Chapter 2

Flaversham's Toy Shop

The three mice arrive at the toy shop, it was dark and the door was locked. "How do we get in?" Dawson asks, but Olivia pulls out a set of keys. She unlocks the door and they go in.

Olivia was overcome with a sense of dread as she smelled her father's blood in the air. "Miss Flaversham, you don't have to be in here," Basil said to the young woman mouse.

"No, I'm fine," Olivia replies, but Basil notices that she sounded weak.

"Are you sure? When was the last time you ate anything?" he asks. Olivia shakes her head, she wasn't sure. "Sit down a minute," he said and has Dawson check her.

"Oh my word, Olivia you're clammy. You might have low blood sugar," he said and opens the sack of cheese crumpets. Olivia wasn't sure about eating, she was in grief and her body didn't tell her brain that she was hungry.

"Loss of appetite is common for someone who lost a loved one," Basil said, but he gives her a crumpet. "If you want to help out, you need your strength," he insists and Olivia begins to eat.

She ate two of the crumpets, they were delicious. She held back her tears as best she could, but Basil places a comforting hand on her back. That was unusual, Olivia didn't remember Basil providing some form of comfort when they first met.

When she got herself together, she points to the telephone that her father used, it was stained in his blood. "Miss Flaversham, you said the killer used a gun," Basil said and Olivia nods. "I wonder if there is a bullet somewhere," he said, but Dawson points to the blood trail.

"Would the killer step in the blood?" the doctor asks, "Maybe by mistake?"

Basil takes out his signature magnifying glass and checks the foot prints. He checks his memories on Mr. Flaversham's foot size, they were roughly big, pretty common for male mice.

"Basil!" Olivia calls out and he shots up to attention.

"What is it?!" he replies and Olivia points to a bullet hole in the cabinet. She stares at the cabinet, this was the cabinet that her father hid her in when Fidget came to kidnap him. Basil opens the door, sure enough, a bullet had been lodged in the back.

He uses a pair of tweezers to remove the bullet and places it in a rag. "Where would we find a bullet that matches?" Dawson asks.

"Just need to match it to a gun," Basil replies.

"Oh like the time you tried to match those bullets and you had to shoot into Mrs. Hudson's pillows?" Olivia asks and Basil chuckles.

"You still remember that. Yes indeed, but...not very successful that time," he said.

"I am a bit curious, what were you doing before you arrived?" Olivia asks, again.

"Oh that, I was in London's Chinatown and that's where I confiscated the gun from an illegal dealer whom I thought was associated with Raitgan," Basil answers.

"Oh, so that explains the disguise," Olivia replies and Basil nods. It felt good to relive those memories, especially in this time of need.

"Um, Olivia, might I ask where you were when the...murder happened?" Dawson asks.

"I was at Westfield College," Olivia answers and the two male mice look at her with amazement. "I am hoping in being an ambassador for the king in some other country. I always wanted to see other countries in Europe," she adds.

"My word," Basil whispers, Olivia has changed a lot, not in just looks, but also intelligence. He clears his throat and says, "Oh I could tell you stories of my time in Germany and France. Had baffling cases in those days."

"That would be wonderful to hear," Olivia replies with a smile. Basil notices that her cheerful personality was coming back, thanks to those crumpets at least.

Then, they hear a noise, music playing, almost like a music box. Olivia's ears perk up, she recognized the music. She goes into the next room with the two men behind her.

On the coffee table was a mechanical ballerina. It was dancing and Olivia's eyes filled with tears. She was reliving the night of her birthday ten years ago. Basil gives her his handkerchief and looks at the ballerina and something clicked in his head.

"Someone's here besides us," he said. "I'll go look, Dawson stay here with her," he orders. He goes upstairs to the bedrooms. He checks into a room that must've been Olivia's. Little dolls lined on a shelf and the bed was made, but Basil was stumped about it. It looked roughly made, as if someone slept in it and left in a hurry. If Olivia was living at the college and the semester just started, certainly the bed would not have been slept in for two weeks.

