Episode 11: You gotta have faith

Misty felt the tears welling in her beautiful green eyes as she ran from Miss Kitty’s Milkbar. Damn Chase to hell! She would not cry! She loved Dash and that was that! She angrily shook the tears away as she ran towards the penthouse apartment she shared with Blade in the uptown district of Cooperville.

Time to make some decision and find some answers! Misty picked up her pace and ran faster towards the Gato Towers apartment building. The concierge called out to her:

“Good afternoon Miss Misty, there’s a package for you”. The concierge jumped down from the desk and nudged a small fragrant box towards Misty. “I don’t know what it is, but it sure smells good Miss Misty”.

“Oh! Thanks George. I wonder what it is. Who delivered it?”

“That’s the strange thing Miss Misty. I was only out the back for a minute checking the litter trays and when I came back in, it was here on the desk”.

Misty sniffed the box. George was right! It smelled divine! No card, how exciting. Maybe Dash had sent her something romantic!

“Well, thanks again George, I’ll let you know!” With that she set off towards the elevator with the box safely stored in her backpack.

She entered the key code to the penthouse in the number panel of the elevator and it rattled into life heading slowly towards the 25th floor. The smell from the box made her stomach rumble and she realised she hadn’t eaten for hours.

The elevator doors slid open and she headed straight for the kitchen. First a little snack followed by some detective work, Misty style! She jumped up into the kitchen counter and removed the aromatic box from her backpack.

She flipped open the lid and was surprised to see a large omelette! She took a close sniff. She could smell the cheese and tuna and some kind of herb, probably Parsley. She wondered again if Dash had sent her an omelette? Bit of a weird present to send your secret lover! Oh well, he was a strange one. He knew about her love of tuna though! She took a bite of the omelette. Mmmmmmm, it was as delicious as it looked and smelled. She took another bite and another. Before she knew it, she’d polished off the whole omelette!

She jumped down from the counter and headed off towards her brothers room determined to find out more about their parents. He had to have some hidden letters or papers somewhere and she was going to find them.

She heard a strange squeaking noise behind her followed by a whirring noise. What the hell was that? She turned round and saw a large dog in a chefs hat holding what looked like an egg whisk staring down at her.

“Misty, I’m Blade. I’m here to help you. Don’t be scared, everything is going to be all right”.

Misty opened her mouth to speak but nothing would come out. She felt herself sliding down onto the floor. She couldn’t move or speak! What was happening to her?

The big dog was gliding towards her. Was she imagining things or was he wearing roller skates? He bent down and leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

“I’ve poisoned you. The poison makes it seem like you’re dead but you’re not. You’re just paralysed”.

Misty tried to open her mouth, blink, move a paw – anything! Nothing would move!

“I know you are trying to tell me you can hear me. It’s ok Misty, I know. Someone very close to you sent me here, someone who wants me to protect you”.

“I’m going to leave in a few moments before Chase and Dash get here but I want you to know everything is under control”.

With that he stood up and skated across to the elevator. “I’ll be waiting for you at the crematorium Misty. Don’t lose faith bambina”.

Misty’s mind was racing at 100 miles an hour. Paralysed? Poison? Crematorium? Bambina? That’s what Chase had said their mother called her when she was very tiny! She tried desperately to move but was totally paralysed. What was going to happen to her? Soon Chase and Dash would be here and they would think of something. Just relax Misty, she told herself. Ha! What else could she do?

She heard the whir of the elevator. They were coming! She could hear voices. Chase and Dash were coming.

“Misty, Misty!” Can you hear me? Misty!!!. Chase was screaming at her. She couldn’t move. He was crying. “Dash, we’re too late, she’s dead”.

Chase sat cradling what he thought was the lifeless body of his daughter in his paws. Dash stood beside him, one paw on his shoulder. Tears pouring down his cheeks.

Misty lay paralysed unable to cry out or let them know she was ok. Everything was going to be ok. As long as they took her to the crematorium, she would be ok.

Episode 10: Canned heat

Meanwhile in an alleyway not far from Miss Kitty’s Milkbar……

Chase sauntered up to the trashcan and stood close. His whiskers twitched in the sunlight as decided his next move.

