Omeric arrived back at the precinct and went to his desk. He had a break in the case. Now he was ready for the kill.

"Hey Omeric what's with the goldfish?" yelled someone from across the room.

He looked down into his hand and swore. He had completely forgotten about the goldfish. The goldfish was for his fiance Elsie. He would have to give it to her later. The first thing he was going to do was find out who the hurkle belonged to.

Omeric went to the holding cages to retrieve the hurkle. When he got there the hurkle was gone.

"Hey Mack, who took the hurkle from this holding cell?"

"Some special government guys came this morning looking for it," replied Mack. "They took everything involved with the case; that included the hurkle".

"What!? I had that case! Why wasn't I informed? Dangit somebody's got some explaining to do," said Omeric storming through the precinct.

Omeric burst into the room. "Where the 'el is my hurkle."

"Was there something you wanted to discuss?" asked the Captain.

"Yea, the wallpaper in my office doesn't match my suit. Where the 'el is my hurkle?!" said Omeric.

"Sit down Sergeant," said the Captain motioning Omeric to a chair. "Some high level national guys came here and took the hurkle. It's all high level stuff, Sergeant, I don't want you to go mucking around with the case anymore."

"You're taking me off the case?" asked Omeric incredulously.

"Listen. You know how these national government guys get and they’re taking this case over. Period. They made that REAL clear to me. And I’m making it EXTREMELY clear to you. YOU ARE OFF THE CASE!"

"Fine!" said Omeric and stormed out of the office.

Omeric vowed to get to the bottom of this case. Despite what the captain had said; he was still on this case. Omeric went back to his desk and started typing his report on the "hurkle" case. Finishing his report he stamped on it 'CLOSED'. But for him it was far from being closed. Something special was involved with that hurkle and he was determined to find out what.

The first thing was out find out who the hurkle belonged to. If he could find that out everything else would fall into place. Over the next couple of weeks Omeric continued working on the case on his off hours. The break he needed came from his friend at the lock and security store. After that first week and a half he had called Omeric and told him that he knew what the key went to but not who the key was for. The key went to vehicle. Or at least it used to. It had been tampered with. At least that was what he thought. It had definitely been changed. The most he could come up with was that it had at some time gone to a vehicle. He would continue working on it.

After about three weeks Omeric was on the verge of giving up when he got a call. "Omeric I know what that key you gave me goes to," said the voice.

"It's about time. I was beginning to think I had finally come up with something to stump you," said Omeric

"You? Never. But this time I got lucky. Yesterday I got a call from some government guys, 'pears that one of 'em locked the keys into one of those fancy government type vehicles. Well I went over there and sure enough there were the keys sitting in the ignition. That's when I noticed that one of 'em looked kinda familiar. 'Pears that the key goes to one of them fancy government vehicles."

"No kidding? It would seem that I've got to have a little talk with The Government."

"Better you than me," said the voice on the phone.

"Thanks Clarence."

"No problem but you still owe me," said Clarence and hung up the phone.

Chapter 16

Omeric knew who was involved now. The Government. He also knew what had happened. Some Government types had come into town, used some warehouse and left in a hurry, leaving behind a key and a hurkle. Now all he had to do was find out why. The best place to find out something about the government is usually not at their offices. Omeric started there anyway. His police badge got him as far as the secretary at the front door.

"I need to speak to somebody behind those doors," said Omeric pointing at the closed set of double doors just beyond the desk where the secretary sat.

"You don't have an appointment. You can't go through those doors," replied the secretary.

Omeric showed her his badge.

"Ohhh that's nice. Does it come in blue polka dots to match my outfit?" asked the secretary sarcastically.

"Okay. How do I get an appointment?" asked Omeric.

"Listen you don't seem like that a bad a guy," said the secretary, "so I'm going to tell you this once. I could make an appointment for five minutes from now, you still wouldn't get by those doors. You don't make appointments to see these guys they make appointments to see you. And right now they don't want to see you. And believe me that's how you want it."

Omeric stood there and crossed his arms.

"Listen buddy why don't you just turn around and leave and stop wasting both of our time."

