Detective Hollywood Ford in: The Great Seed Heist

The Fundraiser

Hali rejoined Pippin, her face grim. Pippin, who'd been nervously browsing displays of jeweled seed dispensers, raised a questioning wing.

"Well?" he asked, his voice hushed. "Did you learn anything?"

Hali shook her head, frustration gnawing at her. "He wouldn't budge," she admitted. "But trust me, Pip, that seed...it's anything but harmless."

She relayed the encounter with Dragan, her suspicions solidifying with each retelling. Pippin listened intently, his earlier bravado replaced by a growing sense of unease.

"So, what now?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Hali, despite her churning stomach, knew they couldn't give up. "We need to find somewhere less...ostentatious," she declared, a newfound resolve hardening her voice. "We need to research this seed, uncover its true nature. And maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to connect it to Clarence's disappearance."

With a determined glint in her eye, Hali led Pippin out of the Exotica Emporium, its opulent façade now a chilling reminder of the secrets held within. The hunt for answers had taken a perilous turn, leading them deeper into a conspiracy far more sinister than either of them could have imagined.

The glitterati of the Exotica Emporium faded behind them, replaced by the familiar bustle of New Quack City. Relief washed over Pippin, the oppressive atmosphere of the store leaving a lingering unease. Hali, however, remained tense. Dragan's dismissive act hadn't fooled her.

"That old goose," Pippin muttered, shaking his tail feathers. "He was about as helpful as a broken wing in a windy day."

Hali nodded curtly. "Something's rotten in that nest of his, Pip," she declared, her voice tight. "And I have a feeling that seed is at the heart of it."

They found a quiet corner in a nearby park, the seed jar sitting solemnly between them on the bench. Hali recounted every detail of her exchange with Dragan, her frustration simmering as she mimicked the way the old goose dismissed their concerns.

Pippin listened raptly as Hali recounted her encounter with Dragan, his stomach churning with a distinct distaste. "And you said he seemed practically drooling over the seed?" he asked, a note of incredulity in his voice.

Hali nodded grimly. "He hid it well, but I saw it clear as day. He wants that seed desperately."

Frustration mounting, Pippin let out a frustrated squawk. "Well, that's just great. A shady goose, a mysterious seed... All we need is a cryptic prophecy and an ancient amulet for this to turn into a full-blown adventure!"

He grumbled for a moment, then perked up suddenly, his eyes darting around.

"Hey, wait a second!" he chirped, frantically flipping through a tattered newsletter retrieved from a nearby trash can. "I just saw this... Isn't next week that big fancy fundraiser Mayor Gulliani's throwing?"

Hali's eyes narrowed. The mayor— pompous and notoriously image-obsessed. He'd been pushing hard for a controversial "modernization" project in the city's natural parks, a move she'd publicly criticized as disruptive and potentially harmful. "What kind of fundraiser?" she asked.

Pippin squinted at the flyer, deciphering smudged ink. "Something about an 'Aviary of Wonders', expanding his private feather collection...wait, hold on! It's a fundraiser for high-ticket donors only. You know, the 'see and be seen' crowd."

A spark ignited in Hali's mind. If Dragan wanted that seed, if it was part of this nefarious scheme, the mayor's gala seemed like the perfect place to find clues - or perhaps even confront the culprits themselves.

"That's it," she declared, a gleam in her eye. "We're going to that fundraiser, Pip."

Hali fumed, her internal monologue a simmering pot. Rudolph Gulliani, that dirty seabird, was hosting another one of his extravagant fundraisers. Every year, it was the same: a parade of the city's elite, clinking champagne flutes and boasting about their "charitable donations" while stuffing their pockets with the city's tax dollars. It reeked.

"Look at them," she muttered to Pippin, her voice tight. "Preening like peacocks on a gilded perch."

Pippin, ever the pragmatist, nudged her. "Maybe that's the key, Hali. If we want to get in, gotta play their game."

Hali scoffed. "Play their game? We'd stick out like sore thumbs." But a seed of an idea was planted. Mayor Gulliani craved the spotlight, the adoration of the wealthy elite. What if they could use that to their advantage?

A slow grin spread across Hali's face. "Pip, my friend, you're a genius. We need to make an entrance. Something splashy, something that screams, 'Look at us! We belong!'"

Pippin's eyes widened. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Hali winked. "Think bigger, my friend. We're going to crash Gulliani's party in style, and expose his little charade for all to see."