Episode 2: A Study in Turnabout

Part 2: Mi Casa es Su Crime Scene

July 10th, 12:51 PM

Rainforest District - Detention Center

"I must say, your expressions are most unbecoming," said Monty Gosland, butler, gentlemammal, and confessed murderer. "We wouldn't want your faces to freeze that way."

Delilah, muzzle stuck solidly as a very forced closed smile, barely moved her mouth enough to speak. "Oh, nothing to worry about. It's not like I just staked my pride on some kind of lawyer's duel over this or anything."

"Your words are sarcastic, but my concern is genuine. I believe it would benefit you all to approach this matter from a calmer state of mind. Perhaps a spot of tea?"

His choice of beverage prompted Eric to respond as well. "The offer is appreciated, but we don't exactly have…"

Monty stuck one paw beneath the counter, and it came back up balancing a platter with a full tea set.

They had too many questions already to even bother with that one. "…Yes, tea would be lovely," Eric said.

"Excellent!" While still balancing the tea set on one paw, he skillfully poured three cups with the other before turning to the antelope guard watching over the room. "Could you bring this over to my guests, good fellow?"

"Yes, sir!" he said, obediently carrying it out to them.

(Who's the servant here?)

A minute later, the two lawyers and one intern all found themselves holding a cup of surprisingly-warm tea. On the other side of the glass, Monty calmly crossed one leg over the other and raised a cup of his own, taking a sip. "I open the floor to you. Please, ask away."

His posture was on point, but there was something off about his appearance that Delilah couldn't quite put her finger on. His glasses? His suit? His tea? She couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

Well, that was really the least of her concerns right now. Where did they go from here? It was like they'd just waved at a complete stranger on the street, that stranger had hugged them for no reason, and then murdered someone and ran away.

"So, uh... Let's start small," Delilah decided. "What's your relationship with Lucy Sang? Kind of odd company to keep."

"It is a mite hard to explain," he admitted. "She and my late mother were close friends in prison, you see. By then, I had already been taken in by the Tigre family. In my late teens, Ms. Sang arrived bearing fabulous gifts for me, and calling herself my aunt. My patrons and I found it rude to refuse. She and I have bonded since."

"And the fact that she's basically a supervillain doesn't bother you?" Delilah asked skeptically.

"I follow Ms. Sang's advice of not asking questions I don't want the answers to. It isn't like a humble butler would have any chance of stopping her, and I know nothing about her that is of import to the police. Trust me. They've asked many times."

"Right…" Delilah said, not exactly satisfied with that answer but deciding to take the same advice and not pry further. There were more important things to discuss. "The Tigre family. Tell us more about them."

Monty smiled wistfully as he took another sip. "I wasn't always the class act you see before you. I used to be a bit of a thug back in the day, if you can imagine."

(Considering you've admitted to a murder, it's a bit easier than you think.) "What changed?"

"Lady Tigre," he answered simply. "I will always remember the day she took me off the street and gave my life meaning again. Me, a penniless brigand with nothing but the clothes on my back and an attitude problem. She set such a positive example that it would be an insult to remain as I was. That's when I decided to remake myself, from the ground up."

"So she took you in and gave you a place to stay in exchange for your butlering?"

"You make it sound so official," he chided. "But it wasn't just a matter of employment, not to her. The Tigres are a very wealthy family, you know. They were more than capable of hiring a professional butler if they so wished. But instead, Lady Tigre chose to give a young miscreant like me a second chance. With full pay at that. Her grace and generosity are truly without equal."

"What about Lord Tigre?" Millie asked. "Was he a part of that decision too?"

Monty raised his cup to his lips, but paused. "No. He was a terrible mammal. That is why I murdered him." Then he took another sip.

"I see," Delilah continued. (And things were almost getting wholesome for a second.) "How'd you do that?"

"His personal study was locked, so I hid in a food cart, under a sheet, which his bodyguard was to deliver to him," Monty explained. "Once the door was closed and locked, I emerged with a knife I stole from the kitchen and climbed up the back of his chair, stabbing him in the back of the neck while he was at his desk. I escaped out the window afterwards."

"You didn't have any kind of backup plan?" she asked. "Y'know, to get suspicion off you?"

"Well of course I did," Monty said with a heavy sigh. "But no plan survives first contact, as they say. I intended to frame the chef by using one of his knives. I even used some old tools from my… less than civilized days to lock the window behind me, and climbed a drainpipe up to the roof to make my escape. I am dreadfully afraid of heights, however. I froze as I crested the roof, and the blasted gardener spotted me with blade in paw."

