the city part 1

by keithsterling

chapter 6 (cat burglar p 2)

The following morning at the Sunspot Luxurious Hotel, the hotel manager called the LUPD to report the break-in of one residential apartment. Walking around Rarity's apartment were Police Officer third class Hitch Trailblazer and Professor Sunny Starscout, the head of the Crime scene investigation unit, searching for clues as to who broke into her apartment.

Sitting on her sofa, a little bit agitated with the whole situation was Miss Rarity Radiance; she had already given her statement to PD and was waiting for Hitch to release her. This morning she attired in a gray v-neck midi flapper dress with a bow, and on her superb-looking pedicure light gray (more toward the white spectrum) ten and one-third inch slender and elegant mare tapered naked feet were silver flat jelly sandals.

"Please forgive me, Miss Radiance; if those gemstones are costume jewelry, why would anyone try to steal them," Hitch said, a bit suspicious about the break-in at Rarity's apartment for worthless costume jewelry.

"If I knew that, Officer Trailblazer, I could do your job." Rarity said sarcastically as she heard the skepticism in Hitch's voice that annoyed her more.

"If you are done with me, Officer Trailblazer? May I leave?" Rarity said sourly as Hitch released her from the scene; with that, Rarity grabbed her brown leather doctor bag from her workbench that served as her everyday purse.

As the elevator pinged on the ground floor of Sunspot's luxurious hotel, Rarity stormed out of the elevator car and through the lobby on her way to the parking lot to get her car. Loading her cleaning cart from the supply closet was a familiar white Pegasus mare. On closer inspection, this Pegasus mare was Reporter Anita Stormchaser the top reporter mare at Los Ungulas chronicle paper in downtown Los Ungulas. She wore a striped gray classic linen dress with a collar and an apron. On her magnificent pair of flawless and unblemished white ten-inch long slender and grand bare feet were black lace-up oxford sneakers.

'Hey, that Fashion Designer Rarity Radiance, and she doesn't look too happy. I wonder if that is where the LUPD went to. The manager of this hotel has been keeping the press away. Curious?' Anita thought as she continued loading cleaning supplies onto her cleaning cart before checking her cleaning schedule to see if she had to clean the tenth floor today.

It has been a relatively quiet week for me at the C & J detective agency with my Alicorn mare away on her family business for several weeks. I had to find some pony to help me; luckily, I found the help in the form of a gorgeous pearly purple unicorn mare named Lounge singer Emerald Luster a former client of the agency and now a friend. At first, I didn't think she would be a good partner for me being inexperienced at investigating.

But I soon discovered after a few cases she's helping with that she's pretty intelligent and very street savvy, a good fit for the agency. But two things I soon discovered were that she was quite a good actress and ex-competitive shooter specializing in shotguns, rifles and small arms, another good fit for the agency. Emerald sat on the sofa with her long sleek unicorn legs crossed as we waited at the office for the next case to walk through the door. One knee tossed casually over the other, humming to herself as she read an entertainment magazine she had with her.

On this day, Emerald Luster is attired in a gray Charleston flapper dress with elbow-length sleeves that hemline hit her at her knees. On her magnificent pair of flawless and unblemished pearly purple eleven and one-third inch, slender and elegant bare feet were black suede Harlem shoes with four-inch heels.

"Tee-hee, it's quite all right, Justice; I am not bored; my talent agent wants me to rest my singing voice anyway. Plus, those cases I helped you with were quite exciting. I never knew being a competitive shooter when I was younger would come in handy." Emerald said, a little bit embarrassed as I chuckled softly toward her.

"It was quite a surprise for that earth pony forger went you shot his hat off his head from cover. That first time I have seen a tough earth pony stallion pass out, getting his hat shot off his head." I said compliment as Emerald had heavy blush on her snout and smiled back at me.

"Nevertheless, not only am I a good shooter. But a great actress that crooked land developer really thought I was rich mare tycoon looking to invest in that shady land deal he had." Emerald explained as I once again smiled at her.

A moment later, the office door slams open, surprising both Emerald and me through the door steps a very vexed Miss Rarity Radiance. I could tell her adrenaline was coursing through her arteries.

"Well, greeting Rarity, what can we do for you?" I asked as Emerald quickly stood up and took the same position as Cadence.

