The Attaché Case Read online

  The Attaché Case

  Volume 6 of the Casebooks of Octavius Bear

  “Alternative Universe Mysteries for Adult Animal Lovers”

  Harry DeMaio

  2018 digital version converted and published by

  Andrews UK Limited

  www.andrewsuk.com

  Copyright © 2018 Harry DeMaio

  The right of Harry DeMaio to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.

  All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Except for certain historical personages, any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not of MX Publishing.

  MX Publishing

  335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive,

  London, N11 3GX

  www.mxpublishing.co.uk

  Dedicated to

  GTP

  A Most Extraordinary Bear

  Acknowledgements

  These books have evolved over a long period of time and under a wide range of influences and circumstances. I am indebted to many people for helping to bring Octavius and his cohorts to the printed page. Thanks most especially to my wife, Virginia, for her insights and clever suggestions as well as her unfailing enthusiasm for the project and patience with its author. To my sons, Mark and Andrew and their spouses, Cindy and Lorraine, for helping make these tomes more readable and audience friendly. To Cathy Hartnett, cheerleader-extraordinaire for her eagerness to see this alternate universe take form. To Jack Magan, Dan Andriacco, Paul Bernish and Zohreh Zand for their encouragement and support.

  Kudos to Jim Effler, the late Bob Gibson and Brian Belanger for their illustrations and covers. Thanks, of course, to Steve Emecz and MX publishing for giving Octavius et al. a great home

  If, in spite of all this help, some errors or inconsistencies have crept through, the buck stops here. Needless to say, all of the characters, situations, and narratives are fictional.

  Also from Harry DeMaio

  The Open and Shut Case

  The Case of the Spotted Band

  The Case of Scotch

  The Lower Case

  The Curse of the Mummy’s Case

  The Development of Civilization - Volume 6 Part 1: Our Origins

  (From “An Introduction to Faunapology” by Octavius Bear PhD.)

  About 100,000 years ago, according to scientific experts, a colossal solar flare blasted out from our Sun, creating gigantic magnetic storms here on Earth. These highly charged electrical tempests caused startling physical and psychological imbalances in the then population of our world. The complete nervous systems of some species were totally destroyed. For example, “Homo Sapiens” lost all mental and motor capabilities and rapidly became extinct. Less developed species exposed to the radiation were affected differently. Four-footed and finned mammals, birds and reptiles suddenly found themselves capable of complex thought, enhanced emotions, self-awareness, social consciousness and the ability to communicate, sometimes orally, sometimes telepathically, often both. Both speech production and speech perception slowly progressed with the evolution of tongues, lips, vocal cords and enhanced ear to brain connections. Many species developed opposable digits, fingers or claws, further accelerating civilized progress. Some others (most fish and underground dwellers) were shielded from the radiation and remained only as sentient as they were before the blast. This event is referred to as The Big Shock. It remains under intensive study.

  The Players

  Octavius Bear - Mega-sized Kodiak; Narcoleptic war hero; Consulting Detective; Scientist; Inventor; Seeker of justice; Gazillionaire owner of Universal Ursine Industries; Gourmet/gourmand; Somewhat sedentary and grouchy just on general principles.

  Mauritius (Maury) Meerkat - Narrator; Assistant to Octavius; Theatrical Agent; African émigré with a French-Dutch background; clever with a shady history.

  Bearoness Belinda Béarnaise Bruin Bear (nee Black) - Gorgeous polar superstar, with the Aquashow, “Some Like It Cold.” Wife of Octavius; Extremely rich widow of Bearon Byron Bruin living in Polar Paradise in the Shetlands; Owner-pilot of the last flying Concorde SST.

  Arabella Bear - Hybrid bear cub prodigy; Twin daughter of Bearoness Belinda and Octavius.

  McTavish Bear - Hybrid bear cub prodigy; Twin son of Bearoness Belinda and Octavius.

