Story 23: The Case at The Raven's Inn
Linlithgow, Scotland, July 26th, 1913
In the village of Linlithgow, the human and rodent populace were taking shelter from a wind storm brewing outside their homes. The storm was blowing in from the far off sea, bringing some spits of rain, but a cold chill fills the air.
At the Raven's Inn, both the human and rodent proprietors were busy attending to the crowds that came in. In the rodent quarters below, Logan Flaversham and his two cousins, Kendrick and Stewart were enjoying a pint before returning home. They were expecting their niece, Olivia and her family and friends to arrive in the morning.
Olivia's twin children, John and Leana Basil wanted to spend a week with their Scottish relatives in time for their birthday on the first of August.
"I still remember that morning," Kendrick said and looks at his brother, Stewart, "It's a good thing I didn't strangle you that time."
"Oh will you please drop it, Ken," Stewart insists. The younger Flaversham brother took Olivia's husband, the famous detective Elliott Basil out hunting on the morning of the twins' birth five years ago. Stewart thought that the babies would not arrive as they originally predicted the 30th or 31st of July in 1908. He thought the baby or babies would arrive later, but he was proven wrong and his older brother would tease him about it when the first of August came about.
"I'm pretty sure Hiriam would've done the same," Logan teases and that got Stewart irritated.
"Look, it's all in the past. The one thing we should be looking forward to is spending time with the twins," he tells them and his brother and cousin chuckle a bit. Then, the proprietor's wife, Mrs. MacNee walks over to their table.
"Why hello Flavershams'," she said, she was holding some newspapers under her arm. "How's the Lady Basil and her little rascals?" she asks, referring to their niece, Olivia and her children.
"We're expecting them tomorrow morning. Them wee devils will be five on the first of August," Logan answers and Mrs. MacNee chuckles. She then shows a few newspaper that reported on the latest cases Basil and his family solved.
"I just don't know how a detective could get away with that. Bringing his children and pregnant wife along; why he would have child services knocking on his door," Mrs. MacNee said, but the Flaversham mice laugh it off.
"Everyone knows that Elliott loves his family more than anything. Plus them young ones know how to take care of themselves, they have their father's eccentricity, as well as their mother's fighting spirit," Stewart said and looks at a newspaper headline that says: FAMOUS MOUSE DETECTIVE AND FAMILY UNCOVER FRAUDULENT ANTIQUE OPERATION
Stewart reads over the story that was dated July 9th; the crime involved an antique dealer trying to sell fake pottery pieces claiming they were from various ancient Chinese dynasties. However, a pottery expert went to Basil, saying that the piece he bought from the antique dealer was recently made, therefore it was particular worthless.
Basil and his family were able to uncover the dealer's operation, where he had kidnapped a few Chinese vase makers and kept them prisoner. They were ordered to make pottery pieces and make them look authentic and sell them at a ridiculous high price.
The Chinese rodents were given a visa extension, allowing them to stay in the United Kingdom as they were afraid to return to their homeland. They mentioned that the government of China was becoming increasingly unstable. In fact, there was a second revolution going on in China and thousands of people and rodents did their best to flee from the fighting.
"I smell a change in the wind," Logan said, "Not just in China, but everywhere."
"Aye, there is something bound to happen to all of Europe pretty soon, I can feel it in me old bones," Mrs. MacNee replies and produces another newspaper.
The headline read: FAMOUS MOUSE DETECTIVE AND FAMILY SOLVE MURDER OF BANKER'S SON
The case, dated just two days after the sting operation, featured Mr. Basil and his family being able to solve the murder of a well-respected banker's son. The son was attacked by two criminals, who shot and killed him and rob him of his possessions. The crooks try to blame the other for the murder, but the judge sentenced them to life in prison with no possibility of release.
"If you ask me, that Mr. Basil should not be exposing his little ones to such violence," a male mouse said from the bar said, having heard the conversation. "I have three children of my own and I would be scared out of my mind if either one saw a murder or any crime," the mouse adds.
"Well, them little ones want to be around their father on his cases. If you ask me, I think they will become even greater detectives," Stewart replies, but his brother hushes him.
"If Elliott heard you say that, he will probably be jealous," Kendrick warns, but Stewart laughs it off.
"You obviously don't pay attention to him; he loves them very much, I wouldn't be surprised that he will mentor one of them in the future, perhaps both," Stewart replies.
"Well, from the looks of these cases, I say he is teaching them right now," Logan said and was about to look over another case, when a mouse bumps up against the table, causing the pint glasses to spill over. Beer spreads all over the table, ruining the newspapers.
"OI! Watch where you're going!" Logan shouts and pulls the mouse to his feet, but he notices that he was out of it.
"I say sir, you get of here, you had enough," Mrs. MacNee orders the drunken rodent, but the mouse didn't like the sound of it.
"I pay you good money and I want another," he demands. Mrs. MacNee, however, points to the front door and Logan offers to kick him out. Suddenly, the mouse delivers a powerful punch to Logan's side, causing him to cry out in pain and hit the floor.
"Logan!" his cousins shout, but he gets up just as the mouse was about to stomp on his head. Logan and the mouse go at each other, but the mouse hits him again in the eye and then at his muzzle. Blood began to ooze from Logan's nostrils and he notices that his eyelid had started to swell.
