Cat's Cradle, a mystery in scarlet city short story.

Written by Shyam Nathan. All names, descriptions, characters and locations are intellectual property of Shyam K Nathan and are copyright 2009 Shyam K Nathan. All rights are reserved, and cannot be duplicated, re-distributed or used in any form without the expressed consent of Shyam K Nathan.

"My dear Silver" Nathan Shome began, on a foggy, cold morning in scarlet city, "it appears we have a visitor at our door."

"Doubtless you were able to figure that out by that knocking sound coming for our door" Slick Silver replied, as he rose to answer the door. Without stood a small girl, of no more than ten years, she was a red head, with dimple cheeks and she was dressed in a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She held, in her hands, her piggy-bank.

"Hellow" the young girl began "I'm looking for Slick Silver and Nathan Shome, the famous detectives."

"You have found them" Slick replied, as he ushered the young girl into a chair in the far corner of the room "and what is your name?"

"I'm Mabel" the girl replied "Mabel Strong, and I've lost my kitty-kat. I have twenty dollars saved up in my piggy-bank" and here, the young girl shook her bank "can you help me find my cat?"

Nathan took out a small pencil and notebook "what are the facts of the case?" he asked.

Mabel giggled with glee "I knew you'd help!" she exclaimed "here is a picture of my cat" with that, Mabel produced a photo from the pocket of her pants, and handed it to slick "he's a light grey tabby that I've had since I was a baby. I last saw him yesterday in the morning, right before he was kidnapped."

"What is your cat's name?" Nathan asked, as he wrote down what Mabel said.

"Wait of a minute!" Slick interrupted "what do you mean by kidnapped? Didn't you just lose him?"

"Of course not" Mabel replied, a little tersely "I would never just lose Mortimer, I love him so. He would also never just run away from me, for he loves me so. When I say he was kidnapped, I mean he was kidnapped. I saw two men in a large brown van drive by as Mortimer and I were playing in the park. The side door to the van opened, and a man with a butterfly net caught Mortimer in it and drove off. My parents think I made the story up, I went to the police, and they think I made the story up, and they sent me to you. You two must believe me, and help me, you’re my only hope of ever seeing Mortimer again!"

Mabel started to cry, and, Slick offered her a tissue.

"Your story" Nathan replied "is too inventive to be a lie. Did you get a good look at the men in the van?"

"I didn't get a look at the driver" Mabel replied "but I got a look at the man who took Mortimer with the butterfly net. He was very well dressed, all in white, with a lavender tie, and he had diamond cufflinks, and a straight moustache, and a white hat. He also held a cane with a small handle and a diamond in it in his other hand."

Nathan and Slick took a quick look at each other, "Mr. W" they both said, together.

"You know him?" Mabel asked "neither my parents nor the police believed me enough to ask for a description of the man who took Mortimer."

"Our paths have crossed many a time and oft" Nathan replied "if he's involved in this affair, then these are dark and rather murky waters."

"He is one of Scarlet City's best known criminals" Slick added "and I have to agree with Nathan, if he's involved, than this case cuts much deeper than your cat being catnapped."

"I don't care about that!" Mabel exclaimed "just promise me you'll find Mortimer and I'll be happy."

"We promise to do everything in our power to find your cat" Nathan replied "but it is out of our power to guarantee that we will succeed."

"What Nathan meant" Slick said, answering Mabel's confused look "is that we'll do our best."

"Was there any other clue that might help us find your cat?" Nathan asked "anything unusual about the van, or any other features that you noticed?"

"I noticed that there was what looked like an anchor and some really thick rope in the van, and I noticed what looked like a large fish with a hook in its mouth painted on the van door. Other than that painting, the rest of the van was light brown in color."

Nathan wrote down what Mabel said, and Slick asked Mabel for her address and phone number. Mabel gave Slick the information, and Nathan put it in his notebook.

"We will be in touch" Slick said "be assured that we will do everything we can to re-unite you with Mortimer." With that, Mabel got up to leave, and smiled at the two detectives. As soon as she had gone, Nathan sprung from his chair, and Slick followed suit.

"What a curious business" Nathan interjected.

"Yes" Slick replied "and its one that's too obvious as well. Our way lies at the Scarlet City wharf, and the dark and deadly criminal underworld. The painting of a fish with the hook in its mouth can only mean Pete's fishery. It looks like that's where we're going."

"What do you make of the anchor and the rope in the van?" Nathan asked.

