Chapter 11
Carmelita used the five days until their upcoming meeting with Yuri to continue her lockpick exercises---finally opening the two hundred and thirty-sixth and last lock on the third day. After Bentley assured Sly that Carmelita had passed his class with flying colors, Sly himself began instructing his lady love in the fine art of becoming a pickpocket.
"There's an art to it, sweetheart," Sly told Carmelita…after he had foiled her last attempt to pluck the red handkerchief from his back pocket. "I heard you coming two steps before you acted."
"Fagh!" Carmelita growled, hating the fact she had failed…again. "This is impossible." She ran her hands through her thick hair in frustration.
"No, it's not," Sly assured her, then paused thinking. "Hmm. Hey, when you see Madame Sing next, ask her to make you a set of soft boots with soft rubber soles. Those hard leather ones on your boots are kind of noisy. Maybe that's how I'm hearing you before you strike."
"Okay," Carmelita replied, heartened a bit by that news. She then smiled, and proceeded to bend over and remove her boots, one at a time.
Sly quirked up an eyebrow at her actions. "Preparing for a game of Twister, Carmelita?" he teased, not sure what she was up to at first.
"No," Carmelita answered with a face and a smirk. "I want to test your theory is all," she told him.
"Ah," Sly said, understanding. He shrugged, then turned his back, beginning yet another exercise for her. "Got it. So…whenever you're rea---" he began, only to be cut off as he heard her chuckling. He turned, looking back to his back pocket, and grinned…noticing it was now empty. He then turned to look back at the beaming, stocking-footed Carmelita.
She continued to grin triumphantly at him, raising her hand to playfully show him she held the target handkerchief in her fingers. "I think you were spot on, Sly," she explained then. "It is my boots making it so hard for me."
"I did kind of wonder," Sly replied. "Hey, that's a nice look for you, girl," he added, indicating her thin white cotton socks. He grinned playfully at her. "You've got the prettiest feet, querera," he observed with a wink.
Carmelita laughed softly. "Thanks," she answered, shaking her head at him. "I had to give up a career as a foot model…so I could fulfill my dream of working at Interpol, you know…"
Now, it was Sly who laughed, moving over to her to briefly kiss her on the temple. "Ah, the sacrifices we make, hmm?" he pretended to sympathize. "Well, it is always a good idea to have something like that to fall back on, my love."
"Quit it!" she laughed, ruffling his spiky hair. "You're so goofy sometimes, Ringtail," she told him…but then her expression changed. "But, I do love you."
Sly grinned at hearing that, and offered his cheek to be kissed, which Carmelita leaned toward him to do, but Sly cleverly waited until she began to move, and turned his face to meet hers. Therefore, Carmelita was surprised when her lips met his…instead of his cheek. Their kiss lingered a bit, leaving Carmelita breathing a bit heavy when they broke apart.
"Mmm," Carmelita sighed happily.
"I think that sister of yours is right," Sly told her then, beginning to rub her back…one of his favorite things to do. "I haven't seen you so happy in a very long time," he commented, his eyes drinking her lovely features in. "And, I for one, like the change…very much indeed."
Carmelita shivered ever-so-slightly at the touch of his rubbing her back, soothing her. "You're not the only one, mister," she assured him. "It works for me too."
Finally, Friday rolled around, and it was time to go visit Paris, C'est Sing, and the famous Yuri Sing once more.
Carmelita was ready early, standing before a mirror, brushing her lustrous blue-black hair her customary twenty-five strokes each morning. She put her brush down on her dresser, then gave herself a quick once-over in the full-length mirror that rested on the back of her bedroom door. She was wearing a simple black blouse with a round neck tucked into her red jeans and boots. She picked up her old favorite brown leather bomber jacket, draped it over her arm and moved downstairs.
No sooner had she made it down the back steps, when she head a rapid tattoo of knocks from the entry door to the garage. Carmelita smiled, knowing full well just who that would be. She worked the formidable lock on the door, and swung it open to reveal the smiling visage of her pretty friend, Kitty. "Kitty!" she greeted her, reaching out to hug the petite vixen. She could discern the smell of exhaust on her clothes. "So…Ling dropped you off then?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Wha---? How did you---?" Kitty stammered, surprised.
"You smell of motorcycle exhaust, kiddo," Carmelita replied, causing Kitty to grin.
"Oh," Kitty replied, then gave Carmelita a weird look. "I was beginning to think you'd developed supernatural powers from Cooper or something."
