The Return of the Stone
Part 2
Downtown Cape Suzette
Friday
Mid-Morning
It was another beautiful day in the southwestern coastal city of Cape Suzette. The view of the bright sun and puffy white clouds was occasionally blotted out by a passing zeppelin or airplane. The downtown area was bustling with the usual workaday activities. Cars zoomed up and down the streets and people of all species walked in and out of the skyscrapers.Among the pedestrians traversing the sidewalks was a diminutive alligator overshadowed by a large ape and a big rhino. The trio was unaware of a figure trailing them.
"Dere it is, boys. Da stuff dat dreams are made of," said Trader Moe, grinning greedily at the plain cedar box in his hands.
"Uh, nice box, boss," said Rhino Goo, peeking over the alligator's head.
"What box is nice?" parroted Ape Goon.
"Ya ratchet heads! It's what's in da box dat's valuable."
"What's in it?" asked Rhino Goon, mirroring Ape Goon's quizzical look.
Trader Moe threw an apprehensive glance to the right, then left to make sure no one was paying attention to them. "Da stone," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.
"Oh..." said the goons in admiration. "What stone?"
"Da stone dat we..." Not watching where he was going, Trader Moe accidentally bumped into a shriveled up old lady raccoon wearing a bright pink dress with blazing orange polka dots, a straw hat adorned with a purple ostrich feather and a huge purple handbag.
"Police! Help!" she screamed shrilly, beating Trader Moe over the head with her purse.
WHAM!
"Ow! Sorry, lady!"
"Police!"
WHAM! WHAM!
Trader Moe attempted to ward off the woman's well-aimed, surprisingly painful, blows. "Hey, I said I was sorry, lady! Ow!"
Two policemen - a brown, mustached canine and a portly porcine - came running to the frail, helpless old lady's assistance.
"Stop, lawbreakers!" commanded the porcine policeman in an Irish accent while his partner blew on his whistle.
"Cheese it! It's da coppers!" said Trader Moe.
Seeing their boss flee down the sidewalk, the goons followed suit.
Meanwhile...
Baloo could think of a thousand things that he would rather be doing - flying, eating, sleeping, or maybe a combination of the three. Instead, he had to waste a perfectly perfect day shopping. He and his fiancée were perusing the goods in Fleeceworth's department store, which sold everything from abacuses to zippers. Or rather, Rebecca was perusing while Baloo stood nearby holding her purchases.
The big bear shifted the paper sacks in his hands. They were so heavy that the handles were cutting off the circulation to his fingers. If he hadn't had actually seen what Rebecca had bought, he would have sworn that he was lugging bowling balls and concrete blocks. He wished that a chair had been among her purchases. "Are we done yet, Beckers?" he asked for the umpteenth time.
"Stop complaining, Baloo," Rebecca said, leisurely fingering the hem of a curtain set. "We've only been to a few stores."
"A few stores? We passed a few stores three years ago. We're up to a ton of stores, an' I'm gettin' hungry."
"Don't be such a baby."
"Okay, then you be the pack mule an' carry all these bags!"
"Fine." She relieved him of the smallest, lightest sack. "That better?"
"Oh, yeah, heaps," he mumbled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"You know, Baloo, I like these curtains better than the ones we got at Richelieu's, and they're cheaper, too. Maybe we should exchange them and buy these."
"Tromp all the way across town? Forget it, lady!"
"But you said you didn't like those," Rebecca countered.
"I'm becomin' attached to 'em. Literally - from totin' 'em around for the past two hours."
"Well, I don't see anything that I like here."
"We're done?" Baloo said hopefully. He followed her to the exit with the bulging bags banging against his knees.
"Not by a long shot." Rebecca pulled a list from her purse. "We still haven't gone to Bianca's Bridal Boutique. It's just a few blocks away."
"Oh, my achin' hands!" Baloo groaned.
They stepped outside and started down the bustling sidewalk.
"Can we get a cab?" Baloo asked, feeling a bag slip from his fingers.
"For three blocks?" Rebecca scoffed.
The big bear stopped in his tracks. "Wait a half a sec, sweetheart. I'm losin' the one on my pinky."
"Right or left?"
