Basil's American Tail - Chapter 18

"So you say our son has been searching for us, all this time?" Papa still couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I first met him in a sweat shop. He's da one who helped bust me outta there. I figured I owed him one." said Tony, "Me and Bridget have been takin' care of him since then, we was lookin' all over for you."

"And how did you two meet him?" Papa asked Basil and Nellie.

"I first met the boy when he wandered into my room, led there by my violin. Nellie and I have been having chance encounters with the boy ever since, most recently when we went to find Warren's lair." Basil explained.

"We wanted to help reunite him with you as soon as we were done with our case…which we are now." Nellie added.

"And vhen did you last see Fievel?"

"He was right with us when we was facin' off wit' Warren. And he musta ran off around when Warren set off dat fire." Tony answered.

"That was the last time I saw him too." Basil admitted.

"We were inside the Mouse of Minsk then." said Tanya, "We got to jump out in parachutes."

"But the museum is on fire…you don't think Fievel could still be…" Mama wore a worried expression.

"When we found his hat it was well outside of the museum." Basil assured her, "I think he escaped the inferno. However as soon as those humans are done hosing it down I could go back to look for clues."

"Have you done zis kind of thing before?" Papa asked.

"Oh of course, dear sir. I am Basil of Baker Street, England's premier mouse detective." he said, straightening his coat and wearing a proud expression.

"H-hey, could I help?" came a voice from outside.

Everyone turned, seeing Tiger the cat peering at them from outside. Everyone but Nellie and Basil screamed.

"Hey don't run! I-I I'm not like those other cats! I'm friendly! Fievel's my buddy!" he tried to explain.

"Don't be afraid of him, he helped free us from Warren." said Nellie.

"But…he's a cat." Papa said fearfully.

"Yeah, and a big one!" added Tony.

"I can't help it, I was born a cat." Tiger said, "But I never eat mice."

"You're wearin' one o' those t-shirts from Warren's gang." Bridget pointed out accusingly, "Ya didn't make it on the ship?"

"Warren fired me from his gang just before he uh, went on his little cruise." Tiger said sheepishly, "I came down here to find Fievel and help him, but I didn't know all this would happen."

"What I wanna know is if you're supposedly so nice what was ya doin' hangin' around with Warren to begin wit'?" Tony asked, folding his arms.

"I fell in with the wrong crowd, honest. I was always an alley cat. It's rough living in the streets. Especially if you're a cat who isn't fond of red meat. If you weren't with the Mott Street Maulers then you were against them, and they saw that I was big so they took me in and used me as their muscle…but I hated doing such horrible things, like threatening mice for money…I was just…too cowardly to say no…"

"Until tonight." Nellie added, "You went against orders and you rescued Fievel, and then Basil and I. You turned your whole life around. From now on you're going to be good, and you'll start by helping us find Fievel, won't you?"

Tiger nodded with pleading eyes.

"Well then, I trust him." Basil said, "How about all of you?"

"Yeah well, I don't make a habit outta befriendin' cats but, eh I guess we could use da help…" Tony conceded.

"A friendly cat? Vhat else could ve find I zis strange country?" Papa said.

Tanya giggled and walked up to Tiger, "I'm Fievel's sister, Tanya."

"Nice to meet you! You do look like him. I'm so glad we've got his family right here." Tiger said, as they all walked out of the storm drain.

"It looks like the humans have stopped the flames. Perhaps we ought to search for clues at the museum." said Basil.

"He better not still be zere…" Mama said worriedly.

"Hopefully he isn't. But maybe we'll find footprints, or some other clue that will lead us in the right direction." Basil said, grabbing onto Tiger's fur and climbing him.

"We're gonna ride him now?" Tony asked.

"Easy transportation. I ride a dog all the time back in London." Basil said.

"Guess you're callin' da shots, detective." Tony said as he climbed on too, and the rest of the mice climbed onto Tiger's back, with Nellie behind Basil.

"Alright then, to the museum." Tiger said, seeming proud that he'd been able to convince the mice that he was their friend.

The museum was charred and in ruins after the fire had been put out. Human policemen were at the scene, attempting to figure out just what had caused the blaze. Most of them were dumbfounded by the piles of trash on the pier, which hadn't been there earlier. But of course, none of them would ever figure out just what had happened. Nor did any of them seem to notice a big orange cat in a t-shirt carrying several clothed mice on his back. Sifting through the debris, Basil and Nellie weren't able to find much when it came to Fievel's whereabouts, until Basil came about some footprints in silt left behind from the water hoses which seemed like they might have been made by a young boy. There'd been hundreds of mice at the scene, but most of them had not been near the museum once it erupted in flames; so this was the closest thing to a clue about Fievel that they had. At least, it was the only clue that pointed to his surviving the fire. Luckily, they didn't come across any charred bodies, thus, Basil concluded, it was best to assume that the boy lived, much to the relief of his parents.

"So…vhat do ve do now?" Papa asked, disappointed that they were no closer to finding Fievel than before.

"Hm, what indeed…" Basil paced back and forth in front of Tiger, looking down at the tiny three-toed footprints, "The boy could be anywhere in the city."

