Welcome to the Show [Odie, Open]

[greek101]

Odysseus inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when Lachlan took his knife. Odie subconsciously adjusted his hat, as he watched Lachlan admire the blade then put it in his belt. Even if Lachlan wasn't able to use the knife well, he still had it. Just in case.

Upon Lachlan's nod of acknowledgment, Odie nodded in return and kept pace with Lachlan as he hobbled to the unfortunate hermit's house.

As the walked, Odie kept his eyes moving and his ears sensitive to the slightest sound. He was not going to be taken by surprise this time, not this time. Lachlan, meanwhile, asked him about the crime scene, in a professional manor. Odie noted the tone. Lachlan was being very serious right now, and probably for go measure. With what was at stake, they couldn't afford to be much else.

Odysseus obliged Lachlan's request. Taking out his notebook as he walked, Odie kept his senses alert while telling Lachlan all about his thoughts last night, what he has seen at the crime scene upon arrival, and what he had written down.

Odie finished his recollection before the pair made it to the Hermit's house. Once they arrived, Odysseus casually paced around the perimeter while Lachlan checked out the body. Visually, it appeared that they were alone for the moment, but Odie didn't like returning back here. His nerves were on edge, and the gut feeling he had wasn't getting any better.

After getting up, Lachlan approached Odie and asked to see his notebook. Nodding, Odysseus let Lachlan see his notes.

He stared at it for a long moment, flipped the page, flipped it back, and grunted a simple "Hm."

He glanced up. "Hey, Odie, wot'd ye say aboot the bootprint again?"

Odysseus replied. "The bootprint was only a partial print. The top half of the boot was found over there." He pointed to the right of the body. "It was scuffed, as if the beast who made it was in motion heading the same direction I ran to you from. The boot is of small size, a bit of a point to the sole. The creature wearing it is of light weight."

Following behind Lachlan as he walked up to the little dwelling, Odie continued. "It's the same boot from Seira's murder. I drew both. The pictures are exactly the same. In fact, save for the victims and the location of the body, the crimes are the same. Same apparent weapon, same amount of evidence left, same method of killing. It's all the same..."

[Shor]

"So, it's definitely the same murd'rer as last time, an' everything's methocid-- er, methodical," the big otter straightened out the facts.

Lachlan peered through the half-open door of the hermit's home. It wasn't much to look at. The fireplace, the bed, the stool, the cabinet -- it all checked out by Lachie's standards. It was a fairly well-kept place; such an appearance meant that the hermit had been attacked outside, not inside. It also meant that robbery was not the intention, but that much was clear already -- what sort of desperate must a beast be to rob a hermit?

Lachlan, left the door open as he ventured further into the room. "So, if this guy's gotta pattern," he bellowed so that Odie could hear him, "there ought'a be clues here like the kind frae last time." He flung open the cabinet, eyes flickering hither and thither. "A' least. . ." He closed the cabinet and came upon the bed. ". . . that's the idea. . ." Lachlan retrieved a small slip of paper from beneath the pillow.

Moments later, his big frame emerged from the door. He stopped a step outside the house. "Odie. . . Luke a' this. . ."

Upon the paper was scrawled: "You really need to leave. Trust me, you're not safe there. He'll get to you too ifn you stay put too long.

You can't keep ignoring my letters."

Lachlan looked up at Odie with eyes of concern. "This isn't normal. Ah think Shide wrote it, but by the soound of it, there's tae be more lak these,"-- He gestured to the corpse by the tree. --"Odie, wot if'n this isnae personal?" The question carried weight. A non-personal killing was the most disturbing sort, for it meant that emotions were not involved therein; multiple murders not domestic left room for but one sort of murderer, and Lachie preferred to avoid thinking of such possibilities.

[greek101]

"So, it's definitely the same murd'rer as last time, an' everything's methocid-- er, methodical,"

Odysseus nodded as he watched Lachlan enter the humble home. "Unless we gots our selves a copycat, but I don't think so. The murder was far to detailed for that..." Or that was Odie's hope anyways.

Odie had solved a case with a copycat murderer before. Thankfully on that case, the murderer that the killer was copying had longs since died, so he was easier to hunt down. However, if you have a murderer who is copying a still active murder, you are searching for two killers, you have twice the trouble.

"So, if this guy's gotta pattern," he bellowed so that Odie could hear him, "there ought'a be clues here like the kind frae last time.

