An unsavory and often sneaky character who is in the employ (off the books, of course) of someone with money and possibly some respected position of authority, and carries out certain dirty deeds on their patron's behalf so the patron can maintain plausible deniability in the matter. This character is often found working (secretly) for the Villain with Good Publicity. Not to be confused with ACTUAL pet rats, such as Scabbers in Harry Potter. Examples of Pet Rat include: