''Yes … Uncle Ratigan …''
Even though her suspicions had been confirmed, it still took Oliva a moment to let it fully sink in. ''Ratigan was your uncle?'' she repeated slowly. Until now, she never would have guessed Basil and Ratigan had been related but it did explain a few things.
Basil sighed weakly. ''Now you now … Uncle vs nephew.''
''As I thought.''
Basil and Olivia looked up and saw Hiram and Mrs Judson at the top of the stairs, the former wearing one of Basil's old nightshirts. ''Father, I thought you'd gone to sleep?'' Olivia asked, standing up, the photo album still in hand.
The toymaker and housekeeper walked down the stairs. ''I couldn't sleep, not with you two talking about important matters.'' He looked at Basil. ''So it's true, then, William? My hunch has finally been confirmed correct?''
Basil looked at Hiram, stunned. ''Hiram … you knew?''
''I always suspected it. Don't forget, I was held captive in that criminal's lair for over twenty-four hours. As I was working on the robot, after Fidget had brought Olivia to the lair, Ratigan was shouting at him over a list and William being on the case. Sometime after this, he stood outside my barrel, muttering angrily to himself. I couldn't hear most of what he was saying, but I caught the words: 'That scrawny nephew of mine has been a thorn in my side for the last time!' I had a gut feeling he was talking about you, William, but I didn't think it be polite to ask you.''
''You really are resourceful, Mr Flaversham,'' Mrs Judson said.
Basil placed his hands behind his back and hung his head in shame. ''So … does this mean you don't approve of me anymore?''
Hiram placed his hands on his future son-in-law's shoulders. ''I do admit the thought of me and that monster being in-laws is not pleasant, but dead or alive, adopted or not, you are not at fault, William.''
Basil gave him a small smile. ''This would be easier if you weren't so understanding, Hiram.'' He looked at the healing cut on the toymaker's forehead. ''You also deserve to hear everything about my past.''
''I'm glad you're finally opening up to Miss Olivia and her father, Mr Basil,'' Mrs Judson said.
''We should do some tea and snacks before William tell us his life story,'' Olivia said, and kissed Basil's forehead. ''He'll need all the strength he has to tell us.''
Basil gazed at her. He was so lucky have her and he wouldn't swap Olivia for any other woman in the world. Mrs Judson and Hiram went into the kitchen and brewed tea and cheese crumpets. Basil sat down on the blue couch with Olivia and Hiram at either side, while Mrs Judson sat in the green chair, holding Violet's portrait, looking solemn.
Basil took a sip of tea and drew in a deep breath.
''Now, I know you have already heard this from Samuel at the party, Livy, but I will repeat it since it is where all of this starts. Many years ago, when my grandparents, Bernard and Maggie Basil were young, they decided to adopt after failing to conceive for several years. They went to the local orphanage and adopted two rats: three-year-old Padraic James Ratigan and his new-born sister, Violet Patricia, who were recently orphaned after their mother died at childbirth and their father killed himself in grief. Two years afterwards, despite everything, Grandma Maggie unexpectedly became pregnant and my father, Thomas Duncan Basil, was born. As I indicated earlier, Aunt Violet was overjoyed to have a new baby brother, and while Uncle Padraic acted the same, in reality, as he would reveal many years later, he was actually jealous of Father and felt replaced.''
''That sounds like Ratigan all right,'' Hiram said darkly before he could stop himself. ''He was always competitive for being number one, wasn't he?''
Basil chuckled in agreement and then became serious. ''Now, throughout his school years, Uncle Padraic didn't have any friends since all the other children feared him due to his 'mean-looking' appearance, though he firmly believed it was because he was a rat, even though Violet had never endured any belittling. Then again, Aunt Violet was always popular for her kindness, beauty and intelligence, and she was very sociable. Apparently, Violet always defending him was the only thing that kept him from going insane. Of course, Father also defended his older brother, but that wasn't enough to change Uncle Padraic's feelings towards him.''
Having always hated bullies, Olivia looked at the photos of young Ratigan and, reluctantly, felt a twinge of sympathy for her adversary. This must've been where his hatred for the R word and denying it stemmed from, she thought.
