It was unclear if it was an invitation or a summons that brought me to Miss Chapeau’s main store in Canterlot. As I entered the ground floor retail section, I spotted a familiar pony at the counter. “Mr Calico. I must say I’m surprised to see you here. Is… everything okay?”
“Mr Steel.” He extended a hoof which I tentatively bumped. “I believe you are responsible for this.”
“How so?” I felt my body tense. I couldn’t read this pony. His words carried an edge to them, but his body language was relaxed.
“A few days after I was arrested, Miss Chapeau’s attorney showed up in Appleloosa.”
“That would be Mr Writ?” I took a casual step backwards, to give myself just a bit more space.
“Yes.” He took a step forward to match my move. “Mr Writ had official paperwork with him. The charges were dropped, and I was released. He then escorted me here to Canterlot for a meeting with Miss Chapeau. Like so many vegetables on a fire, she grilled me for over two hours. Questions about textiles, production, management, finances. It went on and on. That mare really knows her stuff.”
“It was…” I tilted my head. “An interview?”
“Exactly,” he laughed. “She then offered me a job as the plant manager of her textile mill. She said there had been an unexpected opening she needed to fill.”
I blew out a breath and relaxed. “I assume you accepted?”
“Are you kidding? I accepted before she finished the sentence. She pulled out an already prepared contract, which I read and signed right there.” He stomped a hoof for emphasis.
“So then you’ve moved to Canterlot?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “A house also comes with the job. It’s much nicer than that dump I rented back in Appleloosa. I report directly to Miss Chapeau, but have complete autonomy in running the mill. As long as I meet the contractual deadlines and make a profit, she’s happy. I’ve already started to write out plans to improve production and expand our offerings over the next five years. I’ve shared my vision with Miss Chapeau, and she’s anxious to see the details once I have them all worked out.”
“That’s fantastic, although I don’t see why you blame me for any of that.”
He pointed at my face. “Because you included our conversation in your report. When Miss Chapeau learned my side of the story, she decided to do something about it.” He lowered his foreleg. “Given the direction I was going, it probably saved my life.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” I added a little shrug, “but I was just doing my job.”
“It may have just been another job to you, but it was much more than that to me. Thank you.”
“I assure you, it turned out to be much more than just another job. Still, you’re welcome.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m due upstairs for a meeting with Miss Chapeau.”
He also glanced at the clock. “Then you best get going. One does not keep Miss Chapeau waiting.”
As I approached the third-floor office formerly occupied by Miss Jade, Miss Chapeau noticed me through the open door and beckoned me in. “Mr Steel, so good of you to come.” She stood up and walked around the desk with a big smile.
My pace faltered momentarily. “You… You cut the rest of your mane!”
She turned to show her profile. “My tail too.” Her smile faded. “I will not be a victim.” She stomped a hoof. “If I have to wait for my mane to grow back, I will proudly embrace the look. Who knows, I might even keep this style for a while. Mane and tail care has never been easier.”
“Well, I must say, it looks really good on you.” I gave her a quick wink.
Her beaming smile returned. “Thank you. Very kind of you to say so.”
I noticed the doors to the cabinet were open. A glance at the desk shows several ledgers open and scattered about. I gestured at them. “So, how bad is it?”
She let out a long sigh. “Not good, but it could have been a whole lot worse. As you thought, there’s a trail of embezzlement going back years.”
“Yeah. I figured there’d be history leading up to a try for two million bits. You don’t start with that.”
She nodded. “Fortunately, in order to not be noticed, she kept the amounts relatively small, infrequent, and they always look like a clerical error. When funds were deposited, there might be a couple digits transposed, or an eight turned into a zero. That sort of thing. The difference she took as cash back. I haven’t seen anything larger than a thousand bits in a single transaction.”
“Big discrepancies you’d have noticed, but small amounts…”
“Exactly.” She walked back behind her desk and looked down at the open ledgers. “Mr Writ gave me the name of a forensic auditor who’s going to deal with all…” She extended her hooves towards the desk. “This. Then we’ll know. Anyway, enough of this unpleasantness.”
She sat down again while I moved to the chair in front of the desk. “I ran into Mr Calico downstairs.” I paused for a moment. “You did good.”
She scooted her chair up to the desk. “He’s an experienced plant manager with years in textiles. I had an opening at my mill. Hiring him was a sound business decision.”
With an exaggerated nod, I replied, “Yes, I’m sure it was.”
She arched an eyebrow. “I detect a touch of skepticism in your tone. Remember who it was that included so much unrelated background information in his report.”
I held up a foreleg. “Hey, I told you that I was not in the habit of overlooking details in an investigation. So I just did what you hired me to do.”
Her head lifted slightly and she looked down her muzzle at me. “And so we’re both liars.”
I pursed my lips for a moment and then replied, “Yes. I suppose we are.”
Her eyes remained locked with mine until she threw her head back and started laughing. It was a deep, joyous sound that shook her whole body. I couldn’t help but chuckle along. She started to calm down when a very unladylike snort escaped. She stared at me wide-eyed as a hoof flew to her muzzle then broke out in another spasm of laughter. I wasn’t even sure what was so funny, but it was infections. After a bit, she lowered her head and wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, that felt good. Thank you.”
“I didn’t really do anything, but you’re welcome.” I shifted in my chair and gestured at her. “Speaking of thanks, I suppose I have you to thank for the influx of social elite customers I’m starting to see?”
She slowly shook her head. “No, not really. As soon as the story hit the papers, the schools of social remoras began to circle. They obviously hoped to get some vicarious thrills by asking me about all the details. Some of the mares were most interested in any scraps of information about a romantic relationship with my own personal private detective.” She ended with a knowing wink.
I gasped. “What? No… we never–”
She held up a foreleg. “I know, I know. I would explain that their little fantasies weren’t possible, as you are already spoken for.”
This conversation had taken a nasty turn. “Spoken for? I’m not aware of being spoken for.”
She brought a hoof up to her chin. “No. I don’t suppose you would be.” She dismissed the thought with a shake of her head. “In any event, I made no effort to hide the identity of the stallion who saved me and broke the case.”
“It wasn’t just me you know–”
“Yes, I’m well aware of the others and the critical roles they played. But the story tells much better with a more limited cast of characters. I’m not surprised if a few have sought you out for help with issues of their own.” She paused. “I hope you have raised your prices appropriately for them. These types of ponies can be suspicious if something isn’t overly expensive.”
I nodded. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
“Oh, and before the prices go up…” She pulled a heavy bag out of a drawer and set it on the desk with a solid ka-chunk. “If I can impose upon you… I have another little task I’d like you to perform on my behalf…”
— The End —