"I trust you enjoyed your trip, sir? Nothing wrong with your cabin or the service, was there?" the young mouse addressed as Mr. Wing smiled, simply removing his boater hat, looking about, then back at the ship he had walked off of.

"Ahh...it was quiet pleasant, thank you... No trouble at all." The other man smiled and tipped his hat, sending Mr. Wing on his way. It was in the early afternoon, and the bright sun was shining on the middle-aged mouse's face, gleaming on his slight smile. He was from the Americas...and was eager to find new settings, a change of pace. London was quite a nice place, he though, with a nice feel about it too...but he had more important things on his mind then the scenery at the moment.

Mr. Wing was...a man in his 40's, but he looked very healthy for his age, very strong looking, like he was use to traveling around, walking a lot. He had light tan fur; with head fur the same color, slicked back slightly from being under his hat. He wore a regular brown day suit, with a black silk pawkerchife in the front pocket. He looked very well off, and like a very kind soul. He was quick in pace, and in little time he was walking with all the other rodents and the sorts of the street, into the city.

Mr. Wing was usually a very observant man...but today he knew right where he was headed, and he didn't take too much time to look around at the creatures around him, because he didn't need to. Of course he would see all the sites there was to see later, but right now he just hurried along the streets, not taking much knowtis about anyone around him. Now, if Mr. Wing had been on his usual observant state, he would have knowtist a young mouse woman, heading in his direction, but upon seeing him, the woman ducked away out of site, letting him pass her, unseen...If he had been a where, he would have seen this....

"What do ya mean "Io'm goin' away fer awhile!"? Where da you think yer going, hmm Lil'? And why?" A young, sooty white mouse followed her friend around as she through stuff into a large basket, looking around if she needed anything. The young mouse she was following turned, a look of fear on her face.

"I'm going away with my mother and sister...it will only be while, Angel... Please don't tell anyone!" Lillian pleaded; putting alittle more stuff into her basket. Angel blinked a moment, still not understanding. She placed her small paws on her hips however, shaking her head.

"Still don't know why! Yer not one to go runnin' off about things. What's got ya all worried, eh Lil'?" Angel asked again, turning Lillian around to make her calm down for a moment to talk. Lillian sighed, taking a seat.

"It's my father, Angel...He's in London, and I know he's looking for me and my family!" Lillian shook her head, sitting back.

"Well...hey! Ya never really told me around your old man Lil'... Now if ya don't want tom, ya don't have to.... But I trust your going to take care of whatever is wrong by yourself, eh?" Angel chuckled and shook her head, removing her sooty old hat and shaking it at Lillian.

"Ya know I'm going to want to help!" she grinned, watching as Lillian got up. Lillian had a look like she didn't want Angel to get involved...but she suddenly had a change of mind, picking up her basket with one paw, and pulling Angel towards the door with the other.

"You can help me Angel, you dear! I'll explain everything on the way to my mother's house...but everything must be secret!"

"Ha! Ya can count on me with secrets Lil'...I just want ta be involved in the action!"

I remember it being...Very early afternoon; I'd say about 1 a clock, maybe. I had been paying Basil a little visit, and we were having a bit of a late lunch. Basil was in a regular, no downfalls to any cases lately, but nothing really shockingly interesting. It was quite a relief to be having a bit of a break, though Basil was always ready to take up a case.

I remember Basil was talking a bit about the last case we had been on, we had just finished our lunch, when Miss Judson came up, telling use there was a man there wishing to see Basil about a case. Basil smiled over to me, and got up, removing the napkin from his lap, taking a small card that Mrs. Judson Had brought with here, saying it was the man's card.

"Hmm...Mr. Jonathan Wing...? Does he have an appointment, Mrs. Judson?" Basil looked up to her, handing back the card. Mrs. Judson shook her head, stating that the man had no appointment. Basil waved his paw, shrugging.

"Never heard the name before... Bring him in, Mrs. Judson... Let's see what case he has brought to us, hmm?"

"Right away, Mister Basil." Mrs. Judson and left, smiling. Basil turned to me, that same interested gleam in his eyes.

"You will be staying, won't you Dawson? I have a feeling this will be most interesting."

"Of course I shall stay. I say we need a bit of excitement! Things have been a bit too calm lately." I chuckled and took a seat as Mrs. Judson brought in a man looking about in his 40's, but in very good health. Mrs. Judson was about to talk, but Basil beat her too it, looking closely at the man before he did so.

