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Chapter XXIX

Visiting St. Alsatian

Because it was Saturday morning, Michael adjusted the clock to go off at 0200. After shutting the alarm off, he looked at Amanda who was sleeping peacefully and thought how happy she was when he finally admitted his feelings for her. He also realized how happy he was that he was able to defeat the demon that kept him from admitting these feelings. As he thought these things, he smiled, caressed Amanda's face causing her to smile in her sleep, pulled her closer to him and fell back asleep.

It seemed like only a few seconds later that Michael felt someone shaking his shoulder. No, not shaking his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. He opened one eye and looked. Amanda had her muzzle in the crook of his neck and was gently kissing and nibbling it. He smiled.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"Mm. Yes. Are you enjoying yourself?"

He pulled her even closer and said, "Of course. I'm glad I told you that I love you."

"I'm glad, too. I'm also glad that you're still allowing me to sleep in bed with you. It makes me feel safe having you hold me while I sleep."

"It was my pleasure.

"Now, are you ready to get up and get some breakfast?"

"What time is it?"

Michael looked at the clock. "It's 0245."

"Mmm. Yes, we should get up. I know you want to visit somewhere today. Let's eat and we can decide where to go while we eat."

"Sounds good to me. Go get dressed and I'll be ready by the time you get back."

Amanda got out of bed and, unlike previous times, walked, rather than ran, to her room and got dressed. Michael got out of bed, went into the bathroom and dressed. He still didn't trust her to not try to surprise him. However, he was more than a little shocked when he opened the bathroom door and wasn't immediately pounced upon by a tiger-striped vixen. He stuck his head out of the doorway and looked around. He saw Amanda quietly sitting in a chair at the table.

Michael looked at her for a couple of seconds before saying, "I'm shocked."

Surprised at this, Amanda replied, "What?"

"You didn't pounce on me. Don't you love me anymore?" He said, smiling.

"Of course, I do. I don't have to pounce on you every time I see you to love you."

Michael had reached her by this time and put his arm around her waist as she stood up and said, "Well, I had gotten a bit used to your pounces but changing things around can make a relationship interesting.

"What do you want to have for breakfast?"

"I thought I'd eat at the buffet today."

"Me too. Let's get down there before all the good stuff is gone."

*****

They reached the dining room and told the waitress that they would eat from the buffet this morning. After giving her their drink orders, they walked to the buffet, made their selections and returned to their table. By the time they returned, their drinks were sitting on the table.

Amanda had selected bacon and ham with her eggs and grits as did Michael. She said, "So, where do you want visit today?"

"I thought we'd visit either St. Alsatian or maybe the Oakfernokee Swamp in south Gargia."

"Couldn't we do both?"

"Only if we went to the Oakfernokee Swamp first and then, we couldn't do a lot in St. Alsatian."

"Why not?"

"I don't know how much St. Alsatian has changed over the last 20,000 years but, when I visited when I was in college, you couldn't do everything in one day."

"Then, let's go to St. Alsatian. We can always visit the Oakfernokee Swamp later since it's closer to Catlanna."

"St. Alsatian it is. As soon as we've finished eating, we'll leave."

They didn't rush eating breakfast, although it didn't take more than 30 minutes to finish. After Michael paid for their breakfast, they headed to the car while holding hands. Michael still couldn't get over the thrill he felt every time they held hands. Michael held the door open for Amanda and, while he walked around the car, she leaned over and opened the door for him. He thanked her, got in and cranked the car. He pulled out of the parking garage and took the highway south toward St. Alsatian.

*****

An hour later, they were entering St. Alsatian. Amanda said, "What is there to do here?"

"Well, 20,000 years ago we could visit the Spanish fort, the Castillo de San Marcos. There were several other forts we could visit. We could visit the old city, the original city of St. Augustine, there was an open air mall on one of the streets, St. George Street to be exact. There was supposed to be several haunted areas of the city, a wax museum, the oldest wooden schoolhouse, numerous museums, including a museum of oddities from around the world, called Ripley's Believe It or Not. Of course, most, if not all, of those things could be gone by now."

"I don't care, Michael. As long as we're together, I know I'll enjoy myself."