"Uh...I pledge allegiance to the flag..." He awkwardly tried to lift his right hand to his heart, but it was so weighted down that he could only move it a few inches. "Both."
Unbeknownst to the two bears, Trader Moe and his goons were barreling towards them. The goons knocked people off their feet left and right like twin bowling balls knocking over bowling pins.
"Gotta stash this goody someplace safe," Trader Moe puffed, hugging the box as he skidded around a corner and skirted around other pedestrians. He shot a glance over his shoulder. The two policemen were only a few short steps behind.
"We's gonna get goodies?" asked Ape Goon, thundering down the sidewalk right behind his boss. "I like chocolate!"
Trader Moe slapped his forehead, forgetting that the box was in his hand. "Ow! Why don't youse two try intelligence sometimes?"
"Intelli-who?" asked Rhino Goon.
Ape Goon said, "Who's intelli-who?"
"Ya stupids! Intelligence means thinkin'."
Rhino Goon said, "Thinkin' is somethin' I try to avoid."
"Yeah," added Ape Goon, "thinkin' makes my head hurt."
"I'll make yer numbskull heads hurt," panted Trader Moe, itching to brain both of them - if they had brains. "Cops crawlin' all over everywheres. How are we s'posed to get away?" He knew that if he was caught with something of Shere Khan's, he would be worked over by Khan's hit-men before being incarcerated for life - whatever was left of it. Still running as fast as his short legs would go, he passed the box back to Rhino Goon. "Do somethin' wid this."
Rhino Goon passed it back to Ape Goon. "Do somethin' wid this."
"Do somethin'...oh..." Ape Goon, not having anyone to pass the box to, looked at it in confusion.
Rebecca and Baloo happened to be in the way when Trader Moe breezed by. The goons plowed right into the big bear, who went flying into the gutter with a "WHOA!".
All of the bags and their contents scattered to the ground. In what he thought was a brilliant flash of insight, Ape Goon shoved the jewelry box into one of the shopping bags.
"Hoo, boy! Did anyone get the number of that piano?" Baloo gasped out, putting a hand to his head.
"Well, I never!" Rebecca said huffily, helping Baloo to his feet. She picked up the heavy sacks and hooked them over his wrists. "Some people have absolutely no consideration for others."
Trader Moe and the goons scooted into an alley. At the end was a solid brick wall. "Shoot! Dead end."
Without further delay, the goons whipped out their handguns and fired a few rounds at the wall.
"We shot at the dead end, boss," droned Rhino Goon.
"Yeah, we shot it good," said Ape Goon with an inane giggle.
Hearing the gunshots, a policeman exclaimed, "They're in that alley!"
"You dodo brains! Now da cops know where we are." The only way to escape was up and over. "Toss me over da wall."
"Okay, boss."
"Whatever ya say, boss."
The goons each took Trader Moe by an arm and threw him as hard as they could. He sailed over the wall with several feet to spare. "I meant gennntttlleeeee!" He slid on his stomach before stopping. "I gotta get me some new goons." Rubbing his raw nose, he got to his feet dizzily. "C'mon, ya pinheads!"
Ape Goon, then Rhino Goon, scrambled over the wall. They both landed on Trader Moe, who said, "OW!" both times.
On the other side of the wall, the policeman with the Irish accent said, "I could have sworn they were here."
The second policeman answered, "Me, too. Let's try down the street." Their rapid footsteps receded.
"Boss?" Rhino Goon said, looking around for Trader Moe.
"Under...here!" came the alligator's muffled voice.
"Are we's playin' hide-and-seek?" Ape Goon clapped his hands. "I get to hide next!"
Trader Moe squirmed out from under the hulking goons, folded up almost like an accordion. He popped his back and his posture returned to normal. "Yeah, I'll hide you, all right. We gotta hide dat stone!"
A stupid smile of self-satisfaction crossed Ape Goon's face. "I already hid it real good, boss."
"Whattaya mean, ya hid it? Where?"
"In a sack. Da cops will never find it."
The alligator hopped up and down in rage and bit at the brim of his hat. "Ya banana peel! We'll never find it! Dat stone was worth at least a hundred big ones."
"A hundred?" Rhino Goon echoed. "Dat's way more than ten, ain't it?"
