Chapter 8: Enigma No More

Munkustrap and Bageera swung by and picked up Jazz. She was still groggy but managed to get it together rather quickly. On the way to Mistoffelees' old den, Bageera filled in Jazz. She was less than happy.

"I told you from the beginning that we weren't supposed to tell them our true reasons for coming."

"No," Bageera corrected her. "When I asked what we were going to tell them, you said the truth."

Jazz thought back and swore as she realized he was right.

"Do you have to remember everything?" she asked.

"Yes." Bageera sped up to walk beside Munkustrap. "How much further?"

"Not far," Munkustrap said. "Why do you want to look at his old den? You don't think he had something to do with this, too, do you?"

"If I'm right about Mungojerrie," Bageera said, "then yes. He might."

"But why is he even being considered a suspect?"

Bageera smiled inwardly. This was the question he was hoping for.

"Tell me," he said. "How many Jellicles know Mistoffelees is Grimalkin?"

Munkustrap stopped dead in his tracks.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I have my ways," Bageera said.

Munkustrap thought this over for a few moments.

"Father only told me and Alonzo," he finally said. "He instructed us not to tell anyone else."

"And you didn't?" Bageera asked.

"No," Munkustrap said. "Tugger found out and mentioned it to me, but he would never tell anyone."

"Would Alonzo?" Bageera asked.

"No." Munkustrap began to walk again. "Who else have you told?"

"We haven't told anyone, though Mungojerrie knows."

"What?" Munkustrap asked. "How? When?"

"Shortly before Quaxo was accepted. He said he overheard you talking to the Tugger about it."

Munkustrap swore. "Did he-"

"He said he only told Rumpelteazer," Bageera said. "And she said she didn't tell anyone. I believe them, but you might want to check for yourself anyway."

"Right. Here we are," Munkustrap said when they reached an old dishwasher with a black door.

"He has a thing for black dishwashers, I guess," Bageera said.

"We all have our preference," Munkustrap said. "I can't imagine living anywhere but in a cupboard, myself."

Bageera nodded, though in all honesty, because of all his wanderings with Jazz, he could never be so picky. Munkustrap took his leave. Once they were alone, Bageera opened the door and entered. Jazz was right behind him.

xxx

"Now will you tell me what we're looking for?" she asked.

Bageera ignored her, looking in different places. The good thing about dishwasher dens was there was only one room to search. The bad thing was that it usually had trays and such that could hide things. This one was no exception.

Bageera climbed up on these trays and began to rifle through the different fabrics and padding and such that the magician had left behind. He picked up pieces, searched through them and tossed them to the floor where Jazz just looked at them.

"You know," she said, "if you told me what you were looking for, I might just be able to help."

Bageera climbed up to the top tray and pulled away a blanket that was over a pillow. He smiled as he found what he was looking for.

"Come up here," Bageera said.

Jazz sighed and climbed up next to Bageera. He was looking at an odd sitting area. There were pillows and blankets set up as if this were supposed to be a private sitting area. It was covered in fur as if it had regular visits.

"He forgot this," Bageera said.

Jazz looked at the sitting area. The fur was of varying lengths and colors. The dominant colors were black and white with some yellowish-brown mixed in.

"So?" she asked. "What does it mean?"

"Remember I said someone had visited Mistoffelees before us?" Bageera asked.

"Yeah."

"He left this behind?"

Bageera reached for his collar and pulled a strand of fur from it. He had wrapped it around the collar at some point Jazz didn't know.

"This came from that Jellicle."

"I'll take your word for it," Jazz said.

"Good." Bageera plucked a strand from a nearby pillow. "This is a perfect match."

Jazz took the two strands and looked at them. They weren't the exact same length, but they were close. They were also the same yellowish-brown. She didn't need Bageera to tell her they were from the same Jellicle.

"Okay," she said. "They're the same. So what?"

