Scruffy Dearest

Scruffy Dearest



“Scruffy, why is it that you cannot even complete the simplest of tasks on time?” Franziska said, sounding thoroughly annoyed.



Detective Gumshoe was carrying a few pieces of evidence from the case that Franziska von Karma had just finished prosecuting and a stack of files related to the case, and was carefully trying to balance it all in his arms.



            “I’m sorry Miss von Karma, but with all the errands you had me running today — ” Gumshoe suddenly cut off on his sentence when he saw Franziska raise the whip she was holding above her head and snap it.



He tried to shy away from her a little when he saw the expression on her face, but that was hard to do with what he had in his arms, so he just ended up stumbling a little and almost dropping everything he was holding.  Franziska found herself smirking at Gumshoe’s reaction and she lowered her whip.



            “No matter.  We will figure out the punishment for your foolish actions later.  For now, hurry up and carefully put away the evidence and case files.” Franziska said, further driving the point home by cracking her whip on the floor.



            Gumshoe gave a visible shudder at Franziska’s mention of punishment and quietly replied, “Yes, Miss von Karma.”



Gumshoe walked slowly with everything in his arms to the appropriate locker in the records room.  Franziska followed behind him to make sure he was filing everything properly.



            That foolish fool will make a foolish mess of everything and I will be forced to foolishly clean it up later if I do not watch him closely, Franziska thought, looking at Gumshoe with narrowed eyes.



Finally Gumshoe was done putting things away and he turned back to Franziska, who now had a smirk on her face and a devious look in her eyes.



            “Alright, Scruffy.  Now is the time we — ” she started saying, but she was suddenly cut off when it seemed like the whole world started shaking.



Both Gumshoe and Franziska were caught off guard, Gumshoe stumbling backwards and grabbing onto a random locker handle to keep his balance, while Franziska fell over all together.  The ground felt like it would not stop shaking, but somehow Gumshoe found a way to stay on both feet.  Now he looked over to Franziska to make sure she was alright.  He saw her face looked grim and determined as she struggled to get back on her feet.  Without thinking, she grabbed onto a part of the evidence shelf that was by her to stand up, but Gumshoe noticed it begin to teeter even more precariously in result.



            “Miss von Karma!  Look out!”  Gumshoe yelled urgently, holding his hand up toward the shelf in caution.



The look on Franziska’s face turned from determination to shock as she looked at the shelf Gumshoe gestured toward, quickly realizing that the shelf would fall on her.  She scrunched her eyes shut, praying that this would not hurt much more than getting shot did, but she knew that it probably would.  She heard a huge crash and she waited for the pain to come, but it never did.  Instead she just felt a lot of warmth.  Her eyes snapped open and she found herself tightly clenched in Gumshoe’s arms, with her head resting slightly on his chest.



Finally the rumbling began to die down, but his arms still stayed protectively clenched around her.  Franziska now noticed that his breath was heavy and his heart was beating fast in his chest.  She realized that her heart was beating fast too, but she decided it was because she was nearly smashed by a heavy evidence shelf.  Minutes later, when all was silent and the crisis had past, Gumshoe loosened his arms around her slightly, but still he did not let go.



            “Miss von Karma…are you alright, pal?” Gumshoe asked softly, his concern showing clearly in his eyes.



As Franziska looked back at him, her emotions confused her.  The concern in his eyes, his touch…they were doing something to her, making her feel something she didn’t quite understand.



            “Scruffy…why did you foolishly jump in front of the falling shelf that way?” Franziska replied quietly, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant.



            “Miss von Karma…you would have gotten hurt.  I couldn’t let that happen.” Gumshoe replied gently, as if there wasn’t a truer fact in the world.



Gumshoe’s words and the tone of his voice made Franziska’s confusing emotions get stronger, and this almost made her blush, but she resisted, reminding herself that this was ridiculous.



            What utter foolishness!  These emotions are completely irrational! Franziska thought in annoyance at herself.



Suddenly Franziska’s tone turned sharp as she desperately tried to banish these strange emotions, “How foolishly nice of you.  Now if you will please let go of me so that I may stand up!”



