Flickertail & Paint in the Case of the Missing Turkey

While Flickertail was visiting Paint, the Feldstein Inn down the road from Paint's barn was overflowing with guests on Thanksgiving. Usually the inn only served breakfast but these guests were chefs and they chose the Feldstein Inn for their annual Thanksgiving cookoff. Each chef's dish or dessert would be judged and awarded a possible ribbon. The ribbons represented a great deal of prestige which translated into extra business for the winning chefs.

With so many cooks in the kitchen things got a bit chaotic and the turkey was somehow misplaced.

The chefs looked in all the obvious places like the freeezer, the refrigerator, the kitchen counter, the dining room table, the microwave, and the oven with no success.

"Our friends and the judges will be arriving in less than six hours. How can we possibly have Thanksgiving without the turkey?"

"There's a famous horse and llama detective team on the neighbors' farm," said the inn keeper. "I'll go get them."

"Do you think one of the chefs hid the turkey on purpose to sabatoge another chef from winning the ribbon?" Flickertail asked Paint on the way to the Feldstein Inn.

"Well, let's find out."

When the detectives entered the kitchen Paint asked, "Which of you is responsible for preparing the turkey?"

"We all are but Three Feathers, who also dances with turkeys, oversees the turkey preparations."

"Is there a head chef?"

One of the chefs stepped forward. "I am."

"What's your name?"

"Bill."

"OK Bill. Have you finished preparing your dish yet?"

"Yes."

"Fine, then let's talk out here on the porch."

As Bill, Flickertail, and Paint prepared to be seated, Paint noticed an odd odor. "There's a fowl odor in here."

"You mean it smells bad?" asked Bill.

"No, I mean it smells like fowl."

The three of them sniffed every nook and cranny trying to determine where the odor originated.

Flickertail found some bones including the wish bone. "Maybe we should wish for the rest of the turkey to suddenly appear."

Robin Williams appeared as a genie. "I was just sleeping off the tryptophan and I'm in a foul mood. What do you want?"

"Since when do wishbones conjure up genies?"

"Things are tough all over. The genie union can't afford magic lamps anymore. You only get one wish and you cannot wish for more wishes."

"What happened to the other two?"

"As I said, blame it on the economy."

"Someone or something ate the turkey. We need a 20 pounder."

"Do you want the bird in hand or in the bush?"

"Well, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush so the bird in hand."

"Say abracadbra!"

"Why?"

"Were you expecting hocus pocus? No particular reason. I just like the way it sounds. Besides I'm in charge of this llama and pony show."

"Abracadabra."

The turkey appeared and Robin disappeared.