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Chapter 20: The Duchess of Gooseberry

Jason awoke to Ellie nuzzling his neck; her long ears brushed over his face as she

rubbed her nose into his fur. The morning sunshine was beginning to pour through the bedroom

window, but Jason wasn't sure he wanted to get up. He wrapped his arms up over Ellie's back

and hugged her tightly. Pppppt. Jason's eyes shot wide.

"Was that a fart, Ellie?!"

Ellie squirmed in his arms, "You squeezed it out of me!" she protested.

Jason snorted in amusement and squeezed her again.

"Stop! You're going to squeeze my pee out next!"

"I told you I was going to make you wet yourself," he joked.

"You're the one who's going to be washing the most pee off themself, and I'm not

washing the sheets either!"

Jason loosened his hold, and Ellie slipped away, hopped out of bed, and hurried out of

the room. I guess I really was about to squeeze the pee out of her. Jason dragged himself out of

bed and looked out the window. Everything was wet from the light rain that had started late

yesterday evening, but the cloudless blue sky promised a pleasant day ahead. Ellie returned to

the room and slipped up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist.

"A little late, but I wanted to say this: good morning, Sweetheart," she said.

"'Sweetheart?'"

"Don't you like it? You're my sweet kitty after all."

Jason put his hands on her arms. "I like it. What should I call you?"

"Ellie."

"Just your name? Not Honey Bunny or something?"

"Gross, Jason! Think of a decent pet name at least."

"How about Cutie Pie?"

"Ick! Are you even trying?!"

"How about Master?" he suggested dryly.

"Now you're getting somewhere," Ellie quipped.

"I'm just going to use Sweetheart too or Sweetie. I don't see how you can object to that."

"I can, but I won't. Those are fine." She hugged him. "I'm hungry. Let's go downstairs

and have breakfast."

"Alright, I'll meet you down there in a minute."

Ellie let go and made her way to the stairs. Jason headed for the bathroom. After he'd

peed as well, he went down to the kitchen. Ellie was digging through the pans; finding the one

she wanted, she dropped the stainless-steel pan on the stove with a clank.

"What are you making?" Jason asked.

Ellie turned to look at him, "Just some oatmeal. Want some?"

"I'll have a little, thanks."

"What are you going to make?"

"I was going to fry some bacon."

"Does that smell strongly?"

"Er, yeah, maybe I'll have something else."

Ellie shook her head. "I'll sit by the window; I'll be okay."

Jason got the bacon out and started defrosting it while Ellie cooked the oatmeal. He also

began percolating some coffee; at least that didn't bother her. He waited until she was done at

the stove to start cooking the meat. Ellie sat at the seat by the window and opened it wide.

Jason hoped she would be okay. Maybe he should wait until she was finished eating. Hesitantly,

he looked from the skillet with bacon to Ellie.

"Go ahead," Ellie instructed.

Jason obeyed, and lit the fire under the cast iron skillet. The bacon soon began to sizzle

and produce its pungent, savory aroma that made Jason's mouth water. He watched the bacon

sizzle and pop hungrily, attentively poking it with the spatula to make sure it didn't get overdone.

Finally, his breakfast was ready. He scooped the bacon onto a plate and the rest of the oatmeal

into a bowl and turned toward the table: Ellie was sitting with her head in the window, her nose

pressed against the screen.

He winced guiltily, "Sorry, Ellie."

"I said not to apologize," Ellie reminded sternly, but she didn't remove her face from the

window.

Jason began to eat. He glanced at Ellie's bowl and winced again: she'd hardly started on

her own breakfast. After a few minutes, the smell began to clear.

"I think it's getting better," Jason noted.

Ellie turned her head back into the room. She made a nauseous face and turned back to

the window. "Can you get me a damp dish rag?"

Jason got up, retrieved a dish towel from the bottom drawer by the sink, dampened it

with tap water, and brought it to Ellie. Ellie took the towel and put it over her nose before she

turned away from the window. She scooped up a spoonful of oatmeal and transferred it to her

mouth, still holding the towel with the other hand.

"Sorry."

Ellie gulped her food. "I said not to apologize!" she snapped.

"Sorry."

She glared.

"For apologizing!" he added quickly.

She sighed and shook her head, "No, I'm sorry. I'm upset with myself for not being able

to handle it. I shouldn't take it out on you."

"It doesn't make me think any less of you that the smell bothers you, Ellie. I'll wait until

you're done eating next time I make something that aromatic."

"I don't want you to have to constantly accommodate my nose."

"It's no problem, Ellie," he assured her. "I'm happy to wait if it means you get to enjoy

your meal."

Ellie sighed resignedly, "Alright, thanks, Jason. I hope I'll get used to it eventually."

They finished their breakfast, and then Ellie glanced at the clock.

"I guess we got up a little late today," she noted. "Usually, I go jogging before breakfast.

You can start joining me."

"If you want me to."

"I do. We've got to make sure you keep fit. If you start to get fat, I'll have to put you on a

diet," she replied lightly.

Despite her tone, Jason suspected she was serious. "I guess we should get ready to

go," he stated, changing the subject from whether Ellie would restrict his diet.

They returned to the bedroom to get dressed. Jason donned a red and gray striped tie

and a white shirt collar while Ellie put on her sleeveless, white, collared blouse. After they'd

brushed their teeth, they headed back down to the living room where Jason retrieved his phone

and holster and Ellie grabbed her satchel, both of which they'd left on the futon. They proceeded

to the door and out to their cars.

"We can ride together now," Ellie stated cheerfully. She smirked at him, "You'll get to ride

with me every day," she teased. "Won't that be exciting?"

At least it was a short trip, giving Ellie few opportunities to put him on edge before they

arrived. They arrived by half past eight, but the answering machine in the office was already

blinking with a chartreuse 2. Jason pushed the play button.

"Hello? Inspector Bennett? This is Katya. I hope this is alright, but I referred a rabbit with

a missing husband to you. I called Officer Schulz, but she wasn't interested. She thinks he ran

off with a mistress, but his wife is certain he wouldn't do that. She's really distraught. It seems

she called his office when he didn't come home this evening, and they confirmed that he'd left.

She drove his normal route home to look for him but didn't see him, and that's when she came

to us. I wish Officer Schulz would have taken the case. I didn't want to worry his wife, but

another missing prey, you know what that could mean. I hope I'm wrong and you find him, even

if he was with a mistress. Good luck, bye."

The message ended, and the second one started playing, "This is Gretchen Potter. It's,

it's my husband Bartholomew; he didn't come home last night. The police said I should talk to

you. I'll be in this morning. I hope you'll be in by the time I get there. Bartholomew wouldn't just

disappear like this; I know he's in trouble. My number is five, five, five, seven, eight, seven,

nine."

