Conversations with Critters

Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. And the highly anticipated release of Chapter 2, The Case of the Jumping Gene!

Jun 17, 2025

Today Critters, we are gaining in altitude with the highly anticipated release of Chapter 2 of The Case of the Jumping Gene! Brought to you by the ever steady and at the ready J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency! Because! It’s time, right here, right now for our Detective Tuesday Post!

Previously! Our intrepid investigators deciphered a certain set of clues contained in a maze and they are on the road with the pedal to the metal. But! Will there be more twists and turns as the elevation climbs up up up?

Please, welcome welcome our Core Community Critters, Jasper Kitten, Chris and Jojo in excellent elevated critter commentary and conversation. Take. It. Away!

Jasper: Hello and welcome, Friends. I have a feeling that there’s about to be a change in the weather.

Chris: Are we about to come in from the cold?

Jojo: Or will we be exposed to the elements?

Jasper: Please, Critters, let’s read all about it…

THE CASE OF THE JUMPING GENE
BOOK 3 FROM THE J KITTEN, SLEUTH & PURVEYOR OF BRIGHT SHINY OBJECTS DETECTIVE AGENCY
BY JASPER KITTEN, CHRIS, JOJO AND STAR IN HEAVEN FUREVER AND EVER
DEDICATED IN LUVLUVLUVING MEMORY OF STAR
CHAPTER 2
PLAIN SIGHT

Snow fell in the late afternoon and the sun, already low on the horizon, dipped behind the mountains. Jasper Kitten cranked up the heat and the defrost in the car as they continued to gain in elevation, the woods dark and dense.

“Gosh, Jasper Kitten, it’s getting hard to see the forest for the trees!” barked Star in the backseat, tracing their route on the map with a cinnamon brown paw.

“How close are we, Star?” mewed Jasper Kitten, switching the wiper blades to a faster setting.

“Another hour max unless the snow starts to stick,” she replied.

“This late Autumn snow flurry could slow us down, most definitely. The road is getting slick,” declared Jasper Kitten. “The weather in the mountains at this time of year can be quite variable.”

Jasper Kitten maintained their speed, his white gloved paws stable and balanced at ten and two on the steering wheel.

“Safety is paramount and all the more so in low visibility,” he said, keeping his eye on the winding road.

“Roger that,” barked Jojo from the backseat.

Chris heard a ping go off on his phone and he tapped the screen with a toebean.

“Jasper Kitten, I do not wish to distract you while driving in wintry weather conditions, but another flashing biohazard emoji text has come in,” growled Chris, low and slow.

“Thank you, Chris, I understand the urgency associated with the text,” acknowledged Jasper Kitten, his retractable claws now tightening on the steering wheel.

“There’s one difference this time, however,” commented Chris.

“Please. Proceed,” replied Jasper Kitten.

“The emoji is flashing, but it is no longer red. It. Is. Orange,” reported Chris.

The car plowed ahead. Jasper Kitten gave a rapid sideways glance at the phone and checked the rearview mirror with road safety top of mind. Distant headlights flickered through the snow then disappeared and he returned his focus straight ahead.

“Orange,” he mewed. “Chris, is there any other messaging associated with the emoji? Perhaps something in writing?”

“Negative, Jasper Kitten. No text is written in the text message. Only the emoji is displayed,” elaborated Chris.

“Thank you for the clarification, Chris. This is quite curious. We must consider the possibility that we are dealing with a highly visual as well as a highly verbal species who is well practiced in multiple forms of expression and communication. We could be dealing with Critters both cryptic and capable of stating the obvious,” considered Jasper Kitten.

He lapsed into silence and steered their course in the ever increasing snow.

“You mean…,” growled Chris.

“Are you saying…,” barked Star and Jojo.

“Yes. Exactly. We may be facing a situation of both verbal and non-verbal behavioral modification and experimentation in a laboratory research setting.” Jasper Kitten swallowed hard, but refrained from swatting the air lest he take a white gloved paw off the steering wheel in icy and dicey road conditions.

“Copy that, Jasper Kitten,” barked the Canine Unit.

“Why, I’m ready for just about anything,” growled Chris and flexed his toebeans against the phone.

“Permission to speak from the backseat, Jasper Kitten,” requested Clementine.

“Permission granted,” replied Jasper Kitten with a look in the rearview mirror at her as she saluted.

“Doesn’t it seem rather incongruous to have a notorious research facility in the shadow of Mt. Bachelor, a pristine wilderness and area of outstanding natural beauty known for outdoor recreational activities such as skiing, snowboarding and hiking?”

