"Hello Egbert."
"Oh well hello Jon, how are things? Need some work? Or you just want to talk?"
"I have a house eight times the size of your's and your asking if I need work?"
"Alright sorry I asked, so what's going on?"
"Oh nothing, except I heard about the uh, the magazine."
"What magazine?"
"You have a good reputation here don't you?"
"Yeah I suppose."
"I suppose if word got out you were buying pornographic magazines-"
"What do mean I'm buying-"
"You know I could just kill you."
"What do you want?"
"Alright, I have to appear in court, you defending Leopold right?"
"Yeah."
"Don't ask me why Don wanted to kill me you understand?"
"Alright."
"Don't let Leopold go down."
"I'll do my best."
"Well hello Oxford."
"Jon."
"Oxford, I'm bored, I'll cut to the chase, I know about your conversation with Blathers the other day, it'll be in the town Bulletin board unless you do what I ask."
"Well Jon, I never expected you, of all people, to resort to blackmail, what is it? You want me not to call you for questioning?"
"That'd look to odd, just don't ask me why Don wanted to kill me, and, let Leopold walk, he saved my life."
"It goes against my integrity."
"What does the bulletin board read tomorrow? Well Hello Blathers, sorry I stuck my-"
"Okay, I'll try not to do that well."
"Leopold?"
"Hello? Oh Jon, how are you?"
"Just fine, listen Leopold, what I'm about to tell you is life threatening." Jon looked around the room, there was a camera staring at them, and a guard was pacing back and forth at the entrance. Leopold nodded as Jon whispered to him, "Don't trust Porter, he works for Redd, he acted like a umbling fool that broke to cover himself, he's been acting brilliantly stupid, and he'll walk in there tomorrow and talk in order to protect you. He wants you to walk, he really wants you dead but he has to defend you, he has to keep his bumbling innocent personality."
"Alright, so am I walking?"
"Yeah, I blackmailed the lawyers, now listen, when you walk, skip town. On the train you should see Rover, avoid the simians understand? Keep in sight of crowded areas until the train arrives, dash for it but make sure you make it. On the train tell Rover your calling in a favor from Nook, you need to stay in hiding until this all boils over."
"Okay."
"When I say simians, I mean avoid them all, Peewee, Cesar, all of them."
"Okay."
"Later."
"So how'd it go?" asked Nook.
"They agreed to the blackmail, if they screw up, they're reputations are gone."
"Along with ours."
"I'm sure it'll work out, I also gave Leopold survival directions."
"Poor guy, I hope he lives."
"He saved my life, if nothing else I'll save his."
"Well, when do you have to appear in court?"
"Tomorrow."
"Fuck, you know I have a bad feeling."
"Now? Gulliver was nearly killed, Don was killed, Copper is catching on to your methamphetamine, and Leopold has a bounty on his head, but you're getting a bad feeling now?"
"Seems weird doesn't it?"
"You know its funny; I never said swear words until I saw Gulliver in the water."
"So Leopold grabbed his bullet before he left?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I didn't want him caught, he saved my life, it was indirect self- defense."
The judge stepped in, "Oxford can you please get to the point? You've asked him the same questions for a half hour."
"Just one more question." Oxford stared hard at Jon, as though contemplating things. "Why did Don want to kill you?"
Jon looked at him hard, glaring, his eyes were pale with anger. "I'd rather not answer." The jury gasped and looked at each other, "Look, Leopold was a good man, he saved my life, I'm sure he shot to maim okay? Don was a son of a bitch-"
"He don't you go insultin' Don! Leopold fucking killed him and he needs the death penalty!"
"Resetti shut up, sit down!" said the judge. Resetti walked out of the court enraged, he slammed the door closed.
"Fuck."
Leopold did manage to walk, and tomorrow in the Bulletin board it said exactly what Oxford did.
"So do you think he's okay?"
"I don't know, on my way to Crescent Point I'll ask Rover about it, but seriously, we have to get into hiding, there are two huge bounties on both of us, people like Ace, Boots, T-Bone, Spike and Grizzly will be here, we need to get your family, you and I somewhere safe."
"Maybe I can be of some service." Tortimer appeared in the doorway.
