Chapter Seventy: A clue to Penny
Later that night, the four found Morningside Orphanage as they enter through an open window and climbed down a trunk with the name Jimmy Jones on it.
"I'll take a look around see what I can find" Bernard whispred.
"I'll go with you, Jason you stay with Bianca" Max said.
"Right" Jason said as Bernard and Max walked over to an open closet as they saw a box and ran to it to see Penny name on it.
"Hold until further notice" Max said reading the post it not on the box.
"Spsst!" Bernard said getting Jason and Bianca attention, "Jason, Ms. Bianca over here! We found something, these are Penny belongings."
"Good work" Bianca said climbing up on the box with Jason as they looked at all the items in the box "Now we're getting somewhere."
"Come on" Jason said as they jumped in to look for clues.
"Oh look the little girl treasures" Bianca said.
"Boy, the things kids collect" Bernard said.
"Do you think she could be still here in the orphanage?" Bianca said.
"She can't be, it says on the box 'Hold until further notice'."
"Maybe she been adopted" Bianca said.
" No because she would have taken these things with her" Bernard said.
"Yeah he's right, something not right here a missing Orphan a bottle with her message, she somewhere either close to sea but where?" Jason said as Rufus the cat looked into the box.
"Mice!"
"Cat!" the four mice said as they ran into the shoes in the box.
"Now look here you four. If folks find out that mice moved in here, I'd get kicked out, I'd lose my job!" Rufus said.
"Oh don't worry Mr. Cat we won't be here long" Bianca said as they climbed on top of the box.
"Ah! I am too old to be chasing mice!" Rufus said stretching.
"Sir, could you tell us what happened to a girl called Penny?" Bernard asked pulling out a notepad and pencil.
"Well, I sure can. You ain't going to find her around here, oh the poor little thing ran away" Rufus said.
Bernard When was the last time you saw Penny?
"Was there anything unusual?" Bernard asked.
"Was there anything usual? Try to remember" Bianca asked.
"Let's see now, last time I saw her she was sitting down over there on her bed all alone she looked awful sad.
Flash back!
"what's wrong Penny honey?" Rufus asked Penny who sat on the bed with her back to him.
"Nothing" Penny replied as Rufus climbed on her bed.
"Oh come on now no secrets you tell ole Rufus" he said rubbing up against her arm.
"Well today was adoption day at the orphanage."
"What happened?"
"And man and lady came and looked at me and they choose the little red headed girl, she was prettier than me."
"OH! She couldn't be! You listen to me darling your something extra special."
"No I'm not" Penny said getting off the bed and looked out the window.
"Why someday a couple will come to the orphanage looking for a pretty little girl just like you."
"Honest?"
"I bet my whiskers on it! But you have to believe it, keep faith sweetheart, you see that bluebird?"
"Yes I do" Penny said seeing the small bluebird on a nearby tree.
"Faith it a bluebird you see from afar it's for real and as sure as the first evening star you can't touch it or buy it or wrap it up tight but it's there just the same making things turn out right."
"Can't touch it or buy or wrap it up tight but it's there just the same making things turn out right" Penny said hugging him and picking up her teddy bear, "but whoever adopts me has to adopt teddy too."
"Oh they'll love him he doesn't eat much does he?" Rufus said as she giggled.
"Oh here! I brought you something" she said handing him two crackers from her pocket.
"Catnip snacks!"
"No they're Ginger snacks" she giggled,
"Well for an old cod like me we could use a little ginger" he said.
"I took two extra from lunch today were not supposed to do that" Penny said.
"You can trust me I won't tattletale on you" Rufus said as she hugged him.
"I love you Rufus" she said rubbing his belly as he purred, "gee we better hurry! Or we'll be late for supper!" she said carrying him out.
End of Flashback!
"She seemed happy enough then the next thing I heard, Penny was gone" Rufus said.
"Well, aren't the police still looking for her?" Bernard asked.
"No, no, they gave up weeks ago" Rufus said.
"She been missing for weeks?!" Jason said.
"Oh this is terrible that poor little girl" Bianca said.
"I just can't believe Penny would run away uh Mr. Rufus please think there must be something else" Bernard said.
