12. Aconitum

"Where have you been?" Lucas asked suspicious with his arms crossed when Reginald walked up the little staircase leading into the leader's mobile home. "I saw you left early."

"Oh, I was with Bud Flud", Reginald told honest.

"Um… Who?" the cat asked confounded.

"Bud Flud. He is the son of the head of Sparkling Crystal Pure Flud Water, a bottle water company", he explained.

"Um… Okay… So, what did he want?" Lucas asked, utterly puzzled.

"Oh, he just wanted some advice. You see, is father's company is planning on announcing some new flavors on their water, and Bud had heard about that I sometimes donate supply crops from my greenhouse when we make drinks to our meetings. So, he offered me a favor in return for my advices so he would look good in front of his dad and those other big-shots. You know the old story: Son of the rich ask the smart guy for help to make papa proud", Reginald said untroubled. He had realized that it wouldn't have been much of a point to lie to the cat. The risk was that he rather just would have just seen him through and gotten more suspicious.

Lucas just looked utterly perplexed at him.

"Um… Okay…"

"If you don't believe me you can just ask him yourself if you'd like. He gave me his number", the duck informed and hauled up the blue card the canine had given him earlier from his pocket.

"No, it's cool", the Birman assured convinced and waved lightly with his hand. "I was just a little surprised."

"Yeah, he grabbed me after you had left. Otherwise I would have told you earlier", Reginald said. At least that was sort of true.

"Oh, it's no problem", the cat assured content.

"How did the workshop go by the way?" Reginald asked and went over and sat down in the small kitchen sofa.

"Ugh! I'm completely exhausted!" the Birman groaned. "I haven't done anything but talking the whole day! I made some tea by the way. You want some too?"

"Yes! Sure!" Reginald said.

Lucas took out two cups from one of the cabinets over the kitchen sink and put them on the kitchen table, which was stuck to the wall at one end by the window, in front of the duck. Then he turned around and went over to get the teakettle, which stood on the stove a few feet away. He filled the two cups with the steaming liquid, and went back and placed the kettle on the stove again.

"You know, I've been thinking a little", Reginald suddenly said a bit cautiously. "If we're now going to frame Rhoda, why don't we try to make it all more believable?"

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked and turned down the heat on the stove plate.

"Well, I was thinking, if she now really would have broken in at Mr. Sullivan's, she must have needed some kind of tool to get in, right?" Reginald pointed out. "And since there were no damages at the president's house the only likely way she would have been able to get inside without keys is by picking the lock."

Lucas furrowed and considered thoughtfully.

"Hm… That sounds pretty realistic."

"And when she gets arrested, what do you think is among the first things S.H.U.S.H. will do? Right, they're probably going to ransack her apartment to check her alibi. Then, don't you think the agency would be more convinced if they'd find this among her belongings?"

Reginald hauled out a small transparent plastic bag containing the shiny lock pick in brass that Lucas had given to him earlier to practice on. One end was shaped like a paddle while the other end was crooked. "I've already fixed so her fingerprints are on it", the duck told proud.

"Really?" Lucas said impressed and sat down by his own teacup in the other kitchen sofa opposite to Reginald. He lifted the cup gently to his mouth and blew a little on the still hot liquid. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, it was pretty easy actually", Reginald began explaining and placed the plastic bag on the table in front of them. "You remember that I had laboratory practice a few days ago?"

"Was it the time with the poison ivy?"

"Um, no… but thanks for reminding me", he said a bit sarcastic. "No, I was referring to the one just recently. You see, this lock pick kind of reminds a little of the metallic sticks we use in the lab to blend chemicals in samplings tubes with. So, during the lesson, I just sneaked it down inside the jar containing these sticks. Then, I just let her dig around with her hand inside it."

He demonstrated by lifting his arm, letting his hand dangle and rolling his wrist like he was rummaging around inside an invisible jar on the table. "Then, it was just for me to fish it up afterwards. And, the best part was that since I burned my hands last time, no one questioned why I was wearing gloves the whole time", the duck said contentedly and lightly wiggled his still quite red swollen fingertips.

The cat just stared impressed at him.

