The Case of Too Many Clues

by Cindy Vincent

  “I already walked into a display of expensive jewelry,” Gracie said with a sniffle. “Guess I’m learning the hard way.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re not hurt. And hopefully none of Garnet’s jewelry was damaged, either. I guess we’ll know for sure in a few days. In the meantime, we’ll need to figure out what to do about your cell phone. We can talk about it at dinner tonight.”

  “Okay, Mom,” Gracie said with more tears.

  I had to say, our Mom was right. When Gracie was on her phone, she didn’t even know where she was half the time. Even so, I could tell that Gracie had learned a hard lesson today. And right at that moment, I really wanted to give her a big hug.

  Unfortunately, I was stuck inside my pet carrier. With Mitzi. To top it off, I was a little bit mad at her for not obeying orders when we were at Garnet’s Jewelry Store. But I was even more upset at whoever had put those jars on our doorstep in the first place. Because that was the person who had basically directed us to the jewelry store. And like Bogey said, one thing led to another.

  I was still fuming a little when we got back to our house. Our Dad was already home, and he was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Gracie barely even said hello to him as she let us cats out of our pet carriers. Then she raced straight for her room.

  Mitzi plodded off to one of our cat beds while Bogey and I stopped for a drink of water.

  “What’s wrong with Gracie?” our Dad asked our Mom.

  While Bogey and I took a nice drink, our Mom told our Dad the whole story. It was just as hard to hear it a second time as it was to see it the first.

  They were still talking when Bogey meowed to me. “Let’s check the front porch, kid. And see if anyone left us another clue.”

  “Okay,” I told him.

  But the truth was, I didn’t care if I never saw another one of those clues again in my life. They’d caused us enough trouble already, as far as I was concerned.

  Still, I kept pace with Bogey as we headed into the dining room. Then we looked out all the windows at the front of the house. Yet no matter where we looked, we didn’t see another little jar with a shiny black lid.

  Bogey frowned. “Looks like the trail’s run cold, kid.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand. Why would someone even leave those clues for us in the first place? Where were they going with this?”

  “Beats me, kid,” he murmured. “Beats me. But I hear Gracie coming down for dinner. Let’s go see how she’s doing.”

  And so we did. We ran back into the kitchen just as our Dad was serving up dinner.

  He glanced from our Mom to Gracie. “Would you two ladies like some honey to go with the biscuits that I bought on the way home?”

  Our Mom nodded to our Dad. “Honey sounds good.”

  “It’s fresh,” he explained. “Someone left some for us on the front porch.”

  Our Mom smiled. “I’m guessing it was Mrs. Bumble. Maybe to thank us for taking in Trixie and the kitten. I know she keeps bees and harvests the honey.”

  Then our Mom picked up the little jar filled with honey. A little jar with a shiny black lid. A jar that looked exactly like all the other jars that we’d found already.

  And just like that, there it was, right at the kitchen table.

  Our very next clue.

  Holy Catnip!

  CHAPTER 10

  Holy Mackerel!

  I could hardly believe my eyes. There we were, staring at what appeared to be our next big clue. In whatever game this was that we’d been pulled into.

  Except we couldn’t even investigate our clue, since it was on the kitchen table at the moment. And well, with our family eating dinner there, we couldn’t exactly jump up and take a good look. The kitchen table was supposed to be off-limits for us cats, especially at mealtime.

  So Bogey and I had to settle for watching the jar carefully from the floor. And believe me, we kept our eyes on it as our humans passed it around and poured honey onto their biscuits. At long last, they set it on the table while they dug into their food.

  “We’ve gotta get a good look at that jar,” Bogey meowed quietly to me. “Before everything inside it is gone.”

  I nodded. “I know. But how?”

  “I’m not sure yet, kid,” Bogey said under his breath.

