A Curious Cat:
"He has something to do with this," Bageera said. "I know it. He has something to do with this. I can feel it."
"You're angry at him," Jazz said.
"What was your first clue?" Bageera snapped.
"You know you can't think as well about someone you're mad at."
"What?" Bageera asked. "You think he's clean? You think he hasn't got a paw in this?"
"No," Jazz said. "I'm just saying that when you get mad, you can start imagining feelings like this one.
"Is that what you sensed?" Bageera asked. "Did you sense that he was telling the truth?"
"He was terrified," Jazz said. "Such emotion throws me off. But yes. There is a chance that Mungojerrie is as innocent as he claims."
"He isn't innocent!" Bageera shouted, coming to a stop. "You were there! You know what he did!" He began to pace.
"No," Bageera said. "No. He has something to do with this. I know it." When he passed an old can, he hit it as hard as he could. "How could I have been so stupid? How could I have missed it? How could I have let him slip under my radar?"
"It's not your fault," Jazz said, knowing her words were wasted. "He fooled us all."
"But it was my duty to find out!" Bageera bellowed. "I failed!"
He fell back against an old book. Jazz came up next to him and put her arm around him, holding him close. It was an odd sight, him being so much bigger than her.
"Come on," she said in her kitten voice. "Let's find this Mistoffelees and see what he has to say."
Bageera held Jazz close to him, breathing heavily of her scent, trying to control his rage. It was times like this he was most dangerous.
"You're right," Bageera said. "You're right. I can't function right when I'm angry." He looked at Jazz's clear blue eyes. "Come on," he said. "Let's go. We won't find Macavity just standing around here."
Jazz nodded and followed Bageera, relieved that they could back to business.
xxx
Still unable to locate the magician's den, Jazz and Bageera began asking the Jellicles they came across. And once again, their stories were all the same. He had selected a new den after revealing himself as Mistoffelees. No one knew where the new den was except for the Rum Tum of the tribe, a tom named Tugger. Not surprising, since the Rum Tum of a Jellicle tribe was supposed to know and monitor new members for a while to make sure they were getting along okay. Tugger was supposed to be easy to find. Just follow the sound of swooning kittens.
And so they did.
At the end of the trail was a Jellicle that acted like a regular Casanova. He was surrounded by kitten queens, including the shy little Jemima. His main was fluffed out for maximum effect and he was thrusting his hips at top speed, it seemed. It felt almost too good to break it up.
"Excuse me," Jazz said as they approached the flashing tom.
Tugger looked around and made eye contact with Jazz first, then moved on to Bageera before darting back to Jazz. Perhaps it was because he was still brooding over Mungojerrie or perhaps it was because he was just imagining it. But once Tugger saw the two detectives, Bageera thought he saw the tom's smiles flicker to a snarl of recognition and back again in half a blink.
"And what can I do for you?" he asked.
"I'm Jazz," Jazz said. "This is my partner Bageera. We would like to ask you a few questions."
"Oh?" Tugger asked. "What about?"
"Mainly about last night," Jazz said.
"Mainly?" Tugger asked.
"It may lead elsewhere."
"I see."
Bageera didn't say anything. He was too busy studying the tom before him. He moved with a grace becoming of a charmer.
But there was something about him that Bageera seemed to recognize. His walk, the way he held himself, certain curvatures of his face all looked vaguely familiar. He might have seen the Tugger before while questioning the other Jellicles. But if that were the case, they would have questioned him then.
"You're Munkustrap's brother, right?" Bageera asked.
"And how did you know that?" Tugger asked.
"An eye for details," he answered. "Younger, I would assume."
Tugger gave him a smile with an unusual amount of smugness.
"No," he said. "I'm several years older than Munkustrap."
"Really?" Bageera said, frowning. "Odd."
"Why's that?"
"Well," Bageera said, "it's just that the oldest child is usually made Protector, not the Rum Tum."
An emotion flittered across Tugger's eyes. Bageera couldn't place it, but he didn't like it. It seemed dark, hateful. It almost made Bageera shudder.
"Can you tell us what you remember seeing last night during the fight?" Jazz asked, getting back to the point.
"Certainly," Tugger said, flicking his tail at a nearby kitten. She swooned again.
