The Death & Life of an American Dog

by Ralph Vaughan

  “Why not?” Atlas and Flashman asked.

  “National City’s K-9 Unit is all rough and tough boys,” Yoda explained. “The lads in the CVPD are nothing to fool around with, but, compared to National City’s police dogs, they’re Yorkies.”

  “A Gull Dong could probably take any two of three of them,” Atlas pointed out.

  “Yes, but our friend doesn’t want to draw attention to himself,” Levi said. “Everything he has done so far has been concerned with stealth and concealment. He watched Baron from hiding in the alley, and even though it meant letting Baron get away, he held to cover until Yoda left. When he lost Baron’s trail, he took steps to hide his own trail and spy from concealment, probably because he knew from Yoda’s actions that someone else would be along soon. When Sunny and Yoda moved on, he stayed on that rooftop in the hot sun rather than revealing his presence to any watcher.”

  “He could not have possibly known that I was there,” Atlas said with vigor. “There was no way he…”

  “Your training and experience awakened heightened senses in you,” Levi said. “For him, those same senses would be a way of life that had been instilled since birth. Or he might have been cautious because he saw Sunny and Yoda linger at your house.”

  “Or it might just have been a gut feeling,” Flashman said.

  Atlas nodded. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Why was he keeping a watch on Baron?” Sunny asked.

  “And why did he head off into National City?” Yoda added.

  “As to the why of it, we do not have enough information to figure that out, and it would be foolish to speculate without facts on which to base an idea,” Levi answered. “What we can surmise from facts, however, is that our Gull Dong knew Baron from Afghanistan but that they did not come here at the same time. Baron arrived first and was later tracked down and observed by the Gull Dong, whom it would be best to think of as a scout. The initial plan was probably to follow whomever came looking for Baron, but the unfolding of events, us splitting up and Yoda and Sunny doing a house-to-house, interfered with that. His caution against being seen, made him stay hidden longer than he had planned, and when he did leave he did so in haste in order to meet with his confederates who are no doubt arriving tonight on a freighter.”

  Atlas and Flashman looked at each other, frowned, then looked back to Levi.

  “How do you know all that?” Atlas asked.

  “Yeah,” Flashman echoed.

  “Baron could not have been behind that restaurant very long,” Levi explained. “The screams he uttered while asleep, as described by Yoda, would have attracted attention sooner than later. He must have been moving around, though in his confused state he may not know where he’s been.”

  “Didn’t know where he was, that’s for sure,” Yoda said.

  “If the Gull Dong had wanted to hurt or even make contact with Baron, he could have done so before Yoda arrived,” Levi continued. “Since he was already watching when Yoda showed up, he most likely followed Baron there, and that means he had been following him for a few days at least. That indicates Baron is a target, but one to find and observe, not to attack. A scout follows orders, which means the Gull Dong is not alone; trailing and spying rather than finding and reporting indicates a scout waiting for the arrival of someone to whom he can make a report.”

  The two military dogs nodded at the undeniable logic of Levi’s conclusions.

  “But how do you know he left to meet someone?” Atlas asked.

  “And who are they?” Flashman wanted to know.

  “Other dogs from Afghanistan?” Sunny ventured.

  “That would be my guess, based on what Atlas and Flashman told us,” Levi said. “It wasn’t thirst or hunger that ultimately drove the Gull Dong from the roof of the duplex, but a desire to keep a rendezvous. When he headed toward Broadway, did he look back?”

  “No,” Atlas replied. “Not at all. He was in a hurry.”

  “Which would seem an uncharacteristic lapse of behavior after exercising so much care to keep from being detected or observed,” Levi said as he smiled thinly. “He had failed in his task to maintain surveillance on Baron, had been thwarted, albeit unintentionally, in his attempt to use us to find Baron again, and had lingered so long upon that roof in an abundance of caution that he could not delay his departure any longer. When he did leave, his need for haste overpowered his mandate not to be seen.”

  “So, you think he was going to meet up with other dogs like him tonight?” Flashman asked.

