by M. A. Owens
“Ever heard of Mr. B?” I asked.
She nodded, holding up a different chess piece and pointing to it. “Of course I have. He’s the reason we’ve been treated better these past years. They moved me out of the regular prison around the time he became a common name. I hear you’re also the reason he’s in prison, but I only know what Lady has told me, and she isn’t even from the city. Why are you asking me that? It’s not like I have anything to do with him. I’ve never met the cat in my life.”
I hesitated. Should I risk telling her, just outright, or at all? It was my best chance to get her onboard, assuming she even had a positive reaction. It sounds like she would, but we were likely being watched. Could she keep her emotions in check?
“Going to need you to really focus on keeping up your concentration on our chess explanation ruse.”
She smiled. “My dear, I’ve been doing this for weeks now. I’m not as delicate as I look. What’s happened, and why should I care? I’m just an old cat who stopped caring about the city a long time ago.”
“I believe that’s not true, ma’am. The part about you not meeting him, I mean.”
She smiled, putting her piece down and picking up another.
“You have a fine sense of humor, and I don’t get the impression you are a bad dog, but I’ve met very few cats and dogs in here, especially since being moved into this room, and I would certainly remember if a big shot like that came in here.”
I pointed to the piece in her paw, doing my best to make it look like I was asking questions. Then I realized how difficult it was to make a statement while appearing to ask a question.
“You didn’t meet him in here. See, his father… he died when he was just a boy.”
She smiled. “Well, he has my sympathies. My husband died too, and I assume my son died soon after they arrested me and brought me here. He and I have that much in common.”
“Your son. How can you be sure that he died? Maybe he survived.”
She tried to smile, but couldn’t, only hung her head. “Trigger, these are old wounds for me, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t deep and easily torn open. My husband. I loved him very much. To this day, I still think about him. All this time later. My son, to give him a chance at surviving, I had to do some things. Society said ‘bad things’, but you know what? I disagree. I stole from some very evil dogs. The same dogs that didn’t even go to the trouble of delivering my husband’s body for a proper burial. Just tossed him in the incinerator and sent one of their exhausted workers by our tiny home and basically said ‘good luck’.”
She shook her head, composing herself for a moment. I couldn’t believe it. My hunch was actually correct. No one could have seen this coming. No one.
“No, not even good luck,” she continued. “That would have been an improvement. They didn’t compensate me for his death, and the two of us nearly starved. I started stealing scrap from the same recycling company and selling it. For a while, it was good. I was almost ready to bring others into the scheme, those with better skills to avoid getting caught. I was going to take a share off the top, just enough to keep my son and I fed and a roof over our heads. When I was arrested, I had no one to send him to. No family. No friends. If he went to the foster system, that would have been worse than starving. He had no chance to survive. That would have taken a miracle, and a cat much older than my son.”
I reached over slowly, picking up the king, the last piece. “Mr. B’s name. It wasn’t Mr. B.”
“Thank you, Trigger,” Lady said, as she sat the tea down in front of us. “None of us would have ever been able to solve this mystery on our own. It took a dog of your caliber to crack the case and find that Mr. B was indeed not his actual name. Thank you. We’re very impressed. Now leave,” she said, before sipping her own tea. Mildred began raising her own cup to her lips.
“When Mr. B was a kitten, his father died. His mother took care of him, but she was arrested. He loved his mother and never forgot her. Against all odds, he became the most powerful cat in the city. He did a lot of bad things, but he also fought to make the city a place where cats and dogs could be equal. He tried to find his mother, but they hid her away in the prison to keep her from being found. I don’t know why. Maybe they feared retaliation when they found out how she’d been treated. Maybe it’s something else.
“His name was Vash, Mildred. Your son.”
She dropped her teacup onto the table, shattering it, and sending tea spilling everywhere. I should have timed that better. She put both paws over her mouth, and her eyes welled with tears.
“My son. He’s alive.”
15
Lady looked angry. Then again, maybe she was happy, for all I knew. She always looked angry.