Franziska saw that her sudden change in tone shocked him.  Gumshoe’s face flushed as he abruptly let her go, making her suspect that she wasn’t the only one afflicted with these strange feelings.  She shook her head as she saw his reaction and she willed herself not to look at him.  Instead, she quickly made her way to the door of the room, finding it to be firmly blocked by two heavy shelves that had fallen over during the earthquake.  She realized that there would be no way that they would be able to move these shelves on their own.  Her hands moved to her pockets, looking for her cell phone, but she remembered she left it on Gumshoe’s desk, thinking that she would only be stopping in the records room with him for a few minutes.



            Standing by the shelves blocking the door, she gripped the whip she held in her hands very tightly and slowly said, “Scruffy, please tell me that you have your cell phone with you.”



            Gumshoe scratched his head in embarrassment, looked at the floor, and said, “Uhh…no, Miss von Karma, I don’t.  Since I was in such a hurry to get to the precinct to complete all those errands you lined up for me, it slipped out of my pocket and broke into two pieces.”



Suddenly Franziska’s whip lashed out and almost hit him on the feet.



            “WHAT?” Franziska said in frustration, about to lash at him again with the whip.



Gumshoe made a small “yipe” noise and tried to protect his face.  Franziska realized that she needed to keep her head clear and think of a solution and could worry about the punishment later.  This thought calmed her down slightly, and she and she muttered something like, “it figures.”  Then she began to pace around with the whip coiled in her hand.



            “We can’t do anything…we just have to wait until someone realizes we are here…” Franziska said, mostly talking to herself.



            “Gee, Miss von Karma…that might be a while since everyone probably evacuated because of the earthquake.” Gumshoe said, sounding a little worried.



            I don’t believe that I’ll be stuck down here with Scruffy for hours! Franziska thought.



But what really surprised her was the fact that she didn’t feel as annoyed as she thought she should have.



            “So…ummm…what should we do?” Gumshoe asked Franziska hesitantly, looking at her in question.



Suddenly she turned toward Gumshoe, snapping the whip so quickly toward him that he hardly had enough time to dodge the blow.



            “I’m trying to think!” Franziska said, raising her whip threateningly.



At the back of her mind, Franziska realized that she really was lashing out at these strange feelings rather than Gumshoe himself, but this did not stop her from trying to whip him again. Gumshoe wasn’t fast enough this time, and the whip hit him on the arm.



            “Oww!” Gumshoe said, rubbing his arm where the whip hit him.



He quickly realized this would not lead to anything good, especially since there was no where for him to run away from her whip.  This time, when she raised the whip again and lashed out with it, Gumshoe sidestepped it and grabbed on to it with his hand.

            “Now, Miss von Karma!” Gumshoe said in shock, “We need to — ”



Gumshoe tried pulling on the whip to get it away from her, but she was hanging on to it so tightly that when he yanked on the whip, she came along with it.  One second, Franziska was whipping, and the next, she gasped as she was pulled into Gumshoe’s arms.  As soon his arms closed around her, the confusing feelings hit her again with force.  She quickly looked up at Gumshoe’s face and saw the surprise in his eyes.



She desperately wanted to push him away and yank back her whip, but she found herself unable to move, the things she felt immobilizing her.  Gumshoe seemed to be having the same difficulty with letting her go, just looking at her.  Franziska found herself only able to look back into his eyes, realizing that her body felt strangely tingly where he was touching her.



            This is…absolutely foolish! Franziska thought, the rational side of her brain fighting for control.

But as she looked at Gumshoe, she felt her heart quicken once again, causing her breath to get deeper.  These emotions confused her, and she wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, since she had never felt this way before about anyone.



            The rational side of her mind was quickly losing control of her body and senses, so it tried one last ditch attempt to make her realize how reckless these emotions could make her, But this is Scruffy for Godsake!  What…is happening…to me?



Her mind was completely silenced as her body finally took control.  Slowly and hesitantly, she tilted her head up and leaned forward to meet his lips with hers.  Gumshoe’s eyes were wide as he watched her do this, but his eyes fluttered closed and he bent his head down when he saw her face moving towards his.  The moment their lips touched, Franziska felt an incredible rush though her body, unlike anything she’d ever felt before.  The kiss was light and short, and Franziska pulled back and looked into Gumshoe’s eyes, feeling her lips tingling.



            If I am not mistaken…I think I…liked that…Franziska thought in absolute shock, unable to believe it, trying to be disgusted, but not quite being able to, did I just kiss Scruffy and like it?  What is wrong with me?



