Chapter 3: A Lull In Operations

"Well, I'm most impressed, Jungle Jane." The Commissioner was being fulsome in his praise and Jane certainly wasn't objecting even if he always managed a sleazy leer on his lips whenever she was around. "Apart from that one incident on the day you arrived we haven't had any more of these mysterious robberies. Your presence is obviously having the desired effect."

That wasn't how some of the local papers saw it, though. Some had remarked that it was odd that the robberies had stopped once she'd been employed. They'd suggested that she'd carried out the robberies to create an opportunity for herself and that she was taking the Commissioner for a sucker. Commissioner Brown's tributes didn't make it any easier for Jane. She knew that Chief O'Mara wasn't keen on her being around and in reality she hadn't made any progress on identifying just who was responsible, much less succeeding in trapping them.

"That's all very well, Commissioner, but I want results. I want this criminal caught, behind bars and I want his ill gotten gains recovered." The group was in the Mayor's office and the Mayor was making her views very clear. "And," she turned to the Commissioner, "so do you if you want to avoid any more of this..." She tossed a newspaper onto the table in front of Commissioner Brown. A cartoon showed a caricature of a pneumatic Jungle Jane swinging through the trees, clutching a chimpanzee with the Commissioner's face under her arm, pursuing a stripe-jerseyed criminal. Jane could hardly stop herself laughing, it was a very good likeness of the Commissioner.

"And I wouldn't be smirking either, if I were you," Mayor Dorothea Reynolds snapped at Jane. "I thought you super heroes were supposed to have all the answers. Why haven't we got any closer to nailing this perp yet? Or does your contribution amount to swanning around in that outfit looking decorative?"

"Hey!" Jane started. She was about to ask whose side the Mayor was on but then realised that she had a point. She took a deep breath before putting forward her plan. "Not at all, Mayor Reynolds," Jane said standing up and squaring up to the other three. "I have been working on a plan to trap whoever it is that is responsible for these crimes by luring them into a trap. Something that this thief cannot resist."

"Good," said Dorothea. "So, some action at least." Commissioner Brown and Chief O'Mara looked puzzled as well they might. Jane had been thinking about her plan for a whole ten seconds.

It was obvious that the Mayor was hoping to hear more than Jane's ambitions for her plan. Jane improvised. "You'll remember the thief's last victim, Victoria Leon?" The assembled group nodded. "Well, I believe she might be persuaded to act as a decoy, make some statement about not being deterred from wearing her jewels by a common thief, goad our criminals into acting when we can be ready for them."

Dorothea looked doubtful. "I'm not sure it's wise to put a member of the public in danger. Besides a girl like that who spends all her time in clubs and at parties isn't likely to be very public spirited, is she? What makes you think you can persuade her?"

"I'm with you, Mayor," Brown nodded sycophantically.

Jane could see she could expect no support from the Commissioner and Chief O'Mara wasn't rushing forward either, but she pressed on. "I think you're being a bit hard on Ms Leon. She was pretty angry about the robbery and she wants to get her own back."

"More vigilantes!" O'Mara exploded.

"No, Chief. This would be a police action, your men would be in control. Ms Leon and I would just have to drive the thief into the net."

"Is this some 'white hunter' strategy?"

"Absolutely, Commissioner, just leave it to me."