''When Uncle Ratigan was aged twenty, there were two specific jobs he wanted to apply for: a teacher or a theatre actor. The former was his first choice but at the time he managed to secure the latter position. For the next twelve years, my uncle starred in many plays, and, naturally, the family would always come and watch him perform, including me and Roger. We would always cheer our uncle on. In nearly all of the shows he played villains. One of his most famous roles was Claudius in Shakespeare's Hamlet.'' Basil grinned. ''Typecasting, I know, but he was good at it. Too good, in fact,'' he said, now scowling. ''He was so into playing the bad guy that, overtime, people began to fear his performance and the theatre got less visitors if he was due to act. In 1879, the manager of the company had finally had enough of how my uncle's scary over-the-top performances were causing decline in customers and fired him.
''Throughout those twelve years, Roger and I were born and we were close, despite being completely different. From a young age, my indifference was clear due to my displaying prodigy intelligence. I was often ostracised at school by my peers for being 'an insufferable know-it-all', hence I was always distant and reclusive from others. My only friend was Roger, who always supported me and held no jealously toward my intellect. I adored my mother and Aunt Violet, but my father was difficult. You see, I was always fascinated with the detective work of both Father and Sherlock Holmes, the mystery and intrigue of solving a puzzle was so appealing to me, and I aspired to be like them. Only Father was always very stern, even cold at times, and very dismissive, claiming the idea of my following in his footsteps was nonsense. 'Be original, William', he said, 'and tone down your smarts, like Roger.' When he said that, I became convinced he was ashamed of my intelligence; thus, Father and I were very distant. Mother, Violet and Roger tried to assure me otherwise, but it was futile.''
Basil sipped some more tea and struggled to compose himself for the next part. Olivia gave him a hug and that gave the detective the courage to carry on. ''Because Father wished I was more like Roger, and because he seemed to understand me better, I felt much closer to my soon-to-be despised Uncle Ratigan.'' He swallowed, clearly ashamed of this. ''I admired my uncle's intelligence and as I said earlier, I often wished he was my father, and even called him 'Father' on some occasions.'' He clenched his free hand into a tight fist. ''How that makes me sick to my stomach now!''
''Don't beat yourself up, William,'' Hiram said. ''You weren't to know at the time your uncle would become the insane Napoleon of Crime. You and your uncle had shared some of the same experiences, so of course you saw him more of a father-figure than Thomas.''
''I tried to tell Mr Basil that many times,'' said Mrs Judson, putting her hands in her hips, ''but he's never let go of the contempt he feels.''
''It's understandable,'' said Olivia, ''since the uncle he admired soon became his family's worst nightmare.''
''Two years after being terminated,'' Basil then continued, ''my uncle finally achieved his dream job of becoming a teacher. He became the maths professor at Mouse Cambridge University. This position he enjoyed for four years. During these four years, Beatrice was born when Roger and I were ten and, like me, she also displayed prodigy qualities, and she brought smiles to everyone. But two years after Beatrice was born, Mother became very sick and passed away. This tragedy had a devastating impact on my family. Father stopped working for a while and Violet moved back in so she could help care for us. While Padraic seemed to share our grief, he displayed jealously when Violet paid us more attention, showing signs of his true nature.
''In his fourth year of teaching, while it was the summer holidays, the parents of several teenage boys pleaded for Father's help for their children had been found murdered in a similar fashion. All of the boys had been students at the university, and one boy who had escaped stated it was Uncle Ratigan who was responsible – and when Father went to his accommodation, he was nowhere to be seen. As to why he killed them, it was because they had belittled him over his rat status, and the savage beast within him could no longer be contained and he had snapped, similar to that night at Big Ben. The Basil family was always about justice and doing good in the world, so we were all shocked that one of our own had committed a crime.
''A few days later, Violet said she thought she knew where her brother was, so against our protests, she left to see if she could reason with him. On her way, however, she was attacked by a vicious rat who mugged her for her purse.''
Olivia and Hiram gasped.
Mrs Judson shook her fist anger. ''I don't care that he wasn't well!' she shouted. ''What he did to Miss Violet was unforgivable! I blame both him and Ratigan for it! Miss Violet survived,'' she continued before Basil could speak, ''but was left with a few nasty scars. Because it was proven the rat was legitimately mentally unwell, it was decided by the court that he had not been in control of his actions so he was sectioned rather than jailed.'' She and Basil looked furious. ''We were all angered by this, and the rat was then found murdered in the asylum. No prizes for guessing who the culprit was.''