Gumshoe noticed Franziska giving him an intense stare, and he wondered what was going through her head, also shocked at what just happened, but something inside him didn’t let him let her go.  Gumshoe was having trouble understanding his emotions as well, but he decided only to focus on how wonderful that kiss felt and how good it felt to have Franziska in his arms.



            As Franziska continued looking at him that way, he softly asked, “Miss von Karma?”



Franziska decided to just throw all caution to the wind, the feelings much too strong to repress or ignore.  She did not reply to him, instead she just reached out, grabbing his head and pulling Gumshoe in for a more intense kiss.  Franziska felt Gumshoe’s arms tightening around her, pulling her closer to him.



* * *



Phoenix Wright had been down at the Prosecutor’s office to visit Miles Edgeworth for discussing the case they were both on when the earthquake hit.  They were arguing over the effect a particular piece of evidence that was recently uncovered would have on the trial when the world began to shake.



Phoenix noticed Miles’s face immediately became very pale and tears started coming to his eyes.  This was a pretty large earthquake, and Miles looked like he was seconds away from collapsing completely.  Phoenix carefully stepped forward, trying his best to keep his balance, and he pulled Miles into his arms.  Miles gripped Phoenix very tightly, almost to the point of pain, and Phoenix could feel Miles’s tears on his neck.



Finally when the shaking died down, Phoenix tried his best to calm Miles down, always hating to see him like this.



            “Hey, Miles…it’s alright…” Phoenix said in the most comforting voice he could muster, lightly stroking Miles’s hair, holding him close.



When Miles could actually think straight again, he abruptly released the death grip he had on Phoenix and lightly pushed back from him.  Miles looked at the ground, almost unable to deal with the look of genuine concern and care in Phoenix’s eyes, trying to wipe away any tears that still remained on his face.



            “I think I should call Franziska…to see if she’s alright.” Miles said softly, wanting to draw attention away from his show of emotional weakness.

Phoenix understood Miles hated being seen in such a vulnerable state, so he just nodded as Miles walked to his desk and picked up his phone to call her.  The phone kept ringing, and he tried a few times, but she did not pick up.



            Miles narrowed his eyebrows in confusion, looked at Phoenix, and said, “She’s not picking up.  She always picks up her phone unless she’s in court, but I know for a fact that she has no case today.  Something is wrong.”

            Phoenix was now also concerned, so he said, “Maybe we should try to find her.  Do you have any idea where she might be?”



Miles thought for a moment and then replied, “Well, she just completed a long case yesterday, so I have a feeling she’d be filing away the evidence and the court papers today.  We should check at the Precinct.”



            “Alright.  Let’s go.” Phoenix said, leading his way to the door.



* * *



When Miles drove them to the Precinct, they saw a huge crowd outside of the building.  Miles hurriedly parked the car, now getting worried.  They jogged to the entrance of the Precinct, but they were quickly stopped by some police officers that were standing outside the door, stopping people from entering.



            “I’m sorry, but no one can enter the Precinct at this time.” one of the officers said, blocking them from proceeding any further.



            “But we just have to check if someone is inside.” Phoenix said with some concern.



            “We are still checking if everyone is accounted for out here.  Then we will check if anyone was left inside.” the officer said, still standing in their way.



            Miles let out a little sigh and said, “Alright.”



Miles stepped away from the door of the Precinct, and Phoenix followed quickly after him.



            “I guess we’ll just have to wait until they’re done then…” Phoenix said with worry.



            In reply, Miles just gave him an annoyed look, and spoke in an annoyed tone, “Don’t be silly, Wright.  We’ll just find another way in.”



            “What?  I don’t think we could just sneak past them…there were just too many officers in the front.” Phoenix said, surprised that Miles was willing to ignore what the officer had told them.



            “We’re not going to sneak past them.  We would go around the back, of course.  Honestly, Wright, after all your illegal investigations, I’d think you’d know better…” Miles said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.



            “Yeah, yeah.  Let’s go then.” Phoenix said sheepishly, leading the way to the back of the Precinct so that he wouldn’t have to see Miles giving him that look.



* * *



As they kissed, Franziska slowly moved her hands down from Gumshoe’s hair, lightly brushing his neck and then pushed his tattered green trench coat off of his shoulders.  Gumshoe took the hint and let it fall off to the floor, then wrapped his arms back around her, not breaking the kiss.  Both of them were completely carried away at this point, Franziska forgetting that this was “Scruffy” who she was kissing and Gumshoe forgetting that this was his boss who was just a little too overzealous with a whip.  All they both knew was that in this very moment, nothing felt more wonderful to either of them.



