The Kitten Mystery
By Matropolis
It was a rather quiet day. Too quiet. The mice from Jennyanydots school were beeing baby-sat by Tumblebrutus, Pouncival, Travisina and Matropolis because Jenny was on a trip. Right after they were dropped off at Travie's (Travisina's) place, in the alleyway, it started to rain. Really hard. So there wasn't much to do.
"Tell us a story," Frankie, one of the stronger mice suggested
"They probably don't know how," Bryn replied nastily.
"Sure they do! tell us a mystery story!" Frankie insisted.
"Not a horror one, I beg," James asked politely.
"And keep it on track. A good story," Michael said.
"I've got a good one," Pouncival said. "And it's a mystery, an dit's about me and my friends. And it's made up."
"Tell us!" Fergus pleaded.
"Alright then. Here goes nothin':
It was a quiet day in the office. I was just looking through the papers on my desk, when sudden;y, there was a knock at the door and a sexy voice. Of course, I said come in. In stepped the hottest cat I'd ever seen. I tried not to let that get to me.
"What's wrong Miss?" I asked politely. She swayer her tail end like you'd never beleive.
"The world is all too jealous of my beauty and my family's wealthiness. Someone's trying to kill me and I need her help. She pulled some catnip out of her pocket. Just then MAtropolis, my assistant walked in, along with my other assistant, Travisina.
"No catnip in the office," Matty grabbed the catnip and stomped it into the carpet. "It's against the policies here at Private Eyes Incorparated. Travie nodded.
"This young queen was talking to me about an upcoming murder," I said.
"You can't possibly knw that there's a murder coming up," Travie said skeptically. The queen ignored her.
"You're a strong, handsome Tom. I know you'll do the right thing." She leaned over and kissed me. I tried not to fall for her.
"Name?" I called after her.
"Bombalurina. Just call me Bomby." THen she left.
"Now that, is a woman," I said. Matty and Traive rolled their eyes. Clifford, a brown Pollicle, came over the speaker.
"There is a Tom wishing to see you, but I told him he couldn't come in."
"Who?"
"Professor Tumblebrutus."
"Let him in," I said, even though I told Clifford not to let anyone in for me.
"But you said--"
"Damn it Clifford, let him in!"
"Yessir!" Professor Brutus walked in and handed me some files and left without a word.
"Now, back to the problem," I said, putting the files down on my desk.
"That chick i sbad news," Matty warned.
"Maybe. But we have to help her. I think you're jealous," I said with a smile.
"Of you? Never! I just think she's...bad news. With a capital "B". The way she kissed you, breathed on you..." Matty told me.
"Yeah," I said dreamily. "Clifford. Find Bomby and tell ehr we're on the way."
"Yessir."
"You comin'?" i asked my associates.
"Only cause I get paid," Matty agreed.
"When we found Bomby's house, she wasn't house. So we took a look around. Suddenly, there was scream, a window smashed, and it was dark. We followed the scream to the window. There was Madam Exotica, dead on the floor. She had been stuck with a kitchen knife. We looke dout the window, but there was only glass shattered all over the lawn. Bomby came in the back door, beat and bloody.
"Someone tried to kill me!" she cried and started to weep.
"Who?"
"I don't know. They were wearing a black mask!" she fought the tears.
"Who would want to kill you?" I asked.
"Me," Matty whispered jokingly to Travie.
"I don't know. Exotica...I thought. But maybe Cassandra...or Rumpelteazer! Yes, Miss Rumpelteazer wanted revengeon me or a long time."
"We'll go now," I said.
"Oh please help!" she cried.
"We are ma'am. The best we can," Travie replied. With that, we pulled out some catnip and walked out.
"Pouncival, she's faking it!" Matty whined.
"She's not!" I disagreed. Bomby walked out of ehr house.
"Please catch the killer for me baby. If you do, I'll thank you somehow. Please. You sexy thing." My heart thumped as she help be tight and licked my neck.. When she left again, something fell on Matty's fur. Meanwhile, I tried to zap back to earth.
"She's gonna getch!" Travie insisted. "I know her."
"So do I," Matty said, but didn't sound as sure since she was side-tracked examining whatever fell in her fur.
"Let's interview Ms. Rumpelteazer," I suggested.
"It wasn't her," Travie said bluntly.
"How do you know? SHe's got criminal history," I defended my idea.
"I know. She's in jail," Travie informed me.
"Really. WHy this time?"
"Robbery...as usual."