“Your question is well thought out, Officer Clementine,” replied Jasper Kitten with a nod in the affirmative. He paused and considered the ramifications of the location of the Bio Lab Pacific Northwest By Northwest.

“And biking,” added Petal.

“Thank you, Petal. Activities at top speed on wheels are as important a consideration as types of ski related sports. Furthermore,” he continued, “if my instincts serve me correctly, the incongruous location in the shadow of Mt. Bachelor could be the very reason for the existence of the Bio Lab Pacific Northwest By Northwest. Right. Where. It. Is.”

“No one will think to look there,” barked Jojo.

“Exactly, Jojo,” replied Jasper Kitten.

“You mean cuz they’re too busy doing outdoorsy activities?” queried Clementine.

“Yes, Clementine,” confirmed Jasper Kitten. “The adrenaline pumping outdoor recreational lifestyle in the Mt. Bachelor environment serves to direct a Critter’s attention elsewhere.”

“Why, a notorious research lab is gonna fly under the radar,” growled Chris, low and slow.

“Correct, Chris,” agreed Jasper Kitten.

“Gosh, it’s like hiding in plain sight,” barked Star, peering through her progressives.

“Yes, I see, Star,” mewed Jasper Kitten.

“Gosh, we must be close to the summit of the Willamette Pass at 5,128 feet.” Star studied their progress on the map.

“How are all of you feeling with your oxygen saturation levels as we gain in elevation from our Condo in the Wooded Valley?” asked Jasper Kitten.

The Critter Detectives took a deep deep breath, exhaled all the way out and, individually and collectively, gave Jasper Kitten a paws up at altitude.

“We are all A-okay,” said Jasper Kitten. “Star’s calculations are correct. We’ll be over the pass soon.”

The J Kitten, Sleuth & Purveyor of Bright Shiny Objects Detective Agency pressed on through the mountainous terrain, their destination soon within sight even in the low visibility of the falling, falling snow. Around the last bend in the road, a nondescript strip mall appeared and Jasper Kitten turned into the parking lot and switched off the wipers and lights, letting the car idle for a minute before he shut off the engine.

“Detectives, do not be deceived,” cautioned Jasper Kitten. “We have arrived at our destination of the Bio Lab Pacific Northwest By Northwest. This nondescript but nevertheless notorious strip mall goes deep deep underground if my instincts serve me correctly.”

He threw the car door open and stepped out. The snow fell about him and capped his Orange striped brow. He waved a white gloved paw and beckoned Chris, Star and Jojo, Clementine and Petal to join him. They hopped out of the car and huddled together. Chris checked the compass app in his phone and pointed a toebean toward the North.

“Although obscured by the weather, we are, in fact, in the shadow of Mt. Bachelor rising 9,065 feet at its peak as we speak,” he growled, low and slow.

“Correct, Chris,” replied Jasper Kitten.

“Gosh, Jasper Kitten, it seems rather counterintuitive to find a subterranean facility located in the shadow of Mt. Bachelor,” surmised Star.

“Your point is well taken, Star, but all the more reason to miss this notorious research lab even being here,” mewed Jasper Kitten. “From our position here on the ground in the mountains, we are naturally drawn to look high not low.”

Jasper Kitten swatted the air and sent a flurry of snowflakes in a whirl and swirl.

“Critters, let me be completely clear about this puzzle. The paradox in the location, the counterintuitive nature of it, the incongruity of the juxtaposition of the mountainous terrain with the nondescript strip mall yet subterranean building will not be lost on us,” stated Jasper Kitten.

The Critter Detectives conferred and concurred on Jasper Kitten’s assessment of the investigative situation.

“So, are you saying…,” barked Jojo.

“You mean…,” cried Clementine and Petal.

“Yes. Exactly. Looks are deliberately meant to be deceiving when hiding in plain sight.”

“Copy,” replied Clementine and Petal.

“Given your expertise in rescuing Ginormous Groups throughout your career in Law Enforcement, Jojo, what is your opinion of gaining access to this nondescript strip mall?” queried Jasper Kitten. “I do not see an actual or factual front door.”

Jojo, Clementine and Petal evaluated the entrance to the building.

“It is a facade, Jasper Kitten,” barked Jojo, shaking snowflakes off of his wirehair.

“Ret. Sgt. Det. Jojo! Permission to check the building perimeter for any and all doors!” requested Clementine as she and Petal stood at attention.

“Permission granted, Officers Clementine and Petal,” he barked, saluting. “And remember, safety is paramount. Be. Very. Careful.”

