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Where We Left Off:
The previous case took us off the estate property. At the Raccoon House, Gus and Amber found a dead body and declared it a crime scene.
A Brush With Death:
One fine evening, Gus spent a half an hour of enrichment and training by playing his spinning tube game that releases treats. I have not been able to convince Oliver to actively play the game for himself. He’ll sit next to it in order to inform me that he needs treats. If I don’t notice him, he yells at me. After Gus successfully won a few rounds of his game, he seemed to be playing rambunctiously by himself with a crinkled foil ball.
The playing went on longer than I expected. The room was dark and I began to wonder if Ollie was also participating which would make things more exciting. The noises sounded different to me. Sure, I had placed a little bit of catnip on the scratching post base and on the big fish toy, but I didn’t believe that would drive Gus into a level of frenzy like what I was hearing.
I turned on the light.
For about five seconds, it did appear that Gus was merely pawing one pile of toys right next to Ollie’s office. Then something besides Gus’ paw moved from the toy pile. At least I hadn’t been asleep yet.
I got up and started collecting things I’d need—the PPE, an initialization I never expected to have in our global daily lexicon, but the pandemic changed that. I found the Witness Transportation Unit, a pair of slipper-socks for my hands not my feet, and slip-on shoes.
Gus showed me that the critter was somewhere around my craft supplies and uncatalogued evidence stack (I should get to that one of these days). I moved things and saw a battleship grey blur out-maneuver my mitted hands. Gus and I shifted around and ended up by the guest chair where there are more piles of cat toys. I missed catching the critter a couple more times despite it being slow.
This was not normal.
The mice are often extremely healthy when they are caught inside the house. Some of them are “super” or “enhanced” from raiding protein powder and The Butler’s personal health concoctions. A mouse moving this slowly didn’t seem to have any super powers regarding athletic abilities.
Gus stuck his nose through another pile of toys. I was able to move them and close my mittened right hand around the mouse (I hoped). I wasn’t sure if I actually had it, but it wasn’t on the floor where my hand had been. Its tiny physique was barely registering through the thick polyester fleece over my hand.
Ollie was gone. He was not interested since this evening interruption had nothing to do with treats. It was also after Jeopardy and time for him to go to bed with The Cook. He needed his rest if he was going to wake up every two hours and yell at her for food.
With the mouse safely inside the Witness Transportation Unit, Gus and I went to the main floor. I had my giant Mag Lite and had to decide which door gave me the best chance of egress without Gus sneaking along in the pitch black darkness of autumn. Surprisingly, he was not yowling. That alone was suspicious. Gus always cries when someone leaves without him, especially during times when his limbic system is in charge of his excitement.
I didn’t bother putting on my safety orange. If a driver somehow missed the illumination of a giant flashlight, they were obviously impaired. I took the risk and enjoyed the walk in my pajamas. The air was warm with only the whisper of a breeze. I heard things besides cars. Things from the woods and unkempt brush landscape. My presence was likely an annoyance to the night creatures like opossums, deer, and raccoons. The next morning, I checked the surveillance cameras and saw that there were some deer friends I scared.
None of the passing cars hit me. I reached my destination at the far side of the Raccoon House. There are ruins of a concrete set of stairs going down the hill into a jungle of various entwined bushes. The steps are patchy with bright green moss. There’s a vast amount of debris from the building being occasionally torn apart including broken glass everywhere. I have to be more cautious than usual when Gus and I explore that area together.
I filmed the release of the captured rodent and walked home at a leisurely pace since it was pleasant, though extremely dark and dangerous on the road. Nothing bad has ever happened to a woman in her pajamas walking on a dark country road.
The Briefing:
Oliver and I waited to hear the details from Gus given it was his investigation that led to the capture and release of the critter.
Species: our best guess is that this rodent is a White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)
Name: Benjamin Moore
Age: Adult
Victimology: The small mouse known as Benjamin Moore was captured by the cat detective, Burton Guster Nabu, on October 29, 2025. He was found in the basement near shelves for paint storage. The mouse was delivered to the Winchester-Nabu office a few minutes before 07:00 PM that evening where it appeared to be slow-moving possibly due to an injured back leg. There was also a small, non-bleeding indent on his belly indicative of being carried by Gus through the building. Benjamin was eventually recaptured by the human biographer and transported to the Witness Relocation Program. He was given a large stipend in the form of protein-rich food at the release.
Case Findings:
The mouse known as Benjamin Moore may not have committed any crime other than trespassing and squatting within the Winchester-Nabu building. However, the presence of non-pet rodents is something taken seriously. They are expected to stay 100 yards away from any of the buildings (except for Scuridea such as squirrels, chipmunks, and groundhogs). Detective Gus apprehended the suspect within the building and delivered him to a human for release into the wild. We hope Benjamin stays out of trouble and can enjoy his new life.
Case Status: Closed
Speaking Benjamin Moore and paints…have you watched Ollie and Gus learning to paint?