Franziska noticed that Gumshoe’s hair felt rather nice in between her fingers, running her hands slowly through it as they kissed.  This sort of closeness was something that was completely alien to her.  Though she may be a genius in the field of prosecution, she knew that she was a complete novice when it came to love and matters of the heart.  She had always thought that falling in love with a person was just a show of weakness and vulnerability, something that was completely useless and unneeded in her life.



But in this situation, when she was forced to re-examine her previous judgment of love, she’d realized that she’d made a dreadful oversight on all other things that came with it:  feeling safe, feeling secure, and most importantly, feeling complete.  With this conclusion, another shocking thought surfaced at the back of her mind.



            Could it be possible…that I am in love…with Scruffy!?  How absurd! the rational side of her mind thought.



Although she could not quite wrap her mind around what was happening right now, she found that this thought at the back of her mind did ring true, much to the disgust of the rational side of her.



            No matter how many mean things I have said to him, impossible orders I have given him, and how many times I have punished him, he has remained here and has kept trying to do things for me to the best of his ability, although it may not be in the most efficient way possible. I’m surprised he’s even lasted this long…she thought dryly, though she was still engrossed in the kiss.



Franziska liked to think herself above such silly emotions as love, so it was an absolute shock to herself that she’d end up falling for someone like him.  But this kiss proved to her that she was wrong about love and especially about Dick Gumshoe.



* * *



Phoenix and Miles carefully made their way around to the back of the Precinct and let themselves in a back door, keeping an eye out for any police officers that might have been around.  Lucky for them, they ran into no one as they began to search for Franziska.



            “Well, if she came to the Precinct, wouldn’t Gumshoe be with her?” Phoenix said as they looked around.



            Miles thought for a moment and replied dryly, “True, although I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse…”



Both of them realized that they had made a complete round of the first floor and had found no one.



            “I don’t know.  Maybe Franziska isn’t here?” Phoenix said, looking around with his eyebrows narrowed in slight confusion.



            “I’ll try calling one more time.” Miles said, retrieving his cell phone from his coat, unwilling to give up the search for her so easily, starting to get a bit more worried.



To both of their surprises, they heard a phone ringing.  They looked at each other questioningly and followed the ringing.  Suddenly, they found themselves at Gumshoe’s desk, with Franziska’s phone sitting on it, ringing away, its owner no where in sight.



            “She is in here somewhere!” Phoenix said, picking up Franziska’s phone as Miles hung up his own, “But where?”



Miles thought a second and he suddenly realized where they must be.



            “They have to be in the records room.  Franziska and Gumshoe must have been down there when the earthquake came, and now they’re stuck there in some way.” Miles said, beginning to walk briskly to the records room, Phoenix having to nearly run to keep in tow.



Miles walked quickly down the stairs and he turned the doorknob and pushed hard on the door, quickly realizing that it was stuck.  As Miles struggled with the door, Phoenix looked through the small window by the door to see if anyone was inside.  Suddenly he was greeted by a sight that left him completely shocked.

            “Wh-what?!  I just don’t believe it!” Phoenix said, his eyes wide.



Miles looked at him in confusion, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “What are you babbling about, Wright?”



            “Look.” Phoenix replied simply, pointing to the window by the door.



Phoenix moved aside so Miles could look.  When he took Phoenix’s place at the window, the first thing he saw was the evidence shelves in disarray, many of them tilted and knocked over.  He realized this was what was blocking the door.  He was about ask Phoenix what the hell he was on about when his eyes fell on a sight that he thought he’d never see.



He could not see very clearly, with all the shelves and such in the way, but it looked like Franziska was in Gumshoe’s arms and they were locked in a heated kiss.  His eyes widened like Phoenix’s at first, but then he started laughing.



            With a small smirk on his lips, Miles said, “Frankly, I’m not surprised.”



            Phoenix looked toward the window again, still looking a bit shocked and confused, saying, “Well…at least they’re both okay.”



Miles kept smirking at Phoenix as he began banging on the door.



            “Franziska, Detective!  Are you alright?” Miles said loudly, hoping they could hear him.



