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Where We Left Off:
Gus took the lead on solving the murder of an innocent white-throated sparrow.
400th Case File!
Thank you so much to everyone who has read even one of our adventurous case files! My deepest gratitude goes to our financial and social supporters who help keep things running and spread the word that the cats and I exist! Would I still create without it? Yes, because I feel I need to. Nonetheless, it’s heartwarming to know there are people out there who care about Oliver, Gus, the humans, the wildlife, and the monsters enough to be part of our crime-solving community.
The Joy of Painting (for Cats):
Oliver Winchester received an anonymous email alerting us that a famous art piece was stolen from a town that had been rather hidden from the general public. Buttzville instantly became famous as soon as the celebrity graffiti artist known as KNOX painted a mural on the side of a dilapidated building which had long been eyesore to the community.
The painting was simplistic—a silhouette of a cat stretching—on panels of warped and deteriorating wood overgrown with creeping ivy and foliage. Only a few locals were able to take photos of the art installation before it was stolen. The subject was in KNOX’s minimalistic style which was one of the reasons that their paintings stood out among other graffiti which tends to be vibrantly colored, bursting with energy, and often chaotic. That’s a general description of street art, mind you. There are certainly more interesting pieces. Due to imitations and homages, the townsfolk were relieved to be contacted by the art agent who represents KNOX and maintains their secret identity. The black cat is a confirmed KNOX original.
“How can someone steal a wall?” Gus came over to me during a staff meeting.
Oliver quickly replied, “You know The Grumpy Old Man would have an answer for that immediately.”
We researched various ways that a wall segment could be removed without damaging it. The main issue was that the reference videos we found were about demolishing damaged being held together by termites and damaged severely by water. An art thief who could steal a piece of graffiti on a wall would want (one would think) to keep the wall in tact. Since the KNOX black cat stretching piece spanned multiple degraded panels of wood, there would have to be seam gaps anyway.
Can a product that was invented to prevent graffiti actually preserve it?
Oliver, Gus, and I found an online video that gave us some faith in the process of preserving murals that communities want to keep in tact.
Here’s What We Believe Happened
The surface of the art was preserved with a product like that one shown in the Napa Valley Ruins and Gardens video.
Next, a border was demarcated with chalk. Then small rectangular sections were cut out on the outside of the border lines every few feet and at the corners. The longest industrial clamps the thieves could borrow or steal were used to hold the panels toether.
Finally, the remaining chalk outline could be sawed through like a “connect the dots” game between all the rectangles. The mural could then be removed by a team, loaded onto a van or moving truck, and then off to the secondary location.
Rumors Surrounding KNOX
- It’s more than one person.
- It’s not a human person at all—a talented cryptid, perhaps.
- It’s a person using robots and drones to paint in order to maintain their secret identity.
Wait! Is it the Mysterious NJ Drones?
Allegedly the Feds, FAA, and local law enforcement were trying to follow those drones, but the government’s technology couldn’t keep pace with the targets. Nonetheless, during all of the suspicious sightings of drones over NJ and NY, none of the witnesses ever remarked (to the media) that the drones were spraypainting walls.
The Plan
Oliver and Gus had to get into the mindset of the victim (KNOX the artist) and the unsub (the art thief). Gus is already quite skilled at stealing paintings, sculptures, and other objets d’art; but, the closest he and Oliver have gotten to painting is making Ostara eggs in the Spring.
Talk to Colleagues and Informants
We took a journey to visit Abbey and Archer—spoiled small dogs who live in the suburbs. Abbey is a black Pug living her golden years with loving humans who don’t mind her diesel engine level snoring. Archer is a black and white French Bulldog who is working on breaking the record for how long a dog can bark. These pooches are multi-lingual. They’ve formed peace treaties with the wildlife that visits their beautiful backyard. Among their best character traits is how curious they are. Their canine brains are ripe for learning about all kinds of worldly subjects from travel to art.
When asked if they had heard anything about drones painting murals or art thefts, these two were not much help in this case.
Archer said, “Abbey is the oldest. She’s been around. Back in her prime, this gal could get information from anywhere. Now she’s mostly blind and her legs aren’t working like they should.”
Abbey watched her housemate talk. “I can speak for myself. I may be old, but my brain still works even if my body is falling apart.”
“Do you have any information on the drones doing the painting or the mural?” I asked.
“I got nothing,” Archer said.
“Listen up. I’ve got information.” We were on the edges of our seats! “I need to pee. Or poop. Both—yeah, it’s both.” Abbey didn’t answer the question. She got up and walked as best as she was able to kitchen.
Back at the Agency
Oliver crawled into his officed and sat among his own collection of fine art, books, and a koi fountain. “That was a waste of time.”
“Oliver!” I said. “No, it wasn’t. We got to spend time with them.”
Guster moved into position between me and Ollie as if to make sure I couldn’t play the string game with his partner. “I agree with him this time. We could have been here talking to our informants.”
“You two.” I shook my head knowing this was typical of them. If we went out, they were upset. If we stay home, they’re bored. I got up and put my outside clothes on in order to take Gus out into the frigid winter air. Both of us prefer it cold, but this was too cold. We last fifteen minutes which was enough time for me to feed the birds while Gus talked to them and the squirrels.
Gus talked with a dark-eyed junco who led him to a white-throated sparrow who then led him to a squirrel. This Eastern grey squirrel went by the alias, Quicksilver. When the squirrel spotted Gus, he ran across the lawn and headed up a tree. Not to be stopped, Gus followed. Quicksilver was so surprised, he repeatedly turned side to side trying to make a decision where to go next. By then, Gus had him frozen in fear.
Case Findings:
Art heists are no joke. Gus and Oliver did more research than ever and talked to a lot of other critters about the stolen black cat stretching mural. Quicksilver thought the theft was merely a prank. He’s so fast that he’s capable of stealing nearly anything! He did have help though. These wooden panels were more than one squirrel could lift. However, Quicksilver has some special abilities besides super speed. He has the strength of a hundred squirrels as does a nephew of his. The two of them stole the panels and hid them “for safe keeping,” he said claiming that they didn’t want to see the artwork destroyed by the town or some real estate developer. The mural was taken to a small local museum in Morristown, New Jersey to be on loan from the town.
Case Status: Closed
The Paintings
The paintings by Ollie and Gus were named after moths who have spectacular color patterns and look like magical fairies!