"Maybe I'll find Gussie Mausheimer or Honest John, and ask them if they know where Fievel went, or if they can help us find him." Bridget suggested.

"Good idea Bridget, we need all the help we can get. And I think they owe Fievel this much." Nellie said.

"Yes, you go ahead and do that. As for us Nellie, I think we'll need to stop by the apartment again. I have something I need to fetch."

"Oh? What's so important that we need to go all the way back there for it?" Nellie asked.

"I need to fetch my violin." Basil said.

"Your violin? What would you need that for?" Nellie asked, scratching her head.

"The plan is simple. If Fievel chases after every violin in New York, thinking it's his father, well then with two of us playing we'll double our chances of finding him."

"Basil that idea is perfect!" Tanya said happily, turning to her father, "Papa, you could teach Basil Fievel's song!"

"He has a song?" Basil asked.

"Yes, it's a song I composed especially for him, if he hears it he'll know it's me." Papa said, "Ve don't have any time to lose, ve need to go home to get my violin too."

"Very well then, we'll split up and get our violins, and meet back at Tammany Hall where we'll present our case to Gussie Mausheimer or Honest John. And perhaps if you've written sheet music for Fievel's melody, you can give that to me." Basil suggested.

"I can write it vhile ve're there." Papa offered.

"Good. Come Nellie, let us get this plan underway. The sooner the better."

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As the day wore on, and faded into evening and night, storm clouds rolled over New York, thundering overhead and bringing with them heavy rains. Yet this did not deter the intrepid search party. Gussie had been so moved by Fievel's tale that she opted to join the search, riding on back of the misfit feline Tiger along with Fievel's family, and Tony and Bridget. The group went down every street and alley in the city, Papa playing Fievel's song all the way, hoping to draw him out of hiding.

Meanwhile, Nellie and Basil were doing the same, but on their own, hoping to cover more ground. The two parties were to meet back at Tammany Hall in the morning, to see if either of them had had any luck. Nellie wore a rain jacket and held an umbrella over Basil as he played his violin. She also kept the sheet music Papa had hastily written down for Basil. It had taken Basil a little while to master the tune fully, but he eventually got the hang of the melancholy little Russian tune.

"What a horrible night to be lost in the big city." Nellie sighed, rain pelting the umbrella as Basil played, "Fievel must be so frightened."

"Let's hope he's still listening for his father." Basil said, "I must confess, it is somewhat alarming that we haven't found him yet. It never took him this long to appear before when there was a violin playing. And now we're actually playing his song."

"I wonder if the others have had any luck." Nellie said.

"I suppose we won't know until morning." Basil said with a yawn, "Confound that child. Just how many more nights of sleep do I have to lose over this case?"

"We have to keep searching. I just feel sorry for any child outside on a night like this."

As they turned to go down another alley, Basil blinked and yawned again, feeling bags under his eyes. His hands ached after playing for so long, his neck ached from keeping the violin beneath his chin.

"You do look like you could use a little rest, Basil." Nellie said.

"Me? Oh no…I'm fine…" Basil uttered with a groan.

Nellie smirked and led him over to a small hay pile, protected from the rain by a plank of wood hanging over a box.

"We'll rest for just a little while. Besides, you're starting to squeak some of those notes. If you get any more exhausted Fievel will think you're Warren and he'll run away." Nellie said, folding her umbrella and sitting down, patting the spot next to her.

Basil collapsed on his back in the hay, sending hay floating in the air. Nellie brushed it out of her face.

"I'll be lucky if I don't get carpal tunnel syndrome after tonight." Basil said drowsily, putting his violin aside as his muscles ached.

"We'll rest for say, half an hour, hm?" Nellie suggested, "Just think about how cold, wet and lonesome Fievel must be right now. We can't afford to waste too much time."

"What about how cold, wet, and tired I am?" Basil groaned.

Nellie stroked his cheek some, "At least you're not lonesome."

"Well, I suppose you're right on that count." Basil said with a small grin.

Nellie laid back on the hay beside him.

"I've had as little sleep as you have, you know. I've just been trying not to think about how tired I am…" she said.

"I know that, Nellie."

She gently scooted closer, curling up against him and resting her head against his chest.

"We'll just…rest for a little while…" she said with a yawn.

Basil wrapped an arm around her, closing his eyes to rest them, "Indeed, Nellie. We'll be far more alert if we rest up a bit…"

Nellie giggled sleepily, bringing her face up and sneaking a small peck on Basil's lips, before cuddling against him again. Basil's eyes opened wide and he blinked. But Nellie was just laying there with her eyes closed as if nothing happened, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Steal a kiss from a detective, will you? I always catch my criminals, right down to the pettiest of thieves."

"I think I'll just have to turn myself in then, no use trying to get away with that." Nellie murmured with her eyes closed, "Of course, you could always steal the kiss back…"

"Very well then, prisoner. I believe I will." Basil lifted her chin up gently, and kissed her.

Nellie giggled after the kiss, her cheeks going pink as she nuzzled into Basil's chest, and they rested together in the soft pile of hay, rain pelting against the wooden plank above them, keeping them dry. Unfortunately, they became so comfortable that they slipped into a peaceful slumber shortly thereafter, succumbing to almost two full nights without any sleep.