"Shamu, World's Greatest Detective," by Richie Narvaez, in Killin' Time in San Diego, edited by Holly West, Down and Out Books, 2023.
Well, you can't argue about truth in advertising. The title tells you exactly what this story is about. Shamu is an orca at SeaWorld (the eighteenth to bear that name) and thanks to new technology she is able to communicate with people. Turns out she is, as the title says, a brilliant detective. The story is narrated by her assistant, Angie Gomez.
A billionaire who owns a baseball team wants to hire Shamu to find a missing ballplayer. Shamu turns him down because, she says, his moustache "reminded me of a sea lion with whom I once shared billing. An unapologetic ham." But when the ballplayer is murdered and his sister comes looking for help, Shamu takes on the case.
One of the pleasures of this story is Shamu's dialog. Here she is talking to her police nemesis: "I can solve the case in time for you to get home and rest your minuscule human brain."
I can't help wondering whether this story was an entry for the Black Orchid Novella Award. It has several winks to Rex Stout fans. (Shamu's use of the word "flummery, for example.) And it cleverly forces the protagonist to be an "armchair" detective. Shamu ain't going to the scene of the crime.
Clever and fun.
