by M. A. Owens
“Along the way, Mr. B hit a snag in this climb to the top. A crime boss by the name of Rex. That dog owned Black District and every dog and cat in it. Close to literally with the cats. They were little better than slaves in the city, and nowhere did they have it worse than the Black District. In much less time than you might imagine, and what seemed like overnight to uninformed onlookers, Mr. B crushed him like an ant beneath his feet. No bloodshed, no fights in the street, no shuffles in power, or poison slipped in tea. They had a brief showdown, with only words exchanged, and that was the end of Rex. Mr. B kept two items from that day. One was an old metal chair that Rex made him sit in during their final ‘battle’, and the other was Rex’s pen.
“That pen symbolized a major turning point in Mr. B’s criminal career, and even when he moved into the Adria District after that, he never seemed to slow down in his rise to the top. Not even a little. On his desk, observing every dirty business deal, every blackmailed politician, every phone call to the chief of police to deliver instructions, was this little pen. Until Rico stole it right out from under his nose. Mr. B had kept his growing displeasure with Rico mostly secret until that night. But once he saw the note he left, and saw his pen was missing, he flew into a rage that no one had seen before. Word got out, rumors spread, and well… that’s when a legend was born. Rico, the master thief, hero to the people, and the only one who dared stand up to Mr. B and lived to tell it. And he did it again, and again, and again.”
Although I was on the edge of my seat hearing this story, I did my best to hide it, and let out a long sigh. “Yeah, yeah. That’s a great story and all, but you won’t be any closer to knowing identity of the most recent owner of that pen until I get a guarantee from you we’ll have a meeting with Saint’s backer. Tomorrow, and no funny business. And don’t tell them we’re the ones they’ll be meeting. I don’t want them to have the chance to go hide or beef up security. We’re just ‘associates’ of yours. Got it?”
He smiled and rested his paw on the phone. “Well, detective, you drive a hard bargain. There was a time when I would’ve given you anything to know the identity of Rico. You’d need but name it, and it would be yours. I’d have given you Saint’s head in a gift-wrapped box by the next morning, before you could even decide what you were going to have for breakfast.”
I rubbed my forehead. “I sense a ‘but’ coming…”
“But,” he emphasized. “Thanks to a certain ace detective, the would-be prime buyer is in prison, and circumstances have changed. The information is still valuable, but not priceless.”
“And?” Kerdy snapped. “Is it enough to get us what we want, or not?”
Max smiled, picking up the phone and dialing, shushing us when he’d finished. “This is the broker. I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a favor to call in. I have two associates who need to have a meeting with you in the morning. Neutral location, no additional security necessary, all very low-key.” He paused, shaking his head at the two of us. “No, I’m afraid I’d prefer they not be named, even over this secure line. It’s unlikely you’d know them.” He stopped to listen again, frowning even deeper this time. “Top floor of the new office building? Well, if that’s what you need to feel secure, I suppose that’ll have to do. So, eight sharp? Thank you for not making this difficult for me. Please, enjoy the rest of your evening. Yes, you too.” He placed the phone back on the receiver, opening up his arms, waiting for us to speak first, a big grin across his lips.
“So, guess it was still worth it, huh?” I asked.
“Oh, I suspect I’ll be able to use the information as a bargaining chip very quickly. And, even if I couldn’t, it’s a great ace to hold in my back pocket, wouldn’t you agree?”
I didn’t answer.
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. It’s time for you to honor your end of the bargain,” he said.
I felt sick suddenly. I thought I was ready. I thought I could tell myself that this was for the greater good, that it’s what Rick wanted so he could save the city one last time. I thought I could tell myself that I was a real tough guy, a stone-hearted detective that could pay any price to take down Saint. Thing is, I could. I could pay that price without a second thought… but could I make someone else pay it? Could I sell out the dog that had become my best friend and my hero? An Arc City legend, and I was about to topple it like a cheap thug in some gangster’s office. My friend’s freedom for one meeting. He’d given everything, and he leaped at the chance to give more. What had I given? Asking that question did nothing to make me feel better. Very much the opposite.