  Frau Schuylkill - Octavius’ beautiful Swiss she-wolf estate manager/cook/pilot/security officer with many other mysterious and military talents. She rescued Octavius from his dive off the Breakurbach Falls while he was struggling with his nemesis, Imperius Drake.

  Wyatt Where - Another wolf. Former military intelligence officer who had retired to a security post at the Bank of Lake Michigan in Chicago and then quit to join Octavius.

  Benedict & Galatea Tigris - White Bengals - The Flying Tigers - Pilots of Belinda’s and Octavius’ aircraft - brother and sister.

  Chita - Beautiful, fascinating, clever, wealthy, sexy, immoral and highly independent feline who among other things, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of PURR and SOW magazines.

  Mlle Woof - Bichon Frisé - Governess to the twin cubs.

  The Ambassador - Rhinoceros - Octavius’ client.

  Joseph - Dromedary Camel - Majordomo at the Embassy Residence.

  Major Butho - Rhodesian Ridgeback Dog - Security Officer for the Embassy and Residence.

  Doctor Mopsi - Greater Red Rock Hare - Embassy and Residence Physician.

  Idi - Impala - Embassy Commercial Attaché.

  Madame Leonie - Lioness - Embassy Cultural Attaché.

  Boswell Boar - Boar - Embassy Consul.

  Charles Gibbon - Bonobo (sic) - Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission.

  Oliver Ostrich - Ostrich - Embassy Press Attaché.

  Drusilla & Bertha - Goats - Embassy Maids.

  Mr. Alex - Civet - Jeweler Extraordinaire.

  Faluj - Impala - Shady Dealer in Diamonds.

  Locations

  Cincinnati, Ohio; Polar Paradise in the Shetlands;

  Washington DC and environs

  Chapter One

  Do Bears give you a scare? Well, me too.

  So, I’ll pass on this tactic to you.

  You just fix that old Bear

  With a cold, piercing stare.

  But make sure that he’s Winnie-the-Pooh.

  My boss, mentor, companion and friend, Octavius Bear Ph.D., is an ursine of many personas. (personae?) To wit: Mega-sized Kodiak (9 feet tall and 1400 pounds); Narcoleptic; War Hero; Polymath Genius; Consulting Detective; Scientist and Engineer; Inventor; Seeker of Justice. He is also somewhat sedentary and grouchy just on general principles. However, no one has ever accused him of being a diplomat.

  So, when the Ambassador of a yet to be revealed country called upon him to investigate the suspicious demise in Washington of their commercial attaché, it created a major stir among us minions who toil in the Great Bear’s vineyards. It seems Octavius had taken care of a sensitive personal matter for the Ambassador several years ago, and since sa
id attaché perished on foreign soil, namely the Embassy Residence, it suited the Ambassador to bypass US and local law enforcement and seek Octavius’ assistance.

  A brief digression. Before we rush breathlessly into our action-packed chronicle, a bit of background and identification of the principal players and locations in this thrilling affair would seem appropriate.

  First, may I introduce myself? Mauritius (Maury) Meerkat! AKA Octavius’ sidekick, (2 feet tall and 23 pounds) Born and raised in the Kalahari by a clan of criminally inclined suricates. Oddly enough, meerkat families are called “mobs.” We were a mob in both senses of the word. In another story for another day, I will tell you how I was arrested on the island of Mauritius by Octavius and given a choice - work for him or work in the penitentiary. Guess what I chose. Actually, being out here on the straight and narrow, working for a genius who is also a classic pain in the tail has its moments. And as a major participant and narrator-in-chief of this opus, I shall bring those moments vividly to life for you. Modesty is one of my strong points.

