It's me again, your familiar furry detective. You've heard the expression in fairy tales: go there, I don't know where, bring back I don't know what?
You heard that, right? Well, and I had to face almost the same thing, but only in real life: to look for someone unknown. There's a clue, but I don't know who I'm looking for. But I got through it, thanks to my nose. I'll tell you all about it.
***
The story began with the fact that Valera had a new girl in his class. Her name was Kristina, and she was very strange: she was silent and wore only black. Someone might have thought that Christina behaved like that because she had something wrong. But no, she was like that all the time, even before she moved in. I've heard that there are some people who wear black too, and they're also very dark. Goths, they're called. I don't know if Christina is a Goth or not, but she definitely has a lot in common with them. Since she does not communicate with anyone (and in general talks very rarely), no one in Valera's class does not know what Christina does in her free time. That's why Valera couldn't imagine that Kristina would talk to him, much less what she would say.
***
That day, meeting Kristina in the hallway, Valera noticed that she was...sad. Not withdrawn and silent, as usual, but sad. He approached her and asked:
- Kristina! - Valera called out to her. She raised her head and looked absent-mindedly at my host - Christine, is something wrong?
- Happened," Christina answered slowly.
- Why? - Valera asked impatiently.
- Handsome is lost! - she finally cried.
- What Handsome? - Valera didn't understand - Your pet?
Christina nodded.
- Here's what we're going to do, Valera said calmly, "You're going to calm down now," he handed Kristina a bottle of water that he sometimes carried with him, "You and I are going to go to your house after school, you're going to give me some evidence - something of Handsome's, and then Tomas will do the rest.
- Thomas? - Christina interjected - Is it a dog?
- Actually," Valera answered, "Thomas is a cat, but he has a better sense of smell than many dogs. He has investigated many similar cases, sometimes even without me. But be warned," Valera added sternly, "if you don't have something of Handsome's, even Thomas won't help you, understand?
Christina nodded.
At home, Valera told me everything that had happened and showed me the evidence. A leash. It looked like Handsome was a dog, and most likely not a small one.
- 'That's the way it is, buddy,' said the host, 'you can find this Handsome, can't you?
I sniffed, and... immediately realized where Handsome was. I was ready to run there, and I told my master.
- R-wow!
- What? Do you know where Handsome is right now?
- R-wow! - I replied.
- Will you show me?
- R-wow!
- Come on, let's go!
We ran for probably twenty minutes, maybe half an hour, and stopped... outside a pet store.
- You mean Handsome is here? - Valera asked.
- Rwe-oo! - I replied.
- Then I'm calling Cristina.
I didn't really understand how a pet store that sold food for animals and those who lived in cages could have a dog (and a pretty big one at that), but from everything it seemed that Handsome was right here. So when Christina arrived, we entered the pet store.
Valera and I looked around and couldn't understand anything, and Christina suddenly shouted:
- Handsome, my love! There you are!
Handsome turned out to be... a huge gray varan. I had never dealt with his...shall we say, relatives, but I could tell that Handsome was pleased with his owner in his own way, as he grunted, wagged his tail, and even licked her. It turned out that Christina's grandmother was taking him for a walk, and he got into a fight with some big dog and ran away. The owner of the pet store found him and brought him there until the owners were found.
The things you see on these cases! A tail-wagging varan! Oh, people!
The end