Eric and Bushroot stood in the field just outside Newport, the meeting place that Eric had arranged by phone the previous night. Neither had slept well, and no wonder, with the house a mess from being thoroughly ransacked. Bushroot in particular looked as if he had aged 20 years. He had just found the pieces of his past that he had been looking for when this disaster had hit. But perhaps the damage could yet be repaired...

Then they heard the distant sound of a jet engine. As they watched, the familiar purple craft came into view, circled over the field once, and came in for a landing. It plowed into the field and skidded wildly for at least a hundred feet before coming to a stop.

"LP's getting better." said Reggie.

"Yes." agreed Eric. "He kept the belly slide to under 500 feet."

Moments later, the plane's canopy opened, and out jumped Darkwing Duck, followed by Launchpad. He strode across the field to the pair, looking slightly annoyed.

"I hope you realize that I'm taking valuable time off from solving cases to...solve this case." he said. "In fact, if you guys weren't friends, I might not have come up at all."

"We appreciate it, DW." said Eric. Sometimes his overbearing manner could get on one's nerves.

"So...what happened? You didn't say much on the phone."

"My parents' house was robbed." said Bushroot.

Darkwing stared at him. "That's what was so important? You needed me for a simple robbery?"

"They stole things that were very important to Reggie." said Eric patiently. "Things belonging to his mother. We thought it was important enough to get someone who'll get the job done and catch the thieves."

Darkwing nodded. "Okay, fine." he said. "Let's go."

The field was fairly remote, so they left the plane where it was and drove into town in Eric's car. Darkwing was studying the house carefully even as they drove in the driveway.

They entered the house. "Wow...what a mess." observed Launchpad.

"Brilliant deduction, LP." said Darkwing. "They definitely meant to take everything they could lay thier hands on."

"I wouldn't even care about a lot of the stuff." said Bushroot. "But my parents' things..."

Darkwing whipped out his magnifying glass. "Never fear." he announced. "Darkwing Duck is on the job." He began walking through the house, inspecting everything, presumably for fingerprints.

Bushroot sat on the staircase, looking downcast. "Don't worry, Reg." said Eric. "DW will get to the bottom of this."

"Yeah." said LP. "DW's the best." Bushroot wished he could share thier optimism.

A short while later, they gathered in the dining room. "I couldn't find any strange fingerprints." said Darkwing. "They must have worn gloves."

"Well, what now?" said Bushroot impatiently.

Darkwing gave him a look. "Based on what you told me, we have just one witness." He pointed to Spike. "But he can't tell us what they were wearing, or what kind of vehicle they had."

"But they must have had quite a large vehicle, to haul all that stuff away. Like a truck." pointed out Eric.

DW nodded. "True. I wonder if they might have rented a truck from someplace?"

"Let's go check." said LP. "There couldn't be more than a few truck rental places around."

They all agreed to ask around, after looking up the names in the phone book. There were only two-a Rider and You-Haul outlet. Eric, DW and Launchpad went to check, while Bushroot stayed behind to watch the house.

He sat in the kitchen. Although the worst of the mess had been cleaned up, there were still stacks of plates and papers scattered around. He was very pessimistic about his parents' things being recovered. They knew the thieves had a truck. But there were thousands of trucks around. They could be miles away...maybe even sold the stuff by now. Bushroot wiped away a tear. His mother's china...his father's tools...but the people who would buy things like that didn't care about thier sentimental value. Things were going so well. Why did this have to happen?

His glance fell on the floor. There was a small piece of paper there. Bushroot bent down and picked it up. It was a receipt from You-Haul...a rental receipt. And it was from a dealership not in Newport...but across the border, in Edmunston, New Brunswick, Canada.

Reggie felt his heart stand still.

An hour later, the four were gathered in front of the house. Bushroot had told them the news almost as soon as they had arrived. It wasn't hard to figure the motive. Take the stolen property back across the border, where U.S. authorities wouldn't be able to touch it.

"But even if we find them...I can't arrest them, if they're Canadians." said Darwking.

"No..." said Eric. "But I can."

Darkwing smiled. "In that case, gentlemen...let's get dangerous."

The four of them wasted no time driving up to the border. They were lucky-the address of the dealer was on the receipt. They stopped at the border crossing.

"Where are you going?" asked the guard.

"To Edmonston." replied Eric. "We're..shopping."

The guard eyed them. "Are you all American citizens?"

"What do you mean?" exclaimed Darkwing. "Don't you recognize Darkwing Duck?"

"Oh, yeah...the guy who helps Gizmoduck. I've seen you on the news."

Eric could almost feel the heat coming off Darkwing behind him. "I'm Canadian. I'm a native of New Brunswick, living in Maine." He looked over and saw Bushroot hunched down, hoping the guard wouldn't notice him too closely and start getting curious. Launchpad was staring out the window, and Darkwing was ready to explode. "These gentlemen are all Americans."

The guard nodded. "Go ahead." He waved them through.

