Lottie was furious. She could hardly think straight the entire plane trip. After months of begging from her friends to come visit New Horizon, it was unfortunate that this was the excuse she'd been given. Unfortunately, there was no time for a hospitality visit. She was here to get to the bottom of things.
"L-Lottie!"
The golden pup, Isabelle, looked shocked to see her old companion. She and Lottie went back, even before they worked together at Nook's Homes. For a moment, Lottie felt the need to hide her fury. She had gotten some stares while at the airport, but for her friend Isabelle, she could at least put on a face of good will.
"Hey Isabelle!" greeted Lottie. She knew how to act casual. Attitude was important when working in sales. "Thought I'd come visit."
"Oh my goodness!" Isabelle cried. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would've prepared something nice for when you got here. Oh no, all we have is a half eaten box of cookies. I certainly didn't eat that first half today, though."
Lottie chuckled. "Don't worry about it, friend. I had some peanuts on the plane. That's good enough, right?"
"Absolutely not! Hold on, I have an unopened box of gourmet chocolates I was saving as a Christmas gift. We can open that. You love bonbons, right?"
"My favourite!" Lottie said with a sly smile. "Oh, but you must be busy. I can just wait until your shift ends, if that's alright."
"Nonsense!" Isabelle shook her head. "My friend is here and I have five breaks I've yet to take queued up. I can spare five minutes to go fetch them. C-could you watch the office, though? It's usually empty and-"
"Don't worry. I'll let anyone know you're coming right back if they come in."
"Thanks Lottie!" Isabelle perked up and bounced out toward the door. She made sure to hop back into the room, though, to glance at the clock to make sure she timed her break exactly.
The little otter sighed. She wasn't sure what she'd have done iif she couldn't get rid of Isabelle. The poor girl was so averse to conflict that she was bound to break up any arguments around her. It was probably part of why Tom Nook made her his protege. She was malleable and impressionable. Lottie always found it disgusting how the old tanuki was molding Isabelle into another business tycoon like him. Things were much simpler when the girls were just doing lowly office work.
She shook her head. "Time to get to business."
Lottie walked into the back offices. If Tom wasn't around, she'd at least get a chance to dig up some dirt. And with no Isabelle to stop her, she could yell to her heart's content. Thankfully, the culprit in question was waiting for her, signing some paperwork at his desk. He didn't even look up as he spoke.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Lottie?"
"I think you know why I'm here," said Lottie.
Tom Nook finally put his pen down. He gave a deep sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "Did Lyle send you?"
"I came on my own," Lottie explained. "He doesn't even know I left Leafton. He's devastated."
"It's a tough business these days. I'm sure he'll be back on his feet soon enough."
"You can't just shut down our main office!" Lottie shouted. "We were the first one! Nook Inc wouldn't have gotten this far without us? You couldn't even give us a warning first?"
Tom pinched his brow. Lottie noticed the migraine pills on his desk. The old tanuki still hadn't pulled himself together it seemed.
"Leafton has no room for expansion," Tom Nook explained calmly, like he was speaking to another business investor. "If we want the company to grow, we need to let go of money sinks like that stuffy old office and focus on bigger ventures."
"Yeah, and let everyone else go in the process," Lottie's voice shook. "After everything my uncle's done for you, this is how you repay him? You know he was planning to retire soon."
"Let's be honest here, Lottie," said Nook, "Lyle owed me. He'd be in jail for insurance fraud if I hadn't bailed him out of all those binds he was in. Managing the Leafton branch was greatly appreciated, and I'll consider his debt paid, but our business partnership ends here."
"We were in the middle of rebuilding the museum!" Lottie cried. "We can't just leave that project unfinished. The walls aren't even patched up, and Winter's coming soon. What do you want us to do, finish the job out of pocket?"
"Well maybe if your uncle had made smarter investments a small little hiccup like this wouldn't be such a big issue. How you deal with the locals is none of my concern. The branch is shutting down and that's final. Now if you'd like a job here at New Horizon, I've got a planning committee I'm figuring out. I could recommend you to-"
"I'm not working for a miserable old coot like you!" Lottie shouted.
Tom Nook glared back at the otter. He was looking rather tired of this interaction. He slowly stood up from his desk, prompting Lottie to take a step back. She'd seen what he was like when he was angry.
"Lottie, running a company isn't easy," he said, slowly marching around his desk toward his guest. "You have to make sacrifices or else the industry will eat you up. I learned that the hard way, and I don't intend on making those same mistakes again. Sure, you and the Leafton branch drew the short end of the straw here, but by letting you go, I've ensured several other branches can continue to thrive."
"Don't forget, I know where the bodies are hidden," Lottie whispered.
Tom's fist clenched on his desk as he paused. "I told you that you were mistaken, Lottie. Nothing happened that night. The Mayor just had a little accident. I already told you, he simply left to join that fighting tournament."
"I saw the records," Lottie said. This time a little louder.
"...you what?" Tom hissed.
"For the month prior to the accident. Before you switched them out," Lottie explained. "I'd known you were embezzling money for months, and you silenced Uncle Lyle by threatening to tell his probation officer."
"Now Lottle, let's not be rash here," said Tom Nook. His hands reached around his desk for something, anything that could help the situation. "I don't think your uncle would appreciate any extra attention from the police."