Delilah nearly choked on her tea. "Y-You took it with you?! Why not just leave it in the victim?"

Monty chuckled, as if recounting a great joke. "Ah, but there is the essence of my plan that never came to fruition. I was going to plant the bloody knife amidst the chef's belongings in the servant's quarters, then go back to business as usual. Of course, I never made it that far, but if I had, this would've been quite the puzzling 'locked room mystery', don't you think?"

(Instead, you got caught literally red-handed. Way to go.)

Monty's Testimony added to the Court Record

Delilah had to remind herself that she was still supposed to go into this under the presumption of his innocence. "Can you at least tell us why you stabbed him? Aside from the 'terrible mammal' part."

"You mean specifically?" he asked, swishing his tea around in thought. "Well, it seems he didn't want his discount labor around anymore. I found out that he was going to fire all of us. Myself, the chef, the bodyguard, everyone."

"The whole staff?" Eric asked. "Why would he do a thing like that?"

"Mainly because he was a terrible mammal." He sipped. "Outside of that, I don't know. I just knew it was an injustice I couldn't let him get away with. Even if it meant calling upon some… darker impulses again."

Millie frowned, her nose twitching. But she said nothing.

"I understand if you'd rather not defend me..." Monty said, polishing his spectacles. "Such a case is likely to do more harm to your image than good."

Eric gave a long, deep breath through his nose. "You're the lead, Delilah. I'll follow you, whatever you decide."

Delilah steepled her fingers, touching her two outstretched index fingers to her lips. She inhaled, and then...

Take that!

"Why are you showing me your attorney's badge?" Monty asked, confused.

"I don't know!" Delilah replied dramatically. "But I'm gonna defend you whether you like it or not! If even you don't believe in your innocence, then you need someone who does!"

Monty actually looked a little touched by that. "Well… If you insist."

"I do!" the possum replied, sweeping her jacket. "Now, before we go... Which of these poses looks most like how the corpse did? This is of utmost importance."

"I-I'm sorry?"

THUMP

Delilah flopped over onto the counter, arms splayed with her tongue lolling out.

Monty slowly looked up at Eric. "Is she alright?"

"Physically? She's fine."

Delilah spoke up to confirm. "Okay, so that's Number 1. Annnd Number 2."

THUMP

She sprang back up for a second, then flopped down again, this time folding her arms below her head as if taking a nap but still just as stiff.

"I believe she's asking for your input," Eric said, looking back at the mongoose.

"Oh. Um…"

"No worries, I'll go through 'em again," Delilah offered. "Number 1…"

THUMP

"…or Number 2?"

THUMP

"Erm… Number 2," Monty answered. "He did seem more relaxed."

"Okay, great! Now, Number 3…"

THUMP

"…or Number 4?"

THUMP

After Delilah's macabre tests were finished, they walked out of the detention center, pulled the Justicycle out of the flowerbed, and got on their way.

A moment or two of riding later, Eric spoke up. "You know... We're probably going to get a photo of the body anyway."

"Artists are never appreciated in their time…"


1:36 PM

Casa Tigre - Entrance

Casa Tigre was the classic house on the hill, and Delilah would have bet her rather nice butt that it'd be haunted after today.

It was two stories tall, in some fancy old architecture style that rich mammals tended to like. There were a few trees in the front yard and a rather beautiful garden, including a row of thorny rose bushes surrounding the main house itself. A big, brick wall was situated around the massive yard, with a gardening shed off to the side.

All that luxury felt a bit like mockery to the rundown lawyers coming in to park their bicycle. "Not gonna lie, I can think of worse places to be a stay-in servant," Delilah admitted.

"Those flowers smell lovely," Millie said, her small nose pointed up and scenting the air like a radio dish. "Though it's a bit offset by these hints of swamp fumes I'm getting. We must be pretty close to the Marshlands."

"The Marshlands?" Delilah tensed up, her fists clenched and even her tail trying to tie itself into a knot. "Shit. I knew this district bordered it, but I didn't think we were that close."

"Are you okay?" the polecat asked. "You came from the Marshlands, right? I remember you mentioning that back in law school. But you didn't really go into…"

"Look over there!" Eric said, offering a less-than-subtle distraction.

Luckily for him, his ability to distract Millie in particular was unparalleled. "What is it, Stuffy?"