Standing just outside the door, Odysseus canvased the scene with his golden eyes, watching, or any sort of unusual movement while he heard Lachlan shifting about in the late hermit's home.

"A' least. . . . . that's the idea. ..

Odie nodded as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Maybe there was something clue that Odie had missed. Regrettingly it wouldn't be the first time that he had, but Odie tried not to dwell on the fact.

Moments later, his big frame emerged from the door. He stopped a step outside the house. "Odie. . . Luke a' this. . ."

Letting his arms fall to his sides, Odysseus hurried to the door. In Lachlan's paw he held a note. As Odie read the note he ingrained the message into his mind.

"You really need to leave. Trust me, you're not safe there. He'll get to you too ifn you stay put too long.

You can't keep ignoring my letters."

Lachlan looked up at Odie with eyes of concern. "This isn't normal. Ah think Shide wrote it, but by the soound of it, there's tae be more lak these,"-- He gestured to the corpse by the tree. --"Odie, wot if'n this isnae personal?"

Odie turned his gaze back to the corpse. What if these crimes weren't personal and there are more? Then Gab would have died for nothing. Just another kill to mark on the tally.

He closed his eyes.

"If it isn't personal lad...then we are dealin' with a cold blooded killer. One who will stop at nothing to kill."

Opening his eyes, Odie turned toward Lachlan.

"Which means we need to act. Now. If Shide wrote t'is letter, then we need to find him now. We need to know if this killers still has his family and if Shide knows any more than what he told us, because if he wrote this note, he does. I know the direction of which Shide ran from Rullo's house, but not the exact location. We can find it the hard way, but do you by chance know where he lives Lachlan? Because if ye don't, we need to move, now!"

[Shor]

Lachlan closed his eyes for a moment and thought hard, but nothing came to mind. "Nae, sorry."

He glanced around one last time, trying to remember as much as he could before leaving. "Well, we better get movin'. . ." he said and began hobbling toward Rullo's house. As they traveled (a bit too slowly for either's taste, thanks to Lachie), Lachlan offered something he normally wouldn't: "We shoold prob'ly ask fur directions if'n we're goin' tae get there anytime soon. Rullo prolly kens the way, sae we should ask 'im."

It was not too terribly long before the two had reached Rullo's house. Lachlan stood to the side, resting his arm and leg. Walking was a lot harder than he remembered. It would do him well to visit a healer of some sort sometime soon. Surely the abbey had those?

Lachlan heard his name and knew that it was time to go. Rullo had chosen to lead the way, though Odie and Lachie could have easily remembered spoken directions. Still, it was understandable that the husband of the murderer's previous victim would want to be involved in the case. There was nothing wrong with that. And his presence certainly did nothing to slow them down -- that was Lachie's job.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It had been over an hour since the detectives' departure from the hermitage, and the sun was shining perfectly in Lachlan's eyes. He tried to keep his gaze held steadily on the ground before him, but this resulted in frequent mishaps involving his cane, his good foot, tree roots, rocks, and one passing tortoise. Frankly, this was proving a particularly irritating day for him.

And now, what with the definite lack of information to mull over, there was little to hold his mind in place. Lachie found himself considering the migration patterns of owls and the obvious lack of spontaneity in beasts' behavior. Why on earth was it so common to see a mouse walk in precisely the same way, sit in precisely the same chair, talk to precisely the same beasts, and doze off at precisely the same time as days previous? And what would an owl be doing right now?

All of these thoughts churned in Lachie's head as though relevant to the situation at paw until the big otter found himself nearly tripping over a small toddler.

"Woah, woah, heywatch out!" shouted Shide, who came rushing up. Taking the dibbun in his arms and placing it on his shoulder, he looked at the three visitors. "Right, so. . . Wot're ye doin' here? I got no business tellin' anybeast 'bout anything, so if'n ye don't mind, I'm goin' to try t'enjoy some time with my fam'ly." The otter spoke as though he would tolerate no more conversation, but his footpaws, for some reason, remained firmly in place. It was a bit confusing, and Lachie saw no reason for his own presence. Besides, he had taken great interest in the dibbuns. Dibbuns had no filter, which made it easy to get facts out of them. Lachlan tapped Odie on the shoulder. "Hey, Ah'm gonna see wot information Ah can get frae the dibbuns," he said sotto voce, "Ye keep talkin' tae Shide."

