Here is one of my Adventures that features Inspector Appleby. I had originally posted this story on FB in 2015 using the prompts "bookstore" and "orphan kitten" and introduces Geoffrey who runs a bookstore and raises orphaned kittens. Pure genius.

 

Mr. Pinkerton and The Kit

 

 

         Mr. Pinkerton watched as Inspector Appleby huffed hurriedly up the garden path to the cottage of Miss Butterwith. Inspector Appleby had his jacket off, bundled in his arms, and from the bundle came a muffled and continuous mewing.  He shifted the bundle to one arm and knocked loudly on the door.

The door opened and Miss Butterwith poked out her head, heard the mewing and stepped out into the garden.

“Dear me Inspector Appleby, What have you in there?” exclaimed Miss Butterwith.

Inspector Appleby pulled up a fold of his jacket and Mr. Pinkerton caught sight of small bit of ginger fluff.

“We found it,” started Inspector Appleby and then stopped to catch his breath. “Sorry, ran all the way here. We found it during a bust. Cleared the house and then we heard this little guy putting up an awful racket. Knew you’d know what to do. Had that litter in your shed last spring. So, ran all the way here….already said that, didn’t I?”

“Oh, bless,” said Miss Butterwith. “Just a couple of weeks old, I should say.  Geoffrey will know. And he has a couple about this age. This little one should fit right in.”

“Geoffrey?” asked Inspector Appleby.

“Yes, Geoffrey,’ answered Miss Butterwith. “ He runs the bookstore down the lane here, off Magnolia, right before the High Street”

“Ah, yes, Geoffrey.” said Inspector Appleby. “Ran into him the other day. Or more like, he ran into me. And my morning coffee

Miss Butterwith laughed. “Yes, Geoffrey can be a bit distracted sometimes. But he is very good with the kittens.”

“Humph,” said Inspector Appleby. “Although I do believe that this was the first time I ever saw his eyes,” continued Inspector Appleby thoughtfully. “Palest green I’ve ever seen. ..Um, I mean they were memorable…. Um, that is to say…” Inspector Appleby trailed off, looking a bit lost in Mr. Pinkerton’s opinion. The kitten, which had fallen silent during this discussion, started mewing again and Inspector Appleby looked down, startled, as if he had forgotten he was holding it.

“Meow,” said Mr. Pinkerton, deciding it was time to take matters into his own paws. He started down the garden path, looking back when he reached the gate to make sure Inspector Appleby was following.

“Ah, Mr. Pinkerton has the right of it,” said Miss Butterwith. “Go on now, Inspector. Get the little kit seen to. Mr. Pinkerton will lead the way.”

Mr. Pinkerton took off down the lane, looking back now and then to make sure Inspector Appleby was following.

“That’s right little Kit,” Mr. Pinkerton heard Inspector Appleby reassure the kitten. “Mr. Pinkerton won’t lead us wrong.” The kit must have believed these words, because by the time they reached the end of the lane, it had fallen quiet.

A customer was just leaving Ye Olde Bookstore as Mr. Pinkerton reached the store, so he took advantage of the open door to slip inside to the tinkling of the bell and hurried down the side aisle to the register where Geoffrey was straightening a pile of books.

“Ah, Mr. Pinkerton,” greeted Geoffrey. “Perfect timing. I was just getting ready to feed Benny and Jet.”

The bell over the front door tinkled again as Inspector Appleby finally arrived at the bookstore.

“Geoffrey,” called out Inspector Appleby.

Geoffrey knocked over the pile of books, startling a yowl out of Mr. Pinkerton, and stammered a barely audible “Inspector” as he started straightening the books again.

“Miss Butterwith and Mr. Pinkerton here say you’re the man I need. I mean for little Kit, here,” added Inspector Appleby, uncovering the kitten when Geoffrey nearly knocked over the pile of books, again.  Mr. Pinkerton began to wonder perhaps if Geoffrey had spent the morning sniffing catnip, but his eyes were clear and bright as he noticed the ginger kitten in Inspector Appleby’s jacket.