  As to locations and milieus, the Bear’s Lair is a magnificent estate on the northern shore of the Ohio River near Cincinnati, where, in addition to an opulent mansion, he also maintains a state-of-the art laboratory and a Roman Temple hangar for his four aircraft. There is also a missile silo disguised as an Oriental pagoda. (Don’t ask!) All gifts from a grateful government for very important but top-secret services rendered. Across the river in Kentucky is Universal Ursine Industries, the wholly owned source of most of Octavius’ wealth.

  Like a famous detective before him, Octavius keeps bees. From their honey, he produces and avidly consumes some of the finest mead known to animal kind. He has even been known to (sparingly) share some of it with specially favored acquaintances.

  He has a mate and two cubs. Several years ago, a long dormant romance was rekindled and he married the recently widowed Bearoness Belinda Béarnaise Bruin (nee Black). The fabulous Polar Bear star of the Aquabear Review - Some Like It Cold - holds court in a castle in the Shetlands, recently reconverted to a top of the line resort and theme park called Polar Paradise. They have separate homes. The Bear’s Lair and Polar Paradise. There are legal reasons why she must keep her properties and maintain residence in them to retain her bearonial title. Surrounded by a highly efficient staff, the Bearoness manages her estate; her businesses; her aircraft, especially The Flying Aquabear, the last SST aloft; and bearly controls their two hybrid cubs, Arabella and McTavish. (A Polar and Kodiak can have offspring. However, it is very rare.) She and Octavius maintain a supersonic shuttle between their estates.

  Back here in Ohio, Octavius is also assisted by Frau Schuylkill, a Swiss she-wolf; Cordon Bleu chef; aviator; sharpshooter; former member of the military and now our mansion estate manager. She joined Octavius after rescuing him from a fall at Breakurbach Falls in Switzerland while he was battling with his nemesis, the now deceased Imperius Drake.

  She is the spouse of Colonel Wyatt Where, also ex-military. The Colonel was in Military Intelligence, but resigned while on a bizarre mission to reach alternate universes. He then went to work as the security officer for the Bank of Lake Michigan. He left that job to join Octavius along with a technological genius, Howard Watt, a porcupine and specialist in multiverses, exotic weapons and security.

  They and Senhor L. Condor, an Andean telecommunications hyper-whiz, supply Octavius with superior brain and animal power. (Don’t forget me!) Enough background and introductions. Let our tail unwind.

  Chapter Two

  Off we go on another big case,

  Flying east at a double-quick pace.

  At a strange Embassy,

  We’re expecting to see

  Some poor soul lying dead on his face.

  “How come I didn’t know about your relationship with the Ambassador?”

  “It was highly personal both for him and for me and there are areas (admittedly few) where you are better off not being a party to the events.”

  This conversation was taking place over the phone as I settled my small frame into a large and comfortable seat in the Bear’s Twin Otter, one of four fixed wing aircraft in his flying circus. The others are an F-15E Strike Eagle; a V-22 Osprey and a ginormous C-5A named the Ursa Major. The Ursa Major is the only plane in which Octavius, given his size, feels comfortable. He does manage to squeeze himself through the specially modified doors of the Bearoness’ SST, but always with some protest. He also has a small fleet of large helicopters used by Universal Ursine Industries and his personal team. All told, a substantial air force.

  On the estate, there is a large hangar disguised as a Roman temple and a runway decked out with phony construction equipment and made to look like an interstate highway spur under development. The local airport and the FAA are aware of Octavius’ aeronautical exercises and play along with him. His neighbors have nary a clue.

  As Frau Schuylkill and Colonel Where spun up the Otter’s props, I tried to pry more information out of Octavius who had peremptorily ordered the three of us to Washington National Airport where we were to be met by members of the Embassy staff.

  “I assume the Ambassador is simply Mr. Ambassador but does the victim have a name, species and title?”

  “He is, was, an Impala, a highly gregarious commercial attaché, whose real name is unknown to me but the Ambassador refers to him as Idi.”

  “Idi?” I queried

  “Idi!!” he rejoined.

  “Ah ha,” I ah-haed, “An Impala. Could we be talking about Africa?”

