the final punch, Baldrik let go his grasp and clutched his stomach, wheezing in pain.

Baloo swam towards the shore, gasping out, “As far as I’m concerned, we ain’t related!”

The speedboat with Lester, Elmira, Rebecca, and Inspector Deuseau showed up just as Baloo crawled out of the canal. Baldrik grabbed his heels in an attempt to draw him back into the water, but Baloo kicked him off, causing Baldrik to fly backwards into the canal with an angry, “Aaargh!”

The inspector and the two O.S.S.S agents drew their firearms.

“No! Don’t shoot!” Rebecca shouted, throwing herself in front of the guns. “You might hit Baloo.”

“Which one is he, madame?” said the inspector.

Fists flew as the equally matched, drenched bears were slugging it out on the slippery shore. Neither of them showed signs of giving up.

Her heart pounding, Rebecca watched the fight, looking for a distinguishing characteristic - anything - which would point out which of the two fighting bears was her husband. She only had one chance.

Her eyes lit up with recognition as one bear pulled his opponent’s jacket over his head, then yanked his opponent’s arms out of his sleeves and tied them together behind his back, thus creating a sort of a straightjacket. It was one of the fighting techniques that Baloo had been teaching Kit - despite her protests. “The one on the right!”

“You are sure?”

“Yes!” I think...

But before they could arrest anyone, Baloo had kicked Baldrik into the canal with a disdainful, “You’re all washed up, cuz.”

The ‘cuz’ dispelled all doubts about Baloo’s identity in Rebecca’s mind. “Baloo!” Rebecca said happily, running over to hug him.

“The one an' only,” Baloo said, grinning. “Got a special delivery for ya, Inspector. ‘Fraid the package is a little on the soggy side, though.”

Elmira dredged a dripping Baldrik out of the canal and Lester clapped handcuffs on him. As he was led away, Baldrik shouted muffled curses in German.

“I’ll bet ya $23.80 that Baldrik and Dr. Quarky get a nice, long time in jail.”

Deuseau said, “I will personally ensure that.”

“I’m so proud of you, Baloo. But what happened to the envelopes?”

“I tossed ‘em on top of...of...a-a-a-a-choo! Top of the umbrellas in the courtyard at St. Lark’s Square. A-a-a-a-a-a-choo!” He sniffled and ran the back of his sopping arm across his nose. “You wouldn’t happen to have a souvenir towel on ya, would ya, Becky?”

“You want to buy a souvenir?” Rebecca took off her cardigan and used it to mop his face. She peered at him with mock-suspicion. “I’m not sure you’re Baloo, after all.”

St. Lark’s Square

Baloo, standing on tiptoe, retrieved the envelopes from atop the umbrella where he had tossed them and gave them to the inspector. With a satisfied smile, Deuseau secreted them in his jacket pocket.

“What was in my envelope, anyhoo? The one I was supposed to give to Ol’ Quarky?”

“I asked Dr. Bonet to write up a set of plans similar to the ones that he and his colleagues had developed, but with one crucial element missing so that the Swatzis wouldn’t realize the bomb wouldn’t work until they’d spent a lot of time and money on it.”

“Hey, that’s what I call usin’ your head.”

“Ingénieux!” Rebecca exclaimed.

“It was nothing,” he said with a modest shrug. “Monsieur, madame, I thank you. The world thanks you.” He then kissed a very surprised, and disgusted, Baloo on both cheeks.

Baloo wiped his face with a frown. “Yuck! Thanks, but no thanks!”

After the inspector had kissed Rebecca on both cheeks, he smiled at her and said, “How do you say? The old dog is not too old to learn a new trick? I will follow with my heart as well as with my nose next time. Alors, I will return to Pearee and let you honeymooners get on with your honeymooning. Toujours l’amour.” As a parting gesture, he touched his moustache and winked at them.“Au revoir.”

“Adios, to you, too, Inspector.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Inspector dug a set of keys out of a pocket and tossed them to Baloo. “So that your arms are not tired after you fly home.”

Baloo tucked the keys into his pocket. “That joke was a joke.”

“Takes one to know one.” Rebecca smirked, prompting a frown of annoyance from Baloo.

Rebecca slipped her arm through her husband’s as they watched the inspector disappear into the crowd. “After all we had to go through with him during the past couple of days, the inspector really was a nice man.”

Baloo wiped traces of spit from his face. “A bit too French-i-fied if ya ask me.”

As they strolled through the crowded piazza towards the docks and a vaporetto, pigeons parted before them.

“You know, Baloo, you and Baldrik are alike in more ways than one.”

“How’s that?”

“You look exactly alike and you’re both thieves.”

Baloo exclaimed, “What? I ain’t no thief!”

“Sure you are.” She coquettishly glanced up at him through her eyelashes. “You stole my heart.”

He grinned and squeezed her hand that was resting on his arm. “Now, that’s a thing worth stealin’.”

That Night

As Baloo helped Rebecca into a gondola, he said, “There’s been one thing buggin’ me today, Beckers.”

“Only one thing?” Rebecca said, gingerly putting one foot into the unsteady gondola.

“Ha. Ha. Durin’ the fight, how could ya tell which was me? I mean, me an’ my long-lost cousin Baldrik look exactitutely alike.”

“It was easy,” Rebecca replied, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she settled herself on the bench in the back of the boat. “There’s only one Baloo.”

The big bear grinned. Her answer had pleased him immensely. “You better believe it.” When he stepped into the gondola, the sudden shift in weight caused it to tip, flipping the gondolier into the canal with a “Whoooooa!” and a splash.

Rebecca giggled. “And it’s a good thing, too.”

“Would you have it any other way?” Baloo said softly, drawing her close to him in his embrace.

Instead of wasting words, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

For a few moments, the two love bears were oblivious to the spluttering of the soaked gondolier as he pulled himself back into the boat, the distant strains of O Solo Mio, even the beauty of the gibbous moon reflected on the rippling water.

The End

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