Part of little Zoo Series. I think I'll make it my Halloween special in a way too! Credit to Stargazer128 for the idea, KEEP ON ROCKING! Remember to read more from her too, she's already posted some!

I don't own the Penguins of Madagascar.

"And that's the story about the time Manfredey and Johnson broke their flippers with a whoopee cushion." Skipper said closing the scrap book. "Well wasn't that a good story Marshal?" Skipper asked not looking up from the memory and picture congested scrap book. He frowned when he didn't answer. "Marshal?" he looked up and saw his son snoring away. "MARSHAL!"

Marshal's blue eyes popped open. "Who, what, when, Whataburger!" he stammered as he woke up. He looked up at his not so happy dad. "Oh, hey dad." He said with a smile.

Skipper was going to give him a lecture on how listening to his stories will help him, but the door opened up before he could. The two turned around to see Rico waddling in looking really worn out. "Oh, evening Rico, what are you doing?" Skipper asked noticing the fact that he was covered in dirt. "I didn't authorize round zoo clean up."

Rico just shrugged and waddled off to clean up.

Skipper and Marshal looked at each other with suspicious faces as Rico waddled off. "What do you think he did?" Marshal whispered to his dad.

"I don't know." Skipper said rubbing the bottom on his beak, but I intend to find out."

A few moments later. . . . . . . .

"Covered in dirt? I'm pretty sure he was just blowing something up and it made a mess." Kowalski said trying to focus on his inventions.

Marshal gasped. "Or someone!"

Skipper rolled his eyes and shook his head at his son's comment. "Like Rico would kill anyone!" he said with a chuckle at the thought.

"Are you hearing yourself? I mean that could've been blood he was covered in and he's hiding the body in his stomach! I can't believe we didn't see it earlier, it was so obvious. It's like wondering who ate the cookies and Santa's in the room." Marshal continued.

"Marshal, keep you cuckoo ideas out of this mess!" Skipper said.

"Fine" he said shaking his head. Then he put his flippers up next to his eyes in a spooky way. "But I guess we'll have to wait till he strikes again. Muwahahaha!" he said before running off in the other direction. "Bye! I'm gonna play over at the otter habitat!" he said in his normal tone before he went out the door.

"I think that he's getting into too much of those horror films." Skipper said.

"No duh." Kowalski said tightening another bolt on the machine.

Just then a scream echoed the H.Q.

"Marshal!" Skipper called out in a worried tone. He and Kowalski jumped up on the top of the H.Q. in their fighting stances and Marshal ran up to them. Skipper leaned down to his panting son. "What is it son, Blowhole, space squids, Alice dancing?" he asked wondering if he was going to be scared for life.

Marshal shook his head. "A shovel, a dirty muddy shovel!" he explained. He led the two over to a muddy shovel like he said on the side of the H.Q.. It looked like a sand castle shovel that was green, but you couldn't tell that will with all the mud on it, or at least they thought it was mud. "See? I was right! Uncle Rico's a murderer!" he exclaimed shaking all over. "We must stop him before he kills again!" he said getting overly dramatic again.

"Let's not rush to conclusions." Skipper said.

"I don't know Skipper, I don't like the way this looks." Kowalski said examining the shovel. "I mean, it's better to be safe than sor-"

Just then a splash came out from behind him and the three turned around to see a water covered Rico.

"Oh hey Rico" Skipper said. He picked up the small shovel and held it out to him. "Is this yours?"

"Uh-hu" Rico grunted out. He held out his flipper for the shovel and Skipper gave it to him and watched him swallow it whole.

"Who's next?" Marshal whispered, but Skipper placed his flipper over his beak.

Rico cocked his head to the side confused. "Huh?"

"It's nothing solider." Skipper said waving his flipper in front of him and keeping Marshal's mouth shut. "Now return to your business whatever it may be." He said with a small amount of suspicion in his voice as he eyed Rico. After the explosive expert left, he let go of Marshal's beak.

"What was that for?" Marshal asked rubbing his flippers against his tongue. "I don't like the taste of your flippers."

"If it keeps you quiet around a murder, then you better get used to it Marshal!" Skipper said. He got a worried look on his face. Could one of my soldiers, a fellow brother in black and white, a friend, really be a crazed killer? I'm used to Rico being a world class psychopath already, but not a murder. He thought to himself. He shook his head sadly. "I don't like it."