  Levi nodded. “If he did indeed enter the estuary, and that seems likely, given the lack of any sign of him down National Avenue and the scent trace found near the break in…”

  “I’m not a scent hound,” Atlas protested.

  “Don’t look at me,” Flashman added.

  “We may have been wrong entirely about it,” Atlas said.

  “Any dog, even one who relies mostly upon his eyes and ears, can always trust his sniffer,” Levi said. “Even the dullest canine nose is a marvel of nature, that which sets us apart from all others. You might not have been able to identify it, or track it, but if you think you sensed an alien trace at the fence break leading down into the estuary, then I’m sure you did.”

  “Why would a dog go down there?” Yoda asked. “I mean, I can understand how he doesn’t want to be seen strolling down the Mile of Cars, or run into those National City K-9 officers, but there are other ways to get into National City without going through that salt marsh.” The little Pomeranian shuddered as he thought how matted his fur would become if he tried to traverse the wetlands. “There are snakes and other creepy-crawlies in there too!”

  “Other ways,” Levi admitted. “But none that would allow him to approach the marine transfer terminal without being seen.”

  “He’s meeting a ship?” Flashman asked.

  Atlas said: “The freighter you mentioned? You were serious?”

  “Like him, the confederates he rushed off to meet are not from around here,” Levi said. “There are only four ways to get into this area—air, sea, rail and road.”

  “What about walking?” Yoda asked without thinking.

  The others, especially Little Kitty, gave him the look such a question deserved.

  “Never mind,” he muttered.

  “We can rule out road since that would require the cooperation of a companion, and if they had that they could just come straight to Chula Vista,” Levi continued. “We can also rule out air, even air freight, because of the security around Lindbergh Field and the near impossibility of making it around the bay and through the city without being seen or questioned by a San Diego K-9.”

  “And we can rule out Brown Field because he was heading north, not east,” Sunny added.

  Levi nodded. “And we can rule out rail for a similar reason. If they wanted to enter hidden on a freight train, they would hop one crossing the Mexican border, where security is lax, and that would make our Gull Dong head either south or west.”

  “So it has to be a ship, some kind of freighter, but it could be at the Tenth Avenue Terminal in San Diego,” Yoda pointed out, trying to redeem himself. “That’s where we went when we had to get Smokey and Bobo out of the country.”

  “And how did we get there?” Sunny asked.

  “Straight down the trolley tracks because it’s easier to…” The Pomeranian lapsed into silence.

  Atlas and Flashman looked at each other. “Bobo?”

  “A long story for another time,” Levi said. He looked at Yoda. “But you are right about it having to be a freighter. The passenger terminal is too public and too well guarded. At the National City docks, security is only high when cargo is being loaded or unloaded. Other times, they just rely on fences and a few cameras.”

  “Not even a walking patrol or guard dogs?” Atlas demanded.

  “No, minimal security and in some places not even that much,” Levi explained.

  “That’s certainly not how the Marine Corps
would run things,” Atlas asserted.

  “Part of the terminal is controlled by the Navy,” Levi said.

  “Don’t talk to me about the Navy!” Atlas barked.

  “We should check out the terminal, don’t you think?” Flashman suggested. “I mean we might be able to catch them, turn them over to the National City K-9 officers you mentioned.”

  “It probably wouldn’t take us that long to get there,” Atlas said. “We could travel by surface streets.”

  “It’s very tempting,” Levi admitted. “But, our priority is to find Baron. If we do that, any danger from the other dogs is neutralized.” He explained their planned foray to the shopping center. “It’s a long shot, may come to nothing, but, it’s our best bet for finding Baron.”

  “We could go to the terminal,” Atlas said. “Me and Flashman.”

  The Greyhound’s head snapped toward his friend.

  “Come on,” Atlas urged. “It’ll be fun.”

  “You and I think of fun very differently,” the Army dog said.

  Atlas smiled.

  “Oh, all right,” Flashman finally agreed.

  “What about your injury?” Sunny asked.

