Disclaimer: I still don't own HTF and I'm glad (I have a conscience)
AN: Thank you to everyone who's been reading my stories. I hope you like them. I did feel slightly bad about putting a happy moral at the end of such a sad chapter but hey, they do it in the show.
AN 2: LouveAsha- Cuddles won't be the next suspect (but I do really like the idea so I might slip it in later).
Chapter 3: All at sea
The funeral was brief, except for Giggles, Cro-Marmot and a few relatives the graveyard was practically empty. Not many people it seemed cared much for the candy addicted squirrel. Giggles sighed and stood up, turning back to Cro, who stared quizzically at the flames that lapped around the body. Burials weren't popular in Happy Tree Town, they always came back and no one wanted to find their own grave, cremation was far more usual. She thought for a second before speaking, "We didn't learn anything did we?"
The caveman remained silent, once again thinking. Giggles knew better than to interrupt him, she turned again and slowly walked away, leaving the graveyard and the frozen man behind.
... ...
Giggles wasn't quite sure how long she'd known Cro-Marmot, he had been around when her parents were little, he was sort of a permanent fixture. Cro had always lived in Happy Tree Town and Giggles just accepted his presence as a fact. Then there was his mind, she had heard that Cro had lived in the town for thousands of years, what had he done with his time? Cro-Marmot had read, on astronomy, on science, on mathematics, on history (the stuff he hadn't lived through), on... well, suffice to say the list was quite extensive. Maybe that was why she trusted him, he was a genius, capable of theoretically working out any problem (she assumed), or maybe she just looked up to him. It didn't really matter, all that mattered was Cro would figure everything out.
She just knew it.
... ...
Cuddles on the other hand knew exactly how he had come to know the frozen caveman. Late Autumn, years ago, he had just moved to Happy Tree Town and who was the first person he had run into, some raving madman who'd gone on and on about how the world used to be. Logic, theories, advanced this, progressive that. It just went on. That caveman made his head spin. Always so cold and distant, the man hadn't had any similarities to Cuddles and they had just sort of ignored each other. The intellectual icicle had been content to sit back in his house reading while Cuddles went out to do important things. He sighed, that had been until Giggles had come along.
She'd changed everything.
... ...
Cro-Marmot didn't do anything anywhere near as interesting. He thought of course, ideas ricochet off one another and swirled round his brain. But he never moved, not even a blink, he just stared at the book spread infront of him, frowning, until Giggles entered, towing a slightly disinterested Cuddles in her wake. The yellow bunny looked around and shivered, muttering slightly under his breath.
"So what have you found?" Giggles waited for Cro's reply, as Cuddles kicked his heels (he couldn't understand half the things that marmot said anyway), "What do you mean we learnt something important... Well it wasn't obvious to me."
Cuddles stepped forwards "There was that moral at the end," Giggles (to his annoyance) did not look impressed by the suggestion and turned back to Cro.
"No, why should I have noticed what the house smelled like?" Listening again, Giggles sat gingerly on the chair opposite.
Meanwhile Cuddles, obviously slightly intrigued, slumped down by the wall and adjusted his detective hat to look as cool as possible. "Seaweed, some of his candy smelt of seaweed, but why does that matter?"
Giggles turned slightly, looking at Cuddles differently somehow. Not strangely, just differently. Then it passed and she turned back to Cro, "Yes... That's it," She turned back to Cuddles excitedly, "Only one person in Happy Tree Town takes seaweed everywhere, Russell."
Cuddles stood, "I know, I heard him." He lied, "Why's that important?"
Giggles sighed, "If he was there, Cuddles, he's a suspect, he might know who poisoned Nutty." She turned away and ran out, "I'll get the truck ready."
Cuddles slouched out, "I knew that." He muttered to himself. When he reached the door he turned back slightly, his eyes resting on Cro-Marmot and he noticed something.
The caveman was smiling.
... ...
Russell's house took less time to reach than Nutty's had, he lived on the outskirts of the town, near Cro's huge snow globe. The ship house came closer and Giggles looked up from her map, across at Cro, who sat in the driving seat, staring straight ahead. She frowned, surely it wasn't safe for him to drive. They hadn't crashed yet though, they might have killed a few people but no one had tried to stop the caveman to check his license (which had expired around the fall of the Persian empire).
The truck conveniently ran out of petrol right infront of Russell's home and Giggles smiled, everything always worked out with Cro, maybe that was why she looked up to him. She pushed the thoughts away, this wasn't the time to worry about little riddles.
She stepped out of the car and rang the bell, which sent loud squawking parrot sounds throughout the area.
"Avast landlubbers." The door was thrown open and a sword skipped across Giggles vision, resting on her throat, "State ya business else I'll slit ya neck."
Cuddles rushed out of the car and to Giggles defense, "Look, w-we just need to ask you some questions." He stopped for a second and cast a despairing look around his eyes settling on the caveman in the driving seat, who looked strangely impassive.
