Chapter 2
Report To The Mayor:

The next morning, Swifteye and Robrile awoke early to give the report to the mayor. The earlier night, the two mammal detectives searched the area for thoroughly for a longer period of time. They searched high and low. Both in the bank and out. They searched all around it’s perimeters and a little too much outside of it’s perimeters. Having still found no other clues whatsoever (which was unusual for this duo) the two retreated to their headquarters to rest through the two hours until the morrow was brought to them. Robrile ( as usual) slept like a baby the instant his furry head hit the woven pillow. He snored the rest of the night until he was roused again. Swifteye the fox on the other hand, stayed awake through most of the night deep in thought on the subject. He lied staring at his coat rack next to the fireplace, rarely blinking. Uncountable thoughts raced through his mind. This was not going to be an easy case. He could tell this already. Never had he experienced his own criminal be shot down by another. And technically, he still hadn’t, for he and Robrile took the frustrating amount of time to get there as they did. When they arrived, the crime scene apparently was over. Swifteye had ordered Robrile to carry the body of the terrier in a large sack back to the headquarters. If a towns person was to see the body there at any given time, chaos would awake. It was best to hold it for awhile. Though the thought was not comforting knowing that they had the body of a dead terrorist feet from there bunk. Only once did Swifteye look away from the rack. And that was to glance at the motionless sack. It was as placid as ever, holding no signs of what it held. The fox sniffed a bit and finally trailed off to sleep. That was all the earlier night. The fox and the raccoon were awake and ready for their report. Swifteye sat in his desk chair cradling his head in his hands. Robrile was forcing on a pair of tight breeches and muttering to himself in his thick australian accent. It went on like this for several more minutes. Swifteye pondering as usual, and Robrile being his usual clumsy but efficient self. The sun was not even arisen into the sky at that point. It remained low and dark. But the sooner the better. Mayor Basset hound had to know as quickly as possible. This reminded Swifteye and he spun in his chair and grabbed a quill pen from his ink well. On a piece of old parchment, Swifteye scribbled down in his log. He included thoughts on both the case and the situation. One unique thing about Swifteye was that he always wrote as if it were a novel or tale. Never was his writing in first person view. He always spoke as if another beast was writing down his thoughts. He was quiet a mysterious fox. Robrile was indeed the only one who could joke with him and have a good time. They had known each other since they were pups. Swifteye set down the pen and rolled up the parchment. He reached for a piece of rubber twine from his desk drawer. Spreading his claws apart to stretch it out, Swifteye snapped it onto the rolled up scroll with a smack. The fox rose from his chair hastily. His abruptness startled Robrile a bit. “Woss the hurry, then Swifteye?” he asked scratching his head. The fox heaved the scroll over his shoulder. It bounced lightly flattening and reshaping with every hit. “You know what we must do, don’t you?” Swifteye asked staring out the window. The sun was finally begging to rise. It’s light cast a golden haze upon the fox’s red fur. He stood motionless, never keeping his mind off of the subject. “Well, the mayor needs to know ‘bout our little mishap with the shot down terrier blighter, don’t he mate? Well, he doesn’t exactly need t’ know if you asked me, keep it to ourselves, what? But I spose’ we best tell im’ if we want to stay in business, aye mate?” Robrile spun his hat around his head and caught at the perfect spot facing the right direction cheerfully. Swifteye stared at him for some time without motion. Robrile jingled some gold coins in his pocket uncomfortably. “Spose so.” Swifteye said after a long silence. The fox took a step forward towards the fire place. He reached out to grab his coat. Abruptly, he paused. “Think we need the body do you?” Swifteye asked. Robrile frowned for a moment. Then he spun his head back to look at the sack. “O-oh, that? Well, sup t’you o’ course. I suggest we don’t considering we might get a few stares from the ol’ citizen’s, aye?” the raccoon asked. Swifteye thought about it for while. He took down his hand and put up to his chin to rub it. Robrile had a point as usual, but Swifteye wasn’t sure if he agreed. Once he decided he let his hand drop and faced his partner. “Very well, but we’re taking the bullet, your opinion aside.” Swifteye gestured toward the small bag on the small table by their bunk. Robrile didn’t hesitate. “Righto mate!” he said tipping his hat. The raccoon started toward the desk and tripped over his own striped tail. “Heh, clumsy me.” he said uneasily. Swifteye continued to stare at him. Robrile snatched away the bag and stuffed it in his own