!!!"

         The weasels stopped and stood still. Big Moe now livid with anger, busted his Captain Clog's bottle against the wall and swung the remaining jagged end at Marty. Marty quickly dodged this attack and hit Big Moe again in the stomach.

         All the breath went out of the weasel in one big woosh!. He doubled over clutching his stomach. Marty took that opportunity to kick him in the face. Big Moe went down.

         The rest of the weasels, seeing their leader out cold, were unsure of what to do. Finally they all scampered off.


         "You're late.  I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Emily said.

         "Sorry, got held up a little bit." Marty said. "Well let's take a look at this place" She was standing by an apartment door. She was wearing a cashmere sweeter and smelling prettier that ever. She reached in her purse and drew out a ring of keys. Then she opened the door and let them in the apartment.

         "So." Marty said. "After you left yesterday, we had an anther visitor, a white, Persian long haired, seemed to like dreadlocks a lot. He said that I should drop the case or else he would rip me to shreds with his synthetic claws. Very charming personality. Friend of Gary's?"

         "Dreadlocks threaten you? Why would he do that?"

         "So you do him then."

         "He's one of the beasts that Gary hands out with. He was the worst of them all.  Been in and out of jail so many time that Gary said he lost count. He openly brags that he killed eight beasts. On several occasions he had tried to hit on me and got really angry when I rejected him."

         "Did you ever tell Gary about this?"

         "Yes, I told him last week. He confronted Dreadlocks the next day. It got real ugly too. Dreadlocks cursed and threatened. I think he would have attacked if Gary wasn't armed. He eventually stormed out the house threatening to kill Gary if they ran into each other again."

         There were pages homework scattered on the table. A few empty chip bags littered the floor in front of the couch. There were a few pictures on the wall. There were some pictures of Gary and another tortoise shell which could only be his sister. Marty started to look over every room in the house. To David it seemed at first that he was just disturbing random objects and papers. But as he watched he began to notice that Marty examined each object he touched with close scrutiny.

         "Do you think he can find him?" Emily asked David.

         David was trying his best to talk smoothly but he couldn't. Her scent was driving him crazy and his tongue was tripping all over itself.

         "Who, Marty? Well er umm. . . Yeah he'll have your fiancé before the week is out or um soon. . . See right now he's uh. . uh . ."

         "I'm lighting a cigar."

         "Yeah that. It helps him think. Get his mind going and stuff like that."

         David wasn't sure if it was just his imagination but he thought heard a soft purr coming from Emily. "So, you two must have all the fun. Taking dangerous cases, and solving murders."

She said. Her bright green eyes were almost hypnotizing. His heart was thumping like a bass drum.

          Well uh. . Yeah sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we have to-"

         Marty suddenly interrupted momentarily breaking the spell that Emily held on David. " It appears that Gary left this place on his own free will."

         "Really but how do you know"

         "Now Emily, you say Gary and his sister lives here right?"

         "That;'s correct."

         "So I was in the bathroom, and I only counted one toothbrush there. I also
checked in his bedroom. His pillow and a large amount of his clothes were missing too. That means he must have managed packed himself a pretty hefty bag before disappearing."

         "B-But why would he disappear without telling me?"

         Before Marty could answer the door opened.

         "What are you doing here?!!" A voice angrily demanded.




Ch 6 The Mill Pond

 
    So would either of you mind telling me WHAT THE HECK YOU WERE DOING IN UPPER LEVEL?!!"
   
Chief Jonus Crankjaw, the bulldog police chief of ground Level was back from his vacation, which didn't a thing for his temper.
   
"I'm gone for just five days and the first thing I hear when I get back is Chief Grobeak squawking for you heads on a stick!"
 
    "But sir, The Fishheads were up there!!" Anya protested

      "Oh yeah? Well I just check by the detention center and guess what? THERE'S NOT A SINGLE FISHEAD IN SIGHT"

      "Aw c'mon cheif, We have the body of Lenny Shohair!" Grover said.

      "Oh well forgive me,Congratulations on capturing A DEAD CREATURE. He's sure gonna give us a lot of information!"

      Crankjaw sighed and sip his coffee. Frowning he spat it out.

      "How come there's no cream in here?"

      "We don't have any cream sir." Anya siad

      "No cream? What s'matter the cows on strike?!!"

      "Actually that's what I've heard."

      "Again? What is it this time?!!"
     
"I don't know, something about dairy benefits."