"Who is this new mare, Justice?" Rarity asked suspiciously as she took a long, appraising glance at the gorgeous pearly purple unicorn mare in the same position as Cadence would be.

"My name Miss Radiance is Miss Emerald Luster. I am assisting Mr. Silverlight why his regular partner Miss Aperture is away." Emerald said calmly and politely, which seemed to alleviate Rarity's suspicion of her before she rested her hand on Justice's forearm.

"With introduction done, how may we help you, Rarity?" I inquired as Rarity's anger subsided, and she took a deep, cleansing breath to calm the rest of her anger. With that, she floated a chair and sat down on it.

“I was broken into last night by a very athletic cat burglar who was after that same pouch of costume jewelry that everyone seemed to want from me." Rarity explains, a little bit perturbed as I blink with surprise at her apartment being broken into for worthless gems.

"Miss Radiance, did you call the cops to report the break-in at your apartment?" Emerald inquires as she rests the lower half of her snout in the palm of her hand.

"I didn't, but the building manager had to. If the managing company had its way, the PD would have never come to investigate. Because this is a colossal scandal for the company. They came only because of my prominence as a famous fashion designer.” Rarity explains as I see the gears in Emerald's head moving.

"It sounds like you want us to look into this, Rarity. (Rarity nods her head) so the first thing I want you to do is to write down what you remember doing in Pearis before you left to come home. Because this all started with the first attempt." I comment, handing a notepad to Rarity from my desk drawer so she can write down what she remembers from that day.

(A few hours later)

After Rarity finished writing down her last day in Pearis, she informed us that if we wanted to see her apartment, we would have to come by later this afternoon.

"What are your thoughts on this Emerald?" I asked as Emerald sat on my desk like Cadence does with her long sleek, unicorn legs crossed, tapping her sandal-clad foot soundlessly in the open air.

"Based on how you reacted, Justice. I have no doubt that Miss Radiance is telling the truth about what happened to her. But what puzzled me, Justice, is why tried to steal a pouch of costume jewelry?" Emerald commented as I caught the sole of her shoe between my fingers, and my thumb stopped it.

"That the same thought, I have Emerald went Rarity told me they try to steal the same pouch of costume jewelry in Prance," I commented as I held Emerald's magnificent flawless and unblemished pearly purple eleven and one-third inch slender and elegant shoed foot between my fingers and thumb.

“I know you want to take my shoe off, Justice. Cadence told me you like to caress her foot went you two are talking over a case. As I don't believe her went she say it help you both think. I believe you like the feel of the soft skin of mare foot that why you like caress her foot." Emerald said, knowing as I removed her shoe, revealing her magnificent flawless and unblemished pearly purple eleven and one-third inch slender and elegant barefoot.

"You read over Miss Radiance's itinerary for that day. Did anything stands out, Justice?" Emerald asked as I couldn't believe that Emerald's foot was even softer than Cadence's foot and even more sensitive as it would shudder each time I stroked any part of her bare foot with my hand.

“Her itinerary looks like your typical business trip. The only notable difference was that she stopped by magasin de bijoux (jewelry shop) to buy four bags of costume jewelry two hours before her scheduled leave time." I explain as I watch Emerald trying to hold it together as my finger stroke her delicate curve arch of her foot.

“S-stahahahap!!” Emerald giggled as I stopped stroking her delicate curve arch of her foot with my finger allowing her to catch her breath as she floated her shoe back on her foot and buckled it again.

"I didn't know your feet were that sensitive, Emerald," I said apologetically as Emerald hopped off my desk, rubbing the delicate curve arch of her foot inside her shoe.

"It quite all right, Justice. Only my late boyfriend knew just how ticklish my feet were. Now you know Justice, and you must promise never to tell anyone how desperately ticklish I am. That is one reason I don't like wearing stockings every day and only wear them when I perform at my shows." Emerald explained, forgiving as I agreed to keep her ticklish little secret to myself.

With that, Emerald and I left the office to drive over to Rarity's apartment to give it a good look over and see what the police department might have missed or overlooked. At Rarity's apartment, it was not unusual for me to request both mares remove their shoes and walk about barefooted in the apartment as both mares have a gorgeous looking naked feet. With them both complying with my request, I soon discover two ten-inch long four-toed footprints with what look like sharp, nasty retractable claws in the thick plush of Rarity's carpet in the center of the room.

