Who Killed Freddie Mouse?

            His stiff, little, grey body lay in the middle of the yard.  The little bit of hair around his face, around his chin, and the back of his ears was still intact.  His tiny eyes, hidden in his fur, were wide open.  With an average weight of no more than 10-25 grams, Freddie could hardly be considered an appetizing meal.  This was proven today, as his body lay upon the ground uneaten.  Mice are normally well able to detect coming predators by their whiskers.  Freddie’s little claws were clutched as if he had put up a struggle.

            One by one, the other mice left the safety of their own homes to take a peek at Freddie.  Each one was cautious from fear of becoming the victim of the same predator.  As each of them returned and grouped together, they asked, “Who killed Freddie Mouse?”

            No one knew.

            “He was a solitary creature,” said James.  “I sometimes shared the same house as he did.  I knew better than to overlap his territory though.  I was always the one who had to give way to him.”

            “He was likable, though,” said Ralph.  “And he was always very careful.”

            “No doubt about that,” affirmed Irene.  “He was careful.”

            “We all knew that about him,” said Mary impatiently.  “But he must have finally slipped up on his safety skills.  He’s been murdered!”

            “That just goes to show you that if it happened to Freddie, it can happen to the rest of us,” cried Albert.

            “There’s no need to panic,” said James.  “Things are going to be different with Freddie gone.  We owe him and ourselves to find out who murdered him.”

            “Do you really think we can find out who killed him?”  Asked a curious Spencer.

            “Yes, and we can’t let his murder go unsolved.  I suggest that each of us travel one by one to the yard and view the body and the surroundings.  Take your time and find the clues that will tell us who did it.  We will meet in Freddie’s house and compare our findings.  There will be evidence.  Don’t we always leave a little bit behind of the stored food we eat?  Sometimes we do that so we can go back and finish later.  Perhaps that is what Freddie’s killer is doing, so be careful.  We don’t want any one of us added to his menu.”

            “But we’ve already seen his body,” Mary grumbled.  “Why should we go again?”

            “We all must go again,” insisted James.  “The first time up, you weren’t looking for clues.  This time it is different.”

            Each mouse finally nodded in agreement.  Then James asked, “So, who is going first?”

            “I’ll go first,” said Albert.  “I want to get it over with.  I’m getting hungry and I want to get back to work as soon as possible.”

            James laughed, “With you, it’s always about work and sleep.  You keep an average of 12.5 hours sleeping and the rest working.  It won’t hurt you to break routine sometimes.”

            Albert ignored him and hurried out of the house as fast as his little legs would carry him.  He was not about to become the predator’s next meal.  He’d never catch him.  He stayed in the yard just long enough to look everything over.  Yes, he had a theory about who murdered Freddie forming in his mind already.

            Mary went next and dashed out as quickly as Albert had.  She didn’t stay in the yard very long either.  Then, one by one went James, Spencer, Irene, and Ralph.

            Albert spoke first when they congregated in Freddie’s house.  “It wasn’t a dog because there were no teeth marks.”

            “I noticed that too,” said Mary.  “But I think that if we rule out a dog, then we should rule out the owl as well.  An owl would swoop down and carry its prey away.”

            “If you’re going to rule out the owl, then the hawk must also be ruled out,” said James.  “You may as well rule out all bird species based on the swooping off with their prey theory.”

            Everyone nodded.

            “I think we can rule out a fox or a raccoon,” said Irene.  “This yard is set pretty far in the city and the fenced-in yard manages to keep them away.  There are just too many people hanging around, too.”

            “What about the owner of the property?”  Spencer asked.  “If there’s anyone who’d like to see Freddie gone, it is the owner.  Each year, Freddie goes in his house causing damage to his walls and breaking into his stored food.”

            “No.  I think we can all agree that it wasn’t the owner,” said Ralph.  “He would have disposed of the body.  And if he was the one who got Freddie, then he would’ve gotten more of us, too.  I think that you all are just trying to eliminate suspects because you didn’t really look for the evidence.”

            Mary snorted.  “And I suppose that you have it figured out?”

            “In fact, I think I do,” replied a normally modest Ralph.  “I was the last to go up, but I stayed longer than any of you.  Freddie’s’ body was lying right in the sunshine.  Yes, he hadn’t been devoured by anyone.  Right on the hair of his body was the evidence that all of you missed.”

            “What was it?” asked James.

            “His hair was clumped together as if he had been wet.  You may have vaguely noticed the wetness and assumed it was from the dew.  But, it was only wet in streaks.  I say that the culprit was a cat.”

            “It was a cat?”  The other mice responded in unison.

            “Yes.  What animal loves to play with its prey before eating it?” asked Ralph.  “The cat must have known Freddie was a mouse, and so he toyed with him.  When Freddie stopped fighting back, the cat surely grew bored and left him.”

            The owner has been feeding a lot of stray cats lately,” said Spencer.  “More and more of them show up in the yard every day.  The owner apparently feeds them well, and that supports Ralph’s theory.  A well-fed cat would enjoy the sport of the hunt, but not eat its prey.”

            “Will he come back to finish what he started?” asked Albert.

            “It’s possible.  If he doesn’t, then someone else will,” said James sadly.  “But Freddie’s death was not in vain and should be considered a valuable lesson for the rest of us.  Do your job in your house.  If you should have to go where predators wait, be careful of your surroundings.  This has taught us to always be cautious.  With any job, you must remember that safety comes first.”

            “I don’t know about the rest of you,” said Mary.  “But Freddie’s murder taught me one very valuable lesson.  I’m going to move to a house where there is NO CAT!”

            In agreement, they all disbanded!