Char Chan
and The Case of the Missing Heir
by Staci Layne
Wilson (®WGAw)
3,335 words
Char Chan settled
his formidable bulk into the corner of the park bench, mindful of his spiked
tail as it settled between the wooden slats, and read the story that went with
the headline, "Missing Heir Lost and Found... And Lost!"
The fire-breathing
detective already knew these cursory facts: A small ship had sunk off the coast
of France, and while there were 30 passengers, only 29 were rescued. That meant
that millionaire heir to the Draco Charcoal fortune, Burnie Draco, was missing
again.
The orphaned
Draco been gone for several years, his whereabouts a complete mystery. Then,
out of the clear blue, he contacted his Aunt Puff, announcing that was coming
home to claim his fortune. Puff had raised the young green herself, and had
been beside herself with worry for years. The news that Burnie was coming home,
and that he would explain everything, had excited her so that it nearly extinguished
her inner flame.
That was two
days ago. And then the ship sank, all rescued except for Burnie. No body had
been found. Not even a claw or a scale.
Where was Burnie
now? Had he chosen to disappear? Or had he met with foul play? Those were the
questions that Char Chan had the burning desire to find the answers to.
***
Meanwhile, back
at the Draco home, Burnie's aunt was consulting her Ouija board, hoping to receive
some message from beyond about her beloved nephew's whereabouts. Puff Draco
refused to believe Burnie was drowned, and yet that was just what the board
told her. "Is he alive?" she'd asked. The little wooden pointed dragged
her clawed hand to the word "No" without hesitation. Her heart sank
deeper than the little ship that had been carrying her nephew home.
But Mrs. Draco
would not give up that easily. She hoped against hope that Chan would have happier
news. She'd hired the legendary detective almost immediately upon learning of
her nephew's second disappearance. Whether he was dead or alive, she had to
know. She simply couldn't live with that horrible uncertainty again.
She knew her
nephew would have a lot of charcoal to leave them if he had indeed passed on,
and she also knew that she was the next heir in line. She had her own trust
to live on, for her sister had provided for her family well. Burnie, her son,
had of course inherited the bulk of the fortune. Puff didn't need charcoal.
It was nice to charbroil the occasional knight upon, but she had her own inner
fires that worked just as well.
Puff's daughter
and son-in-law seemed to want the briquettes more than they wanted their Cousin
Burnie, but she herself sincerely hoped the sweet, scaly boy was alive and breathing
fire.
***
Mr. Chan unfolded
his tiny wings and lifted himself from the park bench, groaning with the effort.
He'd have to cut back on his knights and chargers. He suspected it was the armor
weighing him down.
That and his
suitcase. It was heavy, but he figured he might be staying in the Draco home
for at least a few days. He never knew what he might need, so he'd packed mostly
everything.
Char flew awkwardly
over the rooftops, making his way through the twilight sky, searching out the
home of his client.
Tonight he would
joining she and her family in a seance, hoping to commune with the spirits and
learn the whereabouts of young Burnie. Of course Char knew that the mystery
would not be solved so easily, but it was a start.
Finally, he found
the house. He swooped down, and landed heavily at the front door.
Puff Draco opened
it herself, smiling at him, her rows of sharp teeth gleaming. "Good evening,
Mr. Chan."
"Greeting
after long journey like rain after long drought," said the immense green
fire dragon graciously, smiling and bowing as was the custom of his homeland
in the Orient.
"You're
not a moment too soon, Mr. Chan. We were just about to have the seance," Mrs. Draco said, inviting him to come inside.
She introduced
Char to her daughter, Barbie-Q, and Barbie-Q's fellow, Brad Firepit. She then
presented him to Madame Zora and her assistant, Professor Pyre.
Char bowed slightly
to the medium, a small iridescent black and green fire queen, and said, "Ah,
second sight. It is most honorable gift."
Puff Draco rang
for her butler, Kindle, and asked him to pour them all a little firewater before
the seance began.
They sipped their
drinks, then filed into the dining room. The medium's assistant, Professor Pyre,
dimmed the lights and made sure everyone was seated comfortably around the large
oak table and that they were joining paws to form a circle. "Tonight,"
he growled, "we will attempt to summon the spirit of Burnie Draco."
Char wondered
how the Professor seemed to know that Burnie Draco was indeed departed and not
merely missing, but he held his forked tongue and made a mental note.
