The Guinea Pig Detective Bureau

The Guinea Pig Detective Bureau

The Cat’s Collar

By Royce A Ratterman
 

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Dedicated to all junior detectives and their sweet, dear pet friends.

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The Cat’s Collar

In a place known as The Big City live two twin brothers named Cinnamon and Spicy. They do not look exactly alike, but they are twins none the less.

Detective Superintendent Cinnamon and Detective Superintendent Spicy are from the Scotland’s Yard; actually, they live with the Scotland family and are often out in their yard.  It is a beautiful yard, with trees, shrubs, flowers, a statue next to the pond, and lots of green grass.

Cinnamon and Spicy have many friends, Harry the Hedgehog, Crimson the Cat, Polly the Parrot, to name just a few, but they really enjoy the time they spent with Daisy Fields the Pet Store owner. They lived in her store until that wonderful day when the Scotland family came to her little pet shop, adopted the two boys, and then took them to their new home. The two little fellows also enjoyed the many tasty guinea pig treats that Miss Fields used to give them on occasion.

These two brothers started the Guinea Pig Detective Bureau to help with any matter, any subject, and any problem that anyone would ask them to investigate. The two brothers enjoy solving mysteries and teaching their friends how to investigate things for themselves. The two Detective Superintendents are often simply referred to as DS Cinnamon and DS Spicy.

One special day, although every day is special in a guinea pig’s life, a dear friend of Cinnamon’s and Spicy’s, Crimson Kitty, dropped by the Scotland’s yard for a visit. The day was beautiful and sunny without a cloud in the sky.

Pernille Partridge sat on a branch of a lone pear tree near the picket fence toward the front of the yard. She often sat there during the day, at least the days when the weather was nice, or she sat in the large acacia tree near the entrance located at the other side of the yard. The yard was large with an entrance from the front street and also from the back street.

“Hello, Crimson Kitty,” greeted Pernille, “How are you today?”

Crimson Kitty, with his big sad kitty cat eyes, replied, “Not so good, I’m afraid. I have lost my pretty collar, or perhaps someone has stolen it. I just do not know.” His eyes filled with tears as he explained to the partridge how much he loved his collar and wore it every day. “Now it is missing.”

“Don’t be sad Crimson Kitty,” asserted Pernille Partridge, “you came to the right place. We have two of the world’s finest detective superintendents right here in the Scotland’s yard,” Pernille smiled, then continued, “Cinnamon and Spicy.”

“Yes, I know. They are two of my best friends and I need their help,”  the hopeful kitty answered. “Have you seen them today?”

Glancing around the yard from the branch she was perched upon, the partridge replied, “Yes, I have. I will find them for you. Please wait here.”

“OK!” shouted the kitty, as the plump little partridge flew high over the Scotland’s yard searching for the twin brothers.

After waiting for almost as long as it feels one must wait for their birthday or Christmas to come, Pernille Partridge returned to inform the worried kitty that Cinnamon and Spicy were making their way through the bushes to meet with him as fast as they could.

“Thank you so much,” the grateful kitty responded.

Quicker than an instant, the two detective brothers poked their heads out from the bush near where Pernille Partridge and Crimson Kitty waited patiently. Upon seeing his two friends, Crimson Kitty already started to feel a little bit better. It was the same sort of secure feeling one gets when they have a scrape and their mom or dad comes to clean it up and put an adhesive bandage on it.

“How can we be of help to you?” questioned Detective Superintendent Cinnamon in his sweet little voice.

Detective Superintendent Spicy added, “We will do anything we are able to do for you, Crimson Kitty, “We promise!”

Feeling very relieved, the kitty replied, “Thank you ever so much. I know you two will be able to help me. I cannot find my pretty collar anywhere.”

“I noticed your collar was missing as soon as I poked my head out from the bushes,” commented Detective Superintendent Spicy.

Detective Superintendent Cinnamon stated, “I also noticed its absence right away.”

“You two are very observant,” remarked Pernille Partridge, “very observant.”

The twin detectives confirmed that it was essential to be observant in their profession. The two guinea pigs informed the kitty that they would first need to ask him a few questions to help with their investigation. After that, they would leave no stone unturned, except those stones too large for little guinea pigs to turn over, in solving this mystery.

“Thank you, thank you,” the kitty replied.

“Are you ready for a few questions, Crimson Kitty?” asked DS Cinnamon.

“Yes, I am,” the kitty replied,

DS Spicy asked the first question, “Can you remember when and where you last know you had your pretty collar around your neck?”

Looking rather serious and in deep thought, the kitty pondered the question for quite some time before replying, “Yes, I do. I had it on yesterday morning while I was eating my breakfast. I remember because one of my claws got stuck for a moment between the collar and my neck. I was eating rather fast and enjoying my delightful food quite a bit, I’m afraid.”

“Good,” responded DS Spicy, “that is very good.”

“I agree. You have a wonderful memory, Crimson Kitty,” complimented Pernille Partridge.

The kitty replied, “Thank you ever so much.”

DS Cinnamon asked the second question, “When was the first time you noticed that your beautiful collar was missing?”

“That’s easy,” Crimson Kitty answered, “late last evening. I was about to go to my cat bed for a nap and as I passed by the big mirror in my owner’s living room, that is when I noticed that my collar was gone. I looked around the house, but did not find it. I was so very tired after looking for my collar that I fell asleep on a pile of towels in the upstairs bathroom. Then I came straight here this morning when I woke up.”