It didn’t take long for the door to open. Lady immediately adapted, improvising a story compatible with what had happened.
“Please don’t cry, Mildred,” she said, resting her paw on the cat’s back. “I’m sorry, I must have made the tea too hot. I’m sure they will bring you a new cup.” She grabbed a nearby towel and started picking up the pieces, drying the table as she did.
Mildred rubbed her eyes. “It’s okay, dear. It wasn’t your fault. I’m just upset because I’ve had this cup so many years and I’m just so upset I dropped it. And look at the chessboard. Oh, no…”
I ran over and picked up the chessboard. “Just a little around the edges, ma’am. Not enough to ruin the board. I’ll get that wiped down for you. Look, we don’t even have to reset the pieces,” I said, hoping like crazy they were buying this act we put together on the fly.
Daffodil stepped inside the kitchen.
“Don’t worry, Mildred. We can get a replacement cup for you, I’m sure. You know, I think I remember seeing one just like this in a shop near my home. I’ll stop by before work tomorrow and pick one up for you. My treat!”
Mildred rubbed her eyes again. “Oh, would you really do that for me? Thank you so much, dear. It’s alright. I’m sorry I made such a fuss. It’s only a teacup, after all. I’m getting too sentimental in my old age. Lady, would you pour me another cup of tea? Just one of the guest cups is perfectly fine.”
Lady nodded and went to the cabinet to retrieve another.
Mildred turned to Daffodil again. “So sorry we startled you like that. Thank you for checking in with me. I’m lucky to have someone like you around.”
Daffodil smiled, but something seemed nervous about it. It wasn’t quite genuine. Was she buying this?
“Of course, Mildred. It’s my pleasure. I’m going to head back to my desk now. I’ll bring lunch in shortly, so I hope you’re hungry. They’re bringing an order for three today.”
Lady and I smiled and nodded.
Daffodil walked away, and we waited for the sound of the door before continuing.
“So, my son is alive. That’s so hard to believe, but in my heart I think I always knew. He must have had to do so many terrible and difficult things, all because his father and I weren’t able to protect him.”
I continued wiping the chessboard’s edges with a towel, happy my back was most likely to whatever cameras hid in the room, since I was facing the wall and standing close to it. “I’m not sure how much of it was him doing what he had to, and how much of it was him doing what he wanted to. To be perfectly honest with you, I haven’t forgiven the things he’s done, and I’m not sure he’s being honest about his claim of wanting to get out of here and redeem himself, but it’s my best chance of saving the city from something far worse.”
Lady stepped over, placing another cup of tea in front of Mildred, returning to her seat.
“You’re trying to help him escape, then. So that’s why you’re here. Completely by chance?” Mildred asked.
“Yes… and no,” I said, as I placed the dried board back between them carefully. “You, I didn’t know about. Lady, I did.”
Lady perked her ears, making the first move on the chessboard. “I couldn’t care less.”
“
Look, Lady, do you think I came here to get even with you?” I asked, pointing to the chessboard. Lady and Mildred smiled and nodded.
The door opened again. I nearly panicked, thinking they’d gotten wise to the performance, or that the audio was working after all. The smell that came flooding into the room made me feel relieved. Lunch.
Daffodil came in with two trays, placing them in front of Lady and Mildred, with just enough room between them and the chessboard. “Is it alright if I place these in front of you while you’re playing?”
The two nodded and smiled.
“Thank you, dear,” Mildred said.
“Don’t worry, Trigger, I didn’t forget yours. I’ll be back in just a moment,” she said, quickly heading back out of the room.
That was odd. I knew another officer, likely two or three, had brought these trays to her. They weren’t allowed in here. Interesting. I doubted it was because Daffodil thought the guards would mistreat her. I guessed it was because this prisoner was a very well-kept secret. Others knew she was here, but hadn’t seen her, and certainly didn’t know her identity.