"Mayor? How'd you get here? We lock the door after ten."
"Don't you know as mare I have keys to everything?"
"Alright, anyway what can you do?"
"Stay at the lighthouse, I'll bring your food until all of this boils over."
"Sounds good, come on let's go pick up my wife, the sooner we get there the better."
"Alright I'll just pick up some things at my place, meet you there."
"Mare go ahead and go on without me, too, I have to tidy up here."
"Suit yourselves."
On Jon's way home, he saw a police car, and ambulance, and a Hearst.
"Oh no, ah no, oh god no." He ran up to Booker, who was talking to Porter, "What happened?"
"I'm sorry Jon, Leopold was shot."
"Fuck, where's Rover?"
"He took off; I don't know where he is, why?"
"Who hit him?"
"We believe it was Boots."
"Ah Jesus, Rover's got a bounty on his head now, too."
"What? Something has to do with Redd?"
"I have to go."
"We'd like you to stay for questioning."
"No time!"
"Alright guys this is the place, the lighthouse, but the lights are off so Tortimer isn't here yet."
"Honey, the door is unlocked, he's here."
"Honey, don't go inside."
"What? I thought we were supposed to stay here."
"No, come one let's go, Olive's isn't far from here, we'll check back in the morning, let's bunk at her place."
"What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?"
"Someone's in there."
"What? Well yeah, Mayor Tortimer."
"No, I mean someone is in there, come on, we have to get away from here."
"But what about the Mayor?"
"He's dead."
Jon came out from the woods, "Tom, they got Leopold, Rover's missing, I think they're-"
"Running taps."
"Yeah how'd you know?"
"Why would Mayor Tortimer unlock the lighthouse and walk upstairs without turning on the light? He turned on the head light at seven but even that's off."
"They even had taps in the prison."
"We need to get to Olive's"
"No, get your family to Dozer's, I have unfinished business, do you have any weapons?"
"There's storage in the museum, the wishing well sees everything in the town at once, as it where Resetti is, ask it where the bounty hunters are, if anything looks like its headed toward Olive's, kill it."
"Oh well hello Jon, how are things? Need some work? Or you just want to talk?"
"I have a house eight times the size of your's and your asking if I need work?"
"Alright sorry I asked, so what's going on?"
"Oh nothing, except I heard about the uh, the magazine."
"What magazine?"
"You have a good reputation here don't you?"
"Yeah I suppose."
"I suppose if word got out you were buying pornographic magazines-"
"What do mean I'm buying-"
"You know I could just kill you."
"What do you want?"
"Alright, I have to appear in court, you defending Leopold right?"
"Yeah."
"Don't ask me why Don wanted to kill me you understand?"
"Alright."
"Don't let Leopold go down."
"I'll do my best."
"Well hello Oxford."
"Jon."
"Oxford, I'm bored, I'll cut to the chase, I know about your conversation with Blathers the other day, it'll be in the town Bulletin board unless you do what I ask."
"Well Jon, I never expected you, of all people, to resort to blackmail, what is it? You want me not to call you for questioning?"
"That'd look to odd, just don't ask me why Don wanted to kill me, and, let Leopold walk, he saved my life."
"It goes against my integrity."
"What does the bulletin board read tomorrow? Well Hello Blathers, sorry I stuck my-"
"Okay, I'll try not to do that well."
"Leopold?"
"Hello? Oh Jon, how are you?"
"Just fine, listen Leopold, what I'm about to tell you is life threatening." Jon looked around the room, there was a camera staring at them, and a guard was pacing back and forth at the entrance. Leopold nodded as Jon whispered to him, "Don't trust Porter, he works for Redd, he acted like a umbling fool that broke to cover himself, he's been acting brilliantly stupid, and he'll walk in there tomorrow and talk in order to protect you. He wants you to walk, he really wants you dead but he has to defend you, he has to keep his bumbling innocent personality."
"Alright, so am I walking?"
"Yeah, I blackmailed the lawyers, now listen, when you walk, skip town. On the train you should see Rover, avoid the simians understand? Keep in sight of crowded areas until the train arrives, dash for it but make sure you make it. On the train tell Rover your calling in a favor from Nook, you need to stay in hiding until this all boils over."
