"Ah Ms. Cunningham." Khan said, putting his hands together on his desk. "I presume you have a reason for why my jewel was not delivered on time?"
"Er, well, yes… that is to say…um…" Becky looked at Baloo who spoke up.
"Karny nicked it, Khan." The tiger raised one eyebrow.
"Indeed. Then why did one of my sources at Louie's at the time, state that Ms. Cunningham's daughter Molly boarded the plane. Yet, much to my surprise, she was not seen leaving the plane." His eyebrows drew slightly together, like the crosshairs of a cannon. "I might even be so bold as to suggest that she and the Jewel decamped together."
"Are you saying that MY daughter would work with Don Karnage!" Becky shouted, swelling up.
"It is not impossible-- I also have recently been informed of her…setbacks in school. Pirates tend to be less interested in ones appearances as opposed to ones capabilities, and in any case, the amount of money the jewel would bring might very well purchase acceptance."
"And I'm helping her?"
"Of course not-- you are not a dishonest businesswomen, just one far to enamored of get rich quick schemes." Khan left Becky gaping like a fish out of water, and continued. "However, the penalty clause in the contract does state that you are liable for the cost of replacement." Becky frowned.
"Yes, yes, we'll get your twenty-thousand."
"Ah-- that was not the cost of fabrication-- that cost would be 2 million dollars. However, I am not an unfeeling man-- I shall simply hold you liable for the 500,000 dollar reward I am offering for it. Good Day." And with that, they were ushered out of the office and sent down to the car. Becky was clenching the copy of the contract Khan had thoughtfully provided her, with the relevant portions outlined in red.
"I, first Molly, now…ruined…ah…." She said, looking worse than she had during the truffle incident.
"Don't worry Beckers." Baloo said, "We'll get the jewel back and everything will be fine!" Becky didn't say anything to this.
***
Meanwhile, on the Iron Vulture, Molly was frantically throwing clothes around the room.
"No, not that one…ooohhhh this is horrible!" She wailed. Being a plundering protégé meant that simply strolling into a department store was out of the question, and the clothes on the Vulture weren't…exactly suitable. Dumptruck had left with an earnest statement that "He vould give her a hand." Molly had no idea what he was talking about, but he'd been gone for several hours.
"Here he dis!" Dumptruck said behind her, causing Molly to spin around.
"Here who is-" Her voice broke off at the sight of the gagged and tied man on the floor in front of her. He looked old-- at least 36. Molly looked up at Dumptruck and quietly, asked.
"Who is he?" She felt proud. It hadn't been a scream.
"Your tailor." Molly looked down at the turkey, and carefully, like he was actually made of nitroglycerine, undid the gag.
"What is the meaning of zis!" He shouted in an accented voice. "I demand to be taken to ze consulate immediately!"
"Ahm…" Molly said intelligently. Then, frantically to Dumptruck. "What did you do!"
"Every time der Kaptain wants a new suit, we go out and get a tailor." Molly blinked at that. That might explain the look of his uniforms-- vengeance on someone too fashion blind to see it?
Whatever, that wouldn't work for her. One thing Karnage seemed to have missed-- you might force someone to work, but if you wanted good work, you needed to pay them.
"Hello sir!" She said in the happy, open, honest voice Mom used on rich clients. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience…let me compensate you for it."
"and How would you do zat?"
"I'll pay you… four weeks wages for one dress."
"And I will live to zpend it?"
"Yes, you'll live to spend it." Molly said with a sigh.
"Er, Molly…" Dumptruck said, "Der Kaptain won't be happy…"
"Yes he will-- happier than he'd be if I showed up in a sack." Molly said. She dug through the clothes for a moment, finding that horrible dress shirt Karnage had, the one with the genuine pearls and gold doubloons sewn on. He'd never miss it.
"Here-- thirty gold doubloons and a dozen pearls. Does this work?"
The tailor's eyes lit with green.
"Oh yes! Madam, I will make zee the best dress ever seen here!" Molly looked around the Iron Vulture and sighed.
"That won't be hard." Not counting the odd hostage and maybe Baloo if Karnage had ever captured him heading to a bongo contest, her's was probably the only dress ever seen here.
Freed of his terror of death and/or not getting paid, the tailor suddenly looked much more in charge as he looked into the room.
