Case 7982: Long Live King Ratigan

by Dr. Phoenix

A casual conversation with Felicia gets Toby to wondering what Mousedom would have been like if Basil had never become a detective (and worse, if he had actually been a criminal). The first and last chapters are actual events in Toby's life; the other chapters are what he imagines. Dedicated to my mother, who has been my source of inspiration for many stories.

1. Another Case Solved

Another Case Solved

Felicia lifted the helpless mouse and raised him to her lips.

"Put me down!" he begged.

Slowly, she opened her mouth.

"I told you I don't know anything!"

The cat placed the mouse between her jaws.

"Alright! I'll talk!"

Smiling, she nodded and placed the mouse on the ground, pinning his tail with her paw so he couldn't escape.

He glared. "I kidnapped the gerbil. It was my part of the job. My partner was the one who was supposed to commit the murder. His name is Everett Grady. He's a silversmith."

Within the hour, both criminals had been arrested.

"Basil's lucky to have us working for him," Felicia remarked.

I sighed. "You reformed your ways over a year ago, and you still act like you're going to eat the suspects. How many times do I have to tell you…?"

"'That is not proper detective work,'" she finished for me. "Toby, even though I no longer work for Ratigan, no one is ever going to see me as a harmless cat. They're always going to see me as the mouser I used to be. Why not make the most of it? Besides, it gets them to confess, doesn't it?"

There are few things more pointless than arguing with a cat. They never listen to reason, so anyone who tries is just wasting breath. That being, I made no reply to her nonsense.

"Basil's lucky to have us," she repeated, "but even though his violin gets to be irritating, I think we're even more fortunate to have him. Imagine if Basil had never become a detective! Ratigan would still be alive." Her eyes widened in the horror of a sudden realization. "In fact, Ratigan would be king! Imagine if we all lived under his authority forever!"

I shuddered. I did not want to imagine it, yet for some reason, I couldn't erase the hypothetical nightmare from my mind. I've never been an imaginative dog, but I couldn't help but wonder what Mousedom would have been like without Basil's work as an investigator. Finally, when I could stand it no longer, I recorded the theoretical events that could have easily become reality if Queen Moustoria had died the night of her Diamond Jubilee.