{My long absence from any Moon Lake thread couldn't be helped. Working third shift isn't fun, but it beats being unemployed, and our episode title comes from a jewelry store's commercials, but I don't know if it's also a song on its own or not.—tmw.}
Virginia McCoy was beside herself as the police left to continue their investigation.
"I'M FREE!" she shouted joyfully to no one in particular, as she raced to the master bedroom of her one floor house.
The weretigress longed for someone special, but first there was something else she had to take care of as she picked up the landline phone in her bedroom.
A quick call to the Moon Lake School District's administrative office confirmed that they had been notified by the police that their investigation indicated she did not violate Statute 1A*, so she could resume teaching history at Moon Lake High School on Monday, instead of doing desk duty.
However... "You are still guilty of changing into your fursona in public during daylight hours," the superintendent reminded Virginia, "so you will have to serve out the rest of your suspension. However, while we will still have to have the formality of a disciplinary hearing, due to the extenuating circumstances**, you shouldn't be facing anything further other than a reprimand in your employment file."
"Yes, sir. I understand," replied Virginia, thankful to be getting off so lightly. The reprimand would render her ineligible for any awards or promotions this year, and would prevent her from getting more than a cost of living raise for the next school year. Yet considering what might have happened if the District Attorney thought the police had found enough evidence to go to trial...
Once that conversation was over, Virginia quickly defurred and hopped in her shower, anxious to get clean and on to what she wanted to do next.
MEANWHILE...
"Honey, I have to answer the door," the werecat said, trying to tear himself away from his currently oversexed husband.
Defurring and hastily donning a robe, the former delivery man took a quick look through the peephole to see Detectives Miles and Lukasky on his front porch.
"Detectives. Is everything okay?" he asked, even as he felt his mate slip his furry paws underneath the robe to start fondling the man's ass.
"We just had a couple of more questions, if you don't mind," said Detective Miles, although neither caller could avoid noticing what was going on.
"Is your husband all right?" wondered Detective Lukasky.
"I don't think the effects of that peanut brittle have worn off yet. Not that I'm complaining," was the reply, as both detectives noticed the man blushing.
"We'll make this quick. Was that box of peanut brittle open or closed when Harold Jenkins refused it?" asked Miles.
"Closed. Still sealed, actually. He never opened it."
"Oh?" said Lukasky.
"At first, Mister Jenkins didn't want it because he said he didn't like peanut brittle. Or, I should say, that's what I presumed was in the box at the time, according to the shipping invoice," the man replied, as he started fidgeting in place and used both hands to attempt to keep his robe closed. "But when he discovered who sent it, Jenkins became even more adamant about not accepting it. Told me he didn't want nothing from Decrux, ever."
"I see. So it was never opened until you brought it home?" inquired Detective Lukasky.
"Right. I'm the one who opened it," said the werecat crouching behind his mate. The detectives didn't even want to contemplate what the guy might be doing at that moment.
"Was there any card or note on or within the box?" asked Miles.
"Within, yeah," said the werecat, standing up from behind his husband and licking his lips. "I threw it in the trash. Just a second."
The werecat went deeper into the house and came back with an envelope. "Here," he said, handing it to the detectives.
Miles and Lukasky smiled as they read it. "Sweets from a not so secret admirer." and the card was signed Alice.
"This is all there was?" wondered Miles.
"Yes. Anything else?" the werecat wanted to know. "If you don't mind, I'm anxious to get back to where I was before you called."
"We'll still need you two to testify at the trial, but that's it for now," answered Lukasky.
"Carry on," quipped Miles, as the door suddenly closed in their faces.
As the detectives started to walk away, they didn't need to be weres to hear the distinctive mewing of two male werecats experiencing sexual pleasure together.
"Shouldn't that Love Potion #9 stuff have worn off by now?" Lukasky wanted to know, as they started getting in their car.
"Depends upon how strongly Decrux laced the peanut brittle and how much that guy actually ate before we took the box away as evidence," realized Miles. "But either way, we've got her!" he said happily, while stuffing the card into an evidence bag.
LATER...
After the detectives left his house, Harold Jenkins found himself full of energy and pep.
In his human form and dressed for the day, Harold sat behind the desk in his make-shift study, which was basically an alcove of the living room in his house, and was hard at work preparing his course plans for the Spring semester, when he would start teaching history at Moon Lake College, when there was a knock on his front door.
Getting up, the closer he approached the front door, Harold started detecting a strong scent from the other side of the barrier, but having not been a weretiger for very long, wasn't exactly sure who it was.
Opening it, Harold was happily shocked when Virginia McCoy came rushing into his arms!
"Oh Harold! I'm free!" she exclaimed, as she started kissing him.
"No Statute 1A charges!" Another kiss.
"I resume teaching Monday!" More kisses.
"And better yet, I'm free to admit I love and want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you'll have me," Virginia said, looking anxiously at him.
"If?" was all Harold could say, before he started kissing her in return.
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*The crime of changing a normal human being into a were against their will. A guilty conviction yields a minimum jail sentence of 50 years.
**Were-raccoon (and cougar in the more traditional sense of the word) Alice Decrux threw the first punch in the fight against McCoy over Harold Jenkins.—tmw.