Cautiously, very cautiously, we crept inside Ratigan's barrel lair, where at the center, stood a pedestal, and on top of it...were the Crown Jewels.
But upon approaching the pedestal, Basil and I saw that there were only two crowns.
"That's funny." I said. "Shouldn't there be three crowns?"
"Add one missing scepter and what do you get?" said a voice that sounded familiar.
We looked up to see two candles being lit...by an aging rat, whom Basil had fought seven years ago.
"YOU!" he fumed, pointing at...
"Ratigan?" I said, surprised that he had survived the fall from Big Ben, following our first case, when young Olivia Flaversham came to us for help to find her father, whom he had previously captured, forcing him to make a robot to replace the Queen so he could rule over London.
"Yes." Ratigan chortled as he walked over to us. "Thought you've seen the last of me, eh, Basil?
"Boop!" he added, gently touching Basil's nose with the scepter.
"Well, I would've expected you to be the last one to rob our Queen of her jewels." replied Basil.
"Oh, don't worry yourself." assured Ratigan. "All of this will be returned to their rightful place...once she relinquishes the throne and bestow it upon me."
"Ha!" scoffed Basil. "The only thing you'll be king of, Professor, is Scotland Yard once we're done with you."
Ratigan raised an eyebrow while sneering. "Care to wager your life on that?"
"Hmm?" Basil raised his own eyebrow when he heard me call to him.
"Basil!"
He turned to me, pointing at Fidget, Ratigan's peg-legged hench-bat, cutting the chandelier loose with a saw.
Thinking fast, Basil pulled the scepter closer to him and punched Ratigan, catching the crown with said scepter as he fell.
"Get the others, Dawson!"
I grabbed the other two crowns and the orb, then made my way out just as Fidget let the chandelier fall...onto the lanterns that Basil had placed on the pedestal.
The crash let loose a fire that set the lair ablaze.
"Uh-oh." Fidget groaned as he felt his wing slipping from the chandelier hanger, landing onto Ratigan, who glared at him while ranting. "Can't you do anything right?"
He pushed Fidget off of him, leapt past the flames to the outside, only to see that Basil and I had gotten away.
Realizing he had been foiled again, Ratigan cried in anguish.