by M. A. Owens
Marty sighed, slamming the wrench he’d just picked up back down into the toolbox. “No, Trigger, he tried. Dame was nowhere to be found. We figure she must’ve died down here. They weren’t exactly known for their gentle treatment of cats at that time, you know. You see a lot of old cats around here?”
“I see a lot of cats. Mostly cats, but yeah, now that you mention it. Not a lot of old ones.”
“So yeah, he tried, couldn’t find her. One thing that pushed him to fight for cats’ rights here in the city. Rest is history. Look, you want to hear the actual story or not?”
I nodded. It’s not like Marty had the patience or the insight to understand why I even cared about the play. If I asked him about it again, we might end up in another fight to the death, if the look in his eyes was any sign of where his mood was going. “Sorry. Detective’s instinct. Gotta ask the questions when they pop in my head or it’s a distraction. Please continue.”
He sighed, pulling the wrench back out and tightening bolts along the rail as he told his story. “What was I saying? Right, fishy. It all started when there was this one couple that swapped out seats with another at the beginning. No big deal? That’s what some of the others thought, but it just stuck with me, kind of like that detective’s instinct you were talking about.”
I continued moving ahead of him, brushing out debris from the tracks and dripping several drops of oil each time. It had become almost mechanical at this point. “I’d have noted that too, since I’ve done it myself to get closer to a target before.”
“That’s not all, though. You know what the biggest problem was to me, out of the whole thing?”
“What’s that?”
“The dame. She was clearly out of his league. Really stuck in my rib. Couldn’t let it go. Me and one of the other dogs kept watching them. Kept looking over their shoulders at the boss, so I moved down a few rows to put myself in between.”
I nodded along. This made me so glad that Marty and I weren’t friends before. I bet he told these stories all the time. They probably told them to each other daily. Then again, it wasn’t much different from when I was a police lieutenant. Same stories go around the office, about this or that big arrest, or how one of your buddies cracked the case of the decade. The stakes went up every time it was told. One guy in a dark alley became three. One black eye became three busted ribs and a broken leg. One lucky punk became the brains behind the local criminal enterprise of the day. Sheesh.
“Right. Good thinking,” I said.
“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not, Trigger, but yeah, turned out to be good thinking. I heard a commotion back behind me. Someone jumped the boss with a knife, and the two cats next to him tackled the dog onto the ground and were rolling around. Well, in the middle of all this commotion, these two jump up and come up behind everyone. All their backs turned, including the boss’s. And—”
“Let me guess, you came up behind them, slapped them both around, and got a toast on top of the money piles in your honor.”
“Hah!” That got a big laugh out of him? Marty really was full of surprises. “Not quite, Trigger. More like I got poked full of holes by the wannabe assassins, almost bled out, got put in the hospital, and my only visit for three days was the more experienced bodyguard who recommended me coming by to yell at me for wandering off in the first place.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a happy ending, Marty. Your stories are a real downer,” I said, grinning.
“So, this your story now? You want to finish it for me?”
“If you’re telling me there’s more, I definitely want to hear it.”
“Mr. B came by the day I got released, and said the previous head of his security, same cat that came by and scolded me, was out, and that he was putting me in the opening.”
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to break it to Marty that him becoming head of security to the biggest criminal in the city didn’t exactly moisten my eyes. Guess it could have been worse, though. He could’ve been working for Saint. Maybe I should be happy he threw in with the lesser of two evils. Just wish I could’ve seen into the future, and not put my hide on the line the way I did, only to have to go back on all of it and undo everything later.
What was I thinking? Now my thoughts were sounding like Rick’s speeches. Mr. B was a scumbag, and he deserved to be in here. This situation with Saint didn’t change any of that, and it didn’t erase any of the things Mr. B had done. I liked nothing about this, and now it seemed Marty was along for the ride. One dog that tried to kill me, and one of the closest to success, was now on the roster for our big escape effort. How nice. Did this city want to chew me up even more before it finally spat me into the Arc River to wash away? Maybe I should’ve thrown myself in when I had the chance. Saved Arc City the trouble.