"I kept quiet so far, but not anymore. I'm going to expose you to the whole world, you hear me! This stupid island cruise scam you've got here won't get any further off the ground than it has. Mark my words!"
WHACK!
Lottie's head crunched under the weight of the small wooden bust Tom had grabbed. In an instant, she was knocked out and fell lifelessly to the ground, blood trickling from the side of her head. Tom's hands shook as he tightened his grip and tried to compose himself.
"Ahhh!" cried the voice of Isabelle from the door. Her box of bonbons fell to her feet right as she also collapsed.
"Isabelle," said Tom. He was inspecting the bust to see how much blood had spilled onto it. "We've got a Code Orange."
"L-L-L-Lottie. You…y-you killed Lottie."
"She was going to expose us, Isabelle. I told you we have to be prepared to keep things running, no matter the cost."
"B-but," Isabelle whimpered. "She was just here to visit."
"Can't you tell she was obviously using you!" Tom shouted. "You left the office, didn't you? I heard. She wanted a moment alone with me. Obviously she was prepared to threaten me once we were alone. I can't let someone like her run around like that."
Isabelle wiped her tears, but more took their place. She wasn't handling the situation well.
"You didn't have to k….k….kill her!"
Tom Nook rolled his eyes. "Isabelle, we've got a business to run. You'll never make it if you crack under the pressure that easily. Now come on, we need to move the body somewhere so we can clean up the place. We can't let any traces of blood linger."
Isabelle, despite her protests, reluctantly pushed herself off the ground and got back up. It took a moment to begin walking with her shaky legs, and her tears clouded her eyes a little, but she did her job as she always did. It was time to dispose of the body.
"Gloves!" cried Tom Nook. "Use gloves, you idiot!"
"R-right," Isabelle said. She took one more look at her old friend on the ground. Completely lifeless. All the anger in Lottie's eyes was gone. There was nothing left. "I'm sorry, Lottie."
The evening sky outside grew darker and darker as the commotion in the residential building grew. It was going to be a sleepless night for the CEO and his assistant.
On a lovely afternoon, skies as blue as the vacation juice martinis on the travel pamphlets, New Horizon was greeted by another plane. The island getaway was getting more and more visitors with time, and business was booming. Butterflies floated to and from the flower beds decorating the airport exterior. One could hardly believe that a dead body was found right before sunrise.
Orville the dodo guided the plane in for another smooth landing, ready to greet another island guest. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time giving his usual expression. This was already the third plane to come in from the shore since the body was found. Each one brought more and more police.
The investigation was quick. Almost too quick. On a remote island an hour away from the mainland, it was hard to carry out any police work. Since the plane was so small, they had to slowly funnel police officers on and off the island through a list of priorities. First came a few officers to secure the crime scene and take photos. Then came the crew to gather evidence and help remove the body. There was almost a rush to get the case over with to avoid having to do more trips.
Two dog officers were waiting outside the airport to transfer information to the next investigator after several others went back home with the victim's body. While the locals on the island were still recovering from the tragedy, the professionals were quick to dump the work onto someone else and get out. Orville wondered how many more would show up before the ordeal was over.
The boat plane lingered silently for a minute before life inside began to stir. As the door to the plane opened, a shaggy looking human stepped out. Slowly.
Very, very slowly.
Lt. Columbo of the LAPD had a death grip on the plane door handle as he tried to step off onto the dock. The plane bobbled up and down on the ocean's surface. Orville recognized the telltale signs of someone having a hard time with flying, and/or seasickness.
"Are you alright, sir?" he asked.
"Yeah…" said the lieutenant in a hushed tone. "Yes, I'm fine."
Columbo hopped off the last step of the plane ladder and onto dry land. He planted his hands firmly on his legs and gave himself a moment to breathe in. The dodo inside the plane shook his head and closed the door behind the officer.
"You must be Lieutenant Columbo," Orville continued. "We have the other officers ready for you. Can you walk?"
Columbo shook his head, but nevertheless assured the flight coordinator as best he could. "Yeah, it's fine. Just…just getting my sea legs in. My…my sea air legs."
Standing up with a loud stretch, the lieutenant looked out onto the beautiful island. Most would never believe a murder would take place on such a luxurious vacation spot, but for Columbo, no place was off limits. Wherever someone was killing, he'd be there, and this place was no different. He was here to work.
The lieutenant had made his way to the scene of the crime. He was fumbling over his notes. The two dog officers at the airport had a hard time talking over one another, so Columbo had to ask them to repeat a few things. His notes were messy enough as is, but now they were being filtered through two dogs. Even he'd had more organized cases in the past.
As he approached the gardens, a loud whistle rang in his ears.
"Stop right there! This area is off limits!"
A golden shi tzu ran out from behind the bushes. She had a bright vest to draw attention as she continued whistling at the intruder with a stop sign in her hands. Columbo covered his ears and wondered if this was part of the case.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I was just-"
"I apologize, sir, but no residents are allowed in the gardens today. There's been an incident," the dog lady shouted rather hurriedly. "Please enjoy the rest of our facilities while we wait for the police investigator to arrive."
Columbo pulled out his badge, ready to correct anyone who questioned his presence. It was a regular occurrence. "I'm with the NYPD, ma'am. Lieutenant Columbo. I believe you spoke with the other officers before? Cop and Book, I believe their names were?"