"It is ze horrible place to create a dress… You!" that was snapped to Dumptruck, "go get my thread, my materials! You!" Maddog had been shrinking back, hearing the danger of work in the voice, but too late, "A mirror! A good one, fit for a beauty such as this."
Molly almost smiled, but then.
"You!" That was directed at her. "Come over here so I may start the fitting process." Molly gave an involuntary squeak as the small tailor practically picked her up and tossed her into the room, slamming the door behind him.
***
"We have to go get her, BALOO! Get the plane ready. No wait, Karnage might hurt her if we go get her, Baloo! Don't go running off, we need to think this through and make a plan, oh My Poor Baby!" Becky was spinning around the office like a hyperkenetic top.
"I can't call the police, what if they think she really is working with Karnage and then I wouldn't be able to ground her myself, where does she get off putting me through all this." Wurkle stepped into the office, and looked at Baloo.
"She's been like this…"
"Ever since we got back." Baloo said, with resignation. And people thought he sometimes went nuts. Well, he couldn't blame Beckers.
"Well, I have some very interesting information, from my…ah friend, in the FBI." Wurkle said. That brought Becky over.
"You found out how he's holding her prisoner? You freed her? She's back right now?"
"Ah, not exactly…and as for the prisoner thing…" Wurkle held out a photograph. It was grainy, and black and white, but it clearly showed Don Karnage, sword out, sparring with… Molly Cunningham. Becky grabbed it and her eyes got wide.
"Look…she's….fighting with him?"
"Ah, training was the word my source used." The type of clothes finally registered with Rebecca.
"Look… what she's wearing…those shorts, that top… I'll ground her, I'll ground her forever!" Wurkle fought a smile.
"The news from my source was that this photo was taken by another pirate…and apparently copies are…quite popular." He paused, "I doubt it's due to any great adoration for Don Karnage."
"She's grounded. I have to rescue her so I can strangle her. Molly Elizabeth Cunningham!" Becky said swelling up. Then, abruptly, she deflated. "She's going to go to jail, isn't she?"
"Maybe not." Mr. Wurkle said, "Because the source also found out that this individual has been seen with Karnage. Hison the Hypnotist is the name he goes by."
"Hypnotist?"
"Yes. He's wanted for the Pamplona Running Heist."
"WHAT?"
"Ah, he was running a show at the Kumquat expo and hypnotized all the audience to think they were bulls-- given that there were five hundred Turkeys in the audience, it was…quite a show."
"And he's wanted for that?"
"Well, it was the official day of the Running Of the Bull's track meet, and the turkeys chose the same rout…. It was messy."
"Oog." Baloo said, thinking about it. Becky had no time for sympathy.
"So, you think they hypnotized my baby?" She said, "I'll kill them all, starting with Don Karnage…"
"Hold on, hold on!" Wurkle said. "Things may not be as they appear." Baloo was thinking, but Kit spoke up.
"But Mr. Wurkle," Kit said respectfully (Wurkle had also been his teacher), "You can't hypnotize someone against their will. I remember that from class."
"Mmmm that's true."
"What!" Becky shouted, "You're saying Molly likes this?"
"I don't think 'like' is the best word." Wurkle said, "But how angry was she when you last saw her."
"Furious. Nearly crying with rage." Becky said flatly. "I don't blame her."
"And, at least on some level, perhaps she would like to pay those people back?" Wurkle asked. "That might be the reason this hypnotist-- if that was what he did, was able to succeed."
"Then Pigtails does want to do this?" Baloo said in horror.
"I don't know, Baloo." Wurkle said, "She hasn't yet been in a position to do any real harm-- I can't see Molly ever knowingly killing anyone, can you?"
"No." Becky said, a world of certainty in that one word.
"But for now.." Wurkle continued, "I have a message for you."
"Yes?"
"Wait. No matter how hard it might be, just wait. Molly isn't in any danger, and nobody else is, so until we know some more… just give it time."
"OK." Becky said, "I bet the FBI can do better than we can. Thank you Mr. Wurkle." Wurkle nodded. Baloo had just sat down, when he heard Wurkle's car leave.
"BALOO!"
"What?"
"What are you sitting down for?"
"Waiting, like he said!"
"We've waited for almost 30 seconds. That's enough. Lets go!"
My dear, I hypnotized her. You are responsible for making her inner child ah, ah…Axe muderer!
