{"sf1_id":1999700,"sf2_id":"rn9wGRye","title":"Chapter 20: The Duchess of Gooseberry","author":"HeatherOBunn","words":10597,"posted_at":"2023-06-09T20:44:00.000Z","tags":["Betrayal","Bobcat","Cat","Chapter","Corruption","Detective","Doe","Duchess","Ferret","Fox","Investigation","Murder","Novel","Police","Predator/Prey","Queen","Rabbit","Romance","Standoff","Thriller","Vixen","confrontation","imprisonment","serial killer","taunting","tom"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1999700-chapter-20-the-duchess-of-gooseberry","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rn9wGRye","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/8a/de/8adec700-3da8-41e4-89b8-9135a74ed2da","description":"#20 of The Murderess of Maplesburg: Disappearing like Rabbits\n\nEllie and Jason finally confront the serial killer!","content":"Chapter 20: The Duchess of Gooseberry  \nJason awoke to Ellie nuzzling his neck; her long ears brushed over his face as she  \nrubbed her nose into his fur. The morning sunshine was beginning to pour through the bedroom  \nwindow, but Jason wasn't sure he wanted to get up. He wrapped his arms up over Ellie's back  \nand hugged her tightly. Pppppt. Jason's eyes shot wide.  \n\"Was that a fart, Ellie?!\"  \nEllie squirmed in his arms, \"You squeezed it out of me!\" she protested.  \nJason snorted in amusement and squeezed her again.  \n\"Stop! You're going to squeeze my pee out next!\"  \n\"I told you I was going to make you wet yourself,\" he joked.  \n\"You're the one who's going to be washing the most pee off themself, and I'm not  \nwashing the sheets either!\"  \nJason loosened his hold, and Ellie slipped away, hopped out of bed, and hurried out of  \nthe room. I guess I really was about to squeeze the pee out of her. Jason dragged himself out of  \nbed and looked out the window. Everything was wet from the light rain that had started late  \nyesterday evening, but the cloudless blue sky promised a pleasant day ahead. Ellie returned to  \nthe room and slipped up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist.  \n\"A little late, but I wanted to say this: good morning, Sweetheart,\" she said.  \n\"'Sweetheart?'\"  \n\"Don't you like it? You're my sweet kitty after all.\"  \nJason put his hands on her arms. \"I like it. What should I call you?\"  \n\"Ellie.\"  \n\"Just your name? Not Honey Bunny or something?\"  \n\"Gross, Jason! Think of a decent pet name at least.\"  \n\"How about Cutie Pie?\"  \n\"Ick! Are you even trying?!\"  \n\"How about Master?\" he suggested dryly.  \n\"Now you're getting somewhere,\" Ellie quipped.  \n\"I'm just going to use Sweetheart too or Sweetie. I don't see how you can object to that.\"  \n\"I can, but I won't. Those are fine.\" She hugged him. \"I'm hungry. Let's go downstairs  \nand have breakfast.\"  \n\"Alright, I'll meet you down there in a minute.\"  \nEllie let go and made her way to the stairs. Jason headed for the bathroom. After he'd  \npeed as well, he went down to the kitchen. Ellie was digging through the pans; finding the one  \nshe wanted, she dropped the stainless-steel pan on the stove with a clank.  \n\"What are you making?\" Jason asked.  \nEllie turned to look at him, \"Just some oatmeal. Want some?\"  \n\"I'll have a little, thanks.\"  \n\"What are you going to make?\"  \n\"I was going to fry some bacon.\"  \n\"Does that smell strongly?\"  \n\"Er, yeah, maybe I'll have something else.\"  \nEllie shook her head. \"I'll sit by the window; I'll be okay.\"  \nJason got the bacon out and started defrosting it while Ellie cooked the oatmeal. He also  \nbegan percolating some coffee; at least that didn't bother her. He waited until she was done at  \nthe stove to start cooking the meat. Ellie sat at the seat by the window and opened it wide.  \nJason hoped she would be okay. Maybe he should wait until she was finished eating. Hesitantly,  \nhe looked from the skillet with bacon to Ellie.  \n\"Go ahead,\" Ellie instructed.  \nJason obeyed, and lit the fire under the cast iron skillet. The bacon soon began to sizzle  \nand produce its pungent, savory aroma that made Jason's mouth water. He watched the bacon  \nsizzle and pop hungrily, attentively poking it with the spatula to make sure it didn't get overdone.  \nFinally, his breakfast was ready. He scooped the bacon onto a plate and the rest of the oatmeal  \ninto a bowl and turned toward the table: Ellie was sitting with her head in the window, her nose  \npressed against the screen.  \nHe winced guiltily, \"Sorry, Ellie.\"  \n\"I said not to apologize,\" Ellie reminded sternly, but she didn't remove her face from the  \nwindow.  \nJason began to eat. He glanced at Ellie's bowl and winced again: she'd hardly started on  \nher own breakfast. After a few minutes, the smell began to clear.  \n\"I think it's getting better,\" Jason noted.  \nEllie turned her head back into the room. She made a nauseous face and turned back to  \nthe window. \"Can you get me a damp dish rag?\"  \nJason got up, retrieved a dish towel from the bottom drawer by the sink, dampened it  \nwith tap water, and brought it to Ellie. Ellie took the towel and put it over her nose before she  \nturned away from the window. She scooped up a spoonful of oatmeal and transferred it to her  \nmouth, still holding the towel with the other hand.  \n\"Sorry.\"  \nEllie gulped her food. \"I said not to apologize!\" she snapped.  \n\"Sorry.\"  \nShe glared.  \n\"For apologizing!\" he added quickly.  \nShe sighed and shook her head, \"No, I'm sorry. I'm upset with myself for not being able  \nto handle it. I shouldn't take it out on you.\"  \n\"It doesn't make me think any less of you that the smell bothers you, Ellie. I'll wait until  \nyou're done eating next time I make something that aromatic.\"  \n\"I don't want you to have to constantly accommodate my nose.\"  \n\"It's no problem, Ellie,\" he assured her. \"I'm happy to wait if it means you get to enjoy  \nyour meal.\"  \nEllie sighed resignedly, \"Alright, thanks, Jason. I hope I'll get used to it eventually.\"  \nThey finished their breakfast, and then Ellie glanced at the clock.  \n\"I guess we got up a little late today,\" she noted. \"Usually, I go jogging before breakfast.  \nYou can start joining me.\"  \n\"If you want me to.\"  \n\"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  \ndiet,\" she replied lightly.  \nDespite her tone, Jason suspected she was serious. \"I guess we should get ready to  \ngo,\" he stated, changing the subject from whether Ellie would restrict his diet.  \nThey returned to the bedroom to get dressed. Jason donned a red and gray striped tie  \nand a white shirt collar while Ellie put on her sleeveless, white, collared blouse. After they'd  \nbrushed their teeth, they headed back down to the living room where Jason retrieved his phone  \nand holster and Ellie grabbed her satchel, both of which they'd left on the futon. They proceeded  \nto the door and out to their cars.  \n\"We can ride together now,\" Ellie stated cheerfully. She smirked at him, \"You'll get to ride  \nwith me every day,\" she teased. \"Won't that be exciting?\"  \nAt least it was a short trip, giving Ellie few opportunities to put him on edge before they  \narrived. They arrived by half past eight, but the answering machine in the office was already  \nblinking with a chartreuse 2. Jason pushed the play button.  \n\"Hello? Inspector Bennett? This is Katya. I hope this is alright, but I referred a rabbit with  \na missing husband to you. I called Officer Schulz, but she wasn't interested. She thinks he ran  \noff with a mistress, but his wife is certain he wouldn't do that. She's really distraught. It seems  \nshe called his office when he didn't come home this evening, and they confirmed that he'd left.  \nShe drove his normal route home to look for him but didn't see him, and that's when she came  \nto us. I wish Officer Schulz would have taken the case. I didn't want to worry his wife, but  \nanother missing prey, you know what that could mean. I hope I'm wrong and you find him, even  \nif he was with a mistress. Good luck, bye.