The dog lady paused just as her lips pressed into her whistle again. As she froze her face turned beet red for a minute before she shook away the hue and hid her tools. She gave the most professional bow Columbo had ever seen. It was rare for people to show him such respect this early.
"I apologize, Lieutenant," she said in a sing-songy voice. "My name is Isabelle. I'm the head of civic consultations on the island. How may I help you?"
Columbo looked left and right to gauge he was in the right place. "Is there a dead body here? Pardon my asking?"
Isabelle's face changed colours once again, becoming a gruesome shade of purple as she began to squirm. "Y-yes. Of course. I apologize. It was a force of habit. You're here to investigate the de….the dea…..the d-d-"
"Dead body, ma'am?"
Tears erupted from Isabelle's eyes. She pulled out four different handkerchiefs and began wiping them away as she attempted to compose herself in between sobs.
"Yes! Lottie's been killed!"
In the distance, along the trail the lieutenant had walked to reach here, he could see a few residents poking their heads in the direction of the gardens. None of them seemed surprised by Isabelle's loud outburst, suggesting they all knew what was the reason the place was now off limits. They'd likely have something to say if interrogated later.
"Can I see the crime scene, ma'am?"
"Yes," Isabelle said, before loudly blowing her nose into her handkerchief. "Right this way, officer."
The head of civics consultation, whatever that meant, led the lieutenant deeper past the hedges. In the center of the garden was a large fountain. A collection of chalk and water-proof tape formed an outline of the half-submerged body that was found there at dawn. An otter. Female. Identified as Lottie, age 24.
"Did anyone touch the crime scene?" Columbo asked.
"N-no," Isabelle shook her head. "The other officers told me not to let anyone in until after their lead investigator saw the crime scene. Th-they took away Lottie's body though, obviously…"
"You seem like you knew the victim?" Columbo asked.
"Yes, she was…oh, excuse me."
Isabelle reached into her seemingly endless pockets and pulled out…a leaf. The lieutenant was surprised for a bit, and even more surprised afterward. The dog woman tossed the leaf onto the ground, where it suddenly transformed into a bench with a puff of smoke. She sat on it and began to breathe heavily as she tried to compose herself.
"That's quite the trick you did there," said the lieutenant.
"Huh? Oh, right, you're not a local," Isabelle said shakily. "We do things a bit differently, here. We can carry things more easily this way."
Columbo nodded. "That's quite handy. I bet the killer could've easily hid the murder weapon that way?"
Isabelle froze. "Murder weapon?"
"That's right." Columbo pulled out some photos he had jammed into his notebook as he tried to flip through his messy notes. "They couldn't fly me over before they took the body away, so I only have these photos. The body was found with her head in the fountain, correct?"
"Y-yes. I saw her and immediately informed my boss, Mr. Nook," Isabelle said. She seemed more composed at last. "He called the police and instructed me not to let anyone touch the crime scene. We didn't let anyone get near the body. She was halfway in the fountain with her legs sticking out. I…I think she drowned."
As soon as she had finished giving her story, Isabelle's tears began to well up again. She was likely used to answering these questions but didn't seem to be having an easier time keeping herself from bursting into tears midway.
"I don't know who could have done this," she sobbed.
"So, about how she died," Columbo interrupted. He paused to let the crying dog glare at him in confusion. "Sorry, ma'am, but I'm just trying to figure this out. She was in the fountain, right? But it doesn't look like she drowned."
"She…she didn't?"
"No ma'am. I, uh, I'm sorry if you don't wanna see it again, but I have the photos right here?" The lieutenant handed one of the polaroids over. "Gruesome, isn't it? Especially around her head. Looks like someone did a number on her face."
"She must have struggled while the killer held her head underwater," Isabelle said. "Maybe they smashed her face into the fountain to keep her still."
"I don't think so, ma'am," said Columbo. "You see the water in this photo? Actually, I shouldn't be showing you this. It ain't pretty. You can actually see it right now. Notice the water in the fountain? It's crystal clear."
"Huh?"
Columbo walked over to the fountain. Standing right over the tape outline showing where the body was in the water, he pointed at the decorative lily pads and flowers. They looked as peaceful and serene as the rest of the garden was, before the corpse soured the mood.
"She had a pretty bad injury," Columbo continued to explain. "Bruises all over her, including a bad gash on her head. She was bleeding a lot. But there's not much blood in the water at all. That tells me she was probably killed somewhere else and then dragged over here once the blood dried up. Left less of a mess, you see."
Isabelle stared at the fountain. She seemed lost in thought, and perhaps some confusion. "Oh. I….I see."
"So like I said, the killer needed some kind of murder weapon," Columbo resumed. "And if they can just store stuff as leaves, or hide everything in their pockets like you can, then it could be anyone. You said everyone around here can do that?"
"Th-that's right. It could be anyone!" Isabelle cried.
"Oh, I don't think it was just anyone," said a voice from the garden entrance.
Columbo turned to see an older tanuki gentleman entering. He looked exhausted, with dark rings around his eyes. The tanuki sighed as he looked at the fountain, shaking his head, though he was soon pre-occupied with cracking his back as he struggled to walk forward. Columbo could relate to getting older.
"Hello," said the tanuki. "You must be the lieutenant. I'm Tom Nook. I manage the island here."