There were three outside. Hobbling over to the eldest, Lachlan lowered himself on one knee to look the little otter in the eyes, just as he remembered his sister doing seasons before. Lachlan spoke gently and kept on as friendly a smile as he thought appropriate. "Hello, Russ. Ah'm a friend o' yore dad's--"

"You talk funny," the dibbun stated as he began decisively sucking on his little paw.

Lachie blinked. "Uhh..."

[greek101]

"Nae, sorry. [...] Well, we better get movin'. . ."

Odysseus nodded. "Alrig't lets go.." He said as he adjusted his hat and his cape and quickly fell into step with Lachlan. Odie had to check himself as he walked along side Lachlan. Because of Lachlan's limp, they had to travel a bit slower than Odysseus would have normally have been traveling. The detective in Odie wanted to hurry on ahead and not miss anything that might happen, but Odie's sympathetic and worrisome side that he inherited mostly from his father knew that he couldn't leave Lachlan alone with all of this going on and a killer still on the loose. So Odie made sure his strides did not cause him to get too far ahead of Lachlan, or he tried his best anyways.

While the were traveling, Lachlan spoke.

"We shoold prob'ly ask fur directions if'n we're goin' tae get there anytime soon. Rullo prolly kens the way, sae we should ask 'im."

Odie thought about his reply as he ducked a branch, pushing it gently out of the way. "Humm...Probably a good idea. That way we don't waste any time."

It was a good idea, considering.Odie thought to himself. Rullo had been eliminated from the list of suspect for multiple reasons, so asking for directions would most likely be alright. If he hadn't however, Odysseus would have been a bit more cautious about asking. Asking a possible suspect where to go, may lead you down a road you didn't want to go, be it a wrong way or trouble.

In not much time, though more time than Odysseus would have wished, they arrived at Rullo's house. Odie didn't bother with knocking, but instead walked right in, with Lachlan close behind.

As Odie's golden eyes flicked about the room, he noticed that Rullo looked drowsy and sluggish, and there were still dirty dishes on the table lying about. Odie came to the quick conclusion that Rullo had woken up late and hadn't gotten around to cleaning up. He most likely was going through his own mourning process. Coughing lightly, Odysseus tried to get Rullo's attention, who had been sitting at the kitchen table, tracing circles in the wood.

Rullo looked up. "O', Master Odie." Why Rullo insisted on calling Odysseus that, Odie still couldn't figure out. Ever scene Rullo 'insisted' that Odie stay at his place, he had been calling Odie that, even when Odie told him other wise. "Surry about the mess. Noticed ye left early t'is morn', ye hungry?"

"Not at this particular moment, actually. Mister Rullo, we, " Odie motioned to Lachlan who stood off to the side. "need to know how to get to Shide's house and quickly."

Rullo stood up rather quickly, knocking his chair over in the process. "Why? Som't'in' wrong?"

"Mister Rullo," Odysseus subconsciously slipped into that fatherly tone he took with Lachlan earlier. "We just need to know where he lives and quickly, we don't have time to answer questions."

"Rig't" Rullo replied as he hurried to the door. "I'll show you two the way..."

"Ahh..." Odysseus shook his head. Rullo didn't need to do that, but Odie could understand why he wanted too. He also knew that there was no stopping Rullo now anyways. "Lachlan? Ready to go?" Odie waited to follow Lachlan out the door, not wanting to leave him behind.

____________________________________________________

Judging by the hight of the sun in the sky and how low his hat sat on his brow, Odie estimated that they had been walking for about an hour toward Shide's house. If the journey was supposed to take that long, Odie wasn't quite sure. Lachlan was a bit slower than normal, after having a few 'mishapps' with his cane. During all of which, Odie tried to be has much help as he could.

As they walked, Odysseus found that he had been subconsciously placing his paw on his sword hilt as he walked. Why? Was he expecting there to be violence? That was a possibility. The last thing they knew about Shide's situation was that his family was being held hostage. That was a fair reason to be cautious.

Odysseus's mind started to wander on the possible options of what might happen so much that he didn't realize that they had arrived and Lachlan was in the process of tripping over a little one.

"Woah, woah, heywatch out!"shouted Shide, who came rushing up.

Odie, being slightly startled by Shide's sudden call, he started to pull out his sword a few inches. However, when he realized that there was no immediate threat, he put it back.

In fact, besides the fact that Shide's body language was defensive and a tad bit hostile, the children seemed a bit more relaxed. They were outside playing!

"Right, so. . . Wot're ye doin' here? I got no business tellin' anybeast 'bout anything, so if'n ye don't mind, I'm goin' to try t'enjoy some time with my fam'ly."