* * *



Upon hearing the loud banging and Miles’s voice, Franziska was brought back to reality.  At first, she pulled back slightly and looked at Gumshoe with surprise, but then her expression turned to one of mild disgust and horror, and she pushed away from him roughly, yanking her whip back from him in the same movement.  She thought she saw a hurt look flash momentarily in his eyes, but he quickly looked away from her as the banging continued.



            Gumshoe yelled back, “Boss!  Yes, Miss von Karma and I are alright!  But we’re stuck in here since the door is completely blocked!”



            “Yes, Detective, I noticed as much.” Miles said loudly in his usual bored tone, but Phoenix could see that he was still amused at catching Franziska and Gumshoe together.



            “I think we’ll have to break the door and try to get you two out the best we can that way.” Phoenix piped in suddenly, deciding that was the only way they’d be able to get out, since there were no other doors to the records room.



            “Be quick, Mr. Phoenix Wright.” Franziska said, sounding very impatient, cracking her whip on the floor.



Phoenix and Miles looked around briefly and found a small shelf that had tipped over near them that they could use as a battering ram on the door.  Four or five loud crashes later, the door began to splinter and give way.  Finally the bottom of the door cracked and fell in.  Miles and Phoenix put down the shelf and caught their breaths for a moment.  Gumshoe and Franziska looked toward the hole in the door, and saw Phoenix bending by the hole, looking for them.



            When Phoenix saw them, he said, “I think both of you have to squeeze through here.  This is the best we can do.”



Franziska quickly walked over to the hole in the door and carefully crawled out, with Miles helping her up when she came out.  Gumshoe picked up his tattered trench coat from the floor and followed after her, just barely squeezing out.  All four of them silently made their way out of the Precinct through the back and finally stopped at Miles’s car.



            “I’m glad you’re both alright,” Miles said, smirking, and then raising an eyebrow, “I just hope we weren’t interrupting anything.”



Franziska felt her face suddenly burning from embarrassment.



            Unable to look directly at Miles, she ignored what he said and just tersely replied, “I don’t have time to waste on this foolish nonsense.  I have work to do.”



Then she turned her gaze to Phoenix, who was still just a little shocked from seeing Franziska and Gumshoe kissing.



            “Thank you for getting us out, Mr. Phoenix Wright.” she said in a tone that sounded much more impatient and annoyed than thankful.



And the look in her eyes clearly told Phoenix that no teasing, especially from him, would be tolerated.



            “Umm…it was no problem, Miss von Karma.” he mumbled in response, always feeling extremely awkward around her, never knowing when she would strike next, “Oh, by the way.  Here’s your phone.”



She took the offered phone, gave him half a nod, and then began to walk towards her car.  Gumshoe looked hesitantly toward her, wondering if he should follow after her.



            Without turning around, Franziska said very coldly and impatiently, “Scruffy, you can ride with me.”



Gumshoe briefly glanced at Phoenix and Miles before hurrying after her.  Phoenix looked at Miles’s face and he couldn’t help but smile, seeing how amused Miles was about the whole situation.



            “I suppose we should leave too, Wright.” Miles finally said, turning the car alarm off and opening the doors.



Phoenix got into the passenger side door while Miles got into the driver’s seat.



When Phoenix and Miles were seated, Phoenix said, “I still don’t believe it…Franziska and Gumshoe of all people?”



            Miles smiled as he was starting up the car and said, “I don’t know why you’re so shocked about it.  After all the time they spend together and all the abuse he takes from her without complaint, it isn’t a surprise that there is something else going on there.  Also lately, Franziska seems to have taken a liking to the name “Scruffy”, and she doesn’t sound nearly as irritated saying it nowadays as she used to.”



Phoenix thought about what Miles said for a moment as they drove, deciding what Miles said was true.



            “Well I guess I was mostly surprised since they seem like such an odd couple, don’t you think?” Phoenix said thoughtfully.



            “Anybody that is willing to take Franziska’s punishments as much into stride as Gumshoe does really does deserve her.” Miles said sounding very amused.



            Phoenix just smiled and replied, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”



* * *



Franziska was deathly silent as she and Gumshoe entered her car, and Gumshoe was feeling more and more nervous the longer she stayed silent.  As they began to drive, Franziska unexpectedly spoke, startling Gumshoe slightly.



