by M. A. Owens
Petey smiled. “This dame’s your friend, right?”
I nodded. “She is, Petey. As good as a dog or cat could ever have.”
“All the more reason we need to get over there, and yesterday,” he said, his face finally betraying the worry he’d been suppressing.
Kerdy threw up her paws. “Is that not what I’ve been saying since I got here? Wow, you two really are a bit slow, aren’t you? Since your methods have failed, I have no choice. Follow me.”
She stormed off, forcing us to a jog in order to catch up.
“What’s the plan?” Petey asked.
“We’re getting into Adria my way,” she said, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Hope you boys can swim.”
6
“You’re not talking about the Arc River, are you? Come on, now. What’s your game?” I asked her, tilting my head. The Arc River was a death trap, both because it killed anyone who fell into it, and because it received its fair share of those who were already dead. It’s a gangster’s dumping ground. Every criminal worth his salt has threatened to dump someone in the Arc River regularly. I couldn’t count the times I’ve been told I’d end up there, but this was a first for someone who claimed they didn’t want me dead.
“What do you mean, my game, Trigger? Do I have to spell it out for you, like a puppy?” she asked. Her grin was gone already. Back to the angry old cat face.
“Yes, ma’am, please. Spell it out for me, like a newborn pup. We’ve gone from being optimists to throwing ourselves into the Arc River in a matter of minutes. I’m lost,” I said.
Petey put his paw on my shoulder. He was smiling again. Seemed Kerdy really intrigued him, like a brand new, high-difficulty puzzle for a puzzle master who’d already solved all the others a thousand times. “I think she’s saying she knows a secret or two, my friend.”
“If I only knew a secret or two, I’d have been dead a long time ago,” Kerdy quipped.
I sighed, pressing my face into my paws. “I’m going to regret this.”
“Don’t worry. No one dislikes being here more than me.”
“Not sure I’d bet with those odds,” I said.
She ignored me, naturally.
“We’ll need to wait until nightfall. There are small underwater tunnels that can bypass the gates, but you must swim through them. If you don’t move at a halfway decent pace, you’re going to drown.”
Petey raised his paw.
“Yes?” she asked, visibly bracing herself against the question.
“I’m not sure what it’s like… out there, but in this city we don’t have much cause for swimming. Some of the wealthy own pools and have parties around them, but that’s not us.”
Kerdy began pacing, looking down, and tapping her chin.
Petey and I looked to one another. I’m not sure what Petey was thinking, but I half expected she was going to tell us to swim or die.
She finally stopped pacing, tapping the rucksack on her shoulder. “I have an idea. You still have to be careful, but you won’t have to swim at least.”
“Fine. It wouldn’t be a proper day of having you around without a near-death experience or three. Since it’s going to be nightfall, how about we head over to Elly’s for a bite to eat? Seeing as how I’m basically broke, let’s make it a light one.”
Kerdy didn’t protest the suggestion, and Petey looked downright pleased about it, which was to be expected of Petey.
“After you. We should have just enough time,” he said.
We walked quietly all the way back to Elly’s, without a word. We all had our own stake in this, with a lot of overlap. I never was one to work with partners, but it seemed I was doing it more and more these days, and I kept finding myself in situations I’d never make it out of without someone watching my back. I guess you could say it was growing on me… almost. Even with the added risk, I think I still preferred working alone.
A spunky young feline dame greeted us as we approached, but it wasn’t Elly. “Heya. Table for three?”
I nodded. “You’re paying, right Kerdy?” I asked, looking over to her.
Petey enjoyed the joke.
Kerdy did not.
I held up my paws. “Ugh, right… Table for three. I’m paying. Guess I’ll scrape it out from under my mattress. Sheesh.”
The waitress grinned, but seemed to be uneasy about Kerdy, judging by the nervous glances. I guess that just meant she was smart.
“I’ll get a few coffees for you. Have a look at the menus. The special today is grilled tuna.”