"Get out you!" Mr. MacNee, the proprietor shouts and the other rodents in the tavern help in forcing the violent mouse out. Logan takes a seat at a chair, gripping the side of his ribs.
"Logan, are you all right?" Stewart asks, placing an ice cold cloth over his cousin's eye.
"I'm all right," Logan answers and another mouse offers to wipe off the blood from his nostrils. "Who in the world was that?" he asks.
"No idea, never seen the likes of him before," Mrs. MacNee answers.
"Someone looking for trouble, perhaps," one of the other rodents replies and looks to the crowd, "I'd say we kick him out of our town if we lot see him, again," he suggests and the other rodents agree to this.
Kendrick and Stewart help their cousin, Logan, although he insisted he was all right. However, the two brothers were not sure if he was all right. "I think we should tell Elliott's friend, Dr. Dawson about this," Stewart whispers to his older brother.
"We'll see how he is in the morning," Kendrick replies and they made the trek back home, battling against the wind.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
The next morning was sunny and bright. The villagers of Linlithgow breathed a sigh of relief as the wind storm blew out during the night, but the temperature went below normal. Usually, the summers in Scotland were chilly, but some days were warm, although there were some very rare heat spells, nothing like down in London.
Albert the albatross was prepared to drop off his passengers, the Basil family to their destination at the Flaversham home. Their friends, Dawson, Mrs. Judson and Rachel took an early morning train to Linlithgow, believing they would arrive around the same time as Albert.
"Ah, beautiful Scotland," Albert comments, taking the view of the misty hills surrounding the towns and villages. "You know, the three of you are lucky to be born in a place such as Scotland," he tells Olivia and her twin children.
"Well, I think Daddy is lucky to be born in London," Leana replies and her father chuckles.
"I actually would've preferred to be born in a village like Linlithgow. I always admired the countryside, but I will always love London," Basil said and Albert tells them to strap in as he prepares his decent down to the ground.
He makes a smooth landing close to the house where the Flavershams lived. It once belonged to Olivia's Great Aunt Sophie, but after her passing, her daughter, Hannah and her family decided to keep it.
Over the years, Olivia thought that her Aunt Hannah would take over as the family's matriarch as Aunt Sophie did keep the family together when she was alive. Aunt Hannah did seem to be following in her mother's footsteps as she did pose as a strict family mouse, but was open to new ideas.
"Hey, do you mind if I stick around for a bit? I hope your family has some food," Albert asks and the family nods.
"Would you like to come for our birthday party?" John asks and the albatross likes the sound of it. Then, they see a few of their family members, including some of Olivia's cousins and their young children rushing up to greet them.
"Welcome back!" Edine, Uncle Stewart's daughter exclaims and the twins exchange hugs with their mother's side of the family.
"Goodness me," Aunt Donila, Stewart's wife said upon seeing her niece's extended abdomen. "Did that get bigger than last time?" she asks and Olivia just smiles.
"Well she is moving about, she seems very feisty for some reason," she replies and the other gave awes or chuckles.
"I bet she will have her father's eccentric behavior," Uncle Stewart said and exchanges a hug with Basil, who he returns. "Although a lot of girls in our family are pretty feisty, too. Must be that warrior blood in us."
"Warrior blood?" John asks his great-uncle, who nods with a smile.
"Our ancestors, both male and female, fought in the Wars for Scottish Independence and even small campaigns against the British. It wasn't until James VI, the son of Mary of Scots unified England and Scotland, although much of the Scottish populace, including the Flavershams were not happy about it. Over time, they did accept the unity, although some of the Scottish people still want to be independent from the United Kingdom," Uncle Stewart explains.
"The Flavershams were the rare type of warriors as they allowed both their male and female family members to partake in the wars and campaigns against the British. That warrior blood has been passed down to new generations, but it's more noticeable within the women and even young girls in our family. All the mothers, grandmothers, and even daughters would defend the homestead and keep the enemy at bay. While the male warriors receive more attention than the female fighters, I do hope that they will get the attention they deserve in the near future," Aunt Hannah said and Basil looks at his wife, Olivia.
He did recall her feisty spirit when she was young and it was still noticeable as a grown woman. She was protective of her family, including her twin children and she would be protective of her baby come winter.
Basil then looks at their son, John; perhaps he inherited the Flaversham's warrior blood as he wanted to become a fighter of sorts. The memory of John fighting against the toy representing The Great Rambo was still playing in the detective's mind. The little boy mouse, despite being half the size of the strongman, was able to show his fighting spirit and defeat the toy.
"I do recall something that our ancestors were also practitioners of magic," Uncle Kendrick said and that got the attention of Basil, Olivia and their children. Their good friend, Tsura the witch did tell them that Olivia's ancestors were once engaged in the magical arts, but much like everyone else, they stopped believing in magic.
However, the Flavershams still have that magical lineage in their blood, often passed down to new generations. Olivia herself had performed magic, but it was mostly to protect her loved ones from danger.
"Well no one knows for sure," Uncle Stewart replies, "I mean, there's no surviving record of magic ever existing. Although, I do recall that some folktales are passed down orally, but they do change over time or it's lost all together."
Then, Olivia gasps when she sees Uncle Logan coming up the hill, riding on one of the Shorthaired Pointers, Bruce. He and his wife had gone to the train station to retrieve Dawson, Mrs. Judson and her daughter Rachel.