The message ended, and Jason glanced at Ellie: she looked as troubled as he felt. It

was hard not to share Katya's suspicions.

"Should we even take the case?" Jason asked. "If we find he's been murdered, we have

to turn it over to Lily anyway. I can't believe she didn't take the case."

"I can believe anything regarding that twit's negligence at this point," Ellie growled.

"Anyway, that's exactly why we have to take the case. This is the soonest we've ever been able

to investigate after a disappearance."

Jason nodded. If Lily was going to dismiss the case as marital strife, she couldn't object

to them taking it. He still couldn't see how she didn't think it was worth investigating though. She

wasn't a moron.

Jason and Ellie waited anxiously for the rabbit to arrive. A few minutes before nine, there

was a knock at the door. Both of them leapt up to answer it; they almost collided as they rushed

for the door. They exchanged a glance, and Jason let Ellie get it. A white rabbit with gray-blue

eyes, wearing a long-sleeve, lavender blouse and holding a glossy black clutch, stood in the

doorway.

"I'm Gretchen Potter. I left a-"

"We've been expecting you. Come in," Ellie instructed.

The white rabbit nodded and stepped through the door. She glanced worriedly around at

the messy office with its boxes sacked haphazardly around the room, but then pulled a photo

out of her clutch. "This is Bartholomew."

Ellie accepted the photo and looked at it before holding it up for Jason to get a better

look at: the smiling brown rabbit in the photo was wearing a dark blue scarf. Jason nodded to

indicate he'd gotten a good look, and Ellie slipped the photo into her shirt pocket.

"We got your message," Jason told her. "Can you help fill in the details? Where does

your husband work, and when were you expecting him home?"

"He works for channel five news. I was expecting him home by a quarter after eight, but I

didn't really start to get worried until eight forty-five. He often gets held up at work. His boss is

a," she paused and seemed to consider Jason. "Well, he's not the most considerate."

"Who's his boss? We might want to talk to him," Ellie inquired.

"Ferdinand Gamboa. I'm not sure you'll be able to talk to him though."

Ellie frowned, "You don't think he'll be willing to talk about his missing employee?"

"You can try, but I doubt he makes time to talk with anyone."

Ellie looked puzzled.

"He's one of the primary newscasters on channel 5," Jason explained.

"Oh!" Ellie looked at Gretchen embarrassedly. "I don't watch tv," she explained.

"We'll try to get him to talk to us anyway or anyone else who might have talked with your

husband before he left," Jason decided. "What about the route? Can you show us the route he

usually took home?"

Mrs. Potter nodded. Ellie hurried over to her desk to nab her tablet. Pulling up a map of

the city, she held it out to Mrs. Potter. Mrs. Potter poked around on the map until she found the

right area and zoomed in to show the relevant streets.

She traced the route with her finger, "The studio is here on East Walnut Street, and he

usually walks up Twelfth Avenue East and then down here on East Ivy, and then we live right

here just off of Ivy on Ninth."

Ellie nodded, "Got it."

"Can you think of any reason he might have gone another way?" Jason queried.

"He wasn't cheating on me if that's what you're implying," Mrs. Potter snapped.

"I wasn't suggesting that," Jason clarified mildly. "I meant, was there any reason he

would have decided to stop by a shop or run any other errand on the way home?"

"Sorry, uh, no, there was no reason. He would have let me know if he was planning to.

He was getting home late as it was."

"Is there anything else you can tell us that might be helpful?" Ellie asked. "What did he

say to you the last time you talked?"

Mrs. Potter shook her head. "He called me at seven thirty to say he'd be home around a

quarter after eight. I told him I was preparing braised beets. He said he was looking forward to

them. That was all."

"We'll do our very best to find him, Ma'am," Jason tried to assure her; it was difficult

when he suspected the poor rabbit had met the same gruesome end that so many other prey

had lately.

"Thank you, I hope he's okay, but," her voice cracked. "But somehow I just know he's in

terrible trouble." She quickly turned her head to the side, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve, and

took a deep breath. "Excuse me," she apologized. "I have to stay calm. He may be perfectly

fine."

Jason placed a hand on her shoulder, "We'll do our very best, Ma'am," he repeated.

She looked up at him hopefully, and Jason's heart wrenched with sympathy and guilt. If

they were right, her husband was probably already dead. He didn't want to panic her in case

they were wrong, but he felt like he was giving her false hope. On impulse, he pulled her in and

hugged her, trying to comfort her not only for her worry now but for the despair to come. She

tensed but then relaxed after a couple seconds. A couple seconds later, Jason realized how

inappropriate his action had been, and quickly released her.

"Sorry!" he apologized hurriedly.

"It's okay. I, I think I needed that," she murmured embarrassedly.

"We'll let you know as soon as we know anything," Ellie told her.

Mrs. Potter nodded, "Thank you again. I'd better leave so that you can get started." She

glanced between the two of them. "Good luck! For Bartholomew's sake!"

"And for your sake," Jason added.

Mrs. Potter nodded again and turned for the door. Jason and Ellie watched her leave.

The door shut behind her, and Jason listened to her footsteps receding down the hall to the

elevator before letting out a groan.

"I can't bear it!" he moaned. "Why? Another person murdered, their loved ones

devastated, for what?! Someone's sick pleasure?!"

Ellie turned and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I know, Jason: it's

horrible to think about, but that's why we have to catch this monster! We have to make sure Ms.

Potter is the last person who has to go through this!"

He hugged her back. Her embrace didn't take away the pain of the knowledge they'd

most likely have to tell Mrs. Potter her husband was dead, but it made it a little easier to bear.

They went to the channel 5 news studio right away. There was a parking lot, but it was

gated with a sign reading 'Employees Only'. Ellie parked on the far side of the street, and they

ran across during a break in traffic. They were met at the door to the red brick building by a

white bull terrier in a black security guard's uniform top and with a stun gun and a walkie-talkie

on a belt around his hips. The stocky dog was roughly twice Jason's height and several times

his weight; he squinted down at them, seeming to consider them with mild interest.

"Can I help you?" the dog inquired.

"We need to speak with, er, what was his name, Jason?" Ellie began.

"Mr. Gamboa," Jason finished.

The dog snorted in amusement, "Right. Run along now."

"We're serious!" Ellie insisted. "It's about Bartholomew Potter. He's missing, and we

want to know if Mr. Gamboa talked to him before he went home last night."

The dog frowned, "Bartholomew's missing?"

Ellie nodded, "His wife came to us this morning. He didn't come home last night. Did you

see him yesterday evening?"

The dog shook his head, "I don't work Sunday. Let me check on what you're saying." He

pulled out his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Hey, Carl, this is Steve at the front. Do you know

whether Bartholomew Potter came in today?"

The staticy voice came back, "I can check on that. Just a minute."