“Trigger…” Max leaned over, twisting his head to look at me, now doubled over in my chair, feeling like I was about to pass out. “Are you alright?”
Kerdy put her paw on my shoulder. “Trigger?”
“I… just need a minute. That’ll teach me to stop at the first street vendor I spot for a quick bite. Really hit me all of a sudden,” I lied.
“Uh huh, right. If you need the restroom, use my personal one. We can wait,” Max said, pointing over his shoulder, clearly not buying it but polite enough not to speculate on the real reason.
I nodded and quickly excused myself, locking the door behind me. I took my hat off and hung it on the door hanger, then leaned over the sink, turning the tap on full cold and splashing several pawfuls into my face. I looked in the mirror, letting the water drip from my chin, staring down the soon-to-be traitor where he stood. I didn’t like the look of myself at the moment, but what choice did I have? What other options were there? If it wasn’t too late already, it would be soon. Obviously, Rick thought so, or he wouldn’t be taking such drastic measures, but still… Could I have done something differently to avoid this getting to the point it had now? Can’t I do something now? Offer him a different secret, maybe?
I took a deep breath, and let it go slowly, repeating it several times until I finally felt my vision clear again. No. There was nothing I could’ve done to avoid this. Nothing else I could do now, and nothing else I could offer Max in exchange for the information. Rick knew that, and so did I.
I toweled off my face and stepped back out into the office, returning to my seat.
“Feeling better?” Max asked.
“Worse,” I replied. “But it’s not about to get any better, so let’s just move on.”
He nodded. “The anticipation is killing me, detective.”
“Rico is Rick, the reclusive millionaire.”
Max stifled a laugh. Until a few seconds later when he couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Rick, your friend? Wow, if I’d known you wanted the information that badly I would’ve asked a higher price.”
I didn’t answer him. There was nowhere in the world I wanted to be less than the chair I was sitting in at this moment.
“We got what we came for. Let’s go,” Kerdy said, quickly rising from her chair and stepping toward the door. I wasn’t far behind.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” Max said. “Here’s a freebie. Lily is the next target.”
“I guessed as much, but thanks,” I said, closing the door behind me as I exited the office behind Kerdy, noting the distant expression on her face.
I somehow thought she’d be happier having this part of the search out of the way. Tomorrow morning we’d have a meeting with Saint’s backer, who would lead us to Saint and his new hitman, Saul.
“Trap?” I asked.
“Almost a definite,” she said.
“Got any other choice?”
She turned to me, a hint of a smile on her lips. “I’m sure you’d have rather this gone down peacefully, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Let’s talk more once we’re out of this place.”
We continued walking, until we made it out of the building, and out of earshot of Max’s dogs and cats, if such a thing was even possible.
“Well, you’re right. I’d prefer not dying to dying if I have my choice, and I’ve had my fair share of near-death experiences over the past year or two. What gave i
t away? The trap, I mean.”
She sighed. “The one thing I wasn’t happy to hear. Top floor of the new office building. If there’s one thing that complicates an escape, it’s being twenty floors up. I know you’re the pacifist sort, but—”
I laughed. “Pacifist? I don’t think I’d go that far.”
She stared at me, unamused. “Fighting, sure, but you have a weak stomach. Opposed to killing, but we may not have a choice tomorrow. Are you prepared to fight your way out of that building with me if you have to? You have your objective, and I have mine. I have no problem leaving you behind, just so we’re clear.”
I frowned. This cat really meant it, didn’t she? She’d leave me there in a second. With luck, the right amount of luck, and if we played all of our cards right, this might all be over tomorrow.