  “I can’t run like I used to,” Atlas admitted. “but there’s nothing wrong with my legs. I can still force-march with the best of them, especially a dog-face.”

  “I don’t like the two of you going over there alone,” Levi said.

  “We can take care of ourselves,” Atlas told Levi. “Flashman may look like a dog put together with pipe-cleaners…”

  Flashman frowned and bared his teeth.

  “…but he can scrap as good as any soldier.”

  “You don’t know the area,” Levi pointed out.

  “Well, we’ve never been…”

  “And you don’t have any contacts with the K-9 Unit should you come across them,” Levi added.

  “No, but…”

  “I’ll go with them,” Sunny said. “I’ll guide and help them.”

  “No you won’t!” the other dogs said, almost simultaneously.

  “I know the area, I know the K-9 dogs and have other contacts, and I can take care of myself,” Sunny said. “Besides, it needs to be checked out, and we need someone from the Agency there.”

  Levi opened his mouth, but no words came out.

  Yoda decided to mark this day on his calendar.

  Levi sighed and finally said: “I can’t argue with your logic, but do be careful.”

  After awhile, Sunny and the two military dogs departed for National City, and Levi and Yoda, in the company of Smokey and Groucho, headed for the shopping center.

  After all had set out, Little Kitty moaned disconsolately.

  “What’s the matter now?” Kim asked.

  “Nobody lets me do anything,” the Calico complained.

  Chapter 6

  Levi and the others made their way down a mostly deserted Fifth Avenue. Cars were parked in driveways, lights shone behind curtained windows, the chatter of televisions leaked into the night, and the savory scents of suppers being prepared flowed into the street. Looking at all the quiet homes they passed, Levi almost felt a twinge of envy, a wistful desire for a life that consisted of little more than eating, sleeping and lying upon a warm lap while a soft hand scratched affectionately behind his ears.

  That was most dogs’ lives, he mused, might even have been his own had he not been stolen from a litter and put in a gladiatorial compound. For the first year of his life he had been chained to a tether no more than five feet long, the metal biting into his throat, causing a permanent bare patch, the reason he now favored extra wide collars. Beaten, kicked, starved, he was prepared for a short life in the ring. He was too small to fight, but bait dogs were always in demand, bait dogs to get the Pit Bulls and Rottweilers used to the smell and taste of blood, and there was always a high turn over.

  Against all odds and every effort from the other dogs, Levi did not die. He learned to be quick and smart. And he learned techniques of fighting which he dared not use on any dog now. As he learned the ways of injustice and cruelty, he also came to treasure the concepts of justice and kindness, and he listened to the still, soft whispers of First Dog and Anubis when they came to him in the deep and quiet nights that followed the days of terror.

  He lived in a world of hatred, brutality and death, but he did not harbor those traits in his own heart.

  When he was rescued, it was an end to pain and hopelessness, the start of a new life in a loving home, but he knew there were still dogs out there, even in this pleasant neighborhood, who looked for hope and prayed for salvation.

  He could have chosen to live a soft and safe life, but this other life, one of service and responsibility, claimed him first.

  “You’re uncharacteristically quiet tonight,” Smokey remarked. He walked with Levi, just a half-pace behind.

  “Just thinking,” Levi replied with a wistful little sigh. “Just idle thoughts, nothing of any great import.”

  “Worried about Sunny?” the black-and-silver tom asked.

  “A little,” Levi admitted. “But she can take care of herself.”

  “And she is not alone,” Smokey said. “The Doberman and the Greyhound may both be old, but there is still plenty of fire there.”

  Levi chuckled. “I, of all dogs, should know something about that. I used to be all black, and now look at me.”

  “Snow does not extinguish fire,” Smokey pointed out.

  Maybe not, Levi thought, but, eventually, all fires die.

  Once they crossed G Street, the residential area ended. On Fifth’s eastern side, where they walked, was Chula Vista Middle School and, a little further on, the hospital complex; on the other side was Vista Square Elementary, followed by an Ethiopian church and the bank where they had rested earlier in the day.