\"  \nThe message ended, and the second one started playing, \"This is Gretchen Potter. It's,  \nit's my husband Bartholomew; he didn't come home last night. The police said I should talk to  \nyou. I'll be in this morning. I hope you'll be in by the time I get there. Bartholomew wouldn't just  \ndisappear like this; I know he's in trouble. My number is five, five, five, seven, eight, seven,  \nnine.\"  \nThe message ended, and Jason glanced at Ellie: she looked as troubled as he felt. It  \nwas hard not to share Katya's suspicions.  \n\"Should we even take the case?\" Jason asked. \"If we find he's been murdered, we have  \nto turn it over to Lily anyway. I can't believe she didn't take the case.\"  \n\"I can believe anything regarding that twit's negligence at this point,\" Ellie growled.  \n\"Anyway, that's exactly why we have to take the case. This is the soonest we've ever been able  \nto investigate after a disappearance.\"  \nJason nodded. If Lily was going to dismiss the case as marital strife, she couldn't object  \nto them taking it. He still couldn't see how she didn't think it was worth investigating though. She  \nwasn't a moron.  \nJason and Ellie waited anxiously for the rabbit to arrive. A few minutes before nine, there  \nwas a knock at the door. Both of them leapt up to answer it; they almost collided as they rushed  \nfor the door. They exchanged a glance, and Jason let Ellie get it. A white rabbit with gray-blue  \neyes, wearing a long-sleeve, lavender blouse and holding a glossy black clutch, stood in the  \ndoorway.  \n\"I'm Gretchen Potter. I left a-\"  \n\"We've been expecting you. Come in,\" Ellie instructed.  \nThe white rabbit nodded and stepped through the door. She glanced worriedly around at  \nthe messy office with its boxes sacked haphazardly around the room, but then pulled a photo  \nout of her clutch. \"This is Bartholomew.\"  \nEllie accepted the photo and looked at it before holding it up for Jason to get a better  \nlook at: the smiling brown rabbit in the photo was wearing a dark blue scarf. Jason nodded to  \nindicate he'd gotten a good look, and Ellie slipped the photo into her shirt pocket.  \n\"We got your message,\" Jason told her. \"Can you help fill in the details? Where does  \nyour husband work, and when were you expecting him home?\"  \n\"He works for channel five news. I was expecting him home by a quarter after eight, but I  \ndidn't really start to get worried until eight forty-five. He often gets held up at work. His boss is  \na,\" she paused and seemed to consider Jason. \"Well, he's not the most considerate.\"  \n\"Who's his boss? We might want to talk to him,\" Ellie inquired.  \n\"Ferdinand Gamboa. I'm not sure you'll be able to talk to him though.\"  \nEllie frowned, \"You don't think he'll be willing to talk about his missing employee?\"  \n\"You can try, but I doubt he makes time to talk with anyone.\"  \nEllie looked puzzled.  \n\"He's one of the primary newscasters on channel 5,\" Jason explained.  \n\"Oh!\" Ellie looked at Gretchen embarrassedly. \"I don't watch tv,\" she explained.  \n\"We'll try to get him to talk to us anyway or anyone else who might have talked with your  \nhusband before he left,\" Jason decided. \"What about the route? Can you show us the route he  \nusually took home?\"  \nMrs. Potter nodded. Ellie hurried over to her desk to nab her tablet. Pulling up a map of  \nthe city, she held it out to Mrs. Potter. Mrs. Potter poked around on the map until she found the  \nright area and zoomed in to show the relevant streets.  \nShe traced the route with her finger, \"The studio is here on East Walnut Street, and he  \nusually walks up Twelfth Avenue East and then down here on East Ivy, and then we live right  \nhere just off of Ivy on Ninth.\"  \nEllie nodded, \"Got it.\"  \n\"Can you think of any reason he might have gone another way?\" Jason queried.  \n\"He wasn't cheating on me if that's what you're implying,\" Mrs. Potter snapped.  \n\"I wasn't suggesting that,\" Jason clarified mildly. \"I meant, was there any reason he  \nwould have decided to stop by a shop or run any other errand on the way home?\"  \n\"Sorry, uh, no, there was no reason. He would have let me know if he was planning to.  \nHe was getting home late as it was.\"  \n\"Is there anything else you can tell us that might be helpful?\" Ellie asked. \"What did he  \nsay to you the last time you talked?\"  \nMrs. Potter shook her head. \"He called me at seven thirty to say he'd be home around a  \nquarter after eight. I told him I was preparing braised beets. He said he was looking forward to  \nthem. That was all.\"  \n\"We'll do our very best to find him, Ma'am,\" Jason tried to assure her; it was difficult  \nwhen he suspected the poor rabbit had met the same gruesome end that so many other prey  \nhad lately.  \n\"Thank you, I hope he's okay, but,\" her voice cracked. \"But somehow I just know he's in  \nterrible trouble.\" She quickly turned her head to the side, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve, and  \ntook a deep breath. \"Excuse me,\" she apologized. \"I have to stay calm. He may be perfectly  \nfine.\"  \nJason placed a hand on her shoulder, \"We'll do our very best, Ma'am,\" he repeated.  \nShe looked up at him hopefully, and Jason's heart wrenched with sympathy and guilt. If  \nthey were right, her husband was probably already dead. He didn't want to panic her in case  \nthey were wrong, but he felt like he was giving her false hope. On impulse, he pulled her in and  \nhugged her, trying to comfort her not only for her worry now but for the despair to come. She  \ntensed but then relaxed after a couple seconds. A couple seconds later, Jason realized how  \ninappropriate his action had been, and quickly released her.  \n\"Sorry!\" he apologized hurriedly.  \n\"It's okay. I, I think I needed that,\" she murmured embarrassedly.  \n\"We'll let you know as soon as we know anything,\" Ellie told her.  \nMrs. Potter nodded, \"Thank you again. I'd better leave so that you can get started.\" She  \nglanced between the two of them. \"Good luck! For Bartholomew's sake!\"  \n\"And for your sake,\" Jason added.  \nMrs. Potter nodded again and turned for the door. Jason and Ellie watched her leave.  \nThe door shut behind her, and Jason listened to her footsteps receding down the hall to the  \nelevator before letting out a groan.  \n\"I can't bear it!\" he moaned. \"Why? Another person murdered, their loved ones  \ndevastated, for what?! Someone's sick pleasure?!\"  \nEllie turned and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. \"I know, Jason: it's  \nhorrible to think about, but that's why we have to catch this monster! We have to make sure Ms.  \nPotter is the last person who has to go through this!\"  \nHe hugged her back. Her embrace didn't take away the pain of the knowledge they'd  \nmost likely have to tell Mrs. Potter her husband was dead, but it made it a little easier to bear.  \nThey went to the channel 5 news studio right away. There was a parking lot, but it was  \ngated with a sign reading 'Employees Only'. Ellie parked on the far side of the street, and they  \nran across during a break in traffic. They were met at the door to the red brick building by a  \nwhite bull terrier in a black security guard's uniform top and with a stun gun and a walkie-talkie  \non a belt around his hips. The stocky dog was roughly twice Jason's height and several times  \nhis weight; he squinted down at them, seeming to consider them with mild interest.  \n\"Can I help you?\" the dog inquired.  \n\"We need to speak with, er, what was his name, Jason?\" Ellie began.  \n\"Mr. Gamboa,\" Jason finished.  \nThe dog snorted in amusement, \"Right. Run along now.\"  \n\"We're serious!