Almost immediately,
the medium began to shake and hiss, smoke billowing from her nostrils in small,
delicate puffs. An eerie music suddenly filled the air, as if from the great
beyond. "There is a presence in the room. It is Burnie Draco, recently
departed to the netherworld. He is very happy. He " She screamed
and lunged back, breaking the circle.
Five horse-shaped
heads turned, following the medium's stare. There in the darkness was the disembodied
glowing face of a young, handsome dragon.
"Burnie!" Aunt Puff cried with dismay. His ghostly presence could mean only one thing.
Professor Pyre
rose and crossed the room, flipping on the lights.
There revealed
was the corpse of Burnie Draco, lying inert on the Chinese rug at the doorway.
Char immediately
saw that the young green had been stabbed, which obviously meant he had not
died in the shipwreck. Someone had known the errant heir was going to
go home and claim his fortune. Who? Who would have reason to prevent him?
As Char's yellow,
slitted eyes slid about the room, they soon settled upon an ornate box-set of
antique knight-gutting knives from the 9th Dynasty. The box sat open upon the
buffet, revealing a beautiful black velvet interior and gleaming blades.
The only problem
was, one of the knives was quite obviously missing from the case. Char considered
this, but said nothing though it did give him claws for thought. The knife that
had been sunk into Draco's body was also missing. Then where was the missing
blade?
***
When the police
came, they sniffed the entire place, but came up with no clues or scents. They
questioned Mrs. Draco, and Char stood by her side, listening intently, his little
ear holes practically smoking. His reptilian mind was racing.
Once the chief
had finished, Chan asked a question of his own. He smiled obsequiously, bowing
slightly as if he was afraid his query might insult the honorable Mrs. Draco. "Pardon undue curiosity, but tell me, for what use is fortune at present?"
Puff Draco replied
without hesitation that she was using the family's fortune to finance psychic
causes in search of the missing heir. She also admitted that Burnie had never
believed in such things.
A few minutes
later the coroners took the young green's body away, and as they were lifting
him onto a stretcher, Char noticed a clawkerchief lying on the floor where the
body had been. He picked it up quickly before anyone saw him, then announced
to no one in particular that he would like to sleep in the seance room.
Mrs. Draco showed
her guests and daughter and son-in-law out, then came back and said to Char, "But you mustn't sleep here alone. Kindle will stay with you."
At this, the
black and white butler jumped and his gold eyes widened with fear. He was obviously
frightened with regard to what had taken place in the room.
"If you
feel fearful," Char smiled indulgently, "let us search out and subdue
malevolent spirits in ancient house." The butler's fear had given him good
cause to have a look around without upsetting Mrs. Draco.
The three dragons
searched the home, but found nothing out of place. "Very peaceful,"
said Char at the conclusion of their search, "like silence in graveyard." Kindle shivered and kept his back to the wall. His small, spiky tail was firmly
clenched between his legs.
Mrs. Draco stared
forlornly at the chalk outline on the floor, then sat heavily upon a chair at
the table. She closed her eyes and asked Kindle to pour her a brandy, then light
it for her.
While his client
was having herself a drink, and the butler was huddled against the wall, Char
went to his suitcase and produced a chemical analysis set. Something no good
detective ever was without. He laid everything out on the table, then ran the
clawkerchief he'd found earlier through a series of tests. He quickly discovered
the unmistakable residue of quinine sulfate. At first this puzzled him, but
then he got an idea.
"Dragfucious
say, 'Music is key to the soul'," Char said, breaking the silence. "Is
there always music when Madame Zora and Professor Pyre here summoning ghost
of relative?"
"Oh, yes,"
Mrs. Draco smiled drunkenly. "It's the spirit music."
"No spirit
make this music," Char said as he jumped up on the oak table, his weight
nearly buckling the wood, and eyed the light fixture above.
The fixture itself
was tarnished and dusty, but the screw that held it in place was bright and
shiny. Using his left front claw like a screwdriver, he took the fixture apart
and inside he discovered a tiny radio speaker.
"It's a
trick!" Mrs. Draco cried, obviously shocked and dismayed. Her yellow eyes
filled with tears. "Zora and Pyre are charlatans."
Char nodded his
head and said, "Turn off light please." When Kindle complied, Char
continued, "Now turn on dim light, as in seance.
