"There," the blonde said as she pocketed a rather long feather. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

I stared at her, slack-jawed, but as soon as she turned toward me I closed my beak with a snarl. "Big deal! I coulda done that!"

"Then why didn't you?" she stated snidely.

I muttered an unpleasant string of words as I whirled out of the room, my cape snapping behind me. The dame had made good on her word. She had made the hostage talk. And though I wouldn't admit it to anyone, she impressed me. But I still didn't trust her.

Our hostage slumped down, her restraints the only thing keeping her upright. While the girl finished up with her, I went to find the rest of my miserable compatriots.

"BOYS!" I thundered.

Instantly a horde of stampeding feet met my ears and they appeared in my sight within seconds.

"Look alive...tomorrow night we're gettin' neat and pretty! AhahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"I assure you, Mallard, that SHUSH is doing everything we can at the moment."

"But you said you haven't heard word in three weeks, John. I would think SHUSH would put a little more effort into finding out what's happened to its most prized scientist."

"My agents are spread thin enough as it is," J. Gander said defensively from behind the office desk that dwarfed him. "Mob activity has skyrocketed in the past few days, and we're getting little help from the police."

"You know as well as I do that the police force is as crooked as the criminals they're supposed to protect the city from," I scoffed.

"Be that as it may," he continued dismissively, "I can't spare any extra manpower on the Bellum case until things die down."

"Can I at least get a look at the files on her latest invention?"

His head cocked to the side. "You mean the RMCD?"

"If by 'the RMCD' you mean the machine the Fearsome Five stole from you, then yes."

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not, old friend."

A frown immediately consumed my face.

"Why not? You've always granted me access to SHUSH files before…"

"Not this time," he said resolutely. I knew right then and there that it was a lost cause. "I've been too lenient with you in the past. I'm allowing only certain SHUSH personnel access. We can't afford any more information leaks , especially since the device's disappearance. If its function were to become public, it could cause pandemonium."

"But surely…" I began, then started again. "You let Darkwing Duck-"

"The vigilante's relationship with SHUSH and yours are completely different," he bristled. Then he melted back into his usually zen exterior. "But not even he will have access. I'm sorry Jacob; that's my final decision. Believe me when I say it's nothing personal."

A few moments of tense silence passed between us while this roadblock to my investigation sank in. Finally, I allowed the frustration to drain out of me, and I smirked at the director.

"Don't worry about it. I just have one question more."

J. Gander's eyebrow rose. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Is Miss Annie Barrow working today?"

He opened his bill to reply but was interrupted by his intercom.

"Director Hooter?" sang the voice of J. Gander's shapely young secretary. "The mayor is on the line for you. Should I patch him through?"

His eyes panned up to me, and I nodded once to take my leave. He nodded in return, and as I exited I could hear him politely ask Dolores to put the mayor on.

I shut the door behind me and flashed Dolores a charming smile. I always wondered in the back of my mind exactly what was keeping J. Gander from taking advantage of that young thing just outside of his office, yet at the same time I felt gratified in the fact that I could bring a deep red blush to her cheeks. It made me feel twenty years younger, and J. Gander was always too absorbed in his work to really notice the opposite sex.

I headed down the main hallway that lead to the exit, but took a quick turn down a side corridor before anyone could take notice. I wasn't about to leave SHUSH without looking at those files.

"Hey stranger," a voice said cheerfully from behind me.

I turned and was surprised to find myself face to face with Annie.

"Oh, hi," I replied nonchalantly, though I could hardly deny how pleased I was to see her. "Fancy meeting you here. Been keeping busy with your training? I imagine they must ride you doubly hard."

"Not really," she said dismissively. The hint of her slender shoulders peaked up in a shrug beneath the suit jacket she was wearing. "Besides…I like a challenge." She smirked at me in a flirtatious manner, and for the slightest moment she had me entranced by the wrinkles just barely suggested beneath her intelligent eyes. She couldn't have been more than five years younger than I, but she certainly didn't look it.

Her weight shifted and she regarded me curiously. "So what brings you to SHUSH? The private eye career track no longer as fulfilling as you'd hoped?"

Her inquiry caught me off guard momentarily, but my self-imposed exoskeleton of calm quickly snapped up around me once again.

