Chapter 7

"You're positive that she didn't come back last night?" Basil questioned Mrs. Pipton.

"Absolutely sir. The young lady had a habit of leaving after dinner and staying out till at 11 or 12 o'clock," the matronly Mrs. Pipton replied. "Why? Is she in trouble?"

Basil and Dawson exchanged uneasy glances. "It would be a great help if you would let us investigate her room."

"Oh, of course!"

A minute later Basil was eagerly searching through Meg's room. It took him only a moment to find a pad of paper with the words:

Rodent Standard Oil Co.,

west of town, approx. 2 miles

Carlton Hotel Room #216

Saloon on Main: poker

"Seems simple enough," Dawson said. "Obviously the girl has made notes on places that Childres frequents. Could she have gone to Standard Oil?"

"Perhaps..." Basil was on his knees, searching to ground.

"Basil, what on earth are you doing?"

"Shhh!" After another minute of inspecting, he finally got up. "We're going to the saloon."

Once there, Basil went up to the bartender, and holding up a photograph said, "Have you seen this young lady?"

"Yes sir; she was in here for five nights in a row."

"Last night?"

"No, she wasn't."

"No one saw her? At all?"

"Let me check." The bartender consulted one of the waiters, and after consulting with him for a few moments, said, "This mouse here saw her last night outside the door, but she didn't come in."

"Did you see in what direction she went?" Basil asked the young mouse.

"Yes sir, she went- wait, can I see the photograph again?"

Basil handed it to him. He paused for a moment, and said, "She hailed a cab out front. I was emptying the garbage bins at the alley on the side, and I heard her say, 'Standard Oil headquarters.'"

"She did?" Dawson asked.

"Eh, let's go friend," Basil hastily said, pulling the doctor by the arm. "Thank you so much, gentlemen."

The bartender watched them go. "Good work, Jack. Childres will be pleased."

"Foolish girl!" Basil fumed as they walked along. "First she disobeys my orders by coming here, then she goes to Childres' company alone! I should've NEVER let her out of my sight! It would've been better if I had kept her in London."

"You're right about that."

Basil stopped in his tracks. "Thank you so much for being supportive," he said sarcastically.

"What do you want me to say?"

"You're supposed to tell me that I had no way of knowing this would turn into a catastrophe!" They continued in silence for several minutes. "This is all her fault," Basil muttered.

Dawson was outraged. "The greatest detective in the world is blaming his mistake on a 19 year old girl? That is preposterous, and you know it!"

"Oh really? The stupid girl had no reason to hunt the kidnappers down!"

"You're now referring to her as stupid?"

"She was completely irrational trying to go after the kidnappers. There was no reason to it, except to defy my orders."

"And that's the only reason for her actions? To disobey you? Basil, you're not as brilliant as I once thought you were. It never occurred to you that she would care as much about Olivia and Hiram as you do? That's exactly why she was so determined to crack this case without you before it was too late."

Basil was shocked. Dawson had never talked like this to him before.

"You don't know Meg as well as you think," Dawson added.

"So you're taking her side!"

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"Basil, I am only stating the truth."

Basil glared at his companion. "If you believe yourself to be such a professional in this matter, then you take your own path."

"Basil, I didn't-"

"GO!" The detective stormed away.

Dawson was about to go after his friend, but a receding figure from a cliff nearby caught his eye. Instead he took off in that direction.

Basil showed no sign of anger at Dawson. He even chuckled as he made his way along. The doctor had despised Basil's plan to get rid of Meg; he had just needed a little coaxing to get his anger out. Basil would find some way to apologize to Dawson, and then all would be right again. Without a doubt the doctor was following him, faithful as ever to a case.

The detective also had a hunch that he was walking into a trap.

He went over a small rise, and in the distance he saw Standard Oil, looming over in the midday sun like some giant monster.

Threescore mice, armed to the teeth, popped up from the surrounding rocks.

While we waited, I talked to Hiram and Olivia so they would not dwell on what was to come.

At first Childres tried getting Ratigan into a conversation, but gave up after the professor told him that he was a waste of life. After that Childres sat off with one of his workers talking or jotting something down in a small leather pocketbook. Ratigan listened to our conversation for a while. He left when a mouse in a cowboy hat came in and whispered something urgently in his ear.

By this time, our conversation had drifted off to Basil. I noticed that this topic cheered Olivia up a great deal. She held on to hope that he would save us. Flaversham, though he did not share his daughter's views, seemed to appreciate this subject.

I was telling them about our adventures in Shanghai when Childres butt in.

"Your detective friend is no match for us," he stated. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes he is!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Well, we'll have him yet."

"Well, you're not involved in this conversation, are you?" I said shortly.

"You are our prisoners. I have every right to-"

"Would you can it for once!" Flaversham sighed. "Don't you realize that everyone in this room could honesty care less about your pointless comments!"

Childres was furious. "How dare you talk that way to me!" he yelled. "You sir, are in no position to treat me with such disrespect! Rafael!" A dwarfish mouse with a frayed tail came running. The millionaire pointed to Olivia. "Untie that girl. Toy maker, your daughter is going to pay for your insolence!"

The mouse called Rafael was about to cut Olivia's bonds when the phrase "STOP RIGHT THERE, CHILDRES!" echoed throughout the mine. Ratigan stormed in and, grabbing Childres by the collar, roared, "THESE ARE NOT YOUR PRISONERS, THEY'RE MINE! AND YOU WILL NOT PUT HOLES THROUGH ANY OF MY PRISONERS JUST TO PROVE A POINT!" He threw the foolish mouse to the ground, straightened his tie, and smiled, his manner the exact opposite of what it had been a minute ago. "Besides, I happen to agree with Flaversham.

"May I have the pleasure of presenting to you," he continued to Olivia, grinning wickedly, "Your 'faultless' detective friend, Mr. Basil of Baker Street."

I gasped. Basil was led in by about a dozen other mice, blindfolded and tied. I only recognized him by his Inverness cape.

"Basil!" Olivia cried.

"Olivia Flaversham?" he asked, pointing his face in her direction. "Are you quite all right?"

"Isn't this just precious. I have almost everyone I need: Flaversham the toy maker, his little brat, my dear Miss Sarentis, and Basil!" Ratigan laughed cruelly. "Now all I need is your tubby Dr. Dawson."

"Meg? You were caught too?" Basil groaned.

Emma: Basil just fell into that trap a little too easily...

Meg: Yeah, I mean it's like I just handed him to Childres. Or Ratigan. Or whoever. That's not right.

JWJ: Leave Childres alone.

Lizz: Wait, you actually care about a character for once?

JWJ: (Quickly) No!