"We're not the only ones who have come to visit the Tigres." Their parking space was mostly empty, as the vehicles belonging to the Tigre family and their servants were likely parked in a nearby garage, but there were two other vehicles out here aside from their own.

One was a long white limousine that would've blended right into the opulence if not for its coloring. That Tooth & Claw had beaten them here was hardly surprising, but the reminder of their respective incomes was still not appreciated. Its license plate read: BITES4U.

The other was a camo-green humvee that, somewhat ironically, stuck out even more. It looked as if it could hold four large mammals, but it was unfortunately very familiar to Delilah, and she knew it had actually brought several smaller ones. Its license plate read: GIMME20.

"Oh! MacTalon must be on this case," Eric said cheerfully.

Delilah loosened her collar. "Y-Yeah." (I am more boned than Liar McGee's Chokalicious Boneless Wings!)

The front door was already open, so they let themselves in.

They found themselves in a grand foyer, with marble flooring, lovely velvet curtains, and more severed bird heads than Delilah could shake a feathered stick at. A giant painting of a phoenix with an arrow through its chest sat on a staircase going up to the second story, splitting off to the left and right.

But they could already see their point of interest right there on the first floor. A door directly to their right was cordoned off with police tape and several officers milled about it, wrapping up their investigation. "Well, we shouldn't bother them," Delilah said nervously. "Let's just wait until they're done. Preferably somewhere dark and out of view."

TEN-HUT!

The officers were knocked over like bowling pins as a force of nature came charging through the tape and right up to Delilah. "DROP AND GIMME TWENTY!"

"GAH!" Delilah dropped into pushup position on the spot. "Yes, ma'am!"

Detective Sigrid 'Siggy' MacTalon. A wolverine built less like a brick house and more like a government bunker. I made a bad first impression when we met in law school, spooking her away from our sorority. Eventually she'd drop out, becoming a cop instead. With a military background, in case you couldn't tell.

"Faster, maggot!" MacTalon sat on Delilah's back, making the pushups much harder. The dark-furred wolverine had her white headfur styled into a cruel crew cut. Her black aviator jacket, gray tank top, camo pants, and combat boots made her look more drill sergeant than cop. The dog tags that hung from her neck alongside her badge even more so. She lifted her shades to look at Eric, pinching the rim between trimmed-down claws. "Heya, Rick. Been a long time. How ya been?"

"Good morning, Sigrid!" Eric greeted. "Well enough, well enough. We're here attempting to defend Mr. Gosland."

"Yeah, I heard you were doin' murders now. Good on ya. Need more folks like you, and less like Ms. Maggot down here."

Of course, she and Rick are thick as thieves because of their old boxing club days. While he gets a fist bump, I get an uppercut.

"Actually," Eric said. "Delilah is the lead counsel for this trial. So I'd appreciate it if you let her up."

"Eh... She's only at ten, but since ya asked nice, I'll be gentle just this once." She stood, letting Delilah flop to the floor. "Get up, maggot! You've got work to do!"

"Urrrgh…" (I wonder if she'd leave me be if I played dead. No, she'd probably just sit on me again.) "Yes, ma'am…"

"It is interesting that you're claiming to defend the suspect though," MacTalon noted. "'Cause this pair of lawyers from Tooth & Claw came in earlier saying the same thing. In fact, I believe they specifically told me that if a couple of 'wet-nosed amateurs' came in claiming to be Mr. Gosland's lawyers, that I should throw 'em back out in the mud where they belonged."

That reignited Delilah's fire real fast. "What?! Oh, those pompous jerks are gonna get it!"

"Luckily for you, I'm not the dumb muscle they obviously think I am," she snorted. "Though you two are ruffling a few feathers in the ZPD. Some of the higher-ups are pretty pissed about that leaked case."

"That wasn't us!" Eric insisted. "Look, just listen for a moment and I promise I can explain everything."

While Delilah calmed down with the assistance of Millie and some gentle breathing exercises, Eric recounted the entire chain of events that had brought them here, only realizing now just how insane it sounded out loud.

That realization came partly through Detective MacTalon bursting out laughing somewhere around the last third. "Hoooooly shit! You couldn't make that up if you tried!" she cackled, wiping a tear from her eye as she stood up straight. "So, you guys need to investigate the scene in order to win this little bout of yours, eh? I probably shouldn't allow that, but… hell with it, I will anyway."

"Really?" Delilah asked eagerly.

"Yeah, sure. Anything to make these investigations more interesting. Believe it or not, I'm even rootin' for ya. I'd rather Prosecutor VanDal face off against you two than the likes of Tooth & Claw."