pocket. “Lightin up a bit, mate. We’ve had cases like this before, haven’t we?”he asked. Swifteye looked to the floor. In his opinion they hadn’t. But he didn’t want to worry the raccoon. Swifteye shrugged half-heartedly. “I suppose so. But I think the bullet needs to be a bit safer.” he said raising an eyebrow. His claw outstretched and waved in his own direction. Robrile frowned at it. He took a glance at the fox and gave in. With a grumble, he shoved his paw into his pocket and passed over the bullet. “Very good.” Swifteye said with a smirk. “Now we best be going so we don’t catch Randfoot during breakfast hours.” the fox swiped down his coat and slipped it on. He gave a quick shake to wake himself up better. Robrile watched him willfully. “We’ll be needing our coats? Were not coming back after the report?” he asked. Swifteye nodded without eye contact. The raccoon shrugged and strode over to get his own trench-coat. They needed their supplies if the two were not coming back. They looked each other in the eyes once and nodded in unison. Time to meet the mayor. If they were lucky, he’d be in a good mood. Perhaps if they told him that the building was not burnt down first, he would not get upset. This was Swifteye’s plan. But once the mayor saw the bullet, he was sure it would all be nullinvoid. Swifteye opened the door and let Robrile through first. Shortly after, he himself stepped outside and grabbed the door knob. The body sack caught his eye once more, causing him to hesitate. He then shook his head and slammed the door. They start off on the roads of Camdom. The City Hall fortunately was not far from their headquarters. A mere couple blocks. The duo had walked their many a time. They owned no couch or horses. But Swifteye and Robrile were used to walking. Their paws had become immune to it. If all of Swifteye’s hopes came true, they would find some more clues on the way. The fox cursed under his breath remembering that he had broken his magnifying glass. He felt around in his pockets angrily while walking. Slowly he looked over to Robrile with a smile. “Will you be needing your glass?” he asked slyly. Robrile frowned. “My magnifying glass, mate? I spose not. D’you need it or something?” he asked. Swifteye snarled a bit. He suspected it too fast. But it really had no matter. The fox held out his hand. Robrile reached into his pocket and pulled a tiny magnifying glass out. Swifteye stared at it with an eyebrow raised. “This is what you use?” he asked. Robrile looked offended. His ears flopped forward in an embarrassed motion. “You don’t like it, I take it. Well I’ve only used for the passed three yeas’, mate. Gimme a little slack.” Swifteye sighed. “Never mind.” he said waving the glass away. Robrile shrugged and slipped it back in his pocket. “Just keep a sharp eye out, got it Robrile?” Swifteye asked. “Sure thing, mate!” Robrile said not entirely listening. Swifteye sighed once more. He was an annoying partner but a good friend. He guessed he should probably give him a bit more slack. After all he wasn’t entirely professional. They walked on for a bit more without talking. Swifteye kept his keen eyes low to the ground searching non-stop. Robrile was more enjoying the scenery above, which disturbed Swifteye greatly. “Keep and eye out.” Swifteye warned. Robrile glanced at him. “Your the boss Swift, but I doubt we’ll find any clues this early, or at all for that matter.” the raccoon spoke as if it were cheerful. The two passed by the butcher’s store and the flower shop in silence. Neither showed or wanted, but they both had their minds on the case already. Robrile didn’t tell Swifteye this however. But the fox still had faith in him. “Ah! There’s ol’ Miss Rose Squirrel. G’day Rose!” Robrile shouted to a passerby. A female squirrel passed by and waved carrying a bag of newly purchased goods. “Hello Rob. Greetings Swift! We haven’t seen you fellows in ages. Good to see you again!” the squirrel called. “We’ve been busy.” Swifteye replied. Rose smiled simply. “Understandable. Your on a case now I see. Good luck to you!” she called and trotted off humming. Swifteye waved after her without her noticing. He grunted a bit. “Roamers out this early, not a good sign. It’ll be surely to hard to find clues with so many about. Plus, who knows when our new assassin will decide to strike yet again, for his third victim. We best make haste Robrile.” Swifteye informed. “With you all the way, mate! Let’s go go go!” his partner replied. With that the duo set off in a quick jog down the old age city roads into the sunrise and towards city hall. They didn’t know that the mayor had not yet awaken. But it did not take long. The large basset hound slept soundlessly in his bed, snoring loudly. His maid passed through being as quietly as ever. She dusted the tables and chairs without rousing him. The cat had almost finished her job when there was a loud knock at the door. The mayor stirred grumpily. She waved her arms trying to calm him down as she ran for the door. Swifteye went for th e large metal ring hanging form the door once mor e to knock. Without warning, the