  Then a few minutes later, a solution accidentally came to me. Right after our Dad asked Gracie about everything that had happened today. That’s when Gracie started to cry. Big, gigantic teardrops rolled right down her cheeks. And without even thinking, I jumped up on her lap and wrapped my arms around her neck. She dropped her head onto mine, and her tears went right into my fur. Normally, I hate being drenched by anything wet. But tears are something different altogether.

  Our Dad spoke softly. “A cell phone is a lot of responsibility, Gracie. Your Mom and I have talked about it and we’re wondering if you’re really ready for a phone.”

  Gracie shook her head. “I don’t know. All my friends have them. So I wanted one, too. But now that I have a cell phone, it seems like it’s the only thing I ever think about. I’m always waiting to see if someone has sent me a text or an email. So when I’m not looking at it, I want to be looking at it. And then when I am looking at it, I lose track of everything else. It’s really weird.”

  “I know what you mean,” our Dad said with a nod. “Cell phones can really take over someone’s time. And life. They can put you in your own little world. So you have no idea what’s going on in the real world around you.”

  Gracie sighed. “That’s where I was all right. In my own little world. When I walked into that jewelry display. I can’t believe I did something so dumb. I’ve never, ever, ever done something like that at Mom’s store. And I sure hope all the stuff that fell over is okay.”

  Our Mom glanced at our Dad. “Me, too. As near as I could tell, everything was fine. I took the pictures to prove it. But we’ll see if Garnet shows up with a bill or not. I truly doubt she will.”

  Gracie gulped. “I’ll pay for anything that I broke. Out of my allowance. Or when I sell the cat collars that I make.”

  Our Dad took a deep breath. “If there’s any damage, your Mom and I will pay for it right now. But yes, you will have to pay us back. You might have to work at the store, or you might have to weed the neighbors’ gardens for money. I’m sure we can come up with a plan.”

  “Okay, Dad,” Gracie sniffled. “I know I messed up and I’m so sorry. And now I’m really wondering about my cell phone. Because I’m not sure if I even like it anymore. But if I don’t have one, I might not have any friends. Because none of my friends talk in person since we all got cell phones. Everyone just sends messages instead. Or emails. And nobody talks out loud to each other because everyone is always busy staring at their phones. Or taking pictures of themselves.”

  “I see it all the time at the store,” our Mom added before she took another bite of her dinner. “People barely get off their phones when they buy something. And after they’ve finished, they don’t even say good-bye. They’re too busy focusing on the phone in front of them. It’s like Merryweather and Millicent and I suddenly become invisible.”

  I glanced up and gave our Mom a couple of slow eye blinks. Something us cats do to say “I love you” with our eyes. Because I could not have agreed with her more. Ever since Gracie had gotten her phone, it seemed like she hardly noticed us cats at all. And to tell you the truth, I felt kind of invisible when Gracie was on her phone. I missed her spending time with us.

  Our Dad reached over and petted my neck. “I remember when we only used cell phones to make phone calls.”

  This made Gracie’s eyes go wide. “Really?”

  “Yup,” our Dad told her. “That’s the reason why phones were invented in the first place. So people could talk. But modern phones don’t even seem like phones at all. They’re really just computers that we carry around with us.”

  Our Mom wiped her mouth with her napkin. “And sometimes people need to take a break from thei
r computers.”

  “That’s right,” our Dad agreed. “So now, Gracie, we need to decide what to do about your cell phone. Because it’s like anything else — if you’re not in control of it, then it’s in control of you. And that’s not a good feeling.”

  Gracie nodded and rested her chin on my head.

  “I’ve got an idea,” our Mom suggested. “Let’s see how you do if you try to limit the amount of time you spend on your phone. I think an hour a day total is plenty to start out. There’s a place on your phone that keeps track of how much you use it, or screen time, I believe it’s called. We can use that to see how you’re doing. And, I think it goes without saying, that you shouldn’t be on your phone at all when you’re supposed to be doing something else.”

  “Like walking?” Gracie asked with a sigh. “And helping you get Buckley and Bogey out of a jewelry store?” She hugged me tighter.

