Great Mouse Detective: Revealed Revenge

#6 The Lair

The cab pulled up beside the pier on the water front. Basil and Olivia quickly climbed off, and slid down the leg of the pier, trying to avoid being seen. As they reached the bottom, they hid behind a pillar, round the corner from the Rat Trap. Basil cocked his head to the side. Not a single soul in sight; just the sound of the wind and flowing of the river, in the background, and the sigh of and fog. It was quiet around. Perhaps too quiet.
"I think it's time to go under cover again." Basil smirked.
"Basil, I know what you're thinking. The answer is no." Olivia replied, abruptly.
Basil grinned at Olivia, then turned to face the Rat Trap.

Later, Basil and Olivia creep up to the window. Instead of Basil, dressed in his smart, brown detective outfit and cap, he was dressed as a sailor, once again. He was swaying as he walked towards the entrance, with his hands in his pocket, and a cigarette in his mouth, puffing away. Olivia on the other hand, was wearing a short, tight pink top, that shown a massive cleavage. Her skirt, matched the colour of her top, and it was covered in gemstones. She had big feathers, sticking out on each side, and wearing long black gloves.
"I hate you." She said, bluntly to Basil.
Basil was far to focused on the case. He crawled towards the window, and took a peak inside. The lights were on, but nobody was going around. Olivia stood beside him, keeping low. Basil glanced all around the room. There were broken glass on the floor, chairs that had fallen over. No sign of life. In the middle of the pub, he saw a table, that was filled with poker pieces. Obviously, the game was interrupted by something. But what? Basil suspected, it was a trap.
"The coast is clear- something is not right."
"What makes you think that?" Whispered Olivia.
He kneeled down to the same height as her.
"No one is guarding the pub, yet it's still open. An undefeated game of poker, lying there, untouched since. There is not a single soul in the pub- which makes me think that they want us to believe there is nobody here, but then we get ambushed and then kidnapped... Do you read me?"
"If they're expecting us, why can't we go around the other way?"
"They'll also be expecting that."
"Well, what else can we do?"
"Just follow my lead, stay close and keep on your toes."
"You mean, we're going to just waltz in there, and risk our lives?" Olivia protested.
"You risked your own life by agreeing to this case in the first place."
Olivia sighed; she knew he was right.
Basil took Olivia's hands.
"Olivia, you have to start trusting me. I know my own methods and my job."
"That's not the point, Basil. It's just, last time we faced Ratigan... I almost lost you. I'm scared I will again." Olivia had watery eyes. Basil smiled at her.
"Me surviving does not matter anymore. What matters is you, your father and your friend survive."
Her face lit up. She was so impressed with how he has improved with talking to her.
"That's so sweet, Basil. But I won't let you die so I can live."
"Nevermind this- we have a case." Basil reminded her.
Basil opened, the pub door to utter silence. They both checked every corner. Not a single sound. No laughter, no cheering and no bickering. They both looked around. Basil saw an empty darts board on the wall, with a picture of his face in the middle. It didn't scare him. What scared him was a sudden scream from Olivia. He ran towards her, to see a dead mouse, lying in his own pool of blood.
"Oh my god! What on earth has happened here?" Olivia screeched.
Basil examined him with his magnifying glass. He found the hole in his chest, that was causing the evacuation of blood from his body. A few chips from the poker game were lying by his hand. Basil went up to the table and examined a glass of cola. It had lipstick on the side, to show a lady mouse was playing the game. The lipstick matched the mark left on the white apron on one of the chairs.
"What do you suppose?" Asked Olivia, anxiously.
"Isn't it obvious? This man was shot in the head, by a bulletin gun, by a much taller person, judging by the angle. This man was involved in a game with the barmaid here, and 3 other mice, which I can't make out. Then she dropped off her ship to go..." Basil saw foot steps on the floor. Olivia and Basil followed the foot steps, eventually it lead behind the bar, where the trap door to Ratigan's old lair was. He armed, 'down here' to Olivia.
"Basil, please let me go down first. I'm wearing a very short skirt." Olivia insisted.
"As you wish."
So, Olivia climbed down first, after Basil. Basil tried to remember the route to Ratigan's lair. The hoped into the pipe-line and slowly crawled up the drain.
As they reached the top, Basil crept his head up slowly, there was no one around. The place smelt worse than before. There were cobwebs everywhere, and spiders too. The R that was stamped on the barrel was still there, but very moldy.
"Be careful of any sudden movement." He whispered to Olivia, as they climbed out the drain, and tiptoed around the lair.
Basil found Ratigan's tie, he looked around, suspiciously and kept it in his pocket, for safe keeping.
Just then, they both heard moaning and groaning from down the hall.
"Can you hear that?" Asked Olivia.
"Yes, it's coming from down there." Basil pointed to a dark hallway.
The two mice ran into the darkness, hoping they'd find something. The unknown figure kept moaning, which made it easier on them, so they could follow the sound of it. They were way down, at the last cell. When they got to the bottom, they turned to the cell that was making the noise.
"Is someone there?" Olivia called into the cell.
"You shouldn't be here." Said a familiar voice.
"Why not?" Asked Olivia.
"You could die."
Just then, out of the darkness... there was Fidget, He had survived being thrown off the blimp. His wing looked more crippled then ever, and he had a black eye. He was no longer working for Ratigan. As soon as Ratigan found out Fidget was alive, he threw him into the cells, and left him there to rot.
Basil and Olivia stood there. Stunned was not the right word.