They found the dealership shortly. Darkwing started raving almost as soon as the car stopped. "Can you believe that guy?" he yelled. "Thinking I help Gizmoduck! Who does he think he..."

Bushroot grabbed him by the arm. "Put your ego in neutral." he said. "We're here to stop those guys." Darkwing quieted, although he still grumbled a bit as they entered the building.

Eric showed the counterman the receipt. "Did this come from here?" he asked.

"Yes." The man studied it. "A man came in about two days ago and rented a truck."

"What's his address?" asked Eric.

"Why should I tell you?" asked the man. "That's pretty confidential information."

Darkwing leaned forward and put his arms on the counter. "Citizen...that truck may have been used in the commission of a crime. I'm sure you know who I am, so you know that crime solving is my business. We need the address of the person who rented that truck."

The man looked at him. "I've never heard of you." he said. "But since you have the receipt, you must know something." He bent down and seemed to be looking through papers. "Here it is. 3445 Senzner Road. His name is Dan Benson."

Nobody noticed Bushroot turn pale.

The four of them left, and drove towards the address the man had given them. "That name...I knew that guy in high school. He was one of the people I saw in my yearbook." said Bushroot.

"Are you serious?" said Eric. "That makes things interesting."

"Yes, it does." commented Darkwing. "It means there might be something personal here."

"There is." said Bushroot. "His father and mine were friends, and Dad tried to force me to be his friend. He and some of his buddies took me out and got me to drink. I got sick, and God knows how I acted when I was drunk. I don't remember...that's one of the things I'm glad I forgot."

He continued: "I told him off the next day. I also reported him to the police, for driving drunk. I guess he lost his license, and his car."

Darkwing looked at him seriously. "What a rotten thing to do to you. But you did the right thing to report him."

"But if he lost his license..." said Launchpad, "how is it that he's driving the truck?"

"I get it." said Eric. "He's living up here in Canada. So he got a New Brunswick license."

Darkwing nodded. "Well done. It seems like a revenge plot."

"But how did he know where Bushroot's father lived?" asked Eric.

"I think I know." said Reggie. "Let's stop and make a phone call."

They stopped at a convenience store. Bushroot made the call himself. He came out a few minutes later, looking sober.

"I just called Dad. He told me that he'd been talking to a new orderly there, just making conversation. He mentioned that I was up for a visit. The guy apparently seemed very interested. And guess what...he hasn't been at work for three days."

"I'll venture a wild guess that his name is Dan Benson." said Darkwing. Bushroot nodded.

"And if he's new, then he had just found out your father's name, and wanted to find out about you. Your dad didn't know the difference...he probably didn't even remember him. So he told Benson, who would have found your dad's address by going through the files. And found the perfect way to punish you."

"That scum." Bushroot's face flushed a dark green. "Well, he's going to find a different Reggie now than the one in high school." He looked towards the fir woods that stretched off in the distance.

They drove on to Benson's house. It was a simple mobile home, but what they noticed at once was the big truck in the yard. They stopped on the street and quietly snuck into the driveway.

"Remember, Eric." said DW, "you have to make the actual citizen's arrest. Then we'll call the Mounties." Eric nodded as they approached the truck. Luckily, the door was unlocked. They lifted it as quietly as possible, and the boxes inside were immediately recognizable. Bushroot gave a cry, and started to climb in. Darkwing stopped him.

"We've got to stop them first Reg." he said. "Plenty of time to get the stuff later." Bushroot nodded, and he, Launchpad and Darkwing waited behind the truck as Eric went to the door. Darkwing had his gas gun ready.

Eric rang the bell. The sound of a large dog barking didn't help his nerves.

Shortly, a tall, unshaven man with dark hair answered. "What do you want?" he asked crossly.

"Are you Dan Benson?"

"Who wants to know?"

"The stuff in that truck." Eric indicated the van. "It dosen't belong to you. But it does belong to a good friend of mine, and he wants it back."

An angry look crossed Benson's face. "I think you'd better get the hell out of here."

Eric forgot to be nervous. "Don't you remember Reggie Bushroot?"

The look turned to surprise. "You're a friend of that jerk?"

"Yes." replied Eric. "I'm happy to say I am. And from what he told me, the only jerk around is you. I know you robbed his parents' house. And I know how you got the address. So you can add taking advantage of a heart patient. You must be proud."

"You're a smart guy." said Benson. "Too bad I'm gonna have to get rid of you. Titan!" Eric looked in horror as a huge Rottweiler came running. He turned and ran for the car, the dog right behind. He didn't see Reggie make a silent gesture, but he did see the unlocked trunk of his Mustang burst open and a huge Venus flytrap dog leap out and at the Rottweiler, who made a 180 degree turn and ran for his life through the yard, yelping like crazy.

"Thanks, Spike." Eric hugged Spike, who licked his face in response. At the same time, Bushroot, Darkwing and Launchpad came out of hiding. Benson had gone back into the house, and all four went in after him. Bushroot was in first, and met Benson face to face.

