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And On That Note
A Spontoon Island story
© 2023 by Walter Reimer
(Various characters are copyright their respective owners.)
Thumbnail art by
TheTiedTigress
Thirteen.
Saturday, August 26, 1939:
“He’s got it,” the stage manager said the next morning after talking to the janitor, “and got it bad.” The cougar eyed the spotted skunk. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were playing him like a fish.”
Michelle’s tail swished. “You didn’t say anything about not playing hard to get.”
“Heh, no I didn’t. So?”
Michelle’s eyes rolled. “Fine. If he shows up tonight – “
“I think he will.”
“ – I’ll have one of the waiters slip him a note, inviting him to dinner. Okay?”
“Fine, Michelle.”
***
“Good morning, Rosie.”
“Hi, Mary! How are you doing?” the cheetah asked as she let the vixen into the apartment.
Mary smiled. “Just fine, thanks. How are you and the Inspector?”
“Very well. We’ve got some friends from Britain here for Speed Week, and they came around last night with their fawns. We had dinner, and I made a suggestion.”
“Oh?” Mary asked, picking up Frank and Toni in turn for nuzzles and a surreptitious diaper check on each of the fawns.
“It’s supposed to be a nice day,” Rosie said, “so you, and Toni and Frankie, might want to get out in the fresh air, maybe.”
“That’d be a great idea!” Mary said.
“Wonderful. I figure Willow will be by around nine, okeh? That gives everyone plenty of time.” The vixen agreed, and the cheetah left the apartment and headed downstairs. Franklin had already left with Sergeant Brush to see what, if anything, had happened during the night.
The biergarten and the lunch counter were already filling up with tourists, and Rosie felt her tail swish in pleasure. At the sight of the number of diners, the prospect of this year’s Speed Week being as profitable as the previous ones seemed more likely. Vicky was moving around the biergarten along with a pair of twin otter femmes that Rosie had hired for extra paws during the season. Suki and Teri were native Spontoonies and helped make Luchow’s an attractive place to eat, being both hard workers and (in Rosie’s opinion) easy on the eyes.
Her ears perked as she stepped into the kitchen, where Nick was busily flipping pancakes. “Is – is that gekkering?” she asked.
The Russian rabbit nodded as he plated the food, placed it in the window, and rang the bell for the server to pick it up. “Da,” he said, adding in a mutter as he started the next order, “Malen'koy lise plokho.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the pot room, where B’onss and K’nutt were supposed to be washing dishes, and the cheetah nodded.
B’onss was up to his elbows in soapy water, scrubbing at plates as if he was trying to scrape the glaze off the ceramic, muttering darkly to himself in Spontoonie. She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but from the drooping ears and tail on his twin brother, it certainly wasn’t complimentary.
Rosie cleared her throat. “B’onss.”
His ears flattened. “Yeah, Rosie?”
“She stood you up, huh?”
The younger fox seemed to sag. “Yeah. Is that normal?”
The cheetah femme briefly debated whether or not to betray trade secrets, and shrugged inwardly. “Some girls play hard to get. Want to hear my advice?”
“Yeah.”
“First, stop scrubbing that plate, rinse it off and let K’nutt dry it, it’s not getting any cleaner. Second, go there the next night she’s performing – not tonight - and slip a note to the waiter. Make sure you have Mooch read it before you go to the Grand, okeh?”
B’onss appeared to perk up a little and he sighed. “Okeh, Rosie, I’ll try again.”
“Good.”
***
The twins were crawling around the living room while Mary kept a close eye on them from a seated position on the floor, and the vixen’s ears perked at a knock. “Coming!” she called out as she got to her feet and walked to the door. “Hello! You must be Willow.”
The whitetail doe grinned. “Guilty. You must be Mary.”
Mary nodded. “Uh-huh. Are you ready to go? I’m afraid the Inspector and his wife don’t have a stroller – “
Willow smiled and raised a paw. “She told me. The fawns usually get out and about in the garden.” This was an area running partly behind the biergarten that included a small greenhouse. The outside stairs leading to Luchow’s overlooked the garden. “Reggie and I bought a tandem stroller for them.” She winked. “We’re double-parked,” and both femmes giggled.