I could’ve sworn I saw Kerdy twitch… or maybe not. No, I’m sure of it. So much for the indifference.
“What do you think, Petey? Three specials?” I asked.
Petey nodded with enthusiasm. “Trigger, you’re the best pal a dog could ever ask for, you know that? You’ve got a heart of solid gold.”
“You might be exaggerating,” I said, looking back to the waitress. “Three specials it is.”
She smiled and disappeared into the diner as we sat down at the outdoor table.
I opened my mouth to speak, but glanced a cat at the table beside us reading this morning’s paper. I only meant to pass a quick glance at the headline, and promptly forget it, coming from that pile of trash that calls itself a newspaper, but not this time.
No way…
I jumped up from the table and snatched the paper from the cat’s paws.
“Hey!” he said, jumping to his feet.
“Sorry, I’ll give it right back,” I said, not even waiting for his response, running over and slamming it onto our table. “Petey… you have to look at this. Now.”
Petey stared at it for a moment, blankly, and for a moment I thought he didn’t see it or didn’t understand what he was seeing. Kerdy lifted one paw slowly to her forehead, sighing and shaking her head.
Finally, Petey spoke up. “I can’t stomach to read this, Trigger. Just summarize it for me,” he said, turning his head away.
I held the paper up and skimmed the front-page article. “Yesterday the mayor removed the Adria District elected representative, had him arrested on corruption charges, and temporarily replaced him with… Saint, until the next election. I just can’t believe this. This can’t be real. How is this happening? We cut off an enormous source of funding for them, tarnished their reputation with a scandal, and what? We made them more powerful, somehow? I’ve never even heard of something like this.”
“Me neither,” Petey said, almost whispering. “I think you know what this means, Trigger.”
I sighed, reaching the paper back to the cat who was standing behind me with his paws on his hips. “Thanks,” I said, before turning back to Petey. “It means we missed an entire layer to this. It means this goes so much deeper than we thought. It means Saint isn’t just a Mr. B copycat anymore. He’s a far worse replacement. There won’t be an option to just pay the protection money and be left alone anymore. Not for dogs.”
As we were talking, the waitress came back out to the table and sat down our coffee and tuna. Kerdy dug in with surprising speed. She shoveled huge mouthfuls, barely chewing, and chased them down with coffee that was entirely too hot for chasing down food.
“I’m glad you enjoy our special, ma’am. Let me know if any of you need anything else.”
“Two more, please,” I said, quickly realizing why Kerdy must be sucking down food like that.
The waitress nodded and left, taking our menus.
Kerdy eyed me for a moment and hesitated. “Thank you…” she said.
“When’s the last time you ate?” I asked.
“Not since I arrived. Thus is my urgency to resolve this matter. It sounds like the two of you are reaching a similar predicament.”
Petey shook his head. “No, not reaching it. Already past it and just now realizing it, is more like it. We’re so in over our head here that it isn’t funny.”
“I never thought it was funny in the first place,” Kerdy added, coldly.
“I
t’s an expression,” I said. “We didn’t either. This changes things.”
“How? It changes nothing,” she said.
“She’s right,” Petey said, after taking the first bite of his tuna. “Our goal is the same, but we’d best get to our Adria allies quick, Trigger. That means Rick, Sugarplum, and of course, Buddy, assuming his paws aren’t already tied. If the mayor made this decision, regardless of the reason, Patches won’t be able to do a thing all the way over in Blue District HQ.”
“That, and even though Adria District has the best hospital in the city, that’s still delivering Harvey into the backyard of the cats that just tried to kill him. Who’s saying they won’t just off him when he goes to sleep?”
The waitress came back out and delivered the additional two tunas, and I realized I hadn’t even taken the first bite of mine yet. I quickly dug in, while Kerdy started right away on her second serving. Even half-starving, I’m surprised anyone could eat faster than Petey.