A shard of ice went up Delilah's spine, and this time she could see Eric stiffen as well. That was not a name that brought either of them comfort. "Prosecutor Kyle VanDal?" Eric clarified.

"Yup," MacTalon said with a shrug. "He's upstairs with the victim's wife."

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" Without waiting for an answer, Eric pulled Delilah and Millie outside, clearly shaken. "We are bloody rogered."

"I mean... Surely you didn't punch Kyle hard enough that he's still holding a grudge," Delilah said sheepishly. (At least I'm not the only one leaving bad impressions. Though the impression of Eric's fist on Kyle's cheek was actually pretty solid.)

"That isn't what I'm worried about." Eric bit nervously at his fist. "You know how he's gotten since we… parted ways."

Millie gave Eric a comforting hug. "I wasn't here for that, but it must've been bad if it's got you two rocked like this. I almost feel guilty that I'm the only here without a personal rival of some… Who is that?"

From their position, they could get a better view into Tooth & Claw's limousine, spotting what appeared to be a pine marten in a red sweater vest in the driver's seat. He saw them looking and waved cheerfully back, only making Millie seethe. "Is that my replacement?"

"Lilac and Pierson made you drive their limo?" Eric asked.

"No! Not even once! But this guy gets to?!"

The marten's smile faded and he slowly sank out of view from the intensity of her glare. "Oh, it is on!" Millie declared.

"Heck yeah!" Delilah agreed. "I ain't backing down. I'm searching this place top to bottom, winning this challenge, and defending Monty. If you two wanna come with me, you can."

"Of course I'm coming with you!" Eric said, as if it were never in question. "I just... need a moment to steel myself."

"Take that moment and make it count!" She pointed back inside, up the central staircase to the second floor, where their fated rival awaited. "Because after that, we're marching right up there and facing down Kyle like the hardened attorneys we are!"


2:12 PM

Casa Tigre - Study

"Okay, but to be fair, we really should check out the crime scene first."

And there was much to check out. Lord Tigre's study was fairly small, consisting of a long feather-woven carpet that covered most of the floor, with bookshelves on the right and a snuffed out fireplace on the left. At the back was the victim's desk, with a body of mahogany and the legs of an emu, now occupied only by a crude outline in white tape. It faced outside the window, at least giving Lord Tigre a peaceful view at the time of his death.

Then again, it did rain here a lot.

"Good show of bravery, maggots. My troops could learn a lot from you," said an unimpressed Detective MacTalon standing behind them.

"We just want to gather more information first," Eric said, unconvincingly. "To make a solid case."

"Uh-huh. Well, I threw my chips in with you, so I might as well help out a bit." She reached into her jacket, pulling out a file and a photo that she passed over to them. "The victim's autopsy report, and a pic of what he looked like while he was still layin' there. You're welcome."

The autopsy report was concise as always. "Cause of death believed to be a stab wound to the back of the neck," Delilah read. "Estimated time of death is between 3-4 PM. Victim died almost instantly. Yeah, that sounds about right so far…"

Lord Tigre's Autopsy Report added to the Court Record

As for the picture, it made all of them wince. There he was, the same powerful feline they had seen before, now slumped over onto the desk, arms folded beneath his head. He would've looked like he was just taking a pleasant cat nap, if not for the gaping red hole in the back of his neck. He appeared to be laying on top of papers of some kind, but his body obscured them too much to tell anything more from this angle.

Crime Scene Photo added to the Court Record

"It suddenly occurs to me how much we might have to carry around," Eric said, already struggling to find room for their new items.

"I'll handle it!" Millie offered, taking the evidence and stuffing it down the infinite hammerspace that was her sweater. "If I'm going to be your assistant, it's time I did some assisting!"

Delilah was grateful, if a little worried for her. (I hope she's not overcompensating just because we don't have a limo for her to drive.)

"I take it Tooth & Claw's lawyers were already in here?" Eric asked MacTalon.

"Yeah. But don't worry, I kept an eye on them the whole time to make sure they didn't mess with any evidence. I trust a pair of Clawyers significantly less far than I can throw 'em." She adjusted her shades. "Maybe I should keep watch of you guys too…"

(I'll never be able to focus on investigating with HER staring me down.) "T-There's no need for that! We're chock-full of integrity!"

"...Why are you showing me your attorney's badge?"

"I don't know?"

She shook her head. "Eh, I gotta get back to work anyway, so I'll leave ya be. Good luck in there. There's no battlefield like crime scene investigation." She gave a half-hearted salute and shut the door behind them.