He goes down on his knees and checks under, nothing was there, but he notices that the dust had been disturbed. What if the killer stayed here after Scotland Yard left? Then he notices the window, it too had been disturbed. It was left open just a creak.

"BASIL!" Dawson shouts from downstairs and the detective hurries back down. He notices that Olivia was gone.

"Where's Olivia?!" he shouts at his partner.

"I heard a noise and I told-" "I told you to stay with her!" Basil snaps at him. He never felt so angry at his partner.

Then, they hear a scream, it was Olivia. She was outside and they hurry to save her.

Olivia had left the living room to get some fresh air, but then, hands had enclosed her and was pulled to the ground. She looks up to see two figures, rough looking male mice with scars and tattoos.

"Let me go!" she demands, but one of the mice held her down with his feet, while the other held her arms.

"Say you're that Flaversham gal," one of them said and the two criminals laugh.

"What do you think the boss will do?" his partner asks.

"Spare the rod, spoil the child," the first one said and then reaches into Olivia's dress. He tares away her undergarments, while the other goon tares open her coat, and then it hit Olivia, they were going to rape her.

"STOP! NO! SOMEONE HELP!" Olivia screams with all her might.

Basil heard Olivia's screams and he was reliving that memory of being inside Big Ben, having crashed into it with Ratigan's flying machine. Olivia had called to him of Ratigan's presence and the rat kicked her down. She had landed on a gear and was about to be crushed when Basil saved her.

This time, Basil had to save her again. He needed to save her again. He would never forgive himself if something terrible happened to her.

The goon that was on top of Olivia began to grope her breast and she struggles to free herself. "Oh stop moving you wrench!" the criminal said and hits her across the face.

Then, there was a shout, "OI! Who's down there?!"

"HELP ME! PLEASE!" Olivia cries out.

"SHUT UP!" the criminal on top of her shouts, but his partner forces him to his feet and they released Olivia. The crooks began to run down the alley, when suddenly Basil and Dawson crash into them. It knocked the wind out of them, but it only took Basil a second to regain his senses. He looks at Olivia, her coat had been torn open, and he realized that the crooks were attempting to rape her or they possibly done it already.

"Don't you dare move!" Basil shouts and grabs hold of one of the goons. Dawson sat on the other, who was a bit more stronger, but the doctor's weight was enough to hold him down.

Then, torch lights appeared and then a swarm of police came. "Hey! That's Basil of Baker Street! Give him a hand will ya?!" one of them calls out. The police wrestled the two goons and handcuff them.

Basil rushes to Olivia's aid, he notices that her undergarments had been torn off and a bruise was forming on her cheek, and more rage fills him. "Dawson, attend to her!" he said and he walks back to the police and the goons.

"You two! Who are you working for?!" he shouts in their faces. They didn't answer, but Basil continues to curse at them.

"It's no use Mr. Basil, we'll hold them for you, but we can only charge them for attempted rape. You need hard evidence to hold against Mr. Flaversham's murder," one of the police mice said. Basil knew the drill and he needed evidence to keep them in prison.

"Hold on," he said and checks for any guns. He found one and checks for bullets in the chamber. Two had been fired. "Did you kill Flaversham?! Are you the goons who use to work for Professor Ratigan?!" he shouts, again. They still didn't answer.

Basil looks at the police mice, signaling them to take the criminals to jail. "One more thing," he said, his voice filled with unimaginable anger. "If you ever touch Olivia like that again, I'll kill you!"

The police lead the criminals away and Basil returns to Olivia and Dawson. The doctor applied a cold cloth to her swollen cheek and Basil could see fear in her eyes. "Let's go back to Baker Street," he said and helps Olivia to her feet. He notices that she was shaking, maybe from shock or from the cold cloth. He takes off his coat and places it around Olivia.

They then made the trek back home.

From the author: Poor Olivia! But at least Basil has good reason to protect her! Stay tuned!