"Nook," pointed out Columbo. "From Nook Inc. You're the big guy in charge?"
"That's right," said Tom. "This place is meant to be an island getaway. People purchase temporary homes away from society and have access to our residential services. It's been quite a success so far, but I never imagined something like this could happen."
"I understand, sir," Columbo said. "It must've been an awful thing to wake up to. After all, this place is simply gorgeous. My wife told me all about the New Horizon project back when it was all over the news. She's been looking into places to go for our next vacation. Course, on my salary I wasn't expecting to come here so soon."
Tom Nook simply nodded. "Yes, it can be quite pricey this time of year, but I certainly think it's worth it. My company specializes in small town real estate. Sometimes people need a chance to get away from the big city life. It can be hard catching a break in the city with all kinds of unruly folks ready to drag you down. You're with the LAPD, aren't you? I'm sure you can understand."
"Oh, of course. It's definitely worth coming to see a place like this. That's what Miss Lottie was doing, wasn't she?"
Tom and Isabelle glanced at each other. Isabelle once again tried to cover up her tears while her boss sighed. "Yes. Poor Lottie worked at one of our main branches over in Leafton. Isabelle got her start there, before I brought her to New Horizon with me. This was meant to be a pleasant reunion while Lottie was over in the west coast, but…well, things certainly took a turn for the worst."
Isabelle began crying once more, ready to pull out more handkerchiefs. Tom Nook patted her back, trying his best to comfort her, though it seemed to be doing very little.
"I-I'm sorry," said Isabelle. "I'm still getting used to this."
"No problem, ma'am. It's a difficult thing to process," said Columbo. "So apparently you were also the last to see the victim alive?"
"Yes," said Isabelle. Her face cleared up as she gave her account once more. "We talked in the office all night. Me and Mr. Nook had a lot of work to wrap up, so I gave her the keys to one of the empty homes and let her stay there for the night."
"You're lucky we were both up late, Isabelle," Tom Nook interrupted. "You almost became a prime suspect."
Columbo wrote what he was hearing in his notebook. "So you two both saw Lottie leave and then worked in the office together?"
"That's right," said Tom. "I only saw Lottie briefly, but I heard her leave at around 9pm, was it? Then at around midnight, me and Isabelle both wrapped up and went to our rooms behind the office. They're right next to each other, so I can vouch for Isabelle's whereabouts for the entire time after Lottie left the office."
"A-and I can vouch for Mr. Nook," said Isabelle. "I can hear him snoring from my room at night. Sorry, sir."
Tom Nook chuckled. "If it gives me an alibi as well, I don't mind. Do you snore, lieutenant?"
"Oh, I wish I knew, but every time I ask my wife she gives me this look and doesn't say anything," said Columbo. "I choose to believe she doesn't know either."
The tanuki laughed and shook Isabelle's shoulders. She was trying her best to cheer up, but there was only so much she could do.
"You said you don't think anyone here could've killed the girl?" Columbo asked, interrupting the nice moment he made.
Tom's face shrunk. He sighed every time he was reminded of the murder. "Not just anyone. I already told the other police earlier, but the room Lottie was given is in a home up by the hill. There's only one resident that lives there, and the path up the hill is visible from across the river by multiple homes on the other side of the island. I doubt she was killed there where anyone could see. Which, and I hate to admit this, means…"
"You think she was killed at the top of the hill," Columbo finished. "Where there's only one resident."
Tom Nook shrugged with uncertainty. He reached into his own endless pockets and pulled out a set of keys. "The police took Lottie's key for evidence, but I have the master key here, if you'd like to take a look at the residential homes. Lottie was staying near our resident representative."
"Representative?" Columbo asked.
"The island is meant to be fully customizable," Isabelle explained. "We manage the services here, but residents are encouraged to plan out what kind of island resort they wish to stay in. We have a resident veteran in charge of organizing the other resident demands. Someone who volunteered to handle the paperwork and such. Most residents simply enjoy the scenery."
"This very garden was requested by that resident," Tom Nook said, gesturing at his surroundings. "She's been quite pleasant to work with so far. I dread thinking of what could have happened on that hill."
Columbo finished jotting down his notes. "Very interesting. I think I'll talk to this resident in a bit. Can you show me Lottie's room first, though?"
"Of course, lieutenant," said Tom Nook. "Right this way."
Columbo glanced around the empty condo. It was fully furnished, but looked otherwise untouched. According to Isabelle, it was exactly as she had left it when it was last inspected. Columbo nodded, only half listening to what the island managers were telling him. He was making sure the place was as spotless as it seemed.
Not a single speck of dust in sight.
The small home overlooked a cliff on the farthest side of the island. From up here, the entire island was visible, including a second home further down the side of the cliff. A young human woman with pink hair was out on its lawn watering her flowers.
"That's the resident?" Columbo asked.
"That's right," Isabelle answered. "She's been here since New Horizon was first founded. She practically works here."
"So she must know this place well?"
"Oh, lieutenant," Tom Nook cried, "I must say, I've known our representative for quite some time, and although I'm aware she was the only person present when Lottie came up here, I have a hard time believing she'd commit murder."
"I'm not saying anything like that, I'm just asking questions," said Columbo. He gestured at the road toward the other condominium, motioning his legs away from his hosts. "I'm going to question her real quick. Do you two mind?"
