Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency Year Two: Case File No. 41-93

AMBER LOVE 25-FEB-2019 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.

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Where We Left Off:

Gus discovered a cave at one of his favorite places in the woods. The creatures living in there are worried about losing their homes. We assured them we wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize them.

Once a Thief

Not all of the squirrels in the neighborhood are upstanding, law-abiding citizens like the Supreme Court of Squirrels. Plenty of the bushy-tailed critters have an affinity for breaking the law. Besides acrobatics, their other favorite activity is looting.

In January, we met Squirrelina Kyle, but her presence may go back years. Reports came in from the Cook that a squirrel had been seen several times, walking out on the flag pole to reach the bird feeder hanging off the front veranda. Squirrelina was determined. She tested different acrobatic tricks to reach the seeds and eventually found a way that worked.

Squirrelina was so good at thieving that I was never able to capture photos of her — not even typical blurry ones zoomed in from far away. [Update: Surveillance has uncovered a photo of the infamous squirrel!] She was quite fast which sometimes made her a little clumsy. She fell from the pole multiple times and it never stopped her.

We believe she is capable of sustaining such falls with minimal time for recovery. There was damage to property though. During one of Squirrelina’s attempts to pilfer from this bird feeder, she caused it to crash to the ground. There were no witnesses. Gus and I examined the evidence and determined it is possible that she was clinging to the feeder when it dislodged from the pole; we aren’t sure. That week, the feeder was filled with lower quality seeds. If Squirrelina Kyle prefers only the best, maybe she vandalized the feeder on purpose as a protest.

Gus and Oliver couldn’t figure out what the heck to make of Squirrelina Kyle. They were intrigued. It was almost as if they were rooting for her to succeed. I didn’t hear any of the cat chattering that they make when birds are around the windows. Oliver didn’t have a dossier on her yet. He relayed his observations to me and this entry is the best we could do.

Dossier: Squirrelina Kyle

• Species: rodentia sciuromorpha sciuridae
• Size: average
• Residence: believed to be somewhere in the neighborhood bordering the road and perhaps even across the road in the small park where there are many utility cables for navigation routes.
• Associates: no known associates have been seen working with or socializing with Ms. Kyle
• Damage Assessment: approximately $30 (USD) in damage because of the broken bird feeder; it was beyond repair. The seed was left on the ground for anyone who wanted it.

Case Findings:

Corrective Action measures were taken. The groundskeeper bought a different kind of bird feeder which seems unappealing to Squirrelina Kyle.

Status: Case 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.