"He's checking," the dog repeated to Jason and Ellie.

After several seconds the voice answered again, "No, he didn't clock in today."

"Did he call in sick?" the dog asked back.

After a brief pause, "No, no word from him yet."

"Thanks, Carl."

The dog slipped his walkie-talkie back onto his belt and looked at Ellie and Jason with

concern. "It seems we haven't heard from him either. You said his wife contacted you? Who are

you?"

"I'm Inspector Bennett, and this is Inspector Brown. Ms. Potter came to our office this

morning to ask us to investigate his disappearance."

"I see. I hope the little guy's alright."

"You know him then?" Ellie inquired.

The bull terrier nodded, "I've seen him around, friendly little guy, hard worker. He'd have

to be working for Gamboa, I guess."

"Do you think we can talk to Mr. Gamboa then?" Ellie pressed.

The dog nodded slowly, "I'll see what I can do. If not Gamboa, I might be able to find you

someone else who talked with him yesterday." He picked up the walkie-talkie again. "Hey,

Becca, this is Steve. Can you take over at the front? We have some visitors I need to escort."

The staticy voice came back almost immediately, "Sure thing, Steve, I'll be down in a

minute."

The dog opened the door and ushered Jason and Ellie inside. The door opened adjacent

to the varnished brick staircase. Another pair of doors presumably led to the rest of the

downstairs.

"The studio is on the third level," Steve explained.

He began to lead them up the stairs but paused as a similarly uniformed female fisher

came racing down. She halted to talk to him.

"Hi, Steve. These are the people you're escorting then? What are they here for?"

"They need to talk to people who saw Bartholomew yesterday. It seems he's missing."

"Missing!?" She looked at Jason worriedly. "You don't think something bad happened to

him, do you?"

"It's hard to say at this point," Jason answered carefully. "His wife is worried. She can't

think of any reason he wouldn't have come home."

The fisher exchanged a troubled glance with the dog before turning back to Jason. "That

doesn't sound good at all. What do you think could have happened to him?"

"That's what we're trying to establish," Ellie answered. "But he wouldn't be the first prey

we've investigated to turn up dead."

The fisher and the dog both gaped at her blunt declaration.

"Dead?!" the dog gasped. "But why?! Who would want to kill Bartholomew?"

"We think we're dealing with a serial killer," Ellie replied.

"A serial killer?!" the fisher yelped. "Then, then why aren't the police investigating?!"

"That is an excellent question," Ellie stated pointedly.

The fisher and dog exchanged a concerned glance. Jason wasn't sure laying into the

police was the best idea in terms of getting people to help them in their investigation. They didn't

want to come across as conspiracy nuts.

"We're keeping an open mind about what might have happened to him," Jason put in. He

addressed the fisher, "Did you see him at all yesterday?"

"Only in the morning. My shift was over before he left."

"How did he seem then?"

"Busy but otherwise fine. Mr. Gamboa had him racing all over the place, but he took it all

in stride as usual."

"Did he say anything about any plans he had for the evening?"

She shook her head.

"We'll see if we can find anyone who did see him yesterday evening," the dog repeated.

The fisher glanced toward the entrance and back to the dog, "I'd better get out there.

Good luck!" She hurried the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door.

The dog looked to Jason and Ellie, "Right, let's see who we can find upstairs."

They continued to the third floor, and the dog poked his head through one of the doors.

"Hey, Sarah, I see Gamboa's not on set right now. Where is he?"

A voice, presumably Sarah's, chirped back, "He's in makeup, getting ready for the next

broadcast."

"Thanks. Uh, by the way, did you see Bartholomew yesterday?"

"Yeah, he hasn't shown up today though. Gamboa isn't happy."

"It seems no one knows where he is. I have a couple inspectors here with me. Can they

talk to you later?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

The dog pulled his head back out and closed the door. "He's in makeup. You may be

able to talk to him while he's getting ready." He led them two doors down the hall and ushered

them inside.

An overweight, long-haired black and white cat was sitting on a cornflower blue latex

seat while a weasel in a short-sleeved white button-up shirt with four pockets crammed with

scissors, comb, brush, lipstick, eyeliner, and other assorted equipment and makeup fussed over

him. The cat turned to scowl at his visitors.

"What is it now?" he asked peevishly. "Can't you see I'm busy? It's bad enough that

Bartholomew decided to dodge work today without you annoying me every few minutes!"

Ellie stepped forward, "We're here about Bartholomew actually. We nee-"

"Oh? Did he send you to make an excuse for his abandoning me? It had better be a

good one."

"He didn't send us; he's missing. His wife hired us to find him."

"What do you mean he's missing?" the cat asked annoyedly. "I expect him back by

tomorrow unless he's lying in the hospital."

"If he were in the hospital, he wouldn't be missing!" Ellie snapped back. "No one knows

where he is! He might be dead!"

The cat started and the weasel paused in his work and turned to look at Ellie in surprise.

"D-dead?" the cat whined. "What do you mean? Was there some kind of accident?"

Ellie shook her head, "We don't know. All we know is that he didn't come home last

night, but I'm sure you've covered the recent murders. It's possible he's the latest victim."

The insides of the cat's ears went white and his yellow eyes widened in horror, "N-not

Bartholomew," he whimpered. "Oh Zeus, you mean like that poor Planter boy and, and the

squirrels?"

Ellie nodded grimly. The cat leapt off of the chair and raced to the black trash can to the

left of the mirror and sink. Leaning over it, he retched. Jason grimaced and uncomfortably

turned his head away from the vomiting cat. When Mr. Gamboa had finished puking, the weasel

darted over and began dabbing at his eyes, nose, and mouth with a white handkerchief.

Mr. Gamboa turned to look at them dolefully. "Is that all?"

Ellie appeared stunned by the cat's violent reaction, but she slowly shook her head, "N-

no, we wanted to ask you if he said anything to you yesterday that might have indicated that he

was unwell or had any plans besides heading straight home."

The cat shook his head mournfully, "We never talked about his personal life. I knew he

was married, but that was all." He looked at the floor, "I never even told him how much I

appreciated everything he did. If he's gone, I, I don't know what," he didn't finish the sentence,

closing his mouth and staring dejectedly at his feet.

Jason felt sorry for the surly cat. He understood why Ellie had been annoyed by his

attitude, but he didn't want to leave him thinking it was completely hopeless. "We're doing our

best to find him," he stated. "We don't know that he was murdered."

Mr. Gamboa shook his head, "What else could have happened? Zeus, I can't bear to

think. If, if they killed Bartholomew like the others," he grimaced and grabbed his stomach again.

"S-sorry, there's nothing I can do to help."

"Thank you for your time," Jason concluded. He looked at the dog, who nodded grimly

and led them out of the room.

