"What's wrong?" Cruella questions without looking up from her latest sketch. She had another show coming up and you know what they say about no rest for the Wicked.

"You need to see this." Jasper says crossing the room in three long strides to thrust the morning papers in front of the distracted designer.

From the small dog pile in the corner of the room all supposably engrossed in the low volumed tv Buddy, as well as all three of the dozing dalmatians, look over at one when Cruella's pencil clatters to the floor as her hands curl around the edge of the offered paper.

"She escaped?" the dual hair colored woman gapes at the headline splashed across the front page.

"Seems so." Jasper nodes dragging a chair toward the fashion designer's table to sit down in the chair backward. "So how we gonna handle this?" he probes as Cruella continues scanning the article with increasingly narrowed eyes.

"Considering she's sworn up and down to anyone in London that would listen that she'd get even with me when she got free?" Ella reminds dryly "right now all we can do is wait and see what her next move will be." She decides pushing the paper away and rolling out the cramp in her wrist from holding her drawing pencil a little too long for so early in the morning.

"Wait this out? Really, Stel?" Jasper scoffed jabbing a finger toward the paper.

"What else can we do Jaz?" Ella growled running a hand through her dual-colored hair. "The woman only broke out of prison yesterday and considering how we destroyed her reputation she'll need to go into hiding first let the heat die down before she makes her move." She reminds picking up her pencil again.

"She's already had three years to get something moving and this could only be the start of-" Jasper argues but a hard knock on the door stalled their back and forth.

"Apologies Mama," John says his head bowed a moment as he steps into the room "but there is an officer from Scotland yard waiting to speak with you."

Buddy as well as the spotted trio on the sofa all began growling in warning when the mentioned officer pushed his way into the room.

"Miss Cruella." He nodes eyeing the growling pack in the corner warily as he crosses the room.

"Officer." Cruella nodes back standing up from her worktable waving off the four attempting to leave their chosen spot in front of the tv. "What seem to be the trouble?" she probes as a funny little jingle for a new dog food started up from the still playing tv. Something about K9 crunchies or something Cruella noticed making a mental note to ask Jon to pick up a bag or three for the dogs next time he went to the market.

"I'm assuming you've read the evening papers?" the officer questions spotting the headline still resting on top of Cruella's latest batch of designs.

"Humm yes I've just been told of the escape." Cruella nodes

"No miss I'm here about the puppies that were stolen from the Regence Park area early this evening."

"Regence Park, you say?" Cruella repeats. Last she'd heard Anita and her new husband Roger Radcliffe had moved into a cozy flat in that very area.

"Yes, Miss. And given your…" he stopped clearing his throat as his eyes flicker back to the trio now moving as one toward them with collectively determined steps.

"That offal business about my killing innocent animals in the name of fashion?" Cruella finishes for him.

The officer nods "Erm yes, Miss." He agrees

"Jasper, darling would you be a dear and take them for a walk around the grounds?" Cruella offers when the dog's untrusting growls reached an even louder rumbling. "They seem to have some pent-up energies that need expelling."

"I don't think they'll want to come." Jasper determines noticing the wrath-like way the spotted trio was now entangled around the legs of the rising star of a fashion designer. Buddy pressing in closest of all to his mistress.

"John." Cruella asks her eyes flickering behind the officer to the man still standing quietly by the door.

"Of course, Miss DeVille." He nodes with an amused smile at the show of loyalty the dogs showed the woman who most of London still assumed had used their skins for a dress.

it takes not only them but also a called-in Horace to finally persuade the fur pack to leave the room.

"Why would I want to steal puppies when I already have four of my own?" Cruella questions brushing away a few stray bits of dog fur from her sleek black pants (designed by herself of course) as she gestures for the police detective to have a seat on one of the comfier chairs her studio offered.

"Considering that new song centering around your name released to the public last month…."

"A rather catchy tune I must say." Cruella chuckles

"There are some who say it was you who stole the Radcliff's litter in retaliation over his lyrical choices."

"You're saying the puppies that we stollen belonged to Anita and Roger Radcliffe?" Cruella clarifies her eyes widened in shock before she was shaking her head in defiance "Anita Radcliffe is an old school friend of mine. I was the one that helped design her wedding dress." She offers up.

"That doesn't take away the fact the public already thinks of you as a dog murder so a case of dog napping wouldn't be out of character." The detective reminds.

"Oh, she is diabolical." Cruella chuckles as the pieces click into place in her mind.

"What's that?"

"Baroness von Hellman." She answers, "she cooked this up as her revenge before her escape from prison."

"Why would she do a thing like that just because you eclipsed her as London's leading fashion designer?" the officer probes pilling out a small notebook from his jacket and taking out a pen.

Cruella shakes her head "She was put in prison for murdering a dear friend of mine."

"Oh yeah, her young assistant, Estella wasn't it." The detective nodes looking up from his notes. "I remember the case."

"Yes, well as she was being taken away the Baroness swore revenge. This must be it." She sighs

"But until we can be sure I'm afraid we're going to have to arrest you for the dognapping charges."

Cruella lets out a long breathe at that. All her instances telling her to run. To fight. To flee. "Do what you must, officer." She whispers standing up with her hands already placed behind her back. She spots a confused Horace and Jasper watching the scene from the still open doorway but gives them both a small shake of her head in a quiet plea for them to stay out of it for the time being.

"We will look into this von Hellman link you've offered." The officer promises shifting the handcuffs from his belt. "But considering she's now on the run it will be tricky."

"That's all I ask." Cruella nodes as the cold metal links around her wrists.

"Ella, I told them you weren't involved. They wouldn't listen." Anita sobs heartbroken at seeing her friend being led away in handcuffs as she leaves her car running behind her as she hurries to the opened back of the police car. "I'm so sorry."

"What matters is you know it, Darling." Cruella promises with a kind smile in her friend's direction. How she wished she could give her crying friend a hug. Not very Cruella like but there were some sparks of Estella still left in her.

A high barking draws everyone's gaze back toward the open front door but it's Jasper's quick reflexes that catch the hurrying dog before Buddy had clearing where the taller man was standing.

"Buddy stop," Cruella calls out over the butterscotch dog's upset barks. John along with the equally upset Dalmatian joined them a few moments later around the side of the back curve of the castle grounds. The black and white spotted dogs now strained against their leashes to follow when Buddy bites down hard on Jasper's hand enough to draw blood in his struggle to get out of the man's grip.

Cruella kneels when her clever dog weaves between the snatching hands to skid to a stop at her side.

"Buddy listen to me," Stella whispers close to tears at the animal's upset. "You have to look after them for me alright?" she asks as Buddy whines and makes another jumped attempt to cover her makeup-less face with kisses. "Look after them until I come back." She whispers against his ear at the rough tug on the chain of the handcuffs pulling her back to her feet.

This time it wasn't Buddy that takes off after her when the rumbling police car with Cruella secured in the back pulled away but the three Dalmatians she'd once been accused of murdering. Each of the three howling mournfully after her as the car speeds up on the way to the main gate.

She spots Buddy watching from Anita's arms with Horace and Wink flanking her. John and Jasper already disappeared back into the house to tend to Jasper's hand.