Starfire Detection Agencies: Part Two

      Drip.

      Drip.

      Mald pulled his hood over his ears and suppressed a shiver. It wasn't cold in the sewers, but it was damp, and the constant drip-drip of water echoed off the slimy walls and made it sound as though there was someone beside himself down there. Someone watching, waiting...

      Mald hoped there was. It was why he was there, after all. "Purrow, Meesha?" the Gelert called. "I would like to have a word with you, if that's all right." He would have to tread carefully here in more ways than one. The Aisha Twins might not appreciate someone else in their hideout, and on the slippery cobbles, it would be easy to slip... or be pushed. Mald tried not to think about that last possibility. He didn't like the look of the thick, oily water that seeped alongside the path at all.

      "If it isn't the little detective clerk," came an amused voice. The dark confinements of the sewer tunnels made it difficult to tell where it came from, but it was definitely female. Meesha, then. "Where's your friend?" The voice had a mocking lilt to it.

      "Star?" Mald hesitated - how much should he tell this thief? - but then sighed. He was asking for her help, after all. "I honestly don't know. She was acting strangely, then I couldn't find her anywhere. That's why I'm here," he added. "Did you have something you wanted to tell me?" He tried to keep his voice calm, brazen even, like Star always did when she was talking to these villains, but it was difficult. He was filled with worry.

      There was a pause. Mald wondered if the Aisha was as reluctant to talk to him as he was to talk to her. He wouldn't have come here at all if he'd had any other leads. "Notice anything, Gelert?" she said at last.

      "You really ought to do some cleaning around here." Mald grinned weakly.

      Meesha didn't laugh. "Oh, come on, you've been on our trail for at least three separate jobs."

      "Four." They were busy thieves.

      "Then surely you'll know something about how we operate by now."

      Mald hesitated. Star had had a point - there was something odd about this case. It didn't have the distinct, in-your-face Aisha Twins air that the others had had. "Uh... you're not with your brother." The two thieves were an inseparable team. They always worked together.

      "Give the boy a prize," Meesha said sarcastically. Mald strained his eyes to see her, but it was too dark, and with the odd echoes down here, she could be just down the bend, half a metre behind him, or half a mile along the road. There was no way to tell. "Our boss," she spoke the word with loathing, "isn't letting us work together on this one. He locks up one of us inside while the other does his dirty work for him... and his facility has a lot of guards. He hasn't paid us yet, either." Frustration crept into her voice. "I don't think he intends to. I can't run away, because Purrow's stuck there till I get back, at which point I'm stuck there. I don't care about the money anymore; I just wish we could get away... and not get handed over to the Defenders for this job." Her voice grew sharper.

      "I'm sorry, I can't guarantee that," Mald said, and he really was sorry, but he couldn't bargain with thieves.

      Meesha laughed, but there was no amusement in it. "What a shame. See, I was under the impression you might want to know who we were working for, and where his facility is. Seeing that's where your own boss is..."

      "How do you know that?" Mald demanded, his heart beating faster.

      There was a pause, then a sigh. "The Wocky - she seemed tired, yes? Not as energetic as usual?"

      "Yes..." Mald furrowed his brows, uncertain where this was going and not sure he wanted to know.

      "She's the only private investigator this side of Terror Mountain," Meesha said flatly. "Our... benefactor knew that, so one of the things I did was slip something a little extra into her coffee powder..."

      "It was in the coffee?" Mald paled. "Then it's all my fault! I should have noticed!" His voice was frantic.

      "No doubt. Purrow was the one, I think, who took her to the building after she'd fallen asleep. Then Th - the benefactor would have locked him up as well. I can't reach him, but a detective always has an excuse to go skulking around..." Something glinted in the dark, and Mald wondered if it was her eyes, or a just a shiny bit of sewage.

      "I'll do my best to make sure your names aren't associated with this case in the records," Mald said quietly. I'm not giving in, I'm just doing what's best for the case. Really.

