He had nothing better to do and so decided to visit the builder’s place of work to see if Walter’s boss could throw any light on his employee’s absence, Blackie followed him out and leapt into the car as he set off.

The building company had taken Walter Newall on as a sub-contractor and the boss couldn’t offer much help, except to say that Patrick Grant, another member of staff, was a close friend of Walter and he was happy to furnish his address.

Grant was not at home when Osborn banged on his front door (the last house down a quiet lane.) So Osborn went around the back. He hadn’t noticed Blackie following him and was surprised to see the cat leaping up onto a low roof and disappearing into the building through an open upstairs window. The doors were locked and as he looked through the kitchen window, there was his cat on the sink top gazing out at him. He shook his head and then noticed a piece of cloth between the cat’s paws, it was a bright red handkerchief like the one he had seen Walter Newall using. Without hesitation he kicked the back door open. The smell of death filled his nostrils and he followed it down to the cellar where he discovered the badly decomposed body of his neighbour, Walter Newall. The corpse had clearly been there for a week or two and was wearing blue jeans and a black leather Jacket.

It was ironic that Osborn’s first successful detection came after he had left the force. Patrick grant was caught and charged with murder. Mrs. Newall got most of her money back but Osborn couldn’t explain how he had met her dead husband in the public house a day or two earlier, or how he’d been given the builder’s business card. He made a big fuss of Blackie and came up with a name for his new career. Henceforth he would be “Born Lucky” sole proprietor of The Black Cat Detective Agency. End.