"It's a shock to all of us Sir." Kowalski said patting his commanding officer on the back. "Then again, this could all be just one great big misunderstanding."

"Or, we're all in great danger." Marshal said. "Either way, this is pretty cool."

Skipper glared at Marshal, and then turned to Kowalski. "Kowalski, I want you to keep a visual aid on Rico." He ordered.

"Me?" Kowalski asked pointing to himself.

"Yes you, I want to know the truth and I want it now!" Skipper said.

Later that day. . . . . . .

Kowalski walked around the H.Q. nervous. How can I get Rico to tell me if he's a murderer or not? There's a 98.7% chance he's deny it! Think Kowalski! He thought to himself as he paced the H.Q. floor with his flippers behind his back and his head down thinking. He then looked up when he heard the door open and close and smiled at what might be the answer to his problems. "Hey Buttons, can we have a small talk, nephew to uncle maybe?" Kowalski said placing a flipper around his shoulder in a fatherly way.

Buttons cocked his head to the side confused. "Uh…okay" he grunted shrugging his shoulders as he sat down next to his Uncle Kowalski.

"So Buttons, have you and your dad been doing anything lately?" Kowalski asked trying to hide the fact that he was nervous. "Like a hobby or a new game perhaps?" Or burying bodies! He added in his head, but he wouldn't say that out loud.

Buttons looked up and tapped his beak trying to remember anything, but shook his head.

"Well has Rico been doing a new hobby lately?" Kowalski asked.

Buttons though again, and this time he nodded his head. "Yep"

Kowalski smiled realizing he was going somewhere with this. "Okay, what is it?" Kowalski asked nearly squeezing the young penguin from anxiousness.

Buttons blue eyes widened and pushed Kowalski's flippers away from him. "nu-uh!" he grunted quickly shaking his head from side to side and backing away from him. "Secret." He grunted out before running off somewhere showing that the conversation was defiantly over.

"Well, I guess that'll be all then." Kowalski said sadly letting the little penguin waddle away. Kowalski put his head in his flippers frustrated. "How am I supposed to figure this out if I can't even get anything out of his son?" he asked himself. "I mean, he's as clean as. No zoo animals are missing, not any that I know about anyways." He whispered, and then he got an idea. He sat up and picked up his abacus. "Well, it looks like it's time for a head count." He then waddled out the door.

Doing a head count. . . . . . . . . . . .

King Julien sat on his throne thinking. "No, no, no, no one is missing from my kingdom. You may take Mort away for the sacrifice since no one else has volunteered." King Julien said before tossing the mouse lemur to Kowalski. "He likes to be fed once a day, but even I forget that." He said with a laugh.

"Father, I don't think that is very nice." Prince J.J. said looking up at his dad.

King Julien looked up and shook his head. "J.J, J.J., J.J., to be a king, you have to be ruling, not giving, especially to the annoying lemurs who don't stop touching the royal feet!" he said pointing down at Mort, who just giggled in Kowalski's flippers.

"Why are you taking an attendance count? I thought we just had one a few days ago." Maurice said with Maurisa at his side. Kowalski could tell he was worried as he gripped his daughter's paw tighter.

"No need to worry, it's just a common head count. There's no danger." Kowalski explained setting Mort down below him. Well, at least not yet. Kowalski thought to himself. "Let's just say it has something to do with one of my teammates. If this head count is full, then this was just all a huge misunderstanding."

"But what if it isn't?" Maurisa asked cocking a brow.

Kowalski sighed and turned around. "Then it could mean something terrible." He said before jumping over the wall.

Kowalski's next stop was the otter habitat and both otters were there thankfully. "Thanks for cooperating Marlene." Kowalski said to the otter as she picked up around her cave. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience if I caused any."

"Yeah it's fine, but why are you taking a head count?" Marlene asked looking up at him now with a cocked brow. "I mean, I know you and Skipper are like the crazy paranoid protectors of the zoo and stuff, but I thought we just had a head count the other week." She said crossing her arms in a suspicious manner.

"Oh boy, mom doesn't do that unless she's onto you." Peanut said noticing his mom's pose.

"There's nothing to be on top of here Marlene. It's just a head count." Kowalski lied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going over to the dolphin habitat." Kowalski turned around to leave, but Marlene stopped him by grabbing onto his flipper.

"Kowalski, I want to know what's going on." Marlene said in a calm tone.

Dun, Dun, Dun! Rico, a murderer? What could this be?

Review and happy Halloween : )