      "I suppose I couldn't expect any better from you," Meesha said flatly. "You have a long way to go before you're as good as your friend, little Gelert." Mald said nothing. "Thyassa," Meesha hissed, almost too quiet to hear, and Mald let out a yelp as he felt a firm paw on his back pushing him forward. He stumbled, slipped on the algae-covered cobbles and fell into the water. He emerged, gasping, some ten metres further downstream, with the knowledge that Meesha had been right behind him all along.

      "Stupid - arrogant - thieves," he muttered between clenched teeth as he hauled himself, dripping, from the water. "I wasn't going to follow her!" He headed for the way out, still muttering curses to himself. Still, at least he'd learnt something. Thyassa. The name seemed familiar.

***

      Star groaned. It felt like an over-enthusiastic Tyrannian had banged her head with their club several times, and whacked it again every time her heart beat. She put a hand to her forehead, expecting to find a bump, but there was no sign that she had been knocked out. Why, then, the headache?

      First things first. Surroundings. The Wocky looked around. She was sitting on a stiff-backed chair, in a small, whitewashed room that smelled of mould and air freshener. Star wrinkled her nose. A small, agile-looking Shadow Aisha was sitting opposite her, surveying her dully.

      "Purrow?" she questioned, and then she remembered. She had been hired to find the stolen Thyora's Tear, but her mind hadn't been working properly. She'd fallen asleep. And now... she was here.

      Something didn't add up. Star frowned until she worked out what it was. "Where's Meesha?"

      Purrow snorted. "Who knows? That stupid Chia's keeping one of us locked up in here while the other does his dirty work for him. We're not even getting paid!"

      "How horrible for you." Star grinned. "Stupid Chia? Would that be your boss?"

      Purrow stared at her. "Yes. Thyassa the Purple Chia; he's the Number 1 Gormball player in the world. I left the cookies in his colour in the hopes that you'd find them and make the connection, or at least come looking for me. What makes you so chirpy?"

      "Don't know! Guess it's just a relative thing, now my mind's not all clogged. And I've solved the case! Yes!" Star punched the air in victory, then glanced around. "Though, um, the situation could have been better, and I still need to find the Tear... do you happen to know where he's keeping it? And why he stole it too, might as well get motive wrapped up while I'm here."

      The Shadow Aisha cast her a disbelieving look. "Since when were we working together?"

      "Since we were both locked up in the same room, with no easy way out that I can see." Star glanced around. "Therefore, you need my help. I'll take you with me when I break out and snag the Tear back, but only if you tell me what I want to know." The Wocky's eyes glinted coolly, and she gave her calm, knowing smile.

      "All right already." Purrow rolled his eyes. "I don't know for sure, but he probably stole the Tear for something to do with Gormball. His standing as the Number 1 Gormball champion in the world is being threatened constantly. And he's keeping it downstairs, in a vault inside a statue of King Hagan. Happy?"

      "Very, thank you!" Star's eyes sparkled. "Hmm, let's see... if I remember correctly, the Tear protects the wearer from physical damage for a limited amount of time. Could mean that, if he was wearing it, he'd be able to recover quickly from getting the ball splash on him and get back to the game before he'd missed much. And inside a statue? Gah, how cliche. Ah well, anything's better than behind a painting." Star rolled her eyes and leaped to her feet. "I left my jacket and hat at Mrs. Odile's!" she realized with a start. "Well, there go all my lock-picking tools." She sighed.

      "Wait, you have lock-picking tools?" Purrow also got to his feet. He and Meesha hadn't really tried to escape before, because of the guards, but maybe with this strange Wocky he might have a chance.

      "Of course I have lock picks. What kind of detective would I be if I didn't have lock picks?" Star spoke slowly, as though to an idiot. Purrow flushed.

      "Well, I have a lock pick." He pulled one from the fur beside his ear-stalk. "Not sure how much good it's going to be in that door, though. I haven't really looked at it."