The dog closed the door behind them before addressing them. "Do you really think

Bartholomew was killed like those other prey?" he murmured.

"We're afraid that could be the case," Ellie answered. "He seems to fit the murderer's

profile."

The dog winced, "Fucking Tartarus, that's horrible. Imagining the poor little guy," he

shuddered. "I hope you're going to catch this freak if that is what happened."

Ellie nodded, "That's our intention. We don't want any more prey falling victim to this

monster. I sincerely hope Bartholomew wasn't their latest victim, but I'd put it over fifty-fifty that

he was."

The dog nodded grimly, "I'd better take you back to Sarah now to see if she can help at

all."

The dog arranged for them to meet Sarah in a small conference room containing a

whiteboard and a light gray rectangular table with six green plastic rolling chairs. After a few

minutes, the red-winged blackbird flitted into the room and perched on the back of one of the

chairs. Of course, being female, she was neither black nor red-winged, but the brown bird did

have a red beret, which she carefully adjusted before addressing them.

"So what is this about Bartholomew being missing?"

"His wife contacted us; he didn't come home last night," Jason summarized. "Did you

speak with him before he went home yesterday?"

The bird bobbed her head. Her beret slipped forward, and she hastily readjusted it.

"What about? Did he give any indication that he was unwell or had any plans aside from

going home?"

"No, he seemed anxious to get home. He told me something about some sort of roots

that rabbits eat." She eyed Ellie, "I suppose you'd be familiar with them, but I frankly had no idea

what he was talking about."

"And that was it?" Jason asked.

The bird bobbed her head again. This time the beret fell off onto the floor, and she

hopped down to retrieve it before flitting back up. "Is that all?"

"I guess so. Thanks for your time."

The bird placed one wing on her beret, hopped back down, and then half scurried, half

flew out of the room.

"It doesn't seem like we're going to get any further here," Ellie stated. "As far as we've

gathered, there doesn't seem to be any reason to think he did anything other than head home

by his usual route. Whatever happened, we should assume it happened along that route."

Jason nodded in agreement. He turned to the bull terrier, "Thanks for all your help."

The dog nodded once in acknowledgement. "No problem. I just hope you find him."

The dog led them back downstairs and outside. The fisher was still standing by the door.

"I can take over here," the dog told her.

She nodded and turned to Ellie and Jason, "Any luck?"

"Only in the sense of ruling out the unexpected," Ellie answered.

"Oh, well, uh, better luck going forward then."

"Right, we haven't given up. Come on, Jason." She marched off down the sidewalk

toward 12th Avenue.

Jason hurriedly waved to the dog and fisher, "Have a nice day." Then he trotted after

Ellie toward the crosswalk.

They slowly made their way along Bartholomew's route looking for any sort of clue as to

what had happened to him though they both knew chances of finding anything they could

definitely connect to his disappearance were slim. They simply didn't have anywhere else to

start.

They were on Ivy and only a few blocks from 9th when they decided to take a break.

There was a small bakery on the other side of the street, and they crossed so that Ellie could

grab some lunch. Jason hoped they found another restaurant or street vendor soon since he

wasn't interested in the carrot and turnip pasty that Ellie purchased. They were sitting at a table

outside the bakery when Jason heard a loud thump come from a few doors down at what

appeared to be an apartment complex. He didn't think much of it until the thump was repeated a

second time.

"Did you hear that thump?" he asked Ellie.

"Yeah."

"What do you think it was?"

Thump.

"There it was again!" Jason exclaimed.

Ellie shrugged, "If you're so worried about it, why don't you go see what it is?"

Jason got up, "I guess I will."

He trotted down the sidewalk to the apartment complex. An ancient looking coyote was

struggling with the large glass door. He was holding both a cane and a large cardboard box,

and, as he attempted to push the handle down with his left hand, which was holding the cane as

well as supporting one side of the box, the box became unbalanced, causing him to drop it with

a thump. Jason raced up the concrete stairs to the door and stretched up to grab the handle. He

pulled open the door and held it for the coyote. The coyote picked the box back up with some

difficulty and hobbled through the door.

"Thank yuh, lad."

"You're welcome."

The coyote hobbled to the stairs, and Jason became concerned that he would tumble

down them while trying to carry the box.

Jason let the door swing shut and took a step toward him. "Let me help with that!"

The coyote glanced at him dubiously, "May be uh bit heavy fer yuh, lad."

"Let me try."

The coyote set the box down, and Jason attempted to lift it. He could just about get it,

but it was too awkward to carry down the stairs by himself. He glanced back down the sidewalk

to where Ellie was still seated outside the bakery.

"Hey! Ellie! Can you come help a minute?" he called.

Ellie looked up, glanced back at her pasty, and then set it down on her napkin, slung her

satchel over her shoulder, and loped down the sidewalk and bounded up the stairs.

"Help me carry this down the stairs," Jason requested.

Ellie lifted the other side, and they successfully transported the box down the stairs with

Jason leading. They set the box down at the bottom and the coyote, who had followed them

down, nodded gratefully.

"Thank yuh, lads." He opened an old canvas bag he had slung over his right shoulder

and rummaged around inside. "I have uh bit'er jerky if yuh wont some."

"I'll have some, thanks," Jason answered.

The coyote pulled out a piece of the dried meat, and Jason accepted it and tore off a

piece with his teeth: it was a fairly large chunk. Ellie made a face, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"What?" Jason asked, befuddled.

"How 'bout yer friend? Eli were it?"

Jason smirked, eyeing Ellie sidelong, "I don't think 'Eli' wants any, but thanks anyway."

"Heheh, don't wont tuh spoil yer ap'tite, eh?"

"No, I don't-"

"That's whot the lad said last night. Looked uh bit like yuh in fact, Eli."

Ellie blinked then exchanged a quick glance with Jason. She pulled the photo of

Bartholomew out of her pocket. "Did he look anything like this by chance?"

The coyote squinted at the photo, "Er, not really. I don't 'member the errs."

Ellie slipped the photo back in her pocket and shrugged. It had been a long shot anyway.

"Though, come tuh think of it, he were wearin' a hat. Le'me see again."

Ellie showed him the photo again, and he squinted at it thoughtfully. Eventually, he

smiled in recognition. "That'll be him alright."

Ellie's ears perked up in excitement, "Did you see where he went after you talked to

him?"

The coyote chuckled lightly, "Heheheh, lucky lad had some business wi' Hur Grace.

Charmin' lady."

"Her Grace? Do you mean the Duchess?" Ellie inquired.

"Of Goozeburry, yes."

"What makes you think he had business with her?"

"Why I rec'nized Le'pold's son, didn't I? Spittin' image of him. He were so proud when lil

Wolfie got the job wi' Hur Grace. Terr'ble cheater at cards tho. He used tuh slip uh ace er three

up his sleeve. Poor Le'pold, been dead 'most two years now, but he always were real proud of

his son."

