The Investigation Committee

Rat recalled the bio-details and secret information of the other four animals who had been elected into the committee: Tortoise, Macaque, Vixen and Mule. He had read all their files the night before and had formed a plan with Fox.

Tortoise was by far the most experienced member in the group. Though slow, he was methodical. He had a habit of asking the same question over and over until he was satisfied. Some even said that he always got his answers because his tortuous, tedious interrogation methods would break the resolve of any species but his own.

Macaque was a simian who was both aggressive and impatient. He jumped to conclusions most times, but he was always proven right in the end. That may be because he was a renowned animal psychologist before he became a politician, hence he was very good at predicting behaviour. Although he had often been seen in arguments with Tortoise, they were fast friends.

The only female member, Vixen, was a feisty little Tasmanian Devil who was tenacious and able to claw her way through any problem. Even if her core skills were not in planning, she was good at finding the source of problems. That skill was acknowledged so widely that when the formation of the committee was proposed, many representatives put forward her name.

The fourth member, Mule, barely got into the group. He was good natured most times, but once his mind was set, it was impossible to change. He got things done in his constituency by brow beating the bureaucrats into obedience. There was no room for dispute under his leadership, and it was Rat who proposed his name for the committee.

Early the next morning, Rat joined Mule for breakfast by the stream. After the usual pleasantries about grass and goats, Rat said, "I have to say Mule, I am a little worried about whether this committee could reach its objective."

"I understand what you mean. None of the others seem to have enough experience for getting things done. Tortoise is slow, Macaque is presumptuous and Vixen is rude."

"That is the reason why I am thinking of proposing you as the committee chairman. You have an outstanding record for accomplishing projects on time."

Mule tried to suppress his grin. "Thank you, Rat. That is so perceptive of you."

"Anyway," Rat continued, "the others are far too set in their ways to get anything done. Tortoise may only come to a conclusion after everyone has lost interest in the problem, Macaque may end up making false accusations, while Vixen is so rude nobody wants to work with her."

"You are absolutely right."

"I hope you will support me if I recommend that they be given roles where they can do the least harm."

"How will you decide which roles to give them?"

"Well, since Vixen's problem is her vicious tongue, I thought that maybe we can make her the secretary. She can't talk much if she has to take notes."

"Hmmm, that is good."

"As Tortoise is slow and meticulous, maybe we can make him draft, edit and print the committee reports. That will keep him quite occupied, and nobody would be able to accuse us of being careless."

"Excellent idea. What about Macaque?"

"We can ask him to physically check all the firms in our supply chain, to find their sources, and to confirm their legitimacy."

"Ah, I see what you mean Rat. Keeping him away will keep him too busy to create trouble here."

The rodent grinned. "Yes, that is right. His daily 'gut-feeling' will not disrupt our investigation. I must admit, I won't be able to handle Owl's interrogation and his account books alone. You don't mind if I ask for your help now and then do you?"

"Of course not my friend. I am quite good at counting and I can clip clop my hooves to any equation."

Rat returned his attention to the grass seeds. It was so easy to get Mule to give him sole access to Owl. That afternoon, everything went as planned. Vixen was furious, Tortoise troubled and Macaque offended, but just as expected Mule hung onto his decisions like a true Chairman.

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