"Uncle Logan, are you all right?" Olivia asks as he steps off of Bruce and Basil takes a look at him. He had a black eye and some bruising on his muzzle. He was also cradling his side and he would take deep breaths as if he was trying to relieve some pain.
"Some bloke attacked him at the tavern last night," Uncle Kendrick said and tells them of the events that happened. "He just bumped into our table, spilling our drinks. We were looking over some of your recent cases in the papers, but he didn't apologize. In fact, he was quite drunk when he was ordered to leave."
"Was he a regular? Or someone you knew?" Basil asks, he was now curious of this rude rodent.
"No, never seen him before. The other occupants at the tavern also never seen him before," Stewart replies and Logan takes a seat, he did look out of sorts.
"I think Dawson should look you over," Olivia said and the doctor nods, but Logan refuses.
"I'll be all right," he insists, but still holds his side. The twins went off to play with their cousins; one of them brought a few balloons that had not been inflated. John and Leana decide to accept a challenge of whoever could blow the biggest balloon before it popped.
Aunt Hannah and the other women mice brought out tea and scones for the others. Olivia discusses with her relatives of what the twins want for their birthday party, but mentions of Leana's dislike for sweets.
"A Dundee cake might work, although I never met a child who didn't like sweets," Aunt Donila said and Basil chuckles a bit.
"Leana does take after Elliott," Olivia replies and her husband takes her into his embrace.
"You know, I am really curious of your family history," he said, mostly to her, and she chuckles. "You know, the Basil family were once fighters, too," he adds and Olivia then remembers something.
"Oh that suit of armor; this always slips my mind, but did it belong to someone in particular?" she asks.
"Gresham Basil, he fought in the Third Crusade, and if I recall correctly, he defended the French king long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Need to look through my family's archives to be sure," Basil said and that intrigues Olivia's family.
"So you have warrior blood, too," Uncle Stewart replies and Basil nods. "I find it amazing that ancient warrior families come together, even if it were centuries later and on opposite sides, you know what I mean," he adds and the lovers look at one another.
"I think love is all that matters; you two came from different backgrounds, but you didn't see any difference between yourselves at all," Aunt Hannah said and adds, "Mother did change her views before she passed. There is a lot that others can learn from you."
Before anyone could say another word, one of the children's balloons popped, startling them, but suddenly, Uncle Logan lets out a cry of agonized pain. He slumps out of his chair, grabbing his side and lets out labored breaths.
"LOGAN!" Hannah cries out and everyone gathers around him. Basil, however, orders them to set aside and let Dawson examine him.
"Mr. Flaversham? Logan? Can you talk?" the doctor asks, but the mouse lets out incoherent sentences. Dawson touches Logan's upper left abdomen, it was tender and the doctor rolls up Logan's shirt, revealing a dark spot under his fur.
"Stewart, Kendrick, you said Logan was punched at this spot?" Dawson asks the brothers, who nod. "We need to get him to a hospital, his spleen must've ruptured and he will need surgery to repair the damage," he informs the family.
"St. Michael's is a few miles from here," Kendrick replies, but Dawson calls for Albert.
"I believe flying will be better than riding on those dogs, we don't want to cause any more injuries than there is," the doctor said and the albatross volunteers to take Logan and Dawson to the hospital.
"I know where it is," Albert replies and the mice carry Logan up to the sardine can. Olivia was trying to calm herself, but flashes of light appear in her vision and her heart was pounding really fast.
"Mummy?" she hears her daughter, but her voice sounded distorted. She was feeling rather dizzy and when she tries to stand, she falls to the ground and passes out.
"OLIVIA!" Basil cries out and tries to wake her. He scopes her body into his arms and rushes toward Albert, "Wait! Something's wrong with Olivia!" he insists and the albatross lets them climb in.
"Kendrick! Stewart! Look after the twins!" Basil calls down to the brothers, who were comforting John and Leana. Albert then takes flight, heading towards St. Michael's Hospital, which was a little aways from the Linlithgow Loch.
Albert lands softly on the ground outside the rodent quarters of the hospital. A few medical staff notice the albatross and Albert shouts, "Listen! We have a serious situation here!"
A doctor and some assistants come to the aid of Logan Flaversham, where Dawson explains his diagnosis. "Oh, this is not good. I'm afraid the only surgeons we have are away on an urgent case," the doctor said, but looks at Dawson, "You perform surgery? Don't you?" he asks.
"It's been a long time, but I treated a few ruptured organs during my time in the Regiment," Dawson replies and agrees to perform the surgery on Logan.
"Please! My wife!" Basil shouts and a few assistants take a quick examination.
"Rapid heartbeat, signs of paleness," a female mouse said and shows Basil inside the hospital, where they take Olivia to a bed. They settle her down and a female doctor comes in to examine her. She then asks an assistant to bring in IV fluids and an IV line.
The doctor then inserts a needle into Olivia's arm and connects the IV line. She covers the needle with gauze and the fluids began to do their work. The doctor was called to another patient, so Basil volunteers to hold the bottle of fluids up high. "She will be all right, just needs a replacement of fluids. I will be coming back around to ask the two of you some questions. Please keep that bottle up high," the female doctor said and Basil nods.