''Indeed,'' Basil said through gritted teeth. ''After this, Uncle Ratigan publicly declared that he enjoyed killing those boys and his sister's attacker so much he was now a full-time criminal, ready to commit other such atrocious evil schemes. He also declared he wanted everyone else in Mousedom to suffer the pain and misery he felt over Aunt Violet's injury, and now claimed his title as 'the world's greatest criminal mind'. He also offered for Violet, me and Beatrice to join him. Violet because she was the only person he had ever cared about, albeit in a possessive way, and me and Beatrice because we were both intelligent, but we all refused. Ratigan also finally openly admitted his long-term hatred for Father, his own brother. A feud between Father and Uncle Ratigan was then ignited, with Father vowing to capture him.'' Basil clenched his fists. ''You know what happened to Grandpa Bernard and Grandma Maggie after this. The only good thing that came from my uncle's betrayal was that it allowed the wall between Father and me to disappear. Father confessed to me that he had been acting harsh with me deliberately, because he had been afraid of me getting hurt if I also became a detective, but the sadness over losing the brother and uncle to whom we had both looked up to had changed that, and we became very close. I then entered the University of Mouseford at the age of fifteen due to my intellect, and for four years I studied chemistry, forensics and criminology, determined to help Father apprehend my fiendish uncle. After graduating aged nineteen, I began helping Father investigate cases, including those committed by Ratigan.''
Basil stopped and looked as though he was going to be sick. He had now reached the night that had ripped his family apart, the night that had begun the shell-shock Basil had been plagued by ever since. Olivia placed her hand over his and smiled. She didn't need to say a word. The feel of her warm fur against his was all he needed.
''A year after I graduated university, Father and I were working on a case one night near our home when we received word there the flat had had a break-in. Arriving back home, we found Violet with Mrs Judson unconscious, similar to tonight. One of Ratigan's men had invaded the house and attacked Mr Judson in order to kidnap Beatrice. The thug had left a note from Ratigan, telling us he had Beatrice at one of his hideouts. Father and I arrived at the hideout while Violet went to get help from Scotland Yard. Someone knocked us about from behind with a club and when we came to, we found ourselves strapped to one of my uncle's ridiculously overkill traps. Roger wasn't there because he had managed to fight off his kidnapper. Ratigan gloated he would finally destroy the whole family apart from Violet. Before that, he took Beatrice and … and …'' Basil buried his face in his hands, unable to say it, but he didn't need to. Olivia held him, rubbing his back, and she, Hiram and Mrs Judson shared a look of disgust. They were all unable to speak in that moment. Basil recovered after a moment and swallowed. ''After that, he tied Beatrice up with us. He played the 'Goodbye So Soon' song that would then knock over a lamp placed next to the human-sized fireplace, engulfing the place in flames.''
'' 'Goodbye So Soon' ?'' Olivia repeated. ''Wasn't that the song he recorded when you and Dawson were tied to that mousetrap?''
''Yes, to him that song was some sort of sick family tradition. After setting off the song, that rat left us to our doom. Violet then arrived to rescue us. Beatrice and I were soon free, but the fire started moments later. My aunt told me to take Beatrice and go while she stayed behind to free Father. We reached the exit of the hideout safely, but before I could go back to rescue Father and Violet, an explosion occurred, knocking me back, and Beatrice and I were forced to watch as Father and Aunt Violet were incinerated. After this, Ratigan appeared before us, displeased we had survived, but he again repeated his offer for us two to join him, but Beatrice and I declined once more. Before he could kill us, Roger and Amanda arrived with the police and fire crew, who extinguished the flames. Noticing Violet's absence, Ratigan grabbed Roger and I by the throats and demanded: 'Where is she? Where is my dear sister?' I was forced to tell him she had stayed with Father. Ratigan went into a frenzy and ran into the building, remerging with his sister's burnt body. Ratigan went completely berserk with grief, and, most likely because he wanted to absolve himself of any blame, held me personally responsible for Violet's death. 'Mark my words, William,' he said in the same snarly voice he used on Big Ben, 'when I get the chance, I will wringe your scrawny, pathetic neck until your eyes pop out! And then after I'm done with you, I will seek out your siblings and they will suffer the same fate! I will see the end of the Basil line if it's the last thing I do!' He then disappeared with Violet's body.
