Chapter 6 Mystery Solved

The two Koopalings found themselves in the town of Generica. Lemmy was moving at a snail's pace, gripping his bubble pipe in between his teeth like a toothpick. Ludwig had spent a good majority of the time that they had been walking trying to talk some sense into him. Unfortunately, every ounce of effort he had put in was pointless; his little brother just would not listen. By the time they entered Generica, he had pretty much given up.

That is, until he saw that people were staring at them. Some of the town's denizens whispered amongst themselves with confused and even amused looks on their faces as they watched the two Koopalings walk past. Ludwig felt a creeping sensation spider walk up his spine as he and Lemmy continued on their mission.

"Lemmy…"

"Shellock, Watson, Shellock," Lemmy said. He took another puff of the bubble pipe. The bubbles sprayed throughout the air, landing on the roofs of the colorless houses. "It is rude to constantly get someone's name wrong."

That sentence was so saturated with irony that it got a snort out of Ludwig, but Lemmy didn't even notice. He just continued on, his steps stiff. Ludwig looked around and felt his stomach squirm when he saw more people staring at them. He pulled the hood of his cloak up.

Finally, the two of them got to a white house with gray shutters. Lemmy picked up the pace, and Ludwig did as well. Lemmy must have decided that this house was the one he was looking for. Ludwig's guess was proven correct when he saw Lemmy lean in front of the fence and wipe some dust off of the numbers etched into the wood. He turned to Ludwig with a mellow grin.

"This is it." He turned toward the house, staring at it like a cat would stare at its water dish. The calmness he was displaying was unnerving to Ludwig. The two of them approached the door.

"Shellock, how do you even know that this is the right place?"

Lemmy snickered.

"Because the internet said it is! And everyone knows that the internet is always right."

Ludwig felt like facepalming. He was doing his best not to cringe; really he was. But this...this was just unbearable. He let out a breath as Lemmy rang the doorbell. He kept shifting his gaze from his brother to the door, unsure of what to do. When Rosetta came to the door, he was honestly shocked.

"Oh, hello!" Rosetta said. "Who are you?"

"Who? us?" Lemmy asked. He chuckled smugly. "We're…"

"Leaving! That's what we are; leaving!" Ludwig interrupted. He grabbed hold of Lemmy's hand. "Come on, Mr. Sleuth, let's get out of here."

Lemmy jerked his hand away and cast Ludwig a glare saturated with toxicity.

"Watson, please!" he hissed. He turned back to Rosetta, putting on a smile that was as sweet as a marshmallow. "Mrs. Buttocks, I am Shellock Holmes, the most incredible detective in the World!"

Rosetta gushed at Lemmy, putting her hands to her cheeks as if they were about to fall off.

"Aww, you're so cute!" She looked confused. "But Halloween isn't for another two months."

Lemmy burst into laughter that sounded like a donkey braying.

"Hahaha, Halloween!" His face fell back into seriousness. "Seriously, Mrs. Buttocks, this is no laughing matter. You have been missing for the past ten years. I must return you to your parents."

Lemmy took hold of Rosetta's hand, trying to pull her along. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't willing to do so. In fact, this display just made her look even more confused.

"I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. I've been living here for the past seventeen years with my husband and kids."

Just as she said that, a male voice called out from inside the house.

"Rosetta, what's going on?" Lemmy stopped pulling on Rosetta's hand and stared with determination into the house. His eyebrows scrunched up like wrinkled paper.

"Of course. The kidnappers."

With that, he barged into the house. Ludwig looked at the confused Rosetta Buttocks, feeling extremely bad for her. To think that she had just been living a normal life, only for it to be interrupted so abruptly by "the most incredible detective in the world." He smiled sheepishly and folded his hands.

"I am so sorry about this, Mrs. Buttocks. He has been acting very oddly for the past few hours and I have no idea why."

Rosetta was about to respond, but was cut off by screaming before she got the chance to. Ludwig looked into the house and saw Lemmy interacting with a burly, mustached Koopa sitting in a leather recliner. Ludwig assumed that this was Rosetta's husband. The two of them entered the house.

"What do you mean I kidnapped Rosetta and forced her to marry me?" The Koopa said with a heated, incredulous expression and inflection. "Rosetta loves me! She tells me that everyday!"

"Ah ha!" Lemmy exclaimed. "It's Stockholm Syndrome then! A classic case if I've ever seen one!" Lemmy took another puff of the bubble pipe. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "I must search the house."

"Woah woah, what?" Rosetta exclaimed.

"You aren't searching anything, you freak!" said the husband. He stood up, allowing Ludwig to see how tall he actually was. Ludwig glanced at Lemmy and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Shellock," he said through gritted teeth and fear. Lemmy looked at him.

"What is it, Watson?"

"Don't you think you're taking this whole detective thing a little too far?"

Lemmy started to muse over this. He looked at Rosetta. Then he looked up at Rosetta's husband, who was seething. He chuckled.

"Watson, please! To think that a beautiful lady such as Rosetta would marry someone like this is laughable at best! He obviously kidnapped her!"

"Why you little…"

Rosetta's husband grabbed Lemmy by the forearms. He gritted his teeth, a vein in his forehead started to pop as he stared at the Koopaling with heat in his eyes. Lemmy gulped.

"Uh oh," he said in his normal voice.

With that, Rosetta's husband threw Lemmy across the room. Rosetta gasped and ran over in concern and fright.

"Earl!"

"How dare you say stuff like that about me!" Earl cried. He aimed a fist the size of Roy's head at Lemmy's face. Lemmy stared up with a frightened look. His eyes were as big as bowling balls, he was shaking like a bowl of jello. That was when Ludwig decided he had enough.

"Stop!" he cried. He aimed a flaming blue fireball at the wall, less than a foot away from Earl. The couple turned and gawked when they saw that Ludwig's hand was covered in blue flames. Ludwig sighed and allowed the flames to extinguish.

"I am terribly sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Buttocks. Truly I am." He walked up and offered the shaken Lemmy his hand. Lemmy slowly took it, allowing himself to stand up. He turned toward the couple. "We will leave you be from now on."

"Why...yes...yes of course," Rosetta said, her voice trembling. Ludwig felt a pang and reached into his hammerspace.

"Here." He tossed her a bag full of money. "Use this to buy you and your kids something nice." He then quickly dragged Lemmy out of the house. Once they got a good distance away, Ludwig looked down at Lemmy.

"Are you okay, Lems?" he asked. Lemmy was breathing in and out at a fast pace, his eyes still wide. Thankfully, his breathing rate started to slow, his eyes shrank back to their normal size.

"Yes. Yes I'm fine." He looked up at Ludwig. "Do you want to know why?"

"Why is that?"

A grin spread across Lemmy's face. When he spoke, he used his Shellock voice again.

"Because I just solved the mystery." He stood up and took another puff from his bubble pipe. "All in a day's work for Shellock Holmes."