"Supernatural?" Carmelita laughed. "No, nothing that strange. Just a keen sense of smell is all." She looked her friend over. She was wearing a bright green t-shirt, that had black lettering on it that said 'Too Cute!', which she tucked into a pair of ice-blue blue jeans, and a nicely kept-up pair of cross-trainers. "Nice choice," Carmelita teased. "Nobody'd ever believe a cop could wear something like that, Kitty…" She grinned impishly at her friend.
Kitty stuck her tongue out at her in reply. "Hush," she then said. "I'm comfortable, I happen to like bright green, and that's that." Kitty looked around, one blond eyebrow lifting. "So, I can see you're ready…where are the others at?"
Just as she spoke, Bentley---followed by Murray and Sly---moved into the kitchen. Bentley didn't seem to see Kitty standing there, and addressed Carmelita. "You about ready to leave yet?" he questioned, unwittingly showing his eagerness to see Yuri again to one and all. "I---" he then added, seemingly seeing Kitty for the first time, his mouth hanging open in surprise. "Inspector Petro? What are you doing here?" he asked, instantly suspicious.
"Oh, I don't know," Kitty replied with seeming nonchalance, looking at her short, unadorned fingernails. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd drop by and irritate you all…just for fun, you understand…" She grinned impishly at the now grumpy turtle.
"Fine. Just bloody onderful," Bentley grumped…thinking that Kitty's appearance would delay their leaving for C'est Sing. He turned to Carmelita impatiently. "Um, we do have an appointment, Carmelita. Hadn't you better…er, see your friend off then, hmm?" He jerked his chin in Kitty's direction.
"Not necessary, Bentley old boy," Carmelita told him, putting an arm around Kitty's shoulders, drawing her head close to her own. "'cause, we're going together, buddy boy."
"WHAT?" Bentley yelped, his glasses becoming askew. He quickly straightened them. "No way! There ain't no way, Carmelita…you know that! She's a cop…and there's no way Yuri's gonna let a cop into her office. C'mon…what are you thinkin'?"
"Relax," Carmelita advised him. "You're going to burst a blood vessel or something." She then leaned away from Kitty. "And, as to your assertion…look, Kitty's off-duty, okay? She just wants to have a look around at Madame Sing's clothing line. She's…um, she needs a new pair of dress pants. Isn't that right, Kitty?"
"Uh, um, yeah…yeah, sure…that's it," Kitty replied quickly, flicking her blue eyes to Carmelita's brown ones, trying to play along. "I heard this Yuri might just have the thing I'm looking for."
Bentley sighed, clearly worrying.
"Bentley," Kitty then said, moving over to put a hand on the turtle's shoulder. "I'm not in the habit of arresting people…just for the fun of it, you know." She then added a moment later. "There's that whole 'due process' thing that always seems to interfere with things like that…"
Bentley sighed again, but nodded grudgingly. "All right, fine! I give up. She can come. Let's move it, people," Bentley commanded, edgy to get on his…er, their way. "Yo, Murray…"
"Murray looked over at his friend, keys in hand. "Yeah?"
"To C'est Sing's…and step on it!" he commanded to the others.
Murray gave him a clownish salute, then chuckled, winking over at Carmelita, Sly, and Kitty, who bit back their laughter…not wanting to upset the very irritable Bentley anymore than he already was…
Fifteen minutes later, the tan panel van pulled up to a convenient parking spot just around the corner from C'est Sing. The four then made their way on foot to the front door of the swank establishment. They were greeted cordially by the pretty Naomi once they moved inside, and she in turn notified Madame Sing of her client's arrival.
Kitty frowned as they waited for Yuri, starting to get that all-too-familiar feeling she experienced nearly every time she entered some feminine shop or beauty parlor. "Hope this doesn't take too long," she muttered…more to herself than anything.
Carmelita noticed Kitty's frown, and looked her way. "Something the matter, Kitty? You doing okay, girl?" Carmelita asked, mildly concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Really," Kitty responded, waving away Carmelita's obvious concern with a wave of her hand. "It's just the tomboy in me surfacing again is all."
Carmelita grinned at that, understanding. While Kitty was a nice-looking young woman…she didn't really think of herself quite that way all of the time, she knew. There was a rough-and-tumble aspect of the blonde-haired vixen that no one would ever tame. Kitty then smiled, causing Carmelita to arch an eyebrow. "All right, what is it?" Carmelita asked.
Kitty's smile bloomed briefly, and she indicated Murray with a small, casual jerk of her chin. "Is it just me," Kitty pointed out to her. "Or, is Murray checking out that cute little cheetah number over there?"
Carmelita blinked, and shook her head, turning to glance Murray's way. The big hippo was indeed eyeing the tall svelte Naomi, well…briefly he did, before the big guy blushed and looked away before she could catch him at his game. Carmelita grinned, noticing that Ms. Naomi didn't necessarily mind the attention he was giving her. She turned to Kitty. "Hey, try to keep your urges under control, okay?" she reminded Kitty. "I brought you along for Bentley and Yuri…remember?"