door spread widely open. A small white persian cat woman stood with a feather duster before them. There was silence for some time. Finally, Swifteye spoke after a glance at Robrile. “Swifteye and Robrile Sleuth at your service ma’am-” but before the fox could finish the cat spoke angrily. “Are you selling some sort of watch or jewelry because you’ve almost woken the mayor, and he’s not happy when he’s woken for unnecessary reasons. You better leave before he sees you be-” “No no no no no! You don’t understand!” Swifteye said. “We’re the mayor’s Private Investigators and the city detectives. I take it you don’t know what sleuth means.” The maid thought for a moment. Then she opened her mouth to speak but Swifteye held up a hand for silence. “May we just speak with him?” he asked flashing his detective badge from inside his coat. The cat glanced at it a moment with a bit of embarrassment. “Yes I...suppose you may come in. Terribly sor- I apologize. Make yourself at home. I’ll wake the mayor.” she said. The two walked inside the old-fashioned building and took a seat in the main entry room. The maid wrung her hands together for a moment, then she pranced off to the upper levels in a hurry. Swifteye look over at Robrile. “He’s not awake yet.” he said simply. “He’s gonna get pretty upset and worried ‘bout this un, mate.” Robrile said with agreement. They sat in silence for a decent amount of time. They didn’t look or even glance at each other. Once, Swifteye took out the bullet to examine it a bit. But he was forced to stuff it back in his pocket as the large dog came pounding down the steps holding a candle, still wearing a night cap. Swifteye stood to shake his hand merrily. Mayor Randfoot rubbed his eyes with tire. It was still quite early in the morning. The mayor thumped around in his very large feet until he entered the main entry room, mumbling about being too early. When Randfoot Bassethound finally looked up to see the guests, his face expression was of surprise. “Oh, goodness me! Swifteye the Sleuth! No wonder it was urgent. Terribly sorry Swift. Couldn’t quite understand what Daisy was saying to me. Please, have a seat.” the mayor looked very apologetic. He waved his hand towards the chairs. Swifteye gave Robrile a troubled look from where he was sitting. Randfoot was not a morning person. The mayor twirled his mustache as he sat down in a large chair across from Swifteye and Robrile. He leaned back and stretched out his feet. Setting down his candle on the table beside him, the mayor took a deep breath. Then he leaned back and closed his eyes. Robrile and Swifteye exchanges glances. Shortly after, the mayor was in a loud state of snore. He had fallen back to sleep. Swifteye stared at him for a long time in silence. Finally after several minutes, he spoke. “Mayor.” in one quiet voice. Immediately the mayor jumped from his state of slumber and was brought to attention. “Whoa! Goodness gracious. Terribly terribly sorry Swift. Almost dozed off to sleep there.” he said moving his hands up and down in a calming motion. “Almost?!” Robrile muttered under his breath. Swifteye silenced him and looked up and the mayor. “We have a report to give you mayor. I think you should hear the current events.” he replied. The mayor shook his head, flapping his ears wildly around. “Yes of course, Swifteye. About the case I am guessing. Well, get on with it-hold that thought! Daisy!” the mayor called. Swifteye sighed and sat back in the chair. He had thought they were going to be late. The white cat maid came prancing down the steps elegantly. “Yes mayor?” she asked. Mayor Randfoot twirled his mustache again staring at the empty table before him. “Three glasses of wine please. Red, but not too fruity. That’s how you like it, am I right Swift?” the mayor ask. Swifteye shrugged weakly. “Right, then. Three glasses, hasty please. Thanks kindly.” Mayor Randfoot replied. Daisy the maid trotted off once again to fetch the drinks. “Now. Rob, Swift? Let’s have then. How’s the case coming along. Remember, only good news in the morning.” said the mayor. Swifteye eyed his partner wearily. “Very well. I shall tell you the good news then. Our arson terrorist did not succeed on his plan to burn down one of our buildings. In fact, he didn’t come close. His days as a criminal are over.” Swifteye informed. Randfoot smiled. “Smashing work Swifteye! Cracked that one in a jiffy now didn’t you. So he’s being held at Toad’s Prison I suspect?” the mayor said merrily. Swifteye hesitated. “Well, I did crack the case....but-” he said, but was cut off as Robrile put in. “When he said his days were over as a criminal, he meant his days are just....over!” the raccoon said simply. The mayor didn’t move. He attempted to put the words together. But soon enough, he wasn’t given a chance. Daisy entered with a tray of drinks. She bent over to set each one on the proper spot on the table. Swifteye’s before him, Robrile’s before him, and Randfoot’s before him. The mayor smiled in his thanks to the maid. As she left the room she swiped the night cap from the mayor’s head with a giggle. He didn’t