Maybe after being reunited with his mother, he’d be that much more likely to keep his word and not immediately revert to his old ways. Either way, love or hate Mr. B, finding some way to get Mildred out of here seemed like the right thing to do. A life sentence for stealing from a business that same as murdered her husband and destroyed the evidence? If you ask me, she deserves a medal, not prison. But no one asked me.
Daffodil returned a moment later with the third tray. This wasn’t the usual prison chow. This was good stuff. A steak, not mystery meat. Roasted potatoes, seasoned, not mashed potatoes drowned in salt to cover up the partially rotten flavor. A real knife, instead of that dulled, knife-shaped piece of metal. They really went all the way, distracting this cat from the fact that she was a prisoner with no freedom.
“Thank you,” I said. “Looks delicious.”
Daffodil nodded. “Alright, it looks like after lunch it’ll be time for Trigger to leave. I’ll be back in about an hour to pick up your trays.”
We all smiled as she turned and left the room again, signaling her full exit with the sound of a closing door.
Lady hadn’t lost track of the conversation.
“So, why are you here? I could break you in half before they could come back in here, and you are testing my mercy, allowing you to leave in one piece. Only because I will respect that Mildred wishes to speak with you further. I, on the other paw, do not,” she said, cutting a piece of steak, placing it delicately into her mouth to punctuate the end of her sentence.
I wondered if Mildred knew what this dog was capable of despite her manners, pretty face, and delicate demeanor.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Your boss gave me an injection, and it seems to have made me a little healthier than I was before. Maybe I could take you,” I said, really hoping that wasn’t the wrong thing to say.
She burst out laughing. Not a fake laugh for the cameras, but a real one. It sent a chill down my spine. “Oh, make no mistake, it wouldn’t change much for me. What I want to know is why in the world she would waste such a precious resource on a useless creature like you, and why she’d break the rules. Her, of all cats. I’d accuse you of stealing it, but a dog like you would never be capable of stealing from a cat like her. Not in a million lifetimes. Humor me, little one. Why would she do such a thing?”
I shrugged, pointing to one of the chess pieces on Mildred’s side, then grabbing a bite of my potatoes, taking the time to chew carefully, much to Lady’s growing frustration.
“She hired me to hunt down and capture Saul, and I delivered.”
She paused for a moment, considering my words. She must have realized there’d be no way for me to know Saul even existed if there wasn’t at least some truth to my claim.
I added, “With the help of three of the hardest hitting dogs and cats in the city, of course. That Saul wasn’t quite on your level, but he wasn’t a pushover. Almost killed all of us.”
She stared down at her tray, chewing slowly, and chewing on her words even slower. Finally, she spoke.
“So, Saul finally did it. He finally had the guts to betray Kerdy and the others. And you say you captured him? You must have. Why else would she even consider giving you such a gift? Do you even know what it is?”
I shook my head, sawing off another piece of my steak.
“Of course you don’t,” she said. “Think of it as a vaccine, except instead of protecting you from a virus or disease, it protects you from common weaknesses all dogs and cats have when they are born. Your muscles, your bones, your ligaments, your mental clarity… all are subpar. Less than what they could be. Besides healing you of any fresh wounds you have when it’s administered, it will slowly change your body. It was still a waste to give one to you, but not only because you are a pathetic physical specimen.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Why else is it a waste?”
She smiled, carefully picked up a potato, and slowly chewed, no doubt paying me back for doing the same thing to her. “Because you are an adult. The effects will be far less… pronounced. There, that is your parting gift for the information you’ve given Mildred. You should leave.”
I shook my head. “Kerdy had one more thing to say before she left.”
“Oh, and what was that? This is a sore spot for me, so realize that I could put this knife through your skull faster than you can blink, and very well may. Maybe you should cut your losses and leave while you still have your life. Since I’m already in here with Mildred, I know I won’t be leaving anytime soon. It probably won’t change a thing.”