As they drove around, Michael was more than a little surprised at how few people there were in St. Alsatian. As he drove by the old waterfront, he understood why. With the level of the ocean so low, Anastasia Island and Vilano Beach were just hills separated by a small river. The river, approximately a quarter mile wide, was formed from two rivers of the same size, one from the north and one from the south, that met in the old Bay of Dolphins. The lighthouse he knew was a crumbling ruin. They drove by the Castillo de San Marcos and, even though he was expecting it to look differently, Michael was shocked to see that the walls were less than five feet tall. He figured it was because during the recent Ice Age the air was so dry that the rare rain storm washed away more and more of the old coquina rock that the fort was made of. After over 10,000 years of an Ice Age, less than ¼ of the old fort still stood.

Michael parked the car and he and Amanda got out and started walking through the city. At times, it was over 5 minutes between meeting or passing by someone. They approached the old fort and Michael walked up to the wall and laid his hand on it, utterly amazed at how he was actually taller than the wall itself. He was also surprised that he could enter the fort without being challenged by a guard or National Park Ranger. As they walked around the fort, Michael also noted that there wasn't anyone else inside the fort. They explored the fort for about an hour and Amanda was continually oohing and aahing at what she saw. Michael saw a few old cannons on the ground but, they were so rusted he wouldn't have known they were cannons if he hadn't seen them 20,000 years earlier.

They left the fort and walked toward where Michael remembered St. George Street to be. It was still there but it was little more than a dirt path barely six feet wide. As they turned into the pathway, Michael pointed behind them and said, "The old city gates used to be right there. When I visited here, they were two hollow coquina shell towers with openings facing each other. When the towers were the actual city gates, guards would stand inside the openings and challenge anyone who wished to enter."

"Interesting."

"I know. I sound like a school teacher, don't I?"

"I wasn't going to say that but, . . .

Michael laughed, put his arm around Amanda's waist and continued his lecture on what he remembered seeing and where it was located back then. The old schoolhouse, which stood at the northern end of St. George Street didn't exist any more but Michael wasn't surprised at that because he knew that wood wouldn't last 20,000 years; he remembered being surprised that it had stood for almost 300 years when he had actually seen it. They walked along the path and, occasionally, would meet other couples. They were a little surprised to see most of them were adjusting their clothing after entering the path from behind bushes. Michael smiled a knowing smile at them as he passed them while Amanda looked at them curiously.

After passing the third couple, Amanda turned to Michael and asked, "Michael, why are they adjusting their clothing?"

Michael smiled mischievously as he said, "Why do you think they're adjusting their clothing?"

Amanda thought for a few seconds before she drew a sharp breath. "You mean they were . . .?"

"Yep."

"Michael, should we be walking down this path? We might accidentally interrupt a couple engaged in their . . . coupling."

Michael laughed lightly and said, "All right, Amanda. We can turn back toward the fort up there." He pointed to a cross pathway that ran away from the old waterfront. It was where Hypolita Street used to be.

They returned to the old waterfront and headed toward the car. As they walked, Amanda said, "Michael, I'm starting to get hungry. Why don't we find a restaurant?"

Michael was a bit shocked until he looked at his watch and realized that it was almost 0600. "Of course, Sweetheart. We should be able to find a restaurant somewhere along the old waterfront."

They turned left onto the Hypolita pathway. Five minutes later, they exited onto the waterfront street. Michael stopped and looked both ways. Finally, he saw a small restaurant about 50 yards to their right. "There we go. There's a nice small restaurant. I'm sure they've got something we'll both eat."

Michael took her hand and led her to the restaurant. He read "Jake's Diner" on a large rectangular board across the roof of the restaurant. Upon entering, he stopped and stared. It was the spitting image of an ancient human diner complete with counter, stools and booths. Behind the counter was a cook, a grill, a deep-fat fryer, refrigerators, and other cooking paraphernalia. Amanda finally had to remind Michael to step inside so other patrons could enter. The cashier, a nutria, bade them enter.

After staring at them for several seconds, the cashier said, "Welcome to Jake's Diner. Would you prefer a stool or a booth?"

Michael said, "A booth, please."

"Take your choice, sir." After they sat down, the cashier brought them a menu. She said, "Please excuse this invasion of your privacy, sir, but are you a human?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm most definitely a human. Why do you ask?"

"We don't get many humans here. In fact, I'd never seen one before you walked in today."

"Are humans that rare in St. Alsatian?" Michael asked.

"Rare? They don't even remotely exist here. In fact, I've never heard of one visiting."