“Hey, Trigger, you still here? Am I talking to the doggone wall, or what?”
I shook my head side-to-side, flapping my lips as I did, trying to snap myself out of the well of cynicism I always fell into and had to crawl back out of repeatedly.
“No, Marty, sorry. Just got a lot on my mind. Sounds like you’ve really got a knack for security, so I’m glad to have you on my side in here. Beats you trying to kill me. Opposite of that. Trying to keep me from getting killed. Who would’ve thought? Almost like big, strange joke, isn’t it?”
He laughed, grunting as he tightened the last bolt on the row we’d been working on. “Well, I guess so. Once we’re out of here, maybe I can come work for you. You got any openings?”
I genuinely considered his offer for a moment. Having a dog like Marty on the payroll wasn’t a half bad idea, if I allowed myself to be honest about it for a moment. Only a couple of problems. One was that I didn’t have any money to pay the dog with. Two is that I was going to be out of this business so doggone fast it would make his head spin. This was it. Last job I was ever going to take. Didn’t matter that it was for Mr. B, my previous nemesis. Didn’t matter at all. End of story.
“Look, if Petey offers you sanctuary in the Black District, you can make me an offer on my office. You can be Black District’s newest PI, and I’ll go read a book and sip lemonade. If you ask me, you’re better suited for the work than I am. But for now, for this one job, let’s just say you’re officially hired for the case… partner. But first, we need to get out of here, and I think it’s high time we go knocking on the door of our next appointment.”
Marty cracked his knuckles, grinning from ear to ear at the thought of another violent encounter. “Whatever you say, boss,” he said.
12
Tracking down Fernando was as difficult as the first time. The cat was sneaky and always planned. It was clear by now that I wouldn’t be able to find Lady on my own. No one wanted to talk about her, and no one cared. They didn’t know her the way I did. They didn’t know what she’d done on the surface, and they didn’t know her origins. She was just another dog to them. Maybe that was the plan. Lie low. Bide her time. Be just another dog. Escape. Fernando was from the city. He had a reputation that preceded him going into this prison. He could try to hide, but he couldn’t do it forever. What surprised me wasn’t the fact that we’d eventually meet. What surprised me was the fact he came to us first.
As Marty and I were about to dig into lunch, a tray sat down next to mine, and across from Marty, who eyed the cat with intent. Seemed Marty recognized him. They’d worked for Mr. B, but it was very different work.
“Well, hello there Fernando. Fancy meeting you in a place like this. You been here long?” Marty asked, putting on a grin.
“Right, funny as always, Marty. I’ve been busy, and I’ve had better things to do than sit down and chat with two bad luck charms like you,” he said, pushing up his glasses.
“What am I, chopped liver?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with you, even if you were, detective. And I like chopped liver. You have the face I wanted to see least of all.”
“Wow, I’m honor
ed. Wanted to see me even less than Lady, huh? Not buying that,” I said, shoving a spoonful of potatoes into my mouth.
“Hah! Right you are,” he said, waving his spoon in front of him to punctuate the point. “You’ve already given out one beating, and I’d rather not be the recipient of the second. Why do you think I showed myself in the middle of the cafeteria like this?”
Marty tapped his chin and nodded, impressed. “Yeah, good move. I’ll give you that.”
“Yeah, except that was self-defense, Marty. Let’s not make it out to be something it isn’t. Fernando is going to see through the obvious stuff anyway,” I said.
“Well, thank you for the vote of confidence, Trigger, but could you please tell me why you are drawing so much attention to me over the past couple of weeks? I preferred being out of as many mouths and ears as possible, and you two compromised that,” he said, pushing his glasses up again.
“Right. What do you know about the escape attempts?” I asked, skipping straight to the point. I knew Fernando had a tendency to get side-tracked, and I wasn’t about to feed it.