Odysseus tipped his hat up with his paw, with his other still sitting on his blade. "Shide, you've been hiddin' things from us that we need to know. Whether it was your business, it's your business now."

Lachlan tapped Odie on the shoulder. "Hey, Ah'm gonna see wot information Ah can get frae the dibbuns," he said sotto voice,"Ye keep talkin' tae Shide."

Nodding, Odie watched out of the corner of his eye as Lachlan wandered off to go talk to the children, his eyes never leaving Shide's. Looking over at the little one that Shide was holding, Odysseus smiled at the little otter babe and tickled her tummy. "My, you're a cute little thing aren't you."

Leaning forward, Odie whispered into Shide's ear. "I suggest you have this little one go off and play with the others, you and I have some things to talk about that you may not want this little one hearing..."


((Ooc: I left of Odie's conversation with Shide so that could continue and I talked over Rullo a couple times. Hope this is all okay! ))

[Shor]

Shide complied, lifting the otterbabe from his shoulders and into the arms of his wife, who was clearly one step ahead of them all. As she left to take care of some sort of business within her home, Shide turned his attention to Odie and crossed his arms. "All right, look, all I know is somebeast came t'my 'ouse an' threatened t'kill my fam'ly if'n I didn't do wot 'e said. I did wot 'e said, a couple murders 'appened, an' 'e left. We're fin'lly safe, an' I'd like t'keep it that way, thank ye."


" 'ow'd you know my name, mister?" asked the dibbun of Lachlan.

The big otter smiled and spoke in a tone verging on that of a storyteller. "Ah'm a seer."

The dibbun shook his head. "Nuh-uh, vermins are seers."

Lachie smiled. "Nae, Ah'm a special seer. Vermin seers see things inna future. Ah see things inna past."

Russ continued sucking his paw. . .

[greek101]

Stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. He waited, rather impatiently, as he watched Shide hand his little one off to his wife. Tapping his rudder on the ground, he waited until the otterwife moved off to pull out his journal as Shide turned to him.

"All right, look, all I know is somebeast came t'my 'ouse an' threatened t'kill my fam'ly if'n I didn't do wot 'e said. I did wot 'e said, a couple murders 'appened, an' 'e left. We're fin'lly safe, an' I'd like t'keep it that way, thank ye."

Odysseus's golden eyes, hardened, becoming cold. His voice, becoming stern, and razor sharp. "Sir, by what you just said to me, I could prove you as an accomplice to the murder and have you taken away from everything you hold dear, everything that you want to keep. Your wife your children, everything."

He took a step inward, starting to close the gap between himself and Shide. "You said a couple of murders. Meaning more than one." Flipping open his journal to the sketch of Gab's dead body, Odysseus practically shoved the sketch into Shide's face. "He was the second, early this morn'. There was not nearly enough time for you or much of any one to know that he died. Not only that, but you knew that the beast who was here did the killing. You said so yourself."

Pulling the book away from Shide's face, he flipped a few pages. "Let me read you a note left at Gab's house. 'You really need to leave. Trust me, you're not safe there. He'll get to you too ifn you stay put too long......You can't keep ignoring my letters.....'"

Odie shut his journal with a snap. "You know what I think Shide? I think that you wrote this note. I think that you knew Gab and you knew that he was going to be killed. I even think that you do know who was holding your family hostage." Odie stepped forward one more time, closing in on Shide. His cold golden eyes locked on Shide's. "Tell me I am wrong Shide. Tell me that you have nothing to do with two innocent creatures murders. Tell me, with out blinkin', that you know nothing."

[Shor]

Shide did not back down, though he was made a bit nervous by Odie's intense eyes. "Aye, I knew it was comin'. Gab knew it too, an' I was pushin' my luck sendin' 'im those letters." Shide stared at the ground for a moment, as though unsure if he should say anything more.



Lachie had his paw to his head. ". . . Aaan' ye like strawberries a lot."

"Woaw!" exclaimed Russet with wide eyes and red-stained ears. "Yore magic."

Lachie shook his head. "Ah jus' see things. But ye know wot?"

Russ' eyes managed to widen further as the dibbun leaned in with great interest.

Lachie whispered as though it were a secret. "Ye can see things too."

Russ apparently never blinked. "Like you?"

The big sea otter nodded. "That right, an' Ah need yore 'elp. See, Ah can't see very well t'day 'cept fur a few things, but me an' my friend"-- he pointed to Odie --"we need t'know who visited yore 'ome a few weeks ago."