"My name's Michael Thomson and the lady with me is Amanda Fuchs."

The nutria, who was wearing a name tag that read, 'June', looked at Amanda and said, "Fuchs? You're a tigress."

"No, ma'am. I'm a vixen. About 200 years ago, I had a Siberian tigress ancestor on my mother's side and a Javan tigress ancestor on my father's side. Their genes came together in me and that's why I look the way I do."

"Interesting."

She turned to Michael and said, "Thomson? Like the gazelle?"

Michael laughed and said, "Yes, ma'am. Like the gazelle."

"How long do you plan on being in St. Alsatian?"

"Just a few hours. I used to visit St. Alsatian when I was a boy. It's a lot different than I remember it looking. Why do you ask?"

Looking around, June said, "A lot of Humanimals in St. Alsatian don't like humans. I've heard many of them saying that they're looking forward to the day that humans are officially declared extinct."

"Why?"

"There are many who have experienced firsthand prejudice and bigotry at the hands of humans. Because of this, all humans were banned from St. Alsatian. If the authorities hear that you're here, you might be arrested, taken to the edge of town and released."

"I hope that they'll at least understand that I don't mean any harm, especially after I tell them that Amanda is my girlfriend."

"Maybe, but I kinda doubt it. In fact, I wouldn't tell the police that she's your girlfriend."

"Why not?"

"It's, uh, illegal for a Humanimal to have a relationship with a human here in St. Alsatian."

With a shocked look on his face, Michael said, "That's rather harsh. Why?"

"I don't really know. It's been illegal for over 100 years.

"Well, maybe they'll let you finish your lunch. So, what would you like?"

Amanda and Michael ordered their meals and the cook, an orangutan, took their orders and cooked them up. As the cook prepared their meals, Michael took the time to look around. He was amazed that it was 0613 and the diner was almost empty.

When June returned with their drinks, Michael said, "June, is it always this slow here?"

"Yes. Most people go to the big chains and fast food restaurants. They don't seem to have the time to sit and enjoy their meal."

"With a view like that?" Michael pointed out the window at the harbor. "Maybe Jake could use the harbor as a drawing card."

The orangutan turned around, looked at Michael, and said, "Use the ancient harbor as a drawing card? Why would anybody want to come to my diner and look at the harbor?"

"Well Mr. Jake, most people like to look at water plus you can see Antastasia Island from here. When I last visited, there were houses all along Antastasia Island's interior coastline. Nowadays, there isn't a single house to be seen there. We can look across the river and see nothing but trees and a ruined lighthouse. It's beautiful. Now, if you were to use that view as a way to draw customers, I'm sure you're business would grow."

"I never thought about that. Thanks, Michael, is it?"

"Yes, sir."

Turning to June, Jake said, "June, sweetheart, their meal is on the house."

"Of course, hon."

Jake finished cooking their meal and pulled a chair to the booth table that Michael and Amanda were sitting at. "Where are you going from here, Michael?"

"I haven't decided, Mr. Jake. I thought about crossing the river and visiting Antastasia Island, maybe drive all the way to the south end of the island. I know that later today we've got to return to Jaguarville. I'm meeting the fiancee of a new friend to talk to him about his future as a CIT."

"Really? Are you a CIT?"

"Yes, sir. I'm the CIT manager of SoGa Industries in Catlanna."

"SoGa Industries? A cousin of mine is a vice-president there."

"Really? I know all of the VPs. We don't have any orangutans."

"Oh, my cousin is a chimpanzee."

"Are you talking about Mr. Schimpanse?"

"Yes. My mother married Mr. Schimpanse's mother's brother that's why my family name is Txinpantze."

June brought their meal and, as she was placing it on the table, a voice from behind them caught Michael's attention. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? It looks like a human."

Michael turned around and saw a German Shepherd and an Irish Wolfhound wearing police uniforms. Smiling, Michael said, "How astute of you two gentlemen. That I most certainly am, a human. What can I do for you gentlemen?"

The police officers were taken aback by Michael's nonchalant attitude. The German Shepherd, who was wearing sergeant stripes, said, "You don't seem to be too concerned that we're here, human."

"Should I be?"

"You do know the law, don't you?"

"Can't say as I do. I'm only visiting St. Alsatian."

The German Shepherd, whose name badge said Schäferin, said, "It's illegal for any human to be within the city limits of St. Alsatian for any reason whatsoever. Since you're not even in your automobile, I could arrest you and take you to jail. What do you think about that, human?"