"Okay."
"When I say simians, I mean avoid them all, Peewee, Cesar, all of them."
"Okay."
"Later."
"So how'd it go?" asked Nook.
"They agreed to the blackmail, if they screw up, they're reputations are gone."
"Along with ours."
"I'm sure it'll work out, I also gave Leopold survival directions."
"Poor guy, I hope he lives."
"He saved my life, if nothing else I'll save his."
"Well, when do you have to appear in court?"
"Tomorrow."
"Fuck, you know I have a bad feeling."
"Now? Gulliver was nearly killed, Don was killed, Copper is catching on to your methamphetamine, and Leopold has a bounty on his head, but you're getting a bad feeling now?"
"Seems weird doesn't it?"
"You know its funny; I never said swear words until I saw Gulliver in the water."
"So Leopold grabbed his bullet before he left?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I didn't want him caught, he saved my life, it was indirect self- defense."
The judge stepped in, "Oxford can you please get to the point? You've asked him the same questions for a half hour."
"Just one more question." Oxford stared hard at Jon, as though contemplating things. "Why did Don want to kill you?"
Jon looked at him hard, glaring, his eyes were pale with anger. "I'd rather not answer." The jury gasped and looked at each other, "Look, Leopold was a good man, he saved my life, I'm sure he shot to maim okay? Don was a son of a bitch-"
"He don't you go insultin' Don! Leopold fucking killed him and he needs the death penalty!"
"Resetti shut up, sit down!" said the judge. Resetti walked out of the court enraged, he slammed the door closed.
"Fuck."
Leopold did manage to walk, and tomorrow in the Bulletin board it said exactly what Oxford did.
"So do you think he's okay?"
"I don't know, on my way to Crescent Point I'll ask Rover about it, but seriously, we have to get into hiding, there are two huge bounties on both of us, people like Ace, Boots, T-Bone, Spike and Grizzly will be here, we need to get your family, you and I somewhere safe."
"Maybe I can be of some service." Tortimer appeared in the doorway.
"Mayor? How'd you get here? We lock the door after ten."
"Don't you know as mare I have keys to everything?"
"Alright, anyway what can you do?"
"Stay at the lighthouse, I'll bring your food until all of this boils over."
"Sounds good, come on let's go pick up my wife, the sooner we get there the better."
"Alright I'll just pick up some things at my place, meet you there."
"Mare go ahead and go on without me, too, I have to tidy up here."
"Suit yourselves."
On Jon's way home, he saw a police car, and ambulance, and a Hearst.
"Oh no, ah no, oh god no." He ran up to Booker, who was talking to Porter, "What happened?"
"I'm sorry Jon, Leopold was shot."
"Fuck, where's Rover?"
"He took off; I don't know where he is, why?"
"Who hit him?"
"We believe it was Boots."
"Ah Jesus, Rover's got a bounty on his head now, too."
"What? Something has to do with Redd?"
"I have to go."
"We'd like you to stay for questioning."
"No time!"
"Alright guys this is the place, the lighthouse, but the lights are off so Tortimer isn't here yet."
"Honey, the door is unlocked, he's here."
"Honey, don't go inside."
"What? I thought we were supposed to stay here."
"No, come one let's go, Olive's isn't far from here, we'll check back in the morning, let's bunk at her place."
"What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?"
"Someone's in there."
"What? Well yeah, Mayor Tortimer."
"No, I mean someone is in there, come on, we have to get away from here."
"But what about the Mayor?"
"He's dead."
Jon came out from the woods, "Tom, they got Leopold, Rover's missing, I think they're-"
"Running taps."
"Yeah how'd you know?"
"Why would Mayor Tortimer unlock the lighthouse and walk upstairs without turning on the light? He turned on the head light at seven but even that's off."
"They even had taps in the prison."
"We need to get to Olive's"
"No, get your family to Dozer's, I have unfinished business, do you have any weapons?"
"There's storage in the museum, the wishing well sees everything in the town at once, as it where Resetti is, ask it where the bounty hunters are, if anything looks like its headed toward Olive's, kill it."