"Of course not," said Tom. "Do whatever you must to get to the bottom of this."
Columbo marched down the road. There was a row of various flowers being cultivated up here, as well as an outdoor storage trunk for quick access. The lieutenant peeked in and saw a number of leaves and tools. He inspected them each, checking to look at both condominiums' residents from time to time. Nobody was watching him, but there was also nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a storage chest.
He continued making his way to the lawn with the representative resident. She had not looked in his direction after first noticing him. She simply continued her business. With the two dog officers guarding the airport, no one on the island could flee, but that was the least of everyone's concerns.
Columbo looked over the cliffside. For exactly two seconds. It was a lot higher up than he expected. "No guard rails?" he asked aloud before carefully inching closer toward the edge.
From up the hill, he could see the waves of the ocean crashing against the rocks. There was no beach area, but everything was visible. No leaves in that water. He turned away and continued back to the resident. By now she was staring at the lieutenant, but she still did not say anything.
"This your place?" Columbo asked.
The resident simply nodded. She finished up with her watering can, made of pure gold, and then put it away in her pockets. Immediately after, she pulled out a butterfly net and checked her watch. The lieutenant instinctively checked his as well. It was almost 5 o'clock.
"Uh, so are those your tools in that storage there?" Columbo said, pointing to the box of leaves he had just inspected.
The resident merely nodded again. She was waiting, perhaps for the interrogation to end, or for the clock to strike 5, but she appeared to be in no rush. Columbo rubbed his head, trying to gauge more information.
"If you don't mind me asking, can you tell me where you were around 9PM last night?"
The resident looked down the hill, down at the beach on the opposite end, where the airport was. She reached out with her small mitten hands and pointed at the plane floating by the pier. Columbo took note of that.
"Alright, I'll go check," he said. "Thank you, miss."
Columbo began making his way back down. All things considered, that went surprisingly well.
"Spotted chair."
"Spotted chair."
"Frog dresser."
"Frog dresser."
Copper and Booker were inspecting the leaves taken from the resident home atop the hill, alongside those in the public storage. As Copper checked the item, Booker repeated the name and wrote it down. If nothing unusual was found, the item was reverted back into a leaf and put back in its storage.
"Guillotine," said Copper.
"Guillotine?" Booker gulped.
"Standee guillotine," Copper said as he tapped the cardboard cutout.
"Oh."
Columbo was watching the inspection. The resident who lived here was down the hill fishing. She didn't have a care in the world. She definitely wasn't a killer, in his eyes, but he still needed to check what was up on this hill, just to make sure.
"Lieutenant," cried a voice from the path. It was Tom Nook, ready to catch up with the police once more. He'd been very helpful with the investigation, of course. "Have you found anything?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Columbo said.
The tanuki man came close and looked further down the hill at the fishing resident. His smile turned as he leaned in to whisper at the lieutenant. "Have you confirmed that no one else could have done it?"
"We're not ruling anything out just yet," said Columbo.
"Of course, of course," said Tom. "It's just, well…she's one of our best residents. I hate even imagining her as a killer but, well, facts are facts. It doesn't look like anyone else could have killed Lottie. Not unless she went somewhere else, but then how did no one else see her?"
"That's right," said Columbo. "We asked every single person on the island, and it seems the only people who ever saw Lottie were you, your associate, and the dodos over at the airport. If she wasn't killed here, she would've had to have died where someone else would've seen something."
Tom Nook clicked his tongue. "It's a shame. I think we're starting to paint a picture, however. This place is usually very private and empty. You don't think our little resident was perhaps doing something she didn't want seen, perhaps? Something that poor Lottie caught a glimpse of?"
"Something like what?" Columbo asked.
Tom shrugged. "You never know, especially with young people these days. I've been in this industry a long time. Usually getaways like this are popular among families or older folks. You know, people who want to unwind after a tough time at work. But young folks without any work? They tend to get carried away when given complete freedom. They think they can do anything out where no one can see. Could be drugs, or something worse."
"You think it's drugs?"
"Oh, I'm not the detective here, lieutenant," said Tom Nook. "But it is a shame. Out here, by the cliffs. She could easily toss things over the cliff edge and we'd never even know it. You know, I sometimes see her reading notes in bottles at the beach. I never did learn why so many people were tossing bottles in the ocean. Perhaps she's using them to smuggle things to and from the mainland?"
"That's quite the theory you have there, Mr. Nook," said Columbo. "I'm not so sure, though. The way the waves are crashing, anything she threw out there could just as easily get tossed back into the rocks. It's much too risky throwing things out that way."
Tom snapped his fingers. "Then maybe she was disposing of evidence. Perhaps she panicked. Kids do strange things when they panic. Especially if they perhaps just committed a murder. We can't expect maniacs to behave logically, after all."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Columbo said. "Sometimes the biggest killers are cool as a sea cucumber. Assuming they have a motivation. If they have something to protect, they can justify anything."
"What is the world coming to," Tom shook his head.
The two watched as the rest of the items in the resident's possession were inspected. One by one, the two dogs archived every item. It was an assortment of various furniture, and even some paintings. Columbo noted just how valuable this collection would have to be if the resident chose to sell it.
"Wooden bust. Bear shaped."
"Bear bust."