Michael found Sergeant Schäferin's attitude a bit off putting but he maintained an air of nonchalantness. "I think I wouldn't care for that, Sergeant. However, I would like to know why I can't be in St. Alsatian for any reason. After all, I'm a stranger in these parts and, I should be given a bit of a benefit of the doubt."

The wolfhound, whose name tag read Madra, said, "You are a human. There's no reason for us to explain the law to you. You should have studied what's legal and illegal before you arrived here. Don't you think?"

"Well, Officer, you're quite correct. However, this is the first time that I've run into a situation where I wasn't allowed inside a city for any reason. Needless to say, I'm a bit taken aback by this law."

Turning back the Sergeant Schäferin, Michael, once again, asked, "Would you tell me why humans aren't allowed within the city limits of St. Alsatian?"

Sergeant Schäferin stepped beside Michael like he was trying to intimidate Michael and said, "It's the law. That's all you need to know. Any more questions, human?"

Now, Michael was starting to get irritated and, as a result, he was having a hard time controlling his mouth. "Yes, Sergeant, I do have another question. Why are humans barred from being inside the city limits of St. Alsatian for any reason?" Michael was the kind of person to grab ahold of an idea and not let it go until he received a satisfactory explanation.

"Because it's the law! How many times do I have to say that!?"

"Sergeant, I'm being respectful to you. You don't have to get angry. All laws have a reason behind them. All I'm asking is the reason behind this law. I'm not saying I'll be more agreeable if I know the reason; I'm just saying if I know the reason, I'll be more understanding. So, could you tell me why this stupid law is on the books?"

Jake jumped in before Sergeant Schäferin and Officer Madra could overreact. "Michael, let me explain. About 150 years ago, there was a series of murders, specifically a number of Humanimals were murdered."

"Humanimals were targeted? Why?"

"Nobody knows. All that's known is that, in a period of three months, fifteen Humanimals were murdered and no humans. That would seem to imply that the murderer was a human. After careful investigation, at least the history books say it was careful, it was determined that a human had murdered all those Humanimals."

"I see. Fifteen Humanimals were murdered in a three month period. That's about five per month or a little over one a week. So, what evidence did the police come up with to arrest the murderer?"

"Oh, the murderer was never found."

"What!? Wait, you mean, that nobody was ever arrested for those murders but a law was passed banning humans from the city of St. Alsatian?" Michael snorted and said, "That sounds like the old human saying, 'Hang 'em all and you'll get the guilty.'"

Sergeant Schäferin said, "What?"

"In other words, Sergeant, by banning every human that lived in St. Alsatian at the time from living in, or even visiting, St. Alsatian, the guilty person should be among them."

Michael thought for a few seconds as he ate his meal. Finally, he turned to Sergeant Schäferin and asked, "Sergeant, how many Humanimals had been murdered in St. Alsatian in the previous, say, 5 years?"

"I'd have to look at the statistics. Why?"

"Well, if there had been several murders prior to that string of murders, then, St. Alsatian might have ignored those murders and looked for a scapegoat for those fifteen that happened in a short amount of time."

Sergeant Schäferin said, "Come on, human, you need to leave St. Alsatian or we have to arrest you."

Michael looked at his rapidly cooling lunch and said, "Sergeant, if you don't mind, my girlfriend," he indicated Amanda, "and I have just received our lunch. I'm sure it's almost lunch time for you and Officer Madra. How about you let me and my girlfriend finish our lunch and you and Officer Madra eat lunch and then you can arrest me and take me to the station. I promise that I won't give you any trouble while we eat and I'll wait patiently while you finish your lunch. How does that sound?"

"You want to be arrested? Why?

"I have ulterior motives, Sergeant."

"Wait a minute. This tigress is your girlfriend? Don't you know it's illegal . . ."

"Yes, Sergeant. Miss June's already told us it's illegal for a Humanimal and a human to have a relationship. You can add that charge to our arrest form. Now, how about you two enjoying lunch while Amanda and I finish ours?"

Sergeant Schäferin turned to Officer Madra and said, "Well Sean, we are between him and the door and I doubt very seriously he could take both of us. So, why not?"

"I agree Erich. So, let's eat."