  Both schools were shrouded in darkness, but they kept a closer watch on the middle school. While Levi strongly doubted the Chula Vista Maulers would make another appearance after receiving such a decisive shellacking at Smokey’s claws, there was always the chance their anger might trump their common sense.

  They passed the middle school without incident, though every primal sense they possessed, both canine and feline, told them they were being closely observed. Levi only hoped it was the gang doing the watching, and not an unknown force.

  At the corner of Fifth and H, they paused. The distance across seemed an enormous gap, six lanes total—two through lanes in each direction, a left-turn lane in the center, and a right-turn lane as soon as they stepped off the curb. The rush of traffic returning home was over, the flow of cars light, for the moment.

  Yoda jumped up and smacked the pedestrian button.

  “Why did you do that?” Groucho asked.

  “An abundance of caution,” Yoda snapped.

  “That, and the signal system here,” Levi explained. “Unlike the signals at other intersections, this one is not on a timer, but a sensor. No traffic on Fifth and none coming out of the shopping center means the light on H would never switch to red, and we’d never get the green.”

  “As if I can tell the difference,” murmured Groucho.

  The light changed.

  “Come on!” Levi called, leaping off the walkway after a quick look left for cars turning right or heading west. Just before the left-turn lane, Levi glanced right and yelled: “Stop!”

  It was his best alpha voice, and one he did not normally use, as he considered it a tool of alphas who substituted gimmicks for true leadership. But dire situations often called for extreme measures.

  The car blasting through the red light, a Porsche Boxster 981, passed less than six inches from the lead animal, Groucho. After the felonious vehicle vanished, blowing through the next intersection a few seconds later, Levi gave the order to resume running, and gave Groucho a little nip in the hindquarters to urge him forward.

  “You okay?” Yoda asked once they were on the sidewalk.

  “I guess so, but I think a couple
of lives passed before my eyes out there,” the still-quivering cat replied. He took in a deep breath, held it with his eyes closed, and let it escape, slowly gaining control over his body once more. “I guess I’m not the only one who can’t tell red from green.”

  “Top, stop,” Yoda said. “Bottom, go.”

  “Seems simple enough, even companions should get it, right?” Groucho cast a baleful glance at the vanished sports car. “Not!”

  “Or it could be karma,” Smokey suggested mildly, and with a faint grin.

  “What does karma…” Groucho stopped abruptly and gulped.

  Smokey chuckled.

  “Quit teasing him, Smokey,” Levi admonished.

  “I don’t get it,” Yoda complained, sensing he was being left out of some kind of inside joke, which he hated. “What’s going on?”

  “Let’s get going,” Levi said, starting down the walkway that led into the middle of the shopping center, the others following.

  “Am I missing something?” Yoda demanded, still standing on the corner.

  “Yes, the boat,” Levi called over his shoulder. “Come on!”

  Swallowing a disgruntled humph, Yoda caught up.

  Though not long after dusk, most of the shopping center’s retail areas were closed for the night. The exceptions were the restaurants along the outside of the complex, but they were all down near the Broadway end of the shopping center; everything east of Starbucks was shrouded in darkness.

  And ruled by cats, Levi thought as they neared the part of the shopping center where Fifth once split it, the halves once connected by crosswalks and pedestrian bridges. Even from here, I can smell the scent plume they generate. So many cats, so many breeds…and in there, perhaps, one terrified dog, all alone in the night.

  “I can hear the cats,” Yoda murmured.

  “We had better take the lead from here on.” Smokey motioned for Groucho to join him. “Hang back, and I’ll give a signal when I think everything is okay…well, as okay as it’s going to get.”

  Levi nodded, letting the two cats move on ahead of them.

  There was a certain eeriness, Levi reflected, in seeing a place built by and for companions seemingly abandoned and taken over by cats. It was disquieting enough in structures purposely left to the elements and the ravages of time, and the dogs had seen more than their share of such urban ‘lost worlds’ in their investigations, but it was something else to see it in a structure still undecayed and in use by companions, as least during the hours of daylight; come the night and it passed from one world to another.