December 1st: Black velvet band
From: Madam'zelleG
"You mean to tell me," said Doctor Watson, folding his newspaper with a sigh, "that the family isn't as concerned that their daughter is missing as they are that her velvet choker was found on the neck of a goat?"
Sherlock Holmes smirked over the rim of his teacup as he took a sip. "The issue appears to be that this black velvet choker, dating back to the French Revolution and owned by a first cousin of Marie Antoinette, was almost certainly ruined by its contact with goat hair. This is why they have requested me to track down the man responsible, so that he may be punished for the destruction of a historically significant artifact."
Watson massaged his temples. "Not even to mention the testimony received from the maid, which stated that the daughter was never seen without the necklace, and that its removal from her person implies something to have befallen her?"
"Precisely, my dear man! As further evidenced when she did not return home last night!"
"You don't think the family had something to do with it, do you?"
Holmes laughed. "An interesting theory, but had they been involved in her disappearance, they would have ensured the necklace's safe return. I suggest that our focus be instead upon the finding of the necklace on a goat."
Watson furrowed his brow, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. "I do seem to remember a similar case in Devon last year...it warranted a paragraph in The Times. A local girl disappeared, and her necklace was found upon a goat wandering the property, despite the fact that the family had never owned a goat."
"Oh Watson, if you only remembered all the occasions I'd told you, you'd know that nearly two dozen cases have been reported in Italy, France, and England in the past five years! In every case, a young woman is kidnapped, and a piece of jewelry belonging to her has been found upon a goat which the family has never seen before. A few of the earlier cases, in Italy, were traced back to an Italian mobster, though the man has never been caught. No one even knows for sure what he looks like."
"An Italian mobster?"
"Yes, Watson, one who goes by the name of L'uomo di Capra."
"The Goat Man."
"Indeed."
"And none of the girls' bodies have ever turned up?"
"None."
Watson pounded his fist on the table and stood. "Then it seems to me that he keeps hold of the girls for nefarious purposes. We must find him at once, Holmes!"
A/N: You guys know what really gets my goat?
El Chupacabra. XD
Well, I hope you enjoyed, and it's good to be back after several years and see so many of you still here! As always, comments and reviews are appreciated! - Ell