The police officers sat down, ordered a meal and ate. As they ate, they talked with Michael and Amanda. Michael impressed both officers with his friendliness and intelligence. They discussed the crime that caused the law to be passed and as they discussed it, Michael became more and more intrigued. He slowly determined that he was going to get to the bottom of that situation and get the law repealed. Listening to Jake talk about the murders and their aftereffect had planted a germ of an idea in his head and he didn't like what the idea started looking like. He just knew that he needed to get to the police station and, hopefully, see the police report on the murders.

About half an hour after arriving, Michael stood up, turned around and put his hands behind his back. Sergeant Schäferin looked at him quizzically for a second before he remembered what he had to do. He snapped a set of handcuffs on Michael's wrists and started escorting him out of Jake's Diner. Just before they arrived at the police cruiser, Michael stopped short and turned around.

Sergeant Schäferin said, "Is there a problem? I thought you weren't going to give us a hard time about arresting you."

"Yes, Sergeant. I just remembered. My girlfriend doesn't have a key to the car we're riding in. Could you reach into my left front pocket, get the keys and hand them to her so she can follow us?"

Sergeant Schäferin looked at Michael for a second, laughed and said, "You know; normally, I wouldn't even consider doing what you just asked me to do but, since you've proven to be understanding of the situation, I'll do that for her." Sergeant Schäferin said, "You don't have any sharp objects in that pocket, do you?"

"Normally, I carry a knife in that pocket but something told me to leave it at home today so no, I don't."

Sergeant Schäferin ran his hand into the pocket, found the keys and handed them to Amanda. He said to her, "Ma'am, we'll drive slow enough that you can follow us to the station. When we arrive, we'll have to drive into the garage. There is visitor parking on the west side of the building. Find a parking place and enter through the front door. If anybody asks what your business is, just tell them that Sergeant Schäferin will come out to escort you to the back. I'll be out to get you as soon as possible."

"Yes sir, Sergeant."

Michael was placed in the back of the patrol car with Officer Madra sitting next to him. About 10 minutes later, they arrived at the police station and Michael was taken inside and put into a chair by a desk. Officer Madra sat behind the desk and Sergeant Schäferin went to the front of the building. A couple of minutes later, Sergeant Schäferin and Amanda arrived and Amanda was offered a seat while Sergeant Schäferin escorted Michael to Lieutenant Wolfson's office.

Lieutenant Wolfson looked up from the paperwork on his desk and said, "Erich, why do you have a human here?"

"Well Lieutenant, we had received a report of a human walking through St. Alsatian in the company of a tigress. We finally tracked him down at Jake's Diner."

Lieutenant Wolfson sighed heavily and said, "Jake. He's always keeping humans in his diner to keep them out of trouble with the law. One of these days, he's going to be arrested for aiding and abetting and then he'll learn about skirting the law."

Turning to Michael, Lieutenant Wolfson said, "What's your name, human?"

"Michael Thomson, sir."

When he heard Michael's name, the Lieutenant paused for a few seconds. Finally, he said, "Do you have any identification?"

"Yes, sir. It's in my right rear pocket, in my billfold."

"Sergeant, uncuff him so he can get his ID."

"Yes, sir." Sergeant Schäferin removed the handcuffs and Michael retrieved his ID.

Michael handed the ID to the Lieutenant who looked at it. He smiled as he read the birthdate. "Are you serious? 2069? You're over 5,000 years old?"

Michael smiled and said, "Yes sir. Actually, I'm over 20,000 years old."

Lieutenant Wolfson stopped with his mouth open. Finally, after about half a minute, he said, "20,000 years old? You mean you're THAT Michael Thomson?"

"Yes sir, I am. Why?"

"Oh dear. Sergeant, take Mr. Thomson back to your desk until I ask you to bring him back. If he wants or needs anything, other than being released, make sure he gets it."

Michael smiled to himself and asked, "Anything?"

"Well, not a firearm of course, but anything that won't bring harm to the station."

"Yes sir. Come on, Michael."

They returned to Sergeant Schäferin's desk and Michael sat in the chair he had been occupying earlier. After he sat, Sergeant Schäferin asked, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Actually, there is, Sergeant. I'd like to see the police reports about those murders 150 years ago."

"Why?"

"I think I may have an idea on how to solve that case."

Sergeant Schäferin laughed and said, "You hear about a 150-year-old murder case and less than an hour later you can solve it when nobody could solve it 150 years ago? This I've got to see."