  Our Mom tilted her head. “Uh-huh. Just like that. And sleeping.”

  “That sounds good, Mom,” Gracie told her.

  “Now I think you’d better let Buckley down so you can eat,” our Mom said as she smiled at me.

  Gracie kissed the top of my head. “Okay, Mom.”

  And that’s when my brother meowed up to me from the floor. “Quick, kid. Take a look at the jar.”

  So I did. When Gracie tried to put me down, I latched my arms around her neck and held on tight. Then I turned my head and stared right at that little jar. Even from where I was positioned, I could see it was exactly the same as all the others. And it had the same shiny black lid. But this jar had honey in it, as well as a couple of sparkly bee stickers pasted to the outside. Stickers that looked exactly like the bees that were attached to Mrs. Bumble’s glasses, the day she dropped off Mitzi.

  Mitzi.

  Did she have anything to do with all these clues that kept showing up on our front porch?

  Somehow, I found that really hard to believe. After all, Mitzi was only a kitten. And though she was an extra smart kitten, I was pretty sure she couldn’t arrange to have all these clues secretly sent to us.

  Still, she had given us away when we were investigating Garnet’s store. Which was partly to blame for Gracie being in trouble now. And okay, it probably didn’t do any good to keep replaying the whole thing in my mind. But there was one thing I did know for sure — we couldn’t have a repeat of what had happened today. I knew we needed to do something about Mitzi. And we needed to do it right away. Yet I had no idea what.

  But I did know where I could get some advice on what to do.

  And all of a sudden, I couldn’t wait one more minute to get that advice. So I let go of Gracie’s neck and jumped to the floor. Then I gave my brother a quick wave before I made a beeline for the stairs. I was in such a hurry that Bogey’s head practically swiveled when I flew by. I raced up to the second floor and ran straight to the sunroom. Because I knew there was only one cat who could help me out when it came to something like this.

  The Wise One.

  And even though I was in a hurry, I put the brakes on when I got to the sunroom door. Then I carefully stepped inside.

  Thankfully, Miss Mokie was the only one in the room. I found her snoozing in the sun that was still shining in through the windows.

  Her eyes flew open when I entered. “Stop and identify yourself,” she commanded with a raised paw.

  I bowed, just like I was supposed to. “It’s me, Miss Mokie. Detective Buckley.”

  “Ah, yes, young Detective,” she said with a nod. “I can see that now. I must confess, you startled me for a moment. Please, partake of a drink from my water dish.”

  Of course, I did exactly as she told me. I leaned over and took a good slurp. As always, her water was delicious. The best in the house.

  When I had finished, she waved her paw above me again. “Please, come closer, young one. Tell me what brings you here today. I can see that you are troubled.”

  I scooted closer to her purple velvet couch. “I am, Miss Mokie. I am. Something really bad happened today and I’m not sure what to do about it.”

  “Ah, yes,” she said as she sat up nice and straight, like a queen sitting on her throne. “I have endured many an unfortunate event throughout my very long life. Of course, such events can teach us important lessons. That’s why great wisdom comes with great age and experience. I am often amused by the way humans fail to see the value and importance of age. Fortunately, cats are much smarter about such matters.”

  I immediately nodded, because I knew Miss Mokie was right. Once again, I hoped that I might be as old and wise as she was one day.

  Using her paw, she fluffed out the huge gray ruff around her neck. “Now tell me, young Detective. What is weighing so heavily upon your mind?”

  So I told her. I started with how I came up with Mitzi’s name.

  At that point, she raised her paw again and interrupted me. “You are to be commended, young one. Every cat should have a name. And ‘Mitzi’ is certainly a delightful name, no matter how you manufactured it. The young kitten truly seems to be taken with it.”

  I held my head a little higher. After all, it was always nice to get a compliment from the Wise One.

  “Why, thank you, Miss Mokie,” I told her. “I thought she needed a name. Because I couldn’t imagine not having one.”