            “Scruffy…” she started saying, her tone strangely hesitant, “I don’t know what happened…there in the records room.”



Gumshoe waited for her to say more, also rather confused with what happened and with the feelings it stirred within him.  As for Franziska, the rational side of her mind was trying to convince her that it had been a foolish lapse of judgment that should be forgotten as quickly as possible, but the rest of her, surprisingly, was fighting against that.



            What is there to gain from this foolishness?  What is the point in allowing myself to be so vulnerable?  Such emotions have no place with perfection, being flawed in themselves. the rational side of her mind said.



But another side of her made her recall how wonderful she felt in the brief moment in Gumshoe’s arms.



            But when is the last time I’ve felt that way?   Never!  As much as I’d like to deny it, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that secure in my life… her other side argued back, There is no reason to throw that away and act like it never happened…



In her moment of indecision, the rational side of her was trying to win back control and put an end to what it thought was nonsense once and for all.



            “I think…it would be best…if…” Franziska started saying, wanting to sound forceful and resolute, but failing miserably.



Something in her wouldn’t allow her say the words.  Suddenly Gumshoe spoke, surprising Franziska since he usually never dared to interrupt her.



            “Miss von Karma.” Gumshoe said softly, his voice reverberating with a startling intensity that Franziska had never heard there before, “When I first met you, I thought you were a mean, nasty person, but I gotta say, over all this time…I’ve seen somebody different.  You know pal, I’m not so great with feelings and stuff, but…I…think…I, uhhh…love you.”



Gumshoe mumbled the last two words of his sentence and looked away from Franziska, feeling incredibly nervous and uncomfortable revealing his feelings this way, especially since he thought she would just disregard them and yell at him for being foolish.  But she said nothing, just digesting what he said.  She was actually touched by his words, and this kept the rational side of her mind at bay once more.  She wondered what the warm sensation in her body was, but she had a feeling it was due to the fact that, deep down, she felt the same way.



Franziska suddenly noticed that she had unconsciously driven home.  She brought the car to a stop in her parking spot, turned it off, and removed her belt, but made no move to get out.  Gumshoe also removed his belt and finally turned to her, bracing himself for her reaction to what he said.



            I can’t just forget…the way I was feeling can’t just be forgotten, Franziska’s heart told her.



            But what of my perfection?  Such silly notions of love can never coexist with perfection, her rational side screamed at her.



Franziska closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to bring her heart and mind into accordance.  Her mind suddenly flashed back to when she had first come to the United States with the sole purpose of upholding the perfection she thought was synonymous with the von Karma name.  She quickly realized this way of thinking was leading her down a path of disaster, especially when she almost got an innocent person thrown into jail for life.



            Am I going to let this goal of unattainable perfection ruin my life even more than it already has? Franziska thought to herself, realizing that in this moment, she was faced with a very important decision.



Franziska finally turned her gaze onto Gumshoe and found him looking at her, hope mixed with some other unidentifiable emotion in his brown eyes.  She studied his face for a minute, for the first time appreciating all of its intricacies.  As she looked into his eyes, she realized that she couldn’t walk away from this or make herself forget it in good conscience.  Finally she gave him a serious look and spoke.



            “Scruffy.” Franziska said softly, choosing her words very carefully, “I’ve felt these foolish things for you that I did not understand for a while, though I’ve always dismissed them as over reaction or rationalized them to be something else.  But today made it impossible for me to hide from those feelings any longer.  Though your confession was inefficient at best, it brought my emotions into sharp clarity.  I’ve realized that I foolishly…feel the same way.”



Gumshoe first looked at her in shock and confusion and then a small happy smile materialized on his face.  Spontaneously, he reached forward and took one of her hands in his.  To his surprise, she didn’t pull it away and smack him.  Finally she decided to just submit to her emotions, slowly leaning forward to give him a soft kiss.  They held the kiss for a few moments, both feeling more complete than they ever had before.



When they finally parted, Franziska looked at him thoughtfully for a moment and sharply said, “I remembered that I have not finished punishing you yet!”



            Gumshoe quickly pulled further back from Franziska, saying warily, “Now, Miss von Karma…”



She gripped her whip tightly, so Gumshoe knew that there would be no escape.  He suddenly threw open the passenger side door of the car and darted out, away from Franziska.



            She smiled deviously to herself as she also exited the car, running after him, yelling, “Come back here, Scruffy!”