“Oh, well look at you,” said Geoffrey, reaching out to take the kitten. “Kit, did you say? Well hello Kit.” This sounded much more like the Geoffrey that Mr. Pinkerton knew: confident and sure, not the clumsy puppy of a moment before. Maybe Geoffrey was just more comfortable with cats. Mr. Pinkerton could not fault him that. “You’re hungry,” said Geoffrey as the kit tried to suckle the end his finger. He then brought out a bowl of warm water with a small bottle standing upright in it. “As I was telling Mr. Pinkerton,” Geoffrey said to Inspector Appleby, “I was just getting ready to feed my two. But we can feed you first, Kit.” He then presented the nipple to the kitten who latched on hungrily and began to nurse.

“Look at him go,” said Inspector Appleby excitedly. “Mightn’t I try?” he asked after a minute, sounding nervous, almost shy.

“Sure thing, Inspector,” said Geoffrey as he handed over the kitten and the bottle to Inspector Appleby. “No. Keep him upright”, he told Inspector Appleby when he tried to turn the kitten over on to its back. “Yes, there you go. Much better.”

“Look at the way his little ears wiggle,” said Inspector Appleby in wonder. He looked up at Geoffrey and grinned, and Geoffrey grinned back.

After a few minutes, the little kit stopped suckling and pulled away from the bottle. Now it was Mr. Pinkerton’s turn to take over with the kitten. He stepped forward, and leaned in over the kitten to begin grooming.

“No, no Mr. Pinkerton,’ started Inspector Appleby as he pushed Mr. Pinkerton away.

“It’ alright,” interrupted Geoffrey, “Mr. Pinkerton is just going to clean little Kit. It’s one job I don’t need to do when he’s around. See, kittens rely on mum cat to clean and stimulate them to do their business. Typically I use a bit of cotton wool and some warm water, but like I said, when Mr. Pinkerton is here, I leave him to it. Makes him feel important,” whispered Geoffrey to Inspector Appleby, maybe so he thought Mr. Pinkerton couldn’t hear him.

Important, thought Mr. Pinkerton, as he set out to do a very thorough job to show Inspector Appleby exactly what was involved and how important he was. He cleaned the kit’s face, down its back and tail, and then rolled him over to clean his underparts which got him an indignant mew from the kit. Mr. Pinkerton looked up to make sure Inspector Appleby was paying attention and….he was not. Inspector Appleby was looking at Geoffrey. And Geoffrey was looking at Inspector Appleby.

“Meow,” said Mr. Pinkerton, in a rather indignant voice. No wonder humans were so difficult to train, they were so easily distracted.

Inspector Appleby cleared his throat while Geoffrey turned a blazing shade of red and looked down at the kitten. “Beg pardon, Mr. Pinkerton,” mumbled Inspector Appleby at the same time Geoffrey said, a little too brightly, “All done there Mr. Pinkerton?”

A buzzing sounded from Inspector Appleby’s pocket “Bloody hell,” he muttered as and he pulled out his phone. “I need to get back to work.” He gathered up his jacket and then held out his hand. “Thank you, Geoffrey”

“Oh, yes, you’re welcome,” said Geoffrey, sounding surprised as he shook Inspector Appleby’s hand.

“Oh, and Geoffrey,” asked Inspector Appleby as he started down the aisle. “Do you think I could stop by and help you feed little Kit?”

“Uh, yes, Inspector, of course, absolutely,” said Geoffrey, sounding even more surprised.

“One more thing Geoffrey,” said Inspector Appleby as he reached the door.

‘Yes, Inspector?”

“Call me Andrew,” said Inspector Appleby.

“Uh, ok,” said Geoffrey, sounding nervous, unsure.

But Inspector Appleby did not leave; he stood by the door, waiting.

 “Andrew,” said Geoffrey finally, slowly, as if testing the sound of it. He nodded his head, and then said again, louder, firmer “Andrew.’

Inspector Appleby beamed a smile so bright that Mr. Pinkerton would have thought he was just offered fresh cream. And that smile did not fade as he turned and stepped out through the door to the sound of the tinkling bell.

“Brreow,” asked Mr. Pinkerton, lightly stepping around the now sleeping Kit to rub up against Geoffrey who was just standing there staring at the closed door.

                Geoffrey laughed, a bright and sunny sound. “Absolutely, Mr. Pinkerton,” he agreed, wearing a silly grin on his face as he reached out a hand to scratch the side of Mr. Pinkerton’s head. “Today is a very good day.”

And as Mr. Pinkerton leaned into that hand, he couldn’t agree more.