"Appearance
of young Burnie Draco most convenient. Butler Kindle, you assume role of Burnie.
Stand in doorway please, Sir."
Kindle paled.
He looked at the darkened doorway as though expecting to see a ghost standing
there again. He touched a scaly paw to his chest, and mouthed, Me?
"Role of
dead dragon take very little acting," Char said wryly as he handed Kindle
the clawkerchief, and instructed him to hold it beside his snout.
Immediately,
the area around Kindle's face began to take on an eerie glow. Just like a phantom.
Char's slanted
eyes narrowed. "Quinine sulfate make glow when exposed to ultra violet
light," he explained, as he scanned the room again.
On the wall directly
across from the doorway was a mirror. Char turned the lights back on and went
to the mirror. When he lifted it from the wall and looked behind it, he discovered
a hollowed portion in the wall where a tiny ultra violet ray lamp was hidden.
It was obviously activated by the dim light setting.
"The medium
and the professor must have killed Burnie!" Mrs. Draco wailed. "How
can it be?"
"Perhaps
not," Char said thoughtfully rubbing his scaly chin. "Dragfucious
say, 'When you find web, you know not which spider has spun.' "
Just then, a
gunshot rang out and a bullet whizzed between the heads of Char and Mrs. Draco.
It all happened so fast, they had no time to react.
Once they regained
their wits, they looked around. Kindle was nowhere in sight. Puff Draco ran
to the study's door, only to find it locked from the outside. Both dragons huddled
under the table, unable to do anything for the moment but hope that no more
gunshots would come through the shattered window.
Just a moment
later Brad Firepit, Mrs. Draco's son-in-law, came bursting through the door. "What happened in here?" he demanded, exhaust shooting out his tiny
nostrils. "I was all the way home when something didn't feel right, and
I decided to come back. Barbie was sleeping, so I just flew over here alone..."
He wrung his clawed hands. "Your front door was wide open, Mother Puff.
What happened?"
"Char was
almost shot!" cried Mrs. Draco, still cowering beside the table.
"Not so
certain gunshot meant for humble self," Char said, righting himself, and
licking his green paws. He reached back and smoothed his armored spine scales.
His hackles had naturally risen during all the excitement, but as was his way,
Char was soon wondering more than worrying.
"You mean
it could have been meant for Mother Puff?" Firepits' eyes grew as round
as shields. He paused, the cogs and wheels turning in his mind. "I guess
you could be right, Mr. Chan. Now that she is sole heir to Burnie's estate,
whomever is in her will stands to inherit a lot of charcoal. But then again,
the killer may just feel that you're getting too close to the truth. I think
we'd better all go to my house for the night."
Puff Draco quickly
agreed, and Char went along, feeling that the dragon lady should not be out
of his sight that night.
***
Char was back
at the family home, ready to continue his investigation bright and early the
next morning. First he paid a visit to Kindle's quarters and found the old green
there, lightly burning his morning toast.
"Where did
you go last night, most honorable butler?" Char asked, peeking through
the partially open kitchen window.
Kindle jolted
so at the unexpected sight of the detective that he scorched his bread beyond
black. "Oh, I draw the line at gunshots!"
Char's eyes swept
the room and he couldn't help but notice a radio transmitter and small earphones
lying upon the counter. "What is purpose of radio?" Char asked as
neutrally as possible.
"Oh, those!"
Kindle looked more nervous than ever. "Those belong to my daughter. I don't
know anything about radios!"
"You have
dragon-daughter?" Char raised one spiky eyebrow. He had heard a story from
Mrs. Draco about Burnie and the butler's daughter, but he didn't know it was
the same butler's daughter. She had not named either one.
When Burnie disappeared
all those years ago, he had left behind a fiancée. Perhaps Butler Kindle
was angry with Burnie for leaving his daughter jilted. His daughter could have
been a very rich dragon, had she married Burnie. Could Kindle be fired up enough
to kill?
***
Later on that
day when Mrs. Draco came home, Char discussed the possibility of concocting
a false stratagem to confuse the killer. He now felt almost certain that last
night's bullet was meant for her, not him. She agreed to the ruse, and Char
called the police to let them in on his little plan.
Puff Draco did
her part by making certain that all of the people in her immediate circle knew
she had an appointment at 5 p.m. with her lawyer to change her will. She then
told them that she would be consulting her Ouija board just before she left
to see who should be her benefactor. "I shall let the spirits decide," she announced.