\" Ellie insisted. \"It's about Bartholomew Potter. He's missing, and we  \nwant to know if Mr. Gamboa talked to him before he went home last night.\"  \nThe dog frowned, \"Bartholomew's missing?\"  \nEllie nodded, \"His wife came to us this morning. He didn't come home last night. Did you  \nsee him yesterday evening?\"  \nThe dog shook his head, \"I don't work Sunday. Let me check on what you're saying.\" He  \npulled out his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. \"Hey, Carl, this is Steve at the front. Do you know  \nwhether Bartholomew Potter came in today?\"  \nThe staticy voice came back, \"I can check on that. Just a minute.\"  \n\"He's checking,\" the dog repeated to Jason and Ellie.  \nAfter several seconds the voice answered again, \"No, he didn't clock in today.\"  \n\"Did he call in sick?\" the dog asked back.  \nAfter a brief pause, \"No, no word from him yet.\"  \n\"Thanks, Carl.\"  \nThe dog slipped his walkie-talkie back onto his belt and looked at Ellie and Jason with  \nconcern. \"It seems we haven't heard from him either. You said his wife contacted you? Who are  \nyou?\"  \n\"I'm Inspector Bennett, and this is Inspector Brown. Ms. Potter came to our office this  \nmorning to ask us to investigate his disappearance.\"  \n\"I see. I hope the little guy's alright.\"  \n\"You know him then?\" Ellie inquired.  \nThe bull terrier nodded, \"I've seen him around, friendly little guy, hard worker. He'd have  \nto be working for Gamboa, I guess.\"  \n\"Do you think we can talk to Mr. Gamboa then?\" Ellie pressed.  \nThe dog nodded slowly, \"I'll see what I can do. If not Gamboa, I might be able to find you  \nsomeone else who talked with him yesterday.\" He picked up the walkie-talkie again. \"Hey,  \nBecca, this is Steve. Can you take over at the front? We have some visitors I need to escort.\"  \nThe staticy voice came back almost immediately, \"Sure thing, Steve, I'll be down in a  \nminute.\"  \nThe dog opened the door and ushered Jason and Ellie inside. The door opened adjacent  \nto the varnished brick staircase. Another pair of doors presumably led to the rest of the  \ndownstairs.  \n\"The studio is on the third level,\" Steve explained.  \nHe began to lead them up the stairs but paused as a similarly uniformed female fisher  \ncame racing down. She halted to talk to him.  \n\"Hi, Steve. These are the people you're escorting then? What are they here for?\"  \n\"They need to talk to people who saw Bartholomew yesterday. It seems he's missing.\"  \n\"Missing!?\" She looked at Jason worriedly. \"You don't think something bad happened to  \nhim, do you?\"  \n\"It's hard to say at this point,\" Jason answered carefully. \"His wife is worried. She can't  \nthink of any reason he wouldn't have come home.\"  \nThe fisher exchanged a troubled glance with the dog before turning back to Jason. \"That  \ndoesn't sound good at all. What do you think could have happened to him?\"  \n\"That's what we're trying to establish,\" Ellie answered. \"But he wouldn't be the first prey  \nwe've investigated to turn up dead.\"  \nThe fisher and the dog both gaped at her blunt declaration.  \n\"Dead?!\" the dog gasped. \"But why?! Who would want to kill Bartholomew?\"  \n\"We think we're dealing with a serial killer,\" Ellie replied.  \n\"A serial killer?!\" the fisher yelped. \"Then, then why aren't the police investigating?!\"  \n\"That is an excellent question,\" Ellie stated pointedly.  \nThe fisher and dog exchanged a concerned glance. Jason wasn't sure laying into the  \npolice was the best idea in terms of getting people to help them in their investigation. They didn't  \nwant to come across as conspiracy nuts.  \n\"We're keeping an open mind about what might have happened to him,\" Jason put in. He  \naddressed the fisher, \"Did you see him at all yesterday?\"  \n\"Only in the morning. My shift was over before he left.\"  \n\"How did he seem then?\"  \n\"Busy but otherwise fine. Mr. Gamboa had him racing all over the place, but he took it all  \nin stride as usual.\"  \n\"Did he say anything about any plans he had for the evening?\"  \nShe shook her head.  \n\"We'll see if we can find anyone who did see him yesterday evening,\" the dog repeated.  \nThe fisher glanced toward the entrance and back to the dog, \"I'd better get out there.  \nGood luck!\" She hurried the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door.  \nThe dog looked to Jason and Ellie, \"Right, let's see who we can find upstairs.\"  \nThey continued to the third floor, and the dog poked his head through one of the doors.  \n\"Hey, Sarah, I see Gamboa's not on set right now. Where is he?\"  \nA voice, presumably Sarah's, chirped back, \"He's in makeup, getting ready for the next  \nbroadcast.\"  \n\"Thanks. Uh, by the way, did you see Bartholomew yesterday?\"  \n\"Yeah, he hasn't shown up today though. Gamboa isn't happy.\"  \n\"It seems no one knows where he is. I have a couple inspectors here with me. Can they  \ntalk to you later?\"  \n\"Uh, yeah, I guess so.\"  \nThe dog pulled his head back out and closed the door. \"He's in makeup. You may be  \nable to talk to him while he's getting ready.\" He led them two doors down the hall and ushered  \nthem inside.  \nAn overweight, long-haired black and white cat was sitting on a cornflower blue latex  \nseat while a weasel in a short-sleeved white button-up shirt with four pockets crammed with  \nscissors, comb, brush, lipstick, eyeliner, and other assorted equipment and makeup fussed over  \nhim. The cat turned to scowl at his visitors.  \n\"What is it now?\" he asked peevishly. \"Can't you see I'm busy? It's bad enough that  \nBartholomew decided to dodge work today without you annoying me every few minutes!\"  \nEllie stepped forward, \"We're here about Bartholomew actually. We nee-\"  \n\"Oh? Did he send you to make an excuse for his abandoning me? It had better be a  \ngood one.\"  \n\"He didn't send us; he's missing. His wife hired us to find him.\"  \n\"What do you mean he's missing?\" the cat asked annoyedly. \"I expect him back by  \ntomorrow unless he's lying in the hospital.\"  \n\"If he were in the hospital, he wouldn't be missing!\" Ellie snapped back. \"No one knows  \nwhere he is! He might be dead!\"  \nThe cat started and the weasel paused in his work and turned to look at Ellie in surprise.  \n\"D-dead?\" the cat whined. \"What do you mean? Was there some kind of accident?\"  \nEllie shook her head, \"We don't know. All we know is that he didn't come home last  \nnight, but I'm sure you've covered the recent murders. It's possible he's the latest victim.\"  \nThe insides of the cat's ears went white and his yellow eyes widened in horror, \"N-not  \nBartholomew,\" he whimpered. \"Oh Zeus, you mean like that poor Planter boy and, and the  \nsquirrels?\"  \nEllie nodded grimly. The cat leapt off of the chair and raced to the black trash can to the  \nleft of the mirror and sink. Leaning over it, he retched. Jason grimaced and uncomfortably  \nturned his head away from the vomiting cat. When Mr. Gamboa had finished puking, the weasel  \ndarted over and began dabbing at his eyes, nose, and mouth with a white handkerchief.  \nMr. Gamboa turned to look at them dolefully. \"Is that all?\"  \nEllie appeared stunned by the cat's violent reaction, but she slowly shook her head, \"N-  \nno, we wanted to ask you if he said anything to you yesterday that might have indicated that he  \nwas unwell or had any plans besides heading straight home.\"  \nThe cat shook his head mournfully, \"We never talked about his personal life. I knew he  \nwas married, but that was all.\" He looked at the floor, \"I never even told him how much I  \nappreciated everything he did. If he's gone, I, I don't know what,\" he didn't finish the sentence,  \nclosing his mouth and staring dejectedly at his feet.  \nJason felt sorry for the surly cat. He understood why Ellie had been annoyed by his  \nattitude, but he didn't want to leave him thinking it was completely hopeless. \"We're doing our  \nbest to find him,\" he stated. \"We don't know that he was murdered.