Russet sucked his paw contemplatively. After a long moment, he removed the paw and delivered his thoughtful answer. "Well, Mista came to our 'ouse den, an' 'e wanned to talk to Daddy, but Daddy didn' wanna talk to 'im."

"Mister who?"

Russ shook his head, said "Jus' Mista," and back in his mouth the paw went.

Lachie paused. Odd. This murderer clearly wasn't the sort to go by the book. "Wot did Mista wanna talk t'yore dad aboot?"

Russ shrugged.

"Okay, uhhhwot kind o' beast was 'e?"

Shrug.

"Was 'e a mouse?"

Shrug.



Shide shook his head but relented. "Fine. Look, I knew from the start that idiot hermit would die. The murd'rer-- Mister, 'e called 'imself-- 'e told me 'is plan fur yore wife"-- he nodded to the great hedgehog --"an' yore hermit"-- he nodded to the great detective--"but 'e didn' tell me anything besides that. Just that I was s'pposed to tell 'im everything I could learn about. . ." Shide trailed off, glancing nervously at his children at play. The father's expression warned that the conversation was entering dangerous territory. His wife could be seen through their house's window, fiddling with something presumably unimportant. She remained still, watched them with a terrible uneasiness.

[greek101]

Odysseus harsh golden eyes locked on to Shide's. Although Shide did not back down, Odie could tell he was nervous.

"Aye, I knew it was comin'. Gab knew it too, an' I was pushin' my luck sendin' 'im those letters."

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Odie's brow furrowed. Shide looked at the ground. He seemed hesitant. Odie voice was still stern as he spoke to Shide, just like his father's. Odd how he could subconsciously make that comparison, Odysseus thought to himself. Maybe he had heard that voice one to many times....

No, not now. No bunny trails. Stay focused on the case! He thought to himself as he spoke.

"Shide...I need to know."

"Fine. Look, I knew from the start that idiot hermit would die. The murd'rer-- Mister, 'e called 'imself-- 'e told me 'is plan fur yore wife"--he nodded at Rullo--"an' yore hermit"-- he nodded at Odie--"but 'e didn' tell me anything besides that. Just that I was s'pposed to tell 'im everything I could learn about. . ."

Odysseus's eyes followed Shide's glance. He gazed at his children. The cute little things were huddled around Lachlan who appeared to be playing games. Odie guessed that the playing was all apart of Lachlan's method of children interrogation. Trying to get the children warmed up to him so they would open up comfortably.

Looking back at Shide, Odie read his face. He was nervous. It was like he was afraid if where this conversation was going. It wasn't safe.

Odie felt another set of eyes upon him. Looking past Shide, Odysseus's golden eyes found those eyes of Shide's wife. She looked as if she was trying to be busy, but very, very concerned as to what was going on.

Flashing his eyes back to the children, Odysseus's mind went through the list that instantly appeared in his mind of what Shide left off that made him look at his children with Lachlan. His children? Why would the murderer care? The murderer had them in his possession if what Shide had said was true. No. They weren't his goal, but they could be in danger. Why? What had they done who had they talked too......

Odysseus's ears twitched with nervous thought. Pulling out his journal, Odie scribbled out a note on a blank page and shoved it into Shide's paws.

It read...

Shide, tell me here if you don't think it is safe. Learn about what? who? I NEED TO KNOW!! DO YOU WANT MORE TO DIE???

((Ooc: Ugh. I hope this is okay. Tell me if it needs more. ))

[Shor]

Lachlan was making light conversation with all the dibbuns in hopes that he would get a little more than a shrug. They were cute little otter-creatures, but they didn't seem to know much. From Lachlan could discern, Shide had hidden the whole incident from his dibbuns. All they knew was that Daddy didn't want to talk to Mista, but Mista and Daddy talked for a long time every night. Now, Mista was gone, and Daddy didn't like it when they talked about Mista.

Lachlan was beginning to think that the dibbuns were a collective dead end when something flashed through his mind. It was a long shot. "Wot d'ye think yore daddy an' Mister were talkin' aboot?" he asked Russet directly.

Russ, of course, took advantage of this opportunity to show off his intelligence in front of his siblings. "Well, I think abou' Unca Rullo's wife."

Russ' sister broke in, shaking her head. "Nuh-uh! Dey wanned to talk about Mista Ermin!"

Lachie determined this to be the dibbuns' translation of the spoken word "hermit," most probably from a conversation that they weren't supposed to have heard.