"This is a private meeting place not meant to be seen by others," Bageera said. "Mistoffelees met here with the same Jellicle who visited him before us yesterday. They met often. But they didn't want the others to know about it."

"Slow down," Jazz said. "I don't follow you."

Bageera took a breath, trying to focus his disheveled thoughts.

"Let me see if get this right," he said. "Mistoffelees was sponsored by Grizabella. He came to the junkyard and did his show and was rejected. Old Deuteronomy had said he was too dangerous, but he really didn't trust a Grimalkin. He only tells Munkustrap and Alonzo, his protectors. Tugger, as the Rum Tum, finds out and talks to Munkustrap about it. Mungojerrie over hears this and tells Rumpelteazer. So those we know who know what Mistoffelees is are: himself; Old D; Munkustrap; Tugger; Alonzo; Rumpelteazer; and Mungojerrie."

"Right," Jazz said.

"Then, a while later, Quaxo shows up, sponsored by the Rum Tum Tugger. He was accepted and lived happily here," he said, indicating the dishwasher. "Spending a considerable amount of time up here with this Jellicle." He held up the fur, indicating the Jellicle who it belongs to.

"We don't know that for sure, but go ahead."

"Then comes the Ball. During the recognitions, Quaxo realizes he forgets something. He comes here to look for it. While he's gone, Macavity strikes. The Rum Tum, Quaxo's sponsor comes running to Quaxo, having realized he was in fact Mistoffelees long before the Ball. His hope is that Quaxo would reveal himself and save his father, Old Deuteronomy, who is taken."

"Sure."

"Quaxo then reveals himself and saves Old Deuteronomy. Mistoffelees is accepted into the tribe and moves over to the far side of the junkyard so he can practice his magic in relative safety."

"Yeah."

"The next day, we show up. We start asking around about Macavity and the events of the Ball. We learn this is the first time Macavity struck during a Ball, the first time he struck in person, and the first time he didn't send a counter attack. We talk to just about everyone before we run into Mungojerrie. He claims to have had nothing to do with the night before and that he actually tried to stop Macavity. Naturally, we don't believe him."

"Naturally."

"Then we talk to the Rum Tum Tugger. He tells us he went to get Mistoffelees and was injured on the way back by Macavity. Then we talk to Mistoffelees who backs this claim up. However, sometime between our arrival and our talk with Mistoffelees, an unknown Jellicle visits him. The same Jellicle who would visit Mistoffelees here when he was still Quaxo."

"If you say so."

"That night, I go question Mungojerrie and almost eliminate him as a suspect."

"Yeah," Jazz said. "You said that he would have told Macavity about Mistoffelees being Grimalkin. And that Macavity would never try anything with a Grimalkin around that would do anything to get into the tribe."

"Exactly," Bageera said. "A Grimalkin that would do anything to get into the tribe. Anything."

Jazz frowned with uncertainty for a moment before realization dawned on her.

"Mistoffelees would do anything to get into the tribe. Even team up with Macavity," she said. "He helped Mistoffelees join the tribe. That's why it was the first time he struck in person and all that."

"Exactly," Bageera said again.

"Why would Macavity help?" Jazz asked.

"A Grimalkin would be quite the trump card, wouldn't it?"

"Ah," Jazz said. "Debt."

Bageera nodded.

"So this Jellicle he met with was Mistoffelees' contact to Macavity?"

"Yes," Bageera said. "And Mungojerrie is the only one we know of that has a direct link to Macavity."

Jazz thought about this. It made sense. It made a lot of sense. Except it just seemed too cut and dry. Mungojerrie claimed to be a changed tom. And Jazz hadn't sensed any deception. Though he was terrified at the time. And there was something about the fur that didn't seem right to fit this theory.

"But Mungojerrie doesn't have yellowish-brown fur. His is mostly orange, black and white."

"I know," Bageera said. "I still need to work that out. But we should have enough at the moment to get a confession."

"Not out of Mungojerrie," Jazz said.

"No," Bageera agreed. "Out of Mistoffelees."

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