"Olivia?" he asks, but she doesn't respond, although he can hear her soft breathing. Basil listens to the sounds of the hospital; he hated hospitals and the last one he was in was the Royal Hospital where his brother Oscar worked. It was after Henry was killed and Basil was injured in the explosion, a set up created by Ratigan.
Ever since the horrific event that occurred 18 years ago, Basil avoided hospitals, mostly because it brought back memories of seeing the bodies of Henry and his family in the mortuary.
"Olivia?" Basil asks, again, but she still doesn't respond. He was wondering what was going on inside of her, but he was afraid that it would bring harm to their baby.
Olivia finds herself in a hospital, although it was nothing like the hospitals in London or anywhere in Europe. She hears a female voice and Olivia's vision was becoming more clear.
She looks up to see rodent doctors, they were speaking in American accents. "Doctor, what is your prognosis?" one of the male rodents asks and Olivia looks up. Her eyes grew wide when she sees a female mouse with the same physical features as her.
"She will pull through, but I want her to stay the night," the female doctor replies in a British accent.
The two female mice lock eyes, but it was only for a brief moment as the world around Olivia began to distort and fade away.
Olivia lets out a gasp, startling Basil, "Olivia?!" he asks and she looks up, he was holding the IV bottle and she sees the IV line in her arm.
"What happened?" she asks and adjusts the pillow behind her head.
"You passed out after Uncle Logan collapsed. We're at St. Michael's Hospital," Basil gives a brief explanation, he didn't want her to be more stressed than she was.
"Uncle Logan," Olivia said and remembers that Dawson spoke of Logan having a ruptured spleen. "What are they doing to him now?" she asks and Basil assures her that he was in good hands.
"Dawson is performing surgery on him," he answers and Olivia wants to hear more, "I don't want to upset you, you've been through enough," he adds and then the same female doctor comes in.
"You're awake," she said and has an assistant take the bottle out of Basil's hand and hold it for a while longer. The female mouse introduces herself as Dr. Mabel Schäfer and speaks of Olivia's condition, "With you being pregnant, it is normal for an elevated heart rate, but what you experienced is syncope. You also had a low level of fluids, although you should be all right now.
"However I want to ask some questions about your activities, including sexual activities," she said and the detective lets his wife rest her head on his shoulder. "When did you last have sexual intercourse?" Dr. Schäfer asks after writing down their names on a piece of paper.
"A few weeks ago, on the night of the fourth, but we still do some foreplay," Olivia replies and Basil nods.
"Do you Mrs. Basil partake in stressful situations? Given your husband's profession, I would like to know if you have been alongside him on some of his cases?" Dr. Schäfer asks and Olivia nods.
"You have two children, correct?" Dr. Schäfer asks and they both nod. "How was the pregnancy then? I understand you have twins," she asks, again.
"Very hard during the few months, mostly because of the first experience of morning sickness and the other symptoms of child bearing. However, the symptoms did start to calm down by the third trimester," Olivia explains and the doctor nods.
She then does a quick examination of Olivia's abdomen and listens to the baby's heartbeat. "Sounds good, don't hear abnormalities," she said and writes down more notes. "Mrs. Basil, I strongly encourage you to not partake in any of your husband's cases until after your baby is born. Like a doctor, being a detective can be stressful, so I suggest you stay home and rest. Also, I do recommend not doing any long distance traveling or do any frequent traveling," Dr. Schäfer explains and looks at Basil.
"I know you two are pretty close, from all the newspapers I've read, but it's best to think about the welfare of your child. Some mothers have strong bodies, but anxiety can do a lot of harm to the growing fetus," she finishes and the two nod. Dr. Schäfer then has the assistant remove the IV line from Olivia's arm and was about to give her a discharge note.
"Mr. Basil? Is Dr. Dawson still with you?" she asks, curiously.
"Why yes he, in fact he is performing surgery on my wife's uncle, he suffered a ruptured spleen," Basil answers and he asks, "Do you know him?"
"Know him?" she chuckles, "Why my father use to serve in Her Majesty's 66th Regiment and Dawson did save his life. At that time, I was expected to attend to house and be a lady of society, but I wanted to pursue a career that would save lives.
"So I went to a women's medical school in America and I decided to settle here as the rodents here in Scotland are more open to female medical practitioners than in London," Dr. Schäfer explains and looks at Olivia, "Your uncle has a ruptured spleen?" she asks.
"Uncle Logan and my father's brothers, my direct uncles Kendrick and Stewart were at a tavern last night, but then some drunkard got into a fight with Uncle Logan," Olivia explains and then asks, "Do you treat rodents with intoxication?"
"We do get some rodents that stumble in here, but we call the police to take them to solitary in order for them to sleep off the alcohol," Dr. Schäfer said, but then remembers something, "Actually there was this one fellow that came in here last night, complaining of some pain in his knuckles. He was struggling to stand on his own feet, so we were prepared to summon the police, but he left."
"What else did he say? Like where he came from before coming here?" Basil asks the good doctor.
"Unfortunately he didn't say where he came from, but from the looks of his clothes, he was probably a former soldier. In fact, his uniform was that of a 3rd Battalion officer of the Royal Fusiliers," Dr. Schäfer explains and Basil was surprised.
"He wore a full uniform?" he asks and Dr. Schäfer nods.