\"  \nMr. Gamboa shook his head, \"What else could have happened? Zeus, I can't bear to  \nthink. If, if they killed Bartholomew like the others,\" he grimaced and grabbed his stomach again.  \n\"S-sorry, there's nothing I can do to help.\"  \n\"Thank you for your time,\" Jason concluded. He looked at the dog, who nodded grimly  \nand led them out of the room.  \nThe dog closed the door behind them before addressing them. \"Do you really think  \nBartholomew was killed like those other prey?\" he murmured.  \n\"We're afraid that could be the case,\" Ellie answered. \"He seems to fit the murderer's  \nprofile.\"  \nThe dog winced, \"Fucking Tartarus, that's horrible. Imagining the poor little guy,\" he  \nshuddered. \"I hope you're going to catch this freak if that is what happened.\"  \nEllie nodded, \"That's our intention. We don't want any more prey falling victim to this  \nmonster. I sincerely hope Bartholomew wasn't their latest victim, but I'd put it over fifty-fifty that  \nhe was.\"  \nThe dog nodded grimly, \"I'd better take you back to Sarah now to see if she can help at  \nall.\"  \nThe dog arranged for them to meet Sarah in a small conference room containing a  \nwhiteboard and a light gray rectangular table with six green plastic rolling chairs. After a few  \nminutes, the red-winged blackbird flitted into the room and perched on the back of one of the  \nchairs. Of course, being female, she was neither black nor red-winged, but the brown bird did  \nhave a red beret, which she carefully adjusted before addressing them.  \n\"So what is this about Bartholomew being missing?\"  \n\"His wife contacted us; he didn't come home last night,\" Jason summarized. \"Did you  \nspeak with him before he went home yesterday?\"  \nThe bird bobbed her head. Her beret slipped forward, and she hastily readjusted it.  \n\"What about? Did he give any indication that he was unwell or had any plans aside from  \ngoing home?\"  \n\"No, he seemed anxious to get home. He told me something about some sort of roots  \nthat rabbits eat.\" She eyed Ellie, \"I suppose you'd be familiar with them, but I frankly had no idea  \nwhat he was talking about.\"  \n\"And that was it?\" Jason asked.  \nThe bird bobbed her head again. This time the beret fell off onto the floor, and she  \nhopped down to retrieve it before flitting back up. \"Is that all?\"  \n\"I guess so. Thanks for your time.\"  \nThe bird placed one wing on her beret, hopped back down, and then half scurried, half  \nflew out of the room.  \n\"It doesn't seem like we're going to get any further here,\" Ellie stated. \"As far as we've  \ngathered, there doesn't seem to be any reason to think he did anything other than head home  \nby his usual route. Whatever happened, we should assume it happened along that route.\"  \nJason nodded in agreement. He turned to the bull terrier, \"Thanks for all your help.\"  \nThe dog nodded once in acknowledgement. \"No problem. I just hope you find him.\"  \nThe dog led them back downstairs and outside. The fisher was still standing by the door.  \n\"I can take over here,\" the dog told her.  \nShe nodded and turned to Ellie and Jason, \"Any luck?\"  \n\"Only in the sense of ruling out the unexpected,\" Ellie answered.  \n\"Oh, well, uh, better luck going forward then.\"  \n\"Right, we haven't given up. Come on, Jason.\" She marched off down the sidewalk  \ntoward 12th Avenue.  \nJason hurriedly waved to the dog and fisher, \"Have a nice day.\" Then he trotted after  \nEllie toward the crosswalk.  \nThey slowly made their way along Bartholomew's route looking for any sort of clue as to  \nwhat had happened to him though they both knew chances of finding anything they could  \ndefinitely connect to his disappearance were slim. They simply didn't have anywhere else to  \nstart.  \nThey were on Ivy and only a few blocks from 9th when they decided to take a break.  \nThere was a small bakery on the other side of the street, and they crossed so that Ellie could  \ngrab some lunch. Jason hoped they found another restaurant or street vendor soon since he  \nwasn't interested in the carrot and turnip pasty that Ellie purchased. They were sitting at a table  \noutside the bakery when Jason heard a loud thump come from a few doors down at what  \nappeared to be an apartment complex. He didn't think much of it until the thump was repeated a  \nsecond time.  \n\"Did you hear that thump?\" he asked Ellie.  \n\"Yeah.\"  \n\"What do you think it was?\"  \nThump.  \n\"There it was again!\" Jason exclaimed.  \nEllie shrugged, \"If you're so worried about it, why don't you go see what it is?\"  \nJason got up, \"I guess I will.\"  \nHe trotted down the sidewalk to the apartment complex. An ancient looking coyote was  \nstruggling with the large glass door. He was holding both a cane and a large cardboard box,  \nand, as he attempted to push the handle down with his left hand, which was holding the cane as  \nwell as supporting one side of the box, the box became unbalanced, causing him to drop it with  \na thump. Jason raced up the concrete stairs to the door and stretched up to grab the handle. He  \npulled open the door and held it for the coyote. The coyote picked the box back up with some  \ndifficulty and hobbled through the door.  \n\"Thank yuh, lad.\"  \n\"You're welcome.\"  \nThe coyote hobbled to the stairs, and Jason became concerned that he would tumble  \ndown them while trying to carry the box.  \nJason let the door swing shut and took a step toward him. \"Let me help with that!\"  \nThe coyote glanced at him dubiously, \"May be uh bit heavy fer yuh, lad.\"  \n\"Let me try.\"  \nThe coyote set the box down, and Jason attempted to lift it. He could just about get it,  \nbut it was too awkward to carry down the stairs by himself. He glanced back down the sidewalk  \nto where Ellie was still seated outside the bakery.  \n\"Hey! Ellie! Can you come help a minute?\" he called.  \nEllie looked up, glanced back at her pasty, and then set it down on her napkin, slung her  \nsatchel over her shoulder, and loped down the sidewalk and bounded up the stairs.  \n\"Help me carry this down the stairs,\" Jason requested.  \nEllie lifted the other side, and they successfully transported the box down the stairs with  \nJason leading. They set the box down at the bottom and the coyote, who had followed them  \ndown, nodded gratefully.  \n\"Thank yuh, lads.\" He opened an old canvas bag he had slung over his right shoulder  \nand rummaged around inside. \"I have uh bit'er jerky if yuh wont some.\"  \n\"I'll have some, thanks,\" Jason answered.  \nThe coyote pulled out a piece of the dried meat, and Jason accepted it and tore off a  \npiece with his teeth: it was a fairly large chunk. Ellie made a face, wrinkling her nose in disgust.  \n\"What?\" Jason asked, befuddled.  \n\"How 'bout yer friend? Eli were it?\"  \nJason smirked, eyeing Ellie sidelong, \"I don't think 'Eli' wants any, but thanks anyway.\"  \n\"Heheh, don't wont tuh spoil yer ap'tite, eh?\"  \n\"No, I don't-\"  \n\"That's whot the lad said last night. Looked uh bit like yuh in fact, Eli.\"  \nEllie blinked then exchanged a quick glance with Jason. She pulled the photo of  \nBartholomew out of her pocket. \"Did he look anything like this by chance?\"  \nThe coyote squinted at the photo, \"Er, not really. I don't 'member the errs.\"  \nEllie slipped the photo back in her pocket and shrugged. It had been a long shot anyway.  \n\"Though, come tuh think of it, he were wearin' a hat. Le'me see again.\"  \nEllie showed him the photo again, and he squinted at it thoughtfully. Eventually, he  \nsmiled in recognition. \"That'll be him alright.\"  \nEllie's ears perked up in excitement, \"Did you see where he went after you talked to  \nhim?\"  \nThe coyote chuckled lightly, \"Heheheh, lucky lad had some business wi' Hur Grace.  \nCharmin' lady.\"  \n\"Her Grace? Do you mean the Duchess?\" Ellie inquired.  \n\"Of Goozeburry, yes.\"  \n\"What makes you think he had business with her?\"  \n\"Why I rec'nized Le'pold's son, didn't I? Spittin' image of him. He were so proud when lil  \nWolfie got the job wi' Hur Grace. Terr'ble cheater at cards tho. He used tuh slip uh ace er three  \nup his sleeve. Poor Le'pold, been dead 'most two years now, but he always were real proud of  \nhis son.\"  \n\"What species was Leopold?\"  \n\"Were uh wolverine.\"  \nEllie seemed to barely be able to contain her excitement, and Jason shared her  \nsentiment. Somehow all of the pieces were falling together.  \n\"And you saw his son take Bartholomew somewhere?\" Ellie asked eagerly.  \n\"'Scorted him inna thur car.\"  \n\"What kind of car?\"  \n\"It were dark, but it were uh black sedan, I'd say.\"  \nEllie exchanged an excited glance with Jason. \"Thank you, Sir! You've been an  \nincredible help!\"  \n\"Have I? Well, glad tuh be of assistance.\" He picked up the box, again with some  \ndifficulty. \"Have a nice day, lads.\" He turned and hobbled down the sidewalk.  \n\"You too!\" Ellie called. She turned to Jason. \"That was just the piece of luck we needed!  \nBlack sedan, badger-like wolverine, and we know where to find them!\"  \n\"I still don't like the idea of confronting the Duchess about a series of murders,\" Jason  \nreplied cautiously. \"Even if it was her employee and she didn't know about it, you remember  \nwhat the miniature pinschers said. Maybe we should tell the police and let them deal with it from  \nhere.\"  \n\"With that negligent twit in charge?! We have to stop this murderer! We can't give Lily a  \nchance to botch it!\"  \n\"Okay, but we need to inform Fitzie first just in case. This is a murderer we're dealing  \nwith, a wolverine at that. I don't want to go without letting someone know what we know and  \nwhere we're going.\"  \nEllie nodded, \"Good idea. You can call him on the way.\"  \nThey hurried back to the car, and Ellie began the hour plus drive to the Duchess' estate.  \nOnce they were on their way, Jason called Fitzie on his cell phone.  \nFitzie answered the call, \"This is the coroner's office. Dr. Fitzgerald speaking.\"  \n\"Hi, Fitzie, it's Jason. We think we've figured out who the serial killer is.\"  \n\"Really?! Who?! I thought you weren't working on that anymore!\"  \n\"We were investigating another case that Lily discarded as marital strife. It seems the  \nmissing rabbit was taken by a wolverine who works for the Duchess. In a black sedan too. It fits  \nwhat we've learned from all of the murder cases so far.\"  \n\"That's fantastic, Jason! Have you told Lily?\"  \n\"Er, not yet. Ellie wants to apprehend them ourselves. She doesn't trust Lily.\"  \n\"Wait, so what are you doing?\" Fitzie asked concernedly.  \n\"We're on our way right now. The ETA to the Duchess' estate is,\" he checked the GPS.  \n\"Forty-seven minutes.\"  \n\"Jason! You can't do this by yourself! It's too dangerous!\"  \n\"That's why I'm calling you. I wanted to let you know in case something goes wrong.\"  \n\"I see. Can you let me know when you get there and when you leave? I'm going to be on  \nedge until you tell me you've left safely.\"  \n\"Alright, no problem, Fitzie.\"  \n\"Good luck, Brown!\"  \n\"Thanks, see you soon.\" Jason hung up. \"Fitzie didn't sound pleased with the idea of us  \ndoing this on our own,\" Jason noted.  \n\"I didn't expect him to be, but we need to hurry. You realize it's possible Mr. Potter is still  \nalive, don't you? There's no time to spare!\"  \nJason hadn't considered the possibility. \"Zeus, you're right! Step on it, Ellie!\"  \nShe nodded grimly and pushed the accelerator harder. The engine screamed as they  \nrocketed down the highway North of Maplesburg. Jason gripped the seat, but this time he was  \nless concerned about his own safety than that of the rabbit at their destination. If there was even  \na tiny chance that he was still alive, they had to get there in time! Jason thought of Mrs. Potter,  \nof the bull terrier, of the black and white cat, and of the brown rabbit in the photo. If only they  \ncould get there in time, they would all be spared so much suffering!  \nThe four-lane freeway took them to a two-lane duchy highway, leading deeper and  \ndeeper into rolling hills of meadows and woods. Finally, Ellie pulled off of the duchy highway  \nonto a narrow paved road. An unobtrusive painted wood sign read 'Belmont Estate' at the end  \nof the private road. Ellie was obliged to drive more slowly on the narrow, winding road, but the  \nsense of dire urgency kept them going as quickly as they could without ending up in the ditch.  \nJason called Fitzie again to let them know they'd arrived.  \n\"Hi this is the coroner's office. Dave speaking.\"  \n\"Is Dr. Fitzgerald there?\"  \n\"No, he left. I think he's with the police on some urgent case.\"  \n\"Okay, thanks.\" Jason hung up and dialed Fitzie's personal cell phone.  \nFitzie answered after only one ring, \"Hi, Jason, I know that you said Ellie didn't want the  \npolice involved, but I couldn't let you do this on your own. I told Schulz, and we're on our way  \nnow. We'll be there in about twenty minutes. I think you should hold tight until we get there.\"  \n\"We can't do that, Fitzie. What if Mr. Potter is still alive?\"  \n\"Who?\"  \n\"The rabbit whose disappearance we're investigating. Minutes could make the difference  \nbetween life and death!\"  \n\"Okay, Jason. We'll be there to back you up soon.\"  \n\"Thanks, Fitzie. Bye.\" Jason hung up the phone. \"The police are right behind us,\" he  \ninformed Ellie. \"Fitzie didn't want us to go without backup.\"  \nEllie huffed irately, \"Stupid ferret. We'll just have to handle things before they arrive.\"  \n\"I think it's good we'll have backup, just in case.\"  \n\"Maybe,\" Ellie allowed. \"I still think it's better if we handle things without that incompetent  \nbobcat's interference.\"  \nFinally, they pulled into the cul-de-sac in front of the massive stone manor. Ellie grabbed  \nher satchel and leapt out of the car, racing up the few stone steps to pound on the heavy oak  \ndoor. Jason followed her up the steps. After a minute, the door was opened by a wolverine in a  \nblack jacket. He looked at Jason.  \n\"You realize this is private property, right?\"  \n\"To Tartarus with your private property!\" Ellie shouted. \"We know you have Bartholomew  \nPotter here, assuming he's still alive!\"  \nThe wolverine looked down at Ellie in surprise, apparently having not noticed her before.  \nHis literal oversight wasn't all that surprising given that she was less than half his height.  \n\"You think we have someone here?\" he asked slowly.  \n\"We know you do! Are you Leopold's son?\"  \nThe wolverine blinked slowly. \"You knew my father?\"  \n\"No, but you were recognized by someone who did, and they saw you taking  \nBartholomew Potter! So cut the bullshit! We know you kidnapped him, and if you haven't already  \nkilled him, we know you've killed several other prey!\"  \n\"Those are serious accusations,\" the wolverine replied mildly. \"I hope you can back them  \nup.\"  \n\"We have all the evidence we need!\" Ellie declared.  \n\"Wolfie? What's all of this shouting?\" a voice chirped from inside the manor.  \n\"A very irate rabbit, Your Grace. She thinks I've been murdering prey.\"  \n\"Dear me! We'd better let her in so that I can clear things up, wouldn't you say?\"  \n\"If that's what you want, Your Grace. She has a cat with her.\"  \n\"How nice. The more the merrier. Show them in, Wolfie.\"  \nThe wolverine opened the door to reveal a female red fox standing in the spacious,  \nstone-floored entryway. She was wearing a white, knee-length sundress with narrow shoulder  \nstraps. Grinning toothily, she beckoned Ellie and Jason to come in.  \n\\* \\* \\*  \nDespite herself, Ellie was a bit awed by the luxurity and size of the ancient manor as the  \nfox led them through the entryway. Following the vixen and Jason in, Ellie realized that the  \nDuchess was an unusually small fox, not even a full head taller than the cat. Of course, that still  \nmeant she could have comfortably rested her forearm on Ellie's head with her shoulder at a  \nforty-five degree angle. The vixen led them to a room with light yellow walls and royal blue  \ncarpet illuminated by a sparkling silver chandelier.  \nThe vixen sat in one of the light blue armchairs and motioned to the matching sofa to her  \nleft, \"Have a seat, and we'll get this all straightened out,\" she requested amicably.  \nThey sat down, Jason closer to the vixen. Ellie reached her hand into her bag to feel her  \nhandgun. They didn't know whether the Duchess was aware of her employees' actions, but it  \npaid to be ready to defend yourself, particularly when you were a two and a half pound rabbit.  \n\"Now, what is it you think Wolfie has been up to?\"  \n\"We don't think; we know,\" Ellie stated. \"And he's had help. Witnesses have reported at  \nleast two perpetrators.\"  \n\"What do you 'know' he's done then,\" the vixen asked patiently.  \n\"He's been kidnapping and brutally murdering prey,\" Ellie stated bluntly. \"First, there was  \na teenage rabbit, Daniel Planter. Then there was a squirrel named Jack something or other, and  \nthen there was another squirrel and her two children, all brutally murdered, tortured even except  \nthe children. Am I missing any, Jason?\"  \n\"There was that body we found by the river,\" he murmured.  \n\"Right, but Tom didn't think that was related.\"  \nThe vixen frowned concernedly, \"This sounds like simply dreadful business, but I can't  \nimagine it's anything Wolfie would get up to. He's rather gentle actually.\"  \n\"He was seen kidnapping Bartholomew Potter,\" Ellie insisted. \"And he matches the  \ndescription given by witnesses from the scenes of the other crimes.\"  \n\"We're not saying you knew or had anything to do with it, Ma'am,\" Jason added. \"But can  \nyou think of anywhere he might have brought his victims? We need to act as quickly as  \npossible. We haven't found Mr. Potter's body yet, so he may still be alive. He may be hidden  \nsomewhere on your estate. Can you think of anywhere that could be?\"  \nThe vixen gave them a curious look, \"Is this Bartholomew Potter a brown rabbit about  \nthis tall?\" She held her right hand at her mid chest level.  \nEllie and Jason exchanged a quick glance.  \n\"I'm not sure of his height, but he is brown,\" Jason answered carefully.  \nEllie pulled Mr. Potter's photo out of her pocket and handed it to Jason, who passed it to  \nthe Duchess. The Duchess accepted it and examined it, her mouth spreading in a smile.  \n\"That's Bart alright,\" she piped. \"He has quite a lovely smile. I think I'll keep this.\" She  \ntucked the photo into the bosom of her dress.  \n\"You've seen him then?! He's here?!\" Ellie inquired urgently.  \nThe vixen smiled at them patronizingly. \"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, but you've  \ngotten almost everything wrong. Wolfie hasn't killed anyone, and Bart is my guest. I can show  \nyou to him if you like.\"  \n\"Wha?! Your guest?!\" Ellie yelped. Nonplussed, she was at a complete loss of how to  \nintegrate this new information. Could we have been that wrong? Could this have nothing to do  \nwith the murders? It's just some sort of misunderstanding? \"We, uh, we'd like to see him if that's  \nalright. His wife is very worried,\" she muttered awkwardly.  \nThe vixen hopped up, \"No problem, he's right this way!\" she declared cheerfully.  \nShe led them back out into the entryway. A second wolverine was now stationed outside  \nthe sitting room with 'Wolfie', and the Duchess gave them a nod as she trotted by. Two 'badger-  \nlike' wolverines, how can this be a coincidence?  \nThe wolverines followed a short distance behind as the Duchess led them down the  \ncurving stone staircase to the basement level. A heavy metal door separated the bottom of the  \nstaircase from the rest of the basement. The Duchess shoved open the door to reveal a large  \nroom that was strikingly incongruent with that of the stately, luxurious house they'd seen so far.  \nThe floor was smooth cement while the far wall and the walls to the right and left were  \ncomposed of ancient-looking stones with crumbling mortar. The wall behind them was obviously  \nmuch newer and constructed of cinder blocks, and another cinder block construction extended  \ntwo-thirds of the way into the room on the left side but fell short of the high ceiling. The ceiling  \nwas unfinished with pipes and ventilation shafts showing, and long bars of bright lights hung,  \nstretching from one side of the room to the other. Whereas the rest of the house had smelled of  \ndank stone and musty wood, the acrid smell of antiseptic permeated this room. There were  \nthree visible entrances to the room, all with heavy metal doors: the one they had passed  \nthrough, a second door just to their right on the wall behind them, and a third door in the right  \nwall. On the far wall was a long concrete counter with a sink, an assortment of surgical  \nequipment, and a small cage. In the middle of the room, directly in front of them, was a  \nstainless-steel surgery table, and tied to the table was what was left of Bartholomew Potter.  \nThe vixen skipped across the room to the mutilated rabbit and stroked his head. Ellie  \ncould barely stand to look at him. He was missing a foot on one leg, and the other was  \namputated at the knee. Both of his hands appeared to be missing fingers, and Ellie didn't even  \nwant to think about the raggedly stitched incision in his abdomen.  \n\"Bart! You have friends here to visit you!\" the Duchess chirped. \"I think they're here to  \nrescue you!\"  \nThe rabbit only gurgled weakly in response.  \nThe Duchess turned back to Jason and Ellie, \"Poor Bart. He's almost all used up,\" she  \nexplained wistfully. Her mouth spread in a toothy grin, \"But I've never had replacements waltz  \nright into my home before! This is quite an exciting development!\"  \nEllie drew her handgun and pointed it at the fox, \"You're sick! Get away from him before  \nI fill you with lead!\"  \nThe vixen grinned wildly, \"You might want to consider your friend's predicament before  \nyou pull the trigger!\"  \nEllie turned her head cautiously, ready to turn and shoot if the vixen tried anything. She  \nalmost dropped her gun in shock: the second wolverine was holding Jason against his chest  \nwith a knife pressed to Jason's throat. \"Jason!\" she gasped.  \nHe looked back at her fearfully. Ellie quickly turned and aimed her gun at the Duchess'  \nforehead.  \n\"Hurt him, and she dies!\"  \n\"It seems we've reached an impasse,\" the Duchess stated calmly.  \nFor a moment, Ellie agreed, but then she remembered that Tom had insisted on telling  \nLily where they were going. The police were on their way.  \nShe narrowed her eyes to glare at the loathsome fox, \"We told the police where we were  \ngoing. They'll be here any minute. You're finished, Your Grace.\"  \nThe vixen grinned, \"Did you really?! I must congratulate you! You've truly  \noutmaneuvered me!\"  \nEllie wasn't sure if the fox didn't believe her or was simply too insane to care about the  \nconsequences of her actions. If it were the former, she'd be finding out otherwise in a matter of  \nminutes. Ellie pricked her ears. Was that the sound of sirens? She listened carefully: the  \nwhirring sirens became clearer and clearer until she was sure the fox could hear them too. Ellie  \nglared at the vixen, daring her to repeat her mocking congratulations.  \nThe vixen smiled back and gave a little shrug, \"Looks like I'm caught,\" she stated lightly.  \nBAM! The door flew in and slammed against the wall. Lily stood in the door, handgun  \ndrawn, with a uniformed weasel and otter on her right and left. Both also had their guns drawn.  \n\"Drop your weapons and keep your hands where I can see them!\" the bobcat yowled.  \nThe wolverine holding Jason complied immediately, dropping the knife and releasing  \nJason to put his hands on his own head. Ellie kept her gun on the vixen.  \n\"About time!\" Ellie called. \"Someone get Mr. Potter into an ambulance!\"  \n\"That means you, rabbit!\" Lily growled.  \nEllie gave her a puzzled glance.  \n\"Drop your gun!\" the bobcat commanded.  \n\"You see what's going on here, don't you?!\" Ellie protested. \"We caught this monster red  \nhanded! She's the one who's been murdering prey, and she was in the middle of murdering  \nanother one!\"  \nLily aimed her gun at Ellie. \"Drop it,\" she growled.  \nEllie hesitated, and the bobcat growled dangerously. Tom emerged, pushing his way  \nbetween the officers, and hurried across the room toward Ellie, stopping a few steps away.  \n\"Slide the gun to me, Ellie,\" he requested softly.  \nEllie glanced warily at the bobcat again before addressing the ferret, \"You see what's  \ngoing on here, don't you? We caught the serial killer!\"  \nHe nodded, \"I see that. Please slide me the gun.\"  \nEllie crouched down to set the gun on the cement floor and slid it to the ferret. He leaned  \ndown and picked it up gingerly. As soon as Tom had the gun, Lily strode across the room to  \nJason and sucker punched him in the stomach. He collapsed to the floor with a groan.  \n\"What are you doing?!\" Ellie screamed. She began to dart toward them, but a strong  \nhand with sharp claws caught her under the chin; she felt the razor blade of a scalpel touch her  \nthroat.  \n\"Now this is quite the development, isn't it, Dear?\" the vixen intoned in her ear.  \nLily glared at Ellie before turning back to Jason's prone form. The wolverine who had  \nbeen holding him had placed his foot on Jason's neck, and Lily winced.  \n\"You're such an idiot, Jason,\" Lily growled. \"I told you to stay out of it. Did it ever occur to  \nyou it was for your own good?\"  \n\"What do you mean?! You knew the whole time?!\" Ellie yelled in protest.  \nLily turned back to glare at her, \"Of course I knew, you dolt!\" she snarled.  \n\"Then what?! You're in on it?! You're her accomplice?!\"  \n\"No, it has nothing to do with me,\" Lily growled.  \n\"But you're letting her get away with it!\" Ellie shot back.  \n\"She's not doing anything illegal,\" Lily grumbled.  \nEllie stared at the bobcat in baffled disbelief, \"What are you talking about?! She's  \nmurdering people! Of course that's illegal!\"  \n\"Of course it's illegal if you do it,\" the vixen taunted. \"When I do it, it's perfectly legal  \nbecause I say so.\"  \n\"That's nonsense!\" Ellie protested. \"That's not how the law works! Everyone is equal  \nunder the law! It's in the constitution!\"  \n\"Of course that's what we let you think, Dear,\" the vixen answered smugly. \"But in reality,  \nI own you. It's my birthright. The only person who can take that away is the King, and Frederick  \nrather likes me.\"  \n\"The King knows!\" Ellie gasped.  \nThe vixen caressed Ellie's face with the hand holding her head, \"He has more important  \nthings to think about, but he understands hereditary rights. He gives me leeway to rule as I see  \nfit.\"  \nEllie stared at Lily desperately, \"You can't agree with this!\"  \n\"She's telling the truth,\" Lily grumbled. \"Do you think I like it? The law is the law.\"  \nEllie turned to Tom, \"Tom! You can't agree! You have my gun! Shoot her! Don't worry  \nabout hitting me! She's a monster!\"  \nThe ferret glanced at the gun in his hand. \"I, I'm sorry, Ellie. I can't,\" he moaned  \nmiserably.  \n\"You can! Point it at her head and pull the trigger!\"  \nThe ferret raised the gun in their direction, arm shaking uncontrollably. Lily quickly strode  \nacross the room toward him, and he jerked the gun in her direction.  \nShe stopped and snarled, \"Go on. Do it.\"  \nWhole body shaking, the ferret jerked the gun back toward Ellie and the vixen. Lily  \nbounded the last few steps and shoved his arm out wide. He didn't resist further as she took the  \ngun from his hand. Ellie's heart sank into her stomach as their last chance of escape  \ndisappeared.  \n\"I-I'm sorry, Ellie,\" he choked.  \nLily slapped him, knocking his head to the side, \"You're an idiot too! And a coward! I told  \nyou not to get civilians involved!\"  \n\"I-I swear I didn't know, Ellie!\" Tom whimpered. \"Not until I told Lily where you were  \ngoing. I tried to get you to wait until we got here!\"  \n\"You can leave anytime you like, Officer,\" the Duchess instructed calmly. \"We'll take  \ngood care of these two.\"  \nLily looked at Jason and winced again, \"Sorry, Jason. I tried to stop you.\" She glared at  \nEllie and snarled, \"You deserve it, rabbit. I wish I could be here when you get what's coming to  \nyou!\"  \nShe jerked her head toward the door, and the other officers turned and started back up  \nthe stairs. She followed them. Tom hesitated.  \n\"Would you like to stay too?\" the Duchess offered cheerfully.  \nTom raced after Lily. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving Ellie and Jason in the  \nclutches of the murderous fox and her henchmen.  \n\"Boots-y!\" the vixen called.  \nZeus, she's completely insane. However, the vixen's call was answered as thunderous  \nclomping began to echo from beyond the cinder block wall. The door to the right of the stairs  \nswung open, and a gigantic beast, fully clothed in a black tuxedo and heavy boots stomped into  \nthe room. Ellie's ears laid back in horror as the monstrous creature approached her and the  \nvixen.  \n\"Hold onto this one, will you, Bootsy?\" the vixen piped.  \nThe beast crouched down, still towering above both of them, and the vixen released Ellie  \nand shoved her toward his titanic waiting arms. Frozen with fear, Ellie didn't even dare to resist  \nas the creature scooped her up in one arm. He took away her satchel and slipped it in a  \ncavernous pocket. Then tucking her legs underneath her and her head into the crook of his  \nelbow, the beast sandwiched Ellie between his massive arms. He held her firmly, firmly yet  \nsurprisingly gently. He petted her laid-back ears with the hand on top. The vixen trotted over  \nbeside Mr. Potter and stroked his head.  \n\"I'm sorry, Bart,\" she crooned. \"I'm afraid your friends weren't able to rescue you.\"  \nHe whimpered.  \n\"Shh, I've decided to let you go now.\"  \nThe vixen lifted the scalpel up to Bartholomew's neck, and with a swift movement,  \nopened his carotid artery. He jerked once as blood spurted forth and then lay still, the blood  \npooling around him.  \n\"Bye-bye, Bart,\" the vixen whispered.  \nEllie choked out a sob of horror and despair, and the heavy arms squeezed her but  \nagain gently enough so as not to hurt her.  \n\"Take those two to the cell,\" the vixen instructed.  \nThe wolverines lifted Jason to his feet, yanked the phone out of his holster, and each  \nholding an arm, marched him over toward the cinder block construction. The beast followed with  \nEllie. The larger wolverine pulled open a heavy metal door on the front side of the rectangular  \nconstruction to reveal a cell. They shoved Jason inside, and the beast gently set Ellie inside  \nafter him. The creature would have had difficulty squeezing through the door himself as he  \nstood taller than the entire cell. The larger wolverine slammed the door, and Ellie heard the lock  \nslide into place. She looked around the cell: a short distance from the corner nearest and to the  \nleft of the door, a metal slab with a thin mat was attached to the wall adjacent that with the door.  \nHeavy chains attached farther up the wall helped support the slab though it was securely  \nembedded in the wall and likely could have supported even the beast's weight even without the  \nchains. On the opposite wall were a sink and toilet, and at the corner farthest from the door,  \nseveral heavy steel loops and hooks were embedded in the wall and ceiling. Ellie didn't want to  \nthink about what their purpose was.  \n\"I'm so sorry, Ellie.\"  \nEllie turned to Jason, who was sitting slouched over on the slab.  \n\"This is all my fault. I wanted to tell Fitzie, and I got caught. If you'd been by yourself-\"  \n\"I might have shot one or two of them before the others ripped me apart,\" Ellie  \nconcluded.  \nJason frowned, \"Still, you would have had a chance without-\"  \n\"You couldn't have known!\" Ellie cut him off. \"There was no way you could have known  \nthat Lily was that corrupt! Letting a murderer run rampant because she has a title!\"  \n\"What if what she said was true?\" he muttered. \"What if it isn't illegal so long as the  \nDuchess does it?\"  \n\"Would you have remained a police officer if you found out that was the 'law'?\" Ellie  \ndemanded.  \n\"N-no! It's monstrous! No one should be above the law like that! How is it even law if it's  \nsubject to the whims of some fox?\"  \n\"Exactly. You wouldn't uphold the law if you knew it was unjust. Lily knows it's a farce,  \nand she's not doing anything to change it; she's upholding injustice simply because someone  \nslapped the label 'law' on it.\"  \nJason looked at his feet despondently, \"Still, I'm sorry it had to end like this, Ellie. I don't  \nthink there's such a thing as an afterlife or rebirth, but if there is, I hope we meet again.\"  \n\"It's not over yet, Jason!\"  \nJason looked around the small cement room. \"I don't see a way out of here. We're just  \nwaiting until, until she decides to.\" He swallowed. \"I'd do anything to spare you from that, Ellie,  \nbut I don't see that there's anything I can do.\"  \n\"Someone may come to rescue us! Tom got away! He can't agree with this! He'll bring  \nothers, raid the estate if he has to!\"  \n\"He couldn't even shoot her when what she'd done was staring him right in the face, not  \neven to save his friends. He'll assume we're already dead and justify his inaction that way.\"  \n\"Someone will find out! Someone will miss us!\"  \n\"Whatever Lily says will be the official story. I'm sure she'll think of some reason for our  \ndisappearance, and it won't be that we're being tortured to death by the Duchess.\"  \n\"You're wrong, Jason! Someone will come through! Tom or Katya or even Joe!\"  \nJason shook his head, \"I wish I could believe that, Ellie.\"  \nEllie crossed the room and sat beside him, putting her hand on his leg. \"If this is the end,  \nthen I'm glad I have my sweet kitty beside me. Somehow, we'll get through this, Jason, but if we  \ndon't, then I'm glad for the time we had together, even now when things look hopeless.\"  \nJason grasped her hand, and she squeezed his back. This won't be the end. We'll get  \nout of here somehow. It was something Ellie had to believe.  \n\\* \\* \\*  \nRita watched Boots as he untied Bart's body from the table to clean things up. Wolfgang  \nand Johann would dispose of it somewhere people could enjoy Rita's handiwork.  \n\"Maybe I ought to tie you down sometime, eh, Bootsy?\" she teased.  \nThe human blanched, \"M-mistress?!\"  \nRita giggled, \"Heeheehee, don't worry, Bootsy. I wouldn't cut up my favorite masseur.  \nBut how do you like our new guests? Quite exciting how they're dropping in by themselves now,  \nyes?\"  \n\"The bunny is cute,\" Boots murmured.  \n\"But not as cute as me, eh, Boots?\"  \n\"Of course not, Mistress!\"  \n\"Smart answer, Boots; it's no wonder I keep you around. However, I was more interested  \nin your opinion on the cat. As you know, I don't generally enjoy offing my fellow carnivores,  \nespecially a fine specimen like this one.\"  \n\"What are you going to do then, Mistress?\"  \n\"I'll just have to think of something special for our guests this time, Bootsy.\"  \nWhile Boots finished cleaning up, Rita went to the cell, followed by Wolfgang and  \nJohann. She unlocked the door and stepped through first.  \n\"How are you two doing in here?\" she chirped. \"I don't think we've been properly  \nintroduced yet. My name's Rita though you can call me Your Grace. Why don't you tell me a  \nlittle about yourselves?\"  \nIn reply, the rabbit jumped up off the bed and charged at her, \"How about fuck you, fox!\"  \nRita quickly stepped to the side, and Johann barreled forward to block the rabbit,  \ncatching her by the arm.  \n\"Tsk, tsk, what did I just tell you? That's 'fuck you, Your Grace.'\" She jerked her head to  \nJohann, \"Bring her over to me.\"  \n\"No! Please don't hurt her! I'll do anything!\" the cat yowled desperately.  \nRita gave him a dubious look. \"We'll see about that,\" she stated matter-of-factly.  \nJohann held the rabbit in front of her, grasping the rabbit tightly by both arms. Rita  \nreached forward and pinched at the rabbit's white blouse.  \n\"You won't be needing any adornments in here.\" She nodded to Johann.  \nJohann grasped the shirt on either side and ripped it open, a few buttons flying off in the  \nprocess. He yanked it off and tossed it away before grabbing hold of the rabbit's arms again.  \nRita tranced a claw down the rabbit's torso.  \n\"Now, tell me a little bit about yourself.\"  \nThe rabbit stared at her in silent rage.  \n\"No?\" She turned to Wolfgang, \"Rough the cat up a bit.\"  \n\"My name's Ellie,\" the rabbit answered quickly.  \nRita held her hand up to stop Wolfgang. \"Go on.\"  \n\"Jason and I are private inspectors. We were hired by Ms. Potter to, to,\" she looked  \ndown despairingly.  \nRita patted her cheek. \"You made an excellent attempt,\" she consoled. \"No one's ever  \nhad a gun on me before. You ought to be proud you did so well.\"  \n\"You killed all of them, didn't you?\" the rabbit muttered. \"That's what you meant when  \nyou said we got it almost entirely wrong: you killed them, not the wolverine.\"  \n\"And the muskrat you thought I didn't kill though that wasn't my best work to be honest.  \nThat's why I had Wolfgang and Johann dispose of him in the river.\"  \n\"What about Alfred Garmann?\"  \n\"Who?\"  \n\"The vole who went missing last week?\"  \n\"Oh yes, now I remember. Hmm, I suppose I can't really take credit for that one.  \nLarchwood's stomach did the job there. Of course, he wouldn't have done it if I didn't tell him to,  \nbut still, not really my doing.\"  \n\"And you're going to do the same to us?\"  \nRita booped the rabbit's nose, \"That's a surprise!\" she teased. \"I hope you like  \nsurprises!\" She turned to Wolfgang. \"Go ahead and take off his clothes too, and then we'll  \nleave.\"  \nWolfgang roughly removed the cat's collar, tie, and empty holster. Rita walked to the  \ndoor, collecting the blouse on the way. She sniffed it and leered at the rabbit with her best  \nravenous grin before trotting through the open door. Wolfgang shoved the cat away to follow  \nher, but he shoved him a bit hard, causing the cat to fall forward and end up sprawled on the  \nfloor. Johann released the rabbit to follow Rita, and the rabbit rushed over to help the cat up.  \nRita watched in amusement from the other side of the threshold.  \n\"Have fun with your kitty friend!\" she quipped before slamming the door shut and locking  \nit. \"All of this excitement has worked up an appetite,\" she declared. \"Let's go see what Gustav  \nhas planned for dinner.\" She trotted towards the stairs with Wolfgang and Johann following  \nmore slowly behind. Her new guests certainly were going to be all kinds of fun.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"The Murderess of Maplesburg: Disappearing like Rabbits","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1999252-chapter-19-cleaning-up-messes.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2000284-chapter-21-captivity.json"}}