“Who are you, the new warden?” Fernando asked. “As much as you do. No more. No less. I’m afraid I’d prefer a sounder strategy than something so short-sighted. Not that I don’t admire their ingenuity. I mean, I know you heard about the bomb. Truly impressive. Not even I could have expected that. Not a small detonation, either, mind you, but nearly collapsing in the entire ventilation.”
“Yeah, Fernando, we know,” I said. He was already pushing my patience to the limit, and we’d only been talking a few minutes. Fernando wasn’t the only cat I’d met in this city who could turn a ten second statement into a ten-minute speech, but he was definitely one of the best at it. “What else do you know? Any idea who was responsible?”
“Why would I know? Didn’t I just tell you I know what you know?”
“Yeah, you said that, but unless you picked up the ability to read minds while you’ve been in here, you don’t know what we know any more than we know what you know. Now cut the crap and give it to us straight. You never know. We might just be able to help one another. After all, we’re all on the same side in here. Isn’t that why Lady hasn’t come after you or Hans? Hans had too big of an ego to realize it, but he’s not quite the clever cat you are. Surely you see it more clearly.”
This got his attention. He had no small ego either, after all. He brushed back his whiskers and cleared his throat.
“Well, I see you are as observant as ever. Yes, I believe Lady and I realized that, and so there was a silent truce between us. I see that you and Marty are working together, despite the things I’d heard about your previous meeting, so I can only assume that the two of you will honor a truce as well.”
“Something like that,” Marty said. “So how about you be a pal too and tell us your angle? You’ve obviously been up to something.”
Fernando sighed, delicately placing his fork into the meat on his plate, carefully slicing it with his dulled knife. “Very well. Since it’s clear you aren’t stalking me in order to brutalize me the way you did to Hans and his two proteges, I’ll cooperate. My plan is as simple as it is complex.”
“That doesn’t even make any sense…” I said. “But go on.”
“I am in contact with the administration to offer my services to the authorities of Arc City in exchange for my freedom. After all, who knows more than I about the high-value underworld? Things like art, jewelry, historical pieces. No one in the city is more qualified than I am to identify these pieces, and even steer the ACPD toward likely locations, and likely culprits.”
It surprised me. This wasn’t the answer I was expecting, but maybe it should have been. I believed the cat. This was a much better way to leave the prison than violent escape. Not to mention the likelihood of being caught after something like that being extremely high without someone to give you sanctuary, like I knew Petey would for us. Fernando couldn’t count on that. He had the patience to wait, and he had skills and experience the ACPD might be interested in. Huh. Another dead end.
“Well… alright,” I said.
“Is that it? Seriously?” Fernando asked, rubbing his forehead with his paw. “You hunted me down for weeks just for this?”
“Oh, shove it, Fernando,” I said, suddenly remembering why I disliked the cat. “You mean you ran from us for weeks. You’re the one who dragged this out, not us.”
“Fine. So am I free to go, detective? The question is rhetorical,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose again. I swear, he must keep them loose just so he can do that over and over…
“Just one more thing, if you don’t mind.”
He clenched his teeth but nodded. “Alright. Last question.”
“What do you know about the two female prisoners here?” I asked.
“Isn’t that two questions?” he asked.
I looked to Marty. “Pretty sure I only said one sentence, so only one question mark at the end. Besides, he just traded one with us so even if it was two, we just evened out to one again.”
Fernando glared at me. “That doesn’t… You know what, fine. As it just so happens, I know far more than two brutes like yourselves, even in this place. While you two go around beating information out of every dog and cat you see, I listen. You’d be surprised how much you can overhear when you’re studying those around you and learning by more civil means.”
I tapped my paw on the table, glancing to Marty, who was already doing the same. “Right, okay, Scholar of Arc City Prison. I thought you were in a hurry to leave, and now it sounds like you’re presenting yourself with an award. Can you just answer the question?”
“Why must you be so rude, Trigger? I don’t owe you any kind of answer, and besides, I came to you. Remember?”
