Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency Year Six:
Case File No. 02-262
AMBER LOVE 23-MAY-2022 Find out how all this began. Catch up on Year One, Year Two, Year Three, Year Four, and Year Five cases at the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency.
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Where We Left Off:
Someone tall and strong vandalized one of the bird feeders. We have narrowed down the suspects, but have not been able to close the case yet.
Godfather of Harlem:
Gus decided he wanted to go back to the North Woods near his arboreal superhighway on a day with gleaming sunlight. Does that seem like a reasonable time to go vampire hunting? To Gus, it was. The middle of the day is when the vampires are supposed to be in their homes. However, when it comes to volepyres (vampire voles), we already know that they are daywalkers.
The natural state of the adorable meadow voles is also that they are burrowing rodents. Finding them underground, even barely below the soil surface, would be likely no matter what time of the day or night it was. Gus used the sunlight to his advantage even though he’s also quite capable of seeing in the dark (his human companion is not and he wouldn’t be allowed out alone).
Back on April 2, 2022, Gus was unstoppable! He destroyed two volepyres in one patrol and kept looking for more. Those creatures were large stocky beasts. Gus had recently gone through dental work in which many of the panther’s teeth were removed. We were both upset about it. In fact, everyone in the detective agency was upset about it. Gus’ teeth are important to his work and everyday life like eating food! We were relieved to see that losing so many teeth did not impact his hunting abilities.
From then on, when Gus wanted to hunt, I didn’t worry as much. That is, until I saw him go up against JOSEPH “JOE CAGO” VOLECHI, a critter of small stature but connected to the inner workings of the cryptids, monsters, and mobsters of our neighborhood. This unassuming fellow was ten pounds of moxie in a five gram bag!
Gus caught Joe Cago and I don’t think he was expecting such a fight from the little guy. Cago not only squeaked a lot, he charged Gus! Charged him! Making Gus back up a few steps! I put down all my stuff and put my gloves on. Joe Cago was fast and trying to get away. Cago stopped and faced his opponent. To be blunt, he told Gus to fuck off.
“You’re small potatoes, Cago. We don’t want you specifically,” Gus told him. “But we know you got the goods on the volepyres and maybe even the Chipmunk Mafia.”
“You want me to be a rat? I ain’t no rat!” Cago squealed.
“You’re definitely not a rat. You’re like a toy rat that rats would give their rat kids to play with.”
Oooh, Gus. Doesn’t he know you get more with honey?
I could hear Gus growling from several feet away. Yikes! I think that was the appropriate incentive to convince Joe Cago Volechi to turn on his peers and become an informant for the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency. IMy gloves were on so I squatted down slowly trying not to spook the vole. I managed to scoop him up and release him into a mound of branches.
Gus was annoyed. He wanted to get out more aggression before letting Cago go free. He followed me to the branches and pushed his nose through in an attempt to get another round with the criminal, Cago.
Case Findings:
Gus captured and was able to turn the criminal, Joseph Volechi, to be a snitch. Volechi was released safely into a location where Gus has captured volepyres. We know that this informant is married. He is known by several aliases: “Anthony Sorge”, “Charles Charbano”, “Joe Cago”, and “Joe Cargo”.
Until we need his services, Joe Volechi was allowed to go free to conduct his business and live his life.
Case Status: Closed
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.