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Where We Left Off:
Oliver and Gus dealt with a tragic murder mystery—a double homicide here on the Winchester-Nabu estate grounds.
Uncovered:
Gus and I have frequent discussions about how there has been a tremendous amount of excavating around here and on our property this year. This place has literally been turned upside-down. We’ve been able to research an artifact. A different one got reburied before we had the chance. This week, the cat detectives and I had to figure out what another found object was. Was this a clue to a nefarious plot or a rebellion? Was it evidence of a crime?
While on an adventure (and standard perimeter check looking for anything suspicious), Gus and I came to one of the spots by Fort Winchester where it used to be easy to enter the Forbidden Forest (formerly called the Northern Woods). There are so many piles of leaves, garbage, and branches that were broken during storms that now when we walk through there, we have no idea what’s solid ground. I’ve fallen through many spots where leaves covered holes like a tiger trap.
The SuperSmeller could not be stopped. Gus carefully stepped from rock to leaves like he was maneuvering through the Ninja Warrior course. There was movement under that leaves that made them pulse. He pounced, but didn’t catch anything. He maintained his focus on his honed scent tracking and hearing skills.
While he was on the unstable pile of leaves and branches, I decided to try stepping on large rocks hoping they would be more stable. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they wobble and I have to do my best not to get hurt yet again. I looked down at the leaves of Fall which had mostly detached from their trees. A couple of the trees are still holding on to their leaves.
Beneath our feet the earth was covered in shades of gold, mustard, yellow, sienna, rust, umber, brown, and what artists would call cadmium red. Color names can vary in meaning depending if you’re from the art world, cosmetics, or a nature expert. I’m none of those, but modeled for enough years to have heard the same color names repeatedly: yellow ochre, burnt sienna, raw umber, alizarin crimson, Prussian blue, and titanium white. But this isn’t an art lesson. This is about finding clues!
As usual, I was using a parasol as a walking stick which is what I do when I don’t have to block the sun. I tapped on rocks with it to see if they were loose or possibly good places for my footing as I stepped. I placed the pointy end of my oversize bright orange parasol on a spot of cinder grey dirt and rocks which is why something yellow caught my attention. It wasn’t a leaf. It looked like fabric.
I called Gus over to get his opinion as I pulled the rag from the dirt and rocks and held it up.
He sniffed it and sneezed. “I detect traces of human, shrew, vole, and chipmunk odor underneath all the—CHOO!—fine dirt.”
I used my phone to click a few photos. “I’ll send these to Oliver right away to get the research started.”
Inside the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency offices, a fresh planting of cat grass seeds was the perfect height for Ollie and Gus to nibble. Of course, there were territorial disputes about whose office the pot of grass should be located in. I moved it from room to room but ended up placing it on the floor at the top of the stairs hoping that would be neutral ground.
The boys got chicken treats and I had a hot cup of tea. The fresh air was rejuvenating at first. As soon as we were back inside and my hands were warming up with a mug, I felt the afternoon temptation to nap.
“Wake up!” Ollie yelled. When he yells, it is not something that can be ignored. I jostled in my chair and realized my eyes had closed momentarily.
Our illustrious, erudite detective explained that he brainstormed words that could explain the initials on the piece of evidence—VFMA & JC. He made his notes in some kind of code on crumbled up paper. I told him to read out the lists and I would write them on the white board.
Brainstorming:
- V = venison, volkolak, valley, veterans, vanguard, varsity, valiant, volunteer
- F = feline, farm, for, founders, fathers, fox, flying, fae
- M = military, management, mission, mindful, mothers, magical, mythical
- A = association, academy, agency, (of) America, animals
- J = Jersey, junior, Jedi, jaeger, juvenile, justice/judicial
- C = cats, children, college, consortium, company, collective, coven
I put the cap on the purple marker. “This reminds me of when Louise Belcher was trying to decode Bob’s texts as he was tied up under the pier with Mr. Fischoeder.”
Gus spun the last “test tube” of his game to get the final piece of chicken out. “You think everything is related to Bob’s Burgers.”
“Well, it’s true! In any situation, I can bring it to a scene or episode of Bob’s Burgers,” I said defensively.
Oliver, Gus, and I kept trying to figure out what the letters might stand for. It took a couple an hours before we finally had something that sounded like it would be around the Winchester-Nabu estate.
V.F.M.A. & J.C.
We believe we figured out the name of the organizations: Volunteer Fae, Magings, and Animals and Jersey Cryptids. The next time we ventured out, we asked some of birds and squirrels if they had heard of anything resembling these types of clubs. Since the chipmunks weren’t coming out much as winter approaches and the Gnomes were reassigned for the season, the squirrels and birds were our best bet to get information.
I packed an extra jar of seed mix and peanuts in the shells. Gus and I went to the Big Rock hoping to make contact with a member of the Supreme Court of Squirrels or one of the Blue Jay Gangs. Fortunately, Associate Justice William B. Woods hopped through the crunchy leaves and smelled the snacks. He was willing to come over for a conversation as long as Gus and I kept our distance.
“Those are two old organizations that used to work together closely quite often,” the Eastern grey squirrel said. “Some believe they were formed a couple of centuries ago.”
“This town must have looked a lot different back then,” I said.
“It wasn’t bad from what I’ve heard,” the justice continued. “A lot more space for our kind. Animals back then weren’t eating out of garbage cans like today’s generation.”
I cautiously approached the rock to offer extra peanuts and the squirrel backed up and climbed onto a branch where there was protection through bushes. I held up my hands in a gesture to show I meant no harm and was bearing gifts. After the peanuts were on the rock and backed away, Justice Woods climbed back down.
“What did these groups do?” I asked.
“And are they still around?” Gus added.
Justice Woods ate a peanut by nibbling through the shell, letting the debris fall, and taking the first nut in his mouth while keeping a tight grip with both hands on the rest of the shell. “I’m not old enough to personally confirm what they did, but I believe they were like an alliance that was responsible for making the Underground a place with its own set of rules and laws. Before then, each species of creature stuck to their own traditional ways of navigating shared space.”
The squirrel nibbled his way to the bottom of the shell for the last peanut. “I doubt they’re still in around. Not like they were. A lot of those creatures live much longer than a human or a squirrel, but they also have to go through changes and adapt to whatever the realm has become.”
We took our notes back home to Oliver. We agreed that there wouldn’t be the need for a shirt or garment unless the creature who wore it was a shapeshifter or the sort of creature who would try to disguise itself as someone else. We also showed The Grumpy Old Man the object while we were in the field. We decided to leave it out there in the woods in case a creature wanted it for nesting material.
Case Findings:
The yellow fabric with human (English) letters on it did not appear to be a clue to criminal activity. What we found was a piece of maging history. Rather than add the piece to our collection of artifacts, we decided to leave it in nature where hopefully some critters can recycle it as nesting material.
Case Status: Closed
