Swamped

It's a lizard. One that you recognize - they nest on the nearby beaches, apparently having a preference for sand, but every once in a while they wander as far as the town.

Which usually causes a fair amount of ruckus, because they like to repeat sounds they've heard - including speech. This can often lead to confusing conversations when somebody doesn't realize a lizard is around.

The thing is, they only repeat things. Which isn't to say they don't have some grasp of what the words they're saying mean, but they aren't really able to construct full sentences. So asking one questions takes a little work.

Well. Might as well start with the most pressing one.

"Have you seen Mortimer?" you ask the lizard.

"Mortimer! Mortimer!" it shouts back. But it just seems to like saying the name rather than understanding it.

This is another thing that makes them hard to talk to - sometimes they get hung up on particular words. Still, you hoped it might have overheard the abductor saying something. Well, nothing for it but to try again.

"Did anyone like me come by this way?"

"Anyone? Mortimer! Anyone!"

Now it's dancing around. They usually do that when a word is familiar. You wait to see if it says anything else.

"Anyone finds out! Big trouble! Mortimer!"

Now it seems to be repeating things it heard before.

"If anyone finds out, you'll be in big trouble?" you ask, guessing at what it might have heard.

"Trouble! Trouble! Mortimer!"

This lizard really likes the name Mortimer. You're starting to think of it as the little fellow's name.

At this point your best guess is that Mortimer was trying to intimidate his abductor, probably with his connections. On the other hand, it could also be the kidnapper threatening a witness.

You think you need more concrete information, so you think carefully about your next question.