Case M: Missing Feline

New Case

~Gwendolyn Watson's Point of View~

"You're later than usual, Ms. Watson." My good friend Mr. AJ Holmes remarks as I walk in. "Much more foot traffic than usual." I respond, shrugging off the jacket I had on. I hear a soft hum of a response, and move on toward my own desk. After a while of sorting some old files, we hear a commotion outside. "I'll go check it out." I sigh, standing up from my kneeling position. "Be careful Watson." Replied Holmes. I peek outside, and almost instantly someone runs up to me. "Hey! Listen! There's been a kidnapping!" She said quickly. The girl was probably in her early teens, and see what wearing a long jacket with her hood up. "Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. Now, tell me again, what's this about?" I ask. She steadies herself. "Someone's been kidnapped." She says, her voice quavering. "Do you know who?" I ask. "M-Mr. Meowse I think. It was a rumor going around, but no one can find him." She says. Her voice was steady now. "Do you mind coming with me?" I ask, my mind whirling. Mr. Meowse was the most popular kid on the block. He was an unusual fellow, with cat qualities like ears and a tail. I lead her inside, and when I come in, Holmes looks up. "Watson, who's this?" He asks, sitting up. "My name is Catrina. My friends call me 'Cat' though." Responded Cat. Fitting. I think. "And why have you come in here?" He asks. "There's a rumor worth looking into. It's about a kidnapping." I say. He raises an eyebrow. "Watson, come here." He says, him voice lowered to a whisper. I walk over and lean on his desk. "Are you seriously proposing a case out of a rumor?" He asks. "There's some fact behind it." I whisper back. "So, Cat, were there any witnesses that you know of?" He asks. "I heard someone say about a black cat-human hybrid that saw it. Poppy or something like that..." She says. "Penelope?" I ask. "That was it. Someone had said she witnessed it." Cat responds. Let's hope Penelope's in a good mood. I think. "Watson, can you get Penelope here?" He asked. "Of course Holmes." I say, grabbing my jacket and heading out. I walk around the block, thoughts grazing through my brain every second. Of course he sends me. I think. I find the familiar black-haired girl sleeping, and sigh. "Hey! Penelope!" I call out. The girl visibly jumps, then looks over. "Oh. Gwen. What now?" She growls. She had her signature black long sleeved shirt underneath her green short sleeved shirt. "It's Watson. And I need you to come with me." I say. She gives me a soft glare, but follows me anyways. "Sorry." I mumble. She stays silent as we walk in, and jumps on my desk. "Is she in a bad mood?" Asked Holmes as I entered. "I woke her up from a nap." I respond. Holmes sighs and watches as I try and get Penelope to start talking. After an hour and a busted lip, I give up. "She's not gonna talk J. The most she confirmed with her refusal that it's an actual case." I say. "Go clean that wound. I agree, there's definitely a case here. Oh, and Catrina? Thanks for the info." Says Holmes as Cat walks out. I clean the wound, and walk back over to him. "Who would want to kidnap Mr. Meowse?" He wonders aloud. "I could investigate outside some more." I respond. "I'll come with you. Penelope, as much as I'll regret it later, you're free to leave. For now." Holmes informs her as she leaves. Holmes grabs his own jacket, and we head outside, locking the door. "Hey, I never asked, but the symbols on our jacket. What does it mean?" I ask. "Your the only person I know that would personally embroider something and not know what it means. It stands for 'Random Encounters.' It's something that's stuck with me for a while." Responded Holmes as he had a gentle smile on his face. I head over to Mr. Meowse's favorite alley with him, and look around. "Mr. Meowse? My Dude?" I call out. Holmes walks up a few moments later. "Watson. Look there." He whispers in my ear. I look to where he was referring, and my breathing hitches. There was a mass of white hair, sprawled out like it was ripped out. I swiftly walk over and kneel. "This has to be his. He's the only one here with white hair." I say. "This doesn't seemed to be dyed either. Hey, there's a few footsteps in the mud." Holmes says. We follow, but it leads no where. We can't just let this go. I think, my fists balling up. "Easy Ms. Gwendolyn. We'll figure this out." Said Holmes as he put a hand on my shoulder, using my nickname. I relax, calming my breathing. "We would've solved this by now is Penelope had just told us what the heck happened." I reason. Holmes kneels on the ground, and looks at the scene. "This was recent. The footsteps were recent." He mumbles to himself. I kneel next to him, and an unfamiliar smell hits my nose. "Cologne?" I say aloud. "This scent is familiar. I can't place it, but I think they might be more financially stable then the norm." He observes. "I'd assume so." I respond. We head back after examining the scene, and I slouch at my desk. "Watson...?" Asked Holmes hesitantly. "Ugh! This is getting us nowhere! We need to find out who took him, and fast!" I say. Without even looking, I know Holmes tensed up. "Slouching at your desk won't help either." He responds. I look up, then get an idea. "Hey, do we have any files on higher class felons?" I ask. Holmes walks over to the file cabinet, flipping through some. "Let's see. We've got Scapelli, obviously, and..." He starts naming some more, but none of them seem to fit. "Scapelli robbed and scammed. I don't think even he would stoop this low." I respond. "You have the right mindset Watson, but remember, anyone and everyone's a suspect." Replied Holmes. I thoughts in my mind shatter as we hear a knock at the door.