Important notes

It was dark in the police station. The lights were out and twenty-seven animals had found places to sleep. No, twenty-eight, because now an otter appeared, wanting a place. He came straight from the river, shaking off water so that everyone got a shower. Then he went and lay down beside Badger.

“Why can’t everything behave like normal?” the otter said morosely.

“Nothing is ever actually normal,” Badger replied sourly.

Soon everyone was asleep.

Peace settled over the police station. Not really though, because now there was an awful lot of snoring, puffing, hissing and squeaking. A moan came from Badger, who complained that he couldn’t sleep if there wasn’t quiet.

Detective Buffy slept well. She had her mother beside her and the young ones in a ring all around her.

Detective Gordon snored loudest of all.

Yes, now everyone was asleep except for Badger. And little Helmer.

Should he tell everything to the police? Or should he keep quiet, because he didn’t want his friend to get into trouble? He lay thinking and sighing, and he couldn’t decide what he should do.

He wanted to be a good police officer, and he wanted to be a good friend. What was the right thing?

Helmer was very wise. He usually did just the right thing.

In the last day he had only done one thing wrong. That was when he had thrown the pinecone at his friend’s nose. He shouldn’t have done that! Not when he was a police officer who should always be friendly. He felt bad about it.

Tell the police. Don’t tell the police.

Helmer tried to come up with something wise, something in the middle.

Suddenly he had it!

He leaned over the fast-asleep Buffy.

He whispered in her ear: “I can’t wait until the morning, Buffy. I have to tell you now. I met a big thing with long hair and a little tassel on its tail. It’s probably the thing you’re looking for. I just wanted to say that my friend is very, very kind. Sleep well, Buffy.”

Buffy just slept and slept. But now Helmer had told her everything. And not told everything.

He felt relieved. Now he could sleep. How nice that would be!

Only Badger lay muttering crossly. Never mind, Helmer could go off to sleep.

No, what was it Badger was grumbling about?

“Just you wait till tomorrow, you scoundrels! You’ll all be rolled flat! I’ll flatten you so you can never brumble again…”

Help! thought Helmer. The badger is going to flatten my friend. I’ll have to warn him so he can hide properly.

Yes, he would have to go out again into the night, and up the mountain. And tell him everything.

So he got up and crept out. Not even Badger noticed anything, because he was so busy snarling.

Helmer walked alone towards the cave on the mountain.

A few hours of snore-filled peace passed in the police station.

Then the door suddenly flew open and two rabbits burst in.

“Mind your manners!” said Badger, who had finally fallen asleep.

“We heard rumbling.” The rabbits were distressed.

“We live in a hole by the big oak tree. Puff. “Woken by rumbling.” Pant. “At the new cottage.”

“I looked out,” said the smaller rabbit. “There were things going into the cottage.” Puff. “Big things!”

“We rushed straight here!” said both rabbits.

“Scoundrels!” cried Badger.

All this woke Buffy. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Something had to be done now. The police must take care of this at once! Gordon went on sleeping like a log.

Buffy felt surprisingly alert and awake, even though she had been flattened and then puffed up.

But now Buffy also discovered that little Helmer was gone.

He had come and lain down beside her and said he would tell her something in the morning. Where had he gone?

What should Buffy do?

She sat at her desk, on the very edge of the office chair, because behind her, three mouse babies lay sleeping.

She might get an idea if she read through the important old notebook. This was where the police wrote down the most important findings once a case was solved. And stamped it.

She pulled out the drawer.

There was a bag in there. And beneath it a pile of papers. She looked through the sentences written on them.

 

No crime. No punishment.

Everyone should always be able to play with everybody.

Always be prepared for the unbelievable.

 

Hm, there wasn’t much help in this advice.

She peeked further into the pile.

 

If it doesn’t work one way, it will work another.

 

What could that mean?

Might Buffy have approached the scoundrels the wrong way last time? Something unpleasant had certainly happened, but she couldn’t remember what.

Well, now she must try something completely different.

Yes, that was it! She wouldn’t stand and call out in a loud voice like a police officer, but… Yes, she would think along these lines. At the bottom of the pile was a very old piece of paper. Detective Gordon had written it, maybe when he was a new detective.

 

Always take a small cake when there’s a mystery to be solved.

 

Typical Gordon! What was in the bag, by the way?

Buffy opened it.

Three cakes! As if on demand!

She took the bag and went to put on her police hat, which hung on its usual hook.

She thought a moment.

No, she’d do this a completely different way!

She wouldn’t take the hat.

Then she said: “Badger, would you be so kind as to make tea for everyone. I have to go on a reconnaissance.”

Then she took her jacket, opened the door and went out into the night.

It was so very still in the forest.

The hail had stopped and the full moon spread its light everywhere.

The air was fresh with the special smell that meant snow was on the way.

She paused to remember her dream. Hadn’t she dreamed about little Helmer? Strange. Helmer had told her something in the dream. What was it?

“Very, very kind” and “Sleep well, Buffy!”

Who had been very kind? Buffy or Helmer?

Was that actually what he’d said? He had said something else in the dream, too.

And why had Helmer gone off into the night?