‘That thief must have been standing here for some time trying to figure out where Rarity put the pouch of costume jewelry in her apartment to leave that clear of a footprint. Maybe the thief thought Rarity would be fast asleep at that time.' I thought as I looked towards Rarity, who was straightening out the dressmaker manikins that PD moved out of position.

"Hey Rarity, what were you doing went you discovered the thief in your apartment?" I asked as Rarity turned her head toward me to answer my question.

“After that wonderful foot massage, you gave me earlier in the evening. My mouth was parched, so I went to get a drink of water from my kitchen, discovering the thief in my apartment." Rarity answers as she adjusts the collar on one of the dresses on dressmaker manikin; at the same time, Emerald's eyebrows shoot up in surprise went she hears that Justice gave Rarity a foot massage.

"Oh, by the way, Rarity? On your itinerary, you say you bought four bags of costume jewelry from a jewelry store in Pearis. But you only had one bag with you went I picked you up at the airport. What happened to the other three bags?" I asked as Rarity tapped her painted fingernail against the lower half of her snout.

“Oh, I remember the flight I took home had strict weight limit for the passenger. If I was carrying all four bags with me, I would have been over the weight limit and delayed my departure. So I shipped the other three bags home. That is the other reason I had to go to my Grazing hills carousel boutique to receive a phone call from the shipping company telling me went my package would arrive." Rarity explained as Emerald and I looked at each other with Rarity's story she told us.

"Miss Radiance, did the shipping company tell you went your package would arrive?" Emerald inquires as she pip pops in her bare feet toward the door leading out onto the balcony, the possible entry point.

"They did, Miss Luster; they say most likely sometime next month; the shipping company is experiencing some international shipping delays in Prance because of an international police force investigation. Whatever the international police force is investigating had delayed all international deliveries from Prance.” Rarity explains as Emerald pip-pops onto the balcony barefooted to look around the possible entry point of the break-in.

'Well, let's see what I can find on the balcony.' Emerald thought as she couldn't help but smile, hearing the soft pip-pops of the smooth round ball of her foot making an impact with the smooth concrete texture of the balcony.

"Huh?! That's very interesting." Emerald said, looking over the edge of the high balcony, even those she has a mild case of acrophobia from her filly hood.

‘Their tiny hole in the mortar of the brickwork of the balcony. As if securing something in the brickwork.' Emerald thought, feeling a tiny hole in the mortar outside with her fingers and finding the other end of the hole on her side.

"Hey, Justice, come out here for a minute!" Emerald called as I walked out onto the balcony to find the barefooted Emerald kneeling on the balcony looking through a small hole she found.

"What up, Emerald?" I asked, very excited seeing the creamy soft, flawless and unblemished pearly purple skin on the bottom of her foot from her scrunched toes.

“Tee-hee…I found this hole through the mortar of the brickwork of the balcony. On this side, it looks like four scratches, two vertically and two horizontally, as if something punches through and locked in place." Emerald explained as she knew I was looking at her creamy soft skin on her bent foot and listening to her.

"Huh? That is extraordinary, Emerald. What are you thinking?" I asked, looking through the hole to the other building across the way.

"I think this thief might be some kind of two-story thief. A high wire artist." Emerald commented, leaning against the metal rail of the balcony, resting the lower half of her jaw on the flat of her hand.

"If we are talking about a two-story thief, that specialty thief. We are saying that not everyone can hire them. Whoever hires it has a lot of bits to play with." I comment as Emerald nods her head in agreement with me.

"It could be possibly a syndicate type job. But which one?" I comment as Emerald taps her barefoot on the ground.

"My question, Justice? Why are the syndicates after Miss Radiance? She is a well-known fashion designer that too much heat to bring on your syndicate." Emerald commented as I was wondering as well.

"That excellent question, Emerald. Let's head over to my place we can talk more went I put you in that contraption Cadence told you about. See that creamy soft skin on the bottom of your foot should be an interesting experiment with the contraption." I said as Emerald kissed me on my cheek before we walked back into the apartment so Emerald could put her shoes back on for a while and tell Rarity what we are thinking.

Comments

[Shrekzilla]

Cover art source?

[keithsterling]

11382020
It Their as a tag source.
It will take you to her art page on Deviantart.