Author's Note: Brand new chapter, hooray!
A quick special mention to:
Imaginarytoon1: Thank you. I do agree with you it was a sad moment for Linda and Eddie.
Nadia: I hope you like this new chapter.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 6
The next day, Eddie was asleep at his desk while Linda crashed out on the couch.
Unaware someone walked up to Eddie's desk, picks up an empty liquor bottle and threw it into a trash bin with a bang.
Startled by the noise, Eddie and Linda both wake up. They turn to see Lieutenant Santino.
Getting up from the couch, Linda walked over.
"Good morning to you, Santino." She said.
"Lieutenant Santino," Eddie said incredulous. "Where'd you come from?"
Santino walked around the desk, picking up the pictures of Acme and Jessica.
"Gee whiz, Eddie. If you needed the money so bad, why didn't you come to me?" Santino asks.
He faced Linda.
"And you of all people, why get involved with your brother?"
Linda shrugged.
"So I took a couple of dirty pictures." Eddie replied.
"So kill us," Linda added.
"I already got a stiff on my hands, thank you."
"Huh?" Eddie and Linda shared a look.
"Marvin Acme, the rabbit cacked him last night." Santino informed.
"What?" Eddie asked in disbelief.
"It can't be!" Linda exclaimed.
Within a few hours, Santino and the Valiants arrived at the Acme factory. They get out of the car.
The two detectives stop for a minute, listening to the echo of toon laughter.
"Now what?" Santino demanded.
"We haven't been this close to Toontown for a while." Eddie responded.
"Ah, memories;" Linda said.
All of a sudden, Yosemite Sam went flying through the air yelling and landed on the ground. His rear end was on fire.
"My biscuits are burning!" Sam exclaimed. "Fire in the hatch! Great horny toads, that smarts!"
He sits down in a puddle of water, putting out the fire with a hiss.
Sam sighed in relief.
Linda shook her head.
"Come on you two. Let's get this over with." Santino said, exasperated.
The three entered the room filled with policemen and detectives making inspections.
"Just like a toon to drop a safe on a guy's head." Santino commented.
His face faltered when he saw the looks on the Valiants' faces.
"Sorry guys," Santino apologized. "Better wait here, all right?"
The lieutenant walks away.
"Man, I don't believe that Roger would do something like this." Linda said.
She and Eddie watched a photographer take a picture of the spot where Acme was murdered.
They looked over to see Jessica talking to one of the detectives.
"Hey, Chisold. Get a load of this," A detective holds a dynamite.
"Ever seen one of these?" A policeman held one of Acme's portable holes between his fingers.
He tossed it onto a wall and stuck his hand in it.
"Hey, guys." Another detective pulled out a hammer and pressed the handle, in which a boxing glove shot out knocking down a few boxes of Acme products.
Both Eddie and Linda had to move out of the way.
"Didn't you used to be Eddie Valiant?" The detective asked jokingly. "Or did you change your name to Jack Daniels?"
Eddie glares at him while the others laughed.
"I see you brought your sister with you."
"Ah, shut up." Linda snapped.
"What's that?" Eddie questioned.
"Paint from the rabbit's glove." The inspector replied.
"Mr. Valiant?" A female voice asked.
Eddie faced Jessica who slaps him across the face.
"I hope you're proud of yourself and those pictures you took." The flame haired toon walks away as a few men whistled and chuckled in amusement.
As the two policemen wheeled Acme's dead body away on a stretcher, one accidently knocks over a crate of toon shoes.
Linda and a few others went over to help. A red and white clown shoe kicks the second officer in the groin, causing him to drop the stretcher.
Acme's hand buzzer falls out from his hand.
While everyone put the shoes away, Eddie got down picking up the object when someone's cane touched it; buzzing Eddie's hand.
"Ouch!"
Linda went over to help her brother. When they looked up, a man dressed in black wore sunglasses and a hat stood over them. There was an aura of terror and menace that made Linda shiver.
"Is this man and woman removing evidence from the scene of a crime?" The man in black asked.
"No, Judge Doom. The Valiants was just picking it up for you." Santino answered.
"Weren't you guys?"
"Hand it over," said Doom.
"Sure," said Eddie.
He touched Doom's right hand, buzzing him.
Eddie lets go.
"The hand buzzer," said Linda.
"His number one seller," Eddie added.
The judge smiled.
"I see working for a toon has rubbed off on both of you."
"We weren't working for a toon." Eddie said sharply. "We were working for R.K. Maroon."
"Yes," Doom said. "We talked to Mr. Maroon. He told us the rabbit became quite agitated when you showed him the pictures."
"The rabbit said one way or another he and his wife were going to be happy. Is that true?"
Linda shrugged casually.
"Hey pal, do I look like a stenographer?" Eddie asks.
"Shut your yap, Eddie." Santino said. "The man's a judge."
"That's all right, Lieutenant." Doom assured. "From the smell of him, I'd say it was the booze talking."
"No matter, the rabbit won't get far. My men will find him."