Ape Goon appeared abashed. "Oops. Sorry, boss."
"Aargh! Ya dodo brains! Did ya see who was holdin' da sack?"
"A big man an' a small woman." Ape Goon scratched his head. "Or was it a big woman an' a small man?"
"Wait, boss," Rhino Goon said slowly. "I think I saw da pilot who landed us in da slammer for stealin' da Krunchyboar Crown. The one with the name like a color."
"Five?" Ape Goon suggested.
"Naw, it was more like," Rhino Goon looked up at the sky; "blue."
Trader Moe's beady eyes narrowed. "Baloo again? What a coinky-dink. An' we know where he lives. Dat stone is as good as ours. C'mon, ya stupids!"
That Evening
The Cunninghams' Apartment
Rebecca sat at the kitchen table with the telephone cradled between her shoulder and ear. She flipped through a wedding dress catalog that she had picked up earlier that day. Pen in hand, she circled each dress that appealed to her. She said, "Oh, I like this one!"
"Can I see it?" asked Baloo over the telephone.
"Of course, you can't see it, Baloo. It's bad luck for the groom to see the wedding dress before the wedding."
"Please, Beckers, with a cherry on top? Pleeeease, honey? Sweetie-pie?"
"Nice try, flyboy, but no amount of sweet-talk will make me change my mind."
"I'll let ya do my laundry."
Rebecca giggled at his idea of a bribe. "That's tempting, but...no."
She flipped to the next page and her eyes were drawn to the dress of her dreams. It was a strapless, floor-length, ivory organza dress that would accentuate her slender curves. The flowing skirt, which gracefully clung to the hips, featured a small train. Around the top of the bodice and the bottom of the skirt was lace edging in the shapes of tiny flowers and curlicues; the edging happened to be in her favorite color - light pink. She could just imagine how beautiful she would look in it, not to mention Baloo's reaction. His eyes would pop out of his head.
Then, catching a glimpse at the price, she bit her lower lip. It was exorbitant! It was outrageous! But the dress was gorgeous. Surely it was worth the price. Casually, she asked, "Do you think two hundred dollars is too much?"
"For a DRESS?" Baloo roared, nearly blasting her eardrums out.
"You wasted one hundred dollars on that sticky banana record. What's the difference?"
"The difference is that record's a classic."
"I know it's a classic. It gives me a classic headache every time I hear it."
Baloo growled, "Of all the things ta spend two hundred smackers on - a dress you'll wear once. Do ya know what we could buy with that kind of loot? A new pontoon for one thing, or that icebox for the Duck. I'd get lotsa use out of those things. An' where are we gonna get that kind of moolah? We ain't gonna cash in our insurance on the Sea Duck again, Rebecca!"
Carefully tearing the page from the catalog, Rebecca murmured uncertainly, "Well, maybe something will just pop up, like a very profitable cargo delivery."
"Do ya absotutely hafta have it?"
"No, I don't have to have it." She stared at the dress with a wistful expression. "But it sure would be nice."
Molly, all ready for bed in her pink pajamas, rushed into the room with a plain cedar box in her hands. She slid under the phone cord, climbed onto her mother's lap, and chirped, "Hi, Baloo!" into the telephone. "Mommy, lookit what I found."
"I'm on the phone, honey," she admonished. "Can't this wait 'til later?"
The little girl shook her head vehemently. "Later's past my bedtime. You're always on the phone with Baloo. Can I call him daddy now?"
That abrupt, unexpected question incited bittersweet feelings in Rebecca. She was glad that Molly wanted to call her future stepfather 'daddy'; it proved how much the little girl loved and trusted Baloo. However, it also brought back unbidden memories of her first husband, a wonderful man who had died when Molly could barely lisp 'daddy'.
Her eyes shining with unshed tears, Rebecca tenderly stroked Molly's golden hair, hair that was the same shade as her late husband's. She explained quietly, "Now, honey, I told you that Baloo won't be your daddy until we're married."
Sticking her lower lip out in a pout, Molly whined, "Aw, but that's a long, long, long, long time away."
"It'll come faster than you think." Giving her daughter a hug, Rebecca smiled and blinked the tears from her eyes. "What did you have to show me?"