*****

Right after Sergeant Schäferin and Michael left his office, Lieutenant Wolfson picked up his telephone and dialed a telephone number. After a few rings, the call was answered and Lieutenant Wolfson said, "John, we've got a problem."

"What kind of problem, Oscar?"

"Sergeant Schäferin and Officer Madra just arrested Michael Thomson."

"Michael Thomson?"

"Yes sir, the 20,000-year-old man?"

There was a pause on the telephone before John said, "You verified this?"

"Yes. I looked at his ID, actually, both of them. He's got one that gives his birthdate as 20 July 2069 and it has "State of Georgia" on it. Gargia hasn't been called Georgia in over 15,000 years."

"Oh dear."

"I'm guessing Sergeant Schäferin arrested Mr. Thomson for violating the humans in St. Alsatian law."

"That's right, John. What are we going to do?"

"I'll be down there in about half an hour. We'll talk about it then." Lieutenant Wolfson hung up the telephone and looked through the window of his office at Michael.

*****

Sergeant Schäferin returned with the police report that Michael had asked for. It had taken him several minutes to find it so, as Lieutenant Wolfson looked through his window, Sergeant Schäferin was returning. Sergeant Schäferin placed the report in front of Michael and looked at him curiously.

"Mr. Thomson, what do you think you'll be able to find that no one else could find?"

"Actually Sergeant, since I'm not a trained police officer, I'll read the report and tell you what I find. I hope that by telling you what I find, you'll figure out what actually happened. But, I'm thinking that what we'll find out is the truth, the real truth."

Michael opened the report and, with Sergeant Schäferin and Officer Madra looking over his shoulder, read the report. One thing struck Michael as strange. The murders were committed in several different ways. One was strangled; five were stabbed multiple times; two were shot; four had their throats cut; and four had been beaten to death with a blunt object. When Michael asked about this oddity, the officers said that it was well-known information.

"That's strange, though."

"What do you mean, Mr. Thomson?" Officer Madra asked.

"Well, I'm no expert but, I've always heard that a mass murderer tended to use the same method for killing all of his victims. The fact that 15 victims were killed 5 different ways tells me that either a) there was more than one killer or b) it was one murderer trying to hide his identity by confusing the police."

Michael sat in thought for several seconds before asking, "How many humans lived in St. Alsatian at that time? Do you know?"

Officer Madra turned to his computer and typed in a few commands and read the printout. "It says here that the human population of St. Alsatian 150 years ago was 1,326."

"What happened to the property that those humans owned?"

Officer Madra typed more commands, read the printout and said, "It was confiscated by the city and resold." Madra stopped and read the printout again. "It was all bought by the same person." He added in a surprised voice.

"Who?"

Officer Madra looked at Sergeant Schäferin and said, "Tyler Rosomak." Both officers were visibly stunned at this revelation.

Michael stared at their reaction. "What?"

*****

"Oscar, where is Michael Thomson?"

Lieutenant Wolfson looked up and saw a wolverine standing just inside his office door. "He's at Sergeant Schäferin's desk. Come on. I'll introduce you."

They left Lieutenant Wolfson's office and approached Sergeant Schäferin's desk. Amanda saw them and walked over. When they arrived, Lieutenant Wolfson said, "Michael, may I introduce the president of the city council, John Rosomak. And who is this lovely lady?"

Michael stood and said, "This is my girlfriend, Amanda Fuchs." He turned to Amanda and said, "Amanda, this is Lieutenant Wolfson." Amanda smiled at them and offered them her hand which they took and gallantly kissed causing Amanda to smile appreciatively. Lieutenant Wolfson asked Officer Madra to bring a chair for Amanda. The chair was placed next to Michael's and Amanda sat down.

Michael shook John's hand. As he shook hands with John Rosomak, he asked, "Rosomak? As in Tyler Rosomak?"

"Yes, Tyler Rosomak was my great-great-great-grandfather. You know of him?"

Michael exchanged a glance with Sergeant Schäferin and Officer Madra before saying. "Well, in a way, sir. I was just reading about him."

Sergeant Schäferin interrupted and said, "Mr. Rosomak, do you know that Tyler bought all of the property that St. Alsatian confiscated from the humans after they were expelled from St. Alsatian?"

John thought for several seconds before saying, "I believe I had heard that. Why?"