Each gathered up one of the twins, while Mary also picked up a bag containing a few essentials like extra diapers and full bottles, and they headed downstairs to where a stolid beaver and a stoic mare stood beside two strollers. Despite the warm weather, the iron-gray mare was wearing a black dress, trimmed in white lace that covered her from neck to ankles. The beaver was wearing a suit topped with a bowler hat.
One of the strollers was occupied, and Rosie straightened up from nuzzling Tommy and Mary Rose and grinned at Willow and Mary. “Good morning, you two! Have fun today!” A brief exchange of hugs with Willow, and the cheetah went back to work while the doe, the vixen, the beaver and the mare tucked the two young fawns into their stroller and set off with both prams toward Luakinikia Park.
“Mary,” Willow said when they had left Luchow’s, “this is Lodge, Reggie’s butler, and Sophia Lovassag, our governess.” The beaver gave a slight bow, tipping his bowler; the mare nodded.
“I’m pleased to meet both of you. So,” Mary asked as she pushed the stroller bearing her charges, “you’re one of Rosie’s friends?” The mare had taken the bag the vixen was carrying.
Willow nodded. Obviously Mary hadn’t been clued in, either by Rosie or by the vixen’s cousin. “I met her a few years ago at the Double Lotus.” The vixen gave her a look and the whitetail doe said, “I’d had a hard day, and I didn’t want to have anything to do with guys just then.”
“Gotcha. What better place than an all-girl bar, right?”
“Right.”
***
“Good morning, Miss Lopp,” Inspector Stagg said as the rabbit doe came into the office.
Cissy Lopp looked tired. “Good morning Inspector, Orrin,” she said to the whitetail buck and to Sergeant Brush. “Here’s your daily briefing memo, Inspector,” and she gave Stagg a sheet of paper.
“Thank you. Miss Lopp?” She paused at the door and turned as Stagg said, “I told Rosie about what happened, and I’ve asked Father Merino to mention your mother in Mass tomorrow.”
The doe sniffed. “Thank you, Inspector.”
“Rosie asked me to invite you up to the apartment for dinner, before you leave.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Inspector. I – I’d like that.” She turned to go and paused. “Oh, I almost forgot. Chief Sapper wanted to talk to you at nine o’clock, Inspector.”
“Jest th’ Inspector?” Sergeant Brush asked. Lopp nodded and the fox laid his ears back. “Wouldn’t be work, or he’d ask both o’ us up.”
“Thank you, Miss Lopp,” Inspector Stagg said, and he settled down to read the briefing memo. He jotted a few notes before passing the memorandum to Brush. The Constabulary’s Detective Bureau consisted of just him and his sergeant, so sharing information was essential.
While Brush read the memo, Stagg consulted his notes. “It looks like Speed Week may begin without too much incident, Sergeant.”
“Hmm, yes Sir. Betcha things start heatin’ up by lunch on Monday, though.”
Stagg gave a soft chuckle. “Expecting them to sleep in?”
“Heh. Mebbe wishful thinkin.’”
A constable brought a packet of arrest reports from the desk sergeant, and the two detectives pored over them until Stagg glanced at his wristwatch. “Time for me to go see the Chief,” and Stagg got to his hooves, assisted by his cane. “Look after things until I get back, Sergeant.”
“Sure thing, Sir.”
Once he got to the top of the stairs, Stagg knocked on the Chief’s office door. “Come in,” the bulldog said, and Stagg entered.
And stopped dead at the sight of the other fur in the room. A ferret wearing a suit, no tie, seated across the desk from Chief Sapper.
“Come in, please, Franklin,” Charles Sapper said, “and take a seat.” The whitetail buck closed the door before sitting down. “This,” and the bulldog indicated the ferret, “is – “
“Albert Sapohatan,” Stagg said. His ears were swiveling and his tail flagged as he added, “Chairman of the Althing Internal Security Committee. At least, that’s what you told me when I first came to Spontoon.”
Sapper raised an eyebrow as the ferret turned to face Stagg, smiling as he offered a paw. “Good morning, Inspector. I apologize for this, but I wanted to talk to you.”