“Alright, so we get to Buddy first. We’ll see how much he can help us. If possible, we’ll get him to post security for us at the hospital, at least. Rick and Sugarplum both have a lot of private security, and they’re both familiar with our problems with Saint. Still, we’ll see how much help they can give us,” I said, then hurried to catch up with Kerdy on my tuna. She was already most of the way through her third.
After finishing her last bite, she leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach. “I should smuggle Elly out of the city and make her our chef.”
“That would be kidnapping, ma’am,” Petey said with a grin.
“But understandable,” I added.
Kerdy stood up and took one last drink of her coffee before setting it down on the table and walking away.
I rushed to slide my payment under the edge of my plate with a more generous tip than I’d originally planned on leaving. Obviously Kerdy wouldn’t wait.
We caught up and spent the better part of the next hour following her along the edge of the river.
She stopped and tapped the railing, pointing to a small scratch.
“You marked it with a little thing like that? Going to wager our lives on this not being some different scratch?” I asked.
“Relax. I’m only wagering mine at this point. Besides, I’d wager yours for a lot less.”
“Oh, har har har. So, what’s your plan to get two dogs, who can’t swim, across? You never said.”
She removed her ruck sack and shoved it into my chest. “Hold this.” She began digging through it as I held it, and pulled out a long, rolled up rope. “I’m going to tie this along the length of the tunnel. You’ll hold your breath, go under, and pull yourself the distance. Then I’ll collect Petey and do the same.”
“That’s still not going to be easy,” Petey said.
Kerdy clenched her teeth. “It’s not supposed to be easy, it’s supposed to be possible. What am I, your maid? You have three choices: You can stay here, you can pull yourself across, or you can drown.”
Petey held up his paws. “Alright, fair point. What do you think, Trigger? You up for it?”
Before I could answer, Kerdy leaped over the rail with the rope slung over her shoulder, expertly scaling down the wall, making her way toward what I assumed was our underwater ticket to Adria.
“Looks like we’ve got no choice, Petey.”
He shuddered. “Guess we’re doing this.”
A few minutes later, Kerdy popped up over the rail, soaked from head to toe.
“Alright, Trigger, your turn.”
I’m not sure what scared me more. The strong possibility of drowning, or her grin.
7
I held onto Kerdy’s arm, and we jumped together, a little above where the rope had been tied so we’d be washed down to it. I trusted Kerdy, who knows why, but this was still one of the most unnerving things I’d ever done. I took a deep breath on the way down, and we smacked the water hard. Before I’d even gathered my bearings, Kerdy had already grabbed the rope and was guiding my paws to it. I could barely see anything, but at least the rope was easy enough to follow. No feeling quite like being underwater, not being able to breathe, and not knowing where you’re going or how far it is. Kerdy’s constant pushing behind me was a reminder that a dog can’t hold his breath forever. And despite her grim disposition, she really didn’t want me to go drowning.
Once I reached the small tunnel, things were slightly easier. I could grip the rope better without the constant assault of the river, threatening to pull me under and leave my dead body in the forgotten pages of history. Even Kerdy, apparently an expert swimmer, wouldn’t be able to save me if I lost my grip on this rope.
At last, we reached the river on the opposite side, and I knew it couldn’t be much further. I felt as though I might pass out if I couldn’t get above the water quickly, but I was still too deep under to get my head out. The panic was setting in, but Kerdy’s pushing kept me focused. Made me think of all the poor fools that crossed the mob. Poor fools like me, but with even less luck, if such a thing is possible. What a lousy way to die this would be.
Kerdy pulled me up, guided one of my feet onto the ledge, and one of my paws up to the wall below the rail. I inhaled some of the best air I’d tasted in my entire life. Kerdy barely seemed winded, as if she’d just taken a five-minute stroll down the street. On this side, the rope continued up the wall, knotted in short enough intervals for me to reach with my feet and climb up easily.
“I’m going back for Petey. Stay put once you reach the top,” she said, dropping off the railing back into the water, disappearing beneath.