"It wasn't well taken care of, but I still find it bizarre for some soldier to wear a full uniform when not engaged in combat," she replies and gets called for a new patient. She gives them the discharge slip and urges Olivia to go home and rest.
"Olivia, I agree with Dr. Schäfer," Basil said, helping his wife out of the hospital bed. Before she could say anything, Basil stops her, "It's my fault for asking you to accompany me on the cases we've had recently. I didn't think of the baby and of the stress you would experience on those cases," he said and Olivia hugs him.
"It's also my fault," she said, "I wanted to be with you and the twins, but I overlooked my well-being." She then gasps as she remembered something, "Elliott, while I was out, I think I had a vision," she adds.
"A vision?" Basil asks.
"There was a female mouse who looked like me, but she was a doctor and her colleagues were American from the sounds of their accents, but hers was British like yours," Olivia explains, but Basil stops her from thinking any further.
"Listen, I want you to rest, don't think hard on this vision, although I am curious myself," he said and then, he spots Aunt Hannah with the twins and Uncle Kendrick and Uncle Stewart followed behind.
"Mummy, are you all right?" Leana asks her mother.
"I am, just had a dizzy spell," Olivia answers, while hugging her children.
"Hannah, could you please take Olivia back home and see that she rests up in bed?" Basil asks and Aunt Hannah nods. He then turns to Kendrick and Stewart, "I would like for the two of you to accompany me on locating the brute who attacked your cousin. I want to see that fiend get punished for hurting Logan, like the three of you do I believe," he said and the two Flaversham brothers nod, and Aunt Hannah also nods.
"I want him to pay dearly, for the pain he caused on my brother," she said, tears threatening to fall.
"What about us? We want to come, too," John insists, but Basil shakes his head; he wanted his children to be by their mother's side.
"You can help me by taking care of your mother," he tells them and they hug their father. "I know, but I have a feeling that this fiend will not come quietly," Basil adds and kisses their foreheads.
Then, they see Dawson down a corridor, wearing surgical scrubs, but someone helps him out of them. He spots his friend and the Flaversham family, and joins them. "I have good news; the damage wasn't too severe, so he'll pull through, but I did request the hospital to keep Logan overnight," he tells and the Flavershams' breathe a sigh of relief.
"Any bad news?" Kendrick asks, but Dawson shakes his head.
"I do insist he get plenty of rest for the next few weeks and not partake in any harmful activities, although he can walk around a bit. I do strongly recommend he not drink any alcoholic beverages, mostly to avoid dehydration," Dawson suggests, but the two brothers chuckle.
"Oh he is not going to be happy," Stewart said. Dawson then turns to Olivia, he was concerned of her well-being, but after giving him an explanation of her condition, he agreed with Dr. Schäfer's recommendations. Basil then asks him if he knew of her father.
"Schäfer..." he said and does recall a soldier by that name, "There were a lot of soldiers I treated, but Schäfer was a lively fellow. Said that his daughter was looking into becoming a doctor herself. I wonder if I'll get to see her here," he adds.
Basil turns his attention to Olivia's uncles, Kendrick and Stewart. "If you two could please take me to the tavern where the fight occurred. I would like to ask the proprietor some questions," the detective insists and they leave the hospital.
Albert takes Olivia, Aunt Hannah, Dawson, and the twins back to the Flaversham house, while Basil, Kendrick and Stewart board on Bruce, the Shorthaired Pointer. "I remember you," Basil said to the dog, "You brought me back to the house on the morning my children were born."
"Oh dear," Kendrick said in a teasing voice, "You're going to make Stewart go through the guilt trip, again."
"No he won't!" Stewart shouts, then looks at his niece's husband, "Look, I wasn't prepared as much as you were. I thought they were coming later and-" Basil stops him from talking any more.
"You know, I don't hold a grudge against you. I would never hold a grudge against Olivia's family as I saw all of your take care of one another following the passing of your brother and aunt. In fact, I'm glad Olivia was born into a family such as yours, she is extremely lucky to have you two as her uncles," Basil said and the two brothers chuckle a bit.
"Well, she is extremely lucky to have you as a husband. I would annihilate any other pursuer who would hurt her, like that Robert Kinkle. I wish I did strangle him on the night of your wedding," Stewart said and they proceed to the tavern where the Flaversham brothers occupied with their cousin last night.
They locate the Raven's Inn, a quint little tavern where they catered to the locals. Mr. and Mrs. MacNee welcomed the Flaversham brothers and Mr. Basil. The three of them ask for whiskey and Basil asks about the crook who attacked Logan.
"He was a total stranger, never seen the likes of him before," Mrs. MacNee replies.
"Was he was wearing a uniform?" Basil asks, again.
"Why yes, he was," Mrs. MacNee replies and adds, "It wasn't well taken care of I should mention." Basil nods and looks at a painted picture of the raven in the bar area.
"A rather interesting bird I should say," the detective said and the two brothers look at him. "While it mostly associates itself as a symbol of death, but I do recall that it is a symbol of renewal or rebirth and even magic," he finishes, but thinks on the last word.
"Magic?" Kendrick asks, "Oh, I understand that you read a lot. Leana also reads a lot. The two of you are quite the bookworms," he laughs and so does the detective.
"Mrs. MacNee, is there a home or a place for former soldiers that hang around?" Basil asks and the proprietor's wife begins to think.
