Chapter 21 Not Morally Pure

Shellock giggled, the shine of the star bit ring pulling him in. He picked it up out of the drawer, admiring it. He could see why it would be of such great value to Celia, or really anyone for that matter. He could also see how amazing and important it was that he found it, that he and Tillie had managed to recover it without a hitch.

"This is spectacular." Shellock put the ring in his coat pocket and turned back to Tillie. "You, dear madam, are truly a godsend."

A sparkle ignited in Tillie's eyes as she wore a smile. "Thank you." Man, this was probably the first time Tillie had expressed an emotion other than indifference. It was such a nice sight to see. It made Shellock smile, it made him feel as though all was right with the world.

"Yeah." Shellock then looked towards the door. "Well… we should probably leave." Tillie nodded, and together they made their way downstairs to the back door. Shellock could barely contain himself as his excitement grew and grew. "Now that we have the star bit ring, we can have Benson arrested." He beamed. "There is nothing more satisfying than sending a criminal off to jail."

Interestingly, Tillie came to a stop. "We can't do that."

Shellock also came to a stop, blinking as he looked at Tillie. "What do you mean we can't do that? Have you gone mad?"

"Shellock, we found the ring by breaking and entering into someone's house. Which, in case you were unaware, is pretty illegal. We can't tell the police how we found the ring; otherwise, we'll get in trouble ourselves."

Shellock's eyes grew wide, his blood turned ice cold. "By jove, you're right." He shuddered. "So, if we can't send Benson to jail… what can we do?"

Tillie put her hand to her chin before grinning. "Maybe we can get Tack to help us."

Confusion settled in on the great detective. "Uh… how exactly could Tack help us in this scenario? What can he do that won't get him in trouble along with us?"

Tillie smirked. "Tack is a very good liar, believe it or. He could weave together a story for the cops that'll be so convincing that not even Benson will have a legitimate argument against it."

Shellock raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a sensible idea?"

"Look, Shellock, Benson did a horrible crime. If there's any way we can have him arrested, even if it involves tricking the cops… sure, it would be a little morally gray, but it's the best thing to do." Tillie looked him right in the eyes. "Sometimes, the best solutions aren't entirely morally pure."

Pondering over those words was like trying to justify a murder. Shellock felt mighty uncomfortable when Tillie made this argument, almost like she had just said the world spun on its side now. On some level, Shellock thought that doing it this way was a REALLY bad idea. It was right up there with some of the worst ideas of all time, brought to life by some people who had no moral compass.

But then again, Tillie did have a point earlier. They had found out through no trouble at all that Benson the Bandit had committed a horrible crime. He had attacked Shellock's family. He had gone out of the way to cause people harm, to hurt them for no other reason than to cause chaos. He had hurt Roy and Celia, and a crime like that couldn't go unpunished. And if this was the only way for Benson to be punished at all…

"You're right," Shellock said. He looked Tillie directly in the eye. "You're absolutely right." He blew some bubbles after removing the bubble pipe from his mouth. "It might not be the most morally right solution, but it is the only solution we have."

"Exactly." Tillie gestured toward the kitchen. "Now, come on. We need to get out of here before Benson comes back in."

Shellock nodded and followed Tillie out. His conscience gave him a little bit of trouble as they snuck out of the house, but he tried not to let it bother him. This was for the best. This was all for the best.

…

Tillie and Shellock had pulled Tack to the side and told him they found the star bit ring when he had FINALLY finished his conversation with Benson. His face had rose when they told him they found the ring, and in some ways, it looked like he was about to say "I told you so" on a repeated loop. He didn't, of course, but he looked like he could do that. And when Tillie relayed her plan to Tack, he had seemed… apprehensive to say the least. Shellock didn't blame him for this, but he was relieved that Tack eventually decided that this would be for the best. They needed to get Benson in jail. They needed to make sure that a criminal got his just desserts. So, eventually, Tack had agreed to the plan.

And now, half an hour after that meeting with Tack, Shellock and Tillie sat in Tack's common room. Shellock kept his eyes near the window, specifically at a telescope that Tack had aimed right up into the sky. Shellock drummed his fingers on the table in front of him, tapping his foot in a fast rhythm as he did. His stomach had become a professional contortionist with how much it was twisting itself into knots, and sweat poured from every single last pore in his body. Shellock wiped some of the sweat off his brow.

It's fine, he told himself. His eyes traveled from the telescope down to an astronomy book that lay open on the floor. It's all going to be fine. You have no reason to feel guilty, Shellock. If anything, you have reason to celebrate. You cracked the case! You found out who had Celia's star bit ring! This DEFINITELY isn't a time to be morose!

But even still, Shellock felt morose. This was especially the case when he heard sirens outside, heading up to Benson the Bandit's house. Tillie, when she heard this racket, walked over to the window and tilted the telescope downwards. She smiled and gestured for Shellock to join her.

"Come here! They're taking Benson away!"

After a brief round of hesitation, Shellock made his way to the window and peered through the telescope. Sure enough, the cops were dragging Benson into their police car. As they did, the bandit struggled against their hold. Shellock couldn't help but notice the look of terror and confusion on his face.