      "Why so defeatist?" Star raised her eyebrows and took the pick, immediately beginning to jiggle at the lock on the door. "Doesn't seem like you."

      "Well, there wasn't really any point to escaping before. We hadn't got paid yet."

      Star rolled her eyes, but kept on poking at the lock. There was a click, and she stepped back, flashing a triumphant smile. "Here we go." She opened the door, and stepped out. And banged right into the burly Grarrl guard positioned outside it.

      "Oh, asparagus," Star muttered. The Grarrl seemed more surprised than anything else, and she managed to dart under his arm, but the guard was alert enough to catch Purrow as he dashed after Star. The Aisha struggled and yowled, but the Tyrannian's grip was firm. Star cast around, and, snatching up the first thing she could find - a large gold Gormball trophy - she smashed it on the Grarrl's head. He staggered, only slightly dazed, but loosened his grip a little. Purrow dashed out, and they both sprinted down the corridor.

      "Why did you help me?" the Aisha called, confused. Star glanced around a corner, saw a guard and ran the opposite way.

      "Because I said I would, and I'm not one to break my word... even if you drugged my coffee!" Star smiled at the sudden realization. Yes, this case was coming together nicely.

      Continuing her habit of running into things, Star rounded the next corner and whacked into Thyassa at full speed. They both took a step back, winded, but the Chia didn't stay out of it for long. "Guards, seize that Wocky," he spat, and the two Grarrls with him took a step forward.

      Star glanced over her shoulder, and saw Purrow, having seen something shiny, run past. "Best of luck," she called out, before turning her attention to the Gormball champion. She met his eyes steadily, even as the guards roughly grabbed her arms, until the Chia was forced to look away.

      "Why did you steal the Tear, Thyassa? Why?" Star said, a hint of sadness in her tone. "You were successful, you had everything you ever wanted... you could have just bought a Thyora's Tear if it meant that much to you. Why steal one?"

      "Because he's not as rich as people think."

      Star's swished her tail in delight, and she turned to greet the speaker. "Mald!"

      "Hey, Star!" he said with a laugh. "Sorry I took so long, but Uni carriages are so expensive these days..." Star laughed, and Mald grinned too, then turned to Thyassa, his face serious once more. "Like I was saying. He's not as rich as people think. I interviewed a few people on my way here, and apparently the rumor's been going round that he's been spending time with the wrong sort of people... on Krawk Island."

      "Gambling?" Star said, surprised. "Well, well..." She grinned her catlike grin at the Chia, who flushed. "Somebody's been a bad boy. Do we have enough to nab him?"

      "The Defenders are already on their way here."

      "Very nice work, Mister Drew." She switched her grin to Mald, and then turned, once more, to Thyassa, who was trying to stammer a defence. "Save it for the Defenders, Chia. This case is cracked!"

***    

     The Defenders came. Thyassa went with them, reluctantly, babbling about a Shadow Aisha thief he'd seen running off with his valuables on the way out. Star burst out laughing when she read that part of the official report.

      They were sitting in the office, Star's paw wrapped firmly around a fresh cup of coffee, Mald trying to figure out how to word their own report without mentioning the aforementioned Aisha. Mrs. Odile's husband had talked some sense into her when they handed the tear over, and they'd only gotten around 500,000 Neopoints in the end. But, as Star said, that was 'more than enough to be getting along with'.

      Mald cast a glance at the coffee.

      Star noticed the look. "You sure this one isn't drugged?" she said, grinning.

      Mald winced. "I'm really sorry, Star, I should have seen that... it's all my fau-"

      "None of it's your fault," the Wocky interrupted. "We caught the bad guy, didn't we? If anything, I should have noticed. I was the one who drank it, after all."

      They sat in silent contentment for a few moments. Outside, the sun was just setting over a peaceful Neopia Central.

      Star sniffed the air. Her nose crinkled. "Is it just me, or does something smell of sewage?"

      "Don't ask. Just... don't."

The End

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