They returned Jojo’s salute and stalked around the corner of the nondescript strip mall.

Meanwhile, back in the car, Jasper Kitten, Chris and the Canine Unit took shelter from the snow. Chris reached for a large thermos and poured steaming hot tea into a set of travel cups. He passed them around and the Critters clasped and grasped them in their paws.

“Cuz we gotta eat, too!” he cried, dipping a paw into a brown paper bag filled with kibble scones. He shared the snacks and they all chowed down.

Jasper Kitten brushed off his white gloved paws. He entered the security code into his Attache Case and flipped the latches open and carefully, very carefully removed the padded envelope, extracted the stashed message in the red stopper test tube and studied the drawing of the maze.

“Star, please if you would be so kind, apply your keen cartographic skill set to the drawing of the maze. I can’t help but feel that there is something else, something more in this drawing that we have yet to figure out. Perhaps” he pondered, “the maze is also a map.”

“Of course, Jasper Kitten, I’d be happy to take another and closer look at it,” said Star, the light flashing in her eyes. She held the magnifying glass up to the maze.

“If you need a reverse image, the rearview mirror can be utilized,” he suggested.

“Thank you, Jasper Kitten, but a mirror image will not be necessary for the purposes of mapping,” she replied. “It seems quite clear that you are onto something significant.”

“I see, Star,” mewed Jasper Kitten. “How so?”

“Here. Look,” she held the magnifying glass in her cinnamon brown paw and Jasper Kitten leaned in. She nodded in turn to Chris and Jojo and they, too, looked at the maze under magnification.

“Truly, an amazing maze,” mewed Jasper Kitten.

“Yes,” barked Star, “the maze is, in fact, a map of the lab, level by level. Four full subterranean levels and one hidden entrance. At. The. Front.”

Star peered straight ahead through her progressive lenses at the building in the far distance range of her vision.

“Why, the entrance must be as nondescript as the building itself,” growled Chris through a mouthful of kibble scones.

“Correct, Chris,” agreed Jasper Kitten. “We’ve got to crack some kind of code to find the entrance, but what is it?”

The question hung in the air as Clementine and Petal came around the side of the building and hopped back in the car.

“Officers Clementine and Petal, please report immediately on your findings of the nondescript strip mall,” barked Jojo.

“Roger that, Ret. Sgt. Det. Jojo,” they saluted and a dusting of snow scattered on the back seat.

“After a close circumnavigational inspection and complete exterior examination of the nondescript strip mall, we have come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, an impenetrable fortress,” claimed Clementine.

“We did not detect any sensors or security cameras on the building and furthermore. It. Has. No. Doors,” concluded Petal.

“Thank you for a job well done,” replied Jojo. “At ease.”

Chris passed kibble scones and cups of tea to Clementine and Petal and they tore into the meal.

“Nondescript yet notorious,” mewed Jasper Kitten, considering all angles of the architecture.

“This building looks boring!” barked Star.

“Copy that, Star!” barked Jojo.

“Why, who would even bother to notice it!” growled Chris, loud and proud.

“Yes. Exactly. It is as we’ve suspected and it is definitive,” Jasper Kitten swatted the air with a white gloved paw. “Bio Lab Pacific Northwest By Northwest is hiding in plain and I do mean plain sight.”

“Jasper Kitten, there’s a gosh darn reason why you’re a world renowned sleuth,” complimented Star.

“Thank you, Star. Thank you very much. However. I cannot take all of the credit, my friends,” he gave a nod in the affirmative to the Detectives. “Furthermore, a thought has occurred to me. Chris, when you open open opened the flashing Orange biohazard emoji text, did you tap tap it with a toebean?” inquired Jasper Kitten.

“Nope, I didn’t double tap it, I only tapped it in the singular.” He displayed one toebean to Jasper Kitten who furrowed his brow. “Tap.”

“I see. But. I have a sneaking suspicion that a double tap may yield the results we need to gain access to the interior of the lab. Chris. Please. Proceed.”

Chris held his phone close and poised and positioned a toebean over the flashing Orange biohazard emoji text. He gave it a tap tap.

“Why, the emoji stopped flashing!” growled Chris, loud and proud.

“Correct, Chris,” replied Jasper Kitten.

And there before them, as the Critter Detectives watched in silent cautious awe, a burst of air and a blast of snow rushed at them from a hidden stairwell in the facade of the nondescript strip mall, now open open open.

“We’re. Going. In,” affirmed Jasper Kitten.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Poetry with Pets

Nondescript strip mall

In plain sight of a mountain

What it means to hide

By Jasper Kitten, Chris & Jojo