Aha! I managed to write a longer chapter for this story! I am so proud of my accomplishment! Enjoy the chapter! :)
It was 10 A.M. when Bugs and Daffy started driving to the abandoned mansion in Beverage Hills. The traffic was light, and everything was peaceful.
"I'm glad we're out of that creepy parking lot, right Daff?" Bugs glanced at his fellow detective for a second before focusing back on the road.
"Yeah, it was strangely quiet, too. What that parking lot needs is a complete makeover!" Daffy responded. The car cruised past various shops and supermarkets, then came to a stop at a red light.
"So, what exactly does Fat Boy want us to investigate?" The duck questioned.
"I guess anything suspicious." Bugs replied.
"Do you think we'll run into. . . criminals?" Daffy asked, sounding slightly concerned.
"Maybe. You're not scared, are you?" Bugs's partner puffed out his chest.
"Me? The bravest detective in the history of the Acme Detective Agency? Don't be silly!" The light turned green and Bugs continued driving; when he wasn't looking, Daffy trembled slightly.
Bugs turned down a side street which led them directly to the mansion. They pulled up in front and stared at it. Although it was a bright and sunny day, the sky above the abandoned mansion was dark and gloomy. A huge clap of thunder sounded and a couple of lightning bolts streaked across the patch of gloomy sky.
"Well, this is it." Bugs said. He looked over at Daffy, who seemed to be hiding behind the car door. The bunny quietly got out of the car and snuck around to where Daffy was. He placed his chin on the door and waited for him to look. The duck did and screamed.
"AHH! Don't do that!" Bugs was laughing as he opened the door so his partner could get out.
"Alright, I'm sorry." He apologized, smiling. They walked up the cracked sidewalk to the front door. Daffy reached for the doorbell.
"Umm. . . I don't think anyone's going to answer, doc. It's supposed to be abandoned, remember?"
"Oh, right. I knew that." Daffy replied sheepishly. Bugs shook his head and rolled his eyes. He tried the doorknob, but the door wouldn't budge.
"Here, I'll break the door down. Stand back, Bugs!" Daffy took a few steps back until he was at the edge of the porch. Then he charged, eyes closed, to the front door.
Unfortunately, he missed it completely and smashed through a window just inches away. Bugs carefully stepped around the shards of broken glass and peeked inside. Daffy was lying on the ground, still dazed from the impact.
"What is it with you and windows?"
"Oh, quiet! I got in, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but can you please open the door now? I'd like to come in through the actual entrance." Daffy got up and unlocked the door for his partner. Bugs avoided the glass on the porch as he came in and examined the inside of the mansion more closely. There were cobwebs everywhere, dusty furniture, and faded walls with the wooden support beams exposed in some places.
"Let's check the living room first." Bugs suggested. The room looked like the same as the entrance of the house and was only a few steps away from the front door. Daffy pulled out a magnifying glass and started meticulously checking everything for fingerprints and other clues.
"Aha!" He exclaimed.
"What is it, Daffy?"
"Look! This chair doesn't have a speck of dust on it! That means that somebody's been here recently!"
"Good work! But if someone has been here, we should try to be quiet - they might still be here." Bugs said. Daffy covered his bill with his hand.
"Good point. Let's check out the other rooms." The duck whispered. They decided to investigate the kitchen next. Everything in there looked old and run down, too, but the detectives found more evidence of somebody being there. Daffy approached the refrigerator and used a hankerchief to open it, in order to preserve any fingerprints.
"Hey! The icebox is full of food! Someone must be staying here!" The detective commented.
"Hmm. . . There's also dirty dishes in the sink." Bugs pointed to stacks of used dishes.
"I wonder what else we'll find here?" Daffy asked aloud.
"Maybe we'll discover more clues upstairs." They left the kitchen and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Unlike downstairs, this area of the mansion looked fresh and new; it was still creepy and dark, but no cobwebs lined the walls and the paint appeared unfaded.
"This looks a lot different from the kitchen and living room." Bugs observed. Daffy noticed a light coming from one of the bedrooms and tip-toed to the door. The hare followed. Daffy kneeled down and peeked through the keyhole.
"Can you see anything?" Bugs whispered.
"Yeah. There's some lamps, a couple of chairs, a fireplace, a rug-"
"Anything else?"
"Hmm. . . Wait, there's somebody sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace!"
"Who?"
"I can't tell - the chair's back is too high. I can only see their hand." At that moment, a voice came from inside. It was a man's voice, medium in tone, with a tough-sounding accent.
"Hey, did you take care of the items in the basement?" Another voice answered; it was also male, but his voice was slightly higher in tone and didn't sound very bright.
"Yes, boss."
"Good." Bugs and Daffy leaned away from the door and looked at each other.
"The basement? Something's not right; let's go and investigate!" The rabbit said. He and his partner headed downstairs. Meanwhile in the bedroom, one of the men was having second thoughts.
"Are you sure you took care of it?"
"Yeah, boss!"
"Well, go check it again."
"Okay, boss."
Hmm. . . What could be in the basement? Will Bugs and Daffy get caught? Who were the two guys in the bedroom? D: You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! :) The next chapter has some action, so read on!