"What species was Leopold?"

"Were uh wolverine."

Ellie seemed to barely be able to contain her excitement, and Jason shared her

sentiment. Somehow all of the pieces were falling together.

"And you saw his son take Bartholomew somewhere?" Ellie asked eagerly.

"'Scorted him inna thur car."

"What kind of car?"

"It were dark, but it were uh black sedan, I'd say."

Ellie exchanged an excited glance with Jason. "Thank you, Sir! You've been an

incredible help!"

"Have I? Well, glad tuh be of assistance." He picked up the box, again with some

difficulty. "Have a nice day, lads." He turned and hobbled down the sidewalk.

"You too!" Ellie called. She turned to Jason. "That was just the piece of luck we needed!

Black sedan, badger-like wolverine, and we know where to find them!"

"I still don't like the idea of confronting the Duchess about a series of murders," Jason

replied cautiously. "Even if it was her employee and she didn't know about it, you remember

what the miniature pinschers said. Maybe we should tell the police and let them deal with it from

here."

"With that negligent twit in charge?! We have to stop this murderer! We can't give Lily a

chance to botch it!"

"Okay, but we need to inform Fitzie first just in case. This is a murderer we're dealing

with, a wolverine at that. I don't want to go without letting someone know what we know and

where we're going."

Ellie nodded, "Good idea. You can call him on the way."

They hurried back to the car, and Ellie began the hour plus drive to the Duchess' estate.

Once they were on their way, Jason called Fitzie on his cell phone.

Fitzie answered the call, "This is the coroner's office. Dr. Fitzgerald speaking."

"Hi, Fitzie, it's Jason. We think we've figured out who the serial killer is."

"Really?! Who?! I thought you weren't working on that anymore!"

"We were investigating another case that Lily discarded as marital strife. It seems the

missing rabbit was taken by a wolverine who works for the Duchess. In a black sedan too. It fits

what we've learned from all of the murder cases so far."

"That's fantastic, Jason! Have you told Lily?"

"Er, not yet. Ellie wants to apprehend them ourselves. She doesn't trust Lily."

"Wait, so what are you doing?" Fitzie asked concernedly.

"We're on our way right now. The ETA to the Duchess' estate is," he checked the GPS.

"Forty-seven minutes."

"Jason! You can't do this by yourself! It's too dangerous!"

"That's why I'm calling you. I wanted to let you know in case something goes wrong."

"I see. Can you let me know when you get there and when you leave? I'm going to be on

edge until you tell me you've left safely."

"Alright, no problem, Fitzie."

"Good luck, Brown!"

"Thanks, see you soon." Jason hung up. "Fitzie didn't sound pleased with the idea of us

doing this on our own," Jason noted.

"I didn't expect him to be, but we need to hurry. You realize it's possible Mr. Potter is still

alive, don't you? There's no time to spare!"

Jason hadn't considered the possibility. "Zeus, you're right! Step on it, Ellie!"

She nodded grimly and pushed the accelerator harder. The engine screamed as they

rocketed down the highway North of Maplesburg. Jason gripped the seat, but this time he was

less concerned about his own safety than that of the rabbit at their destination. If there was even

a tiny chance that he was still alive, they had to get there in time! Jason thought of Mrs. Potter,

of the bull terrier, of the black and white cat, and of the brown rabbit in the photo. If only they

could get there in time, they would all be spared so much suffering!

The four-lane freeway took them to a two-lane duchy highway, leading deeper and

deeper into rolling hills of meadows and woods. Finally, Ellie pulled off of the duchy highway

onto a narrow paved road. An unobtrusive painted wood sign read 'Belmont Estate' at the end

of the private road. Ellie was obliged to drive more slowly on the narrow, winding road, but the

sense of dire urgency kept them going as quickly as they could without ending up in the ditch.

Jason called Fitzie again to let them know they'd arrived.

"Hi this is the coroner's office. Dave speaking."

"Is Dr. Fitzgerald there?"

"No, he left. I think he's with the police on some urgent case."

"Okay, thanks." Jason hung up and dialed Fitzie's personal cell phone.

Fitzie answered after only one ring, "Hi, Jason, I know that you said Ellie didn't want the

police involved, but I couldn't let you do this on your own. I told Schulz, and we're on our way

now. We'll be there in about twenty minutes. I think you should hold tight until we get there."

"We can't do that, Fitzie. What if Mr. Potter is still alive?"

"Who?"

"The rabbit whose disappearance we're investigating. Minutes could make the difference

between life and death!"

"Okay, Jason. We'll be there to back you up soon."

"Thanks, Fitzie. Bye." Jason hung up the phone. "The police are right behind us," he

informed Ellie. "Fitzie didn't want us to go without backup."

Ellie huffed irately, "Stupid ferret. We'll just have to handle things before they arrive."

"I think it's good we'll have backup, just in case."

"Maybe," Ellie allowed. "I still think it's better if we handle things without that incompetent

bobcat's interference."

Finally, they pulled into the cul-de-sac in front of the massive stone manor. Ellie grabbed

her satchel and leapt out of the car, racing up the few stone steps to pound on the heavy oak

door. Jason followed her up the steps. After a minute, the door was opened by a wolverine in a

black jacket. He looked at Jason.

"You realize this is private property, right?"

"To Tartarus with your private property!" Ellie shouted. "We know you have Bartholomew

Potter here, assuming he's still alive!"

The wolverine looked down at Ellie in surprise, apparently having not noticed her before.

His literal oversight wasn't all that surprising given that she was less than half his height.

"You think we have someone here?" he asked slowly.

"We know you do! Are you Leopold's son?"

The wolverine blinked slowly. "You knew my father?"

"No, but you were recognized by someone who did, and they saw you taking

Bartholomew Potter! So cut the bullshit! We know you kidnapped him, and if you haven't already

killed him, we know you've killed several other prey!"

"Those are serious accusations," the wolverine replied mildly. "I hope you can back them

up."

"We have all the evidence we need!" Ellie declared.

"Wolfie? What's all of this shouting?" a voice chirped from inside the manor.

"A very irate rabbit, Your Grace. She thinks I've been murdering prey."

"Dear me! We'd better let her in so that I can clear things up, wouldn't you say?"

"If that's what you want, Your Grace. She has a cat with her."

"How nice. The more the merrier. Show them in, Wolfie."

The wolverine opened the door to reveal a female red fox standing in the spacious,

stone-floored entryway. She was wearing a white, knee-length sundress with narrow shoulder

straps. Grinning toothily, she beckoned Ellie and Jason to come in.