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST>
A Spontoon Island story
© 2023 by Walter Reimer
(Various characters are copyright their respective owners.)
Thumbnail art by
TheTiedTigressThirteen.
Saturday, August 26, 1939:
“He’s got it,” the stage manager said the next morning after talking to the janitor, “and got it bad.” The cougar eyed the spotted skunk. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were playing him like a fish.”
Michelle’s tail swished. “You didn’t say anything about not playing hard to get.”
“Heh, no I didn’t. So?”
Michelle’s eyes rolled. “Fine. If he shows up tonight – “
“I think he will.”
“ – I’ll have one of the waiters slip him a note, inviting him to dinner. Okay?”
“Fine, Michelle.”
***
“Good morning, Rosie.”
“Hi, Mary! How are you doing?” the cheetah asked as she let the vixen into the apartment.
Mary smiled. “Just fine, thanks. How are you and the Inspector?”
“Very well. We’ve got some friends from Britain here for Speed Week, and they came around last night with their fawns. We had dinner, and I made a suggestion.”
“Oh?” Mary asked, picking up Frank and Toni in turn for nuzzles and a surreptitious diaper check on each of the fawns.
“It’s supposed to be a nice day,” Rosie said, “so you, and Toni and Frankie, might want to get out in the fresh air, maybe.”
“That’d be a great idea!” Mary said.
“Wonderful. I figure Willow will be by around nine, okeh? That gives everyone plenty of time.” The vixen agreed, and the cheetah left the apartment and headed downstairs. Franklin had already left with Sergeant Brush to see what, if anything, had happened during the night.
The biergarten and the lunch counter were already filling up with tourists, and Rosie felt her tail swish in pleasure. At the sight of the number of diners, the prospect of this year’s Speed Week being as profitable as the previous ones seemed more likely. Vicky was moving around the biergarten along with a pair of twin otter femmes that Rosie had hired for extra paws during the season. Suki and Teri were native Spontoonies and helped make Luchow’s an attractive place to eat, being both hard workers and (in Rosie’s opinion) easy on the eyes.
Her ears perked as she stepped into the kitchen, where Nick was busily flipping pancakes. “Is – is that gekkering?” she asked.
The Russian rabbit nodded as he plated the food, placed it in the window, and rang the bell for the server to pick it up. “Da,” he said, adding in a mutter as he started the next order, “Malen'koy lise plokho.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the pot room, where B’onss and K’nutt were supposed to be washing dishes, and the cheetah nodded.
B’onss was up to his elbows in soapy water, scrubbing at plates as if he was trying to scrape the glaze off the ceramic, muttering darkly to himself in Spontoonie. She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but from the drooping ears and tail on his twin brother, it certainly wasn’t complimentary.
Rosie cleared her throat. “B’onss.”
His ears flattened. “Yeah, Rosie?”
“She stood you up, huh?”
The younger fox seemed to sag. “Yeah. Is that normal?”
The cheetah femme briefly debated whether or not to betray trade secrets, and shrugged inwardly. “Some girls play hard to get. Want to hear my advice?”
“Yeah.”
“First, stop scrubbing that plate, rinse it off and let K’nutt dry it, it’s not getting any cleaner. Second, go there the next night she’s performing – not tonight - and slip a note to the waiter. Make sure you have Mooch read it before you go to the Grand, okeh?”
B’onss appeared to perk up a little and he sighed. “Okeh, Rosie, I’ll try again.”
“Good.”
***
The twins were crawling around the living room while Mary kept a close eye on them from a seated position on the floor, and the vixen’s ears perked at a knock. “Coming!” she called out as she got to her feet and walked to the door. “Hello! You must be Willow.”
The whitetail doe grinned. “Guilty. You must be Mary.”
Mary nodded. “Uh-huh. Are you ready to go? I’m afraid the Inspector and his wife don’t have a stroller – “
Willow smiled and raised a paw. “She told me. The fawns usually get out and about in the garden.” This was an area running partly behind the biergarten that included a small greenhouse. The outside stairs leading to Luchow’s overlooked the garden. “Reggie and I bought a tandem stroller for them.” She winked. “We’re double-parked,” and both femmes giggled.