"Actually," a voice said from behind the three male mice, "There is that abandoned barn near the loch that most rodents would find refuge in," the male mouse said, taking a swig of his alcoholic beverage. "I did happen to notice some soldiers hanging around there a few times while hunting," he adds.
"Wait, that was the barn that you found that violin, right Elliott?" Stewart asks and Basil begins to think.
"The location sounds precise," he replies and he finishes his drink. "I say we check that place out," he adds, but then notices the look of uncertainty in Kendrick and Stewart's eyes.
"I don't think you should wear those," Kendrick said, pointing to Basil's cap and cape. "Some homeless folk here will tear you apart if they saw you," he adds.
"Aye, it's true, some of the rodents residing at that barn are rough around the edges," Mr. MacNee warns and then goes into the back room of the tavern. He returns with rugged looking clothes, "It's probably the best thing I can find."
"Thank you sir," Basil said and changes in the back room. The old clothes he was now wearing smelled of sweat, but it was for the best. He then finds an old hat that would match the clothes her wore.
He returns to the front of the tavern, where Kendrick and Stewart had also changed into rugged clothes. They were about to pay for their drinks, but the MacNees refused the payment, offering the drinks on the house. "We hope you catch that fiend," Mr. MacNee said, "We don't welcome aggressors in our village."
The three male mice then climb back on Bruce and were about to leave, when they became aware of a cawing sound. They look up to see a lone raven perched on the roof of the tavern. It then flies above them in a circle, cawing at the mice.
Bruce barks at the large black bird, but Basil was fascinated by this creature for some odd reason. It then perches on a branch of a tree, letting out a loud caw. "I don't know why, but I think that raven wants us to follow," Basil said and the two brothers look at him.
"Elliott, are you sure? Ravens like to eat small mammals like us," Stewart replies, but the raven takes flight, again.
"I'd say we follow it, too," Kendrick said and they command Bruce to follow the raven. The large black bird flies out of the village square and down a dirt road, with the dog and mice following close behind.
Basil keeps his eyes locked on the raven; it was taking them towards the loch, which also lead to the abandoned barn. However, once the raven reaches the south shore of the loch, it perches on a tree branch and lets out a loud caw.
"I wish I could understand you," Basil whispers, but then his nostrils pick up a scent in the air. It was of a camp fire or something similar, but it was mixed with another scent.
"You smell that?" Stewart asks the detective, who nods. "Smells like someone's burning paper," he adds.
"Or clothes," Basil replies and they command the dog to follow the scent. The raven stays perched on the tree branch, but Basil takes one last look at the bird before turning his attention forward.
They notice a plume of smoke some distance away and they see the glow of a fire, only it wasn't burning on wood. The fire had consumed a pile of clothes, hence the smell of burning paper. The flames gave off a glowing yellow light and the mice see specks of ashes floating in the air.
The dog stops a few feet away from the fire and the three mice see a few small figures, rodents to be precise. They were wearing cotton shirts with pants, but they stare at the fire with saddened gazes.
"Excuse us?" Basil asks and the rodents turn to face them. "What are-" the detective stops as he notices that the clothes they were burning were army uniforms.
"And who might you be?" one of the rodents, a tall male mouse with dark fur asks.
Basil removes the old hat and replies, "I'm Basil of Baker Street, and these gentlemice here are Kendrick and Stewart Flaversham." The two brothers remove the hats on their heads and the other rodents look at them.
Then, Kendrick and Stewart lock eyes with a mouse with white fur, "That's him!" Kendrick shouts, "He's the one who attacked Logan last night!" He charges at the mouse, grabbing at his throat and hoists him off the ground.
"You almost killed our cousin!" Kendrick shouts in the mouse's face, but then, Basil and Stewart restrain him. Kendrick drops the white fur mouse, who looks at them in confusion.
"Mr. Aaron," one of the other rodents in the group speaks, "Is this true? You almost killed a civilian?" The mouse, named Luke Aaron looks at his group of friends and back at the detective and the brothers.
He then takes out an ornamental ring with a bird, but the wings were dent. "I can't remember much from last night, but when I saw my ring like this this morning, I do recall hitting something over and over," Mr. Aaron said.
"My God man," one of the other rodents said, "You know the rules of being a soldier, never inflict harm on innocent civilians!" Mr. Aaron slumps to the ground and begins to cough.
Basil comes to the mouse's side, but sees the handkerchief in Mr. Aaron's hand, it was covered with specks of blood. Then, it hit Basil, "You're suffering from cancer?" he asks, but Mr. Aaron shakes his head.
"He suffered from trauma to his chest, it's been like that for some time," one of the rodents answers, "We use to be part of the Royal Fusiliers, but we've seen things that many of you common folks should not."
"You committed desertion?" Stewart asks and a few of the rodents nod.
"We've lost good friends and even brothers in battles that we still see in our minds," one of them replies, pulling out a photograph of him and a mouse standing next to him.
"We did learn something about fighting. You experience one of two emotions, the first is feeling the thrill and determination of protecting your country, but the second would be of dread and guilt. The lot of us here have felt the second. While we have met folks who feel proud of protecting their homeland, we honestly believe that fighting causes more harm than good," another said and the two Flaversham brothers look at one another.