"So it must have been Cassandra!" I proclaimed.
"Not so fast!" Matty told me. It could be someone else. How do we know Bomby's not the killer?"
"Why would she kill herself? She's got it goin' on," I said puzzled at this remark.
"Do you see her dead yet? Who killed Exotica, anyway?" Travie asked.
"Let's interview Mistress Cassandra." So we went over to Cassanra's place. "How are you Mistress Cassndra?"
"Wonderful!" she replied.
"Are you a friend of Bomby?"
"Not really."
"Have you ever intended to hurt her in any way?"
"No."
"Exotica?"
"No. She's my sister. I love her. Why? What happened to her?" Cassandra sounded more worried.
"She was killed. By an unknown killer."
"NNNNNNNOOOOOO!" she screamed. "Is there {sniff} any way I can help?
"Do you have any information on Bomby?" Matty butt in.
"I'm a professor and I happen to have her latest profile. She's a modelling queen and she adores Toms and vice-versa. She's had seventeen husbands and no criminal history." Cassandra paused with thought. "Lately she speaks to no one. She often threatened Rumpelteazer and my sister, both jealous of her wealthiness. She's also jealous of me, because her old boyfriend is now dating myself, Alonzo.
"Would they kill her?" I asked.
"I don't think so," Cassandra answered. Just as we finished the questionare, there was a blood-curdling scream. "ALONZO!" she screame din horror. He was stabbed down the back, yet agaian, with a kitchen knife.
"Pouncival!" Matty and Traive cried. "We think we know the answer," Matty finished. They dragged me back to Bomby's. Again she wasn't home.
"It was Bombalurina," Travie declared.
"Was not!" I objected.
"It was. We have proof," Travie insisted.
"But Bombalurina wasn't even here when Exotica was murdered!" I defended.
"Or was she?" Matty looked at me with that 'cliff-hanging' look. "It appears to me, since the glass was on lawn, the killer had to be inside and jump out. Since we were in the house, looking around, no one could have just snuck in, unless they new just where to kill Exotica."
"But she came from teh alley with the crapt beaten outta her," I said, still perplexed.
"Once again, she tricked us. Once she was through the window, the glass cut and jabbed her, t make it like someone was out to get her, and got her," Traive explained.
"What about ALonzo's death? Hwo can you prove she killed him?" Matty showed be that the knife in the back of Exotica was gone.
"She used the same knife. So it had to be her that killed him," Matty said. "More support on our conclusion, when Bomby went hom, a piece of glass fell on my fur. And how else did she know Exotica was dead. You asked who would wanna kill her, and she said 'Exotica...I thought.' How'd she know it couldn't have been Exotica, unless she killed her?"
It all made sense now. I'd been kissed by a killer. "But why? Why'd she do it all?"
"Exotica was jealous of her. She wanted Exotica gone, turn someone else in, be a hero," Travie fit everything together
"Why would she kill Alonzo if she liked him?"
"He started dating her archenemy, got ticked, kile dhim for revenge. I bet Cassandra is next," Matty said.
"Now the eternal question: What was Exotica doing in here in the first place?" Travie asked herself aloud.
"I dunno, but we better catch Bomby before she commits another crime," I suggested. We found Bomby at Cassie's house, just as we'd suspected.
"Do you know what happened to Exotica?" We heard Cassandra ask Bomby even though she knew Exotica was dead. "She went to your house to give you message from Rum Tum Tugger and never came back."
"I know dear," Bomby tried to sound comforting. "She told be she was coming over on the phone this morning. But when I got home, she had been killed."
"Hold it!" I came from behing the wall. "Bombalurina, you'r eunder arrest for alledged murder os Alonzo and Exotica."
"And now Cassandra!" Bomby exclaimed, pulling a knife from under her chair. I jumped on her back and pulled her back. Matty gave me handcuffs and Travie picked up the knife as evidence. A police truck roared up the driveway. "One more thing, before I go. I'll miss you, hot stuff." She kissed me, and then was taken away.
"And there's only one thing I have to say about this all. That's the hottest criminal I've ever had to arrest."
"Wow!" The mice cheered.
"That was SO cool!" Karl, a little brown mouse cried.
"You'd never do that!" Matty laughed.
"Neither would Bomby!" Traive added with a burst of giggles.
"It's just a story!" Pouncival said.
Jennyanydots came into the alleyway. "Thanks for baby-sitting them. Too bad it rained."
"Yeah, Pouncival said, looking at Matty, Tumble and Traive. "Too bad."