"Yar, he's right," Russell withdrew his sword and motioned at Cro, "It be plastic." He ran his hand along his 'sword' and smiled, "But a man's gotta look aft' his booty." He smiled widely and shrugged slightly, "Now, what were ya sayin' 'bout questions?" He moved out the way of his door and motioned them inside, "Oh, an' mind th' parrot."
Stepping into the house Giggles cast her eyes around, chests were everywhere, treasure spilling from the sides and onto the floor. The walls were virtually lined with yellowed paper maps and charts. Tables were spread with yet more navigation charts.
"Why do you have so many maps," Cuddles caught up with Russell and whispered to him.
The pirate surveyed him for a second before breaking into laughter, a sound that made Cuddles flinch slightly, "Yaharhar, this be only a temporary waterin' point matey. I'm a pirate, th' Floundering Betty'll be up an' runnin' in a week or so."
Giggles looked around some more, tree limbs punctured the rotted warped planks of the ships hull, strong foundation poles struck from floor to ceiling, anchoring the ship into the tree roots. Russell may have his dreams of sea, but this ship would never move again, even Giggles could see that, she turned her attention back to Russell, vaguely noticing Cro's ice cube leaning against a wall (He was fast).
"Ya see it's all in th' capt'in that's what ma daddy used t'say. It don't matter what th' ship's like it be th' cap'in what matters matey." He laughed again, obviously not noticing Cuddles' discomfort.
"Well that's not really what we came here to ask you about..."
"Then why ya wastin' time talkin' 'bout this then. What ya come here t' talk 'bout?"
Cro stared at him for a second and he smiled.
"Course I was at th' museum Mr Marmo' why'd ya need t' know?" He waited, "Well, I don't know 'bout no murder." Another pause, "I was editin' ma charts, I be leavin' this port soon Mr Marmo' I need t' be ready." He waited raising his hook slightly, adjusting his hat with it's point, "Well 'f ya not be likin' ma tone ya can always ask someon' else."
He crossed into the kitchen and Giggles, remembering what had happened to Nutty, followed him. She passed a window and looked out, seeing strings laced out of it, barely managing to dodge the sharp fishing lines that spread across the room.
"Ya migh' wanta watch out fer them lines. I'm gonna catch maself some food fer tonigh'." He smiled raising one of his peg legs and motioning to it, "But they be very sharp." He laughed again the harsh sound vibrating off the walls, "Look I tol' ya I don't know 'bout no murder."
"What about Nutty?" Cuddles had entered behind Giggles and stood slightly in the shadows, trying to look as cool as he possibly could, Russell merely smiled at him.
"I saw th' little cand-e-man a few days ago, why?"
"He's dead," Cuddles reply was flat and toneless, obviously designed to test the man's response.
The otter's face fell, he looked winded for a second before turning away, "Thank ya fer tellin' me," His accent was slipping slightly, "It's a shame, a cryin' shame." He turned back, "'E was a good man ya know," Tears streamed down his face slowly, "A very good man. Now 'f ya mind I think it's best ya be leavin' now."
"We think you may have been involved in Nutty's death Russell, are you sure you don't know something?" Cuddles obviously did not realise he had overstepped the mark, the pirate swung round, a real sword flashing this time, striking into the wall with a heavy thud. A strong smell of seaweed filled the room and the otter sagged slightly, his sudden outburst gone.
"'E was a good man, an' a good friend. Now I really mus' insist ya leave." Cuddles opened his mouth but the danger in Russell's eyes silenced him, "NOW!" The pirate's roar echoed of the walls.
Giggles turned, gripping a silent Cuddles by the wrist and trudging out. From the door to the house the caveman gazed inquisitively at the two of them. Giggles shook her head as she reached him she laid her hand on the door and pushed it open.
Then came the scream.
... ...
Tables had been thrown aside, charts ripped into shreds, knives pinned against the wall and a sharpened hook lay discarded on the floor. The lines, on the other hand, were still intact, if pulled in, they hung loosely on every surface, they wrapped around the shattered planks and glass. A huge fish, speared on a hundred fishing hooks lay across most of the room, the obvious cause of the destruction. And below it...
Giggles knew what was there even before Cuddles had fallen to his knees, whimpering. Beneath the fish, crushed and tattered, impaled by his own shattered wooden legs, lay Russell, the pirate's mouth formed into a final scream. His body was smashed beyond recognition, twisted, broken bones stuck out at odd angles and blood welled from his many wounds.
One fish couldn't have done all this, next to her Giggles heard her friend's sobs.
"This can't be happen. It just can't be." Giggles laid a hand on his shoulder and tried to steady him, but silently she felt the same. She bit back the tears, shuddering slightly.
"Don't worry Cuddles, he'll be back." She tried to stop her voice from wavering.
One fish couldn't have done this.
It couldn't, it couldn't, it...
Oh God.
Moral: Don't be a big fish in a small pond.