Basil did feel sorry for these soldiers; while his good friend Dawson served his country well by participating in Her Majesty's 66th Regiment, Basil didn't want to go and fight in a battle or even a war. At least, not in another country because the detective went through a battle himself with Ratigan and his family.
He did want to protect those who he cared about, but leaving his family behind would bring him turmoil as he would be missing them everyday. He did prefer to stay close to them.
Mr. Aaron stands to his feet and pulls out a piece of paper. He begins to write something down and once he was finished, he gives it to the brothers along with his ring. "I didn't mean to cause your family harm. I have tried to drown out the memories by drinking, but that did more harm than good," Mr. Aaron said, "Please, accept my sincerest of apologies. You won't be seeing the likes of me anymore as I believe I'm not long for this world soon."
Stewart lets out a sigh, he was deeply thinking of Mr. Aaron's words and his older brother was also thinking. "You promise not to hurt anyone else?" Kendrick asks and Mr. Aaron nods. "Because if we hear some absent soldier killing a civilian, we will hunt you down. And I do believe the British government and even the Royal Fusiliers will be more than happy to teach soldiers who deserted their post a very painful lesson," he warns and the rodents nodded in agreement.
"And I do suggest you leave the United Kingdom," Basil said, "I believe that it is not safe to reside here. I'm sure someone is bound to recognize any of you."
"Yes Mr. Basil," Mr. Aaron replies, "We will leave the United Kingdom, although Scotland is rather lovely."
Kendrick and Stewart offer their condolences to the former soldiers, including Mr. Aaron. "Good luck to you gentle rodents," Stewart said and the three mice leave. Basil sheds the rugged clothes, revealing his normal attire underneath and puts his cap on.
"You know, I suppose a lot of folks take pride in one's country," he said as he did feel proud of his homeland, "But I didn't see the horrific side of fighting."
"Neither have we," Kendrick replies and then, they hear the cawing of the raven, again. They look up to see the magnificent bird fly above them before disappearing from view.
"If Uncle Jacob were still alive, he would more likely to turn those deserters in himself. He had a thing against those kinds of soldiers, but he took a lot of pride in being Scottish and he never liked anyone from England, like you for instance. I swear, Uncle Jacob has grudge against England," Stewart explains.
Basil begins to think for a minute, "Uncle Jacob? Would that be Aunt Sophie's husband?" he asks and they nod.
"In fact, he didn't want Aunt Sophie to buy that house in Scarborough as he refused to set foot in England. After he died, she went ahead and bought the house, but she really didn't use it very much, except for family get togethers or summer holidays. I'm pretty sure Uncle Jacob was rolling in his grave when Aunt Sophie bought the house anyway," Kendrick said and Basil wonders if he, Olivia, and the twins would be able to meet Aunt Sophie in the Heaven realm.
It had been five years since Aunt Sophie lost her battle to cancer and she didn't get the chance to meet the twins when they were born. When Basil first met Aunt Sophie, he thought of her as an emotionless old woman mouse who viewed her nephew Hiriam and his dreams as foolish, but the truth was that she felt heartbreak following Hiriam's death.
Basil did recall Stewart and Kendrick saying that the Flavershams were bitter towards their brother for departing for London following his wife's death, taking the infant Olivia with him. Hiriam wanted to pursue his dream as a toy maker, but wanted to get away from the place where his wife died. Basil thought Hiriam would be haunted by the memory and wanted to settle in a different place. In fact, Hiriam did tell him during their very first visit in the dream realm that the memory replayed in his mind when he was alive.
"Elliott, are you all right? You're quiet," Stewart said and Basil looks up to the see the house with the red roof.
"Just thinking, mostly of Hiriam and Aunt Sophie," the detective replies. "Both of them were good folks, even though I thought Aunt Sophie as an uncaring at first, but she was a strong-hearted woman mouse looking after her family."
"She did pose an icy demeanor, but she was particularly close to Hiriam, even though he did have a rebellious attitude. Did you know he would commit mutiny when we were younger?" Stewart asks with a bit of a laugh.
"Mutiny huh?" Basil replies, even though Hiriam did tell him of his rebellious behavior during one of the family's visits to the Heaven realm.
"Oh yes, he was told to stay away from a barn where they kept big horses, but he would run off whenever he got the chance," Kendrick said and Basil listens to the brothers' many tales of 'Hiriam The Disobedient'.
Once they reach the house, the twins rush to meet their father and great-uncles. To their surprise, Logan was also home as there wasn't any risk of him getting an infection, but he had to remain in bed for a while.
"We got to see Dawson's finished masterpiece," John said excitedly and Logan just laughs. He rolls up his shirt to reveal a bald patch where the medical staff had to shave off some fur to perform the surgery. There was a bit of a red blotch under the mouse's skin and Basil takes note of Dawson's stitching on Logan.
"You were brave Logan," Basil said, but the mouse shakes his head.
"Not as brave as you going after my attacker; I should've taken him to jail last night," Logan replies and asks if the detective found the assailant. Basil hands him the letter and the ring from Mr. Aaron.
Logan reads it over and hands it to his brothers. The other family members were curious about the letter, so Stewart reads it aloud.
Mr. Flaversham,
I know this might not bring any form of comfort for the pain I caused last night at The Raven's Inn. I also know that my behavior towards you was barbaric and there is no excuse for it.