"Anything at all, any suspicious characters coming to the orphanage or maybe something she said that sounded off" Jason said.
"Well, come to think of it there was...no, no, it's nothing Penny wouldn't get in with her" Rufus said.
"Get in what? With who?" Bernard said.
"Please Rufus this could help" Jason said.
"A weird lady tried to give Penny a side but she wouldn't have anything to do with trashy people like them" Rufus said.
"Trashy people? Who?" Bianca asked.
"She and her partner run a sleazy pawnshop down the street" Rufus said.
"Miss Bianca, Jason, Max we must go down there and investigate" Bernard said.
"Finally a lead!" Max said.
"Suit yourself, but you'd just be wasting your time going down there" Rufus said.
"She could be in trouble. We gotta find her and help her" Bernard said.
"Yeah, but four little mice? What can you do?" Rufus said.
"You'd be surprise what we rodents can do Rufus!" Jason smirked as they ran back to the window.
Later that night they loud the pawn shop as they looked to the sign on the window.
"Madam Medusa's Pawn Shop Boutique?" Max read.
"Sounds trashy" Jason said as they snuck under the door and looked around all the items in the store.
"Come on, there must be something here we can use" Max said as they snuck into the office area and began to look at all the papers the desk had.
"Guys look! A child book" Bianca whispered pointing to a first grade year book as they pushed open the cover and saw Penny name on the first page "it's Penny's!"
"Then, she got to be here!" Beranrd whispered as the Cuckoo clock above went off with loud, 'Cuckoo! Cuckoo!' as the mice began to scatter as the cover landed on Bernard tail and he fell over and his tail was ruffled up as Bianca, Jason and Max laughed.
"What's so funny?" Bernard asked.
"Your tail" Bianca laughed as Bernard began to fix his tail.
"Here here let me help you fix it" she said as the phone next to them rings and they run to hide in different hiding spots.
A door then opened as they saw a red hair woman in a red dress walk in.
"Oh, who could be ringing at this time of the night?" she growled picking up the phone, "Madam Medusa's Pawn Shop Boutique."
"Hello, boss?" Snoops said on the other end.
"Snoops! Don't tell me Snoops let me guess you found it! Ah ha ha! You found the diamond!"
"Diamond?" Jason whispered.
"Give you time?! You bundler you have been down there for three months!...bottles? What bottles?...you caught Penny sending messages in bottles! You blundering fool can't you control that little girl?!" she yelled slamming her fist on the desk shaking it.
"SHUT UP! I am taking the next flight down to Devil's Bayou!" she yelled hanging up the phone and setting a suitcase on the desk and stormed out of the room.
"You hear that? We found Penny kidnappers" Jason said.
"This is terrible, we've got to go with her" Bianca said.
"Yeah, come on, in the suitcase" Bernard said as he and Max climb in and as Bianca and Jason were about to go they saw Medusa come back in with clothes in her hands and hid again.
"Blubbering boob! He messes up everything!" she growled stuffing her close on Max and Bernard, "leave for a few weeks and UGH!"
She then put on a coat as Bianca and Jason ran to the suitcase and tried to get in but hid when they saw Medusa close the top on Max and Bernard and tried to force it close.
"Oh why won't this stupid thing close!" she yelled sitting on it to force it closed as Jason and Bianca grabbed onto a string hanging out of the suitcase as Medusa picked up the suitcase and began to walk away as Bianca and Jason tried to hold on but ended up letting go and hitting the ground as they ran after Medusa and got into her car before she closed the door.
Medusa then tried to start her car and began hitting on the gas pedal as Jason and Bianca climbed into the back as Medusa ran into some trash cans and into the street.
"Come on!" Jason said as he and Bianca pooped open the suit case as they bounced as it opened and Max and Bernard pulled them in as Medusa drove passed a truck.
"Out of my way you toad hog!" she yelled driving off the road and into a bump construction area as Medusa turned the corner and the suit case flew out hitting a lamppost and releasing all its clothes as the mice watched Medusa drive away.
"GO BACK TO DRIVING SCHOOL YOU WITCH!" Jason yelled shaking his fist.
"What do we do now?" Max asked.
"We need as way to Devils Bayou, that's where she going and where Penny being held" Jason said.
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