echoed.
"This way!" said Erik. "That's Gecko's hat."
Their footsteps thudded on.
I exhaled. Natalie gave me a shaky thumbs-up.
"Wait," said Bosco's distant voice. "They're just the kind of low-down sneaks that would try to give us the slip." Footsteps padded closer.
I shot a worried look at Natalie.
"I smell fresh gecko!" cried Bosco, his voice suddenly loud. "Up here!"
Natalie and I hightailed it. The side tunnel narrowed and rose. After another minute of full-tilt running, we turned a bend.
I stopped short. Natalie piled into me.
"Dead end?!" she said.
The passage sloped up sharply into the ceiling. My scrabbling hands touched wood.
"Another trapdoor." I put my shoulder to it. "Push, Natalie!"
We shoved, hard. It didn't budge.
The Dirty Rotten Stinkers rounded the final corner and spotted us.
"Hah!" cried Erik. "Say your prayers, Gecko."
The bullies rolled forward slowly, deliberately, smiling evil smiles.
"Push harder!" I cried.
And with one last "
Oof!
" we slammed the trapdoor back on its hinges, tumbling out into...
The janitor's office?
Jerry Dooty slumped on a stool just above us, staring down with his mournful eyes.
"Mr. Dooty," said Natalie. "Help us!"
We scrambled to our feet.
"Another problem for my to-do list?" he whined. "What is it this time?"
Bosco's head and shoulders emerged from the trapdoor. "They saw our operations, boss."
The gopher sighed. "My, that
is
a problem."
"
Boss?
" I said.
Jerry Dooty grinned and picked up a fancy golden crown from the table. "I prefer 'All-Powerful Emperor of the Underground,'" he said. "But 'boss' is a start."
16. Dooty Calls
My brain felt like a locomotive that had piled into a Jell-O mountain. The wheels were spinning, but I couldn't get any traction.
"You
huh?
" I said. "You
whuh?
"
The gopher
tsk-tsked.
"Really, I would've thought a detective would be a little sharper than that. Yes, I'm the genius behind it all."
"
You?
" said Natalie.
Jerry Dooty placed the crown on his head."What, you don't think I'm smart enough?" He pouted. "Nobody ever does. I'm
so
unappreciated, even as an emperor."
"But...
emperor?
" I said.
"Yes," said the gopher. "I'm tired of the way things are run around here."
"Us, too," said Erik, peeking up through the hole in the floor.
Mr. Dooty gestured to the trapdoor."So I decided to create my own underground empire, with a little help from my minions. Like it?"
Natalie and I exchanged a quick glance.
"Yeah, it's, uh, swell," I said.
"Especially the twinkly lights," Natalie added.
The janitor nodded. "Thanks. I wanted it to be cheery."
My stunned gaze wandered around the room, from the deranged gopher, to the bottles of cleaning products, to the Stinkers peering up through the floor.
"So you got Ms. DeBree fired?" I said. "Why?"
"She was just too darn clean," said the janitor.
I blinked. "How's that?"
He waved a paw. "Always tidying things up, poking her nose into stuff. She was getting suspicious. Maureen could have derailed my whole plan."
Natalie shifted from foot to foot. She cut her eyes at the trapdoor and floor bolt, then back to me. I gave a tiny nod.
"One thing I don't get," she said."Popper saw Ms. DeBree running away just before that building caught fire."
"Hah!" said Erik. "Should I tell 'em, boss?"
"That's
emperor,
" said Jerry Dooty.
"
I'll
tell them," a new voice cut in.
I turned to see the weasel assistant janitor pushing through the office door. "You!"
"Yes," he said, tossing a lighter from paw to paw.
"Funny how from behind, a weasel looks just like a mongoose."
Natalie snapped her forefeathers."I
knew
there was something odd about him."
"His bad-guy vibes?" I said.
"No, the way he moves," she said. "Mongooses dash, weasels bound. And Popper said the culprit bow-bow-bounded away. So it couldn't have been a mongoose."
I shook my head. "You spend
way
too much time watching the Natural Channel. But good work, partner."