Each gathered up one of the twins, while Mary also picked up a bag containing a few essentials like extra diapers and full bottles, and they headed downstairs to where a stolid beaver and a stoic mare stood beside two strollers. Despite the warm weather, the iron-gray mare was wearing a black dress, trimmed in white lace that covered her from neck to ankles. The beaver was wearing a suit topped with a bowler hat.
One of the strollers was occupied, and Rosie straightened up from nuzzling Tommy and Mary Rose and grinned at Willow and Mary. “Good morning, you two! Have fun today!” A brief exchange of hugs with Willow, and the cheetah went back to work while the doe, the vixen, the beaver and the mare tucked the two young fawns into their stroller and set off with both prams toward Luakinikia Park.
“Mary,” Willow said when they had left Luchow’s, “this is Lodge, Reggie’s butler, and Sophia Lovassag, our governess.” The beaver gave a slight bow, tipping his bowler; the mare nodded.
“I’m pleased to meet both of you. So,” Mary asked as she pushed the stroller bearing her charges, “you’re one of Rosie’s friends?” The mare had taken the bag the vixen was carrying.
Willow nodded. Obviously Mary hadn’t been clued in, either by Rosie or by the vixen’s cousin. “I met her a few years ago at the Double Lotus.” The vixen gave her a look and the whitetail doe said, “I’d had a hard day, and I didn’t want to have anything to do with guys just then.”
“Gotcha. What better place than an all-girl bar, right?”
“Right.”
***
“Good morning, Miss Lopp,” Inspector Stagg said as the rabbit doe came into the office.
Cissy Lopp looked tired. “Good morning Inspector, Orrin,” she said to the whitetail buck and to Sergeant Brush. “Here’s your daily briefing memo, Inspector,” and she gave Stagg a sheet of paper.
“Thank you. Miss Lopp?” She paused at the door and turned as Stagg said, “I told Rosie about what happened, and I’ve asked Father Merino to mention your mother in Mass tomorrow.”
The doe sniffed. “Thank you, Inspector.”
“Rosie asked me to invite you up to the apartment for dinner, before you leave.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Inspector. I – I’d like that.” She turned to go and paused. “Oh, I almost forgot. Chief Sapper wanted to talk to you at nine o’clock, Inspector.”
“Jest th’ Inspector?” Sergeant Brush asked. Lopp nodded and the fox laid his ears back. “Wouldn’t be work, or he’d ask both o’ us up.”
“Thank you, Miss Lopp,” Inspector Stagg said, and he settled down to read the briefing memo. He jotted a few notes before passing the memorandum to Brush. The Constabulary’s Detective Bureau consisted of just him and his sergeant, so sharing information was essential.
While Brush read the memo, Stagg consulted his notes. “It looks like Speed Week may begin without too much incident, Sergeant.”
“Hmm, yes Sir. Betcha things start heatin’ up by lunch on Monday, though.”
Stagg gave a soft chuckle. “Expecting them to sleep in?”
“Heh. Mebbe wishful thinkin.’”
A constable brought a packet of arrest reports from the desk sergeant, and the two detectives pored over them until Stagg glanced at his wristwatch. “Time for me to go see the Chief,” and Stagg got to his hooves, assisted by his cane. “Look after things until I get back, Sergeant.”
“Sure thing, Sir.”
Once he got to the top of the stairs, Stagg knocked on the Chief’s office door. “Come in,” the bulldog said, and Stagg entered.
And stopped dead at the sight of the other fur in the room. A ferret wearing a suit, no tie, seated across the desk from Chief Sapper.
“Come in, please, Franklin,” Charles Sapper said, “and take a seat.” The whitetail buck closed the door before sitting down. “This,” and the bulldog indicated the ferret, “is – “
“Albert Sapohatan,” Stagg said. His ears were swiveling and his tail flagged as he added, “Chairman of the Althing Internal Security Committee. At least, that’s what you told me when I first came to Spontoon.”
Sapper raised an eyebrow as the ferret turned to face Stagg, smiling as he offered a paw. “Good morning, Inspector. I apologize for this, but I wanted to talk to you.”
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST>
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Deer
Size 93 x 120px
File Size 49.3 kB
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