I had no idea where we were, relative to where we started on the Black District side, and it was all too quiet. By the time I made it to the top, the combination of the trip through the tunnel and the climb up the road sent me spilling over the rail above and into an unfamiliar back street. Thankfully, there wasn’t a soul around.
Or so I thought.
As I stood bent over, my paws resting on my legs trying to catch my breath, I felt a tap on my shoulder. As I turned around, I saw two cats standing there, one black and one gray. Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize either of them, but they both seemed to recognize me. In my line of work, that’s the worst combination you could ever hope for. It meant the time would soon come for speed, either as quick thinking, or a quick death… or quick feet. But I couldn’t exactly run. Then Kerdy and Petey wouldn’t have any idea where I went. Then I really wouldn’t have a chance.
“Nice night, fellas. I’m just out fishing,” I lied, with a smile on my face.
They looked between one another, an expression of genuine surprise on their faces.
“But there ain’t no fish in Arc River,” the gray one said, as though he really thought I’d meant it. Maybe he did. Wow, did I ever hope he did.
“You don’t know that,” I said. “You ever tried to fish in this part of the river?”
They shared another look, but the gray cat was more interested in continuing the conversation.
“Everybody knows they ain’t no fish in Arc River. Besides, how do we know you’re telling the truth anyway? We’re out here looking for a Chihuahua what ought to look just like you.”
The black cat shot him a glare. “You’re kidding. He looks just like him because he’s him, you idiot. Where do you suppose he came from just now?”
“I dunno. How do you know he wasn’t fishing, hmm? Can you prove it, if you’re so smart Mr. Smarty Pants? You think you know everything,” he shot back.
Good. Yes. Keep talking. Just a little longer. I cannot even believe this is working.
“Were you dropped on your head as a kitten… from the top of a tall building?” the black cat asked him. “He doesn’t even have a fishing pole! Besides, you said it yourself, there aren’t even any fish in this part of Arc River.”
The light bulb finally went off in the gray cat’s mind, his mouth opening in a wide expression of shock. “Hey, you really ain’t got a fishing pole,
do you?”
“You got me, but hey, I’ll give you some good information to make up for it. A dog that looked almost exactly like me just walked by this way, not even five minutes ago. I’ll bet you anything he’s the dog you’re looking for,” I said.
“You hear that, Iggy? What do you want to bet that dog he saw’s our dog?” the gray cat said to the black cat, apparently Iggy.
Iggy stood, staring at him, completely dumbfounded. “I should’ve come by myself.”
“Besides,” I continued. “That Detective Trigger is far, far, faaaaar too handsome to be me. Look, I’ve even got both eyes. Everybody knows that dog’s only got one.”
“Well, he does have a point there, Trigger only has one eye, and he’s got… what? Why are you looking at me like that, Iggy?”
Iggy didn’t answer, just pointed to my eyes. The gray cat looked to me, and back to Iggy again, not understanding.
“Good eye, Joe. One good eye, not one eye.”
“What’s the difference?” Joe asked.
Iggy just rubbed his face with his paw. “Look, this is obviously the guy. You’re here because you’re a lot better fighter than me and the boss didn’t want to take any chances on him getting away, so why don’t you muscle on up to the guy, and grab him? We’ve got other things to do, remember?”
When Joe turned around, I wasted no time socking him in the jaw. Wow, that really hurt my paw. Now I knew why this guy was so dumb. His mother must’ve poured out his brains and replaced them with concrete.
Without flinching, he countered with a left hook to my jaw. Even though I tried to dodge backward, he extended his arm the precise length necessary to compensate. Just my luck. The cat was an absolute moron in conversation, but a scientist in a scuffle. I dropped to one knee, seeing stars. As I got my bearings, I tried to stand, but a swift kick to the gut cut my rise short. I fell onto my back, clutching my stomach. All my ribs were intact, but he’d taken every bit of the wind out of my lungs.