Omeric uncrossed his arms, turned around and left. He had seen in a reflection in the mirror behind the secretary, the hurkle was being put into a truck in front of the building. Walking out of the building he marked down the license platter number on the traveling craft. Getting into his unmarked traveling craft he followed the traveling craft. He called into the station to get the name of the owner of the vehicle. Unsurprisingly it was not registered. After following the truck for several blocks he knew where it was going. Back to the docks.

They pulled up to the docks and stopped in front of a luxury yacht. Omeric hated ships, especially little ships. Even the name of the ship was stupid, what kind of name is yacht? It didn't make any sense. Which made it perfect for this case.

Omeric watched as they prepared to load the hurkle onto the yacht. He had to get that hurkle. The only problem was that he had no idea how he was going to do it.

The men took out the hurkle and tied him up near the yacht's dock, then started loading boxes onto the yacht. Omeric knew he had to act fast if he had any hope of getting the hurkle.

Crouching down Omeric moved stealthily behind his car towards the building.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" says a slightly nasal voice behind him.

Turning around slowly Omeric looked at the body attached to the voice. A thin man in a checkered sweater vest stood behind him.

"Police business," said Omeric flashing his badge, "Go away."

"Really!" said the man excitedly, crouching down next to Omeric. "What is it?"

"Go away!"

The man looked at Omeric with a tragically injured look. "Well if that's all you wanted all you had to do was say so. Jeez," said the man sticking out his lower lip, "It doesn't have anything to do with that yacht there does it?"

"As a matter of fact yes. Now go away!"

"Fine. I'll just go back to my yacht down the pier there," said the man pointing to the yacht two over from the one that the hurkle was being loaded onto.

"Shwit!" Omeric swore as he watched the hurkle being loaded onto the yacht.

The man looked at Omeric with a look of surprise.

"Okay listen I'm going to need to use your yacht to get to that boat. Did you see the animal that was loaded on the boat?" The man shook his head no. "Okay. Well I'm going to have to get that hurkle and get it away from the people on that ship. Understand? " The man again shook his head no again. "Good. Now let's get to your boat," said Omeric moving quickly to the man's yacht. The man followed behind silently.

Omeric climbed aboard the man's yacht and immediately went below. The man followed behind him.

"Do you have another jacket like this?" asked Omeric holding up a blue captain's jacket.

"Um ... not on the ship," replied the man, bewildered.

"Oh well," shrugged Omeric putting on the jacket. "Ah this will help," he said, taking the captain's hat from off the shelf. "Oh and this is a nice touch," taking a pipe from off of one of the shelves. "Nasty habit to develop though." Taking a look in the mirror he straightened one of the cuffs. "How do I look?"

"Well ..." said the man, unsure of how to reply.

"Good enough. Now follow my lead and stay calm," said Omeric.

Omeric walked up on deck of the ship.

" 'ello! I say, ahoy there neighbors!" shouted Omeric, waving to the ship where the hurkle had been loaded.

The men on the boat ignored him.

"Can you move this boat up in front of that one?" asked Omeric.

"I could," said the man cautiously.

"Good do it," said Omeric to the man.

"'ey mates!" shouted Omeric to the men at the ship, "Mind if we stop by for a bit of tea? Being neighborly and all that!"

He could see the irritation on the men's faces despite the dark, red sunglasses. He grinned to himself.

The man moved the ship or yacht or whatever you call the thing, next to the one the hurkle had been placed and was now seriously considering what the punishment would be for hitting a police officer. He didn't have to wonder long because Omeric had jumped off of his yacht.

Omeric jumped onto the other yacht and searched for the hurkle while talking incessantly to the men on the boat. He spotted the hurkle near the back of the yacht tied to the railing.

"Hey buddy. We're finished loading this boat here and don't want none of your freekin' tea. So get off the boat. Now," said one of the men in the red sunglasses.

"Oh, certainly dear chap. No need to keep you gentleman from your departure. I'll just be going now. Just trying to be neighborly and all that," said Omeric moving closer to the hurkle and the rail.

Omeric quickly untied the hurkle and jumped over the railing onto the dock. Rolling on the ground he got up and sprinted for his car, the hurkle ran happily beside him.

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