A third, smaller dibbun chimed in. "I t'ink dey talk abou' Mama. She get all scared when Daddy leave."

Russ shook his head. "I saw'em argue 'bout Mista. Mama said it was the big otter wif eyes."

Russ' sister took her turn. "Uh-huh! Daddy was lookin' fur d'big otter wif eyes."

"But Mista wen' away," argued the third.

Russ answered. "That's 'cause Daddy foun' 'im."

"Who?" Lachie interrupted.

"The big otter wif eyes."

"Wif eyes?"

The two elder otters nodded vigorously; the third shook his head just as vigorously.

"Wot does that mean, d'ye ken?" Lachlan asked hesitantly.

The second and third shrugged, but Russ hazarded a guess. "I t'ink it means 'e can see."

A seer.

Lachlan's heart started to race. This was not good. He glanced up at Odie just as Shide scribbled something on a notebook and gave it to the detective. Lachlan rose to his footpaws and read Shide's note. There were three letters.

"HIM"

[greek101]

((Ooc: Sorry if this isn't good. I had to redo it after my computer so kindly cleared it for me. ))

The point of Odysseus's hat sat low upon his brow, covering his golden eyes in shadow. Odie did not mind however. The sun was shinning brighter as it rose in the sky, and now it shone through the leafy boughs of the trees. The light was not so harsh that it caused Odie to become hot, it was only a slight nuisance that could affect one's sight. But Odie was not going to miss anything right now, not the slightest detail.

He couldn't afford to.

Odie waited, a bit impatiently, while Shide wrote his reply in the notebook. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and his rudder swished gently over the ground as Odie's eyes watched Shide's paws. Approximately 5 quick strokes. That's all it took. The answer was simple, but possibly dangerous to all.

Shide handed the notebook back to Odie, who accepted it and looked down at the note.

"HIM"

Odysseus's ears twitched and his eyes narrowed. HIM...

Looking up, Odie locked eyes with Lachlan, who had stood up and was looking at the note as well. All the questions that rushed through Odie's mind blended into one slightly confused, slightly angry, but mostly concerned look.

The "HIM" was most defiantly Lachlan, with a less then noticeable chance that it is anybody else. But why? Why so much focus on Lachlan? What does the killer want? Why is he making a trail for Lachlan to follow? What is the goal to this 'show'? And why didn't Lachlan know that someone was stalking him?

"Lachlan..." Odie said in a questioning tone, the same tone that his Father used when he knew his children already knew the question he was going to ask, and they knew that they needed to answer truthfully and quickly.

[Shor]

Lachlan was speechless. "Ah-- Ah don't. . ." Him? Shide was supposed to get information on him? That didn't make sense. Why would a murderer want information on Lachie? Maybe he knew of the seer's reputation, but Lachlan wasn't the only detective at the scene. Either Odie had only recently arrived in Mossflower and had done no investigating since his arrival, or there was something deeper to this case, something unusually dangerous.

". . . Shide." Lachlan stared at the ground blankly. "When did ye start talkin' t'Mister? This is very important." He looked up at the otter in question, who hesitated. Something especially active seemed to be going on behind the seer's intense blue eyes.

Meanwhile, Shide's wife continued watching, fiddling, knitting her brow with the greatest uneasiness.

Shide shook his head at some inner thought. Finally, he answered, but it was not what Lachlan wanted to hear. "Look, I don't think I should say anythin' more." He looked pleadingly at the detectives. "Not t'say that I don't want t'stop this murd'rer, but if'n 'e did anything t'hurt my children. I--"-- he paused to compose himself --"--I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anythin' more." He stared levelly at Lachlan. "Y'can't win, lad. . . He knows more than ye think." Behind him, the otterwife had fallen completely still. She now faced Lachlan as directly as Shide. It was off-putting enough to spark a notion in Lachie's head.

Shide looked at detectives in a way that indicated precisely how unwelcome their presence was. The big otter glanced between Shide and the otterwife in a moment of hesitation. He mumbled under his breath ominously. ". . . She's involved. . ."

Shide's breath caught in his throat and panic set in. "Nonononono, no, you two, uh, need t'leave now. Now." He advanced, pushing the two otters back to whence they came. Meanwhile, Lachlan managed to catch a glimpse of something reflective in the otterwife's paw.

---

((What happens next is up to you. )

[greek101]

"Ah-- Ah don't. . ."

