Angie Fishtail Mermaid Cop

Chapter 1

Ralph waited by the huge water fountain with the mermaid in the middle of the waterfront. The delivery was about ten minutes late which might be bad news for the delivery boy if the boss finds out.

Ralph tapped his walking stick on the cobblestone walkway. He had never met the boss himself. All he knew was that he was known as the Duster and he saw to it that his drug called Sweet Dust was distributed and he didn't like to be kept waiting.

Just then a tall thin man holding a briefcase approached him. "I'm here," he chirped.

Ralph hushed him and quietly asked, "Are you Petey?"

The tall man nodded.

"You have the stuff?"

"Of course." Petey held out the briefcase and opened it. Inside was a bunch of little ziplock bags of blue and green powder.

"Close it now," Ralph told him.

Petey snapped the briefcase shut and handed it to Ralph.

Ralph glared at him. "If  anything goes wrong the Duster would have both our heads."

"Who is this Duster character, anyway?" Petey wanted to know.

"Don't know," Ralph replied. "The Duster keeps his identity a secret. He's smart. He doesn't want anyone to know about him. He contacted me through channels."

Petey didn't seem to be listening. He was gazing up at the mermaid statue on top of the fountain.

"Fantasize of a statue on your own time," Ralph snapped.

"Oh, it's not that," Petey replied. "I think I saw her move."

"You think you saw a statue move?" Ralph gazed up at the statue of a mermaid holding a vase in two hands, looking as though she was about to pour it. "Your eyes are playing tricks on you. It's just a statue."

"No, I think I saw her move," Petey insisted.

"Don't be ridiculous, it's just a statue," Ralph assured him. "Watch, I'll prove it." He reached up at the mermaid with his walking stick and poked the mermaid in her firm stomach.

The mermaid giggled.

"You're right," Ralph gasped in disbelief. "The mermaid is alive!"

The mermaid dropped the vase she was holding over Petey's head. Then she slapped Ralph with her tailfin, kicking up a cloud of flour that gave her the statue look. Ralph staggered backward and caught himself before he fell.

Petey was trying to get the vase off his head when two police officers appeared and forced him to the ground.

The mermaid slid down the fountain, keeping her steely blue eyes on Ralph.

Ralph threw his Walkingstick at the mermaid who ducked it.

He pressed the briefcase to his chest and began running. He gazed back for a brief moment to see the mermaid flopping on the ground after him.

Ralph raced to the pier where a speedboat was waiting for him.

He jumped into the speedboat and ordered the driver to go.

The speedboat sped away.

Ralph gazed back to see the mermaid dive off the pier into the water. She swam through the water like a torpedo toward the fleeing boat.

Boy, that mermaid sure can swim fast, Ralph thought. It's like she is half-fish or something. No matter. She's still not fast enough to catch up to a speedboat.

Just then the mermaid stuck her head out of the water. The flour had washed off her. She opened her mouth wide, and she began singing.

The song was so beautiful that Ralph couldn't help but be enchanted by the song.