''Beatrice and I were taken to the hospital to get checked over.'' Tears welled up in Basil's eyes. ''Beatrice was left mute over what Ratigan had done to her. Roger and I formally identified Father's body. Because our sister was still a minor, Roger became her legal guardian to prevent her from going into care, and they and Amanda emigrated to Wales. I, meanwhile, began suffering from my shell-shock and survivor's guilt, agreeing with Ratigan that I was responsible for Father and Violet's deaths. I formed an icy barrier over my heart and married myself to my work, shunning all contact with my siblings apart from occasional letters. I vowed never to get close to anyone, and spent the next five years obsessing over apprehending my deranged uncle, determined to avenge my family and finish what my father started.''
After this, Basil began to breath heavily, as though he was having a panic attack. Abruptly, he grabbed a pillow, stood up and let out a muffled scream into it, before sinking to the floor. Olivia took him into her arms. ''That's it, William,'' she said, rubbing his back. ''You let it all out.'' She held him as he began howling, and Hiram and Mrs Judson patted his shoulders.
After what seemed hours, Basil calmed down and wiped his tears. ''Now you know the whole truth being my feud with Uncle Ratigan.''
''I figured he had done something bad to your family …'' Olivia said. ''You weren't kidding when you said there was no depravity he wouldn't commit.''
''That vile rat is even more sick than I thought,'' Hiram spat. ''He did that to his own niece? But then, that it doesn't surprise me.''
''I would've throttled him if I'd had the chance!'' Mrs Judson shrieked. ''Miss Beatrice was left traumatised for years, unable to talk! You know, I still have trouble believing Ratigan actually grew up within these walls, and that I served him meals around the family table.'' She looked nauseous. ''I greeted him every time he came for a visit!''
''Violating rodents, adult or child, was one of his favourite sports,'' Basil said in disgust, ''just for fun. Not long before Father was killed, there was a journalist who was very outspoken against Ratigan. He wrote unfavourable stories about him, even daring to call him that one word he despised hearing. Of course, this enraged Ratigan and he kidnapped the journalist and his family, intending on taking his wife's and seven-year-old daughter's innocence. Fortunately, Father, who knew how his brother's mind worked, was able to intercept and the family were rescued.''
Mr Judson nodded. ''I remember that.''
''What happened to the journalist afterwards?'' Hiram asked.
''He quit the journalism industry and moved his family away from London. I heard they went abroad and changed their names.''
It was now raining heavily outside, as though the weather was reflecting Basil's mood. Olivia stared at the window, watching the rain hit the glass. Having heard about how Ratigan violated Beatrice, and the story of the journalist, a memory from nine years ago came to mind, one from while she was imprisoned in that bottle in Ratigan's lair. She couldn't tell Basil about it now, not while he was so emotionally stressed. Nothing had actually happened, but he would still fly into a frenzy. Maybe she would tell him tomorrow.
Basil also looked out the window and it thundered. ''And on that night at Big Ben,'' he said, ''it was as though I was reliving the night Ratigan destroyed my family. The moment he produced his razor-sharp claws, it was as if I was watching the fire all over again. And when those claws swiped at me I saw Father and Aunt Violet's bodies before me. When I hung into the end of the handle for dear life, Ratigan hovered above me and I could hear him silently saying to me: 'This is it, Basil, you scrawny pipsqueak, I will kill you like I killed your father.' I have no doubt he was relishing in the thought having won against both his brother and his nephew. And when he prepared to deliver the final blow, I closed my eyes in anticipation and I thought, 'If I'm going to die at least I will see Mother and Father and Violet again', but I feared they would be disappointed in me for failing to avenge the family.''
Basil eyes closed. Olivia pulled him to her. ''They wouldn't have been disappointed with you, William,'' she whispered soothingly.
''If anything, he would have been proud of you,'' Hiram added, before pulling the detective into a hug. ''You're not alone anymore, William.''
Basil smiled weakly. ''I know.'' The future father and son-in-law pulled apart. ''With that monster's death, a huge sense of relief swept over me. I had finally avenged my family, and as you know I kept his bell as memento of this triumph.''
