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Where We Left Off:
Oliver and Gus tapped into their informant network to figure out what the heck was going on with the Jersey Devil-Deer herd.
The Dark Corner:
Without the high miles-per-hour gusts of wind, Gus was not running on March 19th. He was uninterested at first when we got outside. At some point, the detective felt like working and began sniffing around and looking under things for critters. He had his face in bushes and the grass. He checked out one of nooks under the workshop where chipmunks are known to go. We saw two chipmunks outside and a grey squirrel as they came to the Big Rock for snacks. The loud grackles kept their distance until we left the Rock.
The largest bay door was open. Gus wanted to work. I was nervous because this meant I had to unhook his leash and trust him. Fortunately, he was following a scent trail deeper into the hangar. I was burdened by all my gear which increases my clumbsiness, especially in a crowded space with a truck, mowers, and every kind of tool imaginable.
Next to one of the workbenches there were several homemade funnels using plastic bottles cut open. A tall oil basin on wheels was in my way. There was a wooden stool with the cushion that isn’t attached so it’s always being knocked to the floor. And then the short red and black shop vacuum with the hose wrapped around it. That’s where Gus focused. I was concerned about him getting too close engine fluids even in the small quantities left in the cut open containers. He kept sniffing around, but always went back to the shop vac.
I knocked over a couple things and finally put my camera away. I hung my parasol on the bar at the end of the fire engine red tool cabinet. I opened the vacuumed expecting to see the nesting material of unwanted mice that The Grumpy Old Man said he cleaned up. I saw a big mouse alive and moving! I quickly snapped the cover back on.
Gus wasn’t finished though. He wanted me to take apart some drawers where he’s found a lot of mice in the past. I didn’t have any space to get the drawers out and ended up straddling and squatting over one. There was a small amount of nesting material at the very back—of course very difficult for me to reach.
I didn’t want to turn the vacuum on and have the noise bother Gus. Instead, I grabbed an unattached broom head and kept awkwardly stretching and pulling until the nesting material was close to the front of the cabinet. I used gloved hands and dirty thick blue paper towels, I gathered the combination of puffy polyfill and dirt. I foolishly did not see the garbage can within reach. I decided to open the vacuum basin and planned to shove the dirty mouse nest remnants in with the rest and the living mouse.
“Don’t open that!” The Grumpy Old Man shouted from several feet away.
Too late.
I saw the big brown and white mouse escape and head around all the crap between me and the exterior wall. Gus didn’t see it. I found him sitting upright behind that enormous red tool cabinet. He might have been a little high from things he sniffed. I kept ordering him to go get the mouse. He decided to keep investigating other spots.
As we left, I asked Quicksilver, an eastern grey squirrel, to keep his eyes out for the mouse.
“Why should I do you any favors?” This was a squirrel with a close-knit circle of friends that didn’t necessarily trust just anyone.
However, I had the correct answer: “Because I feed you.”
Carrying the shame of my entire bloodline on my shoulders, I walked behind Gus back home. The defeat still weighed me down by the next morning.
Case Findings:
Mice are again setting up homes inside the residence and the work areas. One ran across the stove and down a hole into the oven while I was reaching for dinner. In this case file, I detailed the extraordinary tracking skills of Gus and how I failed the detective agency by allowing an intruder to escape.
Case Status: Open