With the wolverine gone, Delilah's attention was quickly drawn to the food cart, parked by the door and still bearing the white sheet that Monty had concealed himself under. "Looks like that's Monty's Trunkjan Horse. He must've snuck up behind Tigre and shoved the knife right up into his brain basket."

"His bodyguard must have delivered the goods and left, to avoid disturbing his master," Eric guessed. "Ironically, disturbing him might have saved his life."

Food Cart added to the Court Record

"So this is what got delivered to him then?" Delilah asked, climbing up the cart that was just a bit too tall for her and looking at a tinted bottle sitting atop. The liquid was dark purple in color and it looked like some had been sampled already. "Some kind of grape… juice?" She sniffed. "Nope, scratch that, it's definitely wine."

"Hmm. Monty didn't mention him drinking wine. It could be an old bottle," Eric observed. "Either way, we best make note of it."

Wine Bottle added to the Court Record

"Well, there's nothing else here," Delilah said, crawling under the cart herself just to be sure. "Let's go check out his desk next." Her tail poked out, pointing over to it.

Eric was about halfway there when he paused. "There might be something slightly more pressing first."

Her head popped out the other side. "What's that? …Oh, you've gotta be…"

In addition to the white outline by the desk, there was also some black. An ashtray was spilled on the floor near the right side, and from it they could see a set of very small footprints moving away. They circled around to the side of the desk and then up it, even leaving a few prints on top before disappearing out the window.

Millie scampered over to them, snapping a few pictures. "I'm guessing we don't need the National Pawprint Database to know who these belong to?

"Those are pretty clear mongoose prints to me," Delilah sighed. "So unless there's an evil twin named Yt Nom also working here, I'd say those are probably his." (Which means he's been caught red-handed AND black-footed. If only he were a ferret.)

Spilled Ashtray added to the Court Record

They decided to have a look at the possibly non-incriminating contents of the desk. There were a few stray knick knacks across its surface, including a fancy fountain pen and a bronze figurine of Lord Tigre holding a scarily-realistic sword, but what stuck out most was the stack of papers they'd caught a glimpse of in the photo. "These look like… pink slips. Termination notices." She shuffled through them. "Guess Monty was telling the truth about him firing everyone."

"Hold on..." Eric picked up one of the documents. "This one is Monty's. The signature is unfinished."

Delilah put on her best campfire horror story voice. "Maybe he died in the middle of signing it!"

"Maybe," he agreed. "That would mean his death was probably pretty sudden."

Termination Papers added to the Court Record

"Which a knife to the neck would be," he added. "So far this is all lining up with Monty's story, which in this case is pretty bad for us."

"And there's no way Kyle or those white bites overlooked any of this stuff," Delilah groaned. "That just means we've gotta dig even deeper to find the truth!" She immediately dove under the desk and into the trash bin.

"Good thinking!" Eric praised. "There could be some important evidence down there."

"Evidence? I just wanted to go through the trash," Delilah said, still neck-deep in it. "But now that you mention it, I'm not seeing anything of interest. To the case anyway."

But as she pulled her head back out, a glint on the floor caught her eye. Delilah leaned down, picking up a small bat-shaped lapel pin that she pinched between her claws. "Wait a sec. I've seen this thing before…"

She recalled the first time they had seen Monty, in that picture Lucy showed them. And then she recalled actually meeting him in person, that nagging feeling that there was something missing.

Well, she found what was missing, and where it had ended up. "Oh joy, more evidence that Monty was here." (Geez, did he leave his autograph somewhere too?!)

"Normally, when there's this much evidence implicating someone, I'd assume it was a frame job on principle," Eric said. "If not for the small fact that he's already admitted to being in here and stabbing him."

"So really it's just insult to—YOW!" Delilah yelped as she dropped it again. "Damn bat can bite."

"Are you okay?" Millie asked.

She checked her finger; it didn't even leave a mark. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a reminder of how prickly our client is."

"You mean Lucy or Monty?"

"Yes."

Lapel Pin added to the Court Record

Delilah was turning to leave the room when she froze, seeing something hanging above the mantle, within the beak of a severed eagle's head.

Eric noticed her alarm, and followed her gaze. His shoulders slumped in dismay. "Delilah, not this again..."

"Rick. There's a gun in the room."

"He was a hunter!"

"Rick. There's a gun in the room."

"He was stabbed! There are no bullet holes anywhere!"

