The Trouble with Money

He sat back in his swivel chair, lighting one cigarette with the dying butt of another.  The tiny office space was dusty and cold, containing a few battered pieces of thrift store furniture and one sad, drooping plant.  The rest of the room was filled by a lack of clients and a sense of quiet despair.  The flashing neon lights outside, filtered by a venetian blind, threw a pattern on the lone occupant.  He pulled the brim of his fedora lower down his face, nursing a hangover from the last few years of his life.  A knock on his door startled him, and he spun around, barely suppressing a groan as his head pounded in time with his heartbeat.   

            “Come in.” He reached into his jacket, hand caressing the grip of his .45 Colt Automatic.  The door squeaked open and two figures filled the dim doorway, one in a pair of overalls and the second in a pale blue shapeless dress. 

            “Mr. Carr? Is this the Carr Detective Agency?” growled the figure in the overalls. 

            “Come inside.”  His hand relaxed on the butt of his gun.  These were clients for sure, hopefully enough work to quiet those eviction notices for a little while longer.  The neon lights flashed again, illuminating the faces of the two bears as they walked toward the desk.

            “Hello sir.  I was really hoping you could help us.  I’m Papa Bear, and this is my wife, Mama Bear.  We’ve come all they way down from Bear Country, we didn’t know where else to turn.” Papa Bear took off his hat and began to twist it in his hands.

            “You see, someone has smashed our children’s piggybank and taken the money.  We don’t know who, or why, some bear would do such a horrible thing” Mama Bear continued.  “We don’t feel safe in the house anymore.  It’s terrible to think what might have happened to Brother or Sister Bear.”  She glanced around the dingy office and took a step closer to Papa Bear’s side.  Carr exhaled as he leaned forward in his chair.  A cloud of smoke gathered over his head.

            “You’ve come to the right place.  I’ll find out who’s behind all this, but I need to ask a few questions first.  When did the piggy bank get broken?”

            “Yesterday” answered Papa Bear.

            “Where are your children now?”

            “They’re with their grandparents.  We came straight to the city.  Nothing like this happens in Bear Country, theirs no one there that can help us” Mama Bear said.

            “Was the money the only thing taken?”

            “Yes sir.  We found the piggy bank smashed and all of the money missing.”

            “Any sign of a break in?”

            “None at all.  We simply woke up in the morning and found what happened.”

            “Is there anyone you’ve had a disagreement with recently?  Anyone have a grudge they want to settle?”

            “Of course not!”  Papa Bear was shocked.  “We get along fine with everyone!”

            “So the only ones that had access to the piggy bank were you two and the children?”

            “Mr. Carr!” Mama Bear said indigently, taking a step towards the desk.  “I hope you aren’t suggesting that it was Brother Bear or Sister Bear that would do such a thing!”

            “Mrs. Bear, I’m not suggesting anything, but I need to eliminate any and all possibilities.  You wouldn’t believe some of the crazy things I’ve seen in this line of work.”  Carr leaned back again and took another drag on his cigarette. 

            “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Carr.” Mama Bear buried her head against Papa Bear’s shoulder and began to weep. “I’d give up honey for the rest of my life just want to find out what happened.  I just want our lives to go back to normal.”  Papa Bear patted her shoulder and sighed, trying to control his own emotions. 

            “I understand.  I’ll need to come up to the house, take a look at scene of the crime.  Ask a few questions of your neighbors.”

            “Just find out whose done this.  That’s all we want.”

            Carr stood up, the weight of his .45 hanging reassuringly under his jacket.  “You can count on me, Mr. Bear.”  He already had his suspicions, and Carr knew that neither of the Bears would like his line of thought.  The first places he wanted to check were the local candy and toy stores to see if any little bears had made some suspiciously large purchases lately.  He crushed his cigarette out in an overflowing ashtray and adjusted the brim of his hat.  “Let’s go.”