"I remember, I remember," Kitty groused, grinning. "Say, now there's a gal with a figure that'll always get noticed," she mentioned to Carmelita, nudging her in the ribs softly with an elbow.
"Hush," Carmelita admonished softly. "That's Yuri Sing, kiddo." She then turned to her, giving her a hard look. "You be nice now. Don't go embarrassing me, Kitty Petro. You hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah," Kitty replied, nonplussed, smiling over at Yuri as she approached them. Kitty was impressed. Yuri was wearing a deep red dress, with golden trim, a dress that reminded her of a Japanese kimono in its style. She had her bright gold hair up, held in place with artfully arranged pair of black lacquered pins. Her exotic green-gold eyes appraised them all in turn. It was obvious that she knew Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita…but, her eyes became a bit wary when they met Kitty's.
"Ah, Ms. Fox…I see you have brought a friend along this time, no?" Yuri observed, a small smile on her lips.
"Yes," Carmelita answered quickly. "This is Ms. Kitty Petro, Yuri."
"At your service, Ma'am," Kitty said cleverly, reaching out to shake the hand Yuri offered her in greeting.
Yuri laughed softly. "Why thank you…Ms. Petro, I believe you said?" Yuri said smiling.
Kitty thought it odd that Yuri made such mention of her name more than once, but thought nothing of it. "Yep, that's me," she offered…before Carmelita silenced her by stepping pointedly upon her foot.
Yuri motioned to Naomi, who came over. "Oui, Madame?" Naomi asked, leaning her head over to listen to Yuri's whispered instructions. "At once, Madame Sing." Naomi left them then, heading into the back of the shop.
"Naomi will fetch us all some refreshments, yes?" Yuri informed them all, all smiles. "Now, please…come with me. We will be much more comfortable in my office, nes pas?"
Once inside, Yuri offered them all seats…either in individual armchairs, or the camel-colored couch. Naomi appeared moments later, bearing a silver tray with coffee, tea, and cookies. She moved over to whisper something to Yuri briefly, then bowed slightly to them all, and left once more.
Yuri seated herself behind her desk once more, breathtakingly graceful as always. "Now," Yuri began, resting her chin upon her steepled fingers. "Might I ask you a question, Ms. Fox?" she asked sweetly.
"Yes, of course," Carmelita replied easily.
"Might I inquire as to why you saw fit to invite a police Inspector into my place of business on this day of all days?" Yuri asked with uncharacteristic sternness.
"What? I don't---" Carmelita began, but Yuri brusquely cut her off.
Yuri sat staring at Carmelita a moment, then the door to her office opened to admit Naomi once more. Only now, Naomi held a compact submachine gun in her hands, and her eyes---normally friendly---were anything but right this moment. Naomi moved over to the far wall, holding the gun ready, but thankfully not pointed at anyone. "Now, explain…and explain quickly," she demanded, as Naomi cocked the machine pistol with a loud metallic clack.
Carmelita didn't speak immediately, her mind already plotting a course of action. She would lunge to the left, roll behind the cover of Yuri's desk, grab up a chair and toss it at Naomi, hopefully disabling---
Kitty could see Carmelita tense, and acted quickly. "Wait," she blurted out, holding up a hand, her other gripping Carmelita's arm. "Hey, look…yes, I'm a cop. But, I'm not your usual cop, Ms. Sing."
Yuri was patient, but still unconvinced. "Ah, I see. Do go on, Ms. Petro," she said, her expression very neutral still.
"How did you find out?" Carmelita interrupted. "About Kitty I mean?"
"Quite simple, cheri," Yuri answered, a thin smile on her face. "You see…when I created that outfit for you, I always try to get a feel for who it is I am making it for. To do this, I began an investigation on you, Ms. Fox. As a part of my investigation, I hacked my way on to Interpol´s website."
Kitty shook her head, and frowned.
"Quite illegal, I know, but very---shall we say---illuminating? Yes, I reviewed your files, your case history, and I also noticed that your last partner just happened to be a vixen of the name of Kitty Petro," Yuri explained. "You can imagine my surprise when I see a vixen enter my shop, then find her name is Kitty Petro…and she's in the company of one Carmelita Fox."
"But, Yuri---" Carmelita began, only to be cut off again.
"Now," Yuri interrupted. "I may be overreacting just a bit, I know. But, I've always found it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission." She then looked over at a strangely calm Kitty, and prompted her to continue. "Now, you were saying, dear?"