"Rick. There is a gun. Narrative probability means it must have been fired at some point. This is just like the Teddimano case!"

"That was a property dispute! Mrs. Teddimano just fainted when you popped in through the window!"

Delilah gave the gun a suspicious look. "Sneaky snipers..."

Chekhov's Gun added to the Court Record

"Delilah!"

"Fine, fine!"

Tigre's Gun added to the Court Record

Eric rolled his eyes, choosing instead to investigate the fireplace. He wasn't actually expecting to find anything, but… "Hmm. There's something in here."

He slowly reached in, not having to worry about setting his fur on fire but still not wanting to muss it up, and pulled out a scrap of some burnt material. He rubbed it between his claws, but couldn't quite discern what it was. "Interesting."

Delilah scoffed. "Oh, so you dismiss the literal gun, but find that interesting?"

"Considering there isn't a completely rational explanation for it being here, yes."

"I see how it is."

Burnt Scraps added to the Court Record

"Think that's about everything?" Millie asked, slipping that last piece into the Sweaterverse.

"About as much as we're going to find anyway," Eric admitted. "It's a plethora of evidence to be sure, even if most of it either hurts our case or is just plain questionable."

"So where do we go from here?" Delilah asked, leaning up against the mantle. "At this point, I don't think we can really doubt that Monty was in the room. And there's little reason to doubt that he did stab Lord Tigre…"

"The autopsy report says that the knife wound is believed to be the cause of death," Eric recalled. "That would imply that they don't quite know for sure yet. And the only way I could see Monty being innocent is… if Lord Tigre was already dead prior to the stabbing."

Delilah crossed her arms and grunted. "Even if that's true, he's still not exactly 'innocent', is he?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. A complete acquittal may well be impossible. But if we can at least prove he isn't the murderer, he might have a chance."

"Better hope Sang sees it that way."

"Or Kyle." Eric looked back at the closed door, knowing what awaited them now. "It's time to bite the bullet. We need to talk with him."

Delilah perked up, her mouth opening to—

"The metaphorical bullet! I didn't find one!"

"Awwww…"

Actual Bullet not added to the Court Record


2:44 PM

Casa Tigre - Master Bedroom

The bedroom was extravagant… ly creepy. Several dozen bird parts were in use here. Heads turned into bedposts, feathers turned into blankets, wings turned into pillows, legs turned into legs, and a fully stuffed ostrich turned into a nightstand. A single daisy in a pot sat on it, which had been plucked by a swallow as far as they knew.

A tigress sat on the bed. She wore a very elegant purple gown, with a complex backpiece fashioned from peacock plumage. She was busily fanning herself with a hand fan made from colorful feathers.

Next to her sat Kyle VanDal.

The raccoon was dressed simple, but smart, in a black suit, blue shirt, and gold spectacles. His wooden cane, with a tip that resembled a gold revolver grip, leaned against the bed.

Delilah's tail flew out and blocked Eric and Millie from entering right away, letting them hear a bit of their conversation.

"…Are you sure that's the right move?" the tigress asked, nervously biting her lip. "I've done so much to help all those who work here, including Monty."

"And look how he's repaid your kindness," Kyle smoothly replied. "I won't pretend to understand how hard this must be for you, but I do understand loyalty, and I'm afraid it's a two-way street. I'm not telling you to give up on him entirely, but you know what's for the best, don't you? For the sake of your daughter and the rest of your staff?"

The tigress hid her face behind her fan for a moment, but gave a very audible sniffle. When she lowered it, she wore a soft smile. "Yes… I understand."

"Good. Then please, take all the time you need to come to terms with this."

She nodded, not saying another word as she got up and headed into a nearby bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Before they could even process that, Kyle cleared his throat. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Delilah stiffened, while Eric's fists visibly clenched. Not having any prior experience with the guy, Millie just looked cautiously curious. "Saw us at the door, huh?" Delilah asked.

"That, and you have a very distinctive odor." The raccoon stood up far quicker than a guy with a bad leg had any right to, snatching up the cane in his left paw and leaning on it almost casually. "So… It's been a while."

This is Kyle VanDal. Our history with him is pretty complicated, but—

"I can establish myself, thanks," he said, catching the vacant look in her eyes instantly.

Kyle VanDal, everyone.

"I was surprised when I heard you'd taken on a murder trial," Kyle said, still leaning on his cane as he limped towards them. "Also, admittedly, impressed. You did a good job."

Eric paused. "...You think so?"