"Ahhh...Mr. Wing. I take it your trip here from America went smoothly? Why have you come to us today?" Basil smiled, taking a sit in his chair, as usual. Mrs. Judson just shook her head, departing from the room. I was quite use to it by now, though I was always curious to how Basil made his deductions. Now, Mr. Wing, as Basil had called him, stared at Basil with amazement.

"Mister Basil...You must be one amazing detective...how the devil did you know my name, and that I came her from America?"

"Simple," Basil grinned, standing from his chair.

"You have the smell of the smoke from passenger boats upon you and salty air... Your hair is matted down in a style that could only be from a boater hat...and your ticket from the trip stating who you are and from where you departed...is sticking out of your pocket." Basil sat back down, grinning more. Mr. Wing stuffed the ticket in his pocket, taking a sit Basil offered.

"Amazing..."

"Elementary, actually...now! Before you go on, that is my partner and associate, Dr. David Q. Dawson..." I nodded towards Mr. Wing and let Basil continue.

"Now then...why have you come to us, Mr. Wing?" Basil leaned back in his chair, awaiting and answer.

"Well...Mr. Basil... I've come here from America, looking for my family..." The man looked down for a moment, as if remembering some horrible event. He quickly looked up again, regaining composure.

"We got separate, you see...by horrible means I don't wish to tell again, or remember...but...I found out they were here, somewhere...and I just got to find them, Mister Basil...It's been so very long, and I've missed them so much. I knew if any one could find my family, you could, Mister Basil!"

"Hmmm...Not an unusual case, Mr. Wing, and It shouldn't be too hard, not hard at all. What are the names of your family members?"

"Well Mister Basil... There's my wife, Lorna Wing... Brave woman she is...and there's my two daughters, the little lights of my life, Meg and Lillian...I have a picture somewhere, if you need it, Mister Basil." He was about to go on, looking through his pockets for a moment, but Basil sat up, smiling and stopping him, giving me a look..

"Ahh...I shall see a picture later, Mr. Wing...Could you describe your family, how they acted, their appearance?"

"Well...it's been such a long time sense I've seen them...I'm sure my daughters and dear wife have changed a lot...but I'll describe them how I remember." Mr. Wing nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. Basil and I listened as he slowly gave a description of his family...and then we were sure. The Miss Lillian Wing he spoke of was indeed the Miss Wing, Basil and I knew. From what Lillian had told us about her mother and sister, it was perfect to a tea, except some details left out that could only be them growing older. He described Miss Lillian perfectly. A younger Miss Wing, of course, and great deal more shy...but still that little adventuresome spirit. As he finished, Basil sat in thought a long while, slowly looking to me, then To Mr. Wing.

"And you wish to be reunited with your family, is that correct, Mr. Wing...?"

"Yes, Mr. Basil...do you think you can find them..."

"I will do the Best that I can, Mr. Wing...Return tomorrow at precisely 3:00...I shall have some more information about this problem then...Now...Mrs. Judson will show you to the door, good day." And with that and a wave of a paw, Mr. Wing was shooed away. He tried to say thank you...but Basil was preoccupied with thinking about the problem at hand...so Mr. Wing was token away by Mrs. Judson.

"Well Basil...What do you intend to do???" I smiled, getting up.

"Well, first I shall send a wire to Miss Wing, telling her we're paying her a visit tomorrow at one...to ask about her father..."

"Strange that she never mentioned him, Basil...Oh dear! Do you think the means that separated them...is too painful for Miss Wing to mention?"

"Possibly... Possibly."

A mouse of the police force, all the way across the ocean in America, put down his papers and looked over at his superior.

"Are you sure that the man we're after escaped on that boat heading towards England?"

"There is no where else the Criminal could have gone..." The old mouse shook his head, frowning.

The younger one looked towards him, curious, "Sir...?"

"We should have known he would jump the country...he's going to get himself into more trouble then he's already in! Poor fool...you'd almost feel sorry for all the problems he's gone at gotten himself now!" The older mouse nodded again. He was quite fumed about all this... He knew the folks at Scotland Yard would really give them lip about this one...letting a criminal escape onto a boat out of the country...

"Sir...some of us believe that he might have a well meaning, refined acquaintance on the ship. Perhaps, by sneaking on and finding that acquaintance, he hopes to get a clean start over in England." The young mouse filed his papers away, looking back to his superior.

The older mouse was deep in thought, an angered look in his eyes. He looked back to the young one, shaking his head.

"Well...he won't start over, that's for sure! I will see that miscreant behind bars. Send a wire to The Chief Commissioner of Scotland Yard, inform them that a desperate felon has escaped to England on a boat that launched from ..." The mouse went on, giving the details of the date the ship boarded and left, who was working on it at the time, and more detail about the criminal, his name and crime. "He won't get away as easily as he thought he would.."