As Mrs. Draco
played her part, Char showed the chief of police where the previous shot had
come through the window of the seance room. He found the butt of a cigarette
beneath a nearby tree and peered up among the branches. "Branch appears
to be sawn off for better shot," he observed. "Honorable police chief,
would you climb to take look?"
The stocky Medieval-style
dragon considered the climb, then looked at Char. "But you're a detective...
don't you hide in trees a lot?"
"So sorry,
honorable police chief," Char said, bowing slightly and indicating his
large abdomen, "ample proportions prevent climb."
"Oh, okay," the chief sighed and growled slightly. As he climbed the tree with his back
turned, he didn't see the smile on Char's crocodile lips.
The chief found
the exact spot from where the killer had tried to shoot Mrs. Draco, and hid
some of his serpents nearby so they could catch the culprit in the act... for
Char knew he or she would have to act again before the will was changed.
Later that evening,
just before the appointment to see the attorney, Char and Mrs. Draco sat beside
the open window and played with the Ouija board.
They didn't have
to wait long. Within minutes a shot rang out. Mrs. Draco flew back and fell
to the floor, Chan throwing himself against her as a shield.
The police chief
ran up to the window and said breathlessly, "He was too quick for us! He
flew to another branch and then ran across the roof!"
"Ah, well,"
Char said solemnly. "We must attend to dear-departed Mrs. Draco."
***
Char Chan called
Barbie-Q on the telephone, and told her sadly that her mother had passed on
to the other side. He explained that he had hoped to trap the killer, only to
meet with unexpectedly tragic results.
Barbie-Q hung
up the phone without saying a word.
A few minutes
later Brad Firepit rang the house, yelling and hissing at Char when he answered. "You fool!" He spat, breathing fire. Char could imagine the receiver
melting in the young green's hand. "You led the killer right to her! You
should have had Professor Pyre arrested immediately when you found out that
he and Madame Zora were frauds!"
"Great mystery
of life," Char said, his voice rich with ancient Chinese wisdom. "You
bring your wife to Mother's home tonight and you shall see mystery solved."
Char hung up
the phone and dialed Madame Zora's number. He told her that he needed to summon
another spirit later that night the spirit of dear-departed Mrs.
Puff Draco.
***
Everyone gathered
in Mrs. Draco's seance room. "Tonight we summon benevolent spirit," said Char as he dimmed the light.
Seated at the
table were all of the known suspects: Kindle, the tuxedo-marked old green whose
daughter had been jilted by Burnie Draco; Barbie-Q, the only living blood relative
and heir to the charcoal estate; her husband, who stood to inherit half a fortune;
Professor Pyre and Madame Zora, the slick psychic serpents who both stood to
lose a steady income upon Burnie's return.
All the dragons
joined claws, and before long Madame Zora began to quiver.
"I sense
a presence in the room." Her glowing, slitted eyes rolled back in her black
head. "It is a dragon lady..." The medium breathed in deeply. "She
wears Concarne No. 5... it's... it's Puff Draco!"
The circle was
broken and all heads turned to the doorway where Burnie Draco had appeared just
the night before. A glowing, phantom image stood before them.
"I have
come from the beyond to tell the truth," Mrs. Draco hissed in a ghostly
whisper. "The killer is "
Suddenly, using
the remote-control he had hastily designed, Char switched the lights on and
caught Brad Firepit standing by the door clenching the missing antique knight-gutting
knife in his clawed hand. He stared at the empty doorway, perplexed. Where had
his intended victim disappeared to? She wasn't really a ghost, was she?
Mrs. Draco, alive
and well, removed her ghastly shroud and stood next to her daughter. She had
her small, raptor-like arm draped around the young green's heaving shoulders.
"You're the murderer?" Barbie-Q was beside herself. Syrupy tears fell from her
amber eyes as she accused her husband. "How could you? I want the
charcoal fortune too, but this is my mother!"
As if on cue,
the police officers rushed through the study door and grabbed Firepit before
he had a chance to escape again. They cuffed him and led him away.
Barbie-Q turned
and hugged her mother, weeping softly. "He killed Burnie too, didn't he?
Oh, Mother. I'm so sorry."
"Job well
done," Char said to Madame Zora, bowing slightly to his co-consirator.
"Second sight most honorable gift indeed!"
--END STORY--