The Case of the Black Arrow (A Great Mouse Detective Fanfic) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 7

"You should have taken the morphine," I said to Miss Fletcher in a matter-of-fact tone, which earned me a potent glare from the young woman.

The three of us were standing in the shadows on the edge of the West India Docks. Basil was acting as lookout while Miss Fletcher braced herself against a nearby wall, clutching her side and looking like she was going to collapse from pain and exhaustion. The reason for her aggravated discomfort was sitting close by wagging his tail, most pleased with himself. Toby and Miss Fletcher's first meeting didn't go well at all. Before going to enlist the dog's assistance, I had once again offered Miss Fletcher liniment and morphine to dull her pain. She'd accepted the former and refused the latter. The scent must have been too strong for Toby's sensitive canine nose, because the moment he got a whiff of her, he growled and snarled at her in a most vicious way. Miss Fletcher, having the background that she does, was not at all impressed with Toby's aggressive display. Basil had to step in to focus the dog's attention, and Toby did as Basil commanded. But when we finally left for the docks, it seemed Toby sprinted with more vigor than usual, making the ride exceedingly bumpy. Honestly, I was surprised that Miss Fletcher was even able to stand considering the amount of pain she had to be in from Toby jostling her about.

"I told you, Doctor, I can't afford to be impaired right now," she insisted. With a muffled whimper, she pushed herself off the wall to stand fully. "Hey, hawkshaw, how long did you say it would take Pine to get here?"

"I wouldn't hold my breath for a prompt arrival. I'd say three quarters of an hour, at the very least," Basil replied, keeping his eyes on the dark docks before us.

"Wonderful," Miss Fletcher responded flatly. "Give me back that cane then. We need to get started".

Basil handed back the walking stick he'd been holding to Miss Fletcher. It was a sleek black and topped with a heavy, silver handle. It had been a compromise for a weapon. Miss Fletcher had asked for the axe from the sitting room's suit of armor, and Basil hadn't wanted to give her anything.

"All right, if I were operating an illegal trafficking business, where would I hide?" Miss Fletcher mused aloud.

"It would have to be hidden well enough so the average passer-by wouldn't notice it, but easy to find if you were a client," Basil said.

Miss Fletcher rolled her eyes, "Thank you, hawkshaw. I was able to come to the same conclusion myself, but that doesn't tell us where Dougal is".

Basil flashed one of his knowing smiles, "It's this way, of course," he declared, and without waiting to see if we were going to follow, started sneaking off in the direction he had indicated.

Huffing out a heavy, annoyed sigh, Miss Fletcher grumbled, "Of course". She gestured for me to walk ahead of her, saying, "I'll watch your backs".

We wandered around the docks for a long time. Basil was certain he knew where he was going and what he was looking for, but after a half hour of looking there was still no sign of Campbell and his lackeys. We were worried that Pine would get here before we could find our quarry, and all the noise the inspector and his men would inevitably make would scare Campbell off. Basil insisted that we needed to make haste, but all the insisting in the world wasn't going to do any good if we couldn't locate our villain's hiding spot.

All the while, Miss Fletcher lagged behind us, stumbling as she walked along. Whenever we stopped so Basil could reassess where we should look next, she would slump against the nearest vertical surface, chest heaving for air and her fur damp with sweat though the evening was quite chilly. It was as I feared. An infection was beginning to rage through Miss Fletcher's body. The look of agony and panic on her face told me she was also keenly aware of this.