Molly opened the jewelry box. Inside, nestled on the dark blue velvet was the sub-electron amplifier. Its clear-cut facets reflected the lamplight.
Rebecca's jaw dropped as she dropped the receiver.
"Becky? Hello?" Baloo's voice said from the telephone on the table.
The bearess carefully picked up the stone and cradled it in her palm. Turning it over, she saw Shere Khan's miniature emblem. "We're rich," she whispered. Then louder, she said, "We're rich!"
"Rebecca!" Baloo bellowed.
Rebecca snatched the receiver up, saying excitedly, "Baloo, look what Molly found!"
"Becky, I can't see nothin'. Telephone, remember?"
She gushed, "We're rich, darling!"
"Huh? Did ya win the Pazuza sweepstakes again? I'll mail yer ticket for ya SSDIDUG this time. Honest engines."
Exasperated, Rebecca explained slowly, "No, silly. Molly found Shere Khan's stone - the sub-electron amplifier."
"Are ya sure?"
"I'm pretty sure." She traced her finger over the encircled 'SK'. "Shere Khan's emblem is engraved on it."
Nothing but stunned silence at the other end of the line.
"Baloo? Hello? Are you there?" Rebecca ventured.
"We're rich!" he yelled joyfully. "We're rich! WAHOO!"
"We're rich?" Kit's voice said wonderingly. "Papa Bear!" Baloo had tossed the boy up in the air.
He instructed excitedly, "Don't let that little goldmine outta yer sight, Beckers. Me an' Kit are comin' right over."
Click! went the phone.
Baloo made record time getting to the Cunninghams' apartment, because, only five minutes later, he pounded on the door. "Becky, it's us!"
Rebecca flung the door open.
"Where is it?" Baloo asked eagerly, his eyes darting around the large living room.
"Where's what?" She, clasping the stone behind her back, feigned innocence.
"The stone! Shere Khan's electronic simplifier."
Giggling, Rebecca held out her hand.
Baloo grabbed the stone from her and kissed it repeatedly.
"Hey!" Rebecca said, hands on hips, pretending to be jealous. "Who are you marrying? Me or that rock?"
He handed the stone to Kit, dipped Rebecca, and planted a big kiss on her lips.
"Where did you find it?" Kit asked, staring with amazement at the stone. "I thought it blew up with Karnage's lightning gun."
Molly said, "I found it in a jewelry box that Mommy bought me."
Still in Baloo's arms, Rebecca flashed a confused glance up at her fiancé. "I didn't buy a jewelry box, did I, Baloo?"
"Dunno, honey. I lost track after the first five stores. But who cares? The important thing is that it's here now, an' we're gonna be rich!" He twirled Rebecca until she plumped down, giggling, in an armchair. "We'll take this little baby over to Khanny first thing in the mornin', an' collect our one hundred thousand smackers!"
"A hundred thousand smackers!" Molly echoed happily, throwing herself at the big bear. "Is that a lot, Baloo?"
"You better believe it, Button-nose!" He tossed the giggling girl into the air.
"If he still wants it back," Kit said softly, looking the stone over with a critical eye. Unlike the others, he wasn't going to get his hopes up yet about the money. Something was fishy about the whole situation. There were too many unanswered questions. How did the jewelry box get into Rebecca's shopping bag? And where did the stone come from? Was it really Shere Khan's stone or an imitation?
Rebecca said, "Of course he'll want it back, Kit, but we can't take it over first thing. You have that delivery in the morning, Baloo."
Crestfallen, the big bear protested, "But..."
"Higher for Hire can't afford to lose another customer."
Grinning confidently, Baloo snatched the stone from Kit and tossed it in the air like a gangster flipping a coin. "With this little baby in our possession, we can."
"No." The bearess shook her head; unbending resolve was fixed on her face. "We're going to keep this client, stone or no stone."
"Okay, as soon as I get back, we'll take it over." Baloo wrapped his arms around Rebecca and the cubs, hugging them tightly. "We're rich!"
Unnoticed by the four bears, at the window overlooking the rushing waterfall was a mysterious, black-clad figure hanging onto the glass with suction cups. Through the ski mask, the dark eyes stared steadily at the stone.
End of part 2