Fern and the case of the missing underpants.

Arthur is © Marc Brown

Author's note: An attempt at some sort of mystery story, and average attempt at trying to do a cliffhanger…

--------------------------

It was Muffy's birthday party, everyone was invited to the celebration at Crosswire mansion despite Muffy's protests of inviting Buster Baxter and Binky Barnes, as well as a few other people she didn't want there; but as long as their parents were there as well, they could probably behave themselves.

Buster was bored of course, he decided to join his friends but they were also bored, they were to sit and watch Muffy open gifts but Buster and the other boys had other plans; plans that involved aimlessly wandering around.

Buster alone decided to explore the Crosswire mansion instead but he couldn't find much excitement seeing the fine art and sculptures.

After the gifts were unwrapped Buster joined his mother; it was time to go home for the day, Buster was glad, he felt he could have better spent the time doing homework instead of spending time at a rich girls house and watching her open like 90 gifts.

Muffy was satisfied with all the new stuff she had received, she and Bailey went to her room, it had looked like someone well went in earlier; Muffy and Bailey set the gifts down nervously to take a look, everyone was to be outside, but of course there were stragglers wanting to look at paintings, she figured someone needed the washroom and she didn't really think of it.

They had gathered the rest of the gifts up and set them in her room, after that Muffy had decided to have a fast bath and change for bed.

She had looked in her drawer of socks and underwear, it wasn't organized like it usually should be, a few pairs of her underwear were missing, she didn't know whether to be suspicious of anyone or not… unless some socks and underwear were missing in the laundry and one of the servants had been looking for it, she kept reminding her self it was probably lost in the wash, the thought that someone had taken about three or four pairs of her silk underwear was asinine… if a person stole underwear they would probably have complex issues…

Muffy decided to put a pair on that wasn't lost and decided to put on her pajamas and she went to sleep not thinking anything about it.

The next day at school, the thing that was nagging at Muffy's mind was the disappearance of her underwear either someone took it or it was lost in the laundry to her clothes being lost in the laundry was a whole new ballgame, those sorts of things happened, she figured her servants got worried and looked without cleaning up the mess. She cleaned it up herself.

The bell had rang for class… Monday morning, 9 AM, Mr. Ratburn smiled as he had sat behind the wooden desk, it was the start of a new school week, and of course he would be happy.

"Class, your collages for your school project on life are going to be due in a week, a short write up and a collage of what you studied is needed for a pass."

After hours of homework that was to be assigned, school was done, Buster was to work with Sue Ellen and Arthur on some math; he was looking at the paintings in the den, this was his first time over at the Armstrong house.

"Sue Ellen, where is the bathroom?" The inquisitive rabbit boy asked as he really needed to go.

Sue Ellen responded as she looked at him nervously, she almost expected him to do something mean or cruel to her like vandalize the restroom, "Upstairs third door on the left, I would send you to the one on the main floor but there is something wrong with the toilet."

Buster ran upstairs, quickly used the bathroom, and he had looked in some of the rooms curiously just snooping around looking at some more strange stuff.

Moments later Buster was back downstairs as Sue Ellen and Arthur had chuckled at him, all Arthur said was, "Did you get lost?"

All Buster said was "No."

"Good, then I could use the bathroom," and Arthur had done so as well he looked in a few rooms but quickly ran back downstairs to avoid suspicion.

It was laundry day in the Armstrong house, Mrs. Armstrong was humming while doing laundry, sorting the socks, underwear and clothes, and she sighed, as she didn't really want to go to the Crosswire mansion for the party.

When Arthur and Buster left, Sue Ellen had helped her mother put some of her clothes away, they were in Sue Ellen's room; the cat girl opened the sock and underwear drawer, Mrs. Armstrong was a bit suspicious, "That's odd, I thought you had more pairs…"

Sue Ellen was to put the term nicely a bit shocked as the author couldn't find any other raw emotions to used, she at first thought Buster or Arthur took them, but of course Buster never been over to her house before and it would take moments for him to find the bathroom... and her room for that matter, besides no one should jump to such silly conclusions, or blame people without asking questions later,

Mrs. Armstrong explained, "It happens, sometimes socks and underwear get lost in the laundry… I will look for them."

--------------------------------

Buster had gone over to Prunella's; she was sitting on the front porch reading a Henry Skreever book, "Hey Buster!"

"Hi, what's new?"

"Not a whole lot how'd you like Muffy's party?" Prunella asked as she put the bookmark in and shut the book.

"It was so booooorrrrriiiinnnggg!" Buster complained truthfully knowing he wasted an evening which could have been spent watching a Bionic Bunny marathon, "I kind of wandered off when Muffy opened her gifts."

Prunella chuckled, "You do seem to have a short attention span…"

Buster was looking at a bird then snapped back, "Huh?"

Prunella just chuckled as she let him in the house, "So I take you were bored at the party?"

"Yea, it was, I still couldn't believe she invited everyone including their parents."

"…Probably just to try and make them like the Crosswires better. I assume Mr. Crosswire set up the whole thing."

Buster seemed a bit antsy he had the runs, "I need to use the restroom…"

"It is down the front hallway door on the left."

Buster ran to the washroom, to find the door locked, someone was using it, "Prunella!"

Prunella ran towards the rabbit boy, "What?"

"Locked…"

Prunella led Buster upstairs to the restroom and he had closed the door behind him while Prunella went back down.

Five minutes later Buster came back downstairs, his pockets bulged with something and Prunella saw what the bulge of the pockets she pulled it out as Buster gave little resistance knowing he couldn't lie to her.

To Be Continued