13
There was a time, not long ago, that I thought anywhere in Adria was better than my rundown apartment in Black. Now, after the second night in a row of sleeping next to a dumpster in some nameless back alley, I was seriously rethinking that assumption. What I wouldn’t give to be waking up right about now, dry and warm in my old bed, with only some holes in the wall to worry about and the occasional stuck window. Instead, I was damp from head to toe and hadn’t changed clothes in days. The only way I could sneak up on someone now is if they’d somehow lost their sense of smell. Thankfully, the time for sneaking was over. Today, we’d have Saint’s backer, and the war of information would tip in our favor. A war we desperately had to win, or there’d be no winning the others.
“Finally deciding to stir, little dog?” Kerdy asked, poking me with her paw. “The sun’s been up for nearly an hour. I considered leaving you here.”
“Yeah, right. Sure you did. You’re the one who hired me, remember?”
“Yes, and today’s the big day, isn’t it? We walk into the trap I’m expecting, and I’ll bet Saul is there waiting. I’ll drag him out of this city one way or another, and we’ll go our separate ways,” she said.
“And what about my payment? That big favor you offered.”
“You’ll have it, but I have to get Saul out of the city first, unless you want him to keep blasting your friends.”
“Alright,” I said, holding up my paws. “You’re going to have to fill me in on this weapon. You keep mentioning it, but I’m going to need the details if there’s a chance this thing’s going to be pointed at us today.”
She sighed, leaning against the brick wall behind her. “It’s not appropriate for me to explain our technology to someone in this city, but… your request is reasonable. The weapon is a gun, but not the old, ignited powder, propel a metal projectile at thousands of feet per second type. This one is a lot more than that.”
I held up my paws again. “Okay, wait. Stop. Gun what now? Ignited powder metal projectile? Think you can dumb it down a bit more than that, if you don’t mind? Not looking for the engineering class here. We’ve got places to be.”
She clenched her teeth and looked for a moment like she wanted to claw me across the face. She probably did.
“It’s a paw-held weapon. He flips a switch, it charges. He can shoot a blast in the direction he points it by pulling a trigger with his finger. He can do this quickly, to create small blasts, or let it charge for a couple of minutes for a blast to blow the wall out of a brick building, or worse. It’s powered by the sun,” she said, as though I could believe any of this. But I did. I had to believe it, unbelievable as the whole thing was from top to bottom.
“So, indoors he won’t be able to shoot a follow up blast once he completely drains it. He’ll need to go out to recharge it.”
Kerdy scratched her chin, nodding. “Yes, but he could fire as many as a dozen small blasts, and each one is more than enough to kill either of us with a direct hit.”
I rubbed my forehead, thoroughly dreading the whole ordeal. “You sure Max will betray us?”
She shook her head. “What are you, an optimist all of a sudden? No, he’ll get us the meeting just like he promised, but if he thinks he can get something valuable out of trading that information to other interested parties, he’ll jump at the chance. It’s not betrayal for him, just business. We’re not his pals. He’ll give us what he promised, and anything beyond that is anyone’s guess. Besides, I think I’ve explained to you why an ambush will benefit us. An ambush will mean Saul, if they know I’m coming.”
“And you think Saul isn’t prepared for you? We’re going onto their turf.”
“Let me worry about Saul, Trigger. You just worry about Saint’s backer. I should be asking you what your plan is. Far as I can tell, you don’t have one. Have you ever even made a plan in your life, or do you just wing everything?”
“I wing everything, more or less. Make you feel any better?” I asked with a grin.
She sighed, taking a step away from the wall. “I’m sorry I asked. Ready?”
I nodded, and we began walking, stepping out of the alley and into the streets. And, unfortunately, into the already blistering sun. This had to be the worst summer I could remember, or maybe it was the fact that I’d been sweating like a faucet for the last couple of days without having access to a real faucet or a bar of soap. When this was all over, I was going to kiss the floor in my apartment. That, or I’d stop by Lily’s for a nice tall glass of ice-cold lemonade. Just thinking of Lily caused a twist in my stomach. I was putting all of my trust in Petey and the BDPD to keep her safe, but I knew they wouldn’t let her down. No way Saul would go into Black District now, with everything going on here in Adria.