"You've got the wrong guy!" Benson yelled. "I was framed! I'm innocent!"

The cops weren't listening to him (Shellock figured criminals usually said stuff like this when they were being arrested) and stuffed him into the car. Shellock's heart pounded extra hard, in perfect unison with the car door slamming shut, no less.

Shellock pulled away from the telescope. "Well… that's that, I suppose."

Tillie chuckled. "There's no reason to sound so beaten down. This is exactly what's supposed to happen!"

Shellock couldn't in good conscience provide a response to that statement. His palms felt unusually clammy. He felt like a dirty criminal, almost like he was the one who should be taken away as opposed to Benson. Which… might be true. After all, he and Tillie had broken into Benson's house to try and find the ring.

"Uggghhh…" Shellock put his hand to his stomach and backed away. He couldn't remember the last tie he had felt this terribly nauseous. The desire to throw up was so strong that, if he wasn't currently standing on top of a stranger's carpet, he would be emptying the contents of his stomach right here, right now.

"Hey." Tillie went up and put her hand on his shoulder, all while wearing a furrowed brow. "It's okay." Shellock shook his head, so she sighed. "Shellock, look at me." Shellock refused to do that. He didn't even turn toward the door when he heard Tack walking back in.

"Well!" The sound of Tack rubbing his hands together in a satisfactory manner echoed in Shellock's ears. "All's well that ends well! Benson is in jail and we managed to get the ring back easy peasy!" He paused, possibly noticing Shellock in his high-strung emotional state for the first time. "Oh!" He approached the great detective. "Shellock? Are you okay?"

Shellock could barely talk. "I feel… sick."

"Sick?" Tack's brow furrowed. "Would ginger ale help?"

"P…possibly." Tillie helped Shellock to his feet, and together the three of them went to the kitchen. When they got there, Tack pulled a can of ginger ale out of the fridge and handed it to Shellock.

"Many thanks, my friend." Shellock was about to open it when he saw something. Was that… a flash of purple? Why would… oh, no, there was nothing there. Every last part of the soda can was exactly the color it was meant to be. Figuring that the effects of sleep deprivation were settling in (and possibly contributing to his already horrible state of being), Shellock gingerly sipped at the ginger ale.

"There's no reason to fret, Shellock," Tack said, putting on a smile that was probably meant to be reassuring. "Everything's worked out or the better."

Shellock lowered the soda can. "I'm aware of that." He looked down at the table. "I just… I don't know. I am thankful that we managed to find out who the culprit was and bring them to justice. But even then, I feel… wrong. A lot of this feels wrong." He took another sip.

"That's understandable." Tack came over and sat down in the chair next to Shellock. "But… I don't think you should let it bother you too much. You got your ring. You know that the person who is responsible for harming others is locked up for good."

"Yeah," said Tillie as she took a step forward. "You can now go home to your siblings and live out the rest of your time peacefully." Her face lit up. "Ooh! Maybe you can approach the case of what's causing the phantoms with an even clearer head now that you solved the case of the star bit ring!"

Shellock blinked. There was something off about that statement. He couldn't figure out what… *yawn* and maybe it was best not to dwell on that too much. His mind was starting to shut down from pulling the all-nighter. And besides, Tillie made an excellent point. Shellock's confidence would probably be at an all-time high now that he solved the one case. He would probably, as Tillie said, be able to deal with the other case with a clearer head. And honestly, wouldn't that be for the best? Wouldn't it be a good thing that he now could solve the mystery of the phantoms without anything dragging him down emotionally?

"You're right." Despite himself, Shellock smiled. "You're absolutely right! And honestly, that would be the best-case scenario for everyone! With a clearer mind, I can solve the case in the most efficient, stress-free way possible!"

"See!" Tack said, his eyes lighting up. "That's the spirit! You've got this in the bag, Shellock! You will solve this case! You will figure out what's going on with everything!"

Shellock beamed, his heart feeling fluttery. "Indeed I will." It was at this point that Shellock yawned, this one even bigger and more jaw-popping than the last one. "Oh, jiminy jillickers. I think I need to get back to Bowser's Castle so I can go to bed."

"That's perfectly fine, Shellock." Shellock nodded and, with the ginger ale can and bubble pipe in hand, made his way toward the door. Before he exited, however, Tack called out to him. "Wait." Shellock turned around, surprised to see how big Tack's grin was. "Is it okay if I give you a hug?"

Shellock blinked. "A hug?"

"He's the touchy-feely type," Tillie said. "He'd hug a serial arsonist if they were willing."

Shellock thought about this before smiling. "You know what, dear chap? I'll take you up on that offer." He made his way over to Tack and gave him a hug, immediately pleased at how tightly Tack squeezed him. "Thank you for helping me."

"Of course, Shellock. It wasn't a problem."

Grinning, Shellock pulled away. He gave Tack and Tillie one more grateful goodbye before turning toward the exit. Yawning, he wondered how long it was going to take him to figure out who was behind the phantoms. He hoped that it wouldn't take long.