Olivia looked at the fireplace where the professor's portrait had once stood and suddenly found herself wanting to ask something, something she had always wondered. ''Speaking of which,'' she said slowly, ''what's the truth behind that portrait of his?''
Basil looked puzzled.
''Nine years ago,'' Olivia went on, ''you said he had sent it to mock you and it was there as reminder he was still at large. I don't doubt that's true, but your eyes looked as though you were still weren't being entirely honest.''
It took Basil a moment to let this sink in before smiling. ''Even back then you were perceptive, Olivia,'' he said proudly. ''It was actually my father he sent it to, not me. You see, while I was still attending University of Mouseford, Father had received a lead on one his brother's hideouts one night so he went to see if he could finally apprehend him, but when he returned home he had the framed portrait with him along with a note from Ratigan saying: 'Hello, Thomas, dear little brother. This is the closest you will ever get to arresting me, old boy.' After this, a talented local artist had been found murdered by that sewer rat. We learned that Ratigan had forced this artist to make his painted portrait so he could be reminded of his well-dressed, sophisticated appearance and then being the evil and twisted rat he was, he decided to leave it behind at a crime scene to insult my father that he would never prevail. Father, being the proud and stubborn detective he was, refused to let that villain's mockery get to him so he kept it, as a reminder of both of his determination to bring him down and that Ratigan was the fiend who betrayed the family. Then after Father died I, too, kept the portrait for the same reason.''
Olivia smiled slyly and rubbed her chin in thought. ''Hmmm ... Like father, like son, it seems.''
Mrs Judson shook her head. ''Mr Basil was so obsessed with seeing justice for the family he adopted some of his father's proud attitude.''
Basil grinned guiltily. ''I guess so.'' He sipped the last of his tea. ''Excellent tea as always, Mrs Judson. I could not have asked for a better housekeeper. I'm sorry if I don't tell you that often.''
''No, you don't,'' the housekeeper said, but instead of sounding annoyed, she sounded touched. Basil then stood up and hugged her, while Olivia and Hiram smiled.
The detective then glanced at the fireplace, at the newspaper cutting of the Mortimer family's murder. ''Olivia, Hiram, there's something else I should tell you –''
Olivia placed a finger over his lips, shushing him. ''You've told us enough tonight, William,'' she said firmly.
''I promised to tell you everything,'' Basil said stubbornly, ''and I literally mean everything.''
Olivia placed her hands in her hips, just as she did nine years ago, after Basil refused to help her. ''Whatever it is about, you can tell us some other time, William Michael Basil.''
''I insist, Olivia …!''
They got into a little argument over it before Basil said shortly, ''Fine, but I'm telling you this tomorrow, Olivia Annabel Flaversham, and that is final. After all, it is linked to my family history. It concerns the Mortimer family, specifically Ruby.''
''Ronald's daughter?'' Hiram asked in surprise. ''Regina's cousin?''
''The very same,'' Basil said.
Olivia giggled and gave her lover a military salute. ''Very well, Mr Detective, your wish is my command. I am I intrigued that it's about Ruby Mortimer, but I promise you can tell me tomorrow.''
She and Basil laughed.
''If everything is settled,'' Hiram piped up, ''I think we should all turn in.''
''Elementary,'' Basil agreed. ''Tomorrow, we shall start looking for any evidence against Gideon Richmond.''
Olivia felt a guilty twinge in her stomach about her own theory.
Basil, Olivia and Hiram made their way upstairs. Mrs Judson, however, stayed in the parlour a little longer, staring at the article about the Mortimer family's murder at the hands of the Viper, doing her best to keep her anger in check. Like the rest of Mousedom, the housekeeper had been devastated by the death of the famous aristocratic rat who had helped so many vulnerable rodents, and she hoped her master and mistress would soon track that Viper down and see to it that he was hanged for his crimes. On the other hand, while Mrs Judson meant no disrespect to Ronald or his wife, their daughter had been one of the most despicable rodents to have ever set foot in this house. Ruby Mortimer made her just as sick as Ratigan did. They deserved each other, she thought.
After changing into their nightwear, Basil held Olivia in his arms. ''Livy, do you think of me any differently know you know my past?'' her asked, a hint if anxiety in his voice. He knew the answer but he wanted to hear her say it.
