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Where We Left Off:
In the previous case, we shared another sad mystery about finding a murdered mouse that had been killed near Gnome Grove, but it was not used for food.
The Adventure of the Creeping Man:
The fae folk at the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency are among the strongest beings that exist. They come in tiny packages sometimes, but fae are stalwart and sturdy. It’s easy to think that someone who looks like a fragile flower is easy to break. Not true! This case gives one example.
Hopefully you’ve read about our gnomes and fairies before. If not, you don’t need to get caught up before reading this case. The most recent case about the residents of the grove was when I wrote up the case file about Jessica Walnuts continuing her assaults on the gnomes, specifically the oldest one, Gnomez Addams. He’s in the worst shape he’s ever been in.
It wouldn’t be fair to assume that Ms. Walnuts is the perpetrator of this heinous assault on Gnomez. It can also be difficult to tell the squirrels apart. Plus, now there are red squirrels this year who spend a lot of time in the grove at breakfast.
| Ils mangent leur petite déjeuner dans le jardin des gnomes. (They eat their breakfast in the gnome garden.) I’m practicing my French because I’ve been failing a lot of lessons. Hmmm…Google translate said my sentence was correct, but when I reversed it to be English to French it read: Ils prennent leur petit-déjeuner dans le jardin de nains. |
Fortunately, Gus and Ollie were able to rely on two eyewitnesses in this mystery! Sherlock Gnomes and Gnome Chomsky were awake during the attack on Gnomez.
Oliver didn’t have time for a typical long-drawn out report from either of the eyewitness. “Out with it! Who did this?”
“It’s perfectly obvious, Professor Winchester,” Sherlock said.
Gnome Chomsky took over their side of the inquiry. “What my colleague means, Sir, is that we know you keep diligent—some might say obsessive—accounts of the squirrels.”
“Aha! So it was Jessica Walnuts!” Ollie yelled.
Sherlock huffed and threw his hands up. Chomsky put his arm across Sherlock’s chest like a mom bracing her child in the front seat of an affordable four-door sedan as she nearly avoids a collision.
“No, Sir, not Ms. Walnuts,” Chomsky continued. “It was one of the Justices.”
“From the Supreme Court of Squirrels?” Oliver was vexed. He knew some of those buggers were up to no good. Only some. Most were fine once you got to know them.
“Jeez, Ollie,” Gus said from the top of the stone blocks that make up the patio staircase. “Everyone thinks I’m the hot-head.”
We were breathless in anticipation. Sherlock was not one who liked to explain things. By this point, Chomsky also thought we should know who they were talking about. I definitely did not. I don’t want to speak for Gus and Oliver, but based on their quixotic expressions, they didn’t know what was going on either.
Who Assaulted and Broke Gnomez Addams?
Sherlock Gnomes blurted out in frustration with his eyes bulging. “Greysuch! It was Neil Greysuch!”
“Hrmm, we’re not fond of that one either,” Oliver said. “The human has especially used some colorful words to describe him.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The Next Steps
As of this writing, I am in the process of repairing the conical cap for Gnomez. I think to do it right, I should follow some Ace of Clay tutorials and use a polymer clay. I could also try a non-bake solution like Apoxie Sculpt, foam clay (which looks messy), or use small amounts of wood putty. I don’t a lot of faith in the wood putty. I think it would dehydrate and pull away from the plaster of the cap. I also need to think about what’s best for hot and wet weather. I even considered making a fabric covering to essentially hide the broken cap underneath.
I didn’t find all of the broken pieces. The few I did find, I tried to piece back together and super glue. The glue created gaps. Therefore, the pieces don’t fit together as a snug puzzle.
Case Findings:
It was terrible news when we discovered yet another assault on Gnomez Addams and this one, the worst yet. He actually sustained damage and requires repairs. The repairs are underway. Supplies need to be ordered since none of the local places have crafting sections anymore. It would require a half an hour in the car to get to a Michael’s which isn’t bad considering how far things can be; I never go past them or those towns regularly. Online, it shall be.
The big reveal to the mystery came from the other gnomes on staff, Gnome Chomsky and Sherlock Gnomes. They were angered about this attack to say the least. They told Oliver, Gus, and me that the culprit was none other than Associate Justice Greysuch of the Supreme Court of Squirrels. Truly shocking that he would stoop such violent behavior!
The mystery is solved, but Gnomez Addams will remain on desk duty until his repairs are completed. If you’d like me to pass along any Get Well/Repaired Soon salutations, email them to me at amberlovecomics at gmail dot com and I will happily read them to Gnomez.
Case Status: Closed