Wow, she was probably right. She’d already been in here for a couple of weeks, and they were already treating her like a roommate for Mildred. It couldn’t be a coincidence. She had done nothing since she’d been in here to stand out, that I’d heard about. Why not just transfer her to the all-female floor? There must be a reason. Did they worry she was still too dangerous? Or… were they keeping her here to see if the escape attempts stop? The escape attempts had stopped, come to think of it. I only knew one thing I could say to get through to Lady, if it didn’t cause her to snap and kill me on the spot. Here goes nothing:
“The ninth commander releases you from your oath,” I said.
Lady was still and silent, as if frozen in time. She didn’t move. Not a twitch, or growl, or even a change in breathing.
After a moment, she resumed eating. I was in no hurry to hear her answer and wasn’t about to say anything else and potentially sabotage my own efforts.
Several minutes later, she placed her fork and knife onto her tray. “I can’t believe she would say such a thing. Yet, it’s impossible that you could fabricate such a decree. But… if she believes I would ever abandon my oath, or her, my people, she’s mistaken. I thought I wanted to return and become a part of the city, but I was wrong. I will make it up to her. Someday soon I will retrieve the Grand Gobbler, but before I can do that, I must escape. It will require your help, little detective. I was the one responsible for the experimental escapes. I believe the next will be successful. Let me hear your conditions, and I will give you mine.”
Finally, I was getting somewhere.
16
“My conditions are simple. We need to move down floors during the escape. I have two down there who need to come with me. We’ll need to set this up in advance and send a message for them to be ready.”
Lady nodded. “Easy enough. We’ll move down once and escape on the lower floor. Layouts are identical, so any escape that would work up here will work down there. That also removes the need for us to change floors twice. Who are these two?”
Here I thought mentioning Mr. B would be the hardest part. Lady won’t enjoy hearing the name Rico. Then again, since she wasn’t on the same floor as him, and hasn’t been listening to gossip, maybe what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Revealing that Rick is actually Rico, the dog that played a big part in tri
cking her before, should wait until another day. “Mr. B, and another dog by the name of Rick. Long-time friend of mine. It was his plan to get Mr. B out, so he’ll need to come along. He has some trouble with walking, so we’ll have to move slowly.”
Lady grunted, slicing off another piece of her steak. “Is that all?”
“I’ve got a dog working with me on this floor already, Marty, who will want to come with me too.”
“And you trust him?”
I wasn’t even sure how to answer that question. The simple way to answer that question was to say that I did not, but the answer wasn’t as simple as the question.
“Doesn’t matter now. I’m stuck with the dog. I think maybe we can, because he used to work for Mr. B and was his personal bodyguard. He also tried to kill me a while back. But, then again, so have you. Nearly everyone’s had a turn at that, so I’ve tried to stop taking it personally, and I’ve definitely stopped keeping count. He’s too close to me now, so if we try to cut him out, it’s only going to end badly. Either he’ll sabotage us, or he’ll sell us out. Best to keep him close and let him play along.”
“Six is a lot to keep up with, but it should be manageable,” Mildred said, after taking a sip of her tea. “It’s going to be too difficult to transport explosives materials from this floor to the other. To gather them, we need ready access to the kitchen.”
“As far as I’m aware, Rick still has access to the kitchen below. He could gather the materials there. In his condition, he might not gather and hide them somewhere, but he could at least identify them and make sure we have open access to them when we land below.”
Lady and Mildred considered this for a moment, before nodding to one another. Mildred made the next move on the chessboard. “They aren’t hard to make, but the container necessary to give them the right amount of pressure is the difficult thing. If we can’t find something there, we’ll need to improvise. The goal is to make them open the larger ventilation tunnel up wider. It’s the old service tunnel. A long time ago, before they added the interior elevator system, the ACPD would lower supplies by rope to these different levels onto their balconies. Because of that, each floor has a clean line of visibility to the top of the wall. Where this comes out, the Arc River is a long way down. This is the most dangerous part of Arc River, which is why it’s built there. Any prisoner that falls is dead for sure. Lady wasn’t able to open the main security door when she tried. It’s solid and heavy, but the other door is just a chain fence locked down to allow unrestricted airflow. She is confident she can open that one. With six of us, it should be even easier.”