Tom Nook perked up at the mention of the small statue. "Now wait just a minute, officers. Could I perhaps look at that real quick?"
Copper glanced at Columbo to see if it was alright. The lieutenant held up a finger and stepped in front of the tanuki. "Is there something about this bust you want to check?"
"Why yes," said Tom. "It looks an awful lot like the one I kept in my office. At least, until it was stolen sometime last week."
"You're saying this was stolen from you?"
"Yes, I was telling Isabelle about it," Tom explained. "She can vouch for me. This cost quite a pretty penny, so I was rather upset when I lost it. Not to mention I kept my cigars in there."
"Cigars?" Columbo asked.
"Yes, Isabelle, well, she said she hated the smell of cigars. She had me get rid of all of them. But I see you're a man of taste yourself. I bet you'd have a hard time quitting too. So I, of course, hid a few from her in that bust. It has a secret compartment you see."
Columbo motioned to the statue. Copper turned it upside down and inspected it. Sure enough, the bottom slid out, revealing a secret compartment. It was, however, empty.
"It looks like it's been cleaned out, sir," said the dog cop.
Tom Nook snapped his fingers again. "You don't think she was planning to hide something in there? After all, if someone picks up a message in a bottle and sees it just has a small statue, most people wouldn't pay much attention to it. But perhaps that's how she was smuggling things?"
"You really think she was smuggling things using that statue?" Columbo asked.
"I have a hard time believing she'd do something like that, but perhaps I was wrong to underestimate her character. Mark my words, that resident stole that bust from my office." Tom Nook pointed at the bust, only to then gasp and slap his forehead. "Oh, of course! I remember telling her about the cigar trick a while back! I offered her one once after she became the representative for the residents. Why, she comes into the residential services building all the time. She could've stolen the bust without any of us noticing. Maybe we should ask Isabelle if she's seen anything out of the ordinary."
Booker pulled out a plastic bag for Copper to put the bust in. The two were marking it as evidence. "You want us to check for prints, sir?" one of them asked.
"You go ahead and do that," Columbo said. "I think we have ourselves a new lead."
Tom Nook turned to head toward his office. Before he could go far, however, Columbo gave a gasp of his own.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he said, slapping his own head. "I told the dodo boys I'd go talk to them again today. I asked them to check something for me."
"Check something?" Tom asked.
"Yes," Columbo said. "You see, I asked them if they'd seen that resident the day of the murder. They told me she arrived shortly before 9, right when Lottie was making her way up the hill. The two likely bumped into each other then."
Tom shook his head. "The evidence just keeps piling up, doesn't it? I can't believe I trusted that girl."
"Oh, but that wasn't all I learned," Columbo explained. "Apparently that resident regularly goes to nearby islands? I asked them if they have a record of what times she usually arrives back on the island and where she goes."
Tom Nook crossed his arms. He looked at the airport, looking mildly disappointed. "Yes, erm, well that does sound worth following up on. I think it's a good idea to check. Shall I come with you?"
"That's not necessary," said Columbo. "Just wait for me at the office. I'll be with you soon."
Columbo pulled out a cigar and began looking for his matches. He simply couldn't find them, most of the time, and this was no exception. After feeling his pockets a second time he turned to the tanuki.
"You wouldn't happen to have a light on ya, would you?"
Tom pulled out a lighter. Engraved. Columbo could tell he was telling the truth about being a cigar man, at least. The lieutenant leaned in and lit his cigar before waving himself off.
"I appreciate that. I'll see you in a bit," he said.
Tom Nook watched Columbo walk away. Once again he gave a deep sigh. He was eager to be done with this Lottie business sooner rather than later.
Isabelle was pacing back and forth. Her hands couldn't stop shaking, no matter how much she pushed her feelings aside, just as Tom had taught her. This was just the business, as she had learned. Save the tears for the police, Tom had explained to her.
"Isabelle, calm down."
"I am calm!" she screamed. Her boss held out a finger over his lips to shush her. The assistant dog sighed as she tried to do as she was told. She was sounding more and more like Tom every day.
"You've done a good job so far," said Tom. "Your little outbursts were very believable in front of the police. We just need to keep our stories straight and the lieutenant won't suspect either of us."
"The only reason I looked believable is because I really do feel like breaking down every time I remember her," cried Isabelle. "Every time I close my eyes I see her face. This is so much harder than you made it out to be."
"It always starts out hard, Isabelle," said Tom. He pet his protege's head to soothe her. "But I promise you, it gets easier with experience. Someday, the Nook empire will be yours to manage, but I'll need you to be the best business partner you can be. You'll need to handle these sorts of things on your own, eventually."
"Even, k-k-kill-"
"Don't say it out loud," Tom commanded. He glanced out the windows to make sure no one was coming.
"I don't think I can do this part of the job, sir. Business was one thing, but when it comes to something like…like this? I just…I feel like quitting. I don't think I can handle the pressure."
Tom glanced at Isabelle. He had once seen promise in her, and he was proud to find someone that reminded him of his younger self. Someone who just needed a big break and some luck. But Isabelle was proving to be a big disappointment when he needed her most. "You can and you will handle it, if you know what's good for you. This industry will eat you alive if you keep this up, so grow up!"
Isabelle sniffed. "Yes sir."