Michael opened his mouth to reply but Sergeant Schäferin said, "Sir, don't you think it's odd that he was the only one to purchase all that land. In fact, according to newspaper stories, he made his bid for the land," Sergeant Schäferin looked at the computer screen before continuing, "five minutes after the law was passed by the city council. Mr. Rosomak, either your great-great-great-grandfather was the luckiest land developer ever or he knew the law was going to be passed. Which seems to indicate that he knew who had committed the murders of the Humanimals before the law was passed. The story also says, 'Tyler Rosomak was the person who found each body and reported their location to the city police."

"What are you implying, Sergeant?"

"I'm not implying anything, Mr. Rosomak. I am, however, saying that there are just too many coincidences in this situation and I'm not a fan of coincidences. In other words, sir, if your ancestor didn't kill those Humanimals, he most definitely knew who did."

John Rosomak sat heavily in a chair and put his head in his hands. Finally, after a minute in thought, he said, "My grandfather once told me the story of how my family obtained our wealth. It seems that his great grandfather, Tyler, made a strange statement on his deathbed. He said, 'I'm sorry for what I did when I was younger. I'm so sorry for hurting those families.' Nobody knew what he meant. Now, I know."

"What are you going to do, Mr. Rosomak?" Michael asked.

"I'm going to find all the descendants of those displaced humans and I'm going to set up a fund to pay each living descendant one million Yenars and I'm going to have the city council vote to repeal the law preventing humans inside St. Alsatian. Finally, I'm going to resign as president of the council."

Michael said, "Why are you going to resign, sir?"

"Didn't you hear? There's evidence my great-great-great-grandfather was a murderer."

"Are you a murderer?"

"No."

"Then, you are innocent of those murders, sir. Repaying the descendants of those falsely accused and displaced humans and having the law repealed should suffice. If you want to repent of what your ancestor did, then tell everyone in the city and call for a special election. Let the people tell you what they think of your abilities as president of the city council and whether or not you should be held responsible for what your ancestor may have done."

"Is that what would have been done back when you were living before?"

Michael laughed and said, "No sir. Our politicians back then would never admit they made a mistake nor even accept responsibility for anything that an ancestor did, although those same politicians would demand their political opponents did."

"Humans back then were a strange species."

"Yes, sir. They most definitely were."

Mr. Rosomak picked up a telephone and made a telephone call. He told the person on the other end that a special meeting of the city council was necessary because of information he had just received. He listened for several seconds before responding saying that the law banning humans from St. Alsatian should be repealed because of this information. After a couple of minutes, he hung up the telephone, asked for a pen and paper, wrote a short note, and handed it to Michael.

He said, "Michael, keep this note on your person while you are in St. Alsatian. It states that you are exempt from the Human Ban Law on my orders. You and your girlfriend deserve to be able to enjoy the sights of the city without fear of being arrested. Hopefully, by the end of the day I'll still have a job but, if I don't, at least I will have repaid those who were wronged by our ancestors. I'm even going to find the descendants of those 15 Humanimals who were murdered, tell them what we've discovered and offer them reparations for their losses.

"Michael, thank you for helping us to solve this old mystery. You saw things that no one else saw or they refused to see. Back then, as strange as it may sound, there was some trouble between humans and humanimals. I remember reading in history class that a group of speciesists were complaining about inter-marriage between humans and Humanimals and were stirring up trouble. My great-great-great-grandfather may have been among these speciesists and he saw an opportunity to make a great deal of money if he could obtain the land that the humans owned. That could be something else he was apologizing for on his deathbed."

"You could be right, Mr. Rosomak. Thank you for this note and, hopefully, the law will be repealed and humans will, once again, be welcomed in St. Alsatian.

"How about having the inter-species relationship ban repealed as well. That kind of thing should be decided between the human and the Humanimal. Don't you think?"

After thinking for a few seconds, Mr. Rosomak said, "Yes, Michael. You're absolutely right. I'll propose the repeal of that law, too. Thanks again, Michael."

"You're welcome, Mr. Rosomak. Come on, Amanda. I think we need to head back to Jaguarville. We need to start getting ready to return to Catlanna tomorrow."

Amanda smiled, shook everyone's hand and said, "Thank you, Mr. Rosomak. I'm happy to know that Michael doesn't need to worry about being arrested for being a human while we're on our way out of St. Alsatian."

Michael and Amanda left the building, got into their car and headed back to Jaguarville.