THE GREAT SABINE STREET DUCK INVESTIGATION
Jim Towers, MJA. JD.. | Founder & Editor-in-Chief
MURRAY ON THE SCENT- THE PAW PRINT
Furry on the Scent — Field Dispatch No. 1
The subject. Sabine Street, Houston Heights. Week 1: Pink Cowboy Carter. Photo: Jim Towers / HHI
There is a duck on Sabine Street, Houston Heights, Houston, TX 77009.
I have been watching it for weeks…………………………………………………. It mocks me.
In that time it has worn seven outfits.
I want to be clear about what this means. This is not a duck that dresses for the weather. This is not a duck that dresses for the season. This is a duck on a posting schedule that would embarrass most newsrooms I am aware of.
The documented outfits, in order of appearance:
Week 1. Old McDonald farmer. Denim overalls. Straw hat. Trowel. A flower in a pot. Agricultural. Back to the land. I respected it.
Week One. The farmer. Two angles. The asparagus ferns begin their silent observation. Photo: Jim Towers / HHI
Week Two. Southern Belle. Full dress. Matching hat. Front porch culture. Old Houston grace. I respected this also. Week Three. Day at the beach. Tropical swimsuit with flamingo and monstera print. Pink glitter float ring. Long blonde hair. Floral bow. Heart-shaped pink sunglasses. The duck went coastal. I did not see this coming.
Week Three. The beach era. Left: the closeup. Right: establishing shot — asparagus ferns, persons of interest, right frame. Photo: Jim Towers / HHI
Week Four. Pink Cowboy Carter. Hot pink hat. Heart-shaped glasses. Pink paisley bandana with silver fringe. This is a duck with cultural awareness that exceeds most editorial boards I have encountered.
(See lead photograph above.)
Week Five. Fourth of July. Stars. Stripes. Uncle Sam hat stacked over a ball cap. Braided pigtails. Stars-and-stripes dress, top to bottom. The duck was making a statement. I filed a note.
Week Six. Summer sundress. Relaxed. Confident. A duck that has made its peace with the neighborhood and expects the neighborhood to make its peace with it.
Week Seven. Police uniform.
I have no comment on the police uniform at this time. My editor does. He is aware.
We conducted a full neighborhood canvas. Bikers. The mailman. Delivery drivers. Uber drivers. Babysitters. Construction workers. Road workers. Kids. Joggers. People who walk the neighborhood every day, seen by everyone and known to no one.
Nobody knows anything.
Or more accurately: nobody is talking.
There is a difference. I know the difference. I have been doing this for years. A wall of silence in a neighborhood this size, this tight, about a duck in seven outfits, does not happen by accident. Somebody knows Something. Somebody always knows.
We had two breaks.
One. A local, approached at the corner, held for approximately forty-five seconds of sustained questioning. When the subject was told we were investigating the duck and was asked” do you know anything about the duck”? He looked us dead in the eye and said:
"Who cheesed?"
Then, reclaimed his composure, recanted. I sorry I can’t help you. I don’t known anything. Then he walked away singing “Don't Be Suspicious, don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious,,,, don't be suspicious.”
This is either a coincidence or a message. I do not believe in coincidences.
Then came the Windex.
During active surveillance, a young girl approached the duck. She saw something we had missed. Windex. Left at the scene. She identified it immediately. We should put her on the payroll. She pointed out that the subject returned for the Windex. Then returned again for the Clorox wipes.
This is a two-product operation. There is a budget! Someone is funding the duck!
The evidence is obvious! Someone is cleaning the duck!.
I need to know who.The ferns flanking the duck are asparagus ferns. They have not changed their outfits once. I respect their consistency but find them lacking in imagination. They have been listed as persons of interest. They have not cooperated.
The duck has no comment.
Neither do I.
Rest assured. I am on it. I will find it! The people of the Heights want to know.
Murray, On the scent! Chief Field Correspondent at large, Houston Heights Independent.
— Murray
Sergeant Major, Houston Heights Independent
Chief Correspondent at Large
Currently on elevated surveillance status. Both ears up. Deerstalker on.
The trail is warm. They were just here.!
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Sabine Street Duck Investigation remains open. The duck is currently under active surveillance. Murray is authorized to continue surveillance operations. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Houston Heights Independent. Anonymity guaranteed. Asparagus ferns are still persons of interest.
This story was Murray approved.
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