Benson stared at him. "Reggie...what did you do to yourself?"

"I changed my life, Benson. Too bad you didn't. You're still a moron. And you're going to regret stealing my parents' things."

"Like hell I will." replied Benson. "You always were a loser, Reg. And I never forgot how much trouble you got me into."

"That was your fault." said Bushroot.

"You're worthless. You always were a little pansy, and now you're a freak as well. Your life isn't worth anything, so it won't matter when I kill you." He pulled out a .357 and aimed it at Reggie.

"Don't!" yelled Eric. Benson looked at him.

"Don't worry. You guys are next." He cocked the trigger as Bushroot stood frozen, seemingly petrified. But he wasn't. His left hand moved ever so slightly.

Time seemed to stand still as Benson started to squeeze the trigger. But then came a sound from outside. A second later came a massive ripping sound as the kitchen end came apart from the rest of the trailer. Plates, appliances, electrical cords flew in all directions. Water spewed from broken pipes. And standing in the middle of it was a massive fir tree.

Benson whirled around in shock. And in that split second, Reginald acted. He leaped forward and grabbed Benson's arm, jerking it up in the air. Benson's finger reflexively squeezed the trigger, and the gun went off, blowing a huge hole in the ceiling.

As they struggled, Darkwing took his cue. Knowing his gas gun wouldn't hurt Bushroot, he fired a shot right into Benson's face. He started gagging horribly, dropping the gun as tears streamed down his face. Then DW launched the coup de grace, delivering a perfect web kick right into Benson's midsection, knocking him through the huge hole that was once the end of the trailer, and into the yard, where the tree grabbed him by a huge limb.

Eric walked out and put his hand on Benson's arm. "Daniel Benson, I'm performing a citizen's arrest. You have the right to remain silent..." As Eric continued, Darkwing dialed the RCMP.

An hour later, they were all standing outside what was left of the trailer. Bushroot had found everything in the truck, and his happy mood had returned. The police had hauled Benson away, and it seemed his accomplice wasn't far behind.

"Apparently, he didn't even intend to sell your parents' things." said Darwking. "He just wanted to get even with you."

Bushroot shook his head. "I hope he goes to jail for life."

"Theft, vandalism, attempted murder..." said DW. "I think he'll be gone for a while."

He looked at the truck. "Ready to go, Launchpad?"

LP leaned out from the truck. "Right, DW. We take the truck back, and rent it ourselves to return Reggie's parents' things."

DW nodded. "Let's go."

Eric, Darwking and Bushroot climbed in the car with Spike and headed down the street, Launchpad following in the truck.

It was early evening, and they were back in the field where DW had first arrived.

"So you're coming back tomorrow?" asked Darkwing.

"Right." said Bushroot. "Probably late evening. We still want to visit Dad." He reached out his hand. "Thanks for helping, Darkwing. I really appreciate it. You and Launchpad both."

Darkwing shook his hand warmly. "Not a problem, Reggie. I'm glad you found what you were looking for. And I did get to show off my devastating web kick."

Bushroot smiled broadly. "Thanks again." All four shook hands in turn, and Darkwing and Launchpad climbed into the Thunderquack, waving goodbye. As soon as the plane was out of sight, Eric and Bushroot walked back to the car and drove away.

"Did the trees get everything in place?" asked Eric.

"I think so." replied Bushroot. "Spike helped as well. If there's anything left to clean up, we should be able to handle it."

Eric was silent for a moment. "I'd like to repeat what DW said, Reggie. I'm glad you found what you wanted. A reminder of your past that you can keep and always remember. Do you think you know who you are?"

Bushroot smiled at him. "You bet." he replied. Contentment rang from every word. "I'm Reginald Bushroot."
EPILOGUE-THREE DAYS LATER

Eric walked into the greenhouse. Reginald was there as always, looking at a photo album, Spike at his feet.

"Still looking at that book?" asked Eric.

"Yeah..." said Reggie. "I can't help laughing at myself as a kid. I was almost bald my whole life, wasn't I?"

"Well, you sure aren't now." said Eric, indicating the crown of purple foilage on Reginald's head. Bushroot laughed. "Yes, I've changed."

Eric looked at him. "Are you happy?"

"Yes." said Bushroot. "I never want to forget who I was, but I think I like who I am now better. I wouldn't change if I could."

"Of course not." said Eric. "Then you wouldn't be a killer bowler. Let's clean up on the St. Canard Bowlplex."

Bushroot laughed. "What'll we do with Spike?"

"Oh, you know the kids that run that place." replied Eric. "They're so easy going, they probably won't notice him."

Reggie smiled. "Let's go." They left the greenhouse with Spike close behind, as the past came to a close and the future began.

Darkwing Duck, Reginald Bushroot, Launchpad, Spike and St. Canard are the property of Disney. Eric Smith is my character. Other characters were created by me for storyline purposes. This story was written for non-profit entertainment purposes only. (C)2000 Eric Smith.

Home