Odysseus raised his right eyebrow. Lachlan was fumbling with his words, his facial appearance was that of true shock. It seemed that Lachlan was almost shocked. Odie found that a bit peculiar. Odie had been in his line of work for a long time and he had more than one beast looking for information on him. What they planned to do with that information varied by the beast, but it had happened before. Surely Lachlan must have had something like this happen before, seeing as he was a "seer" and all.

". . . Shide." Lachlan stared at the ground blankly. "When did ye start talkin' t'Mister? This is very important." He looked up at the otter in question, who hesitated.

Golden eyes flashing back and forth, Odie was unsure of who to watch. Lachlan, who was now not only the focal point of the case, but fairly specific question, Shide, who was hesitant to answer the question, or Shide's wife who seemed to be paying more and more attention to their conversation.

"Look, I don't think I should say anythin' more." He looked pleadingly at the detectives. "Not t'say that I don't want t'stop this murd'rer, but if'n 'e did anything t'hurt my children. I--"-- he paused to compose himself --"--I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anythin' more." He stared levelly at Lachlan. "Y'can't win, lad. . . He knows more than ye think."

Odie had nodded a bit at first, knowing that Shide didn't want to endanger his children. Although he had none of his own, Odysseus knew that he would have a very large bone to pick with whoever messed with his nieces and nephews.

However, Shide's last comment made him narrow his eyes. Ye can't win lad....he knows more than ye think.... Win what? And what does Mista' know? More importantly, what does Mista' know that Lachlan was not telling him?

Not being able to ignore Shide's intense stare, Odie could feel they were not wanted. Closing his book Odysseus put it back into his pack, when he heard Lachlan mutter quietly.

". . . She's involved. . ."

Shide's breath caught in his throat and panic set in. "Nonononono, no, you two, uh, need t'leave now. Now."

Odie let Shide push him away as he walked calmly along, or at least, he tried to display calm as much as he could. He even continued walking along when Shide stopped until they were just out of sight of the house.

Completely forgetting the fact Rullo came with them, Odie immediately turned to Lachlan, crossing his arms in front of his chest, and his voice once again taking on his father's seriousness. "Lachlan, why do I feel like there are things you haven't told me?" Shaking his head, he sighed. "The danger level on this case has risen to a point that I am not comfortable with Lachlan. If there is anything, anything at all that relates to anything we have discussed, heard or seen on this that you have not told me about, I need to know. No matter how off topic it is. We need to know what he knows, and more. Falling behind at this point could, and most likely would be fatal...."

Odie paused and began to pace slowly, his paw resting upon his blade. "One of my greater concerns Lachlan, is that we have only stumbled upon the peak of this mountain, and that there is more to come. This just isn't a murder then another to tie up the loose ends. The killer seems to be working on a more personal level with you."

Pulling out his map, Odysseus scanned over the blue dots. The cases he had hared about, the unsolved cases with no evidence and no one convicted. Odie muttered in a low, worried tone. "And why do I have the feeling this isn't the first....."

Suddenly, Odysseus stiffened. His pupils dilated, and his nose twitched rapidly. Odie's breath caught in his chest. Turning swiftly, his map still clutched in his paws, Odysseus stared straight into Lachlan's blue eyes, a look of pure dread across his face.

"Smoke....."

[Shor]

Lachlan glanced over at Shide, but the otter was gone. Through the trees, he could make out the semblance of fire. They should probably go and make sure everybeast was well, but Lachlan had a feeling they wouldn't find anybeast at all. Rullo shuffled nervously on his footpaws and gazed at the ground.

Lachlan shook his head and touched Odie's shoulder. "We shoold go. They're prob'ly fine." The seer was hobbling back to Rullo's home. "They've burnt the evidence."

Lachie refused to turn back or speak during the remainder of the walk. He rolled thoughts back and forth in his mind, trying to make sense of everything that was happening.

No such luck.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A knife thudded into the table, standing there like an omen. Lachlan held his paws on the table, watched the weapon's hilt. A lamp swayed overhead restlessly. The dim lamplight illuminated the dark room enough to read. Shadows passed over objects as though more than three beasts occupied the room. But there they stood, the investigator, the widower, the seer, all still, all solemn.

The burly otter's low voice broke the momentary stillness. "There are a few things to know about me that I hesitate to tell you. . ." He did hesitate. "H-- Ah don't know wot t'start with, sae Ah guess Ah'll just start frae the beginning." He stopped. His blue eyes stared into each.