The two sat in silence, waiting for Columbo to return. He kept them waiting for some time. It was almost sundown, meaning he'd have to spend yet another night here. Tom was nervous about letting the lieutenant stay in one of the residential homes at night. The easier it was for him to stay on the island for long periods of time, the more he'd snoop around. This was supposed to be a routine inspection, but as soon as Columbo arrived on the scene, the LAPD stopped sending officers to come in and out.
Tom hoped that this Columbo would eventually return to his office like the rest. There was surely enough evidence for him to file a report against the residential representative. What else could he be looking for?
After almost being driven insane by Isabelle's constant pacing, Tom was startled by a knock on the door. Before waiting for an answer, Columbo creaked the door open and poked his head in.
"Did I keep you waiting?" he said upon entering. "I'm real sorry about that. I just had to get a few details straight."
"Yes," said Tom Nook. "I hope you learned something useful at the airport."
Columbo nodded. "I sure did. Did you know that resident usually leaves the island around the same time?"
"She does?" Isabelle asked.
"Yeah. Most of the time she's up in her home," Columbo explained. "But apparently she's most active from afternoon to evening, and also on weekends. I saw the plane schedule and passenger list for the last few weeks to confirm just now. She seems to go to places on a whim, but if you watch carefully, you can probably guess when she'll return if you see her leave."
Columbo glanced at the window. The same one Tom had kept his eye on while he waited. The lieutenant pointed at the view.
"See, you can see the docks from here. If someone took off, anyone close to the beach would know. And since you don't usually get uninvited guests, you can probably guess when someone's taking off to one of the nearby islands."
"Th-that's right!" Isabelle said. "Just about anyone could tell when someone from the island comes and goes. It's odd when someone new shows up outside the usual schedule. Maybe that means someone on the island could've easily noticed Lottie wasn't a resident when she arrived, even if they hadn't seen her."
Isabelle gave her boss a quick smile, like she was looking to get praised. Tom Nook merely coughed. She was getting sloppy.
"Well you've proven that anyone could notice a resident leaving," Tom said, "but I fail to see what your point is, lieutenant."
"Oh, I'm just saying," said Columbo. "If you're a resident, you're here to relax. You and your fellow residents come and go all the time. But if you're managing the place, and you got a view right outside your office, you'd definitely know what time someone is set to return to the island if they leave frequently enough."
"Now just what are you implying?" Tom asked. His eyes narrowed.
"Oh, I'm saying that if anything odd happened, you two would've noticed it. And probably the dodos at the airport. It must be hard keeping secrets here, I bet. I'm starting to think that theory of yours, the one about the drug smuggling? That's much too risky. Too many chances someone will spot you? Especially when you've got the people in charge right here within view. If that resident was up to something, and doing it regularly too, not just a one time thing, well, surely you or your cohort here would have spotted it, right?"
Isabelle squeaked. "I-I never saw anything odd. I mean, maybe I did, but I wouldn't know what I was looking at if it was something crazy, like drugs."
"Well, see, even if you didn't notice a thing," Columbo continued. "There's still a chance you might have. I mean, all you'd have to do is look out your window at just the right time and see something odd going on out there. The whole operation would get found out by mere chance? Now if you were doing something illegal, why would you do it here of all places? Where there's a dozen ways for things to go wrong?"
"Who's to say, lieutenant," said Tom Nook. "We can't imagine what's going through the mind of someone willing to kill to protect their secrets. But the fact of the matter is you don't have any other suspects who could have killed Lottie. Everyone else on the island has clear cut alibis, and that hill is the only place she could have been killed without someone noticing."
"That's true," Columbo nodded. "Someone would've seen something, but no one's fessed up. So I suppose it had to be there, right? After all, if it happened somewhere else, like say, near this office, one of you two would've seen something. It had to be up on that hill. But, it's just not adding up, see? I don't think that resident killed Miss Lottie."
"You don't?" cried Isabelle. Her breathing was hurried.
"No," said Columbo. "In fact, I learned something very unusual about her. See, not only did she arrive right before Lottie was probably murdered, but apparently, she was a bit of an oddball. You know she returned with a bunch of tarantulas?"
"Tarantula farming is not an unusual source of income in these parts," said Tom. "I don't think any of this behavior is worth investigating, lieutenant. You already have more than enough evidence as is, and nothing you've said changes that fact."
"Well see that's where you're wrong," Columbo pointed out. "Cause see, if that resident came to the island with a bunch of tarantulas, then where did she hide the murder weapon? Her pockets were full."
Tom stood from the desk he was leaning on. He was losing his temper again. "Now see here, Columbo, I was standing right next to you when you saw that bust get removed from the public storage. The resident could've simply stashed it there and pulled it out to murder Lottie! You have a simple solution right under your nose."
Columbo shook his head. "Nah, I tested that out, actually. You know, those leaves of yours, they're quite handy, but if your pockets are full, you gotta get rid of something first. So how could someone open up a storage, put something away, then take out a small bust and chase down a victim, all before she could run away?"
"Perhaps her pockets weren't full at all?" Tom provided his theory. "She'd merely have to pull out the nearest weapon on hand and run after Lottie before anyone on the island could see or hear her."
"Yes, that's true," said Columbo. "Maybe her pockets weren't full. I mean, she could've gone to tarantula island and only got a few tarantulas to farm instead of coming home loaded with them. But if that were true, then why? And more importantly, why not use any of the tools she used for the tarantulas?"
