Batter Way to do Business

“Wakey Wakey, Mister Black. Mister Winky is waiting, “ the baritone brickhouse spoke. His oily little partner snickered. I was summarily picked up by the scruff of the neck and whisked away in a dark Kia sedan so fast I only caught the last three digits of the license plate: 666. The sedan quickly navigated every dark alley the city had to offer before coming to an abrupt halt outside Mommas Bakery on 81st and Lexington Ave. 

Mommas bakery had looked better. The front window was smashed and the front door had an unnatural bent to it. The lamps were broken and the bulbs that were still working had a preternatural look as they glowed naked and cast long shadows on the wreckage of what was once a working bakery where many a denizen had bought scones that had a magical nature of making the eater happy. “Baked with Love” was a slogan few could argue with and I was about to discover that it was truly magic that made mommas scones the treat of the entire city. For Mister Winky was waiting for me in the pantry, the floor scattered with flour and empty tins.

“I'm sorry we had to awaken you this way,” Mister Winky apologized. “Our lives are on the line. These hooligans have not just vandalized us but have robbed us of our most precious secret ingredient. “ Mister Winky showed me the empty tins which were marked in bold lettering “Mommas Love”.  

My head began to spin. I eyed the Brickhouse, his oily little partner and then Mister Winky. By George I think they believe it! They believe that Mommas Love was missing from a half dozen empty tins laying about without lids on a flour covered bakery floor. 

“You expect me to find Mommas Love? Your secret ingredient for your bakery's famous scones?” It sounded even more insane when I said it out loud. 

The oily fellow snickered, the Brickhouse grunted and Mister Winky proffered,” We need you to get the secret ingredient back before dawn otherwise people will never know the happiness and joy of Mommas scones and that could have world wide consequences. “

“ What should I be looking for?” I was baffled. 

Mister Winky replied vaguely, “You will know when you find it” 

I walked around and there were footprints in the flour leading off in the direction of the parking lot. I followed the prints outside the bakery and out to the parking lot where they abruptly ended. Whoever broke into the bakery had a get away car. I'd have to wake Petee. I needed the street camera footage from outside the bakery. 

I found my wallet in the pocked of my pajamas where Brickhouse must of stuffed it while abducting me. I hailed a cab and 30 minutes later I was banging on Petee's door. I thought I would bloody my knuckles before he opened. Two of his neighbors had already opened their doors and told me off before the sleepy nerd peaked out of his door. “Blackie, Do you know what time it is?”

“Time to hack the City's Street cameras and get me a feed outside Mommas Bakery on 81st and Lexington Avenue.” Petee’s eyes open wide at that. He moved back into the apartment which was only lit by console screens and eventually sat at one of the computers He tapped lightly on the keys and monitor screens began to fill with monochromatic images.

As Petee deftly maneuvered fast forward and backwards on multiple camera feeds before suddenly stopping to open a package of screen wipes. He removed a wipe from the package and began scrubbing some spots on the monochromatic images.

“What's the matter?” Blackie inquired. 

“A shadow on the image. Just making sure it wasn’t my console screen.” Petee murmured perplexed.

“The Shadow!” Blackie cried out as he saw the dark black figure on the monochromatic security footage busting out the Bakery window and tearing the front door until it match the bent condition Blackie saw not an hour ago with his own eye. Petee made a frog imitation as he sat open mouth and wide eyed. “Follow him! Find where he went when he left with the secret ingredient!”

Peter moved slow and methodical but produced a footage trail of the infamous Shadow exiting the bakery and driving the getaway car, a charged black mustang GT, through a number of streets and alleys finally exiting in the Warehouse district down by the warf. 1313 Exeter. Peter cautiously inquired, “You not actually going to confront the Shadow, are you Blackie?”

“Just a man to man, talk.” Blackie replied more nonchalantly than he actually felt. Petee resumed his imitation of a frog. “Could I borrow some clothes? I was abruptly awoken.”

Fourty minutes later Blackie was catching a cab, he'd ditched his blue plaid striped pajamas and now was wearing a borrowed pair of Petee's dark colored Dockers and a retro Kiss concert t-shirt. The cab driver seemed suspicious of why a fella would want to go to a warehouse at the warf at this time of night. He was keeping a watchful eye on his fare. Blackie exited the cab outside of 1313 Exeter and as if on cue the door to the warehouse opened. The cabbie sped away as if the devil himself was giving chase and Blackie entered the hiding place of the infamous Shadow notorious underworld figure to ask him if he would kindly give back Mommas Love.

The warehouse seemed oddly cheery and comforting and Blackie discovered that Mommas Love was already doing her magic. Blackie moved into a spacious dimly lit room with a large table and a half a dozen chairs. A cylinder on the table glowed and sparkled. Blackie nearly jumped out of his skin when the disembodied voice came out of the darkness, “Magnificent isn't she.”

The Shadow was there in the dark or he was the dark. Blackie took a deep breath. “Others will be missing her if we don't get her back.”

“Nero has hogged her long enough, “ The Shadow sounded peevish.

“Nero?” Blackie asked.

“Mister Winky, my brother. He was always mother's favorite. “ The Shadow, infamous underworld figure, sounded like a small hurt child. 

The lightbulb of Blackie's mind clicked on! Mister Winky, his henchmen, must be Mutt and Jeff, the Kia with the last 3 digits of 666. Nero, aka Mister Winky had been keeping Mommas Love and dishing it out in minor pinches added to the scone batter. While his brother the Shadow had literally and figuratively been in the shadows. Didn't everyone deserve Mommas Love? Blackie made an offer to The Shadow that he hoped he wouldn't refuse.

When the cab pulled up to the curb in front of Mommas Bakery, Nero and his henchmen were waiting. “Where is it? Mister Black, I'm not a man you want to disappoint.”

“So I hear from your brother, The Shadow.” I replied 

“My brother! He stole Mommas Love!?” Nero cried.

“Not exactly, “ Blackie explained, “We reallocated it.”

Nero frowned as Blackie explained that the city would now experience Mommas Love with their morning coffee. The oily henchman almost caught Blackie who ran much faster than the Brickhouse. If Mutt and Jeff had been smarter they would of jumped in the dark sedan for their pursuit. Blackie would avoid his digs until things died down and he eventually wound up at Petee's watching the city on security cameras as the people of the city had an amazing day of joy and kindness experiencing unconditionally Mommas Love. If you see The Shadow, you might remind him, Momma loved him too.