Questionable tactics - part 6

Read part 1 - here

Read part 2 - here

Read Part 3 - here

Read Part 4 - here

Read Part 5 - here

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‘Hello, little bird’ Master Dick’s telephone crooned a silvery voice.

‘Who’s that?’ Master Dick growled into his mobile device, shooting a look at me while I was preparing the afternoon tea.

He had just recently come back from his little excursion of dropping Master Jean to his school and was in the process of discussing the same when his phone rang, and by the lively color now dotting his cheeks it wasn’t difficult to conjecture that he didn't seem to be overly fond of the person on the other end.

‘It’s just lil ol’ me, silly bird. The cat, whom you came calling on last night’ lilted a husky voiced Selina.

‘What do you want?’ 

‘More like what do I want to give; a small piece of information regarding that mystery cat of yours. One that supposedly tried to poison Bruce’ a faint melodic laughter permeated the stillness that abrupt telephone had caused, and Master Dick’s brows were furrowed pensively.

‘That cat comes from high places’ chimed Selina.

‘From where? tell me’

‘I just show you the breadcrumbs, It’s up to you to peck them to a trail’ click, and the phone went dead.

‘Alfred’ Master Dick sighed ‘that woman rarely breaks character.’

‘The cat comes from high places it seems. We only find which kind of high place it comes from. Another mystery added atop our miserable pile of questions’

‘Master Dick, we mustn’t lose hope. There’s a clue here and we might find answers very soon’ 

‘That kid, Alfred, like I was telling you’ spoke Master Dick in between sips of tea, ‘is a real weirdo. It wouldn’t surprise me’ he said making a looping sign near his head ‘if he’s not all okay up there. Also something really oily and slimy and crooked about him, you know.’

‘Yes Master Dick. I believe he’s not the most trustworthy young man. Deceitful, I’d venture to say’

‘Yeah, yeah. Exactly. You know what? I'm going to find out a little more about this little Jean. Perhaps their school counsellor has made some conclusions, or maybe something from the school’s database itself’

I raised an eyebrow. 

‘Exactly’ winked Master Dick and repaired to his room.

The sun was preparing a hasty descent given its autumnal inclination and the wind had picked up a crispier tone when Master Bruce’s car made itself heard in the driveway.

Didn’t look like he had much in the way of evening plans. Perhaps he would give himself a much needed rest.

‘Had a good day at the golf course?’ I asked pouring him a cup of tea.

‘Not much Alfred. There wasn't much teeing’ he joked in between sips, and on getting no encouraging smile on my behalf he relented

‘Michel wasn’t in much of a mood to play golf. Apparently his beloved cat has gone missing. The fuss he kept making about it. It was almost pathetic. Thank god there’s no love for cats from our end, eh Alfred?’ and with that jibe Master Bruce suddenly began brooding and left for his reading room, and in time or else he’d have noticed how I let myself if only momentarily get surprised.

The cat that came from high places, I thought. The cat that has gone missing from the Marc household .

Things were beginning to add up and with that piece of information I knew we had come at least some way in solving this mystery.

‘I told you, that little kid was a slimeball.’ grunted Master Dick. ‘Lying to us under our very roof, that little..’

‘Yes Master Dick that is so, but what need had he to lie to us? and then there is the question of that poison that still needs resolving I doubt he had any intention towards harming master Bruce’  

‘I don’t know, but he's in there somewhere. 

That kid’s had a rough past, probably having a bad present too’ Master Dick pointed at his computer screen

‘Look, I hacked into their school data system, and there isn’t much logged in by the counsellor. Probably keeps a diary or something, but information on all kids gets updated pretty regular. Must be a real high brow school.

Like check this out..’ he scrolled and clicked on a random name

‘This kid’s father passed away a week back’ he clicked his tongue

‘and here’s our little guy’ Master Dick clicked on another name, when a page complete with master Jean’s photograph, blood type and other personal information opened up.

‘Parents divorced last year. Poor kid. Must be hard on him’

This piece of information did startle me, for I had almost always seen Michel and Bubs Marc make all their social calls as a couple.

Perhaps they are trying to keep it together for the child’s sake, I thought.

‘Alfred, we need to question that kid. He has all the answers I tell you.’

It was just then that my phone rang.

It was Gervis

‘Hello Alfred. Looks like someone sourced bufotenin in Gotham, just as you suspected. Weirdly though it hasn’t begun making the rounds in any drug circuits.’ Gervis paused, waiting for me to say something 

‘Anyway, the man who managed to smuggle in the toads left for South America. Brazil, I think, a couple days ago, but the man whom he partnered with is here sitting in front of me. Looks like they were hired by someone’ A pause again 

‘Do you still brew Darjeeling as you did all those years ago Alfred?’ Gervis’s calm voice had a smile to it.

‘Of course’ I answered, for this was to be my payment to the provider ‘anytime you wish, you know where to find me’

‘Excellent. So, the person who hired them, was a Ms. P.L. Isley’ and he hung up.

‘Master Dick, would you be so inclined so as to make an incognito raid in Poison Ivy’s tree house?’ I asked a smiling Nightwing.