"Yes," Kitty began again, casting Carmelita an encouraging look. "I went to work at Interpol with the intention of preventing innocents from being harmed or taken advantage of. Now, that means I do arrest criminals…it's my job, Ma'am. However," Kitty said, making sure to emphasize what she was about to say. "My foremost goal is always to prevent harm to the hard-working citizens of the world. Now, if there's someone---or some organization, say---that's trying to achieve that same goal…I find myself turning a blind eye their way. Why would I want to arrest people who are---like myself---protecting innocent citizens?"
"Interesting, Ms. Petro," Yuri observed, intrigued. "Please continue."
Kitty nodded. "I mean, that's the reason why I've been doing what I can to help the Cooper Gang, providing them with the data and communications they need from inside Interpol when they need it. That's because, at least as far as I'm concerned, they're just modern day Robin Hoods---and now, Maid Marion too."
"Most sensible," Yuri complimented her, beckoning the gun-toting Naomi that her assistance was no longer needed. She slipped her machine pistol beneath the shawl draped over her slender shoulders, out of sight, then bowed and quietly left the room.
Kitty grinned. "I like to think so," she replied. "And, just as long as what you're doing won't harm innocent citizens, Ms. Sing, then I'm more than willing to allow you to go about your business unhindered. Look…I'm just here because Carmelita invited me along…and it sounded like something I might find interesting. Nothing more, nothing less."
Yuri smiled, clapped her hands happily, and laughed. "Tres manufique, Mademoiselle Inspector," she complimented her. "You have my respect. It cannot be an easy role…that which you play, Ms. Petro. I must also commend you…you spoke in your own defense quite handsomely, my dear."
"Thanks, I try," Kitty said, humble as always.
Yuri chuckled. "So much like Monsieur Cooper, this one is, yes?" She then reached over to softly pat Carmelita's hand in apology. "I do apologize for that unpleasantness, cheri…but, a girl can never be too careful, yes?"
Carmelita patted Yuri's hand in understanding. "No offense taken, Yuri. I'd of probably done the same in your place…back when I worked for Interpol," Carmelita admitted with a wry smile. "Actually, when you come right down to it, it was all thanks to Kitty here that I managed to even find Sly and his Gang. Kitty knew just where their hideout would most likely be. She has faithfully kept their secret since, and like you said, she risks her job at Interpol each and every day because of it. However, she still does so because she knows that it's the right thing to do."
"Enough said on the matter, my dears," Yuri proclaimed then. "Now, to the matter at hand, I should think." She moved over to her cabinets, opened one, and removed the very same turquoise plastic bag she had placed Carmelita's jacket and weapon in before. She took it out, opened it, and gently---almost reverently---removed Carmelita's revised jacket. She then looked up, smiling, to see Carmelita pull out her other cane. "Ah, I see you have brought the other cane as well as the rest of your outfit. Very clever of you, cheri," she said, looking over to the bag that Carmelita carried. "Now, if you would be so kind as to change, we shall see how the magnificent your altered jacket now fits, and whether or not it still suits the entire ensemble."
Carmelita nodded, hefted her bag, and dashed off to change.
As they waited, Kitty flicked her glance---as often as she could---over to both Yuri and Bentley. Well, she thought with a mental grin, our Bentley was absolutely in love with this beautiful woman, no doubt about it! She then glanced over clandestinely to Yuri, smiling as she saw that Carmelita's 'gut' feeling was one hundred percent correct.
While Kitty could see that Yuri was charmed by Bentley's more than obvious affection towards herself, she could also see the reservation in the socialite's amazing green-gold eyes. Undoubtedly, or at least Kitty thought, Yuri was warring with herself internally…her desires versus her responsibilities. After all, Yuri Sing had been brought up in the Parisian upper-class…where one's breeding was everything. How could she, the heir of modern day nobility, have any feelings toward some orphan with no family whatsoever?
However, Kitty could see that Yuri also was lonely. Yes, lonely…even though she was charming, urbane, and drop-dead gorgeous. Now, add to that the fact that Yuri was working on the other side of the law, and well…it was obvious. Or, at least to Kitty it was. Yuri was charmed, and very pleased to receive something very real for a change. Bentley's affection for her was just that…real. Not contrived to curry her favor. Not venial, or justs to be polite in public. No, his feelings for her were very genuine…and that fact itself, endeared the admittedly geeky turtle fellow to her. More than she probably would ever admit too, Kitty reasoned. Yep, it's official…those two should definitely be a pair.
"This is going to be way too much fun," Kitty murmured to herself, grinning as Yuri and Bentley exchanged very pointed, but very brief glances when they thought no one was looking.