". . . It was just a matter o' business. Mah dad 'ad tae take a short trip, meet with a client, send a liddle letter, an'. . . come back. . . But 'e sent us on ahead of 'im, 'cos he wanned us tae see Green Isle, an' 'e didn' want 'is work tae get inna way o' that. Sae, mah mom, mah sisters, an' Ah, we sailed out to. . ."

Lachie explained the circumstances that led up to his second arrival in Mossflower. In truth, he knew very little that could help him. The only two possible links to understanding anything were either brainwashed or missing. Lachlan's eyes clouded a bit as he spoke; the memories were difficult.

When he had finished, the big otter sat down in a chair and stared up at Rullo and Odie. "Well," he grunted, "that's everything. Any ideas?" He offered a false smile -- he expected not.

[greek101]

Odysseus slowly looked over his shoulder back toward the little home along with Lachlan. He didn't want to look! He didn't! He didn't want to see what could be there because he wasn't sure if he could help if it was really as bad as he thought.

But he looked anyways...

The bright glow from a small light within the house instantly caught Odie's eye as his body was locked in fear. Fire! A surge of memories flooded into Odie's mind like they had so many a time. Normally, Odysseus was okay with the small little fireplace, or campfire. The larger bonfires were starting to push it a bit, but Odie could usually control his thoughts and relax. But right now, from this distance, the little fire with in the home looked almost as if the house was burning from the inside out...

It looked just like...

Lachlan's paw landing solidly upon Odie's shoulder brought him swiftly back to reality.

"We shoold go. They're prob'ly fine." The seer was hobbling back to Rullo's home. "They've burnt the evidence."

Odie took a few deep breaths and tried his best to relax his muscles. "Yes...y-you're right. Let's go.." Putting his map back in his pack, Odie swiftly followed his hobbling companion and Rullo. The sooner he got away from that house, the better....

__________________________________

The solemn thud of a knife echoed through the darkened room. No beast spoke, no beast moved. The only thing that was really moving was the lamp above the three that swayed back and forth. Odysseus's eyes watched the knife blade that sat buried int the table top. The light that swayed above flickered on the blade in short bursts of light. It was memorizing almost. Odie could have probably stood there for a while, watching the light flicker on the knife blade, ignoring everything except his thoughts if Lachlan had not started to speak.

"There are a few things to know about me that I hesitate to tell you. . ."

Odie looked up as Lachlan hesitated. This was important, he needed to focus his full attention.

"H-- Ah don't know wot t'start with, sae Ah guess Ah'll just start frae the beginning."

A reasonable place to start. Odysseus thought to himself as he matched eyes with Lachlan. He didn't say anything for he didn't want to interrupt such an important moment. Instead he remained attentive, and silent. Showing Lachlan that he was paying attention.

". . . It was just a matter o' business. Mah dad 'ad tae take a short trip, meet with a client, send a liddle letter, an'. . . come back. . . But 'e sent us on ahead of 'im, 'cos he wanned us tae see Green Isle, an' 'e didn' want 'is work tae get inna way o' that. Sae, mah mom, mah sisters, an' Ah, we sailed out to. . ."

Listening to Lachlan's story, Odysseus couldn't help but feel sorry for Lachlan. He has lost practically everything, but yet he still carried on. Some of his old life is so close to him, but yet so far away at the same time. If they could catch this murderer, maybe Lachlan could have some peace.

Odysseus thought hard, going over as many details that Lachlan was telling him as possible. What could the murderer want? What did the murderer know that could possibly be harmful?...

When he had finished, the big otter sat down in a chair and stared up at Rullo and Odie. "Well," he grunted, "that's everything. Any ideas?"

Taking off his hat, Odie ran a paw through his golden brown head fur. "Possibly." He said, his voice in a lower, thoughtful tone. "Though it's a bit of a stretch, not that some of the cases I've solved haven't been."

"The best I could think of is someone that maybe didn't agree with your father's business methods or possibly your "seer" ability." Odysseus sat down at the table with Lachlan. "Not meaning to insult you or your father. Some beasts can be thrown off by the slightest things, even when no wrong has been done to them."

Holding his hat in his paws, Odie continued, "But those aren't the only options. It could be the fact that this beast doesn't have a motive. He could just be killing upon instinct. And that he in someway, possibly sees similarities between you and himself, so he want's to see if you are as smart as you show yourself to be when you do all of that "seeing" stuff."

Odysseus growled softly and put his face in his paws, rubbing at his eyes. "There has to be something I am misssing..."