“Detective, do you think you could get your head out of the clouds?” Kerdy asked, with a sharp elbow to my ribs. “You realize that as we get closer to this building, they could just ambush us from some alley.”
“Oh, right, getting ambushed from alleys. Not like I don’t have any experience with that. You got lots of dark city alleys where you’re from?”
Kerdy’s glare was so intense, I felt for a moment that all this heat must be coming from her, and a cloud of smoke was going to billow from her ears. All business, this cat.
“What I have is nearly a dozen blades hidden, and more tools in my bag. You’ve got that stun baton jutting out of your pant pocket like some kind of pup trying to look grown up to his oh-so-tough friends. I honestly have no idea how you’ve made it this far.”
I stopped in my tracks. “I don’t know how I’ve made it this far either, with your constant jabs and insults. You ‘hire’ me, then you act like I’m the worst detective you’ve ever heard of. And folks complain that I’m such a cynic and always so negative. Well, now I see how they feel!”
“Oh, boo hoo. Are those sweat stains on your shirt, or tears? I thought I hired a tough-as-nails private detective from the meanest streets in the city, not a puppy to babysit,” Kerdy said with a chuckle.
I put up my paws, ready to fight. “Alright, cat, you want to find out how tough I am? We’re both about to find out. I’m sweatier than a fat cat’s armpits, and I smell even worse. One of my friends almost died and may yet, and I’m being recruited to take on the most dangerous cat in the city… again! Am I cut out for this kind of thing? No, I’m not, but I’m here anyway. You say one more word, and we’ll see how tough you are.”
“Oh, now Trigger, you wouldn’t hit a dame, would you?” she asked, putting her paws under her chin and batting her eyes.
“If you’re half as tough as you act, I think we can put aside manners,” I said, clenching my teeth.
Kerdy stood there for a long moment, and appeared genuinely stunned, then burst out laughing. “Now there’s that famous temper I’ve heard so much about. Good, hold on to that feeling and save it for the bad guys,” she said, patting me on the shoulder, laughing again before continuing on her way.
It wasn’t long before we reached the entrance to the office building, with no ambushes or suspicious characters loitering around outside. Everything was quiet. The entire construction crew was gone. I knew that whoever arrang
ed this meeting covered their day’s salary just to clear this place out. Not that I should’ve been surprised.
The building itself was a marvel of brick and stone. Solid black, with gleaming windows, towering… twenty floors.
“Say… did you guess the number of floors, or did you already know?” I asked.
“I passed by here not long ago.”
“And you just so happened to remember the number of floors? I’ve trained myself to commit details to memory, but it’s rare to meet someone else who can do that.”
She nodded. “I’ve trained myself to do it also, and I’ve had a little longer to do it than you might expect.”
I wanted to ask her how old she was, but some dames were sensitive to that sort of thing, and I didn’t want to chance it with our already tense morning.
“Cat in a suit on the top floor leaned over and saw us walking up,” I said.
“Saw him nod to another on the opposite side. Can’t tell if anyone’s on the roof, but it’s not like we can do anything about it other than go home scared and let things keep going as they are. I’m going in. You coming with me?” she asked.
“That’s my line,” I said, opening the front doors and walking inside. The building was nearly finished, with the finishing touches being made to the roof and the interior. A shot of cool air hit me as I stepped inside the front lobby. Nothing special, at least not by Adria standards. The front desk was made of stained black wood with a marble stone top, flecked with black throughout. A few black leather couches sat in the center of the room, still covered in plastic.
“Look. Air conditioning. You happy?” Kerdy said, pointing to the vents above us blowing cool air into the lobby.
“Happy is an understatement. Ready to climb nineteen flights of stairs?”
Kerdy stepped over to the black wooden door with a stairs symbol, opening it up, and motioning inside. “After you.”
Things were going well so far. Too well, in fact. I felt as though I was being welcomed by a friend. They could’ve shut off the air conditioning and made this stair climb a nightmare. Could’ve had cats ready to ambush us on every floor, or outside the building, or anywhere along the way. Something wasn’t right.