  “I’m sure the three of you will ferret out all the information you require but let the Ambassador play out his game of intrigue. He is a bit eccentric but highly intelligent and seems very honest by African diplomatic standards.”

  “So,” thought I, “Africa it is.”

  As we set up for take-off, the sound of the engines made any further conversation impractical. Octavius signed off with his typical, “I’ll expect to hear your first report this evening. Tell the Ambassador I will join him shortly.”

  Time to bring the Wolves up to speed as soon as we levelled out. I lurched my way up to the cockpit and climbed up on the flight engineer’s jump seat. The Frau was command pilot for this trip and the Colonel was doing co-pilot duties. After getting squared away with Air Traffic Control, they put the Otter on autopilot with a direct heading for Washington DC.

  They both turned and stared at me, eyebrows raised. “So, Herr Maury” said the She Wolf, what’s going on and what’s our plan?”

  “We’re investigating the suspicious death of an Impala named Idi”

  “Idi?”

  “Yeah, that was my reaction when I heard it. He was the commercial attaché for this unnamed but definitely African Embassy. Not sure about the cause of death. The Ambassador believes it was foul play. Since the event took place on the Residence grounds, which is foreign soil, he and his security people have taken charge. No local or US national police involvement. He seems to be a good friend of Octavius and asked for his help. Enter thee and me to be followed shortly by the Great Bear.”

  “We are being picked up at the general aviation terminal by Embassy employees and taken to the Residence in the Virginia suburbs - the scene of the crime, if it was one. The Embassy itself is in Downtown DC on Embassy Row. Now you know what I know. I guess our plan is our usual one. Fact Finding 101. I’m sure His Bearship will be actively micro-managing, first from the Lair and then at the Embassy Residence.”

  The Colonel squinted. “I wonder how the Embassy security staff feel about us barging in.”

  “Get ready for resentment. Oh, one more thing. The Embassy physician performed the post mortem examination. Don’t know the results. I believe they are anxious to ship the body back home so I doubt if we’ll have any extended access to it.”

  The Frau growled, “Situation Normal. Something�
��s strange. No, everything’s strange! What do we know about the Ambassador?”

  “Not much. To quote Octavius: ‘He is a bit eccentric but highly intelligent and very honest by African diplomatic standards’”

  “That still doesn’t explain why he envisions foul play. Unless the victim was obviously strangled, bludgeoned, stabbed, shot, drowned, electrocuted, poisoned or hacked to pieces.”

  Chapter Three

  The Black Rhinos have horns that are large

  And their bodies are big as a barge.

  They eat grass, nothing more.

  They are pure herbivore.

  But get out of their way when they charge.

  We were met outside the General Aviation Terminal at 1 PM by a uniformed male Doberman who saluted us and led us to a large SUV (DC diplomatic license plates - shaded windows.) At the wheel was a smaller female Doberman. We all participated in the ritual loading of the luggage and the passengers. General purpose words of welcome but no indication as to which Embassy staff they represented. No identifying seals or marks on the vehicle. The mystery grinds on.

  After a thirty-minute run on parkways, we turned off onto well paved but definitely suburban roads. A turn to the right and we came upon a gated wall enclosing an extensive and no doubt, expensive piece of Virginia real estate. The gates opened, and we moved along a tree-lined access road of the Grand Manor variety and finally up to a fair-sized mansion. Three floors of colonial style architecture surrounded by well-tended gardens, parking garages and a large open space suitable for landing helicopters. Impressive enough but for those of us who dwell in the Bear’s Lair, not that impressive. However, this as yet unidentified country was clearly not without resources.

  As the Dobermans removed our (meager) luggage and we advanced toward the entrance portico, the oversized reception doors were opened by an officious looking Dromedary Majordomo who began a welcoming speech. He was interrupted by the onrush of a huge rhinoceros, covered in casual robes. The Ambassador!