Kyle nodded. "And despite the dislocated jaw you gave me last time we spoke… it is nice to see you both again."

Delilah relaxed a little. (Does he have less bad blood for us than we have for him? I probably shouldn't stir the pot either way.) "Likewise. We're—"

"—competing with Tooth & Claw to defend Mr. Gosland. I'm aware. I have a side bet going with MacTalon on your little competition."

She squinted. "Who bet on who?"

"Anyway!" Kyle said, ignoring her question. "How goes your investigation? I was pretty disappointed myself. I expected more twists and turns, but the ones I found were rather dull. Cliché, really."

"You found a twist?" Eric asked.

"Hm? Did I say that?" And there it was. The Smirk. The same one Eric had punched off his face when they'd last seen each other. "I suppose you'll just have to find out. Well, maybe. Assuming you're as good as you think you are and actually make it to court. I mean, how could a massive law firm with vast amounts of financial backing and influence possibly defeat a pair who know so much about guilt and innocence?"

Delilah flinched. (There's the bad blood.) But she steeled her resolve. "We're confident in the clues we've found!"

"Good! Because I'm confident in the ones you didn't!" Despite his limp, he was unusually spry as he hopped past them into the hallway. "I hope to see you in court. Toodles!" He gave a cheeky wiggle of his fingers as he strolled off. "Oh. Wait."

He returned, pulling a rolled up paper out of his sleeve. "Since I would hate to see you go missing in this tangle of rooms, you'll need this."

Delilah accepted the paper and unrolled it. It was a map of the manor, with separate images for the upper and lower floors.

Manor Map added to the Court Record

"Thanks," she said dryly. The gesture was appreciated, but not the meaning behind it. He might as well have given them training wheels for the Justicycle.

But he of course chose to take her words at face value. "No problem. After all, it seems like you've got enough of those on your own. Okay, byeeeeeee!"

He leaned back into the doorway, extending a paw over his head, before finally taking off.

None of them were quite sure how to respond after all that, but Eric went first. "Well, that was… I'm honestly at a loss as to how to describe it. It's like he's somehow better and worse than I remember."

"This map should be pretty useful though," Delilah admitted. "Since we're obviously in need of more information."

"Did we really need him to tell us that?" Millie asked. "Coming from a neutral third party without your baggage."

"No, but I'm irked that he felt compelled to tell us anyway!"

"Calm down," Eric advised. "And I know that's rich coming from the guy who personally introduced him to the ground, but we need to keep a level head here. Getting all shirty about this is exactly what he wants."

Delilah calmed down, but an incredulous stare wasn't exactly what he had in mind. "Shirty?"

"Delilah, let's focus, please."

"Shirty."

"Delilah—"

"You made that one up, didn't you?"

"Delilah!" He took a deep breath. "The point I'm trying to make is that we can't be worrying about Kyle if we don't even make it to Kyle. And since the lady of the house doesn't seem to be coming out of that bathroom anytime soon, we should make the best of what we've got."

"Bleh. You're right." Delilah paced about. "On the bright side, if Kyle threw us for a loop, I bet the T&C crew are still twiddling their thumbs down in—"

A loud vroom caught her attention, and she looked out the window overlooking the front yard. There she could see a familiar white limousine, watching as the pine marten driver scurried out to hold a door open for the pair of Clawyers returning to it.

"They're DONE?!"

She wasn't sure if they actually heard her shout, but as Pierson stepped inside, Lilac stopped for a moment and glanced up at the window. There was no doubt she spotted her though, as the skunkette shot her a sly wink before entering herself.

And as they drove away, Delilah could only hope she'd fare better than the dirt under their tires.

To be continued…


Court Record:

Attorney's Badge

This old thing? Well, it does let me do my job, but it mostly just sits in my pocket until I get the sudden urge to flash it at someone for kicks.

T&C Business Card

Those two are really gonna regret hoisting this off on me. I can think of a LOT of uses for a small piece of cardstock that were probably not intended.

Monty's Testimony

According to him, he stole a knife from the kitchen, got smuggled in on a food cart, stabbed Tigre in the neck, and then fled up to the roof with the knife before getting caught. We sadly have little reason to doubt this story, even the dumb parts.

Lord Tigre's Autopsy Report

Cause of death believed to be a stab wound to the back of the neck. Estimated time of death is between 3-4 PM. Victim died almost instantly. Bleh, this is some morbid shit even for someone who plays dead.