He knocked sharply on the side of the bin and called out “Hey Dash, you in there buddy?”

He could hear a rustling and a strange beeping noise coming from inside “Errr … hang on …. that you Chase?” came the muffled response.

“Yeah it’s me. What're you up to pal?” he asked feeling a slight impatience.

“One sec, I’ll be right with you!” More rustling and then the lid on the bin opened a crack. “You alone?” Dash asked quietly.

“Yes!”

“Ok, come on in.”

“Look Dash, I’m not really in the mood for rummaging around in the trash right now. I want to talk to you about Misty.”

“Trust me Chase, you won’t regret it".

Chase stood outside the trashcan for a moment trying not to get annoyed. His tail swished back and forth rapidly. “Ok, ok, but it better be good”.

Dash raised the lid of the trashcan higher so Chase could jump inside. Was it his imagination or was the lid on hinges? He gracefully jumped up  and balanced on the edge before jumping down onto what appeared to be a carpeted platform.

“What the……” he exclaimed.

Dash pressed a button on the side of the can and the platform slowly descended into the darkness below. As Chase’s eyes adjusted to the gloom he could see lights flashing, hear more strange beeping noises again and tinny voices.

“Welcome to the CBI, the cat bureau of investigation, undercover trash division” Dash said proudly, his chest puffing out just a little so Chase could see his ID badge ‘Special Agent Dash Brent’ it read.

Chase’s jaw dropped just a little. What the hell had happened to the slightly shoddy, slightly overweight private detective? This cat was totally different!

“Chase, we’ve got some things we need to talk about. Most importantly, we need to talk about Misty. Chase, she’s in terrible danger”.

Dash turned towards a bank of screens and a keyboard. “Come over here and check out this. We got this recording through from one of our operatives undercover at the Nip Inn Boarding House this afternoon.”

Chase stared at the computer screens and watched events unfold before his eyes. He turned, panicking, grabbing Dash by the shoulder, hard. “Dash, I’ve got to get to Misty – NOW!!!”

Dash adjusted the headset and spoke quietly into the mic “The omelette has landed, I repeat, the omelette has landed”.

“Come on Chase, we haven’t got long”. They stepped onto the platform together and Dash pressed the up button. They jumped out of the trashcan and ran hell for leather towards Chase’s swanky uptown apartment, praying they weren’t too late.

Episode 9: One bad egg could spoil the omelette

Blade pressed the end call button on his Iphone and stood for a moment staring out of the window.

“Oh yes, I’m gonna take real good care of you my friend”.

He turned away from the window and made his way purposefully to the door. As he reached out one large paw to turn the handle, he noticed a shadow cross quickly in front of the bottom of the door.

Someone had been listening in on his little ‘conversation’. He crept quietly but quickly to the door and opened it just enough to peek through the crack. He noticed a sleek black-ringed tail disappear as the spy quickly ran down the stairs.

He’d know that tail anywhere! Well well, Larry the Lemur had been listening at the door. Why? And who for? Precious no doubt!

He returned to his rucksack that lay open on the bed. He riffled through his things, panicking slightly! Had he brought them? Of course, he never went anywhere without them!. He pulled things randomly from the bag - whisk, chef’s hat, garlic press, spare roller-blading wheels – no no no!! He could feel the tension rising in his chest. Come on, come on! Where are you?

He felt deeper into the rucksack and breathed a sigh of relief – oh thank dogness. There they were. He pulled out a bag of what looked very much like dried and ground parsley leaves, the perfect accompaniment to any omelette! These leaves were a very different kettle of fish. Tasteless and odourless, these babies were pure dynamite, they could paralyse after just one mouthful.

This omelette was one that would leave the eater feeling more than just a little ‘scrambled’. On examination, any vet would proclaim the victim dead but Blade knew he would be very much alive and wouldn't be able move or speak!

Blade chuckled to himself as he placed the bag of leaves carefully under his chef's hat and checked his reflection in the mirror.  He hoped he knew what he was doing! Come on big guy! He couldn't afford to start getting a conscience now.

Time for some cooking ……. for a very special guest!