"Would also seem to indicate the wharf" Slick replied "maybe a fishing ship? We'll know once we talk to Pete."

So it was that, an hour later, our deadly duo was at the Scarlet City wharf, and about to enter Pete's tackle and bait shop, when, from the direction of the water, there came a yell. Nathan and Slick turned to see that the yelp had come from a passing boat.

"Quick, after it!" Slick exclaimed. Nathan was very confused at this random change in program, but he knew enough of his friend's intelligence to trust him. Nathan dashed off after Slick, who was well in the lead, but, before either of our heroes could get anywhere near the ship, if turned and sailed off into the horizon. Slick stopped, and kicked the dirt at having had his quarry get away from him.

"What was that about?" Nathan asked.

"That boat" Slick replied "had the same logo on it as the van which took Mortimer yesterday, and the man on the deck who yelled at us? I saw the glint of the diamond that was in his cane! Its gotta be Mr. W, and if we can find Mr. W, we're a step closer to wrapping up this case and finding our friend's cat."

"So, now what?" Nathan asked.

"Pete has to know something" Slick said "and I think our way now lies in getting details out of him. You know the routine, right?"

"Good cop" and here, Nathan pointed at himself "bad cop" and here Nathan pointed at Slick, "right?"

"Right" Slick confirmed.

The deadly duo than made for Pete's fishery, and, upon entering the premises, saw a very large seaman named Pete. Despite his great height and strength, Pete was a gentle soul who was terrified of conflict and who had issues with the police. Pete had jet black hair, and a very bushy moustache that rounded out a very circular and fat face. He greeted our two heroes as they entered. Slick got right down to business.

"What do you know about cat-napping in Scarlet City?" Slick asked.

"Nothin'" Pete replied.

"Oh come on now" Nathan said "you don't want my partner angry do you? You remember what happened the last time Slick got angry, right?"

"Well..." Pete said, and it was clear his mind was floating back to the adventure of the lost seaman that had happened a year earlier (a story for another time, suffice it to say, Pete's place of business had been destroyed in that case, and the memory still lingered).

"This whole place" and here Slick pointed around the shop as he spoke "gone, just like that, and you in prison for a very long time. Tell us what you know, we've seen enough already. We know about the catnapping van, we know about the boat, and we know Mr. W is connected to it. You know how it always ends when Mr. W is involved right? Save yourself the trouble and confess, before I start to beat it out of you."

"Now Slick, calm down" Nathan put in "Pete was just an innocent bystander, weren't you Pete? I'm sure he'd be happy to tell us what he knows and to put Mr. W behind bars, wouldn't you Pete?"

"Not good enough" Slick replied "he's an accessory to catnapping, and that's a very serious charge. Its curtains for you Pete, curtains!"

The mention of the word 'curtains' brought back, in full force, the horrifying memory of having his shop destroyed. Pete fell to his knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. "Please" he said "I'll tell you what I know, just don't let anything happen to my fishery. After what happened last year, my insurance premiums shot up. It’s costing me a fortune to keep this place insured, and I can't afford another disaster. I'll go out of business if you start tearing this place up."

Slick took out a pocket cigarette lighter (neither of the two heroes smoked, and heroes, in general, don't smoke, so if you kids out there want to be heroes, don't smoke!) out of his utility belt (which he and Nathan always wore) and produced a small flame which he held under a window curtain of the fishery.

"Talk" Slick commanded "or the curtain gets it!"

"Alright, alright" Pete replied "its Mr. W, he's stealing the pets of children in scarlet city, and ransoming them back to the owners. He says we'll make a fortune, but I haven't seen a nickel yet."

Nathan and Slick looked at each other. "That's despicable, even by his standards" Slick put in "doesn't he know children don't have that much money?"

Pete and Nathan looked at each other, and then at Slick.

"What?" Slick asked.

"Umm" Nathan began "what about their parents?"

"Well, how many pets have you guys stolen?" Slick asked Pete "how many ransom notes have you sent?"

"Just a few so far" Pete replied "but what's a ransom note?"

Slick slapped himself on the forehead "no wonder you haven't seen a nickel, you don't get money holding something for ransom unless you send a ransom note to demand money in exchange for the thing that you're holding for ransom. If the people you're trying to blackmail don't know that you're trying to blackmail them, then how did you ever expect to make money?"

"Could you say all of that again, more slowly?" Pete asked "I didn't understand any of it."