* * *

Despite herself, Ellie was a bit awed by the luxurity and size of the ancient manor as the

fox led them through the entryway. Following the vixen and Jason in, Ellie realized that the

Duchess was an unusually small fox, not even a full head taller than the cat. Of course, that still

meant she could have comfortably rested her forearm on Ellie's head with her shoulder at a

forty-five degree angle. The vixen led them to a room with light yellow walls and royal blue

carpet illuminated by a sparkling silver chandelier.

The vixen sat in one of the light blue armchairs and motioned to the matching sofa to her

left, "Have a seat, and we'll get this all straightened out," she requested amicably.

They sat down, Jason closer to the vixen. Ellie reached her hand into her bag to feel her

handgun. They didn't know whether the Duchess was aware of her employees' actions, but it

paid to be ready to defend yourself, particularly when you were a two and a half pound rabbit.

"Now, what is it you think Wolfie has been up to?"

"We don't think; we know," Ellie stated. "And he's had help. Witnesses have reported at

least two perpetrators."

"What do you 'know' he's done then," the vixen asked patiently.

"He's been kidnapping and brutally murdering prey," Ellie stated bluntly. "First, there was

a teenage rabbit, Daniel Planter. Then there was a squirrel named Jack something or other, and

then there was another squirrel and her two children, all brutally murdered, tortured even except

the children. Am I missing any, Jason?"

"There was that body we found by the river," he murmured.

"Right, but Tom didn't think that was related."

The vixen frowned concernedly, "This sounds like simply dreadful business, but I can't

imagine it's anything Wolfie would get up to. He's rather gentle actually."

"He was seen kidnapping Bartholomew Potter," Ellie insisted. "And he matches the

description given by witnesses from the scenes of the other crimes."

"We're not saying you knew or had anything to do with it, Ma'am," Jason added. "But can

you think of anywhere he might have brought his victims? We need to act as quickly as

possible. We haven't found Mr. Potter's body yet, so he may still be alive. He may be hidden

somewhere on your estate. Can you think of anywhere that could be?"

The vixen gave them a curious look, "Is this Bartholomew Potter a brown rabbit about

this tall?" She held her right hand at her mid chest level.

Ellie and Jason exchanged a quick glance.

"I'm not sure of his height, but he is brown," Jason answered carefully.

Ellie pulled Mr. Potter's photo out of her pocket and handed it to Jason, who passed it to

the Duchess. The Duchess accepted it and examined it, her mouth spreading in a smile.

"That's Bart alright," she piped. "He has quite a lovely smile. I think I'll keep this." She

tucked the photo into the bosom of her dress.

"You've seen him then?! He's here?!" Ellie inquired urgently.

The vixen smiled at them patronizingly. "I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, but you've

gotten almost everything wrong. Wolfie hasn't killed anyone, and Bart is my guest. I can show

you to him if you like."

"Wha?! Your guest?!" Ellie yelped. Nonplussed, she was at a complete loss of how to

integrate this new information. Could we have been that wrong? Could this have nothing to do

with the murders? It's just some sort of misunderstanding? "We, uh, we'd like to see him if that's

alright. His wife is very worried," she muttered awkwardly.

The vixen hopped up, "No problem, he's right this way!" she declared cheerfully.

She led them back out into the entryway. A second wolverine was now stationed outside

the sitting room with 'Wolfie', and the Duchess gave them a nod as she trotted by. Two 'badger-

like' wolverines, how can this be a coincidence?

The wolverines followed a short distance behind as the Duchess led them down the

curving stone staircase to the basement level. A heavy metal door separated the bottom of the

staircase from the rest of the basement. The Duchess shoved open the door to reveal a large

room that was strikingly incongruent with that of the stately, luxurious house they'd seen so far.

The floor was smooth cement while the far wall and the walls to the right and left were

composed of ancient-looking stones with crumbling mortar. The wall behind them was obviously

much newer and constructed of cinder blocks, and another cinder block construction extended

two-thirds of the way into the room on the left side but fell short of the high ceiling. The ceiling

was unfinished with pipes and ventilation shafts showing, and long bars of bright lights hung,

stretching from one side of the room to the other. Whereas the rest of the house had smelled of

dank stone and musty wood, the acrid smell of antiseptic permeated this room. There were

three visible entrances to the room, all with heavy metal doors: the one they had passed

through, a second door just to their right on the wall behind them, and a third door in the right

wall. On the far wall was a long concrete counter with a sink, an assortment of surgical

equipment, and a small cage. In the middle of the room, directly in front of them, was a

stainless-steel surgery table, and tied to the table was what was left of Bartholomew Potter.

The vixen skipped across the room to the mutilated rabbit and stroked his head. Ellie

could barely stand to look at him. He was missing a foot on one leg, and the other was

amputated at the knee. Both of his hands appeared to be missing fingers, and Ellie didn't even

want to think about the raggedly stitched incision in his abdomen.

"Bart! You have friends here to visit you!" the Duchess chirped. "I think they're here to

rescue you!"

The rabbit only gurgled weakly in response.

The Duchess turned back to Jason and Ellie, "Poor Bart. He's almost all used up," she

explained wistfully. Her mouth spread in a toothy grin, "But I've never had replacements waltz

right into my home before! This is quite an exciting development!"

Ellie drew her handgun and pointed it at the fox, "You're sick! Get away from him before

I fill you with lead!"

The vixen grinned wildly, "You might want to consider your friend's predicament before

you pull the trigger!"

Ellie turned her head cautiously, ready to turn and shoot if the vixen tried anything. She

almost dropped her gun in shock: the second wolverine was holding Jason against his chest

with a knife pressed to Jason's throat. "Jason!" she gasped.

He looked back at her fearfully. Ellie quickly turned and aimed her gun at the Duchess'

forehead.

"Hurt him, and she dies!"

"It seems we've reached an impasse," the Duchess stated calmly.

For a moment, Ellie agreed, but then she remembered that Tom had insisted on telling

Lily where they were going. The police were on their way.

She narrowed her eyes to glare at the loathsome fox, "We told the police where we were

going. They'll be here any minute. You're finished, Your Grace."

The vixen grinned, "Did you really?! I must congratulate you! You've truly

outmaneuvered me!"

Ellie wasn't sure if the fox didn't believe her or was simply too insane to care about the

consequences of her actions. If it were the former, she'd be finding out otherwise in a matter of

minutes. Ellie pricked her ears. Was that the sound of sirens? She listened carefully: the

whirring sirens became clearer and clearer until she was sure the fox could hear them too. Ellie

glared at the vixen, daring her to repeat her mocking congratulations.

The vixen smiled back and gave a little shrug, "Looks like I'm caught," she stated lightly.

BAM! The door flew in and slammed against the wall. Lily stood in the door, handgun

drawn, with a uniformed weasel and otter on her right and left. Both also had their guns drawn.

"Drop your weapons and keep your hands where I can see them!" the bobcat yowled.