      "Dang I wish I was still on vacation! So anyways the only reason you two still have your badges is because we need you on a case. You see, there's still two million aminas worth of bills floating around in Geltempo somewhere. Now since you done gone and rushed up there, I’m gonna let you finish what you started and retrieve it. Now the money belongs to Baldy."

        "You mean Peter Mardoff?" Grover asked.

        How many Baldies do you know with that kind of money?!"

        Peter Mardoff aka Baldy was a very rich and influential naked mole rat, a rare species in Geltempo.

        Baldy was highly suspected by the police of organized crime. All of his enemies seemed to meet up with some kind of untimely end. But he was very good at keeping his paws clean. Anya had spent many nights in frustration trying to find evidence linking Baldy to one of his crimes.

        "Now the strange thing about it is that Baldy doesn't seem to want the money recovered."

        "What?! But that two thousand aminas!! Even for someone as rich as him that had to put a dent in his wallet!" Grover exclaimed.

        "Well he told us that he would prefer that we don't get involved with it."

        "Hmmm. . . sounds like something fishy is going own if he doesn't want the police to get involved." Anya said thoughtfully

        "I agree the whole dang thing stinks worse than a skunk convention." Crankjaw responded. "But unfortunately we can't do anything about without futher information. Now You've heard of Harold Spike, chairman of the Geltempo Bank."

        "He's Geraldo Spike's brother isn't he?"

        "Yep, anyways he seems to thinks the Geltempo Police Department is a magical fairy that can magic the money safely into his vault. He is threatening to tell his brother about it if he doesn't get it soon and the last thing we need is that pompous pincushion sticking his snout in this."

        "I'll see what I can do."

        "I don't give a flying flip about what you can do! All I care about is that the money is recovered before the week is out! got it? Now gerroutta my sight before I change my mind and take your badges anyway!"

         

          “I don’t believe this! How are we suppose to get that money back?! This is all your fault you know-” Grover complained.

        “Grover shut up.”

        “’We’re not suppose to go up there’ I say. ‘Let ULGAP take care of it’ I say-”

        “Grover shut up.”

        “But do you listen? Nooooooo. We go charging up there and almost getting shot up into swiss cheese-”

        “Grover shut up.”

        “And now Crankjaw sticking us with the impossible task of getting that-“

        “GROVER SHUT UP!!!”

        “Okay okay, sheesh,  you don’t have to bark.”

        “Do you mind? I trying to think here! Now we don’t have anything on the money but we may have better luck with the murder. It might be connected somehow with the money that was stolen.”


        An half hour later found them standing in the trashy apartment of Lenny Shohair.

        "Find anything?" Anya asked.

        "I found a huge stash of catnip under his mattress."

        "Well that will be useful." Anya muttered sarcasticly.

        "Eh what did he do?" An old nosy vole said standing in the doorway.

        "And you are?"

        "Agnes, Agnes Molds I live next door."

      "Are you acquainted with Mark Liner?"

        "Hmph! I should hope not. Obnoxious creature he is! Playing that loud music of his all hours of the night. Can't get a monents worht of sleep living near him and you can't say anything to him about it 'cause he's drunk half the time."

        "He gets drunk?"

        "Drunk as an ape."

        "Does he go a bar?"

        "He goes to that rowdy old bar down the street. I think it's called The Mill Pond"

          "Okay we'll be leaving now, thanks for your help."

          "Eh but what did he do?"




          "Where are we going now?" Grover asked as they walked down the street.

          "To The Mill Pond where else? If he drinks there alot, mabye we can get some more info on him there."

            Soon they were standing in a thick haze of smoke in The Mill Pond. The bar was noisy with the sounds of cursing, raucous drunken laughter, off-key singing, and racy mating calls. A rat plunked along on a piano in the corner skillfully dodging the occasional beer bottle thrown his way without missing a note.

          Anya and Grover asked around with no success until finally they found a newt who hadn't had the chance to get drunk yet and he suggested that they talk the bartender who was called Swamper.

          They went to the bar where there was a frog polishing a glass with a rag so grimy that he only succeeded in making it dirtier.

          "Are you Swamper?"

          "Dat's me. What kin I do for you?"

          "Do you know a Lenny Shohair?"

          "I know everybody who drinks at dis joint. But it's gonna cost ya twenty
amminas if yer gonna ask about him."

            "Gee, I don't twenty amminas. How’s this instead?" Anya said flashing her badge.