''Not at all, William,'' Olivia said, looking up at him. ''It was brave of you to open up to Daddy and I. In fact, I fully understand now why your so protective of me.'' She paused. ''And I think I understand Ratigan better as well, but I still hate him for everything he did.''
To her surprise, Basil smiled. ''I don't doubt that.''
''And don't hate me for saying this but, adopted or not, I really do believe that you inherited your intelligence and eccentricity from Ratigan.''
''I have always believed that myself,'' Basil agreed bitterly.
He suddenly tightened his hold on Olivia. ''For five years I was reclusive and cold-hearted, not caring for anything but bringing my family justice. I may have acted as though I was happy, but in reality, I was downright miserable.'' He hesitated. ''Olivia, remember the first time we met, when you held up that bullet? The second I saw you, the face of my sweet ten-year-old sister was staring back at me, and it was just too much.''
''That's why you acted so aloof towards me. I did wonder.''
''I do deeply regret it,'' Basil said, ''and I would give anything to take it back, it was just … Beatrice was same age as you were then when Ratigan … I couldn't allow myself to get attached to you, for I feared if I did you would suffer the same trauma Beatrice did at my uncle's hands.''
''Was that really why you were so against me accompanying you and Dawson?''
Basil confirmed it was. ''And when Fidget kidnapped you at the toy store, I was beside myself. If Ratigan had done anything to you, I would never have forgiven myself.''
Olivia thought about the memory she recalled earlier. ''It was sick what that monster did to her, but from Roger's letters it appears she's become her old self again. I'm glad about that. When you're ready to see them again, I want to help Beatrice in any way I can. Since she's also intelligent, perhaps we could have a friendly competition.''
Basil chuckled. ''She'd like that. We were always challenging each other's intelligence. Beatrice was always chatty, but not a bit stuck-up in her cleverness ...''
They cuddled and kissed each other for a moment, out of both love and comfort, as though the talk of Basil's past had made them realise how much they truly treasured each other. They both enjoyed it.
After a while, Basil and Olivia were now laying on their sides. ''And Livy, don't think I've forgot,'' Basil said suddenly, propping up on an elbow.
Olivia frowned.
''What were you thinking about at the opera house?''
''Oh, that.'' The young woman couldn't help smiling. Basil really was stubborn about refusing to let things drop, but she loved him all the same. ''I was thinking about the Viper's identity. A theory came to mind … one that goes in a different direction to yours.''
Basil was surprised. ''You think it might not be Gideon Richmond?''
''Yes,'' Olivia admitted. ''But as I said,'' she added quickly, ''it's only a theory and I might just be thinking too much into it. Don't be mad, William.''
Basil kissed her forehead. ''I'm not mad at you for thinking differently to me, darling. In fact, you should trust your gut instincts no matter what.''
''But what about the Richmonds? You've got your heart set on them.''
''Let's make a deal, Livy: we'll focus on the Richmonds as planned for now, but if we hit a dead end, we will look at your theory. Alright?''
Olivia agreed and Basil took her into his arms once more. ''I love you, Olivia … so much …''
''I love you, too.''
After one last kiss they drifted off to sleep. The second Basil closed his eyes, a memory played in his head, as though reading his thoughts:
''William? William!''
The twenty-year-old Basil groaned and sat up slowly, as though he was afraid he would go all dizzy. He was lying in bed, a hospital one from the looks of the room. A man and woman were by his side, the man sitting down in a chair. He looked identical to Basil; he had brown fur with a light middle, but his eyes were hazel rather than bright green. The pretty woman had tan fur, blue-green eyes and long fair hair.
''Roger? Amanda? What … what happened?''
Roger put a hand on his brother's shoulder. ''You passed out, William.''
''Passed out? Where's …?''
Basil felt a small hand tug at the sleeve of his hospital gown and saw his ten-year-old sister Beatrice kneeling in front of him. Like her brothers, she also had brown fur with a light middle, and had Basil's green eyes. She had brown hair tied into cute pigtails, with a blue bow. She looked distressed, but happy to see her brother conscious.
Basil looked at his sister. ''Beatrice?''