"I was near the back, giving Skimbleshanks the spotlight for a change. The poor old tom hardly gets any attention anymore; I thought I'd give him a chance. At the end of his recognition, Macavity struck and took Old Deuteronomy. Demeter and Bombalurina were trying to herd the kittens to safety when he came back and tried to take Demeter. Naturally, Munkustrap stepped in and fought him off with Alonzo's help. I went to go find Mistoffelees, knowing we might need his help. Macavity's a tough Jellicle and shouldn't be taken lightly. But when I got back, it was too late. Macavity was already gone. Fortunately, Mistoffelees was able to get Father back."
"I see," Jazz said.
"Wait a minute," Bageera said. "You knew who Mistoffelees was before he revealed himself?"
Tugger smiled at Bageera for a few seconds before answering. "Yes. I had known for awhile. Being the Rum Tum, it was my duty to watch Quaxo. I quickly discovered who he really was. But, because I was the one who sponsored him as Quaxo, I didn't say anything. Since Father had already rejected Mistoffelees, I was afraid my sponsoring him as Quaxo would anger Father. And so far, Mistoffelees hadn't done any damage as Quaxo, so I figured why disturb the peace?"
Bageera frowned, digesting this new information.
"So you went for Mistoffelees as soon as the fighting started?" he asked.
"Pretty much," Tugger said.
"Then when did you get injured?"
"Injured?" Tugger asked. "Who said I was injured?"
"The way you walk," Bageera answered. "You're favoring your left side and limping as if you got a bad scratch there." Tugger just looked at Bageera for a few seconds. "An eye for detail," Bageera repeated.
"Yes," Tugger said, reluctantly. "I was returning with Mistoffelees when we ran into Macavity. I did the only respectable thing and tried to stop him. But Macavity is a tough Jellicle. He got a lucky shot and took off."
The fawning kittens mewed in worriment as Tugger spoke, rubbing against his legs, trying to comfort him.
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Jazz asked.
"I didn't see the point, honestly," Tugger said. "I didn't stop him, and I'm not hurt that badly."
"So Mistoffelees will verify this account," Bageera said.
"Why would it need to be verified?" Tugger asked.
"We just don't like hearsay," Bageera said. "Makes for sloppy evidence."
"I see."
"Let me ask you this," Bageera said, switching gears. "What do you know about Mungojerrie?"
Tugger was silent, looking at Bageera with curiosity. Bageera couldn't tell what he was thinking, but eventually, he answered.
"He used to work for Macavity," Tugger said. "But ever since he moved back here with his sister, he's been clean." He let out a chuckle. "Well, as clean as that notorious couple can be. I've made sure of that in my duties."
"Do you know what things he has done?" There was a slight blaze burning in Bageera's eyes as he thought back to what he knew Mungojerrie had done.
There was another pause. "They keep to themselves mostly. And father refuses to talk about it."
"Okay," Jazz said, interrupting Bageera before he could ask more. "Thank you for your time."
"No problem," Tugger said.
"One more thing," Bageera said, stopping Tugger as he turned away. "Could you tell us where we can find Mistoffelees?"
Tugger raised an eyebrow at the question. He was silent for a while before finally saying, "His new den is in a tipped over dishwasher on the east side of the 'yard. It's got a black door and resting with a bunch of old tires. You can't miss it."
"Thank you," Bageera said.
Tugger nodded and returned to the kittens.
xxx
"I don't like him," Bageera said as they made their way to the east of the junkyard.
"The Rum Tum?"
"Mungojerrie."
"I thought we were past that," Jazz said, exasperatedly.
"He's still alive, isn't he?" Bageera asked, cracking his knuckles.
"You can't just ask everyone we run into about Mungojerrie," Jazz said.
"Why not?"
"We have to remain unbiased if we are going to do our jobs," Jazz said. "If you keep asking about Mungojerrie, Jellicles will think you're blaming him simply for his past wrongs."
"I am, though," Bageera said.
"What about The Rum Tum Tugger?" Jazz asked, getting back to the case.
"I don't know," Bageera said. "He's a bit over dramatic, a little arrogant and incredibly vain. I think his biggest concern is keeping that mane of his clean and proper. And showing off to the kittens like he was. It's hard to see that as anything other than self-serving. He cares a lot about his reputation."
"No harm in that," Jazz pointed out. "Good reputations are fragile things."
Bageera let out a sigh. "And once they're broken, they're damn near impossible to put back together."
"My point exactly."
Neither mentioned it, but they were both thinking of Mungojerrie. Bageera let out another sigh.
"If it makes you feel better," Jazz said, "he was keeping something from us."
Bageera frowned. "How do you know that?"
"You have an eye for detail," Jazz said. "I have a nose for the truth."
xxx
Please review and return for chapter 5.