The Kitsville Caper, written by Charlotte Richard and illustrated by Cathy Peng.

Jasper worked at the Cat Collars Detective Agency in the small town of Kitsville. He was a sleek purple cat who enjoyed the leisurely activities of cat and mouse games, fishing, and bowling. Every winter Kitsville would host their annual Fish Bowl Tournament, and as always, Jasper and his team the Alley Cats were expected to win first prize.

This year the prize money locked in the golden chest had doubled. Therefore, plenty of cats were scratching to win this year's event. It was even rumored that two black greasy haired cats by the names of Slick and Smokey were bowling in the tournament. These twin brothers had a nose for trouble. As the tournament drew near, Jasper knew it would be his responsibility to protect the golden chest and all its contents.

Later that night the tournament began. Fowlie, a large orange tabby, was manager of the Fish Bowl and the evening's announcer. "I'm pleased to introduce the Alley Cats versus the Pinstripes," his voice bellowed over the roaring crowd. The teams approached their appointed lanes and to everyone's surprise, Slick and Smokey took their places beside the Pinstripe team. Jasper proudly walked to the center line. Ten large gophers popped up from their holes and stood at attention. Achoo! Jasper coughed up a big slimy hairball and rolled it down the aisle. Zing! The ball hit the gutter and flew high in the air, landing against the wall with a Splat!

Slick strolled up next and boldly coughed up a hairball. Smack! All ten gophers fell to the floor with one powerful blow. "The Pinstripes are in the lead," announced Fowlie. Lieutenant Prowler came up next to play.

Lieutenant Prowler nervously licked his sweaty paws and coughed up a large gooey hairball. The ball hit the pins and rebounded off, landing in a kitten's glass of milk with a Plop! Smokey then followed his brother and threw a perfect strike. This gave the Pinstripes a huge lead.

Chester, a large orange Alley Cat and Jasper's long-time friend, strolled up next. He fearlessly tossed a hairball in his firm grip and heaved it down the lane. The ball hit the center pin with a loud Bang!The gophers wobbled on their hind legs but didn't fall. Zoom! The ball suddenly sprung to life, knocking out lights and hitting everything in its path. "Run for cover!" Fowlie screamed. Jasper dodged under a table. The ball split in two, before shattering into smaller pieces everywhere. Carefully he peered out from under a table. At that moment the ball whizzed by, parting his hair in the middle. Then without warning, it happened...

A tall broad figure disguised in a dark mask and cloak approached the glass casing protecting the golden chest. With one powerful blow the glass shattered and the mysterious figure ran off with the winnings. Jasper knew who was behind this. He leaped up from under the table, chasing the thief down the Alley Cat's lane.

Jasper was within reach of the cloak, when his paws slipped on the shiny surface. He whizzed down the aisle, falling right on top of the gophers. Crash! The dark figure continued to run down a long hallway to a dead end. "Now I've got him!" Jasper said.

He reached the door which read: "Male Litter Box," and slowly peered inside. A strong smell greeted him at the door. "Doesn't the janitor ever scoop in here?" Jasper muttered under his breath. Holding one paw over his nose he checked the litter box but found nothing. "Where did he go?" Jasper wondered.

Then a noise overhead caught his attention. The criminal had climbed through the heating vent. Clawing quickly up the wall, Jasper squeezed through the narrow gap. He was surrounded by darkness. Grabbing his flashlight to guide him, he slowly made his way through the confined space. Then suddenly something moved in the shadows. Jasper could faintly make out a large round shape. He shined his flashlight around, to find a hairy brown spider blocking his path. "Why couldn't it be a mouse?" Jasper grumbled in protest. He hesitantly approached the spider, flailing his flashlight for protection. The spider's pincers were ready for attack. He scurried towards Jasper.

A sticky web veered towards him, knocking the flashlight from his paws. "Oh no!" Jasper screamed. The spider got ready to strike. Jasper curled himself into a ball and waited to feel the sharp piercing pain, but nothing happened. Instead, a forceful gust of heat suddenly engulfed the vent. Jasper looked up to see the spider retreat around the corner and out of sight.

The heat was unbearable. Jasper needed to escape quickly! He followed the vent until he saw a distant ray of light. It was the opening! And just up ahead was the cloaked figure! As they reached the end of the vent, the criminal jumped down with Jasper right at his heels. The dark figure tried to dash away, but as he did, he tripped on the hem of his cloak and crumpled to the floor.

Jasper leaned over and slowly removed the mask from the crook's face. "No, it can't be!" Jasper gasped in surprise. It was Chester! "I'm sorry Jasper," Chester said. "I saw the golden chest and wanted it for myself. Will you forgive me?" Jasper watched his friend huddled on the floor. With a backward glance he nodded his head, and Lieutenant Prowler led Chester from the room.

That evening Chester was taken away to the Cat Cage Jail Cell and the town of Kitsville was safe once more. Jasper, Kitsville's crime fighting detective, didn't know when his next great adventure would be, but he knew it would be ready for it when it happened. THE END