"Cause then there'd be blood on them!" shouted Isabelle. "I mean, she…she would've known if a dead body was found then her tools would be the first thing police would check. So she used a piece of furniture instead. That would've been easier to hide."
Columbo stared at Isabelle a moment before nodding. "That's true," he said. "That's definitely true. You know you've got a smart girl here, Mr. Nook. From what I've seen she works very hard. I suggest you take good care of her."
"Oh, I sure do," Tom winced.
The lieutenant reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar. He once again glanced at Isabelle and gave an apologetic wave.
"Oh right, I heard you didn't like smoking here, ma'am. You know, why don't I smoke this outside. Do you think you can come with me? I wanted to ask you about that bust we found. Apparently you knew it was missing before?"
Isabelle glanced at Tom before nodding. "That's right."
The shi tzu made her way toward the door and opened it for the lieutenant.
"Why don't we step outside, sir?"
"Why thank you for that," said Columbo. "Don't worry, this'll be quick."
The two stepped out the door. Right before she closed the door behind her, Isabelle stared back at her boss in panic. He had no time for her, however. Before she could leave he had already made his way toward his office. Isabelle was on her own for now.
The sad dog closed the door. She worked hard for this job, and would have to do her best to keep it together. Tom, on the other hand, had other things to worry about. As soon as he was out of view, he gave his desk a good pounding with his fist.
That lieutenant wasn't taking the bait. He was maybe too smart. Or perhaps incompetent. Tom couldn't keep nudging him away from every little useless detour like this, and Isabelle was already showing cracks in her act. She definitely wasn't the trustworthy assistant he once thought she was. Maybe he overestimated her. She wouldn't have lasted a month in the big city either.
The tanuki glanced around, making sure he was definitely alone. He'd have to push things along before they got out of hand, and he had one last trick up his sleeve. One that even Isabelle didn't know about. He reached into his desk drawer.
Inside was a small box. Isabelle knew the code, of course. She was told this box contained some of Tom's most personal belongings. A few trinkets from his past, when he had first failed as an entrepreneur. Things he couldn't bear to throw out, but also couldn't put up on display. A photo of his first Nook's Cranny. Letters from his deceased parents wishing him luck.
That was one other purpose for the box, however. Over the years he had dropped subtle hints that Isabelle should look to Tom's past if something ever happened to him. Some insurance, just in case she was left to take matters into her own hands. He always imagined it would be her final test, to see if she was smart enough to end things efficiently, even in the worst case scenario where Tom was no longer around to guide her.
He opened the box and took out the personal letters and photos, and then he pressed a hidden slot on the side of the box while pressing up from the bottom of the box. The small click revealed the fake bottom of the box, which he promptly lifted.
Inside was a gun. Loaded, of course. Tom sighed. His dreams of Isabelle carrying on his legacy felt quashed at this point. She'd never open up this box and see his final message to her. One last set of instructions to carry out in the event of his death. There would be no vengeance sought out by her hands. She had proven by now that she was never going to continue what he had started, and it was finally time to let her go.
Tom pushed the gun aside and reached another item out of the box. There was a reason he came up with the plot to frame the resident representative so quickly. He always had a plan, and sometimes, those plans needed a bit of evidence. He pulled out a bag filled with the exact drugs he had described earlier. Thin enough to fit in a glass bottle, or a hidden compartment. If the lieutenant needed evidence, Tom was sure to provide it.
It was a shame about Isabelle. The box was meant for her, but now its contents meant something entirely different to her. It would spell her fall from grace.
Tom Nook snuck out late at night. He made sure everyone had gone to sleep. Especially that damned Columbo. As soon as he was escorted to his residential home, Tom began preparing his new plan. All he needed was for Isabelle to go to sleep as well.
Once she was out of the picture, Tom quietly left his own room. It was connected to Isabelle's, both in the same building. They were once joined at the hip, like a true mentor and protege, but now was the time to finally let go of her.
He smiled. Isabelle was like a daughter to him. He had grown quite fond of her, but her failures could not go ignored. There were consequences for disappointing him, and she only had herself to blame. All he had to do was plant the drugs in one of her flower pots. She'd never know, and the next morning, Tom would direct the lieutenant to suspect her instead. The whole plan had been ready for years, just to be safe. He had simply hoped he'd never have to use it.
Tom reached for the flower pot and began digging his hands into it. Goodbye, Isabelle, he thought.
FLOOSH.
An onslaught of lights shined themselves onto Tom. He was blinded, forced to hold up the pot to shield his eyes. As he looked past the bright lights, he saw Columbo, alongside the other officers, and even the airport dodos, all ready to arrest Tom Nook and escort him off the island.
"What's that you've got there, Mr. Nook," asked Columbo.
Tom tried to hide the drugs behind the pot, but immediately knew that wouldn't do him any good. "This is just- I was simply-"
The door beside Tom also creaked open. Isabelle poked her head out, just barely. Her eyes were red, clearly from all her crying. Without saying anything, she merely stared at Tom in disappointment.
Tom sighed. He held out his hands, exposing the bag, and smiled at the police. He had plotted out every escape plan possible for moments like this enough times to know there was no running. It was finally the end.
"Looks like I'm just not cut out for this line of work, I guess," he said.