San Francisco has a rat problem. Sewer workers are getting attacked by rats. Restaurant owners are pestered.. Vigilantes stalk the sewers hunting rats. It seems that the rats are even partying in the street. The investigators meet each other as they explore two apparently unrelated problems.
Charles Myers is working a security job at the Plaza Hotel, where management have brought in Pinkertons to stop rampant room thefts. Robin Smith-Stanley, Tom Carrington and George Brown staying at the Plaza are interested in the theft problem, especially when Robin finds his watch gone. The investigators learn that only small items are taken, and that the target rooms are mainly near the service core of the building. Robbed rooms all have rat holes around the plumbing. Maintenance have been patching rat holes gnawed into rooms around the bathroom plumbing access, but the rats keep gnawing through again.
Babe Trubble is approached by Mrs. Christine Pettigrew about her lost black standard poodle "Alphonse", who disappeared Christmas Eve. It's not much of a case, but the woman is willing to pay standard fees plus expenses, and business is slow lately. She listed her missing dog in the papers Sunday 12/27, and noticed three other "lost dog" listings all with phone numbers in the same exchange as her own:
Mrs. Willetts, 1580 Oak St. lost Willie Boy, a collie. Saw a chinaman with a cart looking suspicious in neighborhood Christmas Eve. Has copy of "cat menu" article from "The Wasp".
Mr. Hammond 128 Baker St. lost Harry, a german shepherd. Saw SPCA truck in neighborhood Christmas Eve.
Mr. Baker 427 Buena Vista lost Bobby, a great dane. Saw small, dark ratty-looking dogcatcher walking about with his net and noose pole on Christmas Eve.
Mrs. Pettigrew got no response from the police when she complained to them about these suspicious coincidences. They treated her like a silly old woman. She wants her dog back if possible, and wants the dog thief identified and stopped.
Babe finds Irene Hudson at the San Francisco SPCA very helpful. The SFSPCA doesn't seem to have the dogs, although one of their trucks was reported in the area. Dogcatcher Vincent Onofrio (small, dark, ratty-looking) had a truck out that evening, but says he didn't pick up the dogs, and the log book from his truck confirms his statement. Checking the SPCA records for receiving, adoptions and euthanasia shows no irregularities -- nobody thinks to check for records from the incinerator where euthanized animals go. Babe's partner Max Trubble observes that Vincent does have a remarkably nice car parked outside his apartment.
Margie King joins Babe to check out the 'cat menu' claims and talks to Charlie Fang, manager of the Chinese Garden. Charlie complains that "Wasp" editor Oscar Hillman had dined at the Garden several times before pushing his silly sensationalist 'fried cat' story. The circled characters are not 'cat' and 'dog'. And Chinese people in San Francisco would never think of eating dog!
Charles, Tom, George and Robin determine that the hotel thefts are performed by rats and get the Plaza Hotel to put in metal plates around their plumbing. Since the hotel doesn't want rats in guest rooms anyway, it's easy to convince management to make that investment -- though nobody believes it will stop the thefts. Amazingly, the rat exclusion plates do curtail thefts at the Plaza. Charles spots one of the stolen watches in a pawn shop on Columbus St. The pawn ticket is dated before the watch was even stolen and records the owner as Vincent Onofrio. Bringing in the police, Charles discovers more stolen goods in the shop, many with Vincent Onofrio's name on the pawn ticket.
Margie is convinced the mysterious and odiferous Weird Willie probably knows more about what's going on with the rats and any other strange events, and spends hours in progressively more confusing conversations with him. She does get some more rat stories, such as a report of a "rat jockey" riding on a dog that had six legs. And she learns that the rats come and go from the streets mainly through the storm drains (big surprise).
Babe visits Dr. Richard Pettigrew's office in the Mills Tower (220 Post Street) to check for any further information about his wife's missing pet. Dr. Pettigrew runs Pacific Chemical Supply, which has been selling San Francisco the poisons for rat control. Shortly after Babe arrives, Pettigrew's secretary collapses at her desk. The resulting confusion allows Babe to scan through papers showing that the city is most unhappy with Dr. Pettigrew and his company, alleging inferior/contaminated product and misleading/fraudulent usage instructions. Dr. Pettigrew maintains the poisons have been ineffective because the SF Public Works Department has been incompetent in their application.
Babe's friend Detective Speer SFPD lets her know the secretary was poisoned by barium carbonate in the sugar she put on her grapefruit snack. Barium carbonate is the primary rat poison that Pacific Chemical has been selling San Francisco for rat control. How it got in the sugar bowl, nobody knows yet. Checking for more information about poisons and poisonings, Babe brings Dr. Ben Houghton into the circle of investigators.
Just as everyone is getting more interested in Vincent Onofrio, he's found early Friday morning lying dead in Illinois Street with multiple wounds. His body is near his SPCA truck, in which are 12 live dogs. The SFSPCA logs say that Vincent drove a dozen euthanized dogs to the city incinerator Thursday night at about 10:00 pm. Vincent's personal "little black book" was found in the truck cab, filled with gibberish text. The police let Babe make a copy, which the investigators (mainly Robin) quickly decrypt into a name/address/phone list with dated listings that remain cryptic even when decoded.
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