Basil was in bright spirits when I arrived at eleven a clock, the morning we were to pay a visit to Miss Wing. This case was going to be solved in no time at all, and it wasn't challenging at all, something Basil strived for...but still, he was in high spirits, if he was indeed going to reunite a family.

We left Basil's flat about...Well; I'd say 12:45. The walk to Miss Wing's house wasn't long, not long at all. Basil smiled as we walked up the steps to the door, knocking, yet we turned, hearing a woman calling to us. As we turned, we found Miss Wing's landlady standing there, Saying that Miss Wing had left in a hurry yesterday morning, to go spend time with her Mother, who had a dreadful cold. Basil asked the woman several questions, making sure that was where Miss Wing had gone off too, and the Land Lady told him again and again she was quite sure.

"Miss Wing and a sooty friend of hers came back early from shopping, and not much time later they left, saying that she had received a wire that her mother was quite ill, and desired Lillian's company, and that's all I know about that." She nodded, waiting to see if Basil had any more questions. Basil thought a moment, squinting her eyes a bit.

"Did Miss Wing ever mention her father...?"

"Not much... When I did ask, she said she didn't want to talk about it...a very sensitive subject, I'll take it." Basil nodded, and having no more questions for Miss Wing's Land lady, he bid her good day, walking off with me. Quite strange that Miss Wing would run off like that...but both Basil and I understood that it might have been a desperate matter, so we returned to his flat to await Mr. Wing. Along the way back, we ran into Miss Angel, that Chimney sweep friend of Miss Wing's. She was Lillian best friend, so Basil stopped a moment to find out where they might find Lillian and her mother. Angel was more then happy to help us, and she told us the address of Mrs. Lorna Wing, Lillian's mother.

Mr. Wing hurried along the sidewalk, looking behind him every so often. Basil had told him that he would look into things, and that he was to return the next day at two a clock. Mr. Wing had great faith in Basil for doing his job...but he was quite worried about the events that had taken place in the short time he arrived here, the very short time!. When he left Basil's flat the first day he had talked to him, He was quite sure that someone had been following him home...He had even seen them at times.

Mr. Wing never could get a real close look...he could have, but they were wearing a hat low over their face, and it was terribly hard to see their face. Mr. Wing could tell they were of low class, dressed like a street urchin. Ever sense he left Basil's flat though, every time he went out, there was that follower, close behind...trying to scare him off, he reckoned.

Mr. Wing wasn't very afraid...but his stalker did look...A bit on the menacing side. He thought he had alittle reason to worry; he was quite capable of taking care of himself. He wondered if he should inform Basil about it...perhaps he should suggest that the follower caused some harm to his family, or was trying to keep him from finding them. With all that to conceder, Mr. Wing decided it would be wise to tell Basil what he had seen when he talked to him today.

He walked up the small steps of the flat, rapping at the door a few times, Mrs. Judson answered, showing him in, telling him to wait a moment.

"Mr. Basil, Mr. Wing is here to see you again. It is 2:00... I believe he has a meeting with you." Mrs. Judson walked in, addressing Basil. He told her to show Mr. Wing up. I wondered what Basil planned to do; now that Miss Wing had gone away. Perhaps today we would travel to Miss Lorna's home, and they could be reunited. Mr. Wing was showed in, and Basil told him to take a seat, sitting himself. Mr. Wing waited patiently, to hear what Basil had so far.

"Well...Mr. Wing...we did locate your daughter, Lillian Wing... However, the young woman has gone away for awhile." Basil paused a moment, looking at Mr. Wing. The poor man got a look of hurt and despair upon his face, but Basil's shook his paw, indicating he had more to say.

"We do know where she has gone. Her mother has fallen sick, and wished for Lillian to be there with her..."

"Oh! Mr. Basil! You know where they are?" After that, Mr. Wing went into the greatest amount of thank you's I have ever heard, talking about how much Basil wanted for solving this matter.

"I'm not done quite yet, Mr. Wing...I will take you to your family, but I shall go along, as will Dawson, to make sure everything is well."

"Oh! Of course, Mr. Basil! That's perfectly fine, as long as I can see my family."

"Ah, good then..." Basil pulled on his coat, as did I. Basil motioned us to follow him through a small passage...I knew where this was going.

"Oh...I hope you don't mind our means of transportation." Basil muttered to Mr. Wing, Smiling. Mr. Wing cocked an eyebrow, asking how they would be arriving there. Basil just smiled...and hollered.

"TOBY!!!!!"

CONTINUE ON TO PART TWO