“Very good,” said DS Cinnamon, “very good, indeed.”

DS Spicy asked the kitty one more question, “What did you do after you ate breakfast yesterday morning, Crimson Kitty, until you walked by the mirror in your owner’s living room?”

“That’s a hard question,” the kitty replied.

“What we will do now is retrace your steps and try to go over everything you did yesterday, Crimson Kitty,” stated DS Spicy.

DS Cinnamon added, “… and find every place you visited, too, if you can remember them all.”

“Oh, my,” the kitty sighed.

“Do not worry, Crimson Kitty, we have plenty of time and are not in a hurry. So, you can just go at your own pace and not feel rushed,” comforted DS Spicy.

DS Cinnamon smiled and asserted, “A good detective takes their time when thoroughly investigating things.”

DS Spicy asked Crimson Kitty one last question, “Did you happen to talk to anyone from the time you ate breakfast until you noticed your collar was missing? Try to think, please.”

After a considerable amount of time, the kitty replied, “I just do not remember, fellows. I do not believe I spoke with anyone.”

“That is OK,” comforted Detective Superintendent Spicy, adding, “If you remember anything, even the least little detail about your day, please inform us.”

“I will,” asserted the kitty.

Oliver Owl watched the group with great curiosity from a branch in a nearby tree.

The trio bid farewell to Pernille Partridge and started on their journey. They searched around Crimson Kitty’s food bowl at his owner’s house; went out through the front door where the kitty said his owner always lets him out in the morning; visited numerous garbage cans along the street, many stinking like old fish; checked the underside of a car Crimson Kitty hid himself under when a large dog roamed by; and eventually made their way back to the kitty’s home.

“Hello, Crimson Kitty, I am back!” shouted an ant with a rather large head.

“Dorie, welcome back,” replied the kitty.

Turning to inform the two detectives about the ant that greeted them, he said, “She is Dorylus, but we call her Dorie. She came here from Africa and lives in my home under one of our kitchen cabinets. She tidies away all the food crumbs and morsels that fall on the floor.”

The trio quickly joined the ant on the front porch of Crimson Kitty’s home and the kitty formally introduced his two detective friends to Dorie, “This is Detective Superintendent Cinnamon and Detective Superintendent Spicy. They are from the Scotland’s Yard nearby our neighborhood. You can address them simply as DS Cinnamon and DS Spicy.”

“Real Detective Superintendents, wow!” she exclaimed, “I am so honored.”

“The honor is ours,” the two detectives asserted.

“I just returned from such a wonderful trip to Chile in South America,” Dorie informed the two guinea pigs, “I was there to visit my cousin, Margarita Francisca Constanza Lucia de Velazquez. She is a fire ant.”

DS Cinnamon stood up on his hind legs grasping his chest with his two front paws, saying, “Oh, that is such a beautiful name your cousin has. I have never heard such a beautiful name like that one before today.”

DS Spicy asked, “Would you be so kind as to say it again, Dorie, please. It is such a wonderful sounding name.”

“Of course I will,” she replied, smiling, “Margarita Francisca Constanza Lucia de Velazquez.”

“Thank you,” sighed the two brothers.

“What brings you three here today?” questioned Dorie. “Are you out for a stroll around town?”

“Oh, not exactly,” answered Crimson Kitty. “My two friends are helping me with a case involving my missing collar. I lost it.”

“Oh, I should have mentioned this earlier,” she replied quickly, “When I came home a few minutes ago, I came into the house through the pet entrance door in the back door of the laundry room. I found your collar stuck in its corner where it closes. You must have lost it there.”

The kitty danced around for a few moments before thanking Dorie for telling him she had found his collar. His beautiful collar with pretty jewels was found.

“That was to be our next place to check,” responded DS Cinnamon.

DS Spicy added, “Yes, the final place Crimson Kitty could remember he was last evening.”

“I carried the pretty collar over to Crimson Kitty’s food dish and placed it next to it,” she informed the trio.

“Ants are extremely strong for their size,” commented DS Spicy.

DS Cinnamon agreed, “Yes, they sure are. Ants can lift several times their own body weight. I wish I could do that.”

“I do too,” said DS Spicy, “but we are guinea pigs and were created for another purpose in life.”

Showing his appreciation, Crimson Kitty said, “You two sure do have another purpose in life,” he stood on his hind legs and continued, “to solve mysteries, crimes and help us all with our problems. You two are the best!”

 Feeling humbled and happy at the same time, the two continued on their way back to the Scotland’s yard. Along the way they saw their watery friend, Timmy Turtle up ahead. Timmy lives in the fountain in the Scotland’s yard. They are all like roommates; only a more correct statement would be that they are actually like yardmates.

The End

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Copyright © 2014

ISBN: 978-82-93267-14-0

All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, transmitted in any way, by any means, or in any form, without prior written authorization from the publisher and/or author.

Cover Art and Illustrations by Elisabeth Ratterman

The characters as portrayed, locales, enterprises, entities, and events herein are entirely fictional and are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Content portrayals do not reflect any actual events, locales, entities, or any individuals living or deceased and any resemblances are purely coincidental.     But…

The Actual Cinnamon & Spicy Celebrating the Author’s Birthday

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