(Disclaimer: I do not own Tintin or any characters affiliated with him. That honor goes to Hergé. I do own the unfamiliar characters that appear in this story. I also don't own the song which is sung by Blossom Dearie.)

The Strange Cat Burglar

Chapter 3: Before the Heist

The next day was altogether dull for Tintin; he just couldn't wait for night to come.

Yet, even if it was slower than he hoped, night did indeed come and he, Captain Haddock, and Snowy went off to The Merry Mermaid to meet the Thom(p)sons.

They decided to grab a bite to eat before their bout with the infamous Chatte Noir.

Right before entering the establishment, they noticed a sign on the door that said:

Entertainment Night: Open Cabaret

"Entertainment night! Good heavens, Thompson, I had completely forgotten about it!" Thomson cried.

Thompson responded, "Well, don't worry old chap, I forgot as well."

Tintin, Haddock, and Snowy were very confused as to what the detectives meant.

"What in the blue blistering barnacles are you two talking about?" Haddock asked.

"It's Thursday night, Captain, and every Thursday night there is a chance for patrons or workers to perform with the Cabaret band." Thompson explained.

"It is jolly good fun!" Thomson added, "You don't mind if we stick around for a while, do you?"

"I don't see why not," Tintin replied, "We still have quite a bit of time before the Chatte Noir will strike."

"Aye, count me in, too," Captain Haddock agreed, "As long as nobody sings like that banshee Castafiore."

So, the group once again sat down to a nice meal together, only this time it was to prepare for attempting to catch the mysterious cat burglar.

Snowy was again given a nice juicy steak bone, Tintin had a martino sandwich, the captain had steamed salmon and Thomson and Thompson both had the fish and chips.


The entertainment was quite well done; in fact only two or three of that on stage was horrible.

A juggler, a ventriloquist, a pair of tap dancers, a comedian and three singers were those who performed that night before the announcer went back on stage.

He was a man in his late twenties with dark brown hair and brown eyes in an old gray suit.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight," he said holding the microphone, "Now for our final act this evening, a very special little lady who often fills in for our usual headliner Mme. Angelique if she can't perform; the enchanting demoiselle Chansonette!"

The announcer left the stage and the curtain pulled back to reveal a lovely young woman, who looked like she was around Tintin's age, with wavy mouse brown hair, topped with a sparkling headband that had a white feather attached, dazzling green eyes covered with lilac eye shadow, and strawberry pink lips. She wore a beautiful mauve silk dress with floral accents around the midsection, a pearl necklace, long white gloves and black high heels.

The lady came up to the microphone as the band began to play and after a few moments she sang a lovely rendition of "I Won't Dance".

Tintin was practically mesmerized by her performance and could have sworn she winked at him.

When the song was over, she turned around and the curtain closed with the last drumbeats.

The people applauded loudly and some even whistled cattishly.

The announcer came back onstage saying, "Yes, the incredible demoiselle Chansonette! Next up is the Magnificent Trichinosis and his trained pigeons!"

While the next act started, the waiter came to the group's table with the check.

"Well, Monsieurs did you enjoy yourselves this evening?" he asked.

"But of course we did, Hénri, wonderful as always." Thompson replied.

"Precisely, Thompson, always wonderful," Thomson agreed, "But I must ask you where you found Mam'selle Chansonette! She's a divine singer!"

"Now there's a lovely story; she is apparently the niece of a duke, who wishes to be a singer." the waiter explained, "One day, she and her uncle came in here asking if she could have a job at our Cabaret. I told him we already had a headliner, Madame Angelique, but the man kept insisting. The girl started singing a little tune to herself and we decided to have her work as a fill in for when our headliner falls ill, and she does, the old dear; a wonderful lady but a bit absent-minded."

The story seemed to intrigue Tintin as he asked, "Who is her uncle, by the way?"

"Why the Duke of Wurstbrötchen, Monsieur, Thibault Richelieu." the waiter answered.

'Interesting,' Tintin thought, 'A duke's niece working as a Cabaret singer? I'll have to look into this.'

After looking at his watch and seeing they still had time to kill, he asked the waiter if he could have a chat with Chansonette.

The waiter said backstage was open to anyone that night and the young man left the table to interview the young singer, with Snowy right behind him.


Backstage was a simple hallway with several doors for dressing rooms, a janitor's closet, a ladies' room and a men's room.

The first door had a large yellow star painted on it covered by two names; Mme. Angelique and Demoiselle Chansonette.

He knocked on the door a few times, "Excuse me, Mademoiselle, may I speak with you?"

The door opened, showing the girl without the dress, make up and accessories, wearing simple looking clothes, and an exasperated look on her face.

"Hello, Miss Chansonette," he began, "I'm here to ask you about-"

"No, no, no need to explain yourself, I've heard a dozen times," she interrupted, "Your 'friend' has fallen head over heels for me and wishes to show me a 'romantic night on the town'."

Tintin was taken aback by what the singer was telling him; it wasn't at all what he wanted to talk about.

Her face grew even more annoyed as she continued, "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but you'll have to tell your 'friend' that I am certainly not that kind of girl, and if he happens to already be in a relationship, he should save his 'affections' for that lady." and she slammed the door in his face.

'That's one rude lady!' Snowy thought, 'She didn't even bother to listen to Tintin and she smelled weird, too.'

The journalist was still in shock as he returned to the table.

"Ah, there you are, laddie!" Captain Haddock bellowed as he patted his young friend on the back, "That was a quick interview."

"It wasn't much of one, Captain," Tintin said, "She didn't even listen to what I had to say."

The waiter overheard and stated, "Oh dear, she must have thought you were another one of those 'charming suitors'."

"What do you mean, sir?" the boy asked.

"You see, after each of Miss Chansonette's performances, a few of the men in the audience try to 'woo' her in a number of ways." Hénri explained, "I remember one of them claiming he would leave his wife if he could have a chance with her."

"Not a very good husband, eh, Tintin." Haddock said.

He nodded and looked around for Thomson and Thompson, but they weren't there.

"Where did Thomson and Thompson go?" he asked.

Haddock was quick to answer, "Oh, they headed out that so-to-be crime scene and would wait for us there."

"Well, we'd best not keep them waiting." Tintin stated.

So the two friends and the little dog, having paid for their meal, left the restaurant for Belmont manor.

'I hope we never run into that weird lady again,' Snowy thought, 'she smelled like a mangy cat!'


In the shadowed alleyway behind The Merry Mermaid, a lone figure walked out, wearing a black trench coat, black trousers and black boots.

The person's hair was covered by a black ski mask leaving the nose and green eyes* visible.

A little dark gray cat strolled up to the figure and meow softly, getting the person's attention.

The person kneeled down and stroked the feline gently with a black gloved hand.

"Hello, Cinders," the figure said in a surprisingly feminine voice, "Wish me luck, my friend, 'cause taking care of this particular partner of my uncle will be quite a challenge for the Chatte Noir."

The shadowy woman then pulled a black cat mask out of her trench coat and put it on her face.


Who is the Chatte Noir? What does she have against this "uncle"? Will Tintin and company find out? Stay tuned for more of The Strange Cat Burglar!


Delphigirl689: Thank you once again to all you wonderful reviewers out there! *pulls out plate of chocolate chip cookies* these are for all of you! BTW, "*" shows an important clue as to who the cat burglar is. Can you guess? If so, please state your answer in your review!