"Nothing so dramatic. I merely came to get a few answers…but it seems I am no longer allowed access to the information I need."

"Oh, you mean the files on the RMCD." She regarded me smugly.

I caught on quickly. She must have access being SHUSH's chief agent. My eyebrows rose as she flashed me a crafty smile.

"I can get you in," she said, "but we'll have to be careful. If they find out I helped you, I'll be in big trouble."

I nodded and began to follow her down the hallway when she suddenly stopped and looked back at me from over her shoulder.

"But you owe me, Mallard…"

I smiled at her slyly. I had just the thing in mind.

"When I said you owed me, I didn't exactly mean ice cream," Annie said with a toss of her red hair, "but I have to admit this is nice. I haven't had an ice cream cone since I was a little girl."

"It was the least I could do, my dear," I replied, watching her lick off a bit of her chocolate mint ripple. It was also the most I could afford.

"So what's your deal with Mallard?"

"Beg pardon?" The bluntness of her question made me choke down the walnut bits from my cup of Rocky Road.

"I looked up your records and newspaper clippings. Seems the only cases you bother to solve involve getting at Jake Mallard in some way. So what, you have some sort of vendetta against him or something?"

"You could say that," I replied cryptically, making sure to take a large mouthful of ice cream in case another question followed, which it did.

"Why?" She leaned forward with intrigue sparking in her eyes.

I let the chocolate, marshmallow, and nut concoction melt on my tongue and drain down my throat before I answered. I had always been a private person, more so now, and I didn't like people knowing much about me. It gave me a sense of security to maintain an aura of mystery. I liked to keep others guessing.

But I couldn't fool Annie.

"Is it something to do with your wife and daughter?"

Instantly my face darkened of its own accord, and she knew she had struck a nerve. To my surprise she reached her arm across the table and placed her hand atop my own. I stared at her blankly, for such kindness was both unwarranted and not altogether appreciated. I pulled my hand back and looked away from her, unable to meet her eyes for the briefest of moments. Vulnerable I hated above all else.

But though I had looked away, I could feel her eyes still on me.

"I saw their obituaries, but…what happened to them?"

"They were murdered," I said sharply, eyes burning as they darted back toward her.

Hers widened slightly. "How?"

"Jake," I answered her darkly. The sudden change in mood drastically contrasted the cheerful pastel surroundings of the parlor. She opened her beak, but I cut her of before she could speak again. "I don't wish to discuss it any further. I haven't spoken of them for quite some time."

She looked as if she wanted to press the issue, but thankfully she changed the subject. "So why exactly was it you needed to look at those files so badly?" She leaned forward conspiringly. "You're trying to link the Gryzlikoff murder to the stolen machine, aren't you?"

I couldn't help the look of surprise that sprang into my face. I had told no one of my investigation. She was quick. I liked that.

"I already have," I answered her smugly.

Again her eyes widened, and she asked me for the second time, "How?"

"I picked up a few incriminating documents from the crime scene that the authorities overlooked. They prove that Gryzlikoff was being blackmailed by Jake Mallard for information on the RMCD."

She frowned. "Blackmailed? For what?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but I intend on finding out."

"But Jake didn't steal the RMCD…the Fearsome Five did."

"Exactly. They must have learned of his interest in the weapon and beat him to the punch! The two mobs have always been rivals; everyone in the city knows that. What better way to get at your old man than to steal his plans right out from under him and take credit for them?"

She took a moment to let my conclusions sink in before giving me a skeptical look.

"I don't know…why haven't you turned in the evidence to SHUSH or the police?"

I scoffed. "Please. The police are a joke, and frankly I need to solve this little mystery solo so I can boost business."

She smirked. "So you're withholding evidence so you can get all the glory."

I mirrored her expression. "Exactly."

"Aren't you afraid of being arrested? It is a crime, after all."

I waved away her suggestion. "The only crime I'll be guilty of is solving a case before the authorities."

"But aren't you afraid Jake will send someone after you to get that evidence back?"

"He already has. I can handle it. Besides, I hid the papers somewhere he'll never look."

She raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

I rested my chin atop the back of my hand as I leaned in toward her with a cunning expression.

"In the fire extinguisher."