Crime Scene Photo

Shows Tigre collapsed on his desk as if taking a nap, somewhat undercut by the gaping hole in his neck. The rest of his desk is mostly visible, though the papers right under him are obscured. Side note: Totally a Number 4. Nailed it.

Food Cart

Monty's ticket inside the study, brought there by the bodyguard. Credit where credit is due, that was a pretty clever plan. Shame he mucked it up afterward, but then again we might not have a client otherwise.

Wine Bottle

Brought to Lord Tigre on the cart. Contains a grape wine and is partly empty. Probably an import from Furance based on the label, whatever 'saveur texte saveur' means.

Spilled Ashtray

Found on the floor and stepped in by Monty, leaving a trail of tiny tracks that lead around the desk, up the side, and out the window. Let this be a lesson, kits. Not everyone is cut out to be a murderer.

Termination Papers

Looks like Monty was right about Lord Tigre's scorched earth plans. All the staff are listed here, including Monty himself. His own form is unfinished, which probably wasn't intentional on his part but also isn't helping his case.

Lapel Pin

Monty's personal possession, that he left at the crime scene because of course he did. Found under Lord Tigre's desk.

Tigre's Gun

I don't care what Rick says, I've read enough mystery novels to know how this goes. You can't fool me, Mr. Conspicuous Firearm!

Burnt Scraps

Scraps of some weird material found in the fireplace. It seems kind of like paper, but doesn't have the right texture. Where the heck did it come from?

Manor Map

A map of Casa Tigre so 'graciously' gifted to us by Kyle. I'm half-tempted to relight the fireplace just to chuck it in, but I bet that's exactly what he WANTS us to do so we're gonna use it anyway! Out of spite!

(Archived under 'Casa Tigre Map' on Berserker88x's Deviantart.)

Profiles:

Delilah O'Possum
Age: 24
Species: Sassy Possum

Finally, it's my turn to shine! I am gonna rock the hell outta this case and show the world that I can handle murder too! Solving a murder case, I mean. Glad nobody else reads these.

Eric Badge
Age: 24
Species: Stuffy Badger

My best friend and partner in (solving) crime. He can be a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes, but I'm always happy to pull him out of it.

Millie Muskerson
Age: 22
Species: Polecat Who Wants to Tap That

Old friend, old defendant, current intern. Honestly worth the effort of hiring her just to see her make goo-goo eyes at Rick all day, but she's pretty well-organized too. Strikes a good balance between my lack of tidiness and Rick having entirely too much of it.

Lucy Sang
Age: 29
Species: Literally Bloodthirsty Vampire Bat

Okay, I know it's kind of unsettling being hired by an actual ex-murderer, but it's also pretty hardcore. And when you think about it, who better to have your back when solving a murder case, right? Not that I'm planning to let her stand behind me anytime soon.

Martina
Age: 29
Species: Questionably Alive Mouse Girl

Lucy's… friend? Servant? Voodoo zombie slave? Was debating even adding her to this, but I get the impression she doesn't have much in life, so here's to you, Marty!

Monty Gosland
Age: 23
Species: Mongoose That Buttles

Our defendant, for better or for worse. I was really hoping we'd grown enough as a society to avoid such hurtful stereotypes as murderous butlers, so for our sake and society's he had BETTER be innocent.

Lord Dominic Tigre
Age: 40
Species: Dead Tiger

The victim. Apparently big into shooting birds for sport and living in high society. Well, formerly living.

Lila Lilac
Age: 28
Species: Stuck-up Skunkette

One of Tooth & Claw's lawyers. Likes: being a tool. Dislikes: peripheral vision. This isn't the only list she's going on today.

Pierce Pierson
Age: 28
Species: Porcupain

Another Tooth & Claw lawyer and a prick in more ways than one. Seems pretty aggro for a guy who's so into defense.

Sigrid 'Siggy' MacTalon
Age: 25
Species: Wolverine on a Warpath

I really hoped I wouldn't have to add her to this. Let's just say mistakes were made and now this hardass detective kinda hates my guts. It's going to be mentally draining dealing with her, and physically draining if she makes me do any more pushups.

Kyle VanDal
Age: 26
Species: Rival Raccoon

This sly prosecutor is known for his keen eyes and dirty tricks. He even has this fancy nickname, the 'Bullseye Prosecutor'. Back in the day, I just thought he was a dork. Now he's a dork with prestige.

Lady Tigre
Age: 43
Species: Bird-infused Tigress

Don't have much of a read on this one so far, mainly because she won't talk to us. Still, this must be pretty rough on her so I'll cut her some slack.