Bosco the ferret raised a paw." 'Scuse
"This way!" said Erik. "That's Gecko's hat."
Their footsteps thudded on.
I exhaled. Natalie gave me a shaky thumbs-up.
"Wait," said Bosco's distant voice. "They're just the kind of low-down sneaks that would try to give us the slip." Footsteps padded closer.
I shot a worried look at Natalie.
"I smell fresh gecko!" cried Bosco, his voice suddenly loud. "Up here!"
Natalie and I hightailed it. The side tunnel narrowed and rose. After another minute of full-tilt running, we turned a bend.
I stopped short. Natalie piled into me.
"Dead end?!" she said.
The passage sloped up sharply into the ceiling. My scrabbling hands touched wood.
"Another trapdoor." I put my shoulder to it. "Push, Natalie!"
We shoved, hard. It didn't budge.
The Dirty Rotten Stinkers rounded the final corner and spotted us.
"Hah!" cried Erik. "Say your prayers, Gecko."
The bullies rolled forward slowly, deliberately, smiling evil smiles.
"Push harder!" I cried.
And with one last "
Oof!
" we slammed the trapdoor back on its hinges, tumbling out into...
The janitor's office?
Jerry Dooty slumped on a stool just above us, staring down with his mournful eyes.
"Mr. Dooty," said Natalie. "Help us!"
We scrambled to our feet.
"Another problem for my to-do list?" he whined. "What is it this time?"
Bosco's head and shoulders emerged from the trapdoor. "They saw our operations, boss."
The gopher sighed. "My, that
is
a problem."
"
Boss?
" I said.
Jerry Dooty grinned and picked up a fancy golden crown from the table. "I prefer 'All-Powerful Emperor of the Underground,'" he said. "But 'boss' is a start."
16. Dooty Calls
My brain felt like a locomotive that had piled into a Jell-O mountain. The wheels were spinning, but I couldn't get any traction.
"You
huh?
" I said. "You
whuh?
"
The gopher
tsk-tsked.
"Really, I would've thought a detective would be a little sharper than that. Yes, I'm the genius behind it all."
"
You?
" said Natalie.
Jerry Dooty placed the crown on his head."What, you don't think I'm smart enough?" He pouted. "Nobody ever does. I'm
so
unappreciated, even as an emperor."
"But...
emperor?
" I said.
"Yes," said the gopher. "I'm tired of the way things are run around here."
"Us, too," said Erik, peeking up through the hole in the floor.
Mr. Dooty gestured to the trapdoor."So I decided to create my own underground empire, with a little help from my minions. Like it?"
Natalie and I exchanged a quick glance.
"Yeah, it's, uh, swell," I said.
"Especially the twinkly lights," Natalie added.
The janitor nodded. "Thanks. I wanted it to be cheery."
My stunned gaze wandered around the room, from the deranged gopher, to the bottles of cleaning products, to the Stinkers peering up through the floor.
"So you got Ms. DeBree fired?" I said. "Why?"
"She was just too darn clean," said the janitor.
I blinked. "How's that?"
He waved a paw. "Always tidying things up, poking her nose into stuff. She was getting suspicious. Maureen could have derailed my whole plan."
Natalie shifted from foot to foot. She cut her eyes at the trapdoor and floor bolt, then back to me. I gave a tiny nod.
"One thing I don't get," she said."Popper saw Ms. DeBree running away just before that building caught fire."
"Hah!" said Erik. "Should I tell 'em, boss?"
"That's
emperor,
" said Jerry Dooty.
"
I'll
tell them," a new voice cut in.
I turned to see the weasel assistant janitor pushing through the office door. "You!"
"Yes," he said, tossing a lighter from paw to paw.
"Funny how from behind, a weasel looks just like a mongoose."
Natalie snapped her forefeathers."I
knew
there was something odd about him."
"His bad-guy vibes?" I said.
"No, the way he moves," she said. "Mongooses dash, weasels bound. And Popper said the culprit bow-bow-bounded away. So it couldn't have been a mongoose."
I shook my head. "You spend
way
too much time watching the Natural Channel. But good work, partner."
Bosco the ferret raised a paw." 'Scuse
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