  “Nor could I,” she said. “Now please continue your tale.”

  And so I went on. I told her about the way Mitzi had ridden on my back like a horse. And how she did her cat karate that I was pretty sure wasn’t cat karate at all. Then I talked about the way Mitzi tried to act like a real cat detective, even without any training. Finally, I went on to tell the Wise One how Mitzi had messed up our investigation this afternoon.

  I finished with, “I don’t know what to do about her, Miss Mokie. Because she sure is wrecking things.” I finished with a loud “Huff!”

  And then I saw something that was so rare, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see it again in my lifetime. Kind of like humans talk about things like solar eclipses or comets or blue moons.

  In fact, I even blinked my eyes a few times to make sure I’d really seen what I thought I saw.

  For Miss Mokie was smiling. And not just any old smile. No, she was smiling from ear to ear. In fact, I’d never, ever seen her smile so big before.

  She rubbed her forehead and it sort of looked like she was trying hard not to laugh. “Please excuse my mirth, young Detective. Perhaps I might answer your question best by asking a few questions of my own. I’d like you to think back to when your brother, Detective Bogart, took you under his paw. Do you remember the very first days when you worked as a cat detective? Did you know all there was to know about the business?”

  My mouth fell open. “Well . . . umm . . . no . . .”

  “And Detective Bogart trained you, am I correct?”

  “Well . . . umm . . . yes . . .” I sort of stammered.

  “Is it possible that he had a few moments where he felt as though you had hindered an investigation?” she went on.

  “Umm . . . well . . . maybe . . .”

  Okay, probably.

  I crinkled my brow and thought about it some more. “But he never said anything . . .”

  Her smile suddenly beamed with warmth. “I believe Detective Bogart is known as one of the most outstanding cat detectives in the field. And he set out to help you become an outstanding cat detective yourself. He has been an excellent instructor. Though every instructor endures moments where they feel much like you do now.”

  I had to say, I hadn’t thought of it like that before.

  I turned my chin up and met her gaze. “Have you ever felt that way, Miss Mokie?”

  But she didn’t say a word, and instead, just kept on smiling.

  “So what do I do?” I asked her.

  “Well, this young kitten truly does look up to you. In fact, she’s rather in awe of you. And she desperately wants to be a cat detective. Perhaps you might train her. Though should you decide to
do so, I must advise you — it’s quite important to be firm with a kitten. You must let her know when she has behaved correctly. And incorrectly. You cannot be wishy-washy.”

  “Oh, umm . . . okay,” I said just as firmly as I could.

  Then I gulped at the idea of training someone else to be a cat detective. After all, I’d always been the student. I was the rookie and Bogey was the pro. I’d never been somebody’s teacher before.

  Miss Mokie tilted her head. “And if this kitten wants to know cat karate so badly, perhaps you might consider finding a suitable instructor for her. For if young Mitzi were to learn and possess such skills, she might not feel the need for false boasting.”

  And that’s when an idea dawned on me. “I think Lil and Trixie both know cat karate. For real. Do you think I should ask them to teach Mitzi?”

  “Ah, yes, young Detective. It’s an excellent idea.”

  But before I could say another word, Miss Mokie’s eyelids began to droop.

  “Are you tired, Miss Mokie?” I asked quietly.

  She raised her paw again. “Yes, young Detective. You must leave me now, for it is time for me to rest.”

  “Thank you, Miss Mokie,” I murmured. “I hope you have a nice nap.”

  She nodded. “You have done well, Grasshopper.”

  Okay, don’t ask me why she called me that, for nobody in our house ever seemed to know the answer. She called everyone “Grasshopper” whenever we had a talk with her. It was one mystery that we’d never managed to solve. As far as we knew, it was just something she did.

  I bowed to her and backed away. Her eyes were already closed by the time I got to the door.

  That’s where I found Bogey waiting for me.

  Right away, I just had to know the truth. “Bogey, did I ever annoy you when I was first learning to be a cat detective?”