"I'd have to agree with Pete" Nathan said "you may have this ransom thing all figured out, my dear Silver, but I don't get what the people you're trying to blackmail knowing that you're trying to blackmail them has to do with getting paid for blackmail. I thought the point of blackmail...."

"Is to extort money in exchange for something someone holds dear" Slick said "but if they don't know you have it, how are they to know who to pay the money to?"

"Oh I see" Nathan replied, and here, he turned to Pete "don't take it so hard, Pete, it’s the kind of thing anyone could have overlooked."

"So there was never going to be any money in it for us?" Pete asked.

"Afraid not" Silver replied "you went through all the trouble of kidnapping pets for nothing."

Here, Pete started to get a little angry, "and Mr. W" he said "insisted we would make a fortune. Well, that settles it, he, and the kidnapped pets are on a ship in the harbor. To get to him, you'll need a ship of your own and a way to track him."

"I think we saw him just now, before we came in here" Slick revealed.

"In that case, you might still be able to catch up with him" Pete said, as he pulled out a pair of keys from his pocket "here take my motor-boat, its the first one in the wharf, fastest ship there is, you should have no trouble catching Mr. W with this."

With that, Slick grabbed the keys from Pete and dashed out the door, with Nathan right behind. They easily found Pete's motor-boat (it was, as had been alluded, the first boat in the wharf) and slick plugged the keys in and the motor of the boat roared. Our duo was off in hot pursuit of the villainous Mr. W.

Soon enough, our dynamic duo caught up with Mr. W's much slower vessel, and Slick piloted the motor-boat amid-ship. "Well, well, well" Mr. W called out "journey’s end in lover's meetings, if it isn't the infernally meddling Nathan Shome and Slick Silver."

"Give it up Mr. W!" Slick exclaimed "Pete told us everything, we know you're behind the kidnappings in Scarlet City."

"Oh come now, you really expect me to give up?" Mr. W asked "why do heroes always say that to villains? Do you really expect me to say 'no, no, I quite see the error of my ways now and I surrender?'"

"He makes a good point" Nathan said, as he took the wheel of the motor-boat from his friend, who jumped onto Mr. W's sailboat.

"Maybe so" Slick said "but I figure it’s always worth giving the bad guys a chance to give up, who knows? One of these days one of them might take me up on it." With that, Slick grabbed the wheel of Mr. W's boat and slowed it down. Mr. W drew his sword from his cane, and swung wildly at Slick. Slick ducked just in the nick of time.

"Hardly a fair fight" Slick remarked, as he dodged the deadly blade a second time. At this point, Nathan came through for his pal by tossing him a short, wooden pole that Pete kept in his motor boat. Looked at more closely, it was an oar (for use in case the motor broke while the rider was out on the open water.) Slick grabbed the oar, and used it to block Mr. W's sword. Mr. W then swung wildly at Slick's legs, but Slick jumped just in the nick of time, and managed to slam the oar into Mr. W's shoulder. This knocked Mr. W off balance, and with a final mighty swing of the oar, Slick managed to hit Mr. W on his other shoulder and knock him into the sea.

At this point, the ship Slick was on became his primary concern, as it bucked wildly with no driver. Slick managed to get the ship under control, and to toss the anchor of the ship overboard to stop it. He then spotted Mr. W, wildly threshing about in the open sea. "Help!" the villain exclaimed "I cannot swim!"

Looking around him, Slick quickly spotted an inflatable safety ring and tossed it in Mr. W's direction. The thankful villain grabbed onto it, and with that, Nathan maneuvered the motor-boat around to where Mr. W was and pulled the captured criminal aboard.

A few hours later, Mr. W was brought into police headquarters, and Mabel Strong was re-united with her cat, Mortimer. On the strength of Mabel's testimony, Mr. W got thirty days in prison. The sentence would have been harsher, except for the fact that no money had actually changed hands. As Mr. W passed by Nathan and Slick on his way out of the courtroom, he scowled.

"This is just a slap on the wrist" he growled "you just wait, in thirty days, I'll get out, and I'll get even!"

"When you get out" Slick replied "Nathan and I will be waiting for you. For, go where you might and do what you will, you cannot escape the long arm of justice!"

"My heroes" Mabel put in, sort of cinching the thing.

Thus concludes the story of how Nathan Shome and his friend and associate Slick Silver busted Mr. W's pet napping ring, and restored Mabel Strong's lost cat. Let those who would come to Scarlet City to do the work of evil beware, for they will always find that these two great heroes are ready to foil their most diabolical undertakings.