The victim had tried to write something as he was dying. Detective Knash tapped his paw against his large buck tooth as he stared at the wall where the victim had written in blood. He had been called two hours ago with the report of a murder of a young Yungoos in his own home. Detective Knash was perplexed as to who would take the life of such a blooming individual. He had sent his assistant to gather as much information on the Yungoos as possible. Anything could be a clue as to the source of the murder of the young man. So far, all they had was a name, Randy Kudzu, eldest son of the Kudzu family.
That much Detective Knash knew already. How could he not? The Kudzu family was one of the wealthiest in town. Everyone knew them, whether you wanted to or not. But that was the thing, most people did. After all, the Kudzu family was a generous one, always donating time and money towards making their hometown, the town of Irkchester. It had become a bustling city thanks to their help. Everyone in the city was better off because of them, including Detective Knash, so who could possibly want to harm them?
Detective Knash swished his purple tail back and forth as he pondered the writing on the wall. It had partially been expunged, as if the criminal had caught Randy writing and tried to hide what was written, but was unable to complete the job. That meant someone had interrupted the criminal's work. Could it have been the maid that had discovered Randy? Or someone else? There were just too many variables to determine exactly what had happened. Not at this time anyway.
The rattata turned and exited the room where two Gumshoos and a Pikpek were waiting. The Gumshoos were Lady and Lord Kudzu, who had hired Detective Knash to investigate the death of their oldest son. The Pikpek was the maid, named Virginia Evans, who had discovered Randy. She still looked a bit shellshocked from the discovery two hours before, but Detective Knash was glad to see her recovering slightly. Lady Kudzu, however, was not fairing well. She was looked to burst into tears at any second now. Detective Knash was not surprised, the death of a child, especially one so young, was always a lachrymose event.
“What can you tell us?” Lord Kudzu asked, his hands tucked behind his back in his signature stance. While he usually wore a friendly expression on his brown face, Lord Kudzu’s mouth was pulled into a tight frown, and his eyes filled with a brewing storm. A crime that could not be forgiven had been committed against this man, and he would soon not forget it.
“It would appear that this was indeed a murder. And while I know not who or why just yet, it appears that your son tried to write something on the wall. It was barely cleaned off, so I cannot get a good grasp of what it says yet, but I assure you, I will figure it out. In the meantime, I need to know a few things from you that may aid me in my investigation. Firstly, besides yourselves, your children, and the maid, who all was here today? Specifically within the hour the body was discovered. Secondly, think, all of you, is there anyone you know that might be holding a grudge of some sort against the Kudzu family? This may lend itself towards the motive.” Virginia chirped a little, gaining everyone’s attention.
“I-I can fetch a l-list of all the staff members a-and their working times,” she offered. Detective Knash signaled her off with a wave of his paw.
“That would be most helpful, thank you,” he replied before returning his attention to the Lord and Lady. Lady Kudzu continued to sniffle as silence spread over them. Beyond her sniffling, the only other sound was Virginia’s footsteps fading into the distance.
“The Nostra family,” Lord Kudzu replied after a moment. Detective Knash lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. He knew the Nostra family quite well, but not in a friendly way. Their shady dealings had given him many a case in this town. He beckoned with his claws for Lord Kudzu to continue. “As you know, my family business is very profitable and does a lot to better Irkchester. However, Alolan Tiki Souvenirs do not sell like they used to. Our funds as a family were decreasing, and I had to keep our reputation high. Bad publicity is not what this family needs. For the most part, I kept the whole situation hidden. However, there was a leak, and I was approached by the head of the Nostra family. He offered to help me. He could lend me what money I needed to cover my growing expenses as long as I paid him back.”
Now it all made sense. Detective Knash was not simply dealing with a murder case, he was dealing with murderous loan sharks. Detective Knash knew that the Kudzu family had hit some financial troubles during the recession a few years back, but ever since their business expanded beyond tiki sales, they had been making more money than ever. So one thing still did not make sense. If Lord Kudzu could pay the Nostra family back, why was Randy murdered?
Suddenly there was a loud crash from down the hall, in the direction of where Virginia was headed. Detective Knash’s head snapped in the direction of the crash, his red eyes narrowing at the sound.
“Stay here,” he ordered before making his way silently down the hall. Detective Knash stuck to the shadows, hoping his black trenchcoat would help him blend in. As he drew closer, there was another crash. Detective Knash’s ear twitched, his sharp hearing indicating the sound had come from the closest door five paces away. Careful to not make a sound, Detective Knash took five steps, then peeked into the room. It was not a pretty sight.
Poor Virginia had been walking right into a trap it seemed. The room the Pikpek maid had ventured into was Lord Kudzu’s office. Inside an assassin had been waiting for him, however, she instead attacked the maid by accident. A novice mistake, really, but Detective Knash knew exactly who would make such as mistake. The purple rattata opened his mouth and took a quiet breath, a foam bubbling in his throat. He waited for just a moment more before diving into the room and unleashing a bubble beam at the assassin.
A black rattata was waiting inside, standing over the corpse of Virginia. She had ripped off the maids wings and was panting when Detective Knash attacked. She reacted by using a quick attack to dodge then launch herself at Detective Knash. Seeing the attack coming, Detective Knash engulfed himself in flames and the two rattatas clashed, quick attack versus flame wheel. The attacks were nearly equal in strength thanks to the female rattata’s STAB and the silk scarf she was wearing. The two were sent stumbling back. The assassin straightened up a bit and stroked her black whiskers with one of her paws.
“Well well well, if it isn’t Detective Knash. Long time no see, detective.” The rattata gave a flirtatious wink which only earned a growl from Detective Knash.
“Cosa Nostra. I should have known. Of course your family would be involved in such a horrible crime. That must have been what Randy was trying to write on the wall. He knew you and tried to write Nostra on the wall, didn’t he?” Cosa giggled and swished her curly black tail.
“My my, detective, you are very astute. You never fail to amuse me. Yes, you’re correct. He did recognize me and write that on the wall. I would have gotten rid of all traces of it too, but the maid interrupted me and I had to escape. But I had my revenge, so I don’t mind. For now though, since I have been discovered, I believe it might be best if I took my leave. I can get Lord Kudzu another day.” Cosa released a snarl at a nearby window, shattering the glass, then leapt out. Detective Knash started to follow, only to find his feet tied up in a grass knot. He tripped and was only able to watch as the clever assassin faded into the darkness. Once again, Cosa Nostra had outsmarted him, but one day he would catch her.
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