"Wow…! Okay, I gotta admit, that was actually very smart", the Birman told admiring and sipped a little on his drink. "You surprise me really."

"Oh! I can be very surprising sometimes!" Reginald said and smiled slyly. He took a sip of his own tea and glanced a little hastily on the wall clock behind the cat.

"Heh! Yeah, I've sure noticed that during these last weeks", Lucas said. "Not to be like that or anything, but may I ask why you didn't informed me about this earlier?"

"Uh… well, um…", Reginald hesitated suddenly, unprepared on that question, and met the feline's blue suspicious eyes. Nervously, he bit his lower bill and glanced down into his teacup. "…you see… Ugh!"

The drake sighed stressed and lightly slammed his hand resignedly onthe table. "Okay, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to carry out this whole framing operation or not", he admitted and guiltily scratched his forehead under the headband.

"But now I am!" he hastily added. "I've considered it all more carefully and have realized that this is the best alternative. It's sad, really, but you're right, someone has to go down, and she was the only one who was alone during the same time as we were, sadly. Please, don't be too mad at me!"

Lucas looked critically at the small waterfowl that glowed with worry. That the duck had had second thoughts was not exactly news to him directly. He had suspected from the start that his best friend would hesitate.

"No, I'm not mad", Lucas assured. "I understand it's tough. I feel the same. It's not an easy choice we're making here. Heh! Now if I'm going to be honest I actually thought you were going to bail out and turn yourself in."

"Well, I actually did seriously consider doing that just a while ago", Reginald revealed.

"What made you change your mind?" Lucas wondered interested.

"My greenhouse, and my future", he told low and serious. "I've worked hard to get there I am today, and it means everything to me. I'm not going to let everything I've built up wither and die just because I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"Heh! Yeah, that would've been annoying", Lucas said and couldn't help but to chuckle a little on the inside. Typically Reginald to think of his plants first and foremost.

"Yeah, and besides, I think I might be moving up here in the world", he said contentedly and drank his tea.

"Touché!" Lucas said and pointed recalling at him. "So, do you have any ideas on how we're going get this thing to Rhoda's place? Now that you've made so much trouble to get her fingerprints on it and all?"

The cat took the small plastic bag and held it dangling in front of him.

"Well, she's going to be at a evening seminarian in two hours aaand… ten minutes", he enlightened, glancing up at the clock. "We could leave it there then."

"Sounds like a plan! Okay, let's wait here 'til then before we hit the road", Lucas decided and took another slurp.

"Great! Um… What do you think is going to happen to her, after S.H.U.S.H. has found all the fake evidences?" Reginald wondered anxiously suddenly.

"Well, she is obviously going to deny of course. Though since she doesn't have anything that can disprove her no one is likely going to believe her."

"What if she tells about our trip to Ajax?"

"She won't", Lucas said sure and calm. "One, she's to nice and loyal to the organization. Two, it would just be to her disadvantage. 'Cause, as far as what the Opals believe, she was the only one that was completely alone in the building for a longer time. That will lead to that even the members of the organization are going to disbelieve her. So no, I don't think we need to worry too much on that front."

He made a small break to drink up the last of his tea. Thoughtfully, he looked at the tealeaves left at the bottom of the cup.

"However… one person that I do believe may be harder to convince is Agent Hooter", the feline continued pensively. "He has already been suspicious about me for a long time now and is probably going to smell a rat. We need to be extra careful with him. I have to figure out a way on how to get off his radar. I might need your help there."

"I will stand by your side till the end", Reginald promised upright and serious.

"Excellent!" Lucas said and smiled contentedly.

The time went by as the two friends were waiting to leave. Reginald nervously looked up at the wall clock again and again at even shorter intervals. Eventually he found himself checking it off at least once every minute. Those were probably the most plagued two hours throughout his entire life.

"Are you okay?" Lucas suddenly wonderingly asked the drake, who, still sitting in the sofa, worrisomely was staring down into the kitchen table, one knee violently shaking.

"Huh? Oh, no! Sorry! It's just nerves", he assured apologetic.

Lucas had by now learned that his best friend could be a quite nervy and anxious kind of person. However, in his eyes, he thought he looked rather terrified this time.

