Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency Year Two: Case File No. 33-85

AMBER LOVE 31-DEC-2018 Catch up on Year One and previous Year Two cases at the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency. This work is supported by the generous backers who adore my cat stories at Patreon.com/amberunmasked and they also get first access to what’s happening with my books and podcast. For a one-time tip, you can go to the new PayPal.me.

Where we left off:

A magnificent discovery was made at the north end of the property. It appears the goddess Morrigan has sent her likeness to us.

This Gun For Hire:

The mobile command unit (MCU) still has not been covered for the winter, but it is otherwise “winterized,” and we’re not entirely sure what that means. The Grumpy Old Man takes care of that part since he’s not only the groundskeeper, plumber, and jar-opener, but also the fleet mechanic. He reported back that there are still mice living in the MCU. Gus’ skills were requested.

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Gus adds the MCU to his security checks whenever he wants to, but not on any particular schedule. He’s still a cat after all. The MCU had been cleaned out so other than shelter, I’m not sure what they think they can get in there. It is posh accommodations for a rodent family if they’re the type to live in man-made structures rather than the mountain.

When the detective decided it was a good day to sweep through the entire MCU, he was incredibly tenacious. He spent a long time trying to get the squatters out at the human’s request. He climbed up into the wheel wells and on the axles. I was impressed. I didn’t expect Gus to navigate through small and complex mechanical spaces. He must have been enjoying the job because he kept at it.

Gus has been strange about his relationship with the Grumpy Old Man. He wants to observe everything the human does, but the noises and movements startle him a lot. In the workshop, for example — there are so many things to study; so many crevasses to explore; and it also has a rodent problem. Gus gets upset when the back door to the workshop is locked. I’m not sure why because we’ve only ever exited from that door, but we always have to enter through the front door. When the Grumpy Old Man was away for a few days, the whole big barn stayed locked up and Gus was concerned. He really wanted to get in there. I told him he had to wait and should focus on the MCU first.

I never got to witness any rodent trespassing or squatting in the MCU. I heard about one brave and snarky mouse who knew how to evade the trap and steal a cookie. I was rather useless in this case. I stood outside while Gus did all the work.

Unfortunately, I have to report that he was unsuccessful. After about forty minutes of trying his hardest, Gus moved on to the trails. He revisited the MCU on a few different days, but never came as close to booting the rodents as that one particular day. These aren’t even billable hours because it’s another internal investigation.

Case Findings:

Status: Open

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.