“Yes, Fernando, I remember. You walked over here five minutes ago. My memory isn’t that bad,” I said, suppressing every urge to stand up and punch him out. I’d wanted to ever since he got that poor girl, Constance, killed and laughed about it. He deserved a lot more than a punching, but I’d be satisfied with that for the moment at least. I swear, if he says one more thing, I might change my mind about the whole suppressing thing and take my chances with Dan.
“Well, one of the female prisoners is Lady. The other is a scruffy old cat from your district. Reminds me a little of that mangy kitten I sent to delivery you that letter. What was her name again?”
I jumped to my feet and picked him up by the collar, slamming him down on the table. His eyes were wide, but it had to be the reaction he expected.
“Her name was Constance, and she deserved to live more than you do, you rotten piece of dirt,” I said, socking him one in the face.
“Guards!” he shouted, holding up his paws to show he wasn’t fighting back, blood pouring from his nose. “Help!”
Marty ran around the table behind me, trying to pull me off. It took everything he had, and I got one more good hit in before he got me away.
“She was just a young girl, Fernando. You’re the lowest of the low. Let go of me, Marty! I’m going to show this scumbag what he’s got coming.” I growled and snarled, dragging Marty forward with me a few steps.
“Trigger, stop. Come on, pal. He ain’t worth it!” Marty pleaded, wrapping his arm around my neck, pulling me back again.
Several guards rushed into the room, piling on top of me. Point to Fernando. He knew exactly what he was doing, the little sneak. Knew my weakness and poked at it until he got what he wanted, but I got what I wanted too. He’s a smart cat, but only thinks about himself. Didn’t even realize the gem he gave away there at the end, but I did.
The guards dragged me away, separated me from Marty, and gave me a beating. Guess that’s how it was in here. Couldn’t tell a difference between the inmates and the guards half the time. Well worth it, though, if you asked me. I’d offer to take ten more beatings for one more punch to Fernando’s face if they’d be willing to bargain for it.
Once they had their fill, they dr
agged me down the familiar route to the office of a certain floor supervisor, who, guessing by the look on his face, had already been briefed on what had just taken place.
The guard sat me down in the chair in front of him and added shackles. Great power play on their part. Wanted to remind me of my status here. Make sure I knew who was the prisoner and who ran the show. Thing is, I don’t even think they knew the half of it anymore. We fail with our goal here, and they’ll still be answering to the ACPD… but the ACPD will answer to Saint. There won’t be a single dog or cat in here that Saint doesn’t want in here. This will become a dog only prison, filled with anyone who disagrees with Saint’s ultimate utopian world. Just the thought of it sent a chill down my spine and made me wish for just a moment that I’d exercised just a little more self-control and hadn’t lost my temper. It wasn’t worth jeopardizing my last chance to stop Saint.
I had to talk my way out of the hole I’d dug myself into.
Dan rose to his feet, took a deep breath, and walked around his desk. He stood directly in front of me, and leaned forward, nearly touching his nose to mine.
I was not looking forward to this.
13
“You’re lucky the warden seems to have faith in you, Trigger. Very lucky,” Dan said, half spitting the words onto my face as he growled them out. Regardless of how much he cowered when the warden was in the room, Dan certainly didn’t deter to anyone else that way. Guess that should be a warning to me about not underestimating the warden. Noted.
“The information I got outweighs the cost… Floor Supervisor Dan,” I said, keeping to myself the fact that I would’ve gotten the information whether I lost my temper or not.
The problem is now I was getting so deep that I had to be cautious, and carefully choose the information I would reveal, and the information I hid. Thing is, I wasn’t even sure myself who the old female cat was on this floor. I could only speculate. That gave me plenty of reason not to reveal it yet, and plenty of excuse if asked later. Lady, on the other paw… the information was obvious, but I didn’t have to let on that I knew that. I could also actively lie, but that could get me into even more trouble. Lying through omission was my best bet here. What they don’t know won’t hurt them… but it could hurt me. If I wasn’t careful, that is. Darn. Too much riding on this. Making me second-guess myself too much.