notice. He had taken his glass and was taking a long draught. Robrile licked his lips and picked his own up as well. Swifteye didn’t even look at his glass. When Mayor Randfoot had wiped off his mouth and set down the glass, Swifteye went on. “Which leads us to the bad news. We’ve a new criminal on our hands. One that has slain our original. You see, I had figured out the case just in time. I had found the location and was already heading in the banks direction.” he stopped as the mayor gasped in horror thinking that their bank could have been burnt to a pile ash. “As I was walking,” continued the fox “I heard a gunshot. Robrile appeared shortly after and him and I took off in it’s direction. This had no matter you see, it came from the bank as well.” he paused to wait for a reply form the mayor. He stayed silent. “When Robrile and I arrived, the terrorist had been shot down by a very deadly and destructive sort of weapon.” Swifteye ended it dramatically. The mayor thought for a moment. When he thought of a question to ask at last, he asked it. “Why would one criminal shoot another?” he asked. There was silence. Eventually, Robrile was the one to break it. “Well, mates, maybe they were long lost rivals. Ever think o’ that? Or, how bout if he didn’t even know it was a criminal and just wanted to shoot someone. Or even, maybe it wasn’t a criminal. Praps’ one o’ the police got a hold of that old weapon and was tryin’ to save the bank.” he spoke. Swifteye shook his head in disagreement. “You spoke it yourself, Rob. Two other victims were shot down by similar looking wounds. I doubt a police officer would do that. I’d say your best guess was that he didn’t even know he was a criminal and just wanted to kill something. That is a scary thought though. If that’s the case, we’ve got a reckless and heartless villain on our paws.” he said. The mayor listened intently to the two as they spoke over the subject. After several minutes of conversing and arguing, Swifteye remembered that the mayor was there. He waited once again as the basset hound finished off his wine glass, Swifteye still having not touched his. “What was the deal about those two other victims anyway?” Swifteye asked. The mayor frowned for a moment. “Well, one body was reported being sighted floating down the river, and the other in an alley. When the person sent for the police, the body was gone when the officers got there. Both were said to have very odd and disturbing wounds.” the mayor finished. He was now quiet awake now that he had had his wine. Swifteye began to rub his chin once more. They sat in silence for a while thinking. Each animal performed a different habit during thought. Chin rubbing, tooth tapping, and foot sliding. The noises created an odd rhythm in the dimly lighted room. The three animals sat in a circle without speaking for many more minutes after that. Once, Daisy passed through to dust around some antiques. Then she left again, leaving the three men behind once more. At last, Swifteye sat up. “Who spotted the bodies?” he asked slowly. Mayor frowned yet again. His reddish eyes sparkled in the rising sun. “I believe it was young Kimsi the mouse who spotted it from the river. And for the alley....not exactly sure, but I think it was old Mr. John Gorilla. Please don’t disturb them too much. I believe they were both rather traumatized from the experience.” said he. “Sorry Randfoot. Business. Spose’ we’ll have a word or two with em’ aye, Swift?” Robrile replied. Swifteye nodded in silence. Mayor Randfoot did not make a remark. Swifteye tried to remember where the two witnesses lived. It was in the back of his mind somewhere, but he couldn’t quiet remember. “So I’m guessing our unfortunate criminal had an odd wound as well then?” the mayor asked. Swifteye nodded again. “Where’s the body now?” asked the mayor. Swifteye looked up and blinked. “Back at the headquarters.” he answered with a sigh. Randfoot nodded for he understood. “We must check it to see what the bullet looked like I conclude.” said the mayor standing. Swifteye said nothing for a second. Then he slid his hand into his pocket to retrieve the evidence. “No need.” he said and held out the bag. The mayor looked at it uneasily. He looked as if he were to touch it, it would bite him. He had an odd fear of what might be inside. Swifteye the Sleuth had been his detective for many years and knew what it meant when he acted that way. Finally after long hesitation, Randfoot reach for the bag and held it tight. Slowly, the dog poured out the contents into his opposite paw. The bright green bullet with thorns slipped out into his palm. The mayor jumped at the sight of it. “Good god! This is what has been slaying my town’s citizen’s!? This is an outrage! Swifteye, you must get to the bottom of this before anymore innocent people are killed!” he spoke angrily. “Or uninnocent.” chuckled Robrile. Swifteye growled at him quickly then turned back to the mayor to take back the bullet and hold his paw with reassurance. “Never fear old mayor, Swifteye the Sleuth is on the case!”

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