''After you passed out, we brought you both to the hospital,'' said Amanda. ''The doctor checked Beatrice out after … what Ratigan did to her.''
Basil looked back at his little sister and stared at that sweet, innocent face.
''They say she'll be alright,'' Roger continued, his voice catching, and Amanda held his shoulders, ''but she won't talk again for a long time, or perhaps never again.''
Hearing this, Basil's face crumpled and tears fell down his cheeks. He was stopped when Beatrice suddenly hugged him. Basil was stunned by this action. Surely Beatrice would've been too afraid to touch anyone, given what she had endured? But the young detective knew why: Beatrice was more concerned for her brother than herself, and knew he would never hurt her. Basil hugged his sister back, his heart breaking. They pulled apart and Beatrice placed a hand on her big brother's face in comfort. If it was possible, his hatred and disgust for his uncle Ratigan and increased even further. How could he had ever wished for that monster to be his father? It made Basil want to throw up.
''What about Violet?'' he then asked his brother. He could not remember what had happened just before he passed out; it was all fuzzy. ''Did Ratigan – ?''
''He took her body and ran off,'' Roger said gravely, and all three Basil siblings closed their eyes in grief over the likelihood that they would never get to bury their aunt, not if Ratigan had taken her.
''And – and Father?'' Basil persisted, pleading in his voice. ''Roger, please tell me he somehow survived?''
Roger and Amanda exchanged looks and Basil understood. ''No …'' He shook his head, and Beatrice let out a silent gasp. ''No, no, no, no, no!'' He screamed and cried and Roger held his brother. ''It can't be true!'' Basil howled.
''I wish it wasn't,'' Roger said quietly.
It was as if the floor has disappeared beneath Basil's feet and he was descending down an endless dark hole. His father … his brave father …
''Mr Basil?''
Everyone looked to see a doctor had appeared. ''I see you're awake, William. We have your father's body in the mortuary, if you could make a formal identification, please?''
Despite feeling sick, Basil started to get out of bed. ''William! What are you doing?'' Roger asked in alarm. ''You're in no condition to –''
''I don't care,'' Basil said stubbornly. ''I need to do this.''
''But William –''
''I know you mean well, Roger, but I was there when he died. I want to see Father.''
Roger understood and helped his twin to stand up. ''Take care of Beatrice,'' he said to Amanda. ''I don't want her to see this.''
Amanda nodded and took hold of the little girl in a big sister fashion. Beatrice watched as her brothers left to see their father one last time …
Basil managed to halt the memory there, the rest of it was too horrendous to replay. Despite the contents of the memory, it brought a smile to the detective's face. Now that Olivia knew about his past it was as though a huge weight had been lifted of his shoulders, and he was more hopeful that the long-awaited reunion with his beloved siblings would soon be imminent.
There we go! Basil's family history unveiled! Basil's past has always intrigued me since the film never explains it, or why he behaved the way he did, although Basil's strong reaction to Olivia's revelation she doesn't have a mother could be a possible hint. And, of course, Ratigan's past is also interesting to wonder about.
While Ratigan having been a teacher makes sense given he had the ''professor'' title, and since Moriarty had also been a teacher of some sort, it also made sense to me that Ratigan had been a theatre actor as well. It would explain his theatrical flair and over-the-top tendencies. Not to mention, Vincent Prince had also done theatre work himself.
That being said, given how much Ratigan enjoyed playing Claudius, perhaps his plan to rule Mousedom was actually inspired by his favourite role?
Now that Olivia knows the truth about their history, it seems she understands both uncle and nephew even more. But what is her theory regarding the Viper? And is this memory of hers from nine years ago?
Basil's insistence on letting Olivia know the truth about the Mortimer family's link to his past may seem it a bit dramatic, but we all know how stubborn Basil can be. Chuckles. Just how is Ruby Mortimer, daughter of Ronald and cousin of Regina, connected to the Basil family?
Basil is missing his siblings dreadfully, especially Beatrice, but he will see them again soon.
Time to answer some reviews:
duchessofbooks: Glad the family twist concerning Basil and Ratigan surprised you. I always thought an uncle-nephew dynamic between them was an interesting idea. After all, Simba and Scar were uncle and nephew as were Hercules and Hades, so why can't Basil and Ratigan be uncle and nephew?
See you soon!
