Chapter 3

"Sorry it took me so long to get over here," Minnie tried as she stepped into the Rabbit's living room.

Oswald looked up from the book he had been trying to read to see the mouse come over and sit down next to Mickey on the last seat of the sofa.

"When I first opened my curtains this morning I noticed a strange walking the street," Minnie continued. "Has anyone moved into this part of the neighborhood?"

"Not that I know of," Mickey said, looking up from his phone.

"What did they look like?" Ortensia asked, keeping her eyes to the patch she was sewing into a small pair of pants.

"Tall mouse, the height of Mortimer," Minnie described. "Really he looked familiar but I can't seem to place him."

"Did you drive over?" Mickey asked, worry in his eyes.

"Yes, just in case," Minnie said with a nod. She gave Mickey a look before asking, "How are you feeling?"

"I had a dreamless restful night," Mickey said. "From what I hear, you didn't."

"But you always remembered your past attacks," Minnie realized aloud.

"That's what's still confusing me," Mickey said, holding the phone towards her to show he was searching for ideas.

"Have you had a chance to talk to Booker?" Minnie asked.

"Not yet, but I plan to."

"Who?" Ortensia asked.

"The councilor who helped me through it all the first time," Mickey explained.

"Yahoohoooi!" a voice called out from beyond the window behind the sofa.

Oswald jumped to his feet with the three following suit right behind him and ran to the front door. Ripping back the door he froze at the empty yard before him. "I could've sworn that was Goofy," Oswald mumbled, stepping forward to let the three see more. His foot hit a large glass ball, getting him to reach down and pick it up in both hands. Looking into the glass, his brows furled as he realized words were inside the ball. He flipped them around so that they were readable, confusing him more.

"What's that?" Ortensia asked, stepping over as the mice looked down the street. The two turned at Ortensia's question, walking back through the yard to see.

Oswald looked up at Minnie and asked, "This wasn't here when you got here, was it?"

"I feel like I would've noticed a crystal ball," Minnie said, shaking her head.

Oswald looked back at the ball and read aloud, "Hope you enjoy slowly losing your sanity." He looked up at the three and mumbled, "This'sn't even a ransom note."

"You think this is what Goofy wanted to show us?" Ortensia asked.

"Maybe, but I'm sure when he had it, it was just a normal crystal ball," Oswald said, noticing the cracking in the mostly clear ball.

Mickey looked over Oswald's shoulder as he said, "You're right. The words were designed to crack when the ball got dropped." He looked at Oswald as he realized, "But that'd mean he already met his kidnappers."

"It sounds like we all might have," Ortensia said, worry on her face. "But what could it mean, losing your sanity?"

Minnie looked over at Mickey, drawing the couple to follow her gaze. "You don't think they had something to do with your relapse?" she suggested.

"The fireworks seemed like a reasonable explanation," Mickey said, concern on his face. He looked back at the road as motion caught his attention. "We should get back inside. I'll call the chief."

"Maybe we should make sure all the kids are inside as well," Minnie said, looking towards Ortensia.

-.-.-.-

Mickey shoved the house phone back on the receiver, crossing his arms over his chest.

Oswald came out of the garage door to the dog run, his eyes landing on the mouse as he said, "Well, the ball's safe in the garage. What'd O'Hara say?"

"That they'll make a missing person's report and keep an eye out but unless there's a ransom or any other clues, they can't really do anything," Mickey said.

"Once the kids finish with their head count, I have a few ideas about our only clue," Oswald admitted, throwing a thumb over his shoulder back towards the ball.

"What's gotten into you, Minnie!?" Ortensia chastised as the two came up from the basement.

"I don't know," Minnie said, sounding almost desperate.

"Girls?" Mickey asked.

"She had started taking the kids toys and bring them to the bathroom," Ortensia explained as they stepped over to the brothers.

"And I don't remember it," Minnie said, worry on her face. "We'd just gotten to Junior 398 when the next thing I know, Ortensia's holding my shoulders and shaking me awake in the bathroom."

Mickey slowly dropped his hands and asked, "Ortensia, did she act like she was sleep walking or in a trance?"

"A bit," Ortensia said with a nod. "She had this glazed over look."

"And that would explain all of this," Mickey said, smacking his fist into his palm.

"Come on Sherlock, give us the grand reveal," Oswald said.

"Minnie, do you remember Dudley andMartha Mousegomery?" Mickey asked.

"Not particularly, no," Minnie said, visibly confused.

"Maybe you'd remember them as your fake aunt and uncle?"

"Oh!" Minnie exclaimed. "I've still never gotten the rent they owe me!" She paused a moment before asking, "You think it could be those two back?"

"Could you two fill us in?" Oswald asked.

"What was it, the fifties?" Mickey asked.

"Forty-two," Minnie corrected.

Mickey looked at her with surprise on his face as he asked, "Really?"

Minnie nodded her head in response, a smile on her face.

Mickey turned back to the couple, shaking his head to himself. "Minnie tells me the day of their arrival, some aunt and uncle I'd never heard of were coming to visit," Mickey stared. "She asked me to go pick them up so me and Goofy head over to the train station and eventually find the right couple. He was a tall skinny older man and his wife was a bit more stout but about the same height. Back then Silo Center, as the county was called back then, was rather small so anyone from a big city was cause for fancy parties so for the first couple of weeks Minnie's aunt and uncle as well as ourselves were invited to parties and every single one of them, there'd be a black out and jewelry was stolen. Eventually we found out it was Minnie actually taking the jewels and handing them to a stranger in a turban. He had hypnotized her into doing so at his signal which she would, unintentionally, see right before a black out would occur. And after every time the lights would come back on, we'd find Minnie's uncle asleep in some other part of the house. Come to find out the couple had hypnotized Minnie into both the deed as well as believing they were her family. It took Goofy's help to capture them due to them being unable to hypnotize him."

"And the two have been released from jail now, huh?" Ortensia asked.

"They've been out of jail for a few years now," Mickey admitted.

"But all of this mystery for revenge?" Oswald asked. "I mean, it makes why they kidnapped Goofy make more sense but it seems like they expected you to figure out it was them. The whole point of revenge is so they're known."

"Or their real revenge is against Goofy," Ortensia realized. "Take you two out by making you think you've gone crazy, they know the police on their own can't stop them-"

"And now they'll be set to going back to steeling," Oswald finished, following his wife's train of thought. "We've gotta find them before they cause too much damage."