            Swamper eyes bulged then he sighed. He open his mouth to say something but instead his tongue suddenly lashed out like lightening and snagged a fly that had flow too close to him. "S'cuse me." He said. "Shoulda known yousa coppa. There ain’t too many dog custumers that come in Da Mill Pond. I may not look like but I’m a law abidin’ Geltempo citizen myself. So whadiya want ta know?”

            “Does Lenny have any enemies that you know of?”

            Swamper laughed. “Oh I see now. Now I know why you coppas is over here asking about him. Ol’ Lenny done got hizself whacked. Without payin’ hiz tab too. Shoulda known though, it was bound ta happen sooner or later wid dat business he wuz running here.”

          “What business?”

          “He wuz selling catnip”

          “So what you’re trying to tell me is that you had an illegal activity going on in
you bar and you didn’t report it?”

          “Look lady, if I repwaaa” His tongue snatched another fly out the air.

“S’cuse me, If I reported every illegal activity dat went on in dis joint, I’d be outta business in five minutes flat.”

            Anya decided to let that one go for the moment and returned to her original line of questioning. “So did he make any particular enemies in his . . . business?”

            “Well Lessee dere was a lot of fwaaa! S’cuse me, fights dat broke out in here over his business but dere wuz one dat got particularly nasty . . .”


            Lenny walked up to the bar and ordered a rhino killer martini with two sardies. Swamper knew that he was making another business deal other wise he wouldn’t have ordered such an expensive drink. By the time he had finished preparing it, Lenny was joined by a burly manx.

            “Got the nip?” The manx asked.

            “Got the money Manny?” Lenny responded.


            Manny handed Lenny a wad of money and Lenny handed him a briefcase. Manny opened it to inspect his merchandise.

            “Hey! This ain’t what I agreed to!”

              “Not my problem, I just take the orders.”

              “I want my money back!”

            “Well that’s too bad ‘cause you ain’t getting nothing.”

              'You gonna give me my money back or else I’m gonna claw your tail up!”

              “Mad ‘cause you ain’t got one?”

         That did it. Manxes were very sensitive about their tailessness.  He lunged at Lenny claws and fangs bared. Everyone moved away to make room for the yowling, hissing and spitting whirlwind of fur, fangs, and claws.

            Soon Lenny began to gain the upper paw. He was now on top of Manny with his claws at his throat. Swamper decided that it was time to intervene. If someone ended up getting killed here then there would be police dogs all over the place and that would be bad for business. He pulled his shotgun out which he kept under the bar for situations such as these. He click it to get their attention.

              “Alright, you two bwaaa, s’cuse me, break it up! If you want ta finish dis youse gonna have ta pick up where you left off outside!”

         The cats stopped fighting and got up glaring at each. “You better watch your back from now on.” Manny growled as he exited The Mill Pond. “’cause I ain’t forgettin’ you any time soon.”


              “See when someone gets da betta of Manny ina fight, well he doesn’t take dat too well. So if you’re gonna ask me ta guess who would like ta whack him I’d say Manny. Of course he’s got a lotta beast pissed at him.”

         Anya sighed, but it was better than nothing. “Can you tell me where this Manny lives?”

         “I can’t tell ya where he lives but I kin tell ya where he works, He waaa s’cuse me, he works as a janita down at da Geltempo bank.”

         Anya's heart fell. If Manny was working on the right floor at the right time then that would give him an ideal opportunity to claw Lenny in the back and if Manny was the killer then she would be back to square one. she had to make perfectly sure that Manny was the killer. Suddenly her phone rang, It was Crankjaw.

         “Anya get back down to precinct now! There’s someone here I think you might want to sniff.”

         “Who?”

         “Don’t start asking me a bunch of questions just get down here.” He hung up.

         Anya sighed and put up her phone. “We have to go.”

         “Good you coppas are bad for business.”

         “If you find out anything else, please call me at this number.” Anya scribbled her
number on a napkin.

         “Yeah. Whateva.”

         “Grover, you go on to the bank and question Manny. I’ll go see what this is about.”

         “Okay.”

         Swamper watched the dogs leave The Mill Pond and then tossed Anya’s number on a overflowing trashcan.


              “Ched Rocchett”  Anya said. “What brings you here this time.”

                The skinny rat made himself comfortable in his chair in the interrogation room. “Why else would I be here? I’ve got information.”

         “Okay Ched let’s cut the crap. I know you didn’t come down here just to gossip.”

                “Okay okay, fine, so I got busted for breaking and entering. I still have information for you. It’s about the Geltempo Bank robbery as a matter of fact.”
         Ched now had Anya’s full attention but she treid not to show it.

“But you’re not going to just give up this information for free no doubt.”

         Ched grinned displaying his repulsively yellow teeth. “Just a few years off my sentence maybe. Real modest considering the shoker I’ve got.”

         “You know I can’t do that.”

         “Well that’s really too bad then. I was just dying to tell someone about it too.”

                "Isn't this like the third time you've been brought in? That means your probably going to Lonely Rock."
               
                Ched's eyes grew wide. "B-but that place is for muderers and phsycos! You can't send me there!"
               
                "You oght to know by know, we're really trying to crack down on crime. Maby if we start sending more criminal to Lonely Rock you creatures will finally know we mean business."

                  "Please!" He sobbed don't send me to Lonely Rock! I'll tell you anything just don't send me there."

                "Well, lets hear what you got and I'll think about it."


         Ched sniffed the midnight air. When he was satisfied that he could smell no one around, he took his crowbar from his bag and forced the window to warehouse open. He scurried in through the window. He then clicked on his flashlight. He was sorely disappointed. The warehouse was abandon, but he could have sworn it was occupied because he saw cats coming out of it when he cased the place earlier.

         He sniffed the air once again. He could smell the cats’ scent and it was fresh. The warehouse was abandoned but there was still evidence that it was being occupied. It was then that he guessed that he had stumbled upon the hideout of the Fisheads. He smiled to himself. They had to be hiding a stash of cash somewhere in there. Maybe tonight wasn’t all in vain after all.

         He started to riffle through the crates looking for it when the door stared creak open. Ched panicked. If the Fishead found him in here he’d be mincemeat! He saw the door to the office nearby ajar. Clicking off his flashlight he scurried in. He found a closet in the office and hide inside.

Five minutes later he heard the footsteps of three beast entering . Ched sat the silently praying that they wouldn’t notice his scent. Chairs creaked as they sat down. 

          “Okay Baldy, now that we’re in my office we can get down to business.”

            “Lenny, I’m only going to tell you one more time to address me as Mr. Mardoff. Call me Baldy again and you might find yourself entertaining the fishes.”

            “I’ll call you what I feel like calling you. Now are we here to make idle threats or do business? You told me you needed the Fishead’s service?”

            “Yes I need you to steal some money from me.”

            “Wha? Why-”

            “I’m not paying you to ask questions. I’m paying you to follow my instructions to the letter.”

            “Okay as long as I get paid.”

            “Now, two days from now I have arranged for exactly two million amminas of cash to be transferred to the Geltempo Bank by helicopter to the bank. I want you and your gang to intercept it. After that you will deliver it to me. All the information you shall need is in this envelope.”

            “Okay. This will definitely be the weirdest job we ever did and I ain’t asking no question.”

            “Good it would be in your best interest not too.”

            “But, I do want to know how much we’re being paid here.”

            “After you take the money. You may keep twenty percent of it and don’t attempt to barter with me because I cannot budge on this matter. If you managed to fail and end up getting arrested, I warn you not say any thing about me. You will not be beyond my reach in jail.”

            “We’ll do it and we ain’t gonna mess up either. The Fisheads never mess up a job. Now if that’s all you have to say then you can get your fat ugly butt outta here, you hairless freak!”

            The chair squeaked as Baldy got up. The door creaked open.

            “One day Lenny I shall have to punish you for your insolence.”

            The door slammed shut.

            Ched heard Lenny open the envelope and look through the papers. He sat there for a good half hour, it seemed like days to Ched. Then he got up.
           
“I’ll have to tell the gang about this tomorrow. I got an appointment at The Mill Pond tonight.” He said to himself. He got up and left.

          Ched waited ten minutes before he even dared opening the closet a crack to peek out. When he was sure that the coast was clear he scampered out the warehouse, forgetting the money. He was just thankful to be alive.
 

            “I don’t get it. Why would he want money stolen from himself?” Anya asked.

            “How am I supposed to know? I’m just repeating what I heard. That's all I know, I swear!”

            Anya released Ched and had him sent back to his cell, pondering this puzzling new bit of information, Anya left the precinct and got in her car. First she would see if Grover made any progress with Manny then they would pay a visit to the Fisheads.