Suddenly a black vehicle crashed through the doors.
Everyone moved out of the way, and the car came to a halt.
"Weasels!" Eddie exclaimed.
"Terrific," Linda commented dryly.
"Yes, I find they have a special gift for the work." Doom said.
Five toon weasels emerged. The leader wore a pink zoot suit, hat and shoes. One wore a green suit. The crazy looking weasel had spiky hair and wore a white strait jacket. The large one had a red hat and striped shirt. And the gray weasel wore a white shirt and black vest.
"All right ya mugs, fall out." The leader Smarty instructed.
"Did you find the rabbit?" Doom asks.
"Don't worry, Judge." Smarty replied. "We got deformants all over the city, we'll find him."
"You wouldn't have any idea where the rabbit might be, Mr. Valiant and Miss Valiant?" Doom questioned.
"Have you tried Walla Walla?" Eddie inquired.
"Cucamonga?" Linda interjected.
"I hear Kokomo's very nice this time of year."
"I'm surprised you and your sister are not more cooperative," Doom said sharply.
"A human has been murdered by a toon. Don't you appreciate the magnitude of that?"
The adults heard a squeaking sound. They looked down to see a red and white shoe snuggling against Doom's leg.
"Since I've had Toontown under my jurisdiction…" Doom explained as he put black leather gloves on.
"My goal has been to rein in the insanity. And the only way to do that is to make toons respect the law."
Doom reached down and picked up the squeaky shoe. He walks over to the back of the car.
"How did that gargoyle get to be a judge?" Eddie whispered to Santino.
"Spread a bunch of simoleons around Toontown…a couple of years back, bought the election." Santino answered.
"What's in there?" Linda asked gesturing to a trash can.
Doom opens the lid revealing nasty green liquid with steam rising.
"Remember how we always thought there wasn't a way to kill a toon?" Santino asks.
"Well, Doom found a way: turpentine, acetone, and benzene. He calls it 'the dip'!"
"I'll catch the rabbit, Mr. Valiant and Miss Valiant." Doom said.
"Then I'll try him, convict him, and execute him."
With that, he lowered the toon shoe in the dip killing it until there was no more.
Santino looked away.
Linda gasps.
"Jeepers!" She whispered.
"Geez!" Eddie whispered.
Judge Doom looked at them with a sinister look on his face that gave Linda the chills, as the weasels cackled.
"They're not kid gloves, Mr. and Miss Valiant." He stated coolly, his right hand covered in red liquid.
"This is how we handle things down in Toontown. I think you both of all people would appreciate that."
Linda gulped as the judge wiggled his gloved fingers.
Later that day, the Valiants were on their way back to the office.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Eddie and Linda saw a woman dressed in pale blue blouse, white shorts, and low-heeled shoes. She wore a sunhat on her head.
As they watched, the woman clicked her lighter and lit a cigar; putting it inside a stroller.
"Uh excuse me," Linda started to say.
"Hey, hey wait a minute!" Eddie called.
They rushed over to stop the woman only to find Baby Herman inside.
The detectives stared in disbelief.
"I've been trying to make him quit, but he just won't listen to me." The woman explained.
"What do you know, you dumb broad?" Baby Herman retorted in a husky voice. "You got the IQ of a rattle."
"You're the Valiants?" He asks.
"Yeah," said Eddie. Linda nodded.
"I want to talk to both of you about the Acme murder," said Baby Herman.
"Hey doll, why don't you run downstairs and get me a racing form?"
He slaps the woman on her butt.
"Okay, okay. I'm going;" She walks away.
"You seem to have a way with the ladies," Linda remarked.
"My problem is I got a fifty year old lust and a three year old dinky," Baby Herman replied.
"Yeah, must be tough." Eddie commented.
"Look Valiants, the rabbit didn't kill Acme." Baby Herman insisted. "He's not a murderer, I should know. He's a dear friend of mine."
"I tell you guys, the whole thing stinks like yesterday's diapers."
"Look at this," He pulls out a newspaper discussing Acme's murder and handed it to Eddie while Linda peered at it.
"The paper said Acme left no will," Baby Herman explained. "That's a load of succotash! Any toon knows Acme had a will."
"He promised to leave Toontown to us toons. That will is the reason he got bumped off."
"So has anyone seen the will?" Linda inquired.
"Ah no, but he gave us a solemn oath." Baby Herman answered.
"If you believe that joker could do anything solemn," Eddie said sharply. "The gags on you pal."
"I just figured since you were the one, who got my pal in trouble, you might want to help get him out."
"I can pay you both." Baby Herman added.
"Save your money for a pair of elevator shoes!" Eddie snapped as he pushed the stroller away.
"Wait Valiants, don't!"
The stroller knocks the woman down and Baby Herman dropped his cigar.
"Aah, my stogie!" He exclaimed.
The toon baby started crying.
Linda made a face as Eddie opened the door. It was weird to hear a fifty year old guy's voice wail.
The two went inside the office.
A/N: More soon!