A few friends and I have been running from the duties we were assigned to. We were assigned to protect our country from rebellious folks or keep those living under the sovereign government in line. However, I did learn that your fair land of Scotland also fought hard against England many centuries ago.
These are changing times, but both good and terrible things are coming, although we believe everyone is entitled to live a life of free-will and not follows orders.
You keep up the good fight and please, if you still hold a grudge against me, I will understand, but I ask for your forgiveness.
Take care of yourself.
Sincerely,
Mr. Luke Aaron
Basil looks at Logan and he eyes the ring in his hand, the wings of the bird were dent. "It seems that you three met a few rebels," Logan said to his cousins and in-law. "I'm pretty sure they would've stand beside us if Scotland decides to start up another rebellion, but it would be against true tyrants," he adds.
"I do agree, like Mr. Aaron said, everyone is entitled to free will," Basil replies and the Flaversham family whisper in agreement. Aunt Hannah takes a look at the ring and admires it.
"I always like birds, whenever they fly, I always thought of them flying away from all the problems of the world. Wish we had that ability," she said and the others also agreed on this.
The Flaversham family prepare a fine meal for the evening, but Logan was told to eat some toast and broiled chicken as his time of recovery would last a few weeks.
When the first stars of night began to appear in the sky, the Flavershams, the Basils, and their friends took a moment to gaze up at the sky, looking at the bright moon and twinkling stars.
The twins settle in bed, while their parents took a moment to discuss of what Olivia saw in her vision. "A female mouse with physical features identical to yours," Basil said to his wife and continues, "You did mention there were some rodents speaking in American accents."
"Yes, but hers was British," Olivia replies and Basil begins to think hard.
"You don't suppose you saw a vision of the future of one of our children, maybe this one?" he asks, referring to their unborn child.
"I'm not sure," Olivia answers, placing a hand on her abdomen. "She was moving about earlier and-" she stops and feels the baby's movement, again. Basil places a hand on Olivia's abdomen, he also feels the baby move.
"I wonder if you saw her as a doctor," Basil said to Olivia, but she didn't like the sound of it. "You don't want her to be a doctor?" he asks.
"I don't know, I always find hospitals to be full of misery, and this might sound odd, but they feel like prisons to me. In fact, I was happy in having the twins here in this house and not at St. Michael's," Olivia explains and Basil nods.
"I don't like hospitals either, but who knows? Our baby might change all that in the future," he replies and they shut their eyes, awaiting the sweet embrace of sleep. Basil positioned himself by placing Olivia's back against his stomach and chest, and then placing his around her front. Her abdomen did a bit bigger and it won't long that it would be big and round like an inflated balloon.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Basil and Olivia stepped up to the front stoop of the Flaversham house in the Heaven realm. Hiriam and Leana Flaversham were eagerly waiting for them with the twins. Olivia hugs her parents and her mother gives her daughter's stomach a gentle rub.
"We saw what happened earlier, are you feeling all right?" Leana asks her daughter.
"I am, but I thought I saw a vision while I was out," Olivia replies and her parents look at her in surprise. She explains of what she saw and heard in the vision. Then Tsura appears from behind, having heard the conversation.
"You saw a vision?" she asks and Olivia nods. "And you saw a female mouse with physical features similar to yours?"
"That's what she told me, what are you getting at?" Basil asks the witch, he was now immensely curious.
"I did mention some time ago that this kind of magic is difficult to maintain and sometimes the viewer can see either good or devastating results of one's future, not including their own," Tsura replies and looks at Olivia, "What else can you remember in the vision?"
"The female doctor was with some male doctors, but they spoke with American accents," Olivia answers and does her best to remember anything, "I'm afraid that's all I can remember."
"I insist you don't concentrate on this vision any further, some results might bring trauma to the viewer and I really don't want you to be upset, especially in your delicate state," Tsura insists and Olivia nods, although she and her husband were still puzzled.
"Now why don't we have a bit of fun?" the witch suggests and looks at the twins, "I bet you two want to go for a ride on Argus." Both John and his sister Leana were elated and their grandparents lead them to the barn.
Hiriam gives Basil a bucket of carrots for Argus to feed on later. Basil takes a sniff of the carrots, they smelled freshly picked from the ground.
Then, they stop in their tracks as they notice a figure standing by Argus and petting his neck. It was a female mouse with long red hair and light brown fur. She wore a rather elegant cotton dress and her hair flows freely in the breeze.
The mice walk towards the stranger and Hiriam lets out an audible gasp. The female mouse hears it and turns to face the family, but locks eyes with the detective. To Basil's shock and surprise, the female mouse was none other than Aunt Sophie, only she was far younger than he remembered her in her old age.
"Why hello Elliot," Sophie speaks in a soft tone. Basil's grip on the bucket of carrots loosens and it clatters to the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED...
From the author: Yes, I left this on a cliffhanger, just to get some reaction on our mysterious guest reviewer, but perhaps many are left shocked and surprised. I do have a story in mind following this cliffhanger, so pretty sure many will be begging for it soon!
Other than that, I bet you're asking yourself what Olivia's vision means, but I'm afraid you'll have to find out later and I do mean much later. Plus, I didn't mean to skip over some cases that were mentioned earlier, but with the summer season drawing to a close, I thought I create a chapter featuring our favorite twins going off to school. I might create a story on those cases some time in the future. See you soon!