"You do know you're doing the right thing?" the Birman asked checking, a bit suspicious.

"Yes, I know", said Reginald almost a little annoyed, more at himself rather than on the cat though. Stupid leg, stop shaking! "And you don't need to worry, I won't bail out."

I can't bail out either now.

The tone in the mallard's voice was clearly determined and sincere.

"Good…", Lucas, who still couldn't really shake off his suspicions, said. For some reason he got the feeling that something was wrong.

"Can I ask you something?" Reginald suddenly asked.

"Sure! Go ahead!"

"Do you ever regret anything of what you did?"

"Well, yes… Or… well, both yes and no", he answered, and thought for a while. "I might regret my ways and the sacrifices I've had to make. Though, I don't regret the results they have given. Living with the guilt and the secrets is really painful, especially in the beginning. But you learn to live with it, it becomes your everyday life. And with time, you learn to se the good things it has given. The city is a safer place. More people are happier and sees hope upon the future. It has all been worth it in the end. It's that reminder that helps me keep going forward everyday."

Reginald reflected on what Lucas had just said and thought about how he himself was going to be able to handle living with all of this in his mind. On how he was going to look back on this whole event in the future. And how he then would be able to ever forgive himself.

"Well, I think its time to roll now", Lucas suddenly thought and stood up from the couch.

"What?! Already?!" Reginald cried nonplussed and threw an eye at the clock again. It was twenty to full.

"Yeah, she has probably already left the apartment by now. I'm just going to get the stuff and then we're off", he said and walked away and opened the top drawer of a dresser nearby.

"O-Okay", Reginald said, still a bit taken aback. He did his best to try to seem pretty calm and collected, but on the inside he felt a flood of panic washing all over him.

Lucas picked up two pairs of gloves and placed them on top of the drawer to then continue rummaging around among all the knickknacks and grains of sand at the bottom of the box to find his own lock pick.

"Ugh!"

The duck reacted when he heard the Birman's exhausted groan and watched the cat lean over the drawer, supporting himself with his elbow against the drawer's top and his forehead in his hand.

"How is it?" he asked wondering and got up from the couch and walked cautiously up to him.

"Ugh! I suddenly got so nauseous for some reason", Lucas told, feeling his body temperature rising. Heavily breathing, he suddenly felt a burning tingling feeling in his tongue.

"Do you want something? A glass of water?" Reginald wondered.

"No, it's fine", he said and waved a little with his other arm, still leaning over the drawer. "But maybe it's for the better if you drive."

"Sure… No problem…", Reginald said a bit vigilant and turned around and started walking towards the van's driver seat. He stopped however before he even got half way. "… but I don't think that will be necessary."

"Huh?" Lucas was really surprised by hearing the duck's suddenly very cold words and turned his head in his direction. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The mallard slowly turned around back to him, with a cold and intimidatingly sincere look in his eyes.

"Because we're not going to frame her", he said flat.

"What?! You're bailing out now…?!"

Ruffled, the cat stood up in a straight position, and suddenly felt a painful cramp in the arm he had just been supporting himself with. "Ouch…!" He painfully took his forearm with his other hand, only to find the same excruciating involuntary muscle contraction in that other arm.

"No, I never planned on framing Rhoda", the duck suddenly revealed indifferent.

"But… what was all that talk about the fingerprints on…?"

He had to interrupt himself as he felt the cramps spreading to his chest. The whole inside of his mouth was now burning so intense that it felt like he had swallowed fire. He made some valiant attempts to gasp for air, but it was as if his lungs had turned to stone.

"There's nothing on it", Reginald suddenly revealed while indifferently watching the scared upright standing paralyzed cat with the arms locked in a crossed position. "I just made all that up because I needed a distraction so I could take down the person that truly deserves his punishment. The vilest and most despicable person I've ever met."

"And who would that be?" Lucas asked with a rattling voice as he terrified stared into the duck's ice-cold and sinister eyes.

"You."

Reginald watched the sparkle in the Birman's deep blue eyes go out right before the great leader lifeless fell to the floor, with a thud that made the whole van shake.

"I'm sorry."