The wolverine holding Jason complied immediately, dropping the knife and releasing

Jason to put his hands on his own head. Ellie kept her gun on the vixen.

"About time!" Ellie called. "Someone get Mr. Potter into an ambulance!"

"That means you, rabbit!" Lily growled.

Ellie gave her a puzzled glance.

"Drop your gun!" the bobcat commanded.

"You see what's going on here, don't you?!" Ellie protested. "We caught this monster red

handed! She's the one who's been murdering prey, and she was in the middle of murdering

another one!"

Lily aimed her gun at Ellie. "Drop it," she growled.

Ellie hesitated, and the bobcat growled dangerously. Tom emerged, pushing his way

between the officers, and hurried across the room toward Ellie, stopping a few steps away.

"Slide the gun to me, Ellie," he requested softly.

Ellie glanced warily at the bobcat again before addressing the ferret, "You see what's

going on here, don't you? We caught the serial killer!"

He nodded, "I see that. Please slide me the gun."

Ellie crouched down to set the gun on the cement floor and slid it to the ferret. He leaned

down and picked it up gingerly. As soon as Tom had the gun, Lily strode across the room to

Jason and sucker punched him in the stomach. He collapsed to the floor with a groan.

"What are you doing?!" Ellie screamed. She began to dart toward them, but a strong

hand with sharp claws caught her under the chin; she felt the razor blade of a scalpel touch her

throat.

"Now this is quite the development, isn't it, Dear?" the vixen intoned in her ear.

Lily glared at Ellie before turning back to Jason's prone form. The wolverine who had

been holding him had placed his foot on Jason's neck, and Lily winced.

"You're such an idiot, Jason," Lily growled. "I told you to stay out of it. Did it ever occur to

you it was for your own good?"

"What do you mean?! You knew the whole time?!" Ellie yelled in protest.

Lily turned back to glare at her, "Of course I knew, you dolt!" she snarled.

"Then what?! You're in on it?! You're her accomplice?!"

"No, it has nothing to do with me," Lily growled.

"But you're letting her get away with it!" Ellie shot back.

"She's not doing anything illegal," Lily grumbled.

Ellie stared at the bobcat in baffled disbelief, "What are you talking about?! She's

murdering people! Of course that's illegal!"

"Of course it's illegal if you do it," the vixen taunted. "When I do it, it's perfectly legal

because I say so."

"That's nonsense!" Ellie protested. "That's not how the law works! Everyone is equal

under the law! It's in the constitution!"

"Of course that's what we let you think, Dear," the vixen answered smugly. "But in reality,

I own you. It's my birthright. The only person who can take that away is the King, and Frederick

rather likes me."

"The King knows!" Ellie gasped.

The vixen caressed Ellie's face with the hand holding her head, "He has more important

things to think about, but he understands hereditary rights. He gives me leeway to rule as I see

fit."

Ellie stared at Lily desperately, "You can't agree with this!"

"She's telling the truth," Lily grumbled. "Do you think I like it? The law is the law."

Ellie turned to Tom, "Tom! You can't agree! You have my gun! Shoot her! Don't worry

about hitting me! She's a monster!"

The ferret glanced at the gun in his hand. "I, I'm sorry, Ellie. I can't," he moaned

miserably.

"You can! Point it at her head and pull the trigger!"

The ferret raised the gun in their direction, arm shaking uncontrollably. Lily quickly strode

across the room toward him, and he jerked the gun in her direction.

She stopped and snarled, "Go on. Do it."

Whole body shaking, the ferret jerked the gun back toward Ellie and the vixen. Lily

bounded the last few steps and shoved his arm out wide. He didn't resist further as she took the

gun from his hand. Ellie's heart sank into her stomach as their last chance of escape

disappeared.

"I-I'm sorry, Ellie," he choked.

Lily slapped him, knocking his head to the side, "You're an idiot too! And a coward! I told

you not to get civilians involved!"

"I-I swear I didn't know, Ellie!" Tom whimpered. "Not until I told Lily where you were

going. I tried to get you to wait until we got here!"

"You can leave anytime you like, Officer," the Duchess instructed calmly. "We'll take

good care of these two."

Lily looked at Jason and winced again, "Sorry, Jason. I tried to stop you." She glared at

Ellie and snarled, "You deserve it, rabbit. I wish I could be here when you get what's coming to

you!"

She jerked her head toward the door, and the other officers turned and started back up

the stairs. She followed them. Tom hesitated.

"Would you like to stay too?" the Duchess offered cheerfully.

Tom raced after Lily. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving Ellie and Jason in the

clutches of the murderous fox and her henchmen.

"Boots-y!" the vixen called.

Zeus, she's completely insane. However, the vixen's call was answered as thunderous

clomping began to echo from beyond the cinder block wall. The door to the right of the stairs

swung open, and a gigantic beast, fully clothed in a black tuxedo and heavy boots stomped into

the room. Ellie's ears laid back in horror as the monstrous creature approached her and the

vixen.

"Hold onto this one, will you, Bootsy?" the vixen piped.

The beast crouched down, still towering above both of them, and the vixen released Ellie

and shoved her toward his titanic waiting arms. Frozen with fear, Ellie didn't even dare to resist

as the creature scooped her up in one arm. He took away her satchel and slipped it in a

cavernous pocket. Then tucking her legs underneath her and her head into the crook of his

elbow, the beast sandwiched Ellie between his massive arms. He held her firmly, firmly yet

surprisingly gently. He petted her laid-back ears with the hand on top. The vixen trotted over

beside Mr. Potter and stroked his head.

"I'm sorry, Bart," she crooned. "I'm afraid your friends weren't able to rescue you."

He whimpered.

"Shh, I've decided to let you go now."

The vixen lifted the scalpel up to Bartholomew's neck, and with a swift movement,

opened his carotid artery. He jerked once as blood spurted forth and then lay still, the blood

pooling around him.

"Bye-bye, Bart," the vixen whispered.

Ellie choked out a sob of horror and despair, and the heavy arms squeezed her but

again gently enough so as not to hurt her.

"Take those two to the cell," the vixen instructed.

The wolverines lifted Jason to his feet, yanked the phone out of his holster, and each

holding an arm, marched him over toward the cinder block construction. The beast followed with

Ellie. The larger wolverine pulled open a heavy metal door on the front side of the rectangular

construction to reveal a cell. They shoved Jason inside, and the beast gently set Ellie inside

after him. The creature would have had difficulty squeezing through the door himself as he

stood taller than the entire cell. The larger wolverine slammed the door, and Ellie heard the lock

slide into place. She looked around the cell: a short distance from the corner nearest and to the

left of the door, a metal slab with a thin mat was attached to the wall adjacent that with the door.

Heavy chains attached farther up the wall helped support the slab though it was securely

embedded in the wall and likely could have supported even the beast's weight even without the

chains. On the opposite wall were a sink and toilet, and at the corner farthest from the door,

several heavy steel loops and hooks were embedded in the wall and ceiling. Ellie didn't want to

think about what their purpose was.

"I'm so sorry, Ellie."

Ellie turned to Jason, who was sitting slouched over on the slab.

"This is all my fault. I wanted to tell Fitzie, and I got caught. If you'd been by yourself-"

"I might have shot one or two of them before the others ripped me apart," Ellie

concluded.

Jason frowned, "Still, you would have had a chance without-"

"You couldn't have known!" Ellie cut him off. "There was no way you could have known

that Lily was that corrupt! Letting a murderer run rampant because she has a title!"

"What if what she said was true?" he muttered. "What if it isn't illegal so long as the

Duchess does it?"

"Would you have remained a police officer if you found out that was the 'law'?" Ellie

demanded.

"N-no! It's monstrous! No one should be above the law like that! How is it even law if it's

subject to the whims of some fox?"

"Exactly. You wouldn't uphold the law if you knew it was unjust. Lily knows it's a farce,

and she's not doing anything to change it; she's upholding injustice simply because someone

slapped the label 'law' on it."

Jason looked at his feet despondently, "Still, I'm sorry it had to end like this, Ellie. I don't

think there's such a thing as an afterlife or rebirth, but if there is, I hope we meet again."

"It's not over yet, Jason!"

Jason looked around the small cement room. "I don't see a way out of here. We're just

waiting until, until she decides to." He swallowed. "I'd do anything to spare you from that, Ellie,

but I don't see that there's anything I can do."

"Someone may come to rescue us! Tom got away! He can't agree with this! He'll bring

others, raid the estate if he has to!"

"He couldn't even shoot her when what she'd done was staring him right in the face, not

even to save his friends. He'll assume we're already dead and justify his inaction that way."

"Someone will find out! Someone will miss us!"

"Whatever Lily says will be the official story. I'm sure she'll think of some reason for our

disappearance, and it won't be that we're being tortured to death by the Duchess."

"You're wrong, Jason! Someone will come through! Tom or Katya or even Joe!"

Jason shook his head, "I wish I could believe that, Ellie."

Ellie crossed the room and sat beside him, putting her hand on his leg. "If this is the end,

then I'm glad I have my sweet kitty beside me. Somehow, we'll get through this, Jason, but if we

don't, then I'm glad for the time we had together, even now when things look hopeless."

Jason grasped her hand, and she squeezed his back. This won't be the end. We'll get

out of here somehow. It was something Ellie had to believe.

* * *

Rita watched Boots as he untied Bart's body from the table to clean things up. Wolfgang

and Johann would dispose of it somewhere people could enjoy Rita's handiwork.

"Maybe I ought to tie you down sometime, eh, Bootsy?" she teased.

The human blanched, "M-mistress?!"

Rita giggled, "Heeheehee, don't worry, Bootsy. I wouldn't cut up my favorite masseur.

But how do you like our new guests? Quite exciting how they're dropping in by themselves now,

yes?"

"The bunny is cute," Boots murmured.

"But not as cute as me, eh, Boots?"

"Of course not, Mistress!"

"Smart answer, Boots; it's no wonder I keep you around. However, I was more interested

in your opinion on the cat. As you know, I don't generally enjoy offing my fellow carnivores,

especially a fine specimen like this one."

"What are you going to do then, Mistress?"

"I'll just have to think of something special for our guests this time, Bootsy."

While Boots finished cleaning up, Rita went to the cell, followed by Wolfgang and

Johann. She unlocked the door and stepped through first.

"How are you two doing in here?" she chirped. "I don't think we've been properly

introduced yet. My name's Rita though you can call me Your Grace. Why don't you tell me a

little about yourselves?"

In reply, the rabbit jumped up off the bed and charged at her, "How about fuck you, fox!"

Rita quickly stepped to the side, and Johann barreled forward to block the rabbit,

catching her by the arm.

"Tsk, tsk, what did I just tell you? That's 'fuck you, Your Grace.'" She jerked her head to

Johann, "Bring her over to me."

"No! Please don't hurt her! I'll do anything!" the cat yowled desperately.

Rita gave him a dubious look. "We'll see about that," she stated matter-of-factly.

Johann held the rabbit in front of her, grasping the rabbit tightly by both arms. Rita

reached forward and pinched at the rabbit's white blouse.

"You won't be needing any adornments in here." She nodded to Johann.

Johann grasped the shirt on either side and ripped it open, a few buttons flying off in the

process. He yanked it off and tossed it away before grabbing hold of the rabbit's arms again.

Rita tranced a claw down the rabbit's torso.

"Now, tell me a little bit about yourself."

The rabbit stared at her in silent rage.

"No?" She turned to Wolfgang, "Rough the cat up a bit."

"My name's Ellie," the rabbit answered quickly.

Rita held her hand up to stop Wolfgang. "Go on."

"Jason and I are private inspectors. We were hired by Ms. Potter to, to," she looked

down despairingly.

Rita patted her cheek. "You made an excellent attempt," she consoled. "No one's ever

had a gun on me before. You ought to be proud you did so well."

"You killed all of them, didn't you?" the rabbit muttered. "That's what you meant when

you said we got it almost entirely wrong: you killed them, not the wolverine."

"And the muskrat you thought I didn't kill though that wasn't my best work to be honest.

That's why I had Wolfgang and Johann dispose of him in the river."

"What about Alfred Garmann?"

"Who?"

"The vole who went missing last week?"

"Oh yes, now I remember. Hmm, I suppose I can't really take credit for that one.

Larchwood's stomach did the job there. Of course, he wouldn't have done it if I didn't tell him to,

but still, not really my doing."

"And you're going to do the same to us?"

Rita booped the rabbit's nose, "That's a surprise!" she teased. "I hope you like

surprises!" She turned to Wolfgang. "Go ahead and take off his clothes too, and then we'll

leave."

Wolfgang roughly removed the cat's collar, tie, and empty holster. Rita walked to the

door, collecting the blouse on the way. She sniffed it and leered at the rabbit with her best

ravenous grin before trotting through the open door. Wolfgang shoved the cat away to follow

her, but he shoved him a bit hard, causing the cat to fall forward and end up sprawled on the

floor. Johann released the rabbit to follow Rita, and the rabbit rushed over to help the cat up.

Rita watched in amusement from the other side of the threshold.

"Have fun with your kitty friend!" she quipped before slamming the door shut and locking

it. "All of this excitement has worked up an appetite," she declared. "Let's go see what Gustav

has planned for